ما بالُ قَلبِك لا يَزالُ مُولَّها
لا الحلمُ يردعُه الغداةَ ولا النُهى
Why does your heart still yearn for her
Neither dreams hold it back at dawn, nor admonition
أَأَعادَ عيدَ غرامه طيرٌ شَدا
فَغَدا يحنُّ إِلى زَمانٍ قد زَها
Did a returning bird revive its passion
That it now longs for a time long past
ما زادَه اللاحون عذلاً في الهَوى
إِلّا وَزادَ تولُّعاً وتولُّها
The blamers only increased its love sickness
Its yearning, grief, anguish, and suffering
وتوجُّعاً وتحزُّناً وتَملمُلاً
وَتشوُّقاً وتحرُّقاً وتأَوُّها
Its longing, burning, and sighing
You are not the first to leave home
ما أَنتَ أَوَّل من نأى عن دارِه
وَرَمَت به أَيدي النَوى فتدلَّها
And be led away by the hands of fate
It is time your passion was consoled
قد آن أَن تَثني غرامَك سلوةٌ
فَتُفيقَ منه طائعاً أَو مُكرَها
And you awake from it willingly or unwillingly
It would be best for your tears to stop flowing
أَصَفا لدمعِكَ أَن يَبيتَ مُرقرقاً
وَحَلا لِقَلبكَ أَن يظلَّ مولَّها
And for your heart to stop yearning
The turns of fate have toyed with it, so do not
عبثت صروفُ النائبات به فَلا
جزع يأَوِّبُه ولا صَبرٌ وهى
Despair, which would destroy it, or be patient, which would leave it
When the lithe one mounted the carriage
ما إِن شَدت ورقاءُ فوق أَراكة
إلّا وَكانَ له حَنينٌ مثلَها
It too felt the very same yearning
The advisers warned it against passion
وَلَقَد نَهاهُ الناصحون عَن الهَوى
فأَبى وَكان هو الرَشيدَ لو اِنتَهى
But it refused, though it would have triumphed had it heeded
Foolish is your mind for hoping
سَفهاً لرأيكَ أَن رجوتَ لما مَضى
رَجعاً وقد وزَعَ المشيبُ ونهنا
A return of what is past, now that old age has come and debilitated
Alas the days of youth and its bounty
هَيهات أَيّامُ الشَباب وعهدُه
إِذ كنتَ في ظلِّ الشَبابِ مُرفَّها
When you lived in youth’s shade, indulged
Do not think the dwellings of love
لا تحسبَن أَنَّ المعاهدَ بالحِمى
تلكَ المعاهدِ والمها تلك المَها
Are those dwellings, and do not think those are the loved ones
Those lands are now barren and those gatherings scattered
قد أَقفرَت تلك الربوعُ وفُرِّقَت
تلك الجموعُ فلا البهيُّ ولا البَها
No longer the brilliant one or the brilliant ones
Be brief, for the dwellings are empty, no passion left
أَقصِر فَقَد خَلَت الديارُ فَلا هَوىً
يُصبى إليه ولا مَليحٌ يُشتَهى
To yearn for, no beauty left to desire
Naught remains but anguish or regret
لَم تبق إِلّا لَوعَةٌ أَو حَسرَةٌ
يُمسي بها الصَخرُ الأَصَمُّ مدلّها
That leave even the deaf rocks lamenting at night
