الدّمعُ يَنطقُ واللّسانُ صَموتُ

فانظرْ إلى الحركاتِ كيف تموتُ

The tears speak though the tongue is mute

So look to the gestures, see how they die

ما زالَ يظهرُ كلّ يومٍ بي ضَنَىً

فلذاك عن عَيْنِ الحِمامِ خَفِيتُ

My sorrow still appears every day

So I've hidden from the eyes of the doves

صبٌّ يطالِبُ في صبابَةِ نَفسِهِ

جسداً بمديةِ سقمه منحوتُ

A youth seeking in the freshness of his soul

A body sculpted by the chisel of illness

وأنا نذيرك إنْ تُلاحظ صبوةً

فاللّحظُ منكَ لنارِها كِبريتُ

I warn you, if you see the passion of youth

Your gaze is the flint to its fire

قد كنتُ في عهدِ النصيح كآدمٍ

لكن ذكرتُ هوى الدّمَى فنسيتُ

I used to give advice like Adam

But I remembered the love of girls and forgot

كيف التخلّصُ من فواترِ أعينٍ

يُلْقي حبائلَ سحرها هاروتُ

How can I escape from the dues of eyes

That cast the spells of their magic like Harut

ومُعذِّبي مَنْ يَستلذُّ تَعذّبي

لا باتَ من بلوَايَ كيفَ أبِيتُ

And my torturer is one who enjoys torturing me

He hasn't experienced my afflictions to know how I spent the night

رشأٌ أحنّ إلى هواه كأنّه

وطنٌ وُلدتُ بأرضه ونشيتُ

A cheek I yearn for as if it were

A homeland where I was born and raised

في ليلِ لمته ضللتُ عن الهوى

وبنورِ غُرّتِهِ إليه هديتُ

In the night of his absence I lost the path to love

And in the light of his cheating I was guided to him

ومنعَّمٌ جَرَحَ الشّبابُ بخَدّهِ

لحظي فسالَ على المها الياقوتُ

A changer whose cheek wounded youth

My eyes saw him and poured over the rubies

وأنا الذي ذاقت حلاوةَ حُسْنِهِ

عيني فساغَ لطرفها وشجيتُ

And I'm the one who tasted the sweetness of his beauty

My eyes feasted on his glances though it pained me

قال الكواعبُ قد سعدتَ بوصلنا

فَأَجبتها وبِهَجركنّ شقيتُ

The flirts said "You were happy with our company"

And I replied "but your abandonment made me miserable"

كنْتُ المُحبّ كرامَةً لشَبيبَتي

حتى إذا وَخَطَ المَشِيبُ قُلِيتُ

I was a lover out of respect for my youth

Until when old age crept in I was disgraced

مَن أَستَعينُ بِهِ على فرط الأسَى

فأنا الذي بجنايَتي عوديتُ

Who can I seek help from for the excess of sorrow?

When it's my own crimes that accustomed me

كنتُ امرَأً لم أَلقَ فيه رزيّةً

حتى سُلِبْتُ شبيبَتي فرُزِيتُ

I was a man who never faced misery

Until my youth was taken from me and I was wretched

تهدي ليَ المرآةُ سُخْطَ جنايَتي

فَاللَّه يعلمُ كيف عنه رضيتُ

The mirror shows me the ugliness of my crimes

Yet God knows how I was content with it

همّي كسِقطِ القَبسِ لكنْ طُعمُهُ

عُمْرٌ إذا أفْناهُ فيَّ فنيتُ

My worry is like the falling of an ember

A lifetime that if spent on me will destroy me

وإذا المشيبُ بَدا به كافُورُهُ

كَفَرَتْ به فكأنّه الطّاغوتُ

And when old age shows its camphor-like whiteness

It is ungrateful, as if it were an idol

ولربّ مُنْتَهِبِ المدى يجري به

عرقٌ عريقٌ في الجيادِ وَلِيتُ

And perhaps a raider, time carries him

On a steed pure of breed, if only I were carried

لَيلٌ حَبَاهُ الصبحُ درهمَ غُرّةٍ

وحجولَ أربعَةٍ بهنّ القوتُ

A night gifted by dawn a piece of silver

And four lively horses fed with fodder

متفنّنٌ في الجري يتّبعُ اسمَهُ

منه نعوتٌ بعدهنّ نعوتُ

An excellent runner who follows his name

With attributes, after them more attributes

أطلَقتُهُ فعقلتُ كلّ طريدة

تبغي بلحظِكَ صيدَها فتفوتُ

I released him and I thought of every prey

That seeks with your glance to catch it, so miss it

لقطتْ قوائمه الأوابدَ شُرّداً

قد كانَ منهُ لِجَمعها تَشتيتُ

His hooves gathered the hilltops scattered

As if to gather them he dispersed them

فكأنّمَا جَمَدَ الصُّوارُ لِدَوْمِهِ

تَحتي فَلي من صَيدها ما شيتُ

It was as if the rocks were frozen in place

Beneath me, so I hunted whatever I wished