راجَعتَ دينَكَ أَم عَنَّت لَكَ الذُكَرُ
أَم ما بَدا لَكَ لا تَصحو وَلا تَقِرُ
Have you reverted to your religion, or has oblivion forsaken you?
Or nothing seems right to you, neither sober nor settled?
هِيَ الشِفا عَلِقَت نَفسي حَبائِلُها
إِذ لا يُقيمُ وَلا يَبدو لَهُ سَفَرُ
It is the cure - my soul clings to its ropes,
Since it has no permanence or journey to undertake.
يا وَيحَ نَفسي أَراها كُلَّما اِنبَعَثَت
أَلقى عَليها صُباباتِ الكَرى القَدَرُ
Oh woe is me! My soul - whenever it stirs,
Misfortunes of fate rain upon it.
بَليتُ وَالشَوقُ أَبلاني تَذَكُّرُهُ
مِن غادَةٍ بَيتُها دانٍ وَمُهتَجَرُ
I am afflicted, and yearning has afflicted me, remembering him
From a house of Ghadah, so close and familiar.
هَيفاءُ مُقبِلَةً عَجزاءُ مُدبِرَةً
لَم تُجفَ طولاً وَلا أَزرى بِها القِصَرُ
Swaying, approaching and retreating helpless,
Neither too tall, nor made short by destiny.
غَرّاءُ كَالقَمَرِ المَشهورِ حينَ بَدَت
لا بَل بَدا مِثلَها حينَ اِستَوى القَمَرُ
Radiant as the famed full moon when it appeared;
No, but like it when the moon reached its peak.
لَمّا رَأَيتُ الهَوى يَبري بِمُديَتِهِ
لَحمي وَحَلاَّني الزُوّارُ وَالسَمَرُ
When I saw passion destroying his town,
My flesh and family reproached and blamed me.
أَصبَحتُ كَالحائِمِ الحَرّانِ مُحتَبَساً
لَم يَقضِ وِرداً وَلا يُرجى لَهُ صَدَرُ
I became like a perplexed pilgrim, detained,
Neither fulfilling his religious duty, nor hoping for relief.
يَرعى الشِفاءَ وَأَهوالاً تُرَوِّعُهُ
دونَ الشِفاءِ فَلا يَأتي وَلا يَذُرُ
He seeks a cure but terrors frighten him;
Without healing, it does not come or go.
قَالَت عُقَيلُ بنُ كَعبٍ إِذ تَعَلَّقَها
قَلبي فَأَضحى بِهِ مِن حُبِّها أَثَرُ
Uqail ibn Ka’b said, when she captivated
His heart, which was impressed with love of her:
أَنّى وَلَم تَرَها تَصبو فَقُلتُ لَهُم
إِنَّ الفُؤادَ يَرى ما لا يَرى البَصَرُ
How could I not pine when I did not see her bending?
For the heart sees what eyes cannot see.
وَصابِرينَ وَلَو يَلقَونَ مِن طَرَبي
مِعشارَ عُشرِ عَشيرِ العُشرِ ما صَبَروا
And those patient, even if they met a tenth -
Of a tenth, of a tenth of my passion - would not be patient.
قالوا جَهَلتَ بِذِكراها فَقُلتُ لَهُم
لا بَل جُنِنتُ فَكُفّوا اللَومَ وَاِزدَجِروا
They said: “You are ignorant in remembering her.” I said:
“No! I am mad! Cease blaming and rebuking me.”
ما لانَ قَلبي لِناهٍ عَن زِيارَتِها
وَهَل يَلينُ لِقَلبِ الواعِظِ الحَجَرُ
Why would my heart incline away from visiting her?
Does the heart of the preacher soften stone?
لا تُكثِروا لَومَ مَشغوفٍ بِجارِيَةٍ
لا يَشتَكي سَهَراً مِنها وَما السَهَرُ
Do not over-blame a lover besotted with a maiden -
He does not complain of sleeplessness from her, and what is sleeplessness?
لا يَذكُرُ الدَهرَ أَو يَسري الخَيالُ لَهُ
إِلّا تَغَنّى بِها أَو مَسَّهُ ضَرَرُ
He does not recall fate, and no fantasy comes to him,
Except to sing of her or harm touches him.
صَبٌّ كَئيبٌ إِذا ما ذُكرَةٌ خَطَرَت
نادى عُبَيدَةَ حَتّى يَذهَبَ الخَطَرُ
A gloomy lover, when a memory of her crosses his mind,
Calls out to Obaidah until the danger passes.
ما بالُ عَبدَةَ لا تَأوي لِمُكتَئِبٍ
وَالوَحشُ يَأوي لَهُ وَالجِنُّ وَالبَشَرُ
Why does Obaidah not lodge a depressed man,
When the wilderness lodges him, and jinn and man?
مَن كانَ مُعتَذِراً مِن حُبِّ غانِيَةٍ
فَلَيسَ مِن حُبِّها ما عاشَ يَعتَذِرُ
If one makes excuses from love of a singer,
Then he has no love for her as long as he makes excuses.
يَرجو عُبَيدَةَ يَوماً أَن تَجودَ لَهُ
وَإِن تَطاوَلَ ما يَرجو وَيَنتَظِرُ
Obaidah hopes one day she will be generous to him,
Even if her generosity is longed for and awaited.
