راحَ صَحبي وَبِتُّ لِلمَوعودِ

راجِيَ الوَصلِ خائِفاً لِلصُدودِ

My friend left and I await what was promised

Seeking union, fearing rejection

إِنَّ شَوقي إِلَيكِ يا عَبدَةَ النَف

سِ جِمامُ الهُجودِ بَعدَ الهُجودِ

My longing for you, O soul's delight

Is continuous suffering after suffering

أَفقُدُ النَومَ إِن ذُكِرتِ وَدَمعي

عِندَ ذِكراكِ لَيسَ بِالمَفقودِ

I lose sleep if you are mentioned, and my tears

Flow when I remember you, never ending

ما تَشَوَّقتُ مِثلَ شَوقي إِلَيكُم

لا إِلى والِدٍ وَلا مَولودِ

I've never longed for anyone like my longing for you

Not for a parent or a child

وَمُريدٍ رُشدي كَتَمَتُ هَواكُم

حَذَراً أَن يَلِجَّ في تَفنيدي

And though a novice sought my guidance, I concealed my love for you

Fearing it would lead to my undoing

باتَ يَرجو رُشدي وَأَرجو رَداهُ

إِنَّ مِمّا أَرَدتُ هَمَّ المُريدِ

He spent the night hopeful of my guidance while I hoped for his

For what I wanted was the novice's determination

فَلَقَد قُلتُ حينَ قالَ يَزيدٌ

اِسلُ عَنها أَلَستَ ذا مَخلودِ

So when Yazeed said "Ask her, aren't you destined to live forever?"

I said "My constant tears and grieving nearly

إِنَّ طولَ السُهادِ وَالدَمعَ كادا

يَترُكانِ الجَليدَ غَيرَ جَليدِ

Left this coward completely melted"

I cannot bear to be consoled for the death of the soul

لا أُطيقُ العَزاءَ عَن مُنيَةِ النَف

سِ عَذيري في حُبِّها مِن يَزيدِ

My excuse to Yazeed for loving her

Can a heart be remade after losing her?

أَيُصاغُ الفُؤادُ بَعدَ نُهاهُ

مِن صَفاةٍ صَمّاءَ أَو مِن حَديدِ

Out of deaf steel or unyielding iron?

Don't blame me for loving Obaida, for I am

لا تَلُمني عَلى عُبَيدَةَ إِنّي

مِن هَواها بِعِلَّةِ المَجهودِ

Sick with love for her unto exhaustion

If that isn't eternal, then I see nothing else

تِلكَ إِن لَم تَكُن خُلوداً فَإِنّي

لا أَراها إِلّا مَحَلَّ الخُلودِ

Worthy of eternity except her dwelling

I found no cure for my sickness over her

لَم أُصِب شافياً لِما بِيَ مِنها

غَيرَ شيءٍ ذَكَرتُهُ في القَصيدِ

Except what I mentioned in the poem

Nothing else but her palm and a bite on the cheek

ما عَدا كَفَّها وَعَضَّ بنانٍ

ساعَةً لَيسَ ذاكَ بَالمَعدودِ

Once, which cannot be counted

And I said, when love crept up on me

وَلَقَد قُلتُ حينَ خامَرَني الحُب

بُ بِداءٍ مِن كاعِبٍ وَخَريدِ

With symptoms of good fortune and contentment:

"Set free, O twin delights, a captive

أَطلِقا يا هُديتُما عَن أَسيرٍ

مُثبَتٍ مِن هَواكُما في قُيودِ

Firmly bound by his love for you"

For it is the death of a young man when he is alone

إِنَّها مُنيَةُ الفَتى حينَ يَخلو

وَأَحاديثُ نَفسِهِ في القُعودِ

And talking to himself while sitting