تَعَمَّدتُ قَتلي في الهَوى وَتَعَمَّدا

فَما أَثِمَت عَيني وَلا لَحظُهُ اِعتَدى

I deliberately killed myself with passion and intentionally,

Yet my eyes committed no sin, nor did their glance transgress.

كِلانا لَهُ عُذرٌ فَعُذري شَبيبَتي

وَعُذرُكَ أَنّي هِجتُ سَيفاً مُجَرَّدا

We both have excuses - mine is my youthfulness,

And yours is that I brandished a naked sword.

هَوينا فَما هُنّا كَما هانَ غَيرُنا

وَلَكِنَّنا زِدنا مَعَ الحُبِّ سُؤدُدا

We loved, and did not waver as others did,

Rather, we increased in ardour and fidelity.

وَما حَكَمَت أَشواقُنا في نُفوسِنا

بِأَيسَرَ مِن حُكمِ السَماحَةِ وَالنَدى

Our yearnings did not judge in our souls

Any easier than the rulings of magnanimity and tenderness.

نُفوسٌ لَها بَينَ الجُنوبِ مَنازِلٌ

بَناها التُقى وَاِختارَها الحُبُّ مَعبَدا

Souls that dwell between the sides

That piety built and love chose as a sanctuary.

وَفَتّانَةٍ أَوحى إِلى القَلبِ لَحظُها

فَراحَ عَلى الإيمانِ بِالوَحيِ وَاِغتَدى

And a temptress whose glance inspired the heart -

So it set upon faith with revelation and transgression.

تَيَمَّمتُها وَاللَيلُ في غَيرِ زَيِّهِ

وَحاسِدُها في الأُفقِ يُغري بِيَ العِدا

I caught a glimpse of her while the night was unveiled

And her envier in the horizon enticed me to enmity.

سَرَيتُ وَلَم أَحذَر وَكانوا بِمَرصَدٍ

وَهَل حَذِرَت قَبلي الكَواكِبُ رُصَّدا

I walked openly, not taking heed, though they lay in ambush.

Did the stars ever take precautions before being observed?

فَلَمّا رَأَوني أَبصَروا المَوتَ مُقبِلاً

وَما أَبصَروا إِلّا قَضاءً تَجَسَّدا

When they saw me, they saw death approaching,

And they saw nothing but embodied destiny.

فَقالَ كَبيرُ القَومِ قَد ساءَ فَألُنا

فَإِنّا نَرى حَتفاً بِحَتفٍ تَقَلَّدا

The elder of the group said times have gone bad, so let's be gentle,

For we see a skull wearing another skull as a necklace.

فَلَيسَ لَنا إِلّا اِتِّقاءُ سَبيلِهِ

وَإِلّا أَعَلَّ السَيفَ مِنّا وَأَورَدا

We have no choice but to avoid his path,

Lest he raise his sword against us and shed blood.

فَغَطّوا جَميعاً في المَنامِ لِيَصرِفوا

شَبا صارِمي عَنهُم وَقَد كانَ مُغمَدا

So they all pretended to sleep in order to divert

My sharp youth away from them, though it was sheathed.

وَخُضتُ بِأَحشاءِ الجَميعِ كَأَنَّهُم

نِيامٌ سَقاهُم فاجِئُ الرُعبِ مُرقِدا

And I waded through the guts of them all as if they were

Sleepers whom sudden terror had laid down to rest.

وَرُحتُ إِلى حَيثُ المُنى تَبعَثُ المُنى

وَحَيثُ حَدا بي مِن هَوى النَفسِ ما حَدا

And I went to where death awakens death

And where the passion of my soul drove me to the utmost.

وَحَيثُ فَتاةُ الخِدرِ تَرقُبُ زَورَتي

وَتَسأَلُ عَنّي كُلَّ طَيرٍ تَغَرَّدا

And where the lass of the cheeks keeps watch for my visit

And asks after me every bird that chirps melodiously,

وَتَرجو رَجاءَ اللِصِّ لَو أَسبَلَ الدُجى

عَلى البَدرِ سِتراً حالِكَ اللَونِ أَسوَدا

And hopes, with the hope of a thief, that gloom

Would cast upon the moon a pitch-black covering veil,

وَلَو أَنَّهُم قَدّوا غَدائِرَ فَرعِها

فَحاكوا لَهُ مِنها نِقاباً إِذا بَدا

And that they would pluck the branches of its crescent,

And from them weave for it a veil, whenever it appeared.

فَلَمّا رَأَتني مُشرِقَ الوَجهِ مُقبِلاً

وَلَم تَثنِني عَن مَوعِدي خَشيَةُ الرَدى

So when she saw me with a radiant face drawing near,

And no fear of harm could deter me from my tryst,

تَنادَت وَقَد أَعجَبتُها كَيفَ فُتَّهُم

وَلَم تَتَّخِذ إِلّا الطَريقَ المُعَبَّدا

She called out, amazed at how I had eluded them,

Not having taken any route but the obvious one.

فَقُلتُ سَلي أَحشاءَهُم كَيفَ رُوِّعَت

وَأَسيافَهُم هَل صافَحَت مِنهُم يَدا

I said, “Ask their guts how they quivered,

And their swords - did any hands among them clash?”

فَقالَت أَخافُ القَومَ وَالحِقدُ قَد بَرى

صُدورُهُمُ أَن يَبلُغوا مِنكَ مَقصِدا

She said, “I fear for you, their spite has surely

Filled their chests that they will attain their aim against you.”

فَلا تَتَّخِذ عِندَ الرَواحِ طَريقَهُم

فَقَد يُقنَصُ البازي وَإِن كانَ أَصيَدا

“Do not take their road by the pasture,

For the hunter may be ambushed, even if his prey is in sight.”

فَقُلتُ دَعي ما تَحذَرينَ فَإِنَّني

أُصاحِبُ قَلباً بَينَ جَنبَيَّ أَيِّدا

I said, “Leave what you fear, for I

Have a heart between my ribs that assists me.”

فَمالَت لِتُغريني وَمالَأَها الهَوى

فَحَدَّثتُ نَفسي وَالضَميرُ تَرَدَّدا

She inclined towards me to seduce me, and passion inclined her;

I talked to myself while my conscience wavered,

أَهُمُّ كَما هَمَّت فَأَذكُرُ أَنَّني

فَتاكَ فَيَدعوني هُداكَ إِلى الهُدى

“Shall I heed her as she intends, and recall that I am

Her killer, so her guidance calls me to guidance?”

كَذَلِكَ لَم أَذكُركَ وَالخَطبُ يَلتَقي

بِهِ الخَطبُ إِلّا كانَ ذِكرُكَ مُسعِدا

Thus I did not recall you as fortunes collide,

Except that remembering you was auspicious.

أَميرَ القَوافي إِن لي مُستَهامَةً

بِمَدحٍ وَمَن لي فيكَ أَن أَبلُغَ المَدى

Prince of rhyme, I have a persistence

In praise, and who do I have in you to reach the furthest extent?

أَعِرني لِمَدحيكَ اليَراعَ الَّذي بِهِ

تَخُطُّ وَأَقرِضني القَريضَ المُسَدَّدا

Lend me the mount for my praise of you, upon which

You ride, and lend me the matching verse, precise.

وَمُر كُلَّ مَعنىً فارِسِيٍّ بِطاعَتي

وَكُلَّ نُفورٍ مِنهُ أَن يَتَوَدَّدا

And command each eloquent meaning to obey me,

And all its recalcitrance to seek affection from me.

وَهَبنِيَ مِن أَنوارِ عِلمِكَ لَمعَةً

عَلى ضَوئِها أَسري وَأَقفو مَنِ اِهتَدى

And grant me from the lights of your knowledge a gleam

By whose brightness I may travel and follow whomsoever is guided,

وَأَربو عَلى ذاكَ الفَخورِ بِقَولِهِ

إِذا قُلتُ شِعراً أَصبَحَ الدَهرُ مُنشِدا

And surpass that arrogant one in his saying

That whenever I speak a poem, time itself recites it.

سَلَبتَ بِحارَ الأَرضِ دُرَّ كُنوزِها

فَأَمسَت بِحارُ الشِعرِ لِلدُرِّ مَورِدا

You have plundered the seas of the earth of the pearls of their treasures,

So the seas of poetry have become arepository for pearls.

وَصَيَّرتَ مَنثورَ الكَواكِبَ في الدُجى

نَظيماً بِأَسلاكِ المَعاني مُنَضَّدا

And you have made the prose of the stars in the night sky

Into harmonious verse with the threads of meanings interlaced.

وَجِئتَ بِأَبياتٍ مِنَ الشِعرِ فُصِّلَت

إِذا ما تَلَوها أُلقِيَ الناسُ سُجَّدا

And you have brought verses of poetry that when recited

Make people bow down in prostration.

إِذا ذَكَروا مِنهُ النَسيبَ رَأَيتَنا

وَداعي الهَوى مِنّا أَقامَ وَأَقعَدا

When they mention the easy style from it we find ourselves

Like lovers halting or rising.

وَإِن ذَكَروا مِنهُ الحَماسَ حَسِبتَنا

نَرى الصارِمَ المَخضوبَ خَدّاً مُوَرَّدا

And if they mention from it excitement we fancy ourselves

Seeing the bloodied, unsheathed sword - a reddened cheek.

وَلَو أَنَّني نافَرتُ دَهري وَأَهلَهُ

بِفَخرِكَ ما أَبقَيتُ في الناسِ سَيِّدا

And if I defied my time and its people

With pride in you, I would leave no one eminent among men.