زارَ الحبيبُ وللواشينَ أبراق

والليلُ أثوابُه زُرْقٌ وأخْلاق

The beloved came though spies were watching,

And the night wore garments of blue and black,

سرى على رغم من يخشى نَمِيمتَه

كَيْلا يصحَّ له في القولِ مِصداق

He walked despite his fear of slander,

Lest the words against him ring true.

أضحى يُرَاودُني عَنْ نيلِ حاجتِه

وقد وفى منه لي عَهْدٌ ومِيثاقُ

He pleaded that I fulfill his desire,

Though his promise and pact with me were kept,

صافحتُه فبكى والفَجْرُ مُبْتَسِم

من وجههِ وَلَهُ نُورٌ وإشْرَاقُ

I greeted him and he wept, dawn on his face smiling,

With light and radiance graced.

والحبُ يدنيه والعَتْبَاءُ تُبْعِده

والشوقُ للمرءِ قَوَّادٌ وسَوَّاقُ

Love draws him near while disdain distances him,

Yearning for one is a pander and broker,

أذاقني الاقحوانَ الغَصَّ من فَمِه

ما ليس أثمرُهُ غُصْنٌ وأوْرَاقُ

He made me taste from his mouth bitterness,

Though its fruit is not branch or leaf.

أفدِيهِ من رَشَأٍ قد صارَ في يده

قلبي أسيرٌ ودَمْعي فيهِ مِطْلاقُ

To free him from suspicion that filled his hand,

My heart is captive and my tears are unrestrained,

لو عنفتني عذولي عن محبَّتِه

لما انثيتُ فما من حُبِّنا ذَاقُوا

If his disdain had turned me from his love,

I would not have softened, for never did they taste,

نار الهوى عذبتني وهو يسْعَرُها

لها التهابٌ على قَلْبي وإحْرَاقُ

The fire of passion sweetly tortured me while he lit it,

It blazes in my heart with burning and searing,

قَبَّلتْهُ ودموعي فوقَ وَجْنَتِه

سالتْ وأدمعُه بالخَدِّ مهراقُ

I kissed him while my tears fell atop his cheeks,

Pouring, and his tears down his cheeks coursing,

تَخَالَطَ السَّكْبُ من شأني وَمِحْجَره

وَرَوَّتْ الأرضَ آماقٌ وآمَاقُ

Confusion mixed from my state and his frowning,

The ground watered by rivers and streams overflowing,

يَضُمَني وضُلوعي كادَ يَحْطِمُها

لَزْماً وقد لَفَّنا وَصْلٌ وأشْواقُ

He held me, my ribs nearly shattered

From insistence, though we were bound by union and longing,

حتى تَنَبَّهَ للتوديعِ مُرْتَعشاً

وعاقَ قلبيَ أعواقٌ وأعواقُ

Until he stirred to bid farewell, trembling,

My heart detached by longing and yearning,

يحكي ويبكي وما علمي بِمَنْطقِه

من البكى وغرابُ البينِ نَعَّاقُ

He speaks and weeps and I know not his words,

Among the weeping, and the raven of separation cawing,

تصافحتْ لوداعٍ كلُ جارحةٍ

مِنا وتَنْحَطُّ هاماتٌ وأعْنَاقُ

We bid farewell, each limb among us

Surrendering, with determination and necks bending,

وما له طوقُ في جيدي كما ظهرتْ

من جودِ مولاي بالأعْنَاقِ أطْواقُ

But no necklace adorns my neck as appeared

From my Master’s generosity, necklaces bestowing,

هذا سعيدٌ أميرُ الخلقِ كُلِّهُمُ

زَكَتْ لَهُ في أصُولِ الفَخْرِ أعْرَاقُ

This is Sa’eed, the best of all people,

In the roots of pride, virtues manifest,

سليل سلطان ماضي العزمِ مُنْبَسطٌ

للناسِ من كفِّهِ قُوْتٌ وأرْزَاقُ

Scion of the Sultan whose resolve is firm,

Giving people from his palm sustenance and livelihood,

يصبو إلى المجدِ والعَلياءِ منفرداً

كما صَبَا لحبيبٍ وَهْوَ مُشْتَاقُ

He aspires to glory and supremacy unrivaled,

As he longed for his beloved in fervent ardor,

زَكِيُّ نَفْسٍ لَهُ في الحَمْدِ مَرْتَبةٌ

ما قَطُّ يَحْمِلُها قَفْرٌ وسَمْلاقُ

His soul is pure, in praise holding a station,

That no wasteland or stony plain ever attained,

في أذنهِ حِسّ عُودٍ صوتُ سائلهِ

أفنى خزائنَه بَذْلٌ وإنْفاقُ

In his ear, the voice of one who asks him

Exhausts his treasures with charity and giving,

يُغني عن الغيث في الدنيا ولو وَجَدتْ

ندى أناملِه للجودِ مطلاقُ

It enriches beyond rain in this life, and if

His fingers found bounty, free-flowing it would be,

إنْ كَرَّ يومَ وغىً بالنَّصْرِ مَدَّرِعاً

كأنَّهُ نَجْمُ قَذْفٍ وهو طَفَّاقُ

If one day, equipped with victory, he waged battle,

He would be like a shooting star, blazing,

روى الصوارمَ والسُّمْر الطوالَ دماً

من العدا وهمَ ولَّوا وما طاقوا

He watered the swords and long lances with blood,

Of the enemy, who fled defeated, unable to bear it,

من شدةِ الطَّعْنِ لن يبقى لهم أثَرٌ

ولا لأرواحهِم حِسّ وأرْماقُ

From the severity of the thrust they would leave no trace,

Their souls unfelt and spirits departed,

سَنابكُ الخيل فوقَ البهم واقعةٌ

وهم على الأرض صَرْعى قَطُّ ما فاقوا

The horses’ hooves upon the heroes fallen,

On the ground slain, none surpassed,

من بعدِهم دُمْ بِأمْنِ اللهِ في نِعَمٍ

والخَلْقُ نحوكَ بالخيراتِ تَنْسَاقُ

After them, in God’s safety, bounties lie,

And people to you in prosperity flock,

خُلَيْدةُ ما تدري بما بي مِن الشَقَا

وقلبي بنارِ الشوقِ قد صارَ مُحْرَقا

Eternal one, you know not what I suffer,

While my heart by the fire of passion lies scorched,

ولو تدري أضلاعي يُحَطِّمُها الهوى

لذابت أسىً والقلبُ منها تَمَزَّقَا

If you knew my ribs shattered by passion,

You would melt in agony as my heart ruptured,

فؤادي لفرقاها أسيرٌ مُقَيَّدٌ

ودمعي لذكراها فقد صار مُطْلَقا

For parting you, captive lies my soul bound,

My tears remembering you freely pour,

رَعى اللهُ أياماً بِها الشَّمْلُ جامع

ولا ناحَ فيها البَيْنُ قَطُّ وأنْعَقَا

May God protect days where unity once gathered,

When separation never cried out in lament,

أصافحُ غُصْنَ البانِ في كلِّ ساعةٍ

وألثَمُ ثَغْرَ البَرْقِ مَهْما تألَّقَا

I greet the branch of sweet basil every hour,

And kiss the lip of lightning whenever it flashes,

ولا كانَ دهرٌ بالفراقِ قَطَعْتُه

ولا بُوركت أوقاتُه في مدى البَقَا

Never was the time of parting that I endured,

Nor were its moments blessed in perpetuity,

تَحَنْظَلَ عيشي فيه من بَعْدِ حُلوهِ

وأجَّنَ مائي قلةُ الوصلِ واللِّقَا

My life after its sweetness became desolate,

Its water bitter from scarce union and meeting,

ولا ذابلٌ بانَ التفرق والنوى

ولا اخضرَّ دَوْح الوَصْلِ قَطُّ وأوْرَقَا

Neither withered the separation and all became estranged,

Nor verdured the union’s bouquet, blossoming,

وليسَ بِقلبي ذكرُ غير خليدةٍ

وقد طار إشْفَاقاً إليها وحَلَّقَا

In my heart is no memory but of Khalida,

Flying to her ardently and soaring,

فإن غَرَّبَتْ يمضي إليها مُغَرِّبَاً

وإن شرَّقَتْ يمضي إليها مُشَرِّقَا

If she went west, I would go west pursuing her,

If she went east, I would go east seeking her,

ويُضْحي حنينُ الرَّعْدِ يُشْبه زفرتي

إذا ما سَمِعْتُ العَنْدليبَ المُطَوَّقا

The longing of thunder in each hour comes to resemble my moan,

Whenever I hear the caged nightingale cry,