أَيا زَهرَ المَلاحَةِ وَالجَمالِ
فُؤادُكِ مِن سَقامِ الحُبِّ خالِ
O flower of beauty and perfection
Your heart is free from the malady of love
وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ مَن يَشكو هَواهُ
إِلى مَن لا يَرِقُّ وَلا يُبالي
And I have not seen the like of one who complains of his passion
To one who does not sympathize or care
رَأَيتُكِ تَهتَدينَ إِلى عَذابي
كَأَنَّكِ تَحتَذينَ عَلى مِثالِ
I saw you purposefully inflict pain on me
As if you were following an example
أَما كانَ النِساءُ عَلِمنَ قَبلي
وَقَبلَكِ كَيفَ تَعذيبُ الرِجالِ
Did not women know before me
And before you how men are tormented?
بَلى لَكِنَّهُنَّ رَأَينَ رَأياً
تَرَينَ خِلافَهُ في كُلِّ حالِ
Yes, but they saw an opinion
You see its opposite in every case
وَأَنتِ كَأَنَّ قَلبَكِ حينَ أَشكو
بَراهُ اللَهُ مِن صُمِّ الجِبالِ
And you, when I complain, your heart is as if
Allah made it from the deaf mountains
وَلا وَأَبيكِ ما اِنبَسَطت يَميني
بِفاحِشَةٍ إِلَيكِ وَلا شِمالي
No, by your father, my right hand has not extended
With indecency towards you, nor my left
فيا مَن لا تَحِنُّ إِلى وِصالي
وَإِن طالَ اِجتِنابي وَاِعتِزالي
So O you who does not yearn for my company
Even if my avoidance and isolation lasted long
بَدا لي أَن أَعودَ إِلى التَصابي
فَلَيتَكِ قَد بَدا لَكِ ما بَدا لي
It seemed to me I should return to harmony
I wish the same had seemed to you as seemed to me
فَأُقسِمُ ما أَرَدتُ الهَجرَ إِلّا
لِأَصرِفَ عَنكِ مَكروهَ المَقالِ
So I swear I only intended avoidance
To spare you the unpleasant words
أَمُرُّ عَلى مَنازِلَ أَنتِ فيها
فَأَصرِفُ عَنكِ طَرفاً غَيرَ قالِ
I pass by the houses you are in
And turn my gaze away unswerving
وَإِن حُدِّثتُ عَنكِ رَأى جَليسي
كَأَنّي مُعرِضٌ لِهَواكِ سالِ
And if my companion talks about you
It is as if I am averse to your love
إِذا خِفنا بُغاةَ الناسِ كُنّا
عَلى حالِ الصَريمَةِ وَالتَقالي
When we fear the tyrants of men we are
In the state of caution and disengagement
وَإِن غَفَلَت عُيونُهُم رَجَعنا
لِأَحسَنِ ما يَكونُ مِنَ الوِصالِ
And if their eyes are distracted we return
To the best there can be of company
