أَزعَجَ اللَّيْلَ النَّدامى

قَطَعوا اللَّيْلَ هُيَامَا

The sleepless reproached the night,

They spent the night restless.

طالَ بالهجْرِ عليهِمْ

ليتَهُ دامَ ظَلامَا

Separation was prolonged for them,

If only it had remained dark.

وبَغى جَهلاً عَذولٌ

أَسمَعَ القَوْمَ مَلامَا

An ignorant fool was wicked,

And made the people hear blame.

قالَ حينَ القَوْمُ ناحوا

فعَلى مَ وإِلى مَا

When the people complained, he said:

"To whom and to what?"

مرَّ باللَّغْوِ وقَوْمي

بالهَوَى مرُّوا كِرَامَا

He passed by ignoring my people,

While they nobly passed away out of love.

أَصدَرَ اللَّوْمَ خِطاباً

وهُمُ قَالوا سَلامَا

He issued blame in his speech,

And they said, "Peace."

رَفْرَفَ اللَّيْلُ جَناحاً

وبَنى العَتْمُ خِيَامَا

The night fluttered its wings,

And darkness built tents.

وهُناكَ القَوْمُ أضحَتْ

ترقُبُ الحِبَّ قِيَامَا

There, at daybreak, the people

Were expectantly awake for love.

قتَلَتْهُمْ زَفْرَةُ الشَّوْ

قِ غَراماً واصْطِلامَا

The roar of passion killed them,

Dying of love and burning.

هل سمِعْتُمْ غيرَنا من

ماتَ في الحُبِّ غَرَامَا

Have you heard of others besides us

Who died of fervent love?

يا نُجوماً بالدِّياجي

أَعطَتِ العتمَ نِظَامَا

O stars in my night sky,

You brought order to the darkness.

قَمَرُ الحُبِّ تَوارَى

لو زَوى عنهُ اللِّثَامَا

The moon of love hid away,

As if a veil concealed it.

لصَعِقْنا وطَرَقْنا

قُبَّةَ الأُفقِ اضْطِرَامَا

We would have collapsed and knocked

On the dome of the horizon in distress.

يا لرَمْشٍ منهُ فينا

مُصْلِتٍ جَهْراً حُسَامَا

If but a wink from it at us

Would set our swords ablaze openly.

يتَعالى عن دَلالٍ

وبِذُلٍّ نَتَرامى

It avoids guides,

And disdains humility.

أُعْذُروا باللهِ قَلباً

عَشِقَ الحِبَّ فَهَامَا

Excuse, for God's sake, a heart

That fell passionately in love.

أَنا لا أسْطِيعُ فيه

أَبَدَ الدَّهرِ اكْتِتَامَا

I cannot conceal it

For all eternity.

رَكَّبَ القولَ مُفيدي

فغَدا فيهِ كَلامَا

My love composed words,

And it became eloquent speech.

فِعْلُهُ في القلبِ ماضٍ

ضارِعوني يا نَدامَى

Its actions in my heart persist,

Compete with me, O critics!

أخَذَ الحالُ ابْتِدائي

خَبَراً صارَ اخْتِتَامَا

The present took my beginning

As news that became a conclusion.

يا أُصولِيَّ غَرامي

بحرُ دَمعي منكَ عَامَا

O my passionate origin,

My tears' sea has been stormy because of you.

خذْ بفِقْهٍ إنَّ قَتْلي

كانَ في الشَّرْعِ حَرَامَا

Take wisely, for my murder

Would be unlawful in religion.

فَسِّرِ الأَشْجانَ منِّي

واشْبِعِ الخصمَ انْتِقَامَا

Explain my sorrows,

And satisfy the adversary's revenge.

واسْتَعِرْ نصَّ المَعاني

وامْلِها جاماً فَجَامَا

Review the essence of meanings,

And fill the cup again and again.

وعلى رَقِّ بَياني

يَمَناً سرْ بي وشَامَا

Grace my eloquence gently,

Move toward me and toast.

جَدَلِيُّ العذلِ أوْهَى

قولَهُ والغَيُّ دَامَا

My censurer's disputation weakened

His words while the separation remained.

منهُ جُبَّائِيُّ وعْدٍ

أَخلَفَ القَصْدَ مَرَامَا

He broke his promise,

Deviating from his aim.

عِلَلُ العشقِ كَثيرا

تٌ وكم أبْدَتْ سِقَامَا

Numerous are love's ailments,

And how much illness they showed.

ودَواعي الوَصْلِ بالأَرْ

واحِ كم أحيَتْ عِظَامَا

The reasons for union with the soulmate -

How many bones they revived.

هبَّتِ النَّارُ بقلبي

أجَّجَتْ فيهِ أُوَامَا

The fire blazed in my heart,

Igniting embers within it.

قلْ لها يا حِبُّ صِيري

بِيَ برداً وسَلامَا

Say to it, "O Love, make me

Cool and safe."

واكْفيني ما أَنا فيهِ

واحْجُرِ العينَ انْسِجَامَا

Save me from what I am in,

And harmonize my gaze.

ثمَّ عِدْني بوِصالٍ

وامْطُلَنْ عاماً فَعَامَا

Then return me to union,

And let years go by, year after year.

وارْشُقْنَ بالوعدِ قلبي

من تَجَنِّيكَ سِهَامَا

Revive my heart with promises,

From your arrows piercing it.

وترَقَّبْ آنَ موتي

واجْعَلِ الوصلَ خِتَامَا

Await the moment of my death,

And make the union the conclusion.