يا رَفيقيَّ قِفا نِضوَيكُما

بَينَ أَعلامِ النَقا وَالمُنحَنى

O my companion, stop, let us both incline

Between the flags of coquetry and bending grace.

وَاِنشُدا قَلبي فَقَد ضَيَّعتُهُ

بِاِختِياري بَينَ جَمعٍ وَمِنى

And call out to my heart, for I have lost it

By my own choice, between a horde and an enclosure.

عارِضا السِربِ فَإِن كانَ فَتىً

بِالعُيونِ الجُلِّ يَقضي فَأَنا

Confronting the flock, so if he is a gallant

With the plump eyes, he will ransom me, and I will be.

إِنَّ مَن شاطَ عَلى أَلحاظِها

ضِعفُ مَن شاطَ عَلى طَولِ القَنا

Verily, whoever passed by their glances

Is weaker than whoever passed the length of the spear.

تَجرَحُ الأَعيُنُ فينا وَالطُلى

قاتَلَ اللَهُ الطُلى وَالأَعيُنا

Eyes injure us and the visiting,

May God destroy visiting and eyes.

ثُمَّ كانَت بِقُباءٍ وَقفَةٌ

ضَمِنَت لِلشَوقِ قَلباً ضَمِنا

Then there was in Qubbah a stance,

That secured for longing an insured heart,

وَحَديثٍ كانَ مِن لَذَّتِهِ

أُحُدٌ يُصغي إِلَينا أُذُنا

And a conversation that was from its sweetness

A lover listening to us, an ear.

غادَروني جَسَداً تُظهِرُهُ

لَهُمُ الشَكوى وَيُخفيهِ الضَنى

They left me a body that complaining shows it

To them, and deprivation hides it.

حَبَّذا مِنكُم خَيالٌ طارِقٌ

مَرَّ بِالحَيِّ وَلَم يُلمِم بِنا

Good imaginings of you visited,

Passing by the neighborhood, and did not greet us.

باخِلٌ بُخلَ الَّذي أَرسَلَهُ

سُئِلَ النَيلَ وَما جادَ لَنا

Miserly, the stinginess of the one who sent him.

Asked of the Nile, and it did not flow to us.

سَرحَةٌ أَعجَلَها البَينُ وَما

لُبِسَ الظَلُّ وَلا ذيقَ الجَنى

An excursion cut short by separation, and neither

Was shade worn, nor delight tasted.

ما رَأَت عَينِيَ مُذ فارَقتُكُم

يا نُزولَ الحَيِّ شَيئاً حَسَنا

My eyes have not seen, since I left you,

In the dwellings of the living, anything beautiful.