فَتاتَي نَديمي غَنِّيا بِحَياتي

وَلا تَقطَعَا شَوقي وَلا طَرَباتي

My two friends, sing to me of my life,

And do not cut off my passion or my ecstasies.

يُكَلِّفُني مَولاكُما الكَأسَ غادِياً

وَكَيفَ أَطيقُ الكَأسَ وَالعَبَراتِ

Your master obliges me to take the cup again,

But how can I bear the cup or the tears?

فَقُلتُ لَهُ يَكفيكَ ما قَد أَصابَني

مِنَ الحُبِّ في نَومي وَفي يَقَظاتي

So I said to him, “What has already afflicted me

Of love, in my sleep and in my waking, is enough for you.

وَما كُلُّ ما حَمَّلتَهُ النَفسَ بالِغاً

رِضاكَ وَلا كُلُّ الخُطوبِ تُواتي

Not everything the soul takes upon itself comes to fruition,

Nor do all misfortunes befall.

فَلا تَسقِني أَصبَحتُ مِن سَكرَةِ الهَوى

أَميدُ أَلا حَسبي مِنَ السَكَراتِ

So do not make me drink, for I have become drunk with love -

Enough! I have had my fill of drunkenness.”

ذَكَرتُ حَبيبي فَاِستَهَلَّت مَدامِعي

وَفي الدَمعِ أَشغالٌ عَنِ النَشَواتِ

When I remembered my beloved, my tears flowed forth,

And in tears I am preoccupied from pleasures.

لَقَد قُلتُ لِلعَينِ المَريضَةِ بِالهَوى

أَفيقي وَإِن لَم تَفعَلي فَأَساتِ

I said to my eye, sick with love,

“Wake up! And if you do not, you will perish!”

وَعَزَّيتُ نَفسي عَن عُبَيدَةَ بِالرُقى

لِتَسلى وَما تَسلى عَنِ الرُقَياتِ

And I consoled myself for Ubayda’s sake with healing words,

So it would be solaced, but it is not solaced from healing words.

فَما أَعتَبَتني العَينُ مِن فَيضِ عَبرَةٍ

وَلا يَرعَوي قَلبي إِلى دَعَواتِ

My eye did not reproach me for the overflowing of tears,

Nor did my heart calm down to my prayers.

وَإِنّي لِأَهواها وَإِن كُنتُ كاذِباً

فَلا رُفِعَت في الصالِحينَ صَلاتي

And indeed I love her, even if I were lying -

So may my prayers among the righteous not be lifted up!

تَقَطَّعَ قَلبي زَفرَةً بَعدَ زَفرَةٍ

عَلَيها وَما صَبري عَلى الزَفَراتِ

My heart breaks with sigh after sigh for her sake,

Yet I have no patience for sighs.

وَأَحجُبُ زُوّاري اِغتِباطاً بِخَلوَةٍ

وَما كُنتُ أَهوى قَبلَها خَلَواتي

And I seclude my visitors, delighting in solitude,

When before I did not desire my solitude.

وَأُضمِرُها في النَفسِ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

أُكَلِّمُها بَينَ الحَشا وَلَهاتي

And I conceal her in my soul until it is as if

I am speaking to her amidst tender whispers and passionate murmurs.

وَجارِيَةٍ في مُقلَتَيها لِناظِرٍ

دَواءٌ وَداءٌ غَيرِ أُمِّ عِداتِ

A maiden with beauty in her eyes is, for one who looks,

A cure and sickness, unlike virgins among her peers.

دَسَستُ إِلَيها مَنطِقي وَكَسَوتُها

مَناسِبَ مِثلَ الوَشي فَالحِبَراتِ

I conveyed my words to her and clothed them

In harmony, like dressing wounds in bandages.

فَجاءَت ثَقالَ الرِدفِ مَهضومَةَ الحَشا

وَكَالشَمسِ لا تُلفى إِلى أَخَواتِ

So she came, heavy of flank and tender of embrace,

Like the sun, incomparable to her sisters.

رَأَت خَلَلاً بَينَ العُيونِ فَأَقبَلَت

عَلى خَوفِ أَعداءٍ وَخَوفِ وُلاةِ

She saw an opening between the eyes, so she came forward

Fearing the enemies and fearing the governors.

وَقالَت لِتِربَيها قِفا دونَ حاجَةٍ

لَنا عِندَ أَمثالِ المَها خَفِراتِ

And she said to her companion, “Stand between me and my need,

For we have no need for likes of guards.

فَإِنَّكُما إِن تُعرَفا تُزرِيا بِنا

وَبَعضُ الهَوى يُرتادُ بِالخَلَواتِ

For if you two are recognized, you will tarnish us,

And some love is to be sought in solitude.”

فَلَمّا اِلتَقَينا ضِقتُ ذَرعاً بِما أَرى

وَأَلقى عَلَيها مَعشَقي شُبُهاتي

So when we met, I was frustrated by what I saw,

And I cast my love upon her in suspicion.

فَقُلتُ لِنَفسي الشَمسُ جَلَّت لِناظِرٍ

أَم البَدرُ يُجلى في قِناعِ فَتاةِ

So I said to myself, “Has the sun unveiled itself to one who looks,

Or does the moon shine clearly beneath the veil of a maiden?”

فَلَم تَرَ عَيني مِثلَ عَيشٍ سَرَقتُهُ

وَلا مِثلَ حُسّادي عَلى السَرِقاتِ

Never did my eye see a life like the one I stole,

Or opponents over theft like mine.

وَما كانَ إِلّا مَأخَذي بِيَمينِها

وَعَضُّ بَنانٍ كُنَّ مِن فَتَناتِ

It was only my taking her hand in mine,

And a biting of fingers that were temptations.

وَمَوضِعُ كَفٍّ خُضِّبَت لِلقائِنا

عَلى كَبِدٍ مَجنونَةِ الهَفَواتِ

And a place a palm that reddened for our meeting,

Upon a mad liver's loss of restraint.

فَلَولا التُقى راحَت وَرُحتُ عَشِيَّةً

نَعُدُّ هَناتٍ بَينَنا وَهَناتِ

And had it not been for decency, we would have wandered

And counted fleeting moments between us.

فَيا مَجلِساً أَبقى لِقَلبِكَ ذُكرَةً

عَلى عُدُواءِ الشَوقِ رادِياتِ

Oh gathering, remain as a memento for my heart

Against the enmity of prolonged separation!

إِذا شِئتُ أَبكاني الحَمامُ بِصَوتِهِ

وَهاجَ عَلَيَّ الشَوقُ طولَ سُباتي

When I wish, the dove makes me weep with its call,

And longing storms over me throughout my slumber.

وَعِندَ وَلِيِّ العَهدِ شافٍ مِنَ الجَوى

فَروحا عَلَيهِ ذُكرَةً بِشَكاتي

And with the heir apparent there is healing from love sickness -

So go to him with my complaint!

لِعَلَّ أَمينَ اللَهِ موسى بنَ أَحمَدٍ

يَذوقُ لَنا كَأساً مِنَ السَلَواتِ

Perhaps God's trustee, Musa ibn Ahmad,

Will taste a cup with us of drink unmixed.

هُوَ المَلِكُ المَأمولُ وَالقائِمُ الَّذي

يُوَلِّفُ بَينَ الذِئبِ وَالنَقَداتِ

He is the hoped-for king and the one who will rise

And make peace between the wolf and the lambs.

مِنَ المُطعِمينَ المُنعِمينَ نُعِدُّهُ

لِيَومَ لِقاءٍ أَو لِفَكِّ عُناةِ

We count him among those who feed and favor

For a day of meeting or freeing the oppressed.

يَقومُ بِأَفعالِ النَبِيِّ وَقَولِهِ

كَوَحي اِبنِ بَيضٍ في صَفاءِ صِفاتِ

He will perform the deeds and words of the Prophet

Like the revelation of the son of Bayda in the purity of his traits.

إِذا فَزِعتَ يَوماً لُؤَيُّ بنُ غالَبٍ

رَمى دونَهُم بِالخَيلِ مُعتَرِضاتِ

When you panic one day, Lu'ay ibn Ghalib

Will shoot his horses before them as obstruction.

وَإِن دُهِموا في مَأزِقٍ قامَ دونَهُم

كَما قامَ جاري النَبلِ دونَ نُباتِ

And if they are besieged in dire straits, he will stand before them

As Jarir the archer stood before the fledglings.

عَلى مُلكِهِ ضُمَّت قُرَيشٌ وَأَفرَطَت

قَبائِلُ مِن وُدٍّ لَهُ وَعُداةِ

The tribes of Quraysh and others excessively loving him,

And the tribes of allies and enemies have unified under his rule.

مُصيخينَ مِن وَقعِ السُيوفِ كَأَنَّهُم

خِرابٌ تَلوذُ مِن صُقورِ فَلاةِ

Terrified by the blow of swords, as if they are

Ruins seeking refuge from the hawks of the desert.

فَقُل لِلَّذي يَرجو الخِلافَةَ بِالمُنى

تَنَحَّ لِموسى صانِعِ الحَسَناتِ

So say to the one who hopes for the caliphate through wishes,

"Step aside for Musa, doer of good deeds."