قِفِى يَا اُمَيمَ القَلبِ نَقضِ لُبَانَةً

ونَشكُ الهَوى ثُمَّ افعَلى ما بَدَالكِ

Stop, O dove of my heart, undoing a dress,

And complain of passion, then do whatever comes to you,

سَلِى البانَةَ الغَنَّاءَ بِالأَبطَحِ الَّذِى

بِهِ الماءُ هَل حيَّيتُ أَطلالَ دَارِكِ

Ask the singer at Al-Abtah, where is the water,

If you have revived the ruins of her house,

وَهَل قُمتُ بَعدَ الرائِحينَ عَشِيَّةً

مَقَامَ أخى البَغضاءِ واختَرتُ ذلكِ

And if you stood after the basil in the evening,

In the standing place of the hated sister, and you chose that,

وهَل كَفكَفَت عَيناىَ في الدّارِ عَبرةً

فُرَادَى كَنَظمِ البُّؤلُؤِ المُتَهَالِكِ

And if tears flowed from my eyes in the house copiously,

Like scattered pearls, destroyed,

فَيابانَةَ الوادى أَلَيسَت مُصِيبَةً

مِنَ اللهِ أَن تُحمَى عَلَينَا ظِلالُكِ

O dove of the valley, is it not a tribulation,

From God, that your shadows are forbidden to us,

ويابانَةَ الوادى أَثِيبى مُتَيَّماً

أَخا سَقَمٍ لَبَّستِهِ في حِبَالِكِ

And O dove of the valley, console the lovesick one,

A sick brother whom you dressed in your robes,

وكلَّفتِنى مَن لا أُطِيقُ كَلاَمَهُ

نَهَاراً وَلاَ لَيلاً وَلاَ بينَ ذَلِكِ

And charged me with one whose talk I cannot bear,

Day or night or in between,

هَوِيتُ ولم تَهوَى وكُنتِ ضَعيفَةً

فهذا بَلاَءٌ قَد بُلِيتُ بِذَلِكِ

I loved and you did not love, and you were weak,

So this is an ordeal I have suffered from that,

وأَذهَبُ غَضبَاناً وأرجِعُ راضياً

وأُقسِمُ ما أَرضَيتِنى بَينَ ذلكِ

And I go angry and return pleased,

And I swear you did not satisfy me in between that,

يَقُولونَ ذَرها وَاعتَزِلها وَإِنّما

يُسَاوِى ذَهابَ النَّفسِ عِندى اعتزِالُك

They say leave her and avoid her, but to me,

Avoiding you equals losing my soul,

عَدِمتُكِ مِن نَفسِ فَأَنتِ سَقَيتنى

كُؤُوسَ الرَّى في حُبِّ مَن لَم يُبَالِكِ

I missed you from my soul so you quenched my thirst,

With cups of water in the love of one who did not care,

وَمَنَّيتِنى لُقيَانَ مَن لَستُ لاقياً

نضهَار ولا لَيلى بَينَ ذَلِكِ

And made me hope to meet those I will not meet,

Neither by day nor night in between that,

فما بِكِ من صَبرٍ ولا مِن جَلادَةٍ

ولا مِن عَزاءٍ فَاهلِكى في الهَوَالِكِ

You have neither patience, nor endurance,

No consolation, so destroy yourself among the perished,

لِيَهنِك إِمساكى بِكَفِّى عَلَى الحَشا

وإِذرَاء عَينى دَمعَها فِى زِيالِكِ

It will make me happy to restrain my hand on the gravel,

And let my eyes shed their tears on your ground,

وَلَو قُلتِ طَأ في النَّارِ أَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ

هُدًى مِنكِ أَو مُدنٍ لَنَا مِن وِصَالِكِ

And if you said, tread in the fire, I know

It is guidance from you, or cities for us from uniting with you,

لَقَدَّمتُ رِجلى نَحوَهَا فَوَطئتُهَا

هُدًى مِنكِ لى أَوغَيَّةً مِن ضَلاَلِكِ

I would lead my feet towards it and tread on it,

As guidance from you, or misguidance from your misguidance,

وَيُسقَى مُحِبٌّ مِن شَرَابِكِ شَربَةً

يَعيشُ بِها إِذ حِيلَ دُونَ حَلالِكِ

And a lover is given a sip of your drink,

With which he lives when your lawfulness is out of reach,

أَرَى النّاسَ يَرجُونَ الرَّبِيعَ وإِنّما

رَجائى الّذى أَرجو جَداً مِن نَوَالِكِ

I see people hoping for spring, but my hope,

Which I hope for earnestly, is to attain you,

أَينِى افِى يُمنى يَدَيكِ جَعلتِنى

فَأَفرَحَ أَم صَيَّرتِنى في شِمَالِكِ

Where did I stand in your right hand, did you make me happy,

Or put me on your left side?

لَئِن ساءَنى أَن نِلتِنى بِمَسَاءِةٍ

لَقَد سَرَّنى أَنّى خَطَرتُ ببالِكِ

If being mistreated by you upset me,

I was delighted that I crossed your mind,