وَكَم حاجِبٍ قَد خافَ عَيناً فَلَم يُشِر

وَعَينٍ عَلَيها دونَ عَبدِكَ حاجِبُ

How many an eyelid has feared an eye, so it did not wink,

While my eye has upon it, apart from Your servant, an eyelid.

أَضمَّكَ لَمّا بانَ غِربانُ بَينِهِ

فَتِلكَ النَواعي لِلفَسادِ النَواعِبُ

It drew you near when the crows of his hoariness appeared between us,

So those intimacies are preludes to corrupting intimacies.

وَقَد ضامَني لا ضَمَّني فَسَأَلتُهُ

مَتى أَتَأَمَّلْ مِن مَسيرِكَ آيِبُ

And he guaranteed me - but did not shelter me - so I asked him,

"When will I look forward to your coming?"

وَإِنّي لِلأَخلاقِ مِنهُ لِشاكِرٌ

وَإِنّي عَلى الأَيّامِ مِنهُ لَعاتِبُ

And indeed I thank him for his manners,

And indeed I reproach the days for keeping him from me.