لا يَخدَعَنَكَ جَمال صوره

ما لَم يَزَنها حسن سيرَهُ

Let not his handsome image deceive you

Unless his good conduct embellishes it

لا تَرضَ بِالود الَّذي

تَبدو إِذا اِمتَحَن الكَدوره

Be not pleased with affection

That appears when adversity tests

مَن كانَ يَرضى أَن تَغيب

فَكَيفَ تَرضى أَن تَزوره

Who would be pleased to be ignored

How could you be pleased to visit him

كَم غَرَني التَرحيب حَتّى

أَظهَر التَجريب زورَه

How much was I deceived by the welcome until

Testing revealed his fraud

فَكففت لَما لَم أَجد

مِن يَستقيم عَلى وَتيره

So I refrained when I did not find

One who stays on course

وَمَتّى تَجهم لي خَطير

ذدت مِن وَهمي خُطورَه

And whenever a disturbing idea frowned at me

I dismissed its illusion

وَمُسافر عَن ذي العُبو

س الطَرف أَو يَلقى سفوره

And the traveler parts from the one

Of averted glance or encounters his disdain

يَصفو وَيونق وَجه مَن

تَلقى إِذا صَفت السَريرَه

His face clears and glows meeting one

When separators are removed

ما لِابن آدم كَالقَنا

عة وَالتَوَكُل مِن ذَخيره

Man has nothing like contentment and trust

As provision

وَيد المَطامع لا يُصا

فحها سِوى كَف الضَروره

And the hand of greed cannot be healed

Except by the palm of necessity

وَالقَلب مُمتنع بِحَمد

اللَهِ مِنها أَن تصوره

And the heart is impregnable, praise

God, from it forming any conception

هَذا زَمان خَيف أَن

يَنسى الحَمام بِهِ هَديره

This is a time, I fear

The pigeons may forget their cooing in it

قَلب الطِباع فَكادَ يُترك

ظَبيهُ فيهِ نُفوره

Hearts have changed, to the point that

Its gazelle in it almost abandoned it

فَلِذاكَ أَضحى الإِنفِرا

د يَعد منقبة خَطيره

Therefore, individuation has become

Considered a serious flaw

وَلِذا قَنعت بِظبية

بِالحُب مِن مثلي جَديره

And so I was satisfied with a gazelle

Worthy of my love

وَحشية شرك القَضا

ء أَصارها عِندي أَسيرَه

Fearing the contention of fate

Has made it my captive

فَغَدَت وَما هِي بِالمُهينة

في يَديَّ وَلا الحَقيره

So it is not disgraced in my hand

Nor lowly

تَأَبى بِإِن يَستام سحر

العَين مِنها إِن تَعيره

It refuses to be seduced by the magic

Of the eye if it winks at it

دَع ذا وَخُذ ملحاً تر

دّ طَلائع الهَم المُغيره

Leave this and take some salt that

Repels the vanguards of the changing worries

وَاِسمَع رِثاءِ هُريرة

كانَت تَرى عِندي أَسيرَهَ

And listen to the elegy of Hurayra

Who used to be my captive

خلس الحَمام حَياتها

وَاِبتَزَ مِن قَلبي سُروره

The dove stole her life

And took the joy from my heart

كانَت تَروق الناظِرين

بِحُسن أَخلاق وَصوره

She delighted viewers

With good morals and beauty

كانَت لِنَفسي أَن فَقَد

ت مَسامراً أَبَداً سَميره

She was to my soul when

She was lost an eternal companion

حَتّى إِذا الفَجر اِنجَلى

أَو طائر أَبدى صَفيره

Until dawn emerged

Or a bird uttered its whistle

قامَت تَجر وَارءَها

ذَنباً يَنوس وَلا الضَفيره

She would stand, dragging

Behind her a tail that sways but not the braid

سَوداء رَجعت الهَرير

كَراهب يَتلو زبوره

Black, she returned haughtily

Like a monk reciting his prayers

تَهوى الجُلوس عَلى النَما

رق أَو عَلى الفَرش الوَثيره

She loved to sit on carpets

Or on a thick mattress

إِني لانعت مُقلة

كانَت بِها عَيني قَريره

I remember regretting her

My eye was moist for her

صَفراء تَحسب أَنَّها

تَخضرّ في وَقت الظَهيره

Yellow, she thought she

Would green during the afternoon

إِنسانَها مِن حبة

الشونيز في شَكل الشَعيره

Her body was a grain

Of sorghum in the shape of barley

طَوراً تَطول وتارة

تَبدو لِعَينك مُستَديره

Sometimes she would elongate and sometimes

She would appear round to your eye

ستر التَوَدد شَرَها

وَطِباعَها تَبقي ظُهوره

Veiling affection was her evil

And her nature remained apparent

وَتَملق النور

مَعروف وَحدتهُ شَهيره

And flattering light

Its limits are well known

وَلَها إِذا أغضبتها

أَو هَجتها نَفسٌ مَريرة

And if she was angry or

Her soul raged, bitter

تَحكي الهَزبر إِذا أَزبأرّت

صورة إِلّا زَئيرَه

She would depict an enraged lion if she roared

An image save for a growl

كانَت كَجَمر مَضرم

إِن عانق أَلواني فُتوره

She was like glowing embers

If the colors of her calm embraced lukewarmness

كانَت لِجَيش الفَأر صا

عقة مَسوَّمة مبيره

She was to the rat army

A poisoned killer

كَم مِن كِتاب قَد قَرضنَ

مِن القَريض بِهِ سُطوره

How many books has she torn

Its lines with her claws

فَغَدَت مسلطة عَلى

أَتلافهنَّ بِهِ خَبيره

She became proficient at

Destroying them

أَغرى بِهنَّ مِن اللُصو

ص بِمال مَقعدة ضَريره

She tempted them like thieves do

With lame money of a wailing old woman

فَإِذا اِختَفينَ وَفي الرَحيل

لَهُنَّ لَو يَعلَمنَ خَيره

So when they disappeared, it would have been better for them

If they had known the good in them

كَمنت لَهُنَّ كَمون صلٍّ

وَاِستَماتَت عَن بَصيره

She ambushed them with perfect planning

And was stubborn to any insight

فَاعجب لِمَوتة مَيت

وَأعجب لِعاقرة عَقيره

So strange is the death of the dead

And stranger is the barrenness of the barren

كَم فارة هَمزت وَقَد

كَشَفَ القَضا عَنها سُتوره

How many mice she menaced and

Destiny uncovered their secrets

كَم حَجَر فار حاصَرَت

فَرَأَتهُ لا يُبدي ضَميره

How many rocks she besieged

But saw they betray no conscience

كادَت تَصيد الفَرقدي

ن بِوَثبة مِنها يَسيرَه

She almost hunted the squirrel

With a simple leap

فَتَعلمت حَركاتها

شعل البُروق المُستَطيرَه

So she learned its moves

Like the flashing lightning

نالَ الرَدى مِنها وَكا

نَت مِنهُ قَد أَخَذَت طُفورَه

She took pride in that she would be honored

Even if the tomb embraced her

أَعزز عَليَّ بِأَن تُصا

ب وَإِن أَضمتها الحَفيره

If adversity touched her

I wouldn't sell her for any price

لَو سامَها مني الرَدى

ما بِعتَها بِحَراج كوره

She was too precious for the one

Who sought her and summoned his friends

قَد غالَها ما غالَ ذو ال

أَوتاد وَاِستَقصى نَفيره

And the birds felt at ease in

Her nooks, even the eagles

وَأَراحَ مِنها الطَير في

وَكنانها حَتّى الصُقورَه

So let those who are vain take heed

And not ride their pride

فَليَعتَبر مَن كانَ ذا

بَغي وَلا يَركَب غُرورَه

Their sorrow will intensify tomorrow

Even though its duration is short

سَتَطول حَسرَتَهُ غَداً

مَع إِنَّ مُدَتهُ يَسيرَه