لو أن طيف الخيال يسري
بل سراه قفليل صدري
If the phantom of fantasy would pass by
Nay, it passed through the enclosure of my chest
ولو أراد الحبيب أن لا
يضيمني ما استطاب هجري
And if the beloved wanted not
To slight me, I'd not enjoy his abandonment
يلومني في هواه من لا
يعلم أن الملام يغري
He blames me in his love, he who does not
Know that blame excites more love
كم ليلة زار في دجاها
فكان تحت الظلام بدري
How many a night he visited in its darkness
And was under the gloom, my full moon
يتحفني باحمرار خد
مورد وابيضا ثغرِ
Bestowing me with the redness of a cheek
A frequented spring, and white lips
يجمع لي بين سكر لحظ
وسكر ريق وسكر خمرِ
Combining for me the drunkenness of a glance
And the drunkenness of saliva and the drunkenness of wine
ودر لفظ ودر ثغر
ودركسا ودر نحرِ
And the drunkenness of words and drunkenness of lips
And drunkenness of a kiss and drunkenness of a throat
حتى أتى الصبح يستعير الض
ضياء من وجه بكتمرِ
Until the dawn came borrowing light
From the face of the round white sun
الأبلج المانح المرجى
والماجد الأوكم الأغر
The eloquent, hopeful, desired one
The glorious, perfect, charming one
سامي العلى والفعال دمر
يقظان بادي النوال غمرِ
The highest, most high, powerful in destruction
Awake, manifesting gifts overflowing
يظلمه من يقيس جدوى
يمينه بانهمال قطرِ
He is wronged by one who evaluates his
Oath by the dripping of drops of rain
أحسن من يوسف وأجرى
سيب نوال من نيل مصرِ
Better than Joseph and more generous
Than the Nile’s bestowal on Egypt
من تقف الشمس إن رأته
والشمس تجري لمستقرِ
Before whom the sun would stand still were it to see him
And the sun runs towards its resting-place
مقرب الدين أنت ردئي
وموئلي من صروف دهي
My lord, you are my raiment
And my harbor from fickle time
أنت الذي صنت ذيل عرضي
عن درن بعد صوت شعري
You it is who protected the train of my honor
From the hands of others after the sound of my poetry
من كل نزر العطاء نذر
عليه أن لا يفي بنذر
He upon whom every mote of generosity is obligated
Not to fulfill his vow
لي منك قربان قرب بيت
لا شك فيه وقرب شعرِ
I have for you, no doubt, a sacrifice for the house
And a sacrifice for poetry
يا أفصح العالمين طرا
في نثر نظم ونظم نثرِ
O most eloquent of beings
In prose, verse, and verse-like prose
من لك عم في الفضل يحذو
حذوي ولو أنه المعري
Who competes with you in superiority
Were he even Al-Ma’arri
ينظم فيك المديح عضا
منضدا كانتظم يام درِ
He composes panegyric about you
Set up like pearls upon a string
عذرت من ما مثلي
إن لم يقم في هواك عذري
I am excused, I who am the likes of me
If my argument for loving you falls short
غير الذي إن رأى منشيء
وجها أتى بالحديث يكري
Other than that if he saw something
He would come up with idle talk and nonsense
وليس ما قلته بزور
ولا محال وأنت تدري
And that is not falsehood I uttered
And it is impossible, and you know
أنت رجائي في كل قصد
وأنت دون الأنام ذخري
You are my hope in every aim
And you alone are my treasure among men
والله لا خاب فيك ظني
قط ولا غاب عنك شكوي
By God, never did my supposition miss regarding you
Nor did my complaint escape you
لولاك لم أصنع القوافي
ولم يجل في القرية فكري
Were it not for you I would not have composed poetry
Nor would my thoughts have excelled among the villages
من كل عذراء ليس ترضي
غيرك إن خوطبت بمهرِ
No maiden satisfies me if proposed to
Other than you, even with a grand dowry
واسلم وعشش هكذا مهني
بكل صوم وكل قطر
And I submit and nestle vocationaly
With every fast and rainfall
