يا صاحِبَ القَلبِ الصَحيحِ أَما اِشتَفى
أَلَمُ الجَوى مِن قَلبِيَ المَصدوعِ
O you with the pure heart, have you had your fill
Of the pain of my broken heart?
أَأَسَأتَ بِالمُشتاقِ حينَ مَلَكتَهُ
وَجَزَيتَ فَرطَ نِزاعِهِ بِنُزوعِ
Have you been cruel to the yearning lover,
And repaid his passion with rejection?
هَيهاتَ لا تَتَكَلَّفَنَّ لِيَ الهَوى
فَضَحَ التَطَبُّعُ شَيمَةَ المَطبوعِ
Do not pretend to return my love,
Pretense exposes the pretender's nature.
كَم قَد نَصَبتُ لَكَ الحَبائِلَ طامِعاً
فَنَجَوتَ بَعدَ تَعَرُّضٍ لِوُقوعِ
How many snares I set for you, hoping,
Yet you escaped, evading capture.
وَتَرَكتَني ظَمآنَ أَشرَبُ غُلَّتي
أَسَفاً عَلى ذاكَ اللَمى المَمنوعِ
You left me thirsty, drinking my bitterness,
Grieving for that forbidden sweetness.
قَلبي وَطَرفي مِنكَ هَذا في حِمى
قَيظٍ وَهَذا في رِياضِ رَبيعِ
My heart and eyes - one in the heat of summer,
The other in the gardens of spring.
كَم لَيلَةٍ جَرَّعتَهُ في طولِها
غُصَصَ المَلامِ وَمُؤلِمَ التَقريعِ
How many nights you made me drink
The bitterness of blame and painful rebuke.
أَبكي وَيَبسِمُ وَالدُجى ما بَينَنا
حَتّى أَضاءَ بِثَغرِهِ وَدُموعي
I weep while the darkness between us smiles
Until it lights up with his grin and my tears.
تَفلي أَنامِلُهُ التُرابَ تَعَلُّلاً
وَأَنامِلي في سِنِّيَ المَقروعِ
His fingers play with the dust lazily
While my fingers are broken in my old age.
قَمَرٌ إِذا اِستَخجَلتَهُ بِعِتابِهِ
لَبِسَ الغُروبَ وَلَم يَعُد لِطلوعِ
A moon, when you reproach it,
Puts on the veil of sunset and ceases to rise.
لَو حَيثُ يُستَمَعُ السِرارُ وَقَفتُما
لَعَجِبتُما مِن عِزِّهِ وَخُضوعي
If we could stand where secrets are heard
You would be amazed at his pride and my submission.
أَبغي هَواهُ بِشافِعٍ مِن غَيرِهِ
شَرُّ الهَوى ما نِلتَهُ بِشَفيعِ
I seek his love through others’ mediation
The worst love is that attained through a mediator.
ما كانَ إِلّا قُبلَةُ التَسليمِ أَر
دَفَها الفِراقُ بِضَمَّةِ التَوديعِ
It was but a kiss of farewell
Parting turned it into a touch of goodbye.
كَمَدي قَديمٌ في هَواكَ وَإِنَّما
تاريخُ وَصلِكَ كانَ مُذ أُسبوعِ
My love for you is old
Yet the date of our union was just last week.
أَهوِن عَلَيكَ إِذا اِمتَلَأتَ مِنَ الكَرى
أَنّي أَبيتُ بِلَيلَةِ المَلسوعِ
Is it easier, when you’ve had your fill of worries
That I spend the night of agony?
قَد كُنتُ أُجزيكَ الصُدودَ بِمِالِهِ
لَو أَنَّ قَلبَكَ كانَ بَينَ ضُلوعي
I would have rewarded your rejection with its due
If only your heart was between my ribs.
