أَحُبّى فيمَ خُلّيتُ

وَفيمَ الحَبلُ مَبتوتُ

My love, why did I become lonely

And why did the rope tear apart?

أَأَدلَلتِ بِما عِندي

مِنَ الشَوقِ فَأُقصيتُ

Did you tantalize me with the longing I had for you

So I was excluded?

أَتاني بَعضُ ما أَلقَي

تِ مِن هَجري وَأُلقيتُ

Some of the estrangement you inflicted upon me came to me

And I was inflicted upon.

فُما أَمسَيتُ حَتّى صَر

رَخَ الحَيُّ وَسُجّيتُ

I had barely reached evening before

The living paled and I was wrapped up.

لَقَد كُنتُ عَلى العَي

نَينِ وَالرَأسِ فَنُحّيتُ

Indeed, I was above the fountains

And my head was bent down.

أَحُبّى لَو دَنَت مِن قَل

بِكِ الرَحمَةُ أُدنيتُ

My love, if mercy drew near to your heart I would be brought close.

When you are distant I become miserable

إِذا باعَدتِ أُضنيتُ

وَإِن قَرَّبتِ عُزّيتُ

And when you are near I become respected.

Abu Amr honored me

وَعَزّاني أَبو عَمروٍ

وَقِدماً عَنكِ عُزّيتُ

And I was honored to stay away from you.

So I did not hear the longing

فَلَم أَسمَع مِنَ الشَوقِ

عَلى سَمعي فَنوديتُ

Calling out loudly to my hearing.

The longing has killed my limbs

أَماتَ الشَوقُ أَوصالي

وَبَعضُ الشَوقِ تَمويتُ

And some of the longing has killed me.

أَما حَسبُكِ أَنّي مِن

كِ طولَ اللَيلِ مَسبوتُ

Is it not enough for you that I am from you

(Kept awake) the whole night in captivity?

وَأَنَّ الدَمعَ مُنهَلٌّ

وَأَنَّ القَلبَ مَرفوتُ

And that tears are a spring

And that the heart is fluttering?

إِذا شِئتِ تَصَبَّرتُ

وَلا أَصبِرُ إِن شيتُ

If you wish I feign composure

But I cannot be patient if you wish it.

أَلا يا لَيتَني مِنكِ ال

لَذي أَعطيتَ أُعطيتُ

Oh, if only I was given from you

What you have given I would be given!

وَأَعتَبتُكِ مِن سَومي

كَما أَعتَبَ مَن سوتُ

And I blamed you for my insomnia

As I blamed whoever kept me awake.

كَأَنّي يَومَ لاقَيتُ

كِ خَلفَ العَينِ مَبهوتُ

It is as if, the day I met you,

I was left confused behind the eye.

كَأَنّي ذاكِ مِن حُبِّ

كِ أَو أَخرَسُ سِكّيتُ

It is as if from that love of yours

I became mute and silent.

إِذا أَزمَعتُ أَن أَنظُرَ ف

ي الحاجَةِ أَنسيتُ

Whenever I intended to look into a need

I forgot.

لَقَد رُحتُ وَما أَدري

أَسِحرٌ ذاكَ أَم ليتُ

Indeed, I went and did not know

Whether it was a spell or fatigue.

أَحُبّى لَيسَ لي صَبرٌ

وَإِن رَخَّصتِ لي جيتُ

My love, I have no patience

And if you made it easy for me I would come.

وَلا وَاللَهِ ما يَصبِ

رُ في البَرِّيَّةِ الحوتُ

By Allah, even the whale cannot be patient

In the desert wilderness!

دَعاني لَكَ جِنِّيٌّ

مِنَ الجِنّانِ عِفريتُ

A jinni called me to you

From the gardens, a demon.

بِوَجهٍ زاهِرِ الحُسنِ

زَهاهُ الجيدُ وَالليتُ

With a face of radiant beauty

Adorned with neck and softness.

كَأَنَّ الرَوحَ وَالرَيحا

نَ فيهِ المِسكُ مَفتوتُ

As if the spirit and breeze in it

Is mingled musk, dissolved.

جَرى في ماءِ خَدَّيكِ

وَفي الأَنيابِ تَنبيتُ

It flowed in the water of your cheeks

And grew in the white fangs.

كَأَنَّ القَولَ مِن فيكِ

لَنا دُرٌّ وَياقوتُ

It is as if the words from your mouth

Are pearls and rubies for us.

إِذا أَدبَرتِ ماتَ النا

سُ إِن قيلَ لَهُم موتوا

If you turn away, people will die when told "Die!"

And if you come, eyes are Marut and Harut.

وَإِن أَقبَلتِ فَالعَينا

نِ هاروتٌ وَماروتُ

I made you, O Habba, my enemy

After you were once my beloved.

أَعادي فيكِ يا حُبّى

وَقَبلَ اليَومَ عوديتُ

Yet I did not panic though I was

Panicked when you frightened me.

فَلَم أَجزَع وَإِن كُنتُ

جَزوعاً حينَ خوفيتُ