آبَ لَيلي لَيتَ لَيلي لَم يَأُب
إِنَّما اللَيلُ عَناءٌ لِلوَصِب
My night has turned away, if only my night had not turned away
The night is but distress for the sleepless one
أَرقُبُ اللَيلَ كَأَنّي واجِدٌ
راحَةً في الصُبحِ مِن جَهدِ التَعَب
I anticipate the night as if I will find
Relief in the morning from the toil of fatigue
وَلَقَد أَعلَمُ أَنّي مُصبِحٌ
مِثلَما أَمسَيتُ إِن لَم تَحتَسِب
And I know well that I will wake up
Just as I slept, if she does not reconcile
فَأَرَتني ثُمَّ شَطَّت شَطَّةً
تَرَكَت قَلبي إِلَيها يَضطَرِب
So she bid me farewell, then made a sudden move
Leaving my heart to her in turmoil
ما أَقَلَّ الصَبرَ عَنها بَعدَما
كَثُرَت فينا أَحاديثُ العَرَب
How little patience remains after what
Our conversations have multiplied, O Arabs!
قِرَّ عَيناً بِحَبيبٍ نَظرَةً
لا يُقِرُّ العَينَ إِلّا ما تُحِب
Rest your eyes a little while gazing
At a beloved, only what you love rests the eyes
وَكَلَت بي جارَتي أَسهودَةً
شَرَّ ما وُكِّلَ بِالجارِ الجُنُب
And she left me struggling with a swarthy neighbor
The worst that can happen to a neighbor is to fall in love
وَنَصيحَينِ أَلَمّا باكِراً
بِطَبيبٍ وَطَبيبي المُجتَنَب
And two well-wishers have blamed me since early morning
With a doctor, yet my doctor is to be avoided
سَأَلاني وَصفَ ما أَلقى وَلا
أَستَطيعُ الوَصفَ إِنّي مُكتَئِب
They asked me to describe what I was going through but
I cannot describe, as I am feeling gloomy
غَيرَ أَنّي قُلتُ في قَولِهِما
قَولَةً أَخفَيتُها كَالمُنتَيِب
Except I said to them something
I hid like a little rabbit
بَيَّنا مِن قُربِهِ لي حاجَةً
ثُمَّ لا يَقرُبُ وَالدارُ صَقَب
Clarifying my need to be near,
Yet he does not come close though the house is deserted
يا خَليلَيَّ أَلِمّا بي بِها
نَظرَةً ثُمَّ سَلاني عَن وَصَب
O my dear friend, show me her
Just for a glance, then ask me of my torment
شُغِلَت نَفسِيَ عَن وَصفِ الهَوى
بِاِشتِياقي أَن أَراها وَطَرَب
My soul was too preoccupied with yearning to see her to describe this passion
So stop blaming me, for I am a lover
فَاِترُكا لَومي فَإِنّي عاشِقٌ
كَتَبَ اللَهُ عَلَيهِ ما كَتَب
God has written upon him what He has written
And I said to my heart when it did not find
وَلَقَد قُلتُ لِقَلبي خالِياً
حينَ لَم يَلقَ هَواها وَدَأَب
Solace in loving her and insisted
O you who aspires for her even after this, why do you care what trouble lies ahead
أَيُّها الناصِبُ في تَطلابِها
بَعدَ هَذا ما تُبالي ما نَصَب
No one intends what is right except a well-wisher
And none wishes you killed except one who is hostile
لا يُريدُ الرُشدَ إِلّا ناصِحٌ
وَيَلي قَتلَكَ إِلّا مَن تَعِب
Give the same measure to whoever alienates you
And if he draws near in affection, then draw near too
كِل لِمَن يُقصيكَ مِثلاً صاعَهُ
وَإِذا قارَبَ وُدّاً فَاِقتَرِب
Bear patiently with whoever has tasted
What you have not, for none can cure sickness except one who has recovered
وَاِلقَ مَن قَد ذاقَ فيما لَم يَذُق
لا يُداوي السُقمَ إِلّا مَن يَطِب
She killed me but my heart refused
What it obligated me until I fell in love
قَتَلَتني فَأَبى قَلبي وَقَد
آنَ ما كَلَّفَني حَتّى أَحَب
So she is helpless when she turns away
And when she comes face to face, she is veiled
فَهيَ عَجزاءُ إِذا ما أَدبَرَت
وَإِذا ما أَقبَلَت فيها قَبَب
No eye has seen, between Jumada and Rajab
An allurement like hers
لَم تَرَ العَينُ لِعَينٍ فِتنَةً
مِثلَها بَينَ جُمادى وَرَجَب
She has led me astray with a delicate body
And an amazing garment - what an amazement!
تَيَّمَتني بِقَوامٍ خُرعُبٍ
وَبِدَلٍّ عَجَبٍ يا لَلعَجَب
The image of the sun was dimmed by her face
Beyond my hazel eyes gazing from the face veil
صورَةُ الشَمسِ جَلَت عَن وَجهِها
بَعدَ عَينَي جُؤذَرٍ في المُنتَقَب
The sweetness of her gaze is a cheap commodity
Her beauty has decreed that she be praised
حُلوَةُ المَنظَرِ رَيّا رَخصَةٌ
بَعَثَ الحُسنُ عَلَيها أَن تُسَب
She feels secure from fate and has no hope
That there will be relief from what that liar has spun for us
تَأمَنُ الدَهرَ وَلا تَرجو لَنا
فَرَجاً مِمّا بِنا ذاكَ الكَذِب
How many like her we saw safely ensconced
While fate turned against them in an instant!
كَم رَأَينا مِثلَها في مَأمَنٍ
قَلَبَ الدَهرُ عَلَيهِ فَاِنقَلَب
No day after today should fool you,
Shout! For fate dozes off and lightly sleeps
لا يَغُرَّنَّكَ يَومٌ مِن غَدٍ
صاحِ إِنَّ الدَهرَ يُغفي وَيَهُب
It turns away to its wont
And when it pounces, revenues flow forth
صادِ ذا ضِغنٍ إِلى غِرَّتِهِ
وَإِذا دَرَّت لَبونٌ فَاِحتَلِب
However pure it may seem, the livelihood
Of one who wakes to be plundered by office holders is not pure
لَيسَ بِالصافي وَإِن صَفَّيتَهُ
عَيشُ مَن يُصبِحُ نَهباً لِلرُتَب
Al-‘Abbas did not stand firmly in his position
Fate toyed with him in that game
ما أَبو العَبّاسِ في أَثباتِهِ
لَعِبَ الدَهرُ بِهِ تِلكَ اللُعَب
His days drew near until when
Death came to him, he retreated and was gone
أَقبَلَت أَيّامُهُ حَتّى إِذا
جاءَهُ المَوتُ تَوَلّى فَذَهَب
