قِفْ بالدّيَارِ وحَيّ الأربُعَ الدُّرُسا

ونادِها فعَساهَا أن تجيبَ عَسَى

Stand in the abodes and neighborhoods of Al-Arba'a Dowrusa

And call out to it, for perhaps it will answer, hopefully

وإنْ أَجَنَّكَ ليلٌ مِن تَوَحّشِهَا

فاشعَلْ من الشَّوق في ظَلمائِها قبسا

And if the night prevents you with its wilderness

Then ignite from yearning a spark in its darkness

يا هل دَرَى النّفَرُ الغادونَ عن كَلِفٍ

يبيتُ جِنْحَ اللّيالي يَرْقُب الغَلَسا

O you who knew the companions who left Kaleef

Spending the night wings observing dusk

فإن بَكَى في قِفَارٍ خِلْتَها لُججاً

وإن تَنَفّس عادتْ كُلّهَا يَبَسا

So if it cried in the barrens of its emptied ruins

And if it sighed, it all returned parched

فَذو المَحاسِنِ لا تُحْصَى محاسْنُهُ

وبارِعُ الأُنْسِ لا أَعْدمْ به أُنُسا

The one with unmatched beauty, his beauties countless

And most friendly of company, never lacking company

كم زارني والدّجى يَرْبدّ من حَنَقٍ

والزهْرُ تبسِمُ عن وَجْهِ الذي عَبَسَا

How often he visited me while gloom sneered

And blossoms smiled from the face of the one who frowned

وابتَزَّ قلبيَ قَسراً قُلتُ مَظْلَمةً

يا حاكمَ الحبّ هذا القلبُ لِمْ حُبِسا

And forcibly broke my heart, I said wronged

O judge of love, why was this heart imprisoned?

غَرَسْتُ باللّحظ وَرْداً فوقَ وجنَتِهِ

حقٌّ لطَرْفَيَ أنْ يَجني الذي غرسا

I planted with a glance a rose above his cheek

My eyes deserved to reap what they planted

فإن أَبَى فالأقاحي منهُ لي عِوَضٌ

مَنْ عُوّض الدُّرّ عن زهرٍ فما بخِسا

If he refuses, the thorns are compensation enough

Who compensates pearls for a flower, has he shortchanged?

إنْ صالَ صِلُّ عِذَارَيْهِ فلا حَرَجٌ

أنْ يجْنِ لَسْعاً وأني أجتَني لَعَسَا

If he who is blamed is reconciled, no harm done

That I was stung, while I gained fruit, hopefully

كم باتَ طَوْعَ يدي والوصلُ يجمعُنا

في بُرْدَتَيْهِ التّقى لا نعرِفُ الدّنَسا

How often he spent the night obedient to my hand

While union gathered us, we knew no filth

تلكَ اللّيالي التي أعدَدْتُ من عُمُري

معَ الأحِبّةِ كانت كُلّها عُرُسا

Those nights I appointed from my life

With loved ones, were each one a wedding

لم يحلُ للعينِ شيء بعدَ بُعْدِهِم

والقلبُ مُذْ آنس التّذكارَ ما أَنِسا

Nothing was permitted to the eye after their absence

And the heart since it enjoyed reminiscing has not enjoyed

يا جَنّةً فارَقَتْهَا النفسُ مُكْرَهةً

لولا التّأسّي بدارِ الخُلْدِ مُتُّ أسى

O paradise the soul left reluctantly

If not for consolation in the eternal abode, it would have despaired