إِذا شِئتُ هاجَتني دِيارٌ مُحيلَةٌ

وَمَربِطُ أَفلاءٍ أَمامَ خِيامِ

When I wish, a land of exile stirs me,

And a meadow of antelopes before tents.

بِحَيثُ تَلاقى الدَوُّ وَالحَمضُ هاجَتا

لِعَينَيَّ أَغراباً ذَواتَ سِجامِ

Where bitterness and acid meet raging,

Strangers appear before my eyes, possessing swords.

فَلَم يَبقَ مِنها غَيرُ أَثلَمَ خاشِعٍ

وَغَيرُ ثَلاثٍ لِلرَمادِ رِئامِ

Of it remains only a submissive dark cloud,

And three for the ashes of coals spitting.

أَلَم تَرَني عاهَدتُ رَبّي وَإِنَّني

لَبَينَ رِتاجٍ قائِمٌ وَمَقامِ

Did you not see me make a pact with my Lord while

I stand between a saddle and stop?

عَلى قَسَمٍ لا أَشتُمُ الدَهرَ مُسلِماً

وَلا خارِجاً مِن فِيَّ سوءَ كَلامِ

On an oath not to insult fate while Muslim

Nor utter from within me an evil word.

أَلَم تَرَني وَالشِعرَ أَصبَحَ بَينَنا

دُروءٌ مِنَ الإِسلامِ ذاتُ حُوامِ

Did you not see me - poetry has set between us

A shield from Islam bearing crosses?

بِهِنَّ شَفى الرَحمَنُ صَدري وَقَد جَلا

عَشا بَصَري مِنهُنَّ ضَوءَ ظَلامِ

With it the Merciful healed my chest though

My vision from it flowed light from darkness.

فَأَصبَحتُ أَسعى في فَكاكِ قِلادَةٍ

رَهينَةِ أَوزارٍ عَلَيَّ عِظامِ

I began to seek to unclasp a necklace

A hostage of burdens upon me bones.

أُحاذِرُ أَن أُدعى وَحَوضي مُحَلِّقٌ

إِذا كانَ يَومُ الوِردِ يَومَ خِصامِ

I fear being called while my pool is suspended

If the day of flowers were a day of dispute.

وَلَم أَنتَهِ حَتّى أَحاطَت خَطِيئَتي

وَرائي وَدَقَّت لِلدُهورِ عِظامي

I did not stop until my sins surrounded

Me from behind and knocked on the doors of ages.

لَعَمري لَنِعمَ النِحيُ كانَ لِقَومِهِ

عَشِيَّةَ غَبَّ البَيعُ نَحيُ حُمامِ

By my life - excellent was the inclination

Of the man at evening the sale of pigeons.

بِتَوبَةِ عَبدٍ قَد أَنابَ فُؤادُهُ

وَما كانَ يُعطي الناسَ غَيرَ ظِلامِ

With the repentance of a servant whose heart returned

Who did not give people anything but darkness.

أَطَعتُكَ يا إِبليسُ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً

فَلَمّا اِنتَهى شَيبي وَتَمَّ تَمامي

I obeyed you, O Devil, seventy arguments

But when my old age ended and my time was complete

فَرَرتُ إِلى رَبّي وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّني

مُلاقٍ لِأَيّامِ المَنونَ حِمامي

I fled to my Lord and was certain that I

Would meet the days of death's pigeon roost.