بِقَلبيَ مِن حَرِّ الفِراقِ غَليلُ

فَهَل لي إِلى رَوحِ الوِصالِ وُصولُ

My heart boils with the heat of separation,

Will I ever attain the spirit of union?

جُفوني قِصارٌ مِثلُ أَيّامِ وَصلِكُم

وَلَيلي كَأَيّامِ الفِراقِ طَويلُ

My eyelids are short like the days of your company,

And my nights as long as the days of separation.

وَأَقبَحُ ما عِندي المَلامَةُ في الهَوى

وَما عِندِيَ الصَبرُ الجَميلُ جَميلُ

The ugliest thing for me is to blame the beloved,

And I have no beautiful patience left.

بَكَينا لِيَومِ البَينِ حينَ بَكى لَنا

حَسودٌ وَواشٍ رَحمَةً وَعَذولُ

We cried on the day of parting when

An envious backbiter pitied us.

فَلا عَين إِلّا وَهيَ عَينٌ مَعينَةٌ

وَلا خَدَّ إِلّا خدَّ فيهِ مَسيلُ

There is no eye but it is a helping eye,

No cheek but has a trail of tears.

وَساروا وَوَلَّينا وَمِنّا وَمِنهُمُ ال

عُيونُ الصَحيحاتُ النَّواظِرِ حولُ

They left while we stayed behind. Eyes

Of the sincere women circle around.

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ وَخدٌ يخالِفُ سَيرَهُ

يُمَيِّلُهُ تِلقاءهُ فَيَميلُ

Each has a cheek contradicting his course,

Inclining it towards the beloved and it inclines.

رَعى اللَهُ أَيّاماً مَضَت بِاجتِماعِنا

وَلَمّا يَرُعنا بِالفِراقِ رَحيلُ

May God protect the days gone by when we were together,

And not tend us in separation to depart.

وَلَيلَةَ وافانا الحَبيبُ وَهَبَّتِ ال

شَمالُ كَأَن مِنها تُدارُ شَمولُ

The night the beloved came and the

North wind blew as if the ropes of tents were being rolled up.

تَقابَلَ جِسمي وَالنَسيمُ وَلَحظُهُ

فَكُلٌّ عَلى حُكمِ القِياسِ عَليلُ

My body and the breeze met and his glance -

So each by analogy is invalid.

مَتى يُرَ مَعشوقٌ يودعُ عاشِقاً

فَما ذاكَ إلّا قاتِلٌ وَقَتيلُ

When does a lover bid farewell to his beloved?

That is nothing but a killer and a killed!

قَليلُ الهَوى عِندي كَثيرٌ وَوَصفُهُ

وَإِن أَسهَبَ العُذّالُ فيهِ قَليلُ

Little love for me is much and describing it -

Though the passionate at length describes it - is little.

مَتى يَشتَفي بِالقُربِ قَلبي مِنَ النَوى

وَتُطفَأُ نيرانُ الجَوى فَتَزولُ

When will my heart be healed of passion by nearness

And the fires of love and longing be extinguished?

فَوا جَزَعي في الحُبِّ مِن لَوعَةِ الأَسى

فَهَل لي عَلى حُسنِ العَزاءِ دَليلُ

Alas for my anguish in love from the agony of grief!

Is there anyone to guide me to good solace?

أَظُنُّ لَيالي البَينِ لا دَرَّ دَرُّها

لَها عِندَ قَلبي المُستَهامِ ذُحولُ

I reckon the nights of separation visit their hardship,

Their overflowing lava has deputies in my resolute heart.

ذَلَلتُ وَقَد كُنتُ العَزيزَ صَبابَةً

وَكُلُّ عَزيزٍ لِلغَرامِ ذَليلُ

I have been abased when I used to be a dignified youth,

And every dignified person is humble in love.

هَلِ الحَدَقُ السودُ الَّتي لَحَظاتُها

صَوارِمُ بيضٌ ما بِهنّ فُلولُ

Are those black eyes whose glances

Are sharp swords with no remnants, still there?

نَبَضنَ سِهاماً عَن قِسِيٍّ حَواجِبِ

لَهُنَّ بِحَبّاتِ القُلوبِ نُصولُ

Did they throb arrows from hard eyebrows

That penetrate the secret thoughts of hearts?