هاتِ عن أهل الحِمى ما فَعَلُوا

هل أقاموا بعدَنا أَمْ رحلوا

Ask the people of passion what they did

Did they stay after us or did they depart?

إن يكونوا رحلوا عن ناظري

فبأَكْنَافِ فؤادي نَزَلوا

If they departed from my sight

Then in the folds of my heart they descended

عمركَ الله إذا ما جئتَهمُ

وتراءَتْ لك تِلكَ الكِللُ

May God lengthen your life when you come to them

And you see those ruins

قُلْ لَهُم باللهِ عنّي إنّني

حافظٌ ميثاقَهم إنْ سألوا

Say to them, by God, from me that I

Am true to their covenant if they ask

أَيُّ سرٍّ في فؤادي لَهمُ

غير مأمونٍ عليه الرسلُ

What secret is in my heart for them

Other than one the messengers cannot be trusted with

صِفْ لهمْ حالي وخذ في شرحِهِ

عَلَّهُمْ أن يعلَموا ما جهلوا

Describe my state to them and elaborate

Perhaps they will know what they did not know

واطّرحْ ذِكر دَمي عِندهُم

ليسَ يُودَى عندهُمْ مَنْ قَتلوا

And omit mentioning my blood to them

Those they killed cannot be compensated among them

كم أثاروا مِن جوىً في مهجتي

عِندما قَالوا سَلاَ قُلتُ سلوا

How much passion they stirred in my soul

When they said, ask, I said, ask

كلُّ شيءٍ مُتَلَقَّى مِنهمُ

بقبولٍ قَطَعوا أو وصلوا

Everything I received from them

With acceptance they severed or connected

آه كم أُتْبعُ زَفْرات الهوى

زَفَراتٍ بعدَها تَتّصِلُ

Oh how many sighs of passion I emit

Sighs that are followed by more

آه ما لي ولأسْباب الهوى

ما لَها عنّيَ لا تَنْفصِل

Oh what is between me and the causes of passion

That do not detach themselves from me

بأبي مَنْ إنْ تثنّى أَوْ رَنا

تخجلُ البيضُ وتعنو الأَسَلُ

By my father, he who if he smiles or delights

The full moons are bashful and the crescents weak

وتغار الشّمسُ مِنه ن بدا

ويغورُ القمرُ المكْتَمِلُ

The sun is jealous of his brilliance when he appears

And the full moon sinks down

مُقلتاهُ سحرتْ لبّي ولا

يسحر الألبابَ إلاَّ المقلُ

His eyes have enchanted my heart and only

The enchanting can entrance minds

كيفَ كتْمانُ صباباتي بهِ

وبها يُضْرب فيهِ المثلُ

How can I conceal my love for him

When he is the paragon of lovers

أتُرى يَصْرفني عن حبّه

عاذلي إن طالَ مِنه العذَلُ

Can any chider detach me from loving him

If his rebuke is prolonged?

لاَ ومَنْ أخرَسني عن عَذْلِه

ذاك أصلٌ عنه لا أنتقلُ

No, and whoever silenced me from his rebuke

That is ingrained; I do not change course