هل بعد ذا كَلَفٌ بكم وغرامُ

جسدٌ يذوبُ وعَبرةٌ وسَقامُ

Is there still burden upon you and passion for me,

A body melting away, tears and sickness?

وحمامةٍ تدعو الهديلَ وطالما

جلبَ الحنينَ حمامةٌ وحمامُ

And a dove calling the gentle breeze - how often

A dove brought yearning, as did a pigeon.

هتفتْ وكم شاقتكَ فوقَ غصونِها

وُرْقٌ تَجاوَبُ والعيونُ نيامُ

It cooed - how hard for you above its branches!

Leaves murmuring while eyes slumber.

فسهِرتُ مِن دونِ الرفاقِ لنوحِها

ولبارقٍ بالرقمتينِ يُشامُ

So I stayed up apart from friends due to its lament,

And for lightning flashing through the dark of night.

أمسى يلوحُ

ولي فؤادٌ خافقٌ

It remains waving

While my heart flutters

بوميضِه دونَ القلوبِ يُضامُ

رحلَ الأحبَّةُ عن زرودَ وخلَّفوا

With its glimmer beyond hearts tightly clasped.

The loved ones left Zarud and left behind

مضنًى تكنَّفَهُ أسًى وهُيامُ

ومتى خلا ربعُ الهوى مِن أهلِه

My agony enveloped by grief and madness.

And when the abode of love was devoid of its people

فكرى الجفونِ على الجفونِ حرامُ

واِذا قضى بالبينِ بعدَ دنوَّهم

It was forbidden for my eyelids to close upon my eyes.

And if separation was decreed after their nearness

عبثُ النوى فعلى الحياةِ سَلامُ

جنفَ العواذلُ في الملامِ وما ارعوى

The intention was futile - farewell to life!

The lovers blamed in reproach but did not perceive,

وجدي وقد عَنَفوا عليه ولاموا

مَنْ مبلغٌ جيراننا بِطُوَيلِعٍ

And my liver, which they criticized and blamed!

Who will tell our neighbors of Tuweila

أنّي سَهِرتُ مِنَ الغرامِ وناموا

قومٌ إذا ذُكِروا طربتُ صبابةً

That I stayed up from love while they slept?

A people - if mentioned I tremble with passion

فكأنَّما دارتْ عليَّ مدامُ

بانوا وقد كانوا عليَّ أعزَّةً

As if cups revolved around me.

They were dearest to me

وهمُ واِن بانوا عليَّ كرامُ

أهوى رجوعَ الراحلينَ وطالما

And though they departed, to me they are generous.

I yearn for the return of the travelers, and how often

كَذَبَتْ أمانيٌّ وعَزَّ مَرامُ

هيهاتَ أين رجوعُ أيامِ الحمى

Hopes lied and pride refused!

Alas! Where is the return of the days of fervor?

ذهبتْ فدمعي اِثرهنَّ سِجامُ

أم كيف تُرجى للأحبَّةِ عودَةٌ

They left and my tears are their legacy.

Or how can return be hoped for the loved ones

ويَلَمْلَمٌ مِن دونهم وثِمامُ

طلبُ الحبائبِ ضلَّةٌ مِن بعدِما

While around them is separation and blame?

Seeking out the loved ones is misguidance after

قعدَ العواذلُ حولهنَّ وقاموا

هُجِرَ المحبُّ تجنباً وأُضيعُ في

The lovers settled around them and stood up.

The lover is shunned, avoided, and neglected

شرعِ الهوى عهدٌ له وذمامُ

فكأنَّما أيامُه بالمنحنى

While the covenant of love to him remains tied.

So it is as if his days curved

كانتْ لطيبِ العيشِ وهي منامُ

فسقتْ صوادي الربعِ ديمةُ جفنِه

Into good living while they were but a dream!

The valleys of the place poured from his eyelids

سَحّاً إذا ما ضَنَّ فيه غمامُ

ربعٌ أسائلهُ وفي قلبي له

Torrents when clouds gathered in them.

A place I ask about, and in my heart for it

مِنْ مؤلمِ الشكوى اليه ضِرامُ

عن جيرةٍ ظعنوا وأوحشَ منهمُ

Is burning complaint I make to it.

About a neighborhood who backstabbed and made desolate

نادي السرورِ في الفؤاد اقاموا

كانتْ ليالي القربِ أعياداً بهمْ

The companion of joy within my heart they settled.

Nights of nearness were holidays with them

تُزهى وكان الدهرُ وهو غلامُ

واليومَ أخفقتِ المطامعُ بعدما

Adorned while time was in its prime.

And today hopes failed after

ساروا وأمسى البينُ وهو لِزامُ

جيرانَنا مَنْ باتَ مشغوفاً بكمْ

They departed and separation remained binding.

Our neighbors - who spent the night enamored with you

ونأيتمُ عنه فكيف ينامُ

ميعادُ شوقي أن تَهُبَّ مِنَ الحمى

While you avoided him - how can he sleep?

My tryst with passion is that the breath of youth rouses

نفسُ الصَّبا أو أن تلوحَ خيامُ

ونجائبٍ ترمي الفِجاجَ ضوامرٍ

Or that tents appear waving.

And arrows launched, blazing missiles,

هنَّ القِسيُّ وركبهُنَّ سهامُ

طلبتْ ربوعَ الظاعنينَ يحثُّها

Fired by the ardent lover upon his riding camel.

It sought the meadows of the backbiters, provoking it

سَبَبا غرامٍجِنَّةٌ وعُرامُ

وتجنَّبتْ زَهْرَ الجميمِ إلى الحمى

A reason of love - a paradise and wildlife.

It avoided the flowers of faultfinding, to passion

ومواردَ الوادي وهنَّ حُمامُ

تسننُّ بينَ دَهاسِهِ فكأنَّها

And the valley’s halting-places, among which are pigeons.

It trots between his shoulders, as if

في المَرْتِ تسخرُ بالرَّياحِ نَعامُ

مِن كلَّ جائلةِ الوضينِ كانَّها

Mocking the winds, strutting ostentatiously.

From every arriving misfortune it was as if

مما عراها في الزَمامِ زِمامُ

أو مُصعَبٍ لم يثنِ مارنَ أنفِه

A bridle restraining it from the halter.

Or Mus'ab who did not bend what the tips of his spear curved

في البيدِ مِن قَلَقِ النشاطِ خِطامُ

يسري ولا لأخِي الغرامِ ولا له

In the waste from the discomfort of high energy.

He travels and neither for my brother of love nor him

في منزلٍ بعدَ الخليطِ مُقامُ

واِذا تغيَّرَ مَنْ حَفِظْتَ ودادَهُ

In an abode after separation is there stay.

And if he you kept affection for has changed

وغدتْ حبالُ العهدِ وهي رِمامُ

فدعِ الملامةَ لا تلُمْهُ فقلَّما يجدي

And the ropes of the pact became decayed,

Then leave off blame - do not blame him, for rarely

وقد نقضَ العهودَ مَلامُ

ولشرُّ أربابِ المواثقِ حُوَّلٌ

Does it avail once pacts are severed by blame.

The worst covenant-breakers are fickle,

فيها يؤنَّبُ تارةً ويُلامُ

ومتى تفاخرَ بالنظيمِ عصابةٌ

Blamed at times and criticized at others.

And if a band boasts of composition,

نبغوا فاِنَّي للجميعِ اِمامُ

ختموا بأشعاري وكان ختامهم

I have excelled - for all I am the master.

They concluded with my poetry, and their conclusion was

مسكاً ويضحي المسك وهو ختام

Musk - and musk is fragrant even as a seal.