طالَ لَيلي وَباتَ قَلبي جَناحا

وَمَلَلتُ العُذّالَ وَالنُصّاحا

My night grew long, and my heart became a wing,

And I grew weary of blamers and advisors.

يَأمُرونَ المُحِبَّ بِالصَبرِ عَمَّن

قَد بَرى الحُبُّ جِسمَهُ فَاِستَطاحا

They bid the lover show patience for one

Whose love has made his body fall to the ground.

بِئسَ ما يَأمُرونَ مُستَشعِرَ الهَم

مِ يُقاسي مِن عَبدَةَ الأَتراحا

Wretched is their advice to one feeling sadness

From worshippers of shelters.

أَيُّها القارِئُ المُذَكِّرُ بِاللَ

هِ تَرى في وِصالِ حِبٍّ جُناحا

O reader reminded of God,

Do you see wrong in the union of love?

قالَ لا بَأسَ بِالحَديثِ إِذا ما

لَم يَزيدا عَلى الحَديثِ جِماحا

He said there is no harm in talk

If it goes not beyond mere talk.

أَيُّ خَيرٍ يا عَونُ يَرجو مُحِبُّ

في سَوادِ الفُؤادِ مِنهُ بَراحا

What good, O succor, can a lover hope for

In the darkness of his heart? A comfort?

كَيفَ يَرجو سُلُوَّ صَبٍّ حَزينٍ

زادَهُ الحُبُّ حينَ شاعَ اِرتِياحا

How can one in sorrow hope to find solace

When love has increased his misery?

إِن تَكُن إِنَّما تَروحُ وَتَغدو

بِاِنتِصاحِ فَما أُريدُ اِنتِصاحا

If you come and go only to waken,

It is not awakening I desire.

فَدَع الغَدوَ وَالرَواحَ عَلَينا

ما غَدا حُبُّها عَلَينا وَراحا

Let your coming and going be far from us

Now that her love has departed from us.

قَد كَتَمتُ الهَوى مَلِيّاً فَلَمّا

ضِقتُ ذَرعاً بِحُبِّ عَبدَةَ باحا

I kept my love hidden a long time but when

I was straitened by love of Abdah, I spoke of it.

لَيتَ شِعري عَن أُمِّ عَمروٍ وَعَمروٌ

لَم يَكُن جاهِلاً وَلا مَزّاحا

Would that I knew of Umm ‘Amr - and ‘Amr

Was neither ignorant nor joking.

أَحَديثٌ مِنها رَماهُ بِطَبٍّ

لَيتَهُ ماتَ قَبلَها فَاِستَراحا

Some talk of hers hit him with sickness.

Would that he had died before her and found rest.

بَل يُرَجّي ما لا يُنالُ وَلَولا

ما يُرَجّي اِكتَسى المُسوحَ وَساحا

But he hopes for what cannot be obtained, and but for

What he hopes, he would have donned the garments of death.

أُمَّ عَمروٍ ما زالَ حُبُّكِ يَغتا

لُ عَزائي حَتّى اِفتَضَحتُ اِفتِضاحا

Umm ‘Amr, your love continues to find

Its way to console me until I am shamed.

كَيفَ لا تَرحَمينَ شَخصاً مُحِبّاً

مَيِّتاً مِن هَواكِ مَوتاً صُراحا

How can you not have mercy on a loving soul

Dead from your love, a terrible death?

كانَ يَرعى المِصباحَ حيناً فَلَمّا

ضافَهُ الحُبُّ ضَيَّعَ المِصباحا

He used to tend the lamp but when

Love distracted him, he lost the lamp.

إِن تَكوني أَرَدتِ أَن تَفجَعيهِ

بِمُزاحٍ فَقَد قَطَعتِ المُزاحا

If you meant to torment him

With jest, you have cut off all jest.

واصِلاً لِلحَياةِ مِنها وَإِن عا

شَ وَماتَت بَكى عَلَيها وَناحا

Attached to life through her, and if she

Lived he rejoiced, wept over her when she died.

إِن شَهِدَتَ الوَفاةَ يا عَونُ مِنّي

في مَقامٍ وَكُنتَ تَنوي صَلاحا

If you witness my death, O succor,

While you intend good,

فَاِدعُ سِربَ المِلاحِ يَشهَدنَ مَوتي

بِحَنوطٍ إِنّي أُحِبُّ المِلاحا

Summon a flock of sailors to witness my death

With spices - for I love sailors.

مِن هَوى عَبدَةَ البَخيلَةِ إِنّي

لا أَرى غَيرَها لِقَلبي رَواحا

For love of the miserly Abdah, I see

No solace for my heart but her.

أَنتَ عَونُ الشَيطانِ إِن لَم تُعِنّي

فَاِرعَ ما قُلتُ تَشفِ مِنّي قِماحا

You, succor, are Satan's aid if you do not help me.

Then begone from me, you good-for-naught!

وَاِدعُ قَومي بِأُمِّ عَمروٍ فَإِنّي

عاقِدٌ حُبَّها عَلَيَّ وِشاحا

And summon my people against Umm ‘Amr - for I

Have bound myself in her love.

مُستَهامُ النَهارِ مُرتَفِقُ اللَي

لِ إِلى أَن أُعايِنَ الإِصباحا

I spend my days in anxiety, my nights

In wakefulness, until dawn breaks.

لَم أَزَل مِن هَوى عُبَيدَةَ أَهوى

ما يَليها حَتّى هَويتُ الرِياحا

I have not ceased, since loving Ubayda, to love

All but her, until I loved the winds.

لَستُ أَنسى غَداةَ قامَت تَهادى

لِلمُصَلّى فَطارَ قَلبي وَطاحا

I cannot forget the dawn when she rose to pray

And my heart flew off and fell.

في نِساءٍ إِذا أَرَدنَ ضِياءً

لِظَلامٍ جَعَلنَها مِصباحا

Of women, when they want to light

The darkness, they make it a lamp.

فَأَضاءَت لَهُنَّ داجِيَةَ اللَي

لِ وَجَلَّت عَمّا تَجِنُّ الوِحاحا

So for them the darkness of night shone,

While I am denied even the dimmest glow.