أبا مَنْ فضْلُهُ غِبْطَهْ

ويا مَنْ هَجْرُهُ سخْطَهْ

O he whose merit is pride

And whose abandonment is wrath

ومَنْ ليس لغيري من

هُ لو مات ولا نُقْطَه

For none other than I, if he were to die

There would not be a drop left

أرى قلبيَ في حُبِّ

كَ محمولاً على خُطَّه

I see my heart in love of you

Carried on its course

أراني وقَعَتْ عينا

ي مِنْ عَيْنِكَ في ورْطَه

I see myself having fallen, my eyes

Have fallen into your eyes' predicament

فكم لي ثَمَّ كم لي في

بحارِ الحبِّ من غَطَّه

So how many, how many do I have in

The seas of love as burdens

فيا واسطةَ العقدِ

إذا ما ضحكتْ وسْطَه

O clasp of the necklace

When its middle laughs

ويا درَّةَ تاجِ عيبُها

في أنها لُقْطَه

And o pearl whose only flaw

Is that it is found by chance

ويا جاريةً تغني

عن الحنَّاءِ والمشْطَه

And o slave girl who sings

Without henna or comb

ويا رامُشْنةً مَغْمو

سةً في الطِّيبِ مُنْغَطَّه

And o gazelle musked

In perfume, soaked

لقد أصبحتَ شِنْفَ الحُسْ

نِ في العالمِ بل قُرْطَهْ

You have become the fawn's lip

In the world, nay an earring

فأما الوجهُ فالشمسُ

منَ الأفلاكِ مُنحَطَّه

As for the face, it is the sun

Lowered from the orbits

وأما الجسمُ فالعاجُ

يحاكي خَرْطُهُ خَرْطَه

And as for the body, it is ivory

Whose engraving mimics engraving

وذاك الجيدُ للظبي

وذاك الصدرُ للبطَّه

That forelock is for the gazelle

And that chest is for the duck

وما المسك سوى تلك ال

طرار الجعدةِ القَطَّه

Musk is none other than

The soft curly sideburns

وما الكافورُ إلا كفُّ

كَ الناعمةُ السَّبْطه

Camphor is none other than

Your delicate palms

تَشَكَّى الوردُ خَدَّيْك

وشقَّ منهما مِرْطَه

The roses complained of your cheeks

And split into pieces from them

وغارَ السِّمط من ثغرٍ

كَ لما أن رأى سِمْطَه

And the anemones were jealous of a mouth

When they saw its beauty

فما للعاذِل السَّلْطِ

وللعاذلةِ السَّلْطَه

So what is the matter of the critic

And the matter of this criticism

نعم ما شأن ذا اللطِّ

وشأنُ هذه اللَّطه

When I am fired up to a passionate one

And his passion

متى انقدتُّ لمشتطٍّ

على الصبِّ ومشتطَّه

Did I not let loose my reins

Wherever a bald man lets loose his comb

ألم أُلْقِ عناني حَيْ

ثُ أَلقى أَصْلَعٌ مُشْطَه

So my heart will never unravel

From this predicament

فلن ينحلَّ قلبي أَ

بداً من هذه الوَرطَه

And I will not be released from my imprisonment

While your eyes are on their guard

ولن أُطلَقَ من حَبسي

وعيناكَ على الشُّرْطَه

Grant it the police of the blind man

For every police there is control

وهبها ضَبطَةَ الأعمى

لكلِّ ضبطةٍ ضَبطَه

People draw near until

The coin has become like carob

تداني الناسُ حتى صا

رتِ التَّلْعَةُ كالهَبْطَه

And we battled an age resembling

Its lilies are botanical decoration

وكافحنا زماناً مش

بهاً زنبقُهُ نَفْطَه

Why, when its return sheltered us

Did it not shelter us a bit

فهلاَّ إِذْ حمانا عَوْ

دَهُ لم يحمنا قِسْطَه

So why do I flail confusion

With my palm, no matter the flail

فما لي أخبطُ الشَّوْ

كَ بكفِّي أيَّما خَبْطه

And praise without attainment

Is like contracts without conditions

وتقريظٌ بلا نيلٍ

مواجيرٌ بلا شرطَه

So leave people who equal

When appraised, an armpit

فدعْ قوماً يساوون

إذا ما قُوِّموا مَطَّه

And do not heed one whose honor

Equals his honor, a forearm

ولا تحفلْ بذي عِرْضٍ

يساوي عِرْضُهُ إِبطَه

Join the course of glory

I ransom you from that course

وصلْ خُطَّةَ مجدٍ أ

نا أفدي تلكَ منْ خُطَّه

It is the course that when it existed

Was determined to benevolence

هي الخطَّةُ مذ كانت

على الإِحسانِ مختطّه

We diverged from a pure divergence

More diverging than divergence

شَحطنا عن نظيفٍ شح

طةً أطْوَلَ ما شَحْطَهْ

It is the sea which no swimmer

Can match its shore

هيَ البحرُ الذي ليس

يُداني سابحٌ شَطَّه

A boy who was not given the like

Of what he was given, would not be given to him

فتى لم يُعطَ خلْقٌ مث

ل ما أُعطيَ لم يُعطَه

Qualities that resemble each other

Like the leopard and little leopard

سجايا يتشابهن

كالنُّمرةِ والرُّقْطه

He who has God as his master

Will see the fairness of the Most High as his fairness

ومَن مولاهُ مولاهُ

يرى قسط العلى قسطه

So whoever we counted of peoples

We counted his peoples

فمن عدّ من الأقوا

م رهطاً عدَّنا رهطه

As for my praise of another, it is mistake

Let alone from mistake

أما مَدحي سواهُ غَلْ

طةٌ ناهيكَ منْ غَلْطَه

And ignorance that left

The palm tree for the sneeze and fever

وجهلٌ تركيَ النخْلَ

ةَ للأثلةِ والخمطه

Carry me, O lad of power

And clenching and extending

أَقلني يا فتى السطو

ةِ والقبضةِ والبَسْطَه

Carry me, for it is slipping

And stumbling and falling

أَقِلْني فَهيَ الزلَّ

ةُ والعَثرةُ والسَّقطَه

My entry into the door of whom you love

Is like the entry of one who has lowered himself

دخولي بابَ مَنْ تهوى

دخولُ قائلٍ حِطَّه

For had I not been sincere in praising you

I would not have been free of nonsense

فلو لم أَخْلُ من مَدْحِ

كَ لم أخْلُ من الحِنطَه