أحْسِنُوا العَطْفَ عَلَيها مُهَجَا

وَجَدَ الحُبُّ إلَيها مَنْهَجا

Show kindness to her afflicted heart

For love has found its way to her

واحْفَظوها مِن ظُبَى ألْحَاظِكم

حِفْظَكُم ذَاك اللّمى والفَلَجَا

Protect her from your glances' harm

As you would a wounded doe in alarm

أقَدِرْتُم فَظَلَمْتُم مَنْ رَنَا

دُونَ جُرْم وحَرَمْتُم مَنْ رَجا

You had the power so you did wrong

To the innocent whom hope made long

مَا عَلَيْكُم لو أطَعْتُم جُودَكُم

وَفَرَجْتُم مَا بِنَا فَانْفَرجا

No blame on you if you were kind

And relieved us, so relief we'd find

هَكذا تَصدِمُنا غِزْلانُكُمْ

صَدْمَةَ الأوْسِ أخَاها الخَزْرَجا

Thus your charms keep wounding us

Like two clashing armies, Aus and Khazraj

زَمن البَيْنُ لأنّ البَيْن لَمْ

يُبْقِ مِنْ أزْمانِنَا مَا يُرْتَجَى

Estrangement's time, for estrangement left

No hope for our days, nothing we could expect

كَيْفَ بِالمَنْجى وأشْراكُ الهَوى

قَلّ مَنْ أَفْلَتَ مِنْها وَنَجا

How can we escape when love's fetters

Few escape, and safe from them get

قد لَقِينا شِدّةً مِنْ هَجْرِكُم

فَابْعَثوا الوَصْل إلَيْنا فَرَجا

Hardness we met from your estrangement

So send reconciliation as an easement

نَفِّسُوا عَنها نُفوساً عَثَرَتْ

بِالْمَنايا كحلاً أو بلجا

Relieve her soul that stumbles in woe

With kohl or tears that plentifully flow

وَاصْدُقُوا العَزْمَةَ في تكذيبِهِمْ

عُذّلاً يَبْغونَ مِنْكُمْ عِوَجا

And stick to your oath in calling them liars

Excuses they want from you, nothing higher

زَعَموا أنّا رَأَيْنا رَأيَ مَنْ

عاجَ عَن سَمْتِ الهَوى أوْ عَرّجا

They claim we adopted a view

Of one whom love made twist or skew

وَخَلَعْنا من لباسِ الحُبّ ما

قَطع الحُسْنَ لَنا أَو نَسَجا

And shed the garb of love whatever

Of beauty cut for us or sew or weave

وَنَزلنا عَن مَعاريجِ الصّبا

مذ نَزَلْتُم ذلكَ المُنْعَرَجا

And came down from the steps of youth

Since you came down that slope, in truth

لا وأنْفاس لِنُعْمى جَعَلت

مَزْحَفَاً رَوْضَ الرُّبى أو مَدْرَجا

No, but breath of bliss that made

A lawn of sand or a slope its raid

وَرِسالاتِ هَوىً جاءَتْ بِها

فَأفَادَت كُلّ قَلْبٍ ثَلَجا

Missives of passion that found

Each heart and with frost compound

ما نَفضْنَا بالتصابي راحَةً

قَد شدَدْناها عَلَيها مُهجا

Not once did we lightly shake off the bond

That we tightened around her, so fond

لا ولا اسْتَدرَجنا اليأسُ إلى

سَلْوَةٍ غَرّ بِها مُسْتَدْرجا

Nor did we lure despair to the sweetness

That an allurer made his earnest business

ولئِن أنْكَرتُمُ ما نَدّعي

فاسْأَلوا عنّا الحَمامَ الهَزِجا

If you deny what we claim is true

Ask the moaning dove that makes ado

هلْ بَكَى إلا بَكَيْنَا مَعَه

وَسَلَكنا في الأَسَى ما نَهَجا

Did it moan unless we moaned too

And took the same path of grief it flew

لَم يَكُن للنَّومِ في أَحداقِنا

دونَ إذنٍ مِنكُم أَن يلِجا

Sleep dared not in our eyes reside

Without your leave, not there abide

هَذِهِ أبصارُنا شاخِصَةٌ

نَحوَكُم تَبكِي زَماناً دَرَجا

Our eyes are fixed on you and so

Shed tears and many days in woe

عَجَباً مِنْكُم أَصَخْتُم دُونَنا

لِدَعاوي الخَصْمِ حتَّى فَلَجَا

Strange of you, you lent an ear

To the opponent's case to steer

ومَزَجْتُم بالقِلى ودكُم

وحَمَيْنَا ودّنا أنْ يُمْزَجا

And mingled your love and ours

Though ours for yours still lasts and towers

وَلَقَدْ رُمْنا رِضاكُم حِقَباً

وَتَحَمّلنا أذاكُمْ حِجَجا

Long we wished for your consent

And suffered your hurts and torment

ودَعَوْنا عَطْفَكُم مِن كَثبٍ

فَقَرَعْنا مِنهُ بَاباً مُرْتَجا

We called for your kindness time and again

So a door, oft knocked, might open then

آه للآسادِ آساد الشّرى

مِنْ نِعاجٍ ثاوِياتٍ مَنْعِجا

Oh for the breaking of dawn, when appears

A herd, resting, of longing gazelles

وظِباءٍ لاعباتٍ بالنهى

سانِحاتٍ بَيْنَ سَلَمى وَأجا

And grazing does, heedless of reproach

Frolicking twixt acacia tree and clover patch

كالدُّمى غَيْرَ دَلال رُبَّما

رَقَّ مَعْنًى فاسْتَرَقَّ المُهَجا

Like statues though perhaps a meaning fine

Might steal the heart, a steal so divine

وَفُروعٍ أرسَلوها ظُلَما

وَخُدودٍ أطلَعُوها سُرُجا

And branches in darkness they let down

And cheeks that shine with blushlike gown

وَأَماليدَ كخِيطان القَنَا

مِن قُدودٍ نَصَلوها الدَّعَجا

And soft necks like stalks of lily

Plaited with sunburnt arms so stilly

يا شُموسَ اليَوْم كَمْ نَرْعَى بكُم

أنْجُمَ الليلِ إذا الليلُ سَجا

Suns of day, how we pasture still

By you the stars when night shadows fill

انظُرونا نَقْتَبِس من نورِكُم

وَادرَؤوا عَنّا شَجىً قَدْ وَشَجا

See us light our flames by your shine

And drive away sorrows that pine

إنّمَا أنْتُم رَيَاحِينٌ لَنَا

تَنْثَنِي لِيناً وَتَذْكُو أَرَجا

You are only sweet herbs for us

That bend gently and scent discuss

فَأبيحُونا أفَانينَ المُنَى

نَهَراً حُلْواً وَظِلاً سَجْسَجا

Allow us then vanishing's cups

A sweet stream and shade that erupts

أيها العذّال في أدمُعِنا

حَدّثوا عَن بحْرِها لا حَرَجا

You who blame, of our tears speak

Without shame, tell of their creek

واحْكُمُوا إنّ البُكَا لَجّ بِنا

فَعَبَرْنا عَبْرَتَيْهِ لُجَجَا

And judge, for tears overcame our eyes

So we crossed o'er their two crossings wise

ما لِقَلبي لا يَجوز المُنْحَنَى

خَطْفَة لِلْبَرْقِ إلا اخْتَلَجا

My heart crosses the bend in a swoop

Like lightning, convulsing in its swoop

أبَتِ الفَوْزَ عَلَيْهِ فَازةٌ

هَيّجَ الوَجْدُ بِها مَا هَيّجا

Victory refused it, so there filed in

Passion stirred up all feelings within

قَسَمَتْهُ بَيْنَ يَأْس وَمُنىً

فَغَدا مُكْتَئِباً مُبْتَهِجا

It divided it between despair and bliss

So in gloom and in joy it now is

إنّ في الهَوْدَجِ حَمْراءَ الحُلى

مِنْ بناتِ الحَيّ تُصْبِي الهَوْدَجا

In her howdah, red are her gear

Of the pretty ones, pride of the howdah dear

حُمِّلَتْ فِتْنَةَ مَنْ يَرْمقُها

مِبْسَماً عَذْباً وَخَصراً مُدْمَجا

The one who looks at her dimpled smile

And slender waist and dress in style

مَزَجَ الحُسْن بكافورِ الضُّحى

في أعالي قدّها مِسْكَ الدُّجى

Is laden with the beauty that would pour

From one who such a howdah wore

إنْ تَثَنَّت فَقَضيباً أمْلَداً

أو تَجَلّت فَصَبَاحاً أبْلَجا

Oh that a people soiled themselves in staining

With charming eyes whom they were training

لَمْ يَزِنْ دمْلجُها مِعْصَمَها

ذَلِكَ المِعْصمُ زان الدّمْلُجَا

Yet are not refrained by hoary-headedness

Or warner of seemliness from this

يَا لَقَوْمٍ ضُرِّجوا في ضَارج

بالعُيونِ النجْلِ فِيمَن ضُرِّجا

If you saw us complaining of ardor

With camels under us complaining of order

ثُمّ لا يَنهاهُمُ عن مِثْلِها

وازِعُ الشّيب ولا ناهي الحِجا

By God, you would melt for what we face

Of regrets and sorrows that debase

لَوْ ترانا بالهَوى نَشكو الجَوى

والمَطايا تَحتَنا تَشْكو الوَجا

ذَهَبَتْ نفْسُك واللّهِ عَلى

مَا لَقِينا حسَرَاتٍ وَشَجى