يا صاحِ دَعني فَإِنَّني نَصِبُ

حُبّي سُلَيمى وَتَركُها عَجَبُ

O friend, let me be, for I am troubled,

My love for Salma, yet leaving her amazed me,

جانَبتُ شَيئاً أُحِبُّ رُؤيَتَهُ

لِلَّهِ دَرِّيَ أَهوى وَأَجتَنِبُ

I avoided what I love to see,

By God, I desire yet abstain,

هَجَرتُ بَيتَ الحَبيبِ مِن حَذَرِ ال

عَينِ وَنَفسي إِلَيهِ تَضطَرِبُ

I left the home of the beloved out of fear of the eye,

Yet my soul yearns for it and trembles,

أُراقِبُ النَفسَ في الحَياةِ وَقَد

أَيقَنتُ أَنّي بِتَركِها عَطِبُ

I watch the self in life and am certain,

That in leaving it I grieve,

وَاللَّهُ ما لِيَ مِنها إِذا ذُكِرَت

إِلّا اِستِنانُ الدُموعِ وَالطَرَبُ

By God, when she is remembered I have naught,

Save shedding tears and turmoil,

زادَت عَلى الناسِ في الجَفاءِ وَقَد

تَعلَمُ أَنّي بِحُبِّها نَشِبُ

She increased beyond people in aloofness, though she knows,

I love her and pine,

تَنأى فَتَسلى وَإِن دَنَت بَخِلَت

سِيّانَ بُعدُ البَخيلِ وَالقُرُبُ

She draws away to comfort herself, and if she draws near, she is stingy,

The aloofness of the stingy and the closeness are the same,

يا كاهِنَ المَصرِ هَل تُحَدِّثُني

ما بالُ قَلبي بِذِكرِها نَخِبُ

O priest of Egypt, will you tell me,

Why does my heart ache when she is recalled?

إِن كانَ سِحراً دَعَوتُ راقِيَّةً

أَو كانَ سُقماً فَحَسبِيَ الوَصَبُ

If it is sorcery, I called an exorcist,

If it was illness, bitterness was enough,

إِنّي وَمَن لَبَّت الرِفاقُ لَهُ

شُعثاً أَساريبَ خَلفَها سُرَبُ

I and those whose companions have afflicted them,

Disheveled, behind her like tied captives,

ما جِئتُ سَلمى طَوعاً لِتَجعَلَني

ذِبحاً وَلَكِن أَطاعَني النُجُبُ

I did not come to Salma willingly for her to make me,

A sacrifice, but nobility made me comply,

فَرَّغتُ قَلبي لَها لِتَسكُنَهُ

حيناً فَأَمسى فيهِ لَها شُعَبُ

I emptied my heart for her to dwell it,

For a time, yet in it were paths for her,

وَقائِلٍ خَلِّها وَقَد عَقَدت

نَفسي إِلى نَفسِها فَلا هَرَبُ

While being told leave her be, though I had bound,

My soul to hers, so there is no fleeing,

الآنَ إِذ قامَتِ الرُواةُ بِنا

وَإِذ تَغَنَّت بِحُبِّنا العَرَبُ

Now, when the storytellers stood with us,

And the Arabs sang of our love,

أَصرِفُ نَفسي عَنها وَقَد غَلَقَت

هَيهاتَ دَوِّيَّةٌ أَشِبُ

I turn my soul from her, though it has shut,

Alas the echo, I pine,

يا سَلمَ هَل تَذكُرينَ مَجلِسَنا

أَيّامَ رَأسي كَأَنَّهُ عِنَبُ

O Salm, do you remember our gathering,

Those days when my head was like grapes,

إِذ نَحنُ بِالميثِ لا تَرى أَحَداً

يُزري وَإِذ شَأنُنا بِهِ اللَعِبُ

When we in play saw no one,

Criticize us and our matter was play,

يا سَلمَ جودي بِما رَأَيتِ لَنا

ما عِندَ أُخرى سِواكِ لي أَرَبُ

O Salm be generous with what you saw for us,

None other than you has more claim over me,

وَصاحِبٍ ضامَني وَضِمتُ لَهُ

نَفسي لِيَرضى فَراحَ يَلتَهِبُ

A companion guaranteed me and I guaranteed for him,

My soul to please him, so he began to blaze,

وافَقَ ظُلمي حُلواً فَأَعجَبَهُ

وَالظُلمُ حُلوٌ كَأَنَّهُ جَرَبُ

He approved the injustice as sweet, so it amazed him,

Though injustice is sweet as if he tried it,

أَعرَضتُ عَنهُ وَالحِلمُ مِن خُلُقي

وَلَيسَ مِنّي التَثريبُ وَالصَخَبُ

I turned away from him, though forbearance is my nature,

Not mine are rebuke and clamor,

يا سَلمَ أَنتِ الهَوى إِذا شَهِدَ ال

ناسُ وَأَنتِ الهَوى إِذا ذَهَبوا

O Salm, you are the love when people bear witness,

And you are the love when they depart,

عودي عَلى سَقطَةٍ جَهِلتُ بِها

ما كُلُّ ذَنبٍ فيهِ الفَتى يَثِبُ

Return from a lapse I was ignorant of,

Not every sin clings to the youth,

ظَلَمتِني وَالهَوى مُقارَضَةٌ

كَيلاً بِكَيلٍ فَكَيفَ نَصطَحِبُ

You wronged me, and love is reciprocal,

Measure for measure, so how can we accompany?

لا تَأمَني أَن تَجورَ مَظلَمَةٌ

بِرَبِّها وَالزَمانُ يَنقَلِبُ

Do not feel safe from an unjust darkness,

Taking its Lord, and time keeps changing,

فَاِرضَي بِأَشباهِ ما عَمِلتِ بِنا

لِكُلِّ نَفسٍ مِن كَفِّها حَلَبُ

So satisfy with the likes of what you did to us,

Each soul milks from its palms,