لَو كُنتَ أَطمَع بِالمَنام تَوهما

لَسالَت طَيفكَ أَن يَزور تَكَرما

If I had hoped for you in a dream, my longing

Would have asked for your spirit to visit out of generosity

حاشا صُدودك أَن تَذم فَإِنَّها

تَحلو لَدَيَّ وَإِن أُسيغَت عَلقَما

Far be it from your aloofness to blame me, for it

Tastes sweet to me even if offered as bitter aloe

فَاِهجُر فَهَجرك لي التِفات مَودة

أَلقاهُ مِنكَ تَحنناً وَتَرَحُما

So shun me, your shunning is to me a kindly glance

I take it from you as mercy and compassion

عَذب فُوادي بِالَّذي تَختارَهُ

لَو كُنتُ مَنسيّاً تَرَكتُ وَإِنَّما

Delight my heart with what you choose

Even if I were forgotten, I would not have left

لَو لَم تَكُن بِغُبار طَرفِكَ كَحلت

عَين الغَزالة صَدّها وَجه الدُما

Had it not been for the kohl of your eyelashes

The gazelle’s eye would have rejected the tear stained face

عَيدي لِفَقدِكَ مَأَتم لَو صافَحت

فيهِ المَسَرة خاطِري لَتَأَلَما

My feast for your loss would have been a funeral

Where joy penetrated my thoughts it would have suffered

هاتَ إِسقِني كَأس المَلامة عاذِلي

وَأدر عَليَّ حَديثُهُ مُتَرَنِما

Give me a cup of blame, my critic

And let its talk flow melodiously to me

فَإِذا ذَكرت ليَ الحَبيب يَكادُ مِن

طَربي يَقبل مَسمَعي مِنكَ الفَما

When you mention the beloved to me, I almost

Swoon from rapture, my hearing welcomes your mouth

إِني لَأَعشَقُ في هَواهُ عَواذِلي

شَغَفاً بِهِ وَأَود فيهِ اللُوَّما

I passionately love those who blame me for him

Ardently, and wish for their censure

سَرق الرَسول بَلَحظِهِ مِن وَجهِهِ

حُسناً أَبى عَن ناظِري أَن يَكتما

The messenger stole beauty from his cheek

Refusing to conceal it from my eyes

دَعني أُسامر هَجرَهُ في خُلوة

فَكَفى لِمِثلي أَن يَراني مَحرَما

Let me whisper of his estrangement in solitude

For one like me, it is enough to be seen as forbidden

بَدرٌ مِن الأَتراك لَما أَن بَدا

تَرك البُدور تَرى لِعَينِكَ أَنجُما

A full moon of the Turks, when it rose

It left the stars for your eyes as stars

تَسقي لَواحِظُهُ العُقول مُدامة

الصَحو مِنها لا يَزالُ محرّما

His glances inebriate minds with endless intoxication

Remaining sober from it is still forbidden

لَو بِتُ أَشكو ظُلمُهُ لَشَكَوتُهُ

لِمَليك هَذا الدَهر أَسما مَن سَما

If I complained of his injustice, I would complain

To the king of this age, glorify the one who glorified him

مَلك مِن الإِيمان جَرد صارِماً

بِالحَق حَتّى الكُفر أَصبَحَ مُسلِما

A king of faith, an unsheathed, sharpened sword

With truth until disbelief became Muslim

قَد جَهَز السُفن الَّتي صادَمَت

رَضوى بِأَيسر لَمحة لِتهدَّما

He equipped the ships which collided

With his satisfaction with the slightest hint to destroy them

وَتُلهب البَحر الخِضَم مَهابَةً

مِنهُ فَظَنَتهُ كَريتُ جَهَنَما

And ignited the roaring sea with awe

It imagined it hellfire

لَو شاهَدَ المَطرود سَطوةَ باسِهِ

في صُلبِ آدم لِلسُجود تَقَدَما

If the exiled one witnessed his power’s domination

In Adam’s loins he would have prostrated

العَدل أَخرسَ كانَ قَبل زَمانِهِ

أَذنت لَهُ الأَيام أَن يَتَكَلَّما

Justice was mute before his time

The days allowed it to speak

يَذَر الدُجى بِالبَشر صُبحاً مُشرِقاً

وَالصُبح بِالإِرهاب لَيلاً مُظلِما

He leaves mankind at dawn shining

And dawn in terror as gloomy night

لَم تَخط آساد الفَلافي عَهدِهِ

بَينَ الشَقائِقِ خيفة أَن تَتَهما

The horsemen’s steeds did not in his time

Stamp a daisy fearing blame

عقد النثار عَلى العِداة سَحائِباً

لَولا الحَيا لَسقى السَما مِنها دَما

He strung clouds of bullets on the enemies

If not for shame, the sky would have rained blood from them

وَدَعَت ظُباهُ الطَيرَ حَتّى أَنَّهُ

قَد يَكادُ يَسقُط فَرحة نسر السَما

And left its hyenas until it

Nearly falls from joy like the eagle of the sky

لَو يَرتَضي حَمل السِهام لَغارة

لَرَأَيتُهُ اِتَخَذَ الكَواكب أَسهُما

If it pleased him to carry arrows for a raid

You would have seen him take the stars as arrows

أَو شاءَ أَن يَهب المُلوك لِبَعض ما

في رِقِهِ مُستَحقراً لَتَبَرما

Or if he wished to gift the kings some of

What was in his mantle scorning them, they would frown

صِحت مِن السقم العُقول بِحِلمِهِ

وَبِظِلِهِ الدين القَويم قَد اِحتَمى

Intellects recovered from sickness with his forbearance

And the straight religion took shelter in his shadow

تَب يا زَمان فَإِن ذكرتك عِندَهُ

مِن قَبل أَن يَنهاكَ مُتَّ تَوَهُّما

Repent, oh time, for when you are mentioned in his presence

You halt imagining out of fear of him