لِبَرقِ الحِمى عَهدٌ عَلَيَّ وَمَوثِقُ

إِذا لاحَ نَجدِيّاً بِدَمعيِيَ أَشرَقُ

The lightning of fever has a covenant with me and a compact,

When it gleams in Nejd through my tears it shines,

أَراهُ بِعَينٍ حينَ يَلمَعُ مَدمَعُ اِش

تِياقٍ وَقَلبٍ خافِقٍ حينَ يَخفقُ

I see it through an eye when its teardrop sparkles,

And a throbbing heart when it throbs,

وَما وَلَهى بِالبَرقِ إِلّا لِأَنَّهُ

يَمُرُّ بِسُعدى وَمضُهُ المُتَأَلِّقُ

And I was distracted by lightning only because

It passes by my Sa`dah and its flashing glitters,

أَأَحبابَنا كَيفَ السَبيلُ إِلى اللِقا

عَزيزٌ عَلَينا أَن يَطولَ التَفَرُّقُ

My loved ones, how is the way to meet

It is hard for us that separation lasts,

بَعُدتُم فَما لِلعَيشِ مهنًى وَلا عَلى ال

بَقِيَّةِ مِن أَيّامِ عُمرِيَ رَونَقُ

You went far away so life has no comfort or

In the rest of my life days any grace

أُناشِدُهُ الأَخبارَ عَنكُم وَكُلَّما

أَعادَ حَديثاً عَنكُمُ ظَلتُ أَشهَقُ

I ask it for news of you and whenever

It repeats talk of you I keep sobbing

وَمِن جَزعي أخفي الهَوى وَأُجِنُّهُ

عَلى أَنَّ دَمعي بِالسَرائِرِ يَنطقُ

And from my anguish I conceal the love and fret over it

That my tears reveal secrets though they speak

أُعَلِّلُ نَفسي بِالأَماني تَعَلُّلاً

لَعَلَّ أَحاديثَ الأَماني تَصدَقُ

I rationalize to myself rationalizations hopefully

The talks of wishes prove true

وَأَهيَفَ مَعسولِ المَراشِفِ دَأبُهُ الت

تجَنّي فَلا يَحنو وَلا يَتَرَفَّقُ

The one who gathes the honey of pillows insists on his

Coyness so he doesn’t yearn or is compassionate,

أَتى زائِري مِن غَيرِ وَعدٍ فَخِلتُهُ

لَطائِفَ في أَيدي التُجّارِ تَعبَّقُ

My visitor came to me without an appointment, so I found him

Dainty wares in merchants hands knead perfume,

عَلى وَجهِهِ صِبغُ الدُجى فَحَسِبتهُ

نَهارٌ بِهِ شَمسُ المُنيرَةِ تُشرِقُ

On his face the dye of dusk so I thought it was

A daytime through which the shining sun rises,

رَفَعتُ إِلَيهِ قِصَّةَ الدَمعِ شاكِياً

فَوَقَعَ فيها سِحرُ عَينَيهِ يُطلَقُ

I raised to him the story of tears complaining

So the magic of his eyes in it unleashed,

أُطيلُ عَلَيهِ في العِتابِ شَكِيَّتي

فَيَعلَمُ أَنّي قَد ظلمتُ فَيُطرِقُ

I prolong for him in blame my grievance

So he knows I did wrong so he bows his head

وَما البانُ مُذ ساءَلتُمُ البانُ مُخبِراً

بِوَجدي إِذا ناحَ الحَمامُ المُطَوِّقُ

Since I asked the wild ox when the sawwaf mourning dove gathering news

With my fervor cooed, the turquoise collared one

رَعى اللَهُ اَيّاماً لَنا وَلَيالِياً

تَقَضَّت وَغُصنُ العَيشِ رَيّان مورِقُ

May God shepherd days for us and nights

That passed and the bough of life flows lush,

وَنَحنُ كَما نَرضى الخَلاعَةَ وَالصِبا

نَشاوى هَوى أَيامِنا البيضُ تُشرِقُ

While we willingly accept the youth and dawn

We frolic with the love of our white days shining

ضَلالٌ لِقَلبي كَيفَ أَصبَحَ بَعدَكُم

يُعَلِّلُ بِالذِكرى وَلا يَتَمَزَّقُ

My heart wandering without you how it became

Giving excuses in reminiscence but does not melt

مَنَحتُكُم حِفظَ الهَوى فَغَدَرتُمُ

وَما كُلُّ تَشاكينا أَسىً وَتَحَرُّقُ

I gave you keeping the love and you betrayed

And not all our cares are sorrow and burning,

مَلولٌ يُريني جَنَّةَ الخُلدِ وَصله

وَهِجرانُهُ جَمرُ اللَظى كَيفَ يَحرِقُ

Beautiful one showing me the eternal heaven - his friendship –

And his abandonment ember of blaze, how it burns

مِنَ التُركِ لا تُخطي سِهامُ جفونِهِ

وَلَكِنَّها في وَسطِ قَلبِيَ تَرشُقُ

Your Syrian arrows do not transgress his eyelids

But they spear right through the middle of my heart

أَقَلَّ غَرامي فيهِ مَن زادَ وَصفُهُ

وَآخِرُ وَجدي فيهِ ما لَيسَ يلحَقُ

My love in him lessened he who augmented his description

And the last of my fervor in him in unattainable