إِذا شِئتَ فَاندُبني إِلى الراحِ وَانعِني

إِلى الشَربِ مِن ذي خُلَّةٍ وَنَديمِ

If you wish, summon me to wine—and announce my death

among the drinkers, as that of a faithful friend and boon companion.

أَميلوا الزُجاجَ الصَفوَ عَنّي فَإِنَّكُم

أَقَمتُم وَما شَخصي لَكُم بِمُقيمِ

You two, turn the glass of unmixed wine away from me, for you

will remain, while I will not remain with you.

بِجِسمي سَقامٌ كُلَّما جُزتُ رَدَّني

إِلى كَمَدٍ في الصَدرِ غَيرِ سَقيمِ

Take bodily form as sickness: whenever I pass beyond it, it drives me back

into anguish within a breast otherwise sound.

فَإِن مِتُّ كانَ المَوتُ مِن كَرَمِ الهَوى

وَلَيسَ الهَوى إِن لَم أَمُت بِكَريمِ

If I die, death will have come from love’s generosity;

for love, if I do not die, is not generous.

فَقُل لِنَسيمِ الوَردِ عَنكَ فَإِنَّني

أُعاديكَ إِجلالاً لِوَجهِ نَسيمِ

Then tell the rose-breeze, “Away with you!”—for I

make an enemy of you, in reverence for Nasim’s face.

نَدِمتُ وَقالَ الناسُ كَيفَ تَرَكتَهُ

فَقُل في مَلامٍ واقِعٍ بِمُليمِ

I regretted it, and people asked, “How could you leave him?”

Then voice your reproach—it falls upon one deserving blame.

أَبا الفَضلِ راجِع مِن حِجاكَ فَإِنَّني

عَلى خَطَرٍ مِمّا يُخافُ عَظيمِ

O Abu al-Fadl, reconsider, in your wisdom, for I

stand in grave peril before a thing much to be feared.

وَخَبَّرتَني أَنَّ العَزاءَ تَكَرُّم

وَهَل يَتَعَزّى عَنهُ غَيرُ لَئيمِ

You told me that taking consolation is magnanimous;

yet who but a base man could find consolation for his loss?

فَما الدارُ فيما بَينَنا بِبَعيدَةٍ

وَلا العَهدُ فيما بَينَنا بِقَديمِ

The dwelling that lies between us is not far away,

nor has it been long since we were together.