أَقِلّي فَأَيّامُ المُحِبُّ قَلائِلُ
وَفي قَلبِهِ شُغلٌ عَنِ اللَومِ شاغِلُ
The days of a lover are few,
With a heart preoccupied from blame, busy.
وَلِعتِ بِعَذلِ المُستَهامِ عَلى الهَوى
وَأَولَعُ شَيءٍ بِالمُحِبِّ العَواذِلُ
He is blinded by the blame of the obsessed with passion,
And the most afflicted thing with the lover is separation.
أَرَيتَكِ هَل لي مِن جَوى الحُبِّ مَخلَصٌ
وَقَد نَشِبَت لِلحُبِّ فِيَّ حَبائِلُ
Do you see - is there for me any salvation from the agony of love
When the ropes of love have grown into me?
وَبَينَ بُنَيّاتِ الخُدورِ وَبَينَنا
حُروبٌ تَلَظّى نارُها وَتُطاوِلُ
Between the dwellings of maidens and I
Are blazing wars that rage and loom.
أَغَرنَ عَلى قَلبي بِجَيشٍ مِنَ الهَوى
وَطارَدَ عَنهُنَّ الغَزالُ المُغازِلُ
They attacked my heart with an army of passion,
And the flirting gazelle chased away the flirtatious.
تَعَمَّدَ بِالسَهمِ المُصيبِ مَقاتِلي
أَلا كُلَّ أَعضائي لَدَيهِ مَقاتِلُ
He deliberately struck with the hitting arrow my warriors -
Oh! All my limbs are to it warriors.
وَوَاللَهِ ما قَصَّرتُ في طَلَبِ العُلا
وَلَكِن كَأَنَّ الدَهرَ عَنِّيَ غافِلُ
By Allah, I have not been negligent in seeking exaltation,
But it is as if fate is oblivious of me.
مَواعِدُ أَيّامٍ تُماطِلُني بِها
مُراماةُ أَزمانٍ وَدَهرٌ مُخاتِلُ
Appointments of days that procrastinate me with them
Aiming of eras and a life that fights.
تُدافِعُني الأَيّامُ عَمّا أُريدُهُ
كَما دَفَعَ الدَينَ الغَريمُ المُماطِلُ
The days drive me away from what I want
As the debtor drove away the insisting creditor.
خَليلَيَّ أَغراضي بَعيدٌ مَنالُها
فَهَل فيكُما عَونٌ عَلى ما أُحاوِلُ
My two friends - my goals are far to attain them
So is there in you two help for what I attempt?
خَليلَيَّ شُدّا لي عَلى ناقَتَيكُما
إِذا مابَدا شَيبٌ مِنَ الفَجرِ ناصِلُ
My two friends - tie me onto your two she-camels
When the gray hair of dawn begins to appear.
فَمِثلِيَ مَن نالَ المَعالي بِنَفسِهِ
وَرُبَّتَما غالَتهُ عَنها الغَوائِلُ
The likes of me - who attained glories by himself
While most glories were inaccessible to him due to tribulations.
وَما كُلُّ طُلّابٍ مِنَ الناسِ بالِغٌ
وَلا كُلُّ سَيّارٍ إِلى المَجدِ واصِلُ
And not everyone striving of people attains
Nor every rider reaches glory.
وَإِنَّ مُقيماً مَنهَجَ العَجزِ خائِبٌ
وَإِنَّ مُريغاً خائِبَ الجُهدِ نائِلُ
Indeed whoever remains on the path of incapacity is disappointed
And whoever exhausts himself in vain reaches his goal.
وَما المَرءُ إِلّا حَيثُ يَجعَلُ نَفسَهُ
وَإِنّي لَها فَوقَ السَماكَينِ جاعِلُ
And man is only where he puts himself,
And I - above the two skies - place it.
وَلِلوَفرِ مِتلافٌ وَلِلحَمدِ جامِعٌ
وَلِلشَرِّ تَرّاكٌ وَلِلخَيرِ فاعِلُ
And for extravagance there is a squanderer, and for praise a collector,
And for evil a committer, and for good a doer.
وَما لِيَ لا تُمسي وَتُصبِحُ في يَدي
كَرائِمُ أَموالِ الرِجالِ العَقائِلُ
Why do not valuables of men's families
Spend the night and morn in my hands as booty?
أُحَكِّمُ في الأَعداءِ مِنها صَوارِماً
أُحَكِّمُها فيها إِذا ضاقَ نازِلُ
I judge among the enemies with sharp swords from it
I judge it among them when the descent is narrow.
وَما نالَ مَحمِيُّ الرَغائِبِ عَنوَةً
سِوى ما أَقَلَّت في الجُفونِ الحَمائِلُ
And the protector of desires did not forcibly attain
Except what the eyelids made little.
