ما كنت أول عاشق بين الورى

تبع العشيقة من أمام ومن ورا

I was not the first lover among mankind

To follow the beloved in front and from behind

ورأى البكاء له معينا شافيا

يوما ويوما أضحك المستعبرا

And saw weeping as a healing spring for him

One day and another, laughing through tears

ويكون مصروع الغرام مزبّبا

متكسّسا مستقبلا مستدبراً

And becoming love-struck, distraught

Crouching, facing forward and back

ومحنبشا ومجّمشاً ومدهفشا

ومكنّصا ومزنجرا ومعنجرا

Moaning, writhing, panting,

Contracting, screaming, howling,

ومرنمّا ومغنّيا ومصفّرا

ومشببا ومطبلا ومزمرا

Humming, singing, whistling,

Murmuring, drumming, strumming,

وفيينة متثائباً متمّطيا

وفيينة متقاعسا مقعنصرا

Sometimes yawning, stretching,

Sometimes lazy, all crumpled up,

وإذا رأى رأيا رشيدا كان في

إبرامه مترهئا متأخرا

And if he saw a sensible view, he would be

Indecisive and late in implementing it

فالعشق عقل العقل عن صيّوره

حتى يضل عن الصواب ويبطرا

For love is the mind’s mind, which makes it

Stray from what’s right and lose control

قد كنت أعْجب أن يقولوا شاعر

ذو جِنَّة وأخال ذلك مفترى

I used to wonder when they said a poet

Had a Jinni, and I thought that a lie,

حتى لَقِيتُ صُوَيحْبيّ كليهما

فإذا هما من طينة قد صُوّرا

Until I met my two companions, and found

That they were made of the same clay

خُلِق الجمال لعين صبّ جنّة

ولقلبه نارا تزيد تسعّرا

Beauty was created for the eye that pours out love

And for its heart a fire that grows hotter

لا غرو أن يغدو لحمرة وجه من

يهوى وقد حمل الغرام محمّرا

No wonder the cheeks of one who loves

And carries passionate love turn red

يا ليت يغني المرء يوما واحدا

عنهن من شيء يباع ويشترى

Would that man could buy immunity one day

From them with something that can be sold and bought

ليت الجمال لهن مثل الملح في

قدر الطعام مهوَّعا إن كثّرا

Would that their beauty for them were like salt in

Food, made less tasty if too much

بل ليتهن خلقن اقبح ما يرى

كيلا نهيم تحيّرا وتخيّرا

Rather would that they were created uglier than what is seen

So we wouldn’t crave, confused and unsure

ليت الكواعب كن هُضْلا حبذا ال

طرطبّ مع لا يا كبادي منظرا

Would that the beauties were ugly old hags - how excellent!

Deformed, not a lovely sight to behold

يا ليت ذي الهيفاء درْدحة وذي ال

دهساء فَلْحَسة فيهنئنا الكرى

Would that the slender one were a camel, the plump one

A mule, so we could gloat in relief

ليت العيون النجل ضيقة وما

في الثغر من در نظيم صُفَّرا

Would that the eyes were small, with nothing

Of value strung in the mouth like yellow beads

يا ليت كانت كل ساق فعْمة

عود الشُكاعي بل أدق وأضمرا

Would that each leg were a thick, crude stick

Finer and slimmer than the Arcadia reed

يا ليت لم يَصلُت جبين فوقه

شعر كلَيْل كل غِرٍ غررا

Would that no sleek hair covered the temples above

Black locks like the darkest night

يا ليت ما في الجيد من عَنَط بدا

وقصا لأعيننا وشيّاً منكرا

Would that what’s on the cheek weren’t soft down

Apparent there, marring the sight

والحسن أن القبح أحسن ملمحا

إذ ليس يبكي العين ما منه يُرى

And beauty is that ugliness has a nicer look

Since no eye sheds tears over what it sees

فلأيّ داعٍ كان شغل عقولنا

وقلوبنا بهوى الوثائر أكثرا

Why, then, did our minds and hearts busy themselves

With passionate love for them the most?

ولمَ اختُصصن بكل علق مضنّة

وبكل حلي فاخر دون الورى

Why were they singled out to captivate all hearts

And adorn themselves above all other women?

وبمَ ارتفعن على الرجال تطاولاً

ولهنّ تحتُ تقدما وتأخرا

Why did they rise above men in arrogance

When they lead and when they follow?

والى مَ تصطبر الفحول وقد طغت

أفعالهنَّ تحيّر المتصبرا

How can warriors have patience when their

Deeds have baffled even the steadfast?

منا خرجن وعقلنا يخرجن إذ

يدخلن أو يخرجن سفّه من مرى

We created them, yet they control our minds

Whether they enter or leave, they madden the sane

ولأي شيء لم يكن قود على

من لحظها قلب المتيم قد فرى

Why was there no punishment for whoever

Made the lovesick heart elope in passion?

ولأي شيء حل رشف الريق من

ثغر الرشوف وكان ذلك مسكرا

Why did the saliva of the sweet lips

Intoxicate as it flowed like wine?

وعلى مَ تعتز الشنِاط على شج

يمسي ويصبح بالغرام محسرا

Why do curls take pride in a cheek

That wakes and sleeps consumed with love?

سلها هل التنور فار كما انبغى

في كل شهر أم تأخر اشهرا

Ask her if the bread oven rose well enough

Every month or was late for months

أين المعالي والمكارم أين من

فخر الأنام بعزّه وتجبرا

Where is the glory and generosity, where are those

The nation took pride in for their might and defiance?

يقتاده اسم الخود إن ذكرت له

طوعاً وكرها وهو يهزم عسكرا

He is led by the name of a mole if she mentions it

Willingly or not, and he defeats armies

وإذا تجشأ ساعة في وجهه

من أي سمّ قال أنشي عنبرا

And if she frown for an instant at his face

He asks, did ambergris turn foul?

ولربما عشق الكبير فجُنّ من

ريح من الحسناء تفعم منخرا

And the prominent man may fall madly in love

From a whiff of scent from the beauty’s nostrils

ولو ان ذا القرنين جاري كيدها

لرأى إلى قرنيه قرنا آخرا

And if the great Alexander contended with her wiles

He would see a second pair of horns on his head

لولا النساء لما رأيت مخطّأ

ومسفّها ومفسقا ومفجّرا

Were it not for women, I would not have seen

One err, or foolish, corrupt, or decadent,

ومفلسّا ومجبَّها ومُعنّنا

ومكشخنا ومجرّسا ومعزّرا

Or bankrupt, or obtuse, or too delicate,

Or ostentatious, or vulgar, or indecent,

ومتيما ومهيما ومسهما

ومدّمما ومذّمما ومشّهرا

Or obsessed, or crazy, or raving,

Or faultfinding, or critical, or suspicious,

ولما تناثرت الجماجم في الوغى

تحت السنابك وهي توري المغفرا

Nor would skulls have been scattered in battles

As swords revealed what the turbans covered

ولما عفت دول بهنّ لهَت فبي

يتها الدمار فأصبحت تحت الثرى

Were it not for them, nations that shone

Like stars would not have fallen into ruin

أمْلت عليّ حوادث الأمم التي

غبرت فقلت مقال من قد حرّرا

When misfortunes befell nations and erased them

I spoke words that had been recorded:

يا رب قد فتن النساء عقولنا

فامسح محاسنهن قبحا يزدرى

O Lord, women have seduced our minds,

So erase their beauty that is scorned,

أو فاجعلن غشاوة تغشى على

أبصارنا أوْ لا فأعم المُبصِرا

Or cast a blindness over our vision,

Or blind the seeing eye entirely,

أو فانصُنا أو فابصُنا أو فالصِنا

أو فاخصِنا طبعا بصاء بالحرى

Or guide us or enlighten us or save us,

Or distinguish us by nature, clearly.