أَيا مَن أَخلَفَ الوَعدَ

وَقَد حالَ عَنِ العَهدِ

O you who have broken the promise,

And who has turned away from the covenant,

وَمَن أَفرَطَ في الهِجرا

نِ وَالإِعراضِ وَالصَدِّ

And who went to extremes in abandonment,

In avoidance, and in repulsion,

وَيا قارونُ في الكِبرِ

وَيا عُرقوبُ في الوَعدِ

O Qarun in your arrogance,

O Urqub in your promises,

وَيا مَن لا أُسَمّيهِ

وَلا أَسرارَهُ أُبدي

O you whom I do not name,

And whose secrets I do not reveal,

وَيا أَطيَبَ مِن مِسكٍ

وَيا أَليَنَ مِن زَبدِ

O you who are more fragrant than musk,

O you who are softer than cream,

وَيا أَحلى مِنَ السُكَّ

رِ وَالماذِيِّ وَالقَنَدِ

O you who are sweeter than sugar,

And white honey, and candy cane,

وَيا مَن قَلبُهُ أَقسى

لَنا مِن حَجَرٍ صَلدِ

O you whose heart is harder

Toward us than a solid rock,

وَيا مَن كَالثُرَيّا هُ

وَ بَل أَبعَدُ في البُعدِ

O you who are like the Pleiades—

Nay, even further in distance,

وَمَن لَو كانَ في المَشرَ

بِ ساوى المِزرَ بِالشَهدِ

And who, if he were in the drink,

Would make bitter beer equal to honey,

وَمَن لَو كانَ في الطيبِ

لَكانَ العَنبَرَ الهِندي

And who, if he were among scents,

Would be the ambergris of India,

وَمَن لَو كانَ في الرَيحا

نِ ما كانَ سِوى الوَردِ

And who, if he were among aromatic plants,

Would be nothing other than the rose,

أَما وَالخَمرِ وَالرَيحا

نِ وَالخِطرَنجِ وَالنَردِ

Nay, I swear by wine and sweet basil,

And by the game of chess and backgammon,

لَما لاقى جَميلٌ عُش

رَ ما لاقَيتُ مِن وَجدي

Jamil never encountered a tenth

Of the agony I have encountered in my passion,

وَلا قَيسٌ أَخو لُبنى

وَلا عَمرٌ أَخو دَعدِ

Nor Qays, the companion of Lubna,

Nor 'Amr, the companion of Da'd,

تُراني دافِعاً ما عِش

تُ في زَورَقِكَ المُردي

Do you see me pushing away, as long as I live,

While caught in your perilous boat?