خَلِيلىَّ إنّى اليَومَ شاكٍ إِليكما

وَهَل تَنفَعُ الشَّكوَى إِلى مَن يَزِيدُهَا

My friends, today I complain to you,

Though does complaining help those who increase it?

تَفَرُّقَ أُلافٍ وَجَولاَنَ عَبرَةٍ

أَظَلُّ بأَطرَافِ البَنانِ أَذُودُهَا

Thousands have parted and tears flowed,

I remain on the edges of the valleys, warding them off.

وَكائِن تَرى مِن ذِى هوىً حِيلَ دُونَهُ

وَمُتبِعِ إِلفٍ نَظرَةً لاَ يُعيدُهَا

You see the state of the lovestruck, obstacles in his way,

And the follower of intimacy, no glance to be returned.

نَظَرتُ بمُفضَى سَيلِ تُربانَ نَظرَةً

هَلِ اللهُ لي قَبلَ المَماتِ مُعيدُهَا

I glanced with the outpouring of the valley’s torrents -

Will God return it before death?

إِلَى رُجَّحِ الاَكفالِ غِيدٍ كَأنَّهَا

ظِباءُ الفَلا أَعناقُهَا وَخُدُودُهَا

To the rocking of the litters, bleating as if

They were does with necks and cheeks.

ومُعتَصبٍ بالبَينِ حتّى تَدُلَّهُ

اَزِمَّةُ أَشطانِ الهوَى وقُيودُها

And one bound by separation, until it makes him

Bow under the shackles of passionate love and its bonds.

خَلِيلَىَّ شُدّا بالعَصائبِ وَانظُرَا

إِلى كَبِدى هَل بُتَّ صَدعاً عُهودُها

My friends, fasten the headbands and look

At my liver - has its pact been split with cracks?

هَلِ اللهُ عافٍ عَن ذُنوبٍ تَسَلَّفت

اأَمِ اللهُ إن لم يَعُف عَنهَا يُعِيدُها

Does God forgive the sins I accumulated

Or if He doesn’t forgive them, will He repeat them?

وهل يُؤثِمَنّى اللهُ إِن قُلتُ لَيتَنى

لِعَصماءَ بالِى حُلَّةٍ أَو جَديدُهَا

Will God blame me if I say, I wish

I had a chaste one in new robes for my seeing?

وكُنّا إِذا تَدنو بِعصَماءَ نِيَّةٌ

رَضِينا بدُنيَانا فلا نَستزِيدُها

Whenever a chaste one drew near in intention

We were content in our faith, not seeking more.

وَما مُغزِلٌ أَدماءُ خَفّاقَةُ الحَشا

طويلٌ أَعالِى ذِى سُدَيرٍ مَرُودُها

No spindle whirling blood the slapping millstones

Is as long as the outstretched hand of one weaving its woof.

رَماها رُماةُ النّاسِ حتّى تَمَنَّعت

عَلَى كلِّ رامٍ مِنهُمُ لا يَصِيدُهَا

Archers shot her until she was inaccessible

To every archer, none able to hunt her down.

بِأحسنً مِنهَا يَومَ جالَ وِشاحُها

واَحسنَ منها يَومَ جالت عُقودُها

Better than her the day her scarf waved

And better than her the day her braids swayed.

مِن البِيضِ لاَ تَخزَى غِذا الرِّيحُ أَلزَقَت

بها مِرطَها أَو زايلَ الحَلىَ جِيدُها

Of white, unsullied if the wind stuck

Her veil to her or ornaments slipped from her neck.