يَمُدُّ الدُجى في لَوعَتي وَيَزيدُ

وَيُبدِئُ بَثّي في الهَوى وَيُعيدُ

Night's gloom intensifies my torment and adds more,

And renews my grief about passion and repeats it.

إِذا طالَ وَاِستَعصى فَما هِيَ لَيلَةٌ

وَلَكِن لَيالٍ ما لَهُنَّ عَديدُ

Though long, protracted, it's no single night -

Rather nights without number or count.

أَرِقتُ وَعادَتني لِذِكرى أَحِبَّتي

شُجونٌ قِيامٌ بِالضُلوعِ قُعودُ

Insomnia keeps me awake - memories of my beloved

Return, and I toss with anguish in my ribs.

وَمَن يَحمِلِ الأَشواقَ يَتعَب وَيَختَلِف

عَلَيهِ قَديمٌ في الهَوى وَجَديدُ

Whoever carries ardour grows weary and differs -

Both old and new in passion feel this.

لَقيتَ الَّذي لَم يَلقَ قَلبٌ مِنَ الهَوى

لَكَ اللَهُ يا قَلبي أَأَنتَ حَديدُ

You suffered what no heart has suffered of love -

God bless you, O my heart! Are you made of steel?

وَلَم أَخلُ مِن وَجدٍ عَلَيكَ وَرِقَّةٍ

إِذا حَلَّ غيدٌ أَو تَرَحَّلَ غيدُ

No tenderness for you did I omit when a youth departed

Or an encampment moved on.

وَرَوضٍ كَما شاءَ المُحِبّونَ ظِلُّهُ

لَهُم وَلِأَسرارِ الغَرامِ مَديدُ

A garden whose shade the lovers desired as they wished -

For them and love's secrets it has great expanse.

تُظَلِّلُنا وَالطَيرَ في جَنَباتِهِ

غُصونٌ قِيامٌ لِلنَسيمِ سُجودُ

Branches overshadow us and the birds around it -

Swaying, bowing for the breeze's worship.

تَميلُ إِلى مُضنى الغَرامِ وَتارَةً

يُعارِضُها مُضنى الصَبا فَتَحيدُ

At times it tilts towards passion's languor but then

Youth's bloom contends with it and deflects it.

مَشى في حَواشيها الأَصيلُ فَذُهِّبَت

وَمارَت عَلَيها الحَليُ وَهيَ تَميدُ

The select walked its edges and it was lost to them -

Adornments passed by it as it slowly died.

وَقامَت لَدَيها الطَيرُ شَتّى فَآنِسٌ

بِأَهلٍ وَمَفقودُ الأَليفِ وَحيدُ

Birds of every kind stood by it - one sociable

With family, another deprived of its kin, alone.

وَباكٍ وَلا دَمعٌ وَشاكٍ وَلا جَوىً

وَجَذلانُ يَشدو في الرُبى وَيُشيدُ

One weeps but no tears, another ardent but no passion,

And songbirds warble in the ruins, celebrating.

وَذي كَبرَةٍ لَم يُعطَ بِالدَهرِ خِبرَةً

وَعُريانُ كاسٍ تَزدَهيهِ مُهودُ

One gauche whom time has not taught experience,

Another naked whom fortune makes smile.

غَشَيناهُ وَالأَيّامُ تَندى شَبيبَةً

وَيَقطُرُ مِنها العَيشُ وَهوَ رَغيدُ

We shaded it while the days donned youthfulness

And life dripped from it, opulent.

رَأَت شَفَقاً يَنعى النَهارَ مُضَرَّجاً

فَقُلتُ لَها حَتّى النَهارُ شَهيدُ

It saw dusk mourning the day blood-coloured,

So I said, “Even daylight is a martyr.”

فَقالَت وَما بِالطَيرِ قُلتُ سَكينَةٌ

فَما هِيَ مِمّا نَبتَغي وَنَصيدُ

“What of the birds?” she asked. I said, “Serenity -

That's not what we desire and hunt.”

أُحِلَّ لَنا الصَيدانِ يَومَ الهَوى مَهاً

وَيَومَ تُسَلُّ المُرهَفاتُ أُسودُ

Two delights were permitted us the day of passion -

When the fluttering doves are loosed, hawks prevail.

يُحَطَّمُ رُمحٌ دونَنا وَمُهَنَّدٌ

وَيَقتُلُنا لَحظٌ وَيَأسِرُ جيدُ

A lance is shattered before us and a blade,

And a glance kills us, a smooth cheek enslaves us.

وَنَحكُمُ حَتّى يُقبِلَ الدَهرُ حُكمَنا

وَنَحنُ لِسُلطانِ الغَرامِ عَبيدُ

We rule until time accepts our rule,

While we are slaves to passion’s sultanate.

أَقولُ لِأَيّامِ الصِبا كُلَّما نَأَت

أَما لَكَ يا عَهدَ الشَبابِ مُعيدُ

I say to the days of youth each time they pass,

“Will not the era of youth repeat itself?”

وَكَيفَ نَأَت وَالأَمسُ آخرُ عَهدِها

لَأَمسُ كَباقي الغابِراتِ عَهيدُ

But how can it repeat when yesterday was its last day -

Like all things past, yesterday is forgotten.

جَزِعتُ فَراعَتني مِنَ الشَيبِ بَسمَةٌ

كَأَنّي عَلى دَربِ المَشيبِ لَبيدُ

I was distraught so a touch of white in my hair smiled,

As if ahead on the road to greying, I strayed.

وَمِن عَبَثِ الدُنيا وَما عَبَثَت سُدىً

شَبَبنا وَشِبنا وَالزَمانُ وَليدُ

Of the world's frivolity and how it vainly toyed -

We grew up and grew old while time was an infant.