في ذَلِكَ الرَوضِ الأَغَنِّ بَدى فَتىً
قَد يَبلُغُ العِشرينَ عاماً ذو نُهى
In that lush garden, a youth appeared,
Approaching twenty years, possessed of wisdom,
كَالبَدرِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ مُتَكَتِّمٌ
وَالغُصنِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ غُصنٌ ذَوى
Like the full moon, save that he was shrouded in gloom,
And like a bough, save that he was a withered bough.
كَتَبَ الضَنى في وَجهِهِ هَذا الَّذي
كادَ الغَرامُ بِهِ يَؤولُ إِلى الفَنا
Wasting sickness had written upon the face of one
Whom passion had nearly brought to the brink of annihilation.
دَنِفٌ تُرَوِّعُهُ الغُصونُ إِذا اِنثَنَت
طَرَباً وَيُقلِقُهُ النَسيمُ إِذا جَرى
Lovesick, he is startled by the branches when they sway
In dance, and the breeze unsettles him when it blows.
حَيرانُ يُقعِدُهُ الهَوى وَيُقيمُهُ
فَكَأَنَّهُ عَلَمٌ يُداعِبُهُ الهَوا
Bewildered, passion casts him down and raises him up,
As though he were a banner toyed with by the wind.
فَإِذا رَنا لِلأُفقِ ظَنَّ نُجومَهُ
عَقدُ الَّتي مَن رامَها رامَ السَما
When he gazed at the horizon, he deemed its stars
To be the necklace of her whose seeker seeks the very sky.
وَتَوَهَّمَ القَمَرَ المُحَلِّقَ وَجهَ مَن
ضَنَّت وَجادَت بِاللِقاءِ وَبِالنَوى
And he imagined the soaring moon to be the face of one who
Was stingy with meeting, yet generous with distance.
حَجَبَ الغَمامُ البَدرَ عِندَ مَسيرِهِ
فَكَأَنَّهُ أَسماءُ تَسري في الدُجى
Clouds veiled the full moon in its course,
As though it were Asma' walking through the dark.
حَسناءُ قَد عَشِقَ المُحِبُّ عَفافَها
وَتَعَشَّقَت آدابَهُ فَهُما سَوا
A beauty whose chastity the lover adored,
And she loved his refined manners; in this they were alike.
كَالغُصنِ قامَتُها إِذا الغُصنُ اِنثَنى
وَجَبينُها يَحكي الصَباحَ إِذا اِنجَلى
Her stature is like the bough when the bough bends,
And her brow mimics the morning when it breaks.
وَقَعَت غَدائِرُها عَلى أَقدامِها
فَكَأَنَّها قَد عَضَّها نابُ الهَوى
Her long braids tumbled down to her feet,
As if she had been bitten by the fang of passion.
خَودٌ إِذا نَطَقَت حَسِبتَ حَديثَها
دُرّاً وَلَكِن لَيسَ مِمّا يُشتَرى
A maiden who, when she spoke, you would deem her words
To be pearls, but not of the kind that can be bought.
وَقَفَت تُحيطُ بِها الزُهورُ كَأَنَّها
قَمَرٌ تُحيطُ بِهِ الكَواكِبُ في الفَضا
She stood with flowers surrounding her, as if she were
A moon encircled by stars in the firmament.
وَمَشَت تَحِفُّ بِها الغُصونُ كَأَنَّها
مَلِكٌ تَحِفُّ بِهِ الجُنودُ إِذا مَشى
And as she walked, bordered by branches, she seemed
A king flanked by soldiers as he marches.
لِلَّهِ زَورَتُها وَقَد قَنِطَ الفَتى
فَكَأَنَّها روحٌ جَرى فيمَن تَوى
How wondrous was her visit when the youth had lost all hope,
Like a spirit flowing back into one who had perished.
هَيهاتِ ما ظَفُرَ المُؤَمِّلُ بِالغِنى
بِأَلَذَّ مِن ظَفَرِ المُتَيَّمِ بِاللِقا
Alas, the seeker of wealth never won a prize
Sweeter than the thrall of love winning a reunion.
فَدَنا يُطارِحُها تَحِيَّةَ عاشِقٍ
وَيَقولُ أَهلاً بِالحَبيبِ الَّذي أَتى
He drew near, offering her a lover's greeting,
Saying, "Welcome to the beloved who has come."
بَينا تُصافِحُ مَن يُصافِحُها إِذا
بِدُموعِها سَحَّت فَصافَحَتِ الثَرى
But as she clasped the hand of the one clasping hers,
Her tears poured down to clasp the very earth.
ما لِلعُيونِ تَحَدَّرَت عَبَراتُها
وَعَلامَ هَذا الحُزنُ يا ذاتَ البَها
"Why do these eyes let fall their heavy tears?
And for what cause is this sorrow, O beautiful one?"
قالَت حَبيبي لَو تَرى ما قَد جَرى
في رَبعِنا شارَكتَني فيما تَرى
She said, "My love, if you could see what has come to pass
In our dwelling, you would share in the grief you see.
جارَ القَضاءُ عَلَيَّ في أَحكامِهِ
ما حيلَةُ الإِنسانِ إِن جارَ القَضا
Fate has been unjust to me in its decrees;
What recourse has a human when fate turns cruel?
فَاِبكِ مَعي فَلَرُبَّما نَفَعَ البُكا
إِنَّ اللَيالي لا تَدومُ عَلى الصَفا
So weep with me, for perhaps weeping brings relief;
Indeed, the nights do not remain forever clear."
قالَ الفَتى وَالدَمعُ مُنتَثِرٌ عَلى
خَدَّيهِ يا أَسماءُ قولي ما جَرى
The youth replied, while tears scattered upon
His cheeks, "O Asma', tell me what has occurred."
فَتَلَفَّتَت في الرَوضِ خيفَةَ سامِعٍ
فَكَأَنَّها الظَبيُ الغَريرُ إِذا رَنا
She glanced about the garden, fearing an eavesdropper,
Resembling an unsuspecting gazelle when it gazes.
وَتَرَدَّدَت بِكَلامِها فَكَأَنَّما
تَبغي وَلا تَبغي التَفَوُّهَ بِالنَبا
She hesitated in her speech, as though
She wished, yet wished not, to utter the news.
قالَت وَدَمعُ الحُزنِ يَخنُقُ صَوتَها
وَشَتِ الحَواسِدُ عِندَ مَن نَخشى بِنا
She spoke, while tears of sorrow choked her voice:
"The envious have slandered us to those we fear,
وَغَداً يَعودُ الشَملُ مُنفَصِمَ العُرى
هَذا هُوَ الخَبَرُ اليَقينُ بِلا خَفا
And tomorrow our union's bonds shall be severed;
This is the certain news, without concealment."
قَد أَنبَأَتهُ بِالفِراقِ وَما دَرَت
أَنَّ الفِراقَ حِمامُ مَن عَرَفَ الهَوى
She broke the news of separation, unaware
That separation is death to one who knows true love.
فَكَأَنَّما سَهمٌ أَصابَ فُؤادَهُ
وَكَأَنَّهُ لَمّا اِرتَمى طَودٌ هَوى
It was as if an arrow had struck his heart,
And he fell as a mighty mountain collapses.
أَمّا الفَتاةُ فَراعَها ما صارَ في
مَحبوبِها وَكَأَنَّها نَدِمَت عَلى
As for the maiden, she was terrified by what befell
Her beloved, and she seemed to regret
جَعَلَت تُناديهِ بِصَوتٍ مُحزِنٍ
فَيُجيبُها كَنِدائِها رَجعُ الصَدى
She began to call him with a mournful voice,
But only the echo answered her call.
حَتّى إِذا قَنِطَت دَنَت مِنهُ كَما
يَدنو أَخو الداءِ العُضالِ مِنَ الدَوا
When she lost hope, she drew near to him,
As one with a fatal illness seeks a cure.
وَحَنَت فَحَرَّكَتِ الفَتى وَإِذا بِهِ
جِسمٌ وَلَكِن لا حَياةَ بِهِ وَلا
She bent down and stirred the youth, but found him
A mere body, bereft of life and breath.
قَد فارَقَ الدُنيا فَفارَقَها الرَجا
وَهَوَت تُعانِقُهُ فَفارَقَتِ الوَرى
He had departed this world, and so hope departed her;
She fell embracing him, and she too departed the living.
قَمَرانِ ضَمَّهُما التُرابُ وَما عَرَفـ
ـتُ سِواهُما قَمَرَينِ ضَمَّهُما الثَرى
Two moons embraced by the dust; never have I known
Any save them—two moons embraced by the earth.
