لَعَلّ خَيالاً منْكَ يطْرُقُ مَضْجَعي

وإنْ ضَلّ يهْدِيهِ الأنينُ لمَوْضِعي

Perhaps an apparition of you visits my bed

And if it strays, my moaning will guide it to my place

تَصَدّقْ بهِ وابْعَثْهُ في سِنَةِ الكَرى

وما شِئْتَهُ منْ بعْدِ ذالكَ فاصْنَعِ

Bestow it upon me and send it in the year of separation

And after that do with it what you wish

وإنْ عادَ فاسْألْهُ يُجِبْكَ بِما يَرى

لعلّك تَرْثي أوْ لعلّكَ تقنَعُ

And if it returns, ask it to answer you with what it sees

Perhaps you will console yourself or perhaps you will be content

وإلاّ فمُنَّ لي بأيْسَرِ نائِلِ

بأنْ أشْتَكي وجْدي إلَيْكَ وتَسمَعُ

Otherwise, grant me the easiest attainment

That I may complain to you of my love and you hear

عرَفْتُ الهَوى حُلْواً ومُرّاً مذاقُهُ

وما صادِقٌ في حُبِّه مثلُ مُدّعي

I knew love to be sweet and bitter in taste

And none is more truthful in his love than the pretender

فما ذُقْتُ أشْهى منْ مُشاهَدَةِ النّوَى

وأعظَمُ منْ بيْنِ الحَبيبِ المُوَدِّعِ

So I have not tasted anything sweeter than beholding the beloved

Nor greater than the affectionate one bidding farewell

ولمْ أنْسَ إذ عانَقْتُها لوَداعِنا

فخالَطَ دُرَّ العِقْدِ جوْهَرُ أدْمُعي

And I could not forget, when I embraced her to bid adieu

The essence of my tears mingled with the pearls of my necklace

تُمَسِّحُ باليُمْنى دُموعَ جفونِها

وتَجعلُ يُسْرى فوقَ قلْبٍ مُرَوَّعِ

She wipes with her right hand the tears of her eyelids

And places her left upon a frightened heart

وقالتْ دُموعي واشْتِياقي وزَفْرَتي

شُهودٌ على ما مِنْ غرامِكَ أدّعي

And she said my tears, my yearning and my sighs

Are witnesses to my love for you that I profess

فإنْ غِبْتَ غابَ الأنْسُ عنّي بأسْرِهِ

ومالِي منْ عيشٍ إذا لمْ تكُنْ مَعي

If you are absent, all joy departs from me

And I have no life if you are not with me

ولمّا سرَتْ واللّيلُ قدْ مالَ وانقَضَى

وأعْجَلَها ضَوْءُ الصّباحِ المُلمَّعِ

And when she left and the night had passed

The light of dawn hurried her

ولمْ تسْتَطِعْ ردَّ السّلامِ مَخافةً

أشارَتْ بطَرْفٍ ثمّ أوْمَتْ بإصْبَعِ

And she could not return the greeting in her fear

She gestured with a glance then winked with a finger

فأيُّ اصْطبار لمْ تُحَلَّ عُقودُه

وأيّ فؤادٍ بعْدُ لمْ يتصدّعِ

So what patience has its knots not unbound

And what heart thereafter has not cracked

رَعَى اللهُ مَنْ يرْعَى العُهودَ على النّوى

فلَسْتَ تَراهُ عنْ هَواهُ بمُقْلِعِ

May God guard those who keep their word to the beloved

You will not see them turn away from their passion

ولا كانَ دمْعٌ لا يُطيعُ لمَنْ دَعا

وكمْ بيْنَ عاصٍ في الدّموعِ وطيّعِ

No tear that does not obey the one who calls it

And how different between a disobedient and an obedient tear

أحِبّةَ قَلْبي لا تظنّوا بأنّني

نسيتُ وأفْنَى البُعْدُ نِيرانَ أضْلُعي

My dear ones, do not think that I

Have forgotten, absence kindled the fires in my ribs

علَيْكُم سَلامُ اللهِ ما هبّتِ الصَّبا

وما لاحَ برْقٌ في أجارِعِ لعْلَعِ

Upon you is God's peace for as long as the morning blows

And for as long as lightning flashes in rumbling clouds