أبا جعْفَرٍ إنّ الثّقيلَ الذي ثَوى

بمَضْرِبِنا قدْ أعْجَلَتْهُ يدُ النّوى

O Abu Ja'far, indeed the dear one who stayed

In our dwelling, the hand of fate hastened him away

وكمْ كَذَبَتْ عنْدَ السُرَى عزَماتُهُ

كما أحْدَثَ الإنسانُ منْ بعْدِ ما نَوى

And how often his resolves lied when secrets were shared

As man makes new after he's prepared

وقدْ أمْكَنَتْنا خَلْوَةٌ فابْتَدِرْ لَها

تَبثُّ بِها شكْوَى الصّبابةِ والجَوى

And we've been granted a tryst, so seize the chance

To vent the complaints of youth and romance

على أنّ ظنّي فيكَ أنّ رَفيقَهُ

تحمّلَ منْكَ القلْبَ في شرَكِ الهَوى

Though I suspect that his companion

Bore from you a smitten heart in love's partition

ووالَى علَيْهِ منْ فُتورِ لحاظِهِ

كُؤوسَ الهوَى حتّى تملأ وارْتَوى

And succumbed to the languor in his gaze

Until he drank deep of passion's ways

وكمْ حيلةٍ أضْمَرْتَ في غسَقِ الدُجى

زجَرْتَ لَها داعي الغَرامِ فما ارْعَوَى

And how many tricks in the night's veil you'd dress

To curb love's caller, but he wouldn't recess

سمَوْتَ بِها بيْنَ المضارِبِ موْهِناً

كما انْسابَ صِلُّ الماءِ في الماءِ والتَوى

You'd float between the tents, humbled,

Like water flows in water, melded and swirled

فلَوْلاً عُيونٌ في الخِيامِ سَواهِرٌ

دبَبْتَ فسُدَّتْ منْ مَضارِبِها الكُوَى

Else wakeful eyes in the tents would've spied

And you'd slip, and their cover be ripped and pried

لقضّيْتَ منْهُ حاجةً لوْذَعيّةً

وبرّدْتَ منْ نارِ الحَشا لاعِجاً كَوى

You'd have met a wanton need

And cooled the fires of love, so passionate and keyed

لَوى وعْدَهُ لمّا طمِعْتَ بوصْلِهِ

وكمْ موْعِدٍ منْ قبْلِ ذلِكَ قد لَوَى

He broke his promise when you hoped to connect

And how many meetings before this he did negate

فأصْبحْتَ في هَذا المحَصَّبِ ثاوِياً

وسارَ فكَمْ بيْنَ المحَصَّبِ واللِّوى

So you woke in this camp, sprawled and lonely

While far is the camp from where he's homed only

فصَبْراً لعلّ الدّهْرَ يعْدِلُ حُكْمُهُ

وقدْ ذُقْتَ هذا الصّدَّ فانْتَظِرِ الدّوا

Have patience, maybe fate will make right

You've tasted this hurt, so wait for the light

بَقيتَ رِياضاً للمَحاسِنِ والنُّهَى

إذا صوّحَ الرّوْضُ المؤرَّجُ أو ذَوَى

You remain a garden of beauty and grace

When the verdant meadow rings or fades