تَطاوَلَ بِالخَمّانِ لَيلي فَلَم تَكَد

تَهُمُّ هَوادي نَجمِهِ أَن تَصَوَّبا

My night was long as the Pleiades climbed high,

Scarcely had they begun to descend into the valley of their star,

أَبيتُ أُراعيها كَأَنّي مُوَكَّلٌ

بِها لا أُريدُ النَومَ حَتّى تَغَيَّبا

When I resolved to watch them as if I were assigned,

To attend them, unwilling for sleep until they were gone.

إِذا غارَ مِنها كَوكَبٌ بَعدَ كَوكَبِ

تُراقِبُ عَيني آخِرَ اللَيلِ كَوكَبا

Star by star they hid as dawn drew near,

My eyes observed the last stars at the night's end.

غَوائِرَ تَترى مِن نُجومٍ تَخالُها

مَعَ الصُبحِ تَتلوها زَواحِفَ لُغَّبا

Apparitions of stars they seemed, but at daybreak

Phantoms of the night vanished as the morning shone.

أَخافُ فُجاءاتِ الفِراقِ بِبَغتَةٍ

وَصَرفَ النَوى مِن أَن تُشِتَّ وَتَشعَبا

I fear the suddenness of parting without warning,

The fates might allow this, dashing hopes never to return.

وَأَيقَنتُ لِمّا قَوَّضَ الحَيُّ خَيمَهُم

بِرَوعاتِ بَينٍ تَترُكُ الرَأسَ أَشيَبا

And I knew when the living broke camp,

With horrifyingseparation that leaves the head grey.

وَأَسمَعَكَ الداعي الفَصيحُ بِفُرقَةٍ

وَقَد جَنَحَت شَمسُ النَهارِ لِتَغرُبا

And the clear voiced caller summoned you to depart

As the sun of day had inclined to set.

وَبَيَّنَ في صَوتِ الغُرابِ اِغتِرابَهُم

عَشِيَّةَ أَوفى غُصنَ بانٍ فَطَرَّبا

And in the caw of the raven he made known his desolation

In the evening when the boughs of the wild plum tree bent down.

وَفي الطَيرِ بِالعَلياءِ إِذ عَرَضَت لَنا

وَما الطَيرُ إِلّا أَن تَمُرُّ وَتَنعَبا

And in the birds aloft when they passed by us,

Yet the birds do naught but pass and sweep on.

وَكُدتُ غَداةَ البَينِ يَغلِبُني الهَوى

أُعالِجُ نَفسي أَن أَقومَ فَأَركَبا

And I almost succumbed at dawn to my passion,

I had to restrain myself wanting to rise and to ride away.

وَكَيفَ وَلا يَنسى التَصابِيَ بَعدَما

تَجاوَزَ رَأسَ الأَربَعينَ وَجَرَّبا

But how could one forget his beloved, having surpassed

The forty year mark, and known many places?

وَقَد بانَ ما يَأتي مِنَ الأَمرِ وَاِكتَسَت

مَفارِقُهُ لَوناً مِنَ الشَيبِ مُغرَبا

What would come of this matter became clear,

Parting from him took on a hue of grey hair.

أَتَجمَعُ شَوقاً إِن تَراخَت بِها النَوى

وَصَدّاً إِذا ما أَسقَبَت وَتَجَنُّبا

Do I gather longing if destination brings them near to me,

And rejection if they avoid me and keep apart?

إِذا اِنبَتَّ أَسبابُ الهَوى وَتَصَدَّعَت

عَصا البَينُ لَم تَسطِع لِشَعثاءَ مَطلَبا

When the causes of passion manifest and split open,

The staff of separation cannot reach the goal of a disheveled lover.

وَكَيفَ تَصَدّي المَرءِ ذي اللِبِّ لِلصِبا

وَلَيسَ بِمَعذورٍ إِذا ما تَطَرَّبا

And how can one turn away a sensitive soul from passion,

Who cannot be blamed if infatuated and disturbed?

أُطيلُ اِجتِناباً عَنهُمُ غَيرَ بَغضَةٍ

وَلَكِنَّ بُقيا رَهبَةً وَتَصَحُّبا

I prolong my avoidance of them without hatred,

Merely fearing harm and seeking to avoid trouble.

أَلا لا أَرى جاراً يُعَلِّلَ نَفسَهُ

مُطاعاً وَلا جاراً لِشَعثاءَ مُعتَبا

Indeed, I see no neighbor excusing himself

As one obeyed, nor as a disheveled neighbor blamed.