لا أَتَّضِع إِلَيهِ

حَتَى يَلينَ لِضِرسِ الماضِغِ الحَجَرُ

I do not humble myself before him

Until the stone softens for the chewing tooth

وَلا أَقصُرُ الهَوى عَلَيهِ

حَتّى يُقَصِّر عَن غاياتِهِ القَدَرُ

Nor do I shorten my passion for him

Until fate shortens its aims

وَلا أُحالِفُ قُربَهُ

حَتّى يُحالِفَ بَطنَ الراحَةِ الشَعَرُ

Nor do I befriend his nearness

Until poetry befriends the belly of comfort

وَلا أُصالِحُ قَلبَهُ

حَتّى يُرى طائِراً مِن مائِهِ الشَرَرُ

Nor do I reconcile his heart

Until a bird is seen from his water splash

فَكَم تَعَللَّتُ فيهِ بِالمُنى

وَذَلِكَ الصَفوُ قَد أَودى بِهِ الكَدَرُ

So how I have excused him with wishes

And that clarity has destroyed him with gloom

وَكَم دَفَعتُ الأَسى فيهِ بِالأَسى

وَلا مَرَدَّ لِما يَأَتي بِهِ القَدَرُ

And how I have repelled sorrow in him with sorrow

And there is no stopping what fate brings

وَكَم غالَطتُ فيهِ الحَقيقَةَ

وَالحَقُّ أَبلَجُ لا تَخفى لَهُ غُرَرُ

And how I have mistaken the truth in him

And the truth is lucid, no deceits are hidden from it

وَكَم عادَيتُ فيهِ النَفسَ الصَديقَةَ

بَصيرَةُ الحُبِّ أَلا يَنظُرَ البَصَرُ

And how I have opposed in him the soul, the friend

The insight of love, does not the vision look?

فَكانَ في إِخفاءِ أَسراري

كَمَن دَبَّ يَستَخفي وَفي الحَليِ جُلجُلُ

So in concealing my secrets he was

Like one who creeps to hide and in his anklet is jingling

وَفي حِفظِ وَدائِعِ أَخباري

كَما اِستَخزَنَ الماءَ المُرَوّقَ مَنهَلُ

And in keeping the deposits of my news

As one who stored spilled water in a spring

لا جَرَمَ أَنّي دافَعتُ بِهِ الغَرام

كَما دافَعَ الدينَ الغَريمُ المُماطِلُ

No doubt, I have repelled with it love

As the debtor repelled the creditor, the procrastinator

وَذُدتُ قَلبي عَن ذَلِكَ المَرام

كَما ذادَ ظَمآنا عَنِ الماءِ ناهِلُ

And I have turned my heart from that desire

As the thirsty turned from water, the sipper

فَوَزنُ هَواهُ الآنَ في عَيني

كَما طارَ في ساقي الرِياحِ تُرابُ

So the weight of his love now in my eye

Is as the dust has flown in my leg, the winds

وَعُذرُ غَدرِهِ في مِسمَعي

كَما طَنَّ في لَوحِ الهَجيرِ ذُبابُ

And the excuse of his betrayal in my hearing

As the flies have droned on the tablet of separation

وَحاصِل حُبِّهِ في قَلبي

كَما لاحَ في لَوحِ القِفارِ سَرابُ

And the harvest of his love in my heart

As the mirage has appeared on the tablet of the desert

وَقَد رَجَعتُ عَن مَحَلِّهِ

كَما رَجَعَ المَغبونُ بَعدَ بِياعِهِ

And I have turned away from his abode

As the cheated turned away after his sale

وَما كانَ مِثلي نازِلاً بِمِثلِهِ

وَلَكِنَّ دَهراً ضاقَ باعي بِباعِهِ

And there was none like me descending to his like

But time straitened my hand with his hand