خُذي حَديثَكِ مِن نَفسي عَن النَفسِ

وَجدُ المَشوقِ المُعَنّى غَيرُ مُلتَبِسِ

Take your words from my soul about the soul

The ardent lover finds meaning unambiguous

الماءُ في ناظِري وَالنارُ في كَبِدي

إِن شِئتِ فَاِغتَرِفي أَو شِئتِ فَاِقتَبِسي

Water in my eyes and fire in my liver

If you wish then draw, or if you wish then take a flame

كَم نَظرَةٍ مِنكَ تَشفي النَفسَ عَن عَرَضٍ

وَتُرجِعُ القَلبَ مِنِّ جِدَّ مُنتَكِسِ

How many glances from you heal the soul from harm

And return the heart from a severe depression

تَلَذُّ عَيني وَقَلبي مِنكَ في أَلَمٍ

فَالقَلبُ في مَأتَمٍ وَالعَينُ في عُرُسِ

My eyes and heart delight in you in pain

So the heart is in mourning and the eye at a wedding

كِمُّ الفُؤادِ حَبيساً غَيرُ مُنطَلِقٍ

وَدَمعُ عَيني طَليقاً غَيرُ مُنحَبِسِ

How much is my heart a prisoner, unable to escape

While the tears of my eyes flow freely, unimpeded

عَلَّ الزَمانَ عَلى الخَلصاءِ يَسمَحُ لي

يَوماً بِذاكَ اللَمى المَمنوعِ وَاللَعَسِ

May time allow me, for the sincere ones

One day, that forbidden tryst and misfortune

يَقولُ مُنّي كَأَنَّ الحُبَّ أَوَّلُهُ

فَكيفَ أَذكَرَني هَذا الضَنا وَنَسي

It says reproach me as if love was his first

So how did this estrangement make me forget

قُل لِلَّيالي فِري نَحضي عَلى بَدَني

أَو فَاِعرُقينِيَ بِالأَنيابِ وَاِنتَهِسي

Tell the nights to claw at my body

Or make me sweat with fangs and bite

خُذي سِلاحَكِ لي إِن كُنتِ آخِذَةً

قَد أَمكَنَ الناشِطُ الذَيّالُ وَاِفتَرِسي

Take your weapon for me if you were taking

The active prowler, the crafty one, has enabled and waits in ambush

فَكَم أُريغُ العُلى وَالحَظُّ في صَبَبٍ

وَكَم أَقولُ لَعاً وَالجَدُّ في تَعَسِ

How much I plead for help and fortune wanders

And how much I curse in vain, the effort in misery

مُذَبذَبُ الرِزقِ لا فَقرٌ وَلا جِدَةٌ

حَظٌّ لِعَمرُكَ لَم يَحمَق وَلَم يَكِسِ

Wavering sustenance, neither poverty nor prosperity

By your life a fortune that was neither foolish nor failed

في كُلِّ يَومٍ بِسِربي مِنكِ غادِيَةٌ

إِحالَةُ الذِئبِ بادٍ غَيرَ مُختَلِسِ

Every day my flock from you passes by

The turning away of the howling wolf not in secret

فَوهاءُ تَفغَرُ نَحوي وَهيَ ساغِبَةٌ

شَجوَ الوَليدِ إِذا ما عَبَّ في النَفَسِ

Excited panting turns toward me while it runs

The howl of a child when pressure intensifies in the soul

يا بُؤسَ لِلدَّهرِ أَلقاني بِمَسبَعَةٍ

وَقالَ لي عِندَ غيلِ الضَيغَمِ اِحتَرِسِ

Oh misery for the days that left me among predators

And said to me, when the pack draws near, beware

مَضى الرِجالُ الأُولى كانَت نَقائِبُهُم

لا بِالرِجاعِ وَلا المَبذولَةِ اللُبُسِ

The foremost men are gone, their requitals

Were neither in returning nor in dresses offered

وَصِرتُ أَهوَنَ عِندَ الحَيِّ بَعدَهُمُ

مِمّا عَلى الإِبِلِ الجَربا مِنَ العَبَسِ

And I became most insignificant among the living after them

Beyond what the scabies on the camels is of mange

أَستَنزِلُ الرِزقَ مِن قَومٍ خَلائِقُهُم

شُمسُ الأَعِنَّةِ عِندَ الزَجرِ وَالمَرَسِ

I seek sustenance from people whose manners

Are the suns of bleating during rebuke and scolding

يَستَبدِلونَ بِيَ الأَبدالَ مُعجَزَةً

مَن يَرضَ بِالعيرِ يَهجُر كاهِلَ الفَرَسِ

They exchange me for substitutes, miraculously

Who accepts the camel for hire abandons the horse

العِرضُ يُترَكُ لِلرامي بِمَضيَعَةٍ

وَالمالُ يُحفَظُ بِالأَعوانِ وَالحَرَسِ

Honor is neglected by the archer wastefully

While money is preserved with helpers and guards

يُحَصِّنونَ عَلى اَلراجي مَطالِعَهُ

خَوفاً مِنَ السَلَّةِ الحَذّاءِ وَالخَلَسِ

They fortify against the hopeful one his prospects

Fearing the crafty beggar and the thief

أَصبَحتُ حينَ أُريغُ النَفعَ عِندَهُمُ

كَناشِدِ الغُفلِ بَينَ العُميِ وَالخُرُسِ

I have become, when I plead benefit from them

Like the neglectful bard between the blind and the deaf

لَقَد زَلَلتُ وَكانَتَ هَفوَةٌ أَمَماً

أَيّامَ أَرجو النَدى الجاري مِنَ اليَبسِ

I have slipped, and it was an oblivious days gone by

When I hoped the flowing rain from the dryness

وَإِنَّ أَعجَزَ مَن لاقَيتُ ذو أَمَلٍ

يَرجو الصَلا عِندَ زَندٍ ضَنَّ بِالقَبَسِ

And the most helpless I have met is the hopeful one

Seeking warmth from flint that grudged the sparks

أَبا الذَوائِبِ مِن قَومي أَوازِنُهُم

لَقَد وَزَنتُ الصَفا العاديَّ بِالدَهَسِ

Oh you who straightens the curves of my people judging them

I have weighed sincere loyalty against trampling

يا صاحِبَيَّ اِشدُدا النِضوَينِ وَاِنطَلِقا

إِن سَلَّمَ اللَهُ أَفجَرَنا مِنَ الغَلَسِ

My two friends, brace yourselves and set forth

If Allah saves our dawn from the darkest dark

لا تَنظُرا غَيرَ وَعدِ السَيفِ آوِنَةً

مَن لَم يَرِس بِذُبابِ السَيفِ لَم يَرِسِ

Do not look for anything but the promise of the sword for protection

Whoever does not steady with the flies of swords will not steady

سيرا عَنِ الوَطَنِ المَذمومِ وَاِتَّبِعا

إِلى الإِباءِ قِيادَ الأَنفُسِ الشُمُسِ

Travel from the condemned homeland and follow

The inspirations of the souls to the setting suns

وَلا تُقيما عَلى صَعبٍ مَغالِقُهُ

بِعِرضِهِ ما بِثَوبَيهِ مِنَ الدَنَسِ

And do not stand on rugged terrain, its expanse

Is no cleaner than its clothes of filth