شَغَلَتهُ أَشغالٌ عَنِ الآرامِ

وَقَضى اللُبانَةَ مِن هَوىً وَغَرامِ

Busy with tasks, he forgot about tranquility,

And passed the test of love and passion.

وَمَضى يَجُرُّ عَلى الهَوى أَذيالَهُ

وَيَلومُ حامِلَهُ مَعَ اللُوّامِ

He went on, dragging his love behind him,

Blaming his carrier along with the blamers.

وَيَذُمُّ عَهدَ الغانِياتِ كَناقَةٍ

بَعدَ الشِفاءِ يَذُمُّ عَهدَ سَقامِ

He denounces the time of singers like a she-camel,

After recovery, he denounces the time of illness.

لا تَعجَلَنَّ وَفي الشَبابِ بَقِيَّةٌ

إِنَّ الشَبابَ مَزَلَّةَ الأَحلامِ

Don’t rush, for youth still has some life,

Youth is but a resting place for dreams.

كانَتَ إِنابَتُكَ المُريبَةُ سَلوَةً

نُسِجَت عَلى جُرحٍ بِجَنبِكَ دامي

Your disturbing repentance was a consolation,

Woven on the wound at your side that still bleeds.

إِنَّ الَّذي جَعَلَ القُلوبَ أَعِنَّةً

قادَ الشَبيبَةَ لِلهَوى بِزِمامِ

He who made hearts blind,

Led youth to love with a bridle.

يا قَلبَ أَحمَدَ وَالسِهامُ شَديدَةٌ

ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الغَزالِ الرامي

Oh heart that loved and arrows were severe,

What did you get from the archer gazelle?

تَدري وَتَسأَلُني تَجاهُلَ عارِفٍ

أَرَنا بِعَينٍ أَم رَمى بِسِهامِ

You know and ask me, the ignorance of a knower,

Did we see with an eye or did he shoot arrows?

ما زِلتَ تَركَبُ كُلَّ صَعبٍ في الهَوى

حَتّى رَكِبتَ إِلى هَواكَ حِمامي

You kept riding every difficulty in love,

Until you rode the pigeons of your love.

وَإِذا القُلوبُ اِستَرسَلَت في غَيِّها

كانَت بَلِيَّتُها عَلى الأَجسامِ

And when hearts ventured into their passions,

Their affliction was upon the bodies.