قد كان طوعَ الهوى فكيف عصا

ومستقيماً فما له نَكَصَا

He was obedient to passion, so how did he disobey?

And once upright, what made him regress?

أَعْجِبْ به خاتلاً ألانَ لك ال

مِقْوَدَ حتّى إذا اشتهى قمَصَا

Marvel at him misleading you after he seemed gentle,

Holding the reins until, when he wished, he stripped off his shirt.

فكيف منْ قَيْدِ حِفْظك الموثَقِ انف

كَّ ومن ضيقِ سجنه خَلَصا

So how did he, from your secure, bound protection,

Escape the fetter and from his narrow prison slip out?

أَفارقَ الفخَّ والحبائلَ وال

أشراكَ قَسْراً أم كسر القفصا

Did he leave the snare and bonds and entanglements

And grids by force, or did he break open the cage?

لا شَبَكُ الودِّ ردَّ منه ولا

دِبْقُ التصافي إِذ مرَّ مُمَّلِصَا

Neither the net of love turned him back, nor

The clinging of fidelity when he passed by, set free.

يا مَنْ إِذا ما حصى العلا حُسِبَتْ

أَلفيتَه أكثرَ الأنامِ حصى

O you, when the sublime are counted, your intimacy is reckoned

As more than most people's counting.

ما زلتَ منْ أقنصِ البرية لل

وحشِ فأنْسِيتَ بعديَ القَنَصا

You never ceased, of the wild beasts in the wilderness,

To be the most cunning, till after me you forgot cunning.

لغرَّك الظبيُ فاغتررتَ به

حتى إذا فرصةً رأى افترصا

The gazelle deceived you, so you were deluded by him,

Until when he spied an opportunity, he took advantage of it.

كان إِذا ما صَحَحْتَ في حبّه اعت

لَّ وإن زدتَ صبوةً نَقَصا

When you were sincere in your love of him, he was insolent,

And if you showed more passion, he was disdainful.

وإِن تسربلتَ فيه قُمْصَ أَسىً

تَسَرْبَلَ الصبرَ قَلْبُهُ قُمُصَا

And if you put on a shirt of sorrow for him,

His heart put on a shirt of patience.

فالبسْ عزاءً واصدقْ فؤادَك في

سلوةِ مَنْ إِنْ صَدَقْتَهُ اخْتَرصا

So dress in consolation, and make your heart true in

The solace of one whom, if you are loyal to him, you will find loyal.

واغلُ إذا ما غلا عليك ولا

تَرْخُصْ له في الهوى وإن رَخُصا

Be harsh if he is harsh with you, and do not

Make things easy for him in passion, even if he makes it easy.

فقصّةُ الحبِّ إن عَدلْتَ بها

عن سَنَنِ الحزم أَصْبَحَتْ قِصصا

For the tale of love, if you deviate with it from

The ways of wisdom, will become just tales.

غيرُك منْ إِن تَخَفْ عليه أبا

إِسحقَ مكروهَ حِرْصِهِ حَرَصا

Unlike you, if you fear for Ishaq

The hated greed of his craving.

وَمَنْ إِذا ما الهوى أطافَ به

تَقَسَّمَتْهُ أَيدي الهوى حِصَصَا

And he who, when passion encircles him,

Is parceled out by the hands of passion into portions.