أَحبابُنا بقلوبِنا شطُّوا

وتحكَّموا فيهنَّ فاشتطُّوا

Our loved ones set out,

And took control of our hearts, so they triumphed,

أما ترَحُّلُهُم فأقتُلُهُ

علماً فأين تراهمُ حطُّوا

If they move I'll kill him -

My knowledge, so where do you see they alighted?

ساروا ولم أُوَذَنْ بسيرهمُ

حتى رأيتُ جمالهم تَمْطو

They travelled and I wasn't told of their journey

Until I saw their beauty has been folded up,

وغدتْ بهم تخطو وأحسبها

أَسفاً على أكبادنا تَخطو

And the next morning it walked away with them

In sorrow, I reckon, for our livers it walks,

كم في هوادجهنَّ من قمَرٍ

يعدو على الألباب أو يسطو

How many moons in their chambers,

Galloping over hearts or tyrannizing!

ومُقَبَّلٍ تبدو مَضاحِكُهُ

فكأنما يَبدو بها سِمطُ

And a kissing mouth appears its smiles

As though through it dawns were showing,

ومرجَّلٍ بالمسكِ يعبقُ مِنْ

ريَّاهُ حين يمَسُّه المُشْط

And a perfumed ankle with musk

From its banner when a comb touches it,

ومثقَّلِ الأرداف يشخصُ عن

أردافه ونهودِهِ المِرْط

And large-bottomed it looks away

From its buttocks and breasts held high,

وتضمَّنت أستارها لُعَباً

بيضاً زهاها الحسنُ لا الخَرط

And their veils included white flashes

Beautified by grace not by ochre,

فيهن آنسةٌ كلفتُ بها

كالظبيةِ الأدماء إِذ تَعطُو

In them a gentle companion I was encumbered with

Like a roe deer when she bounds,

تلوي أناملها على هَزجٍ

وتحثُّهُ أَطرافها السُّبط

She twists her fingers over stirring

And her nimble fingertips provoke it

فيظلُّ منها باليسارِ له

قبْضٌ وباليمنى له بَسط

So by her left for him remains

A fist while by her right for him extends

ضدَّان منثورٌ وملتقطٌ

والنثر يجمع شملُه اللقط

Scattered, picked up,

And the scattered its collection brings together,

كان المشيبُ وهم على عدةٍ

فترحلوا وتَنزَّلَ الوخْط

Grey hair came and they in number

So they left and old age descended,

أخذوا العزاءَ وزوَّدوك أَسىً

شتان ما أَخذوا وما أعطوا

They took solace and supplied you with sorrow -

Far between what they took and what they gave!

ومذكّرات الزيِّ هُنّ لنا

في المعنيينِ كليهما شَرطُ

And memories of the farewell visit are for us

In both meanings all condition,

فسقى ديارهمُ محلَّلة ال

أخلافِ ليسف لحلِّها رَبْط

So their abodes did we water, dissolved,

No legacy, unleashed is its binding,

لي من أبي بكرٍ أخو ثقةٍ

لم أسْترِبْ بإِخائِه قَط

From Abu Bakr I have a brother, trusted one,

I never doubted his fraternity,

ما حال في قُربٍ ولا بُعُدٍ

سيانِ منه القُرْبُ والشَّحْط

Same close or far,

Both nearness and distance from him,

جسمان والروحان واحدة

كالنقطتين حَواهما خط

Bodies yet spirits one,

Like two dots enclosing them a line,

فإذا افتقرتُ فلي به جِدَةٌ

وإذا اغتربتُ فلي به رَهْط

So when needy I have through him family,

And when abroad I have through him clan,

ذاكرْهُ أو جاورْهُ مختبراً

ترَ منه بحراً ما له شَط

Recalling him or visiting, examining,

You see in him a sea with no shore,

كم نعمةٍ منه حَلِيْتُ بها

لا الشِّنفُ يبلغها ولا القُرْط

How many gifts from him did I pride myself

Not necklaces or earrings attain them!

متذلِّلٌ سَهْلٌ خلائقُهُ

وعلى عدوِّ صديقِه سَلْط

Humble, easy his manners

And to enemy of his friend violent,

مِدَحٌ يفيدُ بهنّ منقَبَةً

فإذا هجا فهجاؤه عَلْط

Praise profits through them a merit

But if dispraised his dispraise is plain,

ونتاجُ معناهُ يُتَمّمُهُ

ونتاجُ معنى غيرِهِ سقط

And fruits of his meaning perfect it

While fruits of another's meaning fall,

وجنانُ آدابٍ مثمرة

ما شابها أَثلٌ ولا خَمط

And gardens of manners, fertile,

No blight or mildew blemished them,

وتواضعٌ يزدادُ فيه عَلىً

والحسنُ يعلو حينَ يَنحَط

And humility wherein aloofness heightens

And beauty excels when it lowers,

وإذا امرؤ شيبَتْ خلائقه

غدراً فما في وُدِّهِ خَلْط

And when a man greyed, treacherously,

Then no sincerity in his affection!