فُكَّ حُرّاً لِلوَجدِ قَيدَ البُكاءِ
فَاِعذُريني أَولا فَموتي بِدائي
Relieve the bonds of weeping for fervent love,
Excuse me first, then let my malady kill me.
لَو أَطَعنا لِلصَبرِ عِندَ الرَزايا
ما عَرَفناهُ شِدَّةً مِن رَخاءِ
If we had obeyed patience in times of woe,
We would not have known it to be kind in times of comfort.
أَسرَعَ الشَيبُ مُغرِياً لي بِهَمٍّ
كانَ يَدعوهُ مِن أَحَبِّ الدُعاءِ
Old age hastily enticed me with worries,
It used to call upon it from the most beloved prayers.
ما لِهَذا المَساءِ لا يَتَجَلّى
أَحَياءً مِنهُ سِراجَ السَماءِ
Why doesn't this evening shine,
Reviving in it the lamp of the sky?
قَرِّبا قَرِّبا عِقالَ المَطايا
وَاِحلُلا غِبها عِقالَ الثَواءِ
Bring closer the reins of the mounts,
And unbridle their freedom of wandering.
تُسعِدَنَّ الأَقدارُ جُهدي وَإِلّا
لَم أَمُت في ذا الحَيَّ مَوتَ النِساءِ
If fates make me happy, otherwise,
I shall not die the death of women in this life.
حُرَّةٌ قَد يَستَرعِفُ المَرءُ مِنها
مَنسِماً أَو مُستَنعِلاً بِالنَجاءِ
Free is she whom a man may scorn,
Whispering or showing guile openly.
أُنفِذَت في لَيلِ التَمامِ وَحَنَّت
كَحَنينٍ لِلصَبِّ يَومَ التَنائي
They were fulfilled in the night of perfection and yearned
Like the yearning of love on the day of parting.
وَالدُجى قَد يَنهَضُ الصُبحُ فيهِ
قائِماً يَنشُرُ ثَوبَ الضِياءِ
Darkness in which the dawn may rise up
Standing, spreading the garment of light.
مَن لِهَمٍّ قَد باتَ يُشجي فُؤادي
ما لَهُ حالُ دَمعَتي مِن خَفاءِ
Who has worries that kept my heart awake all night?
What is the state of my tear from hiding?
إِخوَةٌ لي قَد فَرَّقَتهُم خُطوبٌ
عَلَّمَت مُقلَتي طَويلَ البُكاءِ
Brothers of mine whom misfortunes have scattered,
My eyelids taught long weeping.
إِن أَهاجوا بِآلِ أَحمَدَ حَرباً
بِبَنيكُم لا تَحلُبوا في إِنائي
If they stirred Ahmad's family to war,
Do not milk in my vessels.
وَتَحَلّوا عِقدَ التَمَلُّكِ مِنكُم
بِأَكُفٍّ قَد خُضِّبَت بِالدِماءِ
Take off the necklace of rule among you
With hands dyed with blood.
وَخَليلٍ قَد كانَ مَرعى الأَماني
وَرِضى أَنفُسٍ وَحَسبِ الإِخاءِ
A friend who was once the pasture of wishes
And the contentment of souls and kinship.
غَرَّقَتني في لُجَّةِ البَينِ عَنهُ
فَتَعَلَّقتُ في حِبالِ الرَجاءِ
It drowned me in the deep sea of separation from him,
So I held on to the ropes of hope.
غَيرَ أَنّا مِنَ النَوى في اِفتِراقٍ
وَلِقاءٍ لِذِكرِنا في البَقاءِ
Only we differ in determination during separation
And meeting in the remembrance of us in survival.
وَفُراقُ الخَليلِ قَرحٌ مُمِضٌّ
وَبِهِ يَعرِفونَ أَهلَ الوَفاءِ
Parting from a friend is a burning wound
By which the people of loyalty are known.
حاذِقُ الوُدِّ لي بِما سَرَّ نَفسي
كانَ طَبّاً وَعالِماً بِالشِفاءِ
The connoisseur of love for me by what delighted my soul
Was a remedy and knew healing.
مُرسِلُ الجودَ مِنهُ في كُلِّ سُؤلٍ
يَكلَأُ المَجدَ بَينَ عَينِ السَخاءِ
The sender of generosity from him for every request
Reaps glory between the eyes of generosity.
يَعرِفَنَّ المَعروفَ طَبعاً وَيُثني
بِيَدِ الجودِ في عِنانِ الثَناءِ
He knows favors naturally and praises
With the hand of generosity at the bridle of praise.
يَخفِرَن عَزمَهُ بِقَلبٍ مُصيبٍ
يَتَلَظّى مَن فيهِ نارُ الذَكاءِ
His resolve is guarded by an accurate heart
In which burns the fire of intelligence.
يَكتُمَنَّ الأَسرارَ مِنهُ وَفيهِ
كَكُمونٍ لِلعودِ تَحتَ اللِحاءِ
He conceals secrets from and in him
Like embers under ashes.
وَتُفَلُّ الخُطوبُ مِنهُ بِرَأيٍ
قَد جَلاهُ بِالعَزمِ أَيَّ جَلاءِ
Misfortunes are repelled from him by opinion
Which he armored with determination against any refuge.
إِن يَحُل مِن بَيني وَبَينِكَ بَينٌ
فَلَكَم مِن نَأيٍ سَريعِ اللِقاءِ
If separation comes between me and you
Then how quick is the meeting after remoteness!
رُدَّ عَنّي تَفويقَ سَهمِكَ حَسبي
فيكَ أَقصِر تَفويقَ سَهمِ الدُعاءِ
Repel from me the hitting of your arrow, it suffices me,
In you lies the quickest response to prayer.
فَبِها يُستَحَثُّ دُرُّ الأَماني
وَبِها يُطلَقَنَّ كَيدُ العَناءِ
By it the pearls of wishes are urged
And by it the plots of adversity are released.
رُبَّ يَومٍ بِعامِرِ الكَأسِ ظَلنا
نُفرِغَنَّ المُدامَ فيهِ بِماءِ
Many a day with a overflowing cup we spent
Emptying the wine in it with water.
في دُجى لَيلِنا وَطَيِّ الحَواشي
مُدنَفُ الريحِ في قَصيرِ النَقاءِ
In the darkness of our night and folds of meadows
Wind-blown in brief purity.
تَسقُطَنَّ الأَمطارُ حَتّى تَثَنّى ال
نورُ وَاِبتَلَّ في جَناحِ الهَواءِ
The rain falls until it bends the light
And mixes in the wing of the air.
فَتَرى لِلغُدرانِ في كُلِّ خَفضٍ
مُستَقِرّاً كَمُزنَةٍ في سَماءِ
So you see for the sneak in every depression
Settled like a weight in the sky.
زَمَنٌ مَرَّ قَد مَضى بِنَعيمٍ
وَصَباحٌ أَسَرَّنا في مَساءِ
An era passed with bliss
And a morn that delighted us in the evening.
وَاِجتَمَعنا بَعدَ التَنائي وَلَكِن
لا يُري العالَمينَ عَينَ الرَخاءِ
We gathered after the separation but
The eyes of comfort do not show the two worlds.
أَنا مُذ غِبتَ قَد أَروحُ وَأَغدو
مِن سُرورِ الدُنيا بِوُدٍّ خَلاءِ
Since you left, I wander and travel
From the bliss of life in barren love.
لا أَرى في الأَنامِ جَمعَ وَفِيٍّ
وَغُرورٍ مُخاتِلٍ في وَفاءِ
I do not see in people a band of devoted loyalists
And the arrogance of pretentious loyalty.
فَضَماني إِلَيكَ ذِكرٌ وَشُكرٌ
وَعَلى رَبِّ العَرشِ حُسنُ الجَزاءِ
So my pledge to you is remembrance and thankfulness
And to the Lord of the Throne, excellent recompense.
