راحَت سُلَيمى تَدعوكَ بِالعَنَدِ
وَبِالمُنى في غَدٍ وَبَعدَ غَدِ
Sulaima came, calling you insistently,
Today and tomorrow without cease.
قالَت سَنَلقاكَ فَرطَ سابِعَةٍ
فَقُلتُ يا بَردَها عَلى الكَبِدِ
She said we'll meet you right on the seventh,
I said, her words chill my heart.
لَيتَ الحَديثَ الَّذي وَصَفتِ لَنا
يَكونُ بَيعاً بِالمالِ وَالوَلَدِ
If only this talk she described to us,
Could be bought with wealth or child.
ثُمَّ اِنثَنَت وَاِنتَظَرتُ مَوعِدَها
أَرجو وَفاءً بِهِ عَلى الأَمَدِ
Then she turned and I awaited her tryst,
Hoping she'd fulfill it without delay.
حَتّى إِذا ما عَدَدتُ سابِعَةً
وَزِدتُ سَبعاً فَضلاً عَلى العَدَدِ
Until when I counted seven days,
And exceeded seven, beyond the count.
قالَت بِعَيني عَينٌ مُوَكَّلَةٌ
وَالأُسدُ حَولي فَكَيفَ بِالأُسُدِ
She said my guardian lion surrounds me,
With a watchful eye, so how dare the lion come near?
ما زِلتُ أَغتَرُّهُ وَأَختِلُهُ
حَتّى اِلتَقَينا يَوماً وَلَم نَكَدِ
I continued to fool and trick him,
Until we met one day, barely escaping.
حَتّامَ أَدعو الصِبى وَأَتبَعُهُ
وَالمَوتُ دانٍ وَاللَهُ بِالرَصَدِ
Until when she gestured with her glances,
And narrowed her eyes without blinking.
كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ تارِكٌ أَحِبَّتَهُ
وَصائِرٌ تُربَةً مِنَ البَلَدِ
O most generous with greetings, and
Most miserly with affection and friendship.
قَد كُنتُ أَمشي إِلَيكِ جائِرَةً
فَالآنَ حينَ اِقتَصَدتُ فَاِقتَصِدِ
My soul hangs on her,
Without her, my body has no goodness left.
فَقُلتُ لَمّا اِلتَوَت بِنائِلِها
وَسَمَّلَت عَينَها وَلَم تَذُدِ
Passion imposes on me, to find
My happiness, though it's not destined.
يا أَسمَحَ الناسِ بِالسَلامِ وَيا
أَبخَلَهُم بِالصَفاءِ وَالصَفَدِ
They blamed me for my vigil, shall I leave it
And excuse me from it out of loneliness?
يا قَومِ نَفسي لَها مُعَلَّقَةٌ
ما بَعدَ نَفسي بِصالِحٍ جَسَدي
My seclusion with her grew long, and she didn't
Seclude with one who stays up late, leaning on pillows.
شَطَّ عَلَيَّ الهَوى يُكَلِّفُني
لُقيانَ سُعدى وَلَيسَ بِالصَدَدِ
Complaining of a passion that kills him,
A sadness from which he complains to no one.
كُرّوا عَلَيَّ الرُقادَ أَترُكُها
وَعَلِّلوني بِها مِنَ الوَحَدِ
My eyesight dims from her absence, if
One day she drew near, my eyes would be cured of blindness.
طالَ اِنفِرادي بِها وَما اِنفَرَدَت
بِساهِرِ اللَيلِ مائِلِ الوُسُدِ
A friend said to me, agreeing,
My cup is full, yet I sleep not a wink.
يَشكو إِلَيها هَوىً يُمَوِّتُهُ
غَمّاً وَلا يَشتَكي إِلى أَحَدِ
Don't rush the matter before its time,
What's destined will come, though the soul boils within.
أَرمَدُ مِن نَأيِها وَلَو قَرُبَت
يَوماً شَفَت عَينَهُ مِنَ الرَمَدِ
So I said the recklessness of youth pursues me
And greed hurries me on, unbridled.
وَصاحِبٍ قالَ لي وَوافَقَني
مَلآنَ وَجداً وَباتَ لَم يَجِدِ
Leave me and Salma to live in her pleasures,
Whether she brings ease or I die worn out.
لا تَعجَلِ الأَمرَ قَبلَ مَوقِتِهِ
ما حُمَّ آتٍ وَالنَفسُ في كَبِدِ
Oh pity, I was alone with her as a child,
My sins with her are not to be counted.
فَقُلتُ غَيُّ الشَبابِ يَتبَعُني
وَالحِرصُ عَجلانُ غَيرُ مُتَّئِدِ
So we entrusted each other against
The suspicions, to convey the words of malicious enviers.
دَعني وَسَلمى أَعِش بِلَذَّتِها
إِن ساعَفَت أَو أَمُت مِنَ الكَمَدِ
I've repented of what you disliked, so consider
Forgiveness, for I came with no pretensions.
يا وَيحَها طِفلَةً خَلَوتُ بِها
لَيسَت ذُنوبي فيها مِنَ العَدَدِ
When we met she said to her companion,
Tell him, we're satisfied, so let him sleep and not worry.
فَأَعهِدينا مِنَ الظُنونِ عَلى
تَبليغِ واشٍ مِن قَولِ ذي حَسَدِ
Such was our affection,
When we're blamed by a reproacher and outcast.
قَد تُبتُ مِمّا كَرِهَتِ فَاِحتَسِبي
غُفرانَ ما جِئتُ غَيرَ مُعتَمِدِ
With her we while away time however we dislike it,
Hiding bitterness, healing the wounds of sorrow,
لَمّا وَجَدنا قالَت لِقَينَتِها
قولي رَضينا فَنَم وَلا تَجِدِ
Until life turned aside from its bitterness,
To the voice of one singing gaily with her.
كانَت عَلى ذاكَ مِن مَوَدَّتِنا
إِذ نَحنُ مِن عاتِبٍ وَمُصطَرِدِ
So excuse a lover when he loses his neighbor,
When will you understand who you've lost and miss?
نَطوي بِها الدَهرَ حينَ نُنكِرُهُ
طَيّاً وَنَشفي بِها صَدى الكَمِدِ
حَتّى اِنثَنى العَيشُ مِن مَريرَتِها
في صَوتِ حادٍ يَحدو بِها غَرِدِ
فَاِعذِر مُحِبّاً بِفَقدِ جيرَتِهِ
مَتى يَبِن مَن هَويتَ تَفتَقِدِ
