يا حُبَّ عَبدَةَ قَد رَجَعتَ جَديدا
ما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ هالِكاً مَوجودا
O love for ʿAbdah, you have returned anew;
I never thought a dead thing could still be present.
لِلَّهِ دَرُّكَ مِن خَليطٍ شاعِفٍ
هَل يَنفَعَنَّكَ أَن أَبيتَ عَميدا
God bless you—what a companion, making me yearn!
Does it profit you that I pass the night love-sick?
إِن كانَ في طولِ الصَحابَةِ عِبرَةٌ
فَلَقَد صَحِبتُكَ شائِباً وَوَليدا
If long companionship can teach a lesson,
I have kept you company as old man and child.
ما في اِتِّباعِكَ إِن تَبِعتُكَ راحَةٌ
وَلَئِن فَقَدتُ لَأَفقِدَنَّ مَجودا
There is no rest in following you, if I follow you;
yet if I lose you, I shall surely lose one truly present.
راجَعتُ مِن كَلَفٍ لِعَبدَةَ دَيدَناً
لا أَستَطيعُ بِهِ القِيامَ وَحيدا
Through my passion for ʿAbdah, I returned to a familiar habit
that I cannot carry on alone.
وَذَكَرتُ مِن رَمَضانَ آخِرَ لَيلَةٍ
طَلَعَت كَواكِبُها عَلَيَّ سُعودا
I remembered the final night of Ramadan,
when its stars rose auspiciously over me—
إِذ نَلتَقي حَلَقاً وَنَستَرِقُ الهَوى
سَرقَ العَفاريتِ السَماعَ مَذودا
when we met in circles and stole love,
as spirits steal at hearing even while it is warded off.
فَكَأَنَّنا عَسَلٌ بِماءِ سَحابَةٍ
بَعدَ التَفَرُّغِ بِالأَناةَ أُعيدا
We were as honey mingled with rain-cloud water,
after separation, reunited in the vessel.
وَغَداةَ تَرمُقُها الوُشاةُ سَأَلتُها
عَلَلاً فَلَم تَجِدِ الفَتاةُ مَزيدا
One morning, as the informers watched her, I asked her
for pretexts, but the girl could find no more.
خافَت وَعيدَهُمو فَقُلتُ لَها اِسلَمي
ما خافَ مِن قَمَرٍ سِواكِ وَعيدا
She feared their threats, and I told her, “Go safely—
no moon but you has ever feared a threat.”
وَإِذا تَعَرَّضَ ذِكرُها كاتَمتُهُ
وَكَفى بِأَدمُعِيَ السِجامِ شُهودا
Whenever mention of her arose, I concealed it,
and my pouring tears sufficed as witnesses.
وَيَلومُني الصَلِفُ الخَلِيُّ وَإِنَّما
بَكَرَت وَساوِسُها عَلَيَّ وُفودا
The smug man, free of love, reproaches me, though in truth
thoughts of her came early upon me, delegation upon delegation.
وَكَأَنَّني رَحِلٌ أَضَلَّ رُقادَهُ
عانٍ تُطيفُ بِهِ الهُمومُ جُنودا
I am like a traveler whose sleep has lost its way,
a captive ringed by cares like armies.
وَلَقَد حَسَدتُ عَلى عُبَيدَةَ عَينَها
عَجَباً خُلِقتُ لِما أُحِبُّ حَسودا
I have grown jealous over ʿUbaydah even of her own eye—
strange: I was created jealous of all I love!
وَثَقيلَةِ الأَردافِ مُخطَفَةِ الحَشا
مِثلِ الغَزالَةِ مُقلَتَينِ وَجيدا
Heavy in the haunches, her waist drawn slim,
a gazelle in her two eyes and neck.
قامَت تُوَدِّعُني فَقُلتُ لَها قِري
قَد كُنتِ نائِيَةً وَكُنتُ بَعيدا
She rose to bid me farewell. I said, “Stay!
You have been far away, and I was far away.
لا تَعجَلي نَصِلِ الحَديثَ بِمِثلِهِ
لا خَيرَ في شَرعِ الفَتى تَصريدا
Do not hurry; let us join this conversation to another like it—
there is no good in driving a young man off once he has begun.”
قالَت وَكَيفَ بِما تُحِبُّ مَعَ العِدى
شَبَّت عُيونُهُمو عَلَيَّ وَقودا
She said, “But how can we have what you desire with enemies around?
Their eyes have blazed against me like fire.”
ذوقي عُبَيدَ كَما أَذوقُ مِنَ الهَوى
إِن كُنتِ صادِقَةَ الصَفاءِ وَدودا
Taste, ʿUbaydah, what I taste of love,
if you are sincere in affection and loving.
إِنَّ المُحِبَّ يَذوبُ مِن مَضَضِ الهَوى
دونَ السَرابِ وَلا يَكونُ حَديدا
The lover melts from the anguish of passion
before even the mirage—for no lover is iron.
