صَبراً عَلى هَجرِها إِن كانَ يُرضيها
غَيرُ المَليحَةِ مَملولٌ تَجَنّيها
Patience with her abandonment, if it brings her pleasure,
For cruelty from any but the beautiful is merely tedious.
فَالوَصلُ أَجمَلُهُ ما كانَ بَعدَ نَوىً
وَالشَمسُ بَعدَ الدُجى أَشهى لِرائيها
The loveliest reunion is that which follows separation,
Just as the sun, after darkness, is sweeter to the beholder.
أَسلَمتُ لِلسُهدِ طَرفي وَالضَنى بَدَني
إِنَّ الصَبابَةَ لا يُرجى تَلافيها
I have surrendered my eyes to sleeplessness and my body to wasting away;
For the ailment of ardent love allows no hope of remedy.
إِنَّ النِساءَ إِذا أَمرَضنَ نَفسَ فَتىً
فَلَيسَ غَيرُ تَدانيهِنَّ يَشفَيها
Truly, when women afflict a young man's soul with sickness,
Nothing but their drawing near can heal it.
فَاِحذَر مِنَ الحُبِّ إِنَّ الريحَ ما خَفِيَت
لَولا غَرامٌ عَظيمٌ مُختَفٍ فيها
So beware of love, for the wind would remain unseen,
Were it not for a mighty passion hidden within it.
يَمضي الصَفاءُ وَيَبقى بَعدَهُ أَثَرٌ
في النَفسِ يُؤلِمُها طَوراً وَيُشجيها
The time of purity passes, leaving behind a trace
That lingers in the soul, by turns wounding and saddening it.
مَرَّت لَيالٍ بِنا ما كانَ أَجمَلُها
تَمَّت فَما شانَها إِلّا تَلاشيها
Nights passed us by—how beautiful they were!
They were perfect; nothing marred them but their fleeting end.
تِلكَ اللَيالي لا أَرجو تَذَكُّرُها
خَوفَ العَناءِ وَلا أَخشى تَناسيها
Those nights—I do not wish to recall them,
For fear of the pain, though I do not fear forgetting them.
أَصبو إِلَيها كُلَّما ذُكِرَت
عِندي اِشتِياقاً إِلى مِصرَ وَأَهليها
I yearn for it whenever mention is made,
Stirring within me a longing for Egypt and her people.
أَرضُن سَماءٌ سِواها دونَها شَرَفاً
فَلا سَماءٌ وَلا أَرضٌ تُحاكيها
A land whose honor rises above any other sky;
Neither heaven nor earth can compare to her.
رَقَّت حَواشيها وَاِخضَرَّ جانِبُها
وَأَجمَلُ الأَرضِ ما رَقَّت حَواشيها
Her borders are gentle, her banks are verdant,
And the loveliest lands are those with gentle borders.
كَأَنّ أَهرامُها الأَطوادُ باذِخَةً
هَذي إِلى جَنبِها الأُخرى تُساميها
As though her pyramids were towering mountains,
Standing side by side, vying for glory.
وَنَيلَها العَذبُ ما أَحلى مَناظِرَهُ
وَالشَمسُ تَكسوهُ تِبراً في تَواريها
And her sweet Nile—how beautiful are its vistas,
When the setting sun clothes it in molten gold.
كَأَنَّها كَعبَةٌ حَجَّ الأَنامُ لَها
لَولا اِلتَقى قُلتُ فيها جُلَّ بانيها
It is as if she were a Kaaba to which all mankind makes pilgrimage;
Were it not for piety, I would say: Exalted is her Creator within her.
وَما أُحَيلى الجَواري الماخِراتِ بِهِ
تَقُلُّ مِن أَرضِهِ أَحلى جَوارِبُها
And how delightful are the ships that cleave its waters,
Carrying from its land the sweetest of its maidens.
مِن كُلِّ رَعبوبَةٍ عَبلِ رَوادِفُها
تَأبى القُعودَ فَتَأبى أَن تُجاريها
Each a tender beauty with curvaceous form,
Who refuses to sit still, yet refuses to let you catch her.
ضَحوكَةِ الوَجهِ يُغرينا تَبَسُّمُها
إِن نَجتَديها وَيَثنينا تَثَنّيها
With a laughing face whose smile seduces us
When we seek her favor, while her swaying gait enthralls us.
وَناهِدٍ حَجَبَت عَن كُلِّ ذي بَصَرٍ
حَشاشَتي خِدرُها وَالقَلبُ ناديها
And a buxom maiden who has veiled herself from every eye;
My very soul is her chamber, and my heart her gathering place.
في كُلِّ جارِحَةٍ مِنّي لَها أَثَرٌ
وَالدارُ صاحِبُها أَدرى بِما فيها
Upon every part of me she has left a mark;
And the master of the house knows best what lies within.
وَفي الكَواكِبِ جُزءٌ مِن مَحاسِنِها
وَفي الجَآذِرِ جُزءٌ مِن مَعانيها
In the stars there is a portion of her beauty,
And in the wild gazelles, a share of her grace.
إِن عَنَّفوني فَإِنّي لا أُعَنِّفُها
وَإِن أُسَمِّ فَإِنّي لا أُسَمّيها
If they rebuke me, I shall not rebuke her;
And if I name others, I shall not name her.
يَمَّمتُها وَنُجومُ الأُفقِ تَلحَظُني
في السَيرِ شَذَراً كَأَنّي مِن أَعاديها
I set out toward her while the stars of the horizon watched me,
Glaring askance as I walked, as if I were their enemy.
كادَت تَسّاقَطُ غَيظاً عِندَما عَلِمَت
أَنّي أَأُمُّ الَّتي بِالنَفسِ أَفديها
They nearly fell from the sky in rage when they learned
That I was seeking the one for whom I would ransom my soul.
أَسري إِلَيها وَجُنحُ اللَيلِ مُضطَرِبٌ
كَأَنَّهُ مُشفِقٌ أَن لا أُلاقيها
I journeyed to her while the wing of night trembled,
As if it feared, out of pity, that I might not reach her.
وَالشَوقُ يَدفَعُني وَالخَوفُ يَدفَعُني
هَذا إِلَيها وَهَذا عَن مَغانيها
Longing drives me forward, while fear pushes me back;
One toward her, the other away from her dwelling.
أَطوي الدياجي وَتَطويني عَلى جَزَعٍ
تَخشى اِفتِضاحي وَأَخشى الصُبحَ يَطويها
I traverse the darkness, and it enfolds me in anxiety,
It fears my exposure, while I fear the morning will end it.
فَما بَلَغتُ مَغاني مَن شُغِفتُ بِها
إِلّا وَقَد بَلَغَت نَفسي تَراقيها
I did not reach the dwelling of the one I adore
Until my soul had nearly departed my body.
هُناكَ أَلقَيتُ رَحلي وَاِنتَحَيتُ إِلى
خودٍ يَرى الدُميَةَ الحَسناءَ رائيها
There I cast down my saddle and turned towards
A maiden who appears to the beholder like a beautiful statue.
بيضٌ تَرائِبُها سودٌ ذَوائِبُها
زُجٌّ حَواجِبُها كُحلٌ مَآقيها
Her bosom is white, her flowing locks are black;
Her eyebrows are arched, her eyes naturally rimmed with kohl.
نُهودُها مِن ثَنايا الثَوبِ بارِزَةٌ
كَأَنَّها تَشتَكي مِمّا يُواريها
Her bosom rises prominently from the folds of her dress,
As if complaining of the fabric that conceals it.
وَالثَوبُ قَد ضاقَ عَن إِخفائِها فَنَبا
عَنها فَيا لَيتَني بُردٌ لِأَحميها
The garment, too tight to hide her charms, pulled away;
Oh, would that I were a cloak to embrace her!
وَتَحتَ ذَلِكَ خَصرٌ يَستَقِلُّ بِهِ
دَعصٌ تُرَجرِجُ حَتّى كادَ يُلقيها
And beneath that is a waist, burdened by
Hips like a sand dune, trembling until they nearly bring her down.
قامَت تُصافِحُني وَالرِدفُ يَمنَعُها
وَالوَجدُ يَدفَعُها وَالقَدُّ يَثنيها
She rose to shake my hand, but her heaviness held her back;
Passion urged her forward, while her slender waist made her sway.
دُهِشتُ حَتّى كَأَنّي لَم أَرَها
وَكِدتُ وَاللَهِ أَنسى أَن أُحَيِّها
I was so stunned, it was as if I could not see her,
And by God, I nearly forgot to offer my greeting.
باتَت تُكَلِّمُني مِنها لَواحِظُها
بِما تُكِنُّ وَأَجفاني تُناجيها
Her glances spent the night speaking to me
Of hidden things, and my eyes whispered back.
حَتّى بَدا الفَجرُ وَاِعتَلَّت نَسائِمُهُ
وَكادَ يَنشُرُ أَسراري وَيُفشيها
Until dawn appeared and its breezes grew faint,
Threatening to scatter and reveal my secrets.
بَكَت دُموعاً وَأَبكَتني لدُموعُ دَماً
وَرُحتُ أَكتُمُ أَشياءً وَتُبديها
She wept tears, and made me weep tears of blood;
I tried to conceal my pain, while she revealed hers.
كَأَنَّها شَعَرَت في بُعدِنا أَبَداً
فَأَكثَرَت مِن وَداعِيَ عِندَ واديها
As if she sensed our separation would be forever,
So she prolonged my farewell beside her valley.
فَما تَعَزَّت بِأَنَّ الدَهرَ يَجمَعُنا
يَوماً وَلا فَرِحَت أَنّي أُمَنّيها
She found no comfort in the hope that time might reunite us,
Nor did she rejoice when I tried to give her hope.
تَقولُ وَالدَمعُ مِثلُ الطَلِّ مُنتَثِرٌ
عَلى خُدودٍ خَشيتُ الدَمعَ يُدميها
She spoke, while tears scattered like dew
Upon cheeks I feared the tears might wound.
وَأَلهَفَ نَفسي عَلى أُنسٍ بِلا كَدَرٍ
تُرى تَنالُ مِنَ الدُنيا أَمانيها
"Oh, how my soul yearns for a joy untroubled!
Do you think one ever attains their heart's desire in this world?"
فَقُلتُ صَبراً عَلى كَيدِ الزَمانِ لَنا
فَكُلُّ حافِرِ بِئرٍ واقِعٌ فيها
I replied: "Have patience against Fate's schemes for us;
For he who digs a pit shall surely fall into it."
