دمْعٌ هَمى وفؤادٌ طالما خَفَقا

وزفرةٌ صعِدت كالبرق إذ برقا

A teardrop wept, and my heart has long palpitated,

And a sigh rose like lightning when it flashed.

وفكرةٌ فُكِرت فيما مضى فَبدَت

تُعلّم الجفنَ مِني في الدُّجى الأرقا

And an idea I had thought of in the past appeared,

Teaching my eyelids sleeplessness in the darkness.

ومُقْلةٌ شُغِفَت مُذ أبصرت فَجَنَت

على الفؤادِ الأسى واليأسَ والقَلقا

And an infatuation that enthralled me since I saw him went mad

With sorrow, despair and anxiety upon my heart.

ومُهجَةٌ عَشِقت عينَ المها فَغَدَت

دَريئةً لسِهامٍ تخرق الدَّرَقا

And a passion that loved the eyes of the moon, so it became

A shield for arrows that pierce through the armor.

ليتَ الذي شُغِفت فيه يَرِقُّ لها

لُطفاً ويمنَحُها فَضْلاً زَمانَ لِقا

If only he for whom I was infatuated would be gentle to her

And grant her superiority for a time of meeting.

ظبيٌ لحكم هواه قد خَضَعتُ قلم

يعدلْ وجار على قلبي وما رَفَقَا

A gazelle submitted to the rule of his love, my pen

Became fair and courteous to my heart, and was not harsh.

خطًّ الجمالُ لَنَا في لَوحِ جُبهته

سَطراً مُلخَّصُه يا ذُلَّ من عَشِقا

The line of beauty wrote for us in the tablet of his forehead

A line summarized: O the humiliation of one who loves!

والآسُ في خدّه قد قام يُنشِدنا

تأمَّلوا واشكُروا البارِي الذي خَلقا

And the mark on his cheek stood reciting to us:

Contemplate and thank The Creator who created!

ملّكتُه القلبَ لكنْ راح يهجُرُهُ

يا مَنْ رأى سَيّداُ من عبده أَبِقا

I gave him my heart but he went away abandoning it.

O you who saw a master leave his slave escaping!

الشمسُ طلعتُه والليلُ طُرَّته

يا مَنْ رأى الشمسَ يوماً تألَفُ الغسقا

The sun is his appearance and the night his absence.

O you who saw the sun one day befriend the darkness!

والوردُ وَجْنَتُه والبانُ قامَتُه

يا مَن رأى الوردَ غُصنَ البان معتنِقا

The roses are his cheek and the myrtle his stature.

O you who saw the rose, a branch of myrtle embracing!

أبصرتُ في خدّه ناراً وذا عَجَبٌ

ألآس والوردً في نارٍ وما حُرِقا

I saw in his cheek a fire, and this is wondrous:

The mark and the rose in fire and they were not burnt.

والجُلَّنَارُ زها فيه ففاخَرَ بي

نبتُ البهارِ الذي في وَجْنَتِي عبقا

And the bright rose brags to me saying:

The plants of spring in my garden are more fragrant.

وقال في ثغره الدرُّ النضير ألاَ

يَرَى لآلئ دمعي عقدُها انتَسقا

And the brilliant pearl said in his mouth: Do not

See the pearls of my teardrops, strung together pouring down.

قالوا له قد نَظَمتُ الشعرَ فيه فَلَم

يقبَلْ وأضحى يزيد الغيظَ والحنقا

They said to him: I composed poetry about him but he

Did not accept, and continued in anger and hatred.

وقال شِعرك بالتلفيق تخلِطُه

والكذب فيه كسَيلِ سحَّ مندفقا

And he said: Your poetry is mixed with artificiality

And lies in it like torrents pouring forth unrestrained.

أجلْ تكلَّمَ حَقّاً إِنّما بِسوى

مديحِ مُوسى قريضي قطُّ ما صَدَقا

Yes, he spoke the truth. None but

Praising Musa Qurayshi was ever truthful.

يا مالكي هلْ لطيبِ الوصلِ في زمنٍ

يعود ينفي أَسىً عنّي وفرطَ شَقا

O Malikey, is the pleasure of union possible in a time

That would relieve my sorrow and relieve the agony of pining?

ويا حَبيباً نأى عنّي وغادرني

تُهيجني الطيرُ تشدو في غصون نقا

And O beloved absent from me who left me,

The birds provoke me singing in the branches lamenting.

إني لبُعدِكُم أرعَى النجومَ وقد

حَسَدتُ عِقداً لها ألقاه منتسِقا

Due to your absence I shepherd the stars, and I

Envied a necklace for them he threw, pouring down.

إن كان سَرّك ذُلّي في البِعاد فما

ذلي سوى عِزّ قلبٍ فيكَ قد علِقا

If your secret was my humiliation in remoteness, what

Humiliation is mine but the honor of a heart attached to you?

موسى رفيقي صديقي مُنيتي أمَلي

أهوى بك اثنينِ ذاك الخَلقَ والخُلقا

Musa my friend, my companion, my wish, my hope

I love you, those two creations: character and ethics.

لبّيكَ إني على عهد المودَّة لم

أَبرح أميناً ففي حِفظي العهودَ ثقا

I am at your service. I have not wavered from the covenant of love,

Remaining faithful. My pacts are protected in my keeping.

يا عاذلي فيه صَهْ لو كنت تعرفه

عرفت فيه فتى مِن خير مَن خُلِقا

O you who blame him! If only you knew him

You would know in him a noble youth of the best character.

أنفقت عمريَ هذا مذ جَنَحتُ له

فإن جَنَحتَ إليه فاتخذ نفقا

I spent my life for him since I was devoted to him

So if you devote yourself to him take him as your expenditure.

لا يفرح الحاسدون المبغضون له

بما به من سقامٍ يوجب القَلَقا

Let not the envious haters rejoice in

The sickness he has that causes anxiety.

لنا الهنا بِشِفاءٍ حازه ولهم

شَقا يدرُّ عليهم وابلاً غدقا

For us our God has granted him healing, and for them

Misery that pours upon them a pouring rain.

يا نائياً عن محبّيك السلامُ على

ذاكَ المُحَيّا الذي كالبدر منبثقا

O you distant from your loving ones, greetings upon

That appearance like the rising full moon.

جُد بالِلقا عن قريبٍ مالِكي وَلَنا

أَهنى هَنا مثله لم نلقَ آن نقا

Be quick to meet soon, my Malikey, and we have for him

A joy here the like of which we have not attained before.

واسمح بردّ جواب عن فتاةِ مَها

واستر مصائبها واكرم ببنتِ نقا

And allow a reply from the daughter of Maha,

And conceal her afflictions, and honor the daughter of Naqa.

فأنت أجوَدُ ممن جادَ عارضُه

وأَنت أكرَمُ ممن بابُه طُرِقا

For you are more generous than one whose cheek

Turned away, and you are more noble than one whose door was knocked upon.

وأنت أنبغُ مَن في شِعرهم نبغوا

وأنت أفصحُ مَن بالضادِ قد نطقا

You are more gifted than those among them gifted in poetry,

And you are more eloquent than those who spoke clearly in language.

فليس يُعجبني فيكَ العلاءُ فذا

أُبوك قبلكَ يمشي هذه الطرقا

For I do not admire in you only excellence, for that

Your father before you walked this path.

يا رّ صُنهُ وَصُن أنجالَه أبداً

واكرُمْ عليهم جميعاً في طويل بقا

O Protector, protect him and protect his progeny forever,

And bestow upon them all in enduring prosperity.

واقبَل ختامَ كتابٍ فيكَ مبدأُه

مِن الأمينِ سَلاماً نشرُه عَبَقا

And accept the seal of a letter whose beginning

Was from the Trustworthy One, spreading fragrance.

واقبَل تحيةَ جبرانِ وقيصرَ مَن

قلباهما في بحار الشوق قد غرقا

And accept the greetings of Jubran and of Qaysar who

Their two hearts in seas of longing have drowned.

إنّا ثلاثةُ خوانٍ ورابِعُنا

فريدةُ العِقد موسى الساكن الحدقا

We three are companions, and our fourth

Is the unique pearl, Musa dwelling in Hodna.

عليك موسى سلامٌ كلما طلَعت

شمسٌ وجاد سَحابٌ والرياضُ سَقَى

Upon you, Musa, greetings whenever a sun rises

And a cloud rains generously and the meadows are irrigated!

لا تعتجبْ من مياهٍ فوق ما كَتَبتْ

يدي فما ذاك بالأمر الذي اختُلِقا

Do not be surprised at waters beyond what

My hands have written, for that is not something fabricated.

أسلتُ دمعيَ إبّان الكتابة إذ

خشيت من زفرتي أن تُحْرِق الورقا

I let flow my tears as I was writing, fearing

That my sighs would burn the paper.