رَوَّعوهُ فَتَوَلّى مُغضَبا
أَعَلِمتُم كَيفَ تَرتاعُ الظِبا
He startled her, so she turned away angry
Do you know how gazelles are startled?
خُلِقَت لاهِيَةً ناعِمَةً
رُبَّما رَوَّعَها مُرُّ الصَبا
She was created gentle and carefree
Maybe the passing breeze alarmed her
لي حَبيبٌ كُلَّما قيلَ لَهُ
صَدَّقَ القَولَ وَزَكّى الرِيَبا
I have a beloved, whenever told
He believes the words and purifies any doubt
كَذَبَ العُذّالُ فيما زَعَموا
أَمَلي في فاتِني ما كَذَبا
The blamers lied in what they claimed
My hope in my darling didn't lie
لَو رَأَونا وَالهَوى ثالِثُنا
وَالدُجى يُرخي عَلَينا الحُجُبا
If we were seen, love between us
And darkness spreading its veils over us
في جِوارِ اللَيلِ في ذِمَّتِهِ
نَذكُرُ الصُبحَ بِأَن لا يَقرُبا
Under cover of night in its custody
We'd mention dawn so it wouldn't come near
مِلءُ بُردَينا عَفافٌ وَهَوى
حَفظَ الحُسنَ وَصُنتُ الأَدَبا
Our embrace was chaste love and passion
Protecting beauty and virtuous manners
يا غَزالاً أَهِلَ القَلبُ بِهِ
قَلبِيَ السَفحُ وَأَحنى مَلعَبا
O gazelle who filled my heart with him
My heart slopes and bends as his playground
لَكَ ما أَحبَبتَ مِن حَبَّتِهِ
مَنهَلاً عَذباً وَمَرعىً طَيِّبا
For you whatever you loved of his love
A fresh, sweet spring and pleasant meadow
هُوَ عِندَ المالِكِ الأَولى بِهِ
كَيفَ أَشكو أَنَّهُ قَد سُلِبا
He's owned by the First Master of him
How can I complain that he was taken
إِن رَأى أَبقى عَلى مَملوكِهِ
أَو رَأى أَتلَفَهُ وَاِحتَسَبا
If He saw best to keep his possession
Or saw best to destroy him and was content
لَكَ قَدٌّ سَجَدَ البانُ لَهُ
وَتَمَنَّت لَو أَقَلَّتهُ الرُبى
For you a tall lithe form that bent before him
And the rubies wished they could wear him
وَلِحاظٌ مِن مَعاني سِحرِهِ
جَمَعَ الجَفنُ سِهاماً وَظُبى
And a gaze of the magic of his eyes
That gathered arrows and antelope
كانَ عَن هَذا لِقَلبي غُنيَةٌ
ما لِقَلبِيَ وَالهَوى بَعدَ الصِبا
My heart had enough of this
What's left for my heart and love after youth?
فِطرَتي لا آخُذُ القَلبَ بِها
خُلِقَ الشاعِرُ سَمحاً طَرِبا
My nature is not to captivate hearts with it
The poet was created generous and enchanting
لَو جَلَوا حُسنَكَ أَو غَنّوا بِهِ
لِلَبيدٍ في الثَمانينَ صَبا
If they extolled your beauty or sang of it
Labid would be in his eighties youthful
أَيُّها النَفسُ تَجِدّينَ سُدىً
هَل رَأَيتِ العَيشَ إِلّا لَعِبا
O soul, you find life futile
Have you seen life as anything but play?
جَرِّبي الدُنيا تَهُن عِندَكِ ما
أَهوَنَ الدُنيا عَلى مَن جَرَّبا
Try the world, and you'll find it - as you've tried -
The world is most disdained by those who've tried
نِلتِ فيما نِلتِ مِن مَظهَرِها
وَمُنِحتِ الخُلدَ ذِكراً وَنَبا
You've gained from its appearance what you've gained
And you were granted eternity in name and deeds
