طَرِبَ الحَمامُ فَهاجَ لي طَرَبا
وَبِما يَكونُ تَذَكُّري نَصَبا
The doves cooed, arousing in me turmoil,
And with what would happen, remembering became a duty,
إِذ لامَني عَمروٌ فَقُلتُ لَهُ
غُلِبَ العَزاءُ وَرُبَّما غَلَبا
When 'Amr blamed me, and I said to him:
Grief has overcome me, and at times it prevails.
إِنَّ الحَبيبَ فَلا أُكافِئُهُ
بَعَثَ الخَيالَ عَلَيَّ وَاِحتَجَبا
I cannot requite my beloved,
Who conjured up his image to me, and withdrew.
فَاِعذِر أَخاكَ وَدَع مَلامَتَهُ
إِنَّ المَلامَ يَزيدُهُ تَعَبا
Excuse your brother, and stop blaming him,
For blame increases his weariness.
لا تَنهَبَن عِرضي لِتَقسِمَهُ
ما كانَ عِرضُ أَخيكَ مُنتَهَبا
Do not steal my honor to divide it,
Never was your brother's honor stolen.
وَاِنحُ الغَداةَ عَلى مُقابِلِهِم
لِخَليلَكَ المَشغوفِ إِن طَلَبا
And visit him early at his abode,
For your enamored friend, if he asked.
الطُرقُ مُقبِلَةٌ وَمُدبِرَةٌ
هَوِّن عَلَيكَ لِأَيِّها رَكَبا
The roads converge and diverge,
Make it easy on yourself, whichever you take.
لَولا الحَمامُ وَطَيفُ جارِيَةٍ
ما شَفَّني حُبٌّ وَلا كَرَبا
If not for the doves and the phantom of a maid,
Love would not have healed me, nor sorrow seized me.
إِنَّ الَّتي راحَت مَوَدَّتُها
رَغماً عَلَيَّ فَبِتُّ مُكتَئِبا
She whose affection has departed,
I pass my night depressed against my will.
حَوراءُ لَو وَهَبَ الإِلَهُ لَنا
مِنها الصَفاءَ لَحَلَّ ما وَهَبا
If God granted that we have
Purity from her, it would solve what was granted.
خُلِقَت مُباعِدَةً مُقارِبَةً
حَرباً وَتَمَّت صورَةً عَجَبا
Created congenial yet aloof,
War yet fully formed wondrously.
في السّابِرِيِّ وَفي قَلائِدِها
مُنقادُها عَسِرٌ وَإِن قَرُبا
In her bracelets and in her anklets,
Leading her is hard, even if close.
كَالشَمسِ إِن بَرَقَت مَجاسِدُها
تَحكي لَنا الياقوتَ وَالذَهَبا
Like the sun, when her wrists gleamed,
She tells us of ruby and gold.
أَطوي الشَكاةَ وَلا تُصَدِّقُني
وَإِذا اِشتَكَيتُ تَقولُ لي كَذَبا
I complain yet you do not believe me,
And if I complain, you say to me 'lies'.
عَسُرَت خَلائِقُها عَلى رَجُلٍ
لَعِبَ الهَوى بِفُؤادِهِ لَعِبا
Her nature is hard on a man
Whose heart playful love toyed with.
وَلَقَد لَطَفتُ لَها بِجارِيَةٍ
رَوَتِ القَريضَ وَخالَطَت أَدَبا
I was gentle to her with a maid
Of elegant diction and refined manners.
قالَت لَها أَصبَحتِ لاهِيَةً
عَمَّن يَراكِ لِحَتفِهِ سَبَبا
She said to her, “You have become neglectful
Of who sees you as a reason for his joy.”
لَو مُتِّ ماتَ وَلَو لَطُفتِ لَهُ
لَرَأى هَواكِ لِقَلبِهِ طَرَبا
“If he were to die, even if you were gentle to him,
He would see in his heart that you are troubled.”
تَأتيكِ نازِحَةً مَناسِبُهُ
وَيَحوطُ غَيبَكُمُ وَإِن غَضِبا
“He will come to you departing,
And encompass your absence, even if angry.”
وَإِذا رُفِعتِ إِلى مَخيلَتِهِ
مَطَرَت عَلَيكِ سَماؤُهُ ذَهَبا
“And if you are conjured in his imagination,
His sky would rain gold upon you.”
ذَهَبَ الهَوى بِفُؤادِهِ عَبَثاً
وَأَفادَهُ مِن قَلبِهِ جَرَبا
“Love has vainly taken his heart,
And gained from his heart experience.”
فَاِرثي لَهُ مِمّا تَضَمَّنَهُ
مِن حَرِّ حُبِّكُمُ فَقَد نَشِبا
“So cure for him what it comprised
Of the heat of loving you, for it is acute.”
قالَت عُبَيدَةُ قَد وَفَيتُ لَهُ
بِالوِدِّ حَتّى مَلَّ فَاِنقَلَبا
Ubaydah said, “I have fulfilled for him,
Affection until he wearied, so he turned away.”
وَصَغا إِلى أُخرى يُراقِبُها
فينا وَكُنتُ أَحَقَّ مَن رَقَبا
“And inclined toward another, watching her
Among us, and I was more deserving of necks.”
قولي لَهُ ذَر مِن زِيارَتِها
لِلِقائِنا إِن جِئتَ مُرتَقِبا
“Tell him to refrain from visiting her,
If he comes expecting to meet with me.”
وَاِجهَد يَمينَكَ لا تُخالِفني
فيما هَويتُ وَكانَ لي أَرَبا
“And exert your right hand, do not oppose me
In what I love, and was reason for me.”
وَإِذا بَكَيتَ فَلا عَدِمتَ شِفاً
وَأَكَلتَ لَحمَكَ جِنَّةً كَلَبا
“And when you cry, may you not lack healing,
And gnaw your flesh spitefully like a dog.”
سَأَلَت لِأَعتُبَها وَأَطلُبَها
مِمّا تَخافُ فَقُلتُ قَد وَجَبا
She asked, to chide her and seek her,
About what she feared. I said: “It is ordained.”
وَلَقيتُها كَالخَمرِ صافِيَةً
حَلَّت لِشارِبِها وَما شَرِبا
I met her pure like wine,
Settling for her drinker without drinking.
