مَرَّت عَلى عَزمِها وَلَم تَقِف
مُبدِيَةً لِلشَنانِ وَالشَنَفِ
She passed resolutely, neither hesitating nor wavering,
Alas! Her face does not turn to one who gazes,
أَيهاتَ ما وَجهُها بِمُلتَفِتٍ
فَإِسلُ وَلا عِطفُها بِمُنعَطِفِ
Nor does her compassion extend to one who implores.
O Abu Ali, you are most dear to me because of what
أَبا عَلِيٍّ أَعزِز عَلَيَّ بِما
أَتَتهُ ذاتُ الرِعاثِ النُطَفِ
The maiden with flowing tresses has done to you.
Why do you blame the singing girls? While you
ما لِلغَواني فَوارِكاً شُمُساً
وَأَنتَ بَرٌّ بِالغانِياتِ حَفي
Are righteous towards the singers.
No fresh branch adorned with blossoms in the morning
وَما نَكَرنَ الغَداةَ مِن غُصُنٍ
يَحسُنُ في الإِنثِناءِ وَالقَصَفِ
Was fairer in waving and bending than you.
Sweeter and more luscious in melody than Ma'bad's lute,
أَحلى وَأَشهى مِن مَعبِدٍ نَغَماً
وَإِبنُ سُرَيجٍ وَنازِلِ النَجَفِ
And Ibn Surayj and the descending scales.
You may say verses by which to seduce
وَقَد تَقولُ الأَبياتِ تُصبي بِها ال
غادَةَ خَلفَ الأَبوابِ وَالسُجُفِ
A wanton behind the door or screen.
And the message of love may be conveyed on your behalf
وَقَد تُؤَدّى عَنكَ الرِسالَةُ في الحُب
بِ فَتَأتي كَدُرَّةُ الصَدَفِ
So she comes to you like a pearl obtained with effort.
May God destroy her! How she broke her vow
قاتَلَها اللَهُ كَيفَ ضَيَّعتِ ال
عَهدَ وَجاءَت بِاللَّي وَالخُلُفِ
And came at night, contrary to the promise.
You relied on her gifts but did not fear
رَكِنتَ فيها إِلى الهَدايا وَلَم
تَحذَر عَلَيها جَرائِرَ التُحَفِ
The evils that could come from pleasure.
She saw the face of the one to whom she wrote,
وَقَد رَأَت وَجهَ مَن تُراسِلُهُ
فَاِنحَرَفَت عَنكَ شَرَّ مُنحَرَفِ
So she turned from you in the worst way.
You should have known the secret in her obstinate breast
قَد كانَ حَقّاً عَلَيكَ أَن تَعرِفَ ال
مَكنونَ مِن سِرِّ صَدرِها الكَلِفِ
With the wisdom and discernment you were given.
Are you not a brilliant Indian sword in appearance
بِما تَعاطَيتَ في الغُيوبِ وَما
أوتيتَ مِن حِكمَةٍ وَمِن لَطَفِ
But your thoughts are deficient and inadequate?
You sought all knowledge and excelled
أَلَستَ بِالسِندَ هِندِ ذا بَصَرٍ
إِلّا تَفُق حاسِبيهِ تَنتَصِفِ
In preserving the sayings of the ancestors.
What Hipparchus concluded about the firmament
وَقَد بَحثتَ العُلومَ أَجمَعَ وَاِستَظ
هَرتَ حِفظاً مَقالَةَ السَلَفِ
And Ptolemy made clear or obscure to you.
So how did you err, my brother, and not depend
ما اِقتَصَّ واليسُ في الفَضاءِ وَجا
بانُ وَما سَيَّرا مِنَ النُتَفِ
On what you had transcribed in the scriptures?
And how did the Quran point out to you
وَما حَكاهُ ذُروثُيوسُ وَبَطلَم
يوسُ مِن واضِحٍ لَكُم وَخفي
What was implicit and what was explicit?
Why did you not take omens from the celestial birds
فَكَيفَ أَخطَأتَ أَي أُخَيَّ وَلَم
تَركَن إِلى ما سَطَّرَتَ في الصُحُفِ
Or deduce from the moon's halo or study the shoulder blades?
You took her along though parting was imminent
وَكَيفَ مادَلَّكَ القِرانُ عَلى
مافيهِ مِن ذاهِبٍ وَمُؤتَنَفِ
For one of you two riders or passengers.
And you went though misfortunes foretold
هَلّا زَجَرتَ الطَيرَ العُلى أَو تَعَي
يَفتَ المَها أَو نَظَرتَ في الكَتِفِ
The state of the two travellers to differ.
Did you not see the stars that you two
حَمَلتَها وَالفِراقُ مُحتَشِدٌ
لِراكِبٍ مِنكُما وَمُرتَدِفِ
Were in a fixed and divergent configuration?
Nor did you observe Mars envying
وَرُحتُما وَالنُحوسُ تُنبِئُ عَن
حالٍ مِنَ الرائِحينَ مُختَلِفِ
Venus, aspiring to her rank and prominence.
Informing that a visiting woman would secretly
أَما أَرَتكَ النُجومُ أَنَّكُما
في حالَتَي ثابِتٍ وَمُنصَرِفِ
Console a spurned lover in his anguish.
How did you overlook this when you were focused
وَما رَأَيتَ المِرّيخَ قَد حاسَدَ ال
زُهرَةَ في الحَدِّ مِنهُ وَالشَرَفِ
On calendars and astronomy, constantly vigilant?
Did you falter in this craft or grow weary of it
تُخبِرُ عَن ذاكَ أَنَّ زائِرَةً
تَشفي مَزوراً مِن لاعِجِ الدَنَفِ
Or cast it aside as delusion?
You never left the vestibule without her anklet chiming too.
مِن أَينَ أَغفَلتَ ذا وَأَنتَ عَلى ال
تَقويمِ وَالزيجِ جِدُّ مُعتَكِفِ
So where is the youth's oath and his promise?
And where is the old woman's advice "Do not fear"?
رَذُلتَ في هَذِهِ الصِناعَةِ أَم
أَكدَيتَ أَم رُمتَها مَعَ الخَرَفِ
How the people betray their vows!
How bold they are in taking false oaths!
لَم تَخطُ بابَ الدِهليزِ مُنصَرِفاً
إِلّا وَخَلخالُها مَعَ الشُنُفِ
You did not exercise judgment in drawing her close
One who does not reciprocate affection and kindness.
فَأَينَ حِلفُ الفَتى وَذِمَّتُهُ
وَأَينَ قَولُ العَجوزِ لاتَخَفِ
Oh you who have wasted knowledge! How can it be possessed
By the arrogant, vain and impudent among you?
ما أَخوَنَ الناسَ لِلعُهودِ وَما
أَشَدَّ إِقدامَهُم عَلى الحَلفِ
You lead her astray to a king
Whose build and stature appeal to her.
لَم تُصبِ الرَأيَ في إِزارَتِها
مَن لايُجازي بِالوُدِّ وَاللَطَفِ
She inclines to the like of him when she looks
From you to a carcass of carcasses.
ياضَيعَةَ العِلمِ كَيفَ يُرزَقُهُ
ذو الخُرقِ مِنكُم وَالعُجبِ وَالصَلَفِ
It pains me that she should be mistreated
And anguished by him in the choicest garden.
تَقودُها ضَلَّةً إِلى مَلِكٍ
يَروقُها بِالقَوامِ وَالهَيَفِ
They told her about your shaykh standing vigil
In the bathhouse, so she lamented in sorrow,
تَصبو إِلى مِثلِهِ إِذا نَظَرَت
مِنكَ إِلى جيفَةٍ مِنَ الجِيَفِ
And informed her that his nickname is
Abu Qumash, the fungus and truffle peddler,
يَسُؤني أَن تُساءَ فيها وَأَن
تُفجَعَ مِنها بِالرَوضَةِ الأُنُفِ
And talked to her about his cheap cloak and turban
So she nearly died laughing.
قَد خَبَّروها قِيامَ شَيخِكَ في الحَم
مامِ فَاِستَعبَرَت مِنَ الأَسَفِ
You perceived that in her obvious disdain
And contempt for you and your gift.
وَأَعلَموها بِأَنَّ كُنيَتَهُ
أَبو قُماشِ الحُشوشِ وَالكُنُفِ
And her disinterest in gifts from you,
So she only accepts reluctantly and angrily.
وَحَدَّثوها بِالدَستَبانِ وَبِالصَن
نِ فَكادَت تُشفى عَلى التَلَفِ
You know you are unkempt in appearance
With prominent unruly hair.
وَقَد تَبَيَّنتَ ذاكَ في الكَمَدِ ال
بادي عَلَيها وَالواكِفِ الذَرِفِ
And old age has made clear your demise
In a sagging cheek chewing its food with difficulty.
وَزُهدِها في الدُنُوِّ مِنكَ فَما
تُعطيكَ إِلّا بِالتَعسِ وَالعُنُفِ
A face that cuts the sight of all creation,
With a long nose precisely formed.
أَنتَ كَما قَد عَلِمتَ مُضطَرِبُ ال
هَيأَةِ وَالقَدُّ ظاهِرُ الجَلَفِ
And spittle beneath double chin that has dripped
From a destructive, ruinous mouth.
وَالسِنُّ قَد بَيَّنَت فَناءَكَ في
شِدقٍ عَلى ماضِغَيكَ مُنخَسِفِ
As if there is a bite in his mouth that has
Tied his tongue so it curves to the side.
وَجهٌ لِعَينُ القِسمَينِ يَقطَعُهُ
أَنفٌ طَويلٌ مُحَدَّدُ الطَرَفِ
Haughtiness and vulgarity have joined forces
In his swaying, tilting gait.
وَرُتَّةٌ تَحتَ غُنَّةٍ قَذُرَت
مِن هالِكِ الراءِ دامِرِ الأَلِفِ
The darkness of his dye has spread over
The bending of a goat made vile.
كَأَنَّ في فيهِ لُقمَةً عَقَلَت
لِسانَهُ فَاِلتَوى عَلى جَنَفِ
Shaking his head makes him imagine
He has risen from a sneeze with prestige.
تَناصَرَ النوكُ وَالرَكاكَةُ
في مُخَبَّلِ الإِنحِناءِ وَالحَنَفِ
An appalling dimwittedness in the eyes
Left far behind even Abu Khalaf.
وَأَعرَضَت ظُلمَةُ الخِضابِ عَلى
عُثنونِ تَيسٍ بِاللُؤمِ مُنعَقِفِ
You hope to attain the moon in this state!
By my life, this is the utmost frivolity.
مُحَرِّكُ رَأسَهُ تَوَهَّمُهُ
قَد قامَ مِن عَطسَةٍ عَلى شَرَفِ
سَماجَةٌ في العُيونِ فاحِشَةٌ
خُلِفتَ في قُبحِها أَبا خَلَفِ
تَرومُ وَصلَ المَها وَأَنتَ كَذا
هَذا لَعَمري ضَربٌ مِنَ السَرَفِ
