لا شيء أحسن من إلفَينِ قد قسما

حسنَ الرعاية والإخلاص بينهما

Nothing is better than two lovers who have divided

The beauty of caring and sincerity between them

تقاسما الحسن والإحسان فامتزجا

على الصفات فصارا في الهوى عَلَما

They shared beauty and benevolence so they blended

In passions, thus becoming a symbol for desire

كأنَّما قلمٌ قد خطَّ شكلَهما

بل كان ذلك لطفَ اللَه لا قلما

As if a pen had shaped both of their forms

Rather, it was God's kindness, not a pen

ترى الفكاهة والآداب بينهما

حدائقاً ورياضاً تنبت الحِكَما

You see amiability and refinement between them

Gardens and meadows where wisdom grows

قد أُعطِيا من فنون الشكل ما اشتهيا

وحُكِّما في صروف الدهر فاحتكما

They were given of the arts of beauty what they wished for

And they were appointed the judges of fate's twists and turns

وحين يسلم هذا يزدهي فرحاً

لعِلمِه أنَّ مَن يهواه قد سلما

And when one is safe, the other rejoices with elation

For knowing their beloved is unharmed

لو حُرِّكا انتثرا شكلاً وإن نطقا

تناثرا لؤلؤاً نظماً وما نُظِما

If they were to move, their form would scatter, and if they spoke

Scattering pearls, prose and verse, and whatever was composed

صار الحفاظُ لعين العيب مُتَّهِماً

فلن ترى منهما بالعَيب مُتَّهَما

Preserving from fault has become suspicious to the eye of fault

So you will never see either of them accused of a fault

تراضَعا بوفاءٍ كان عيشهما

منه ولو فُطِما ماتا وما انفطما

They suckled faithfulness, their life together

Even if weaned, they would have died and not been weaned

كأنَّ رُوحَيهما روح فأنت ترى

وهميهما واحداً في كلِّ ما وَهِما

It's as if their two souls are one soul, so you see

Their love and passion as one in all they fancied

وليس يحلم ذا حلماً برقدته

إلا وهذا بذاك الحلم قد حلما

And one does not dream a dream while sleeping

Unless the other dreamed that very same dream

أعجبْ بإلفَينِ لو بالنار عُذِّبَ ذا

وذاك في جنَّة الفردوس قد نعما

Marvel at two lovers, even if one were tortured with fire

And the other reveling in Paradise and its bounty

لكان ينعم هذا من تنعُّم ذا

وكان يألم هذا ذلك الألما

This one would delight in the delight of the other

And this one would anguish in that same anguish

حُسن اتِّفاقٍ بظهر الغيب بينهما

في كلِّ حالٍ تراه الدهرَ ملتئما

A beautiful concordance manifesting beyond the unseen between them

In every state, you see time harmonized

لو مسَّ ذا سَقَمٌ قامت قيامتُه

لعِلمه أنَّ مَن يهواه قد سقما

If one fell ill, he would be devastated

Knowing their beloved has fallen sick

كذا يكون وداد الأصفياء كذا

تصفو القلوبُ فيجلو نورُها الظُّلَما

Such is the affection of the loyal, thus

Hearts become pure, illuminating their darkness

سَقياً لإلفَين لو هَمّا بمَقلِيَةٍ

ما همَّ أن يبلغا من حيرةٍ نَدَما

I wish two lovers, even if tempted by sin

Would never reach the regret of confusion

تشاكلا في دوام العهد فائتلفا

والختل والغدر من هذا وذا عَدِما

They resembled in loyalty so they became intimate

While betrayal and deceit from this one and that one vanished

استخلصا خلوات الأُنس بينهما

محضاً فلو أبصرا ظلَّيهما احتشما

They extracted the intimacies of companionship between them

Pure, so even if they saw their own shadows, they'd be shy

لو خُلِّيا سرمدَ الدنيا قد انفردا

عند التغازل ما مَلّا وما بَرِما

If left alone for eternity, engrossed

In amorousness, they wouldn't be bored or bothered

ولا أرادا اعتزالاً طول عمرهما

كأنما شَرِبا من ذا وقد طَعِما

Nor did they want isolation their whole lives

As if they drank from the other and found the taste pleasant

يلتذُّ هذا لشكوى ذا ويَعلَمه

وفي التذاذهما تصديق ما عُلِما

This one delights in the other's complains and lets him know

And in their mutual delight, they confirm what was known

كلٌّ له حَرَمٌ من صون صاحبه

ولن يُصاد مصونٌ يألف الحَرَما

Each one has a sanctuary in safeguarding their companion

And no protected place would befriend a sanctuary

فكلُّ ما فعلا قبل اعتصامهما

بالودِّ قد طهرا منه مذ اعتصما

So all they did before fortifying themselves

With affection, they have cleansed since fortifying

كالجاهليَّة بالإسلام قد غُسِلت

ذنوبُها ونفى الإسلامُ ما اجتُرِما

Like pre-Islamic ignorance cleansed by Islam

Its sins washed away and Islam negated what was sinned

صار الهوى لهما دِيناً فصانهما

عن المساءة ما عِيبا ولا اتُّهِما

Passion became a religion that protected them

From misdeeds, neither blamed nor accused

إنَّ المُحبين إن داما على ثقةٍ

تَهنَّيا العيشَ والدنيا صفت لهما

Indeed, if lovers remain confident

They enjoy life, and the world caters to them

كُلٌّ لصاحبه تُبلى سرائرهُ

بكلِّ ما أظهرا من بعد ما كتما

Each one's innermost thoughts are revealed to their companion

Through all they expressed after what they concealed

فللمحبِّينَ في صفو الهوى نِعَمٌ

إن يشكروهنَّ يزدادوا بها نِعَما

For lovers, in the purity of passion, there are blessings

If they give thanks, they increase in blessings

يا ربّ إنَّ الهوى لا كاد يحمله

إلا الكرام فزِد أهلَ الهوى كرما

Oh Lord, passion can hardly be endured

Except by the noble, so increase lovers in nobility