وَأَخي حِفاظٍ ماجِدٍ

حُلوِ الشَمائِلِ غَيرِ لاحِ

My brother Hifaz, the glorious one

And a loyal friend, noble,

Of sweet dispositions, flawless

Sweet of nature, never harsh,

نادَيتُهُ وَاللَيلُ قَد

أَودى بِسُلطانِ الصَباحِ

I called him while the night had

I called to him when the night had

Vanquished dawn’s rule

Destroyed the dominion of the morning,

يا صاحِ أَشكو حُلوَةَ ال

عَينَينِ جائِلَةَ الوِشاحِ

O friend, I complain of the sweetness of

O friend, I complain of one sweet of

The eyes that glance from beneath the veil

Eyes, with a swaying sash.

فيها اِفتَضَحتُ وَحُبُّها

في الناسِ يَسعى بِاِفتِضاحي

Through them I was exposed, and her love

In her I was exposed, and her love

Spreads among people, exposing me

Strives among the people to disgrace me.

وَلَها وَلا ذَنبَ لَها

لَحظٌ كَأَطرافِ الرِماحِ

Yet she bears no fault, no fault at all

She has—and it is no fault of hers—

A glance like spearheads

A glance like the points of spears,

في القَلبِ يَجرَحُ دائِماً

فَالقَلبُ مَجروحُ النَواحي

That always wounds the heart

That wounds the heart unceasingly,

So my heart is wounded on all sides

So the heart is scarred on every side.

أَجِنانُ جارِيَةَ المُهَذ

ذَبِ بِالفَضائِلِ وَالسَماحِ

The gardens of the dark-eyed maid

O Jinan, maiden of the one refined

Overflow with virtue and generosity

With virtues and generosity,

مالي وَلَم أَكُ باذِلاً

وُدّاً وَلا فيكُم سَماحِ

Why do I possess nothing when I was no miser?

What ails me? Why do I lavish

And you lack no generosity or grace

Love, when there is no grace in you?

فَبَخِلتِ أَنتِ وَلَيسَ أَه

لُكِ مِن قَبيلِكِ بِالشِحاحِ

Yet you were stingy, though your people are no misers

You were stingy, though your people

Are not reckoned among the miserly kind.