أَما لَكَ في أَمري إِلى العَدلِ مَصرَفٌ

حَكَمتَ فَما أُعطيتَ عَدلاً وَلا صَرفا

Is there no justice in your affairs when you judge?

You ruled but gave neither justice nor fairness.

يَقولُ أَتَشكو المَيلَ مِنّي وَنَفرَتي

وَبُعدي أَلَستُ البَدَرَ وَالغُصنَ وَالخِشفا

He says, do I complain of your disinterest and aloofness,

And your distance, when you are the moon, the branch, and the pillow?

تَحِنُّ إِلى الخَيرِيِّ نَفسي وَيَغتَدي

نَسيبِيَ في تَصحيفِهِِ يَمَلأُ الصُحفا

My soul yearns for the virtuous one though he wrongs me,

My kinsman fills volumes with his misspelling.

وَما أَسهَرُ الظَلماءَ إِلّا لَعَلَّهُ

يُنَشِّقُني الخَيرِيُّ مِن نَشرِهِ عَرفا

I only stay up late to see if my beloved

Will gratify me with his fragrance at dawn.

كَأَنَّ خَيالي لَيسَ يُظهِرُ غَيرَهُ

وَلا مُنصِفي يَدري خِلافَ اِسمِهِ حَرفا

It seems my image shows no other but him,

And none who knows me realizes I differ from his name by a letter.

يُمَثَّلُ لي في كُلِّ شَيءٍ رَأَيتُهُ

وَإِن سَأَلوا جاوَبتُهُم بِاِسمِهِ عُرفا

He is represented to me in everything I see,

And if asked, I answer them with his name.

وَلَولا حَيائي وَاِتِّقاءُ مَحَلَّهُ

لَقَبَّلتُ نَعلَيهِ بِرَغمِ العِدا أَلفا

If not for my shyness and reverence for his status,

I would kiss his shoes in spite of those who blame.

تَأَوَّلتُ فيهِ الذُلَّ قُلتُ تَواضُعٌ

وَحَسَّنتُ تَركَ الصَونِ سَمَّيتُهُ ظَرفا

I interpreted his humility as modesty,

And called his lack of self-protection, refinement.

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري مَن بِآخِرِ سَبِّحِ

وَمَن هُوَ في التَنزيلِ قَبلَ الَّذي وَفّى

If only I knew who at the end of praising

And who he is in the Revelation before the one who fulfilled.