رحلوا فلستُ مسائِلاً عن دَارِهمْ

أَنا باخِعٌ نَفْسِي على آثارِهم

They departed, so I no longer ask about their homes

I tread my own soul in their footsteps

أَسفاً لأَنْ بَانَ الذين قُدُودُهم

من بَانِهم وخدُودُهم مِنْ نَارِهمْ

Lamenting that those whose necks were long are gone

Whose necks and cheeks were of their fires

ودموع عيني بل عيونُ مدَامِعي

لجوارِ حُسْنِهمُ وحُسنِ جِوارِهمْ

And tears of my eyes, nay the eyes of my tear ducts

For the company of their beauty and the beauty of their company

عهدي بهم والدّر من حَصْبَائِهم

في الدَّار والياقوتُ من أَحجارهم

My pact with them, and pearls from their sea shells

In the house, and ruby from their stones

والمسكُ والكافورُ تُرْبَةُ أَرضِهم

فيها وماءُ الورد من أَنْهارِهم

And musk and camphor, the dust of their land

In it, and the water of roses from their rivers

لا ينظر البَدْرُ المنيرُ إِليهمُ

حَذَراً على عَيْنيه من أَنْوَارِهِم

The shining full moon does not look upon them

Fearing for its eyes from their lights

ولقد رأَيتُ الشَّمسَ منها كُوّرت

من بعد أَنْ ركبوا على أَكْوارِهم

And I saw the sun folded away from it

After they rode on their Notus winds

شَرِهَتْ نَوَاهُم فاغْتَدَتْ بِرجالهم

ونِسائهم وصغارِهم وكبارِهم

Their departure wrenched away their men

And their women, children and elders

وخيولِهم وجمالِهم وقِطاطِهم

وكِلابهم وعبيدِهم وجِوارهم

And their horses, camels and kittens

And their dogs, slaves and neighbors

حمَّ النَّسيمُ لبُعْدِهمْ فكأَنَّما

خَلَعوا هواجَرهم على أَسْحَارِهم

The breeze blew hot for their absence as though

They had taken off their veils at dawn

ولبُعْدهم طالت ذوائبُ ليلِهم

فيها يُغَطَّى نورُ وجه نهارهم

And for their absence, the tresses of their night lengthened

In which the light of their day is covered

والعاشِقُ المسكينُ في أَطْلالِهم

مِثْلُ المنَاطِق جُلنْ في أَخْصَارِهم

And the lovesick poor soul among their ruins

Is like the girdled, wrapped in their bosoms

يأتي ويذهبُ آيساً أَو راجِياً

لمَزارِ قُرْبهمُ وقُرْبِ مَزارِهم

Coming and going, hopeless or hopeful

For the sanctuary of their nearness and the nearness of their sanctuary

وتجول لوعتُه عِرَاصَ بيُوتهم

وتجوسُ دمعتُه خِلاَلَ دِيارِهم

Her craving wandered through their homes

And her tear crept through their dwellings

يبكي فلا تَسْأَلْه عن أَخباره

وَلَهاً إِذا سأَلُوه عَنْ أَخْبَارِهِم

Crying, do not ask him for news

Delirious when they ask about their news

ومليحةٍ في الظَّاعنين مَليّةٍ

للعاشِقِين ببرّهِمْ وبَوَارِهمْ

And a beautiful doe, twisting among the restless

For lovers, in their righteousness and devotion

فوصالُها لنعيمِهم وصدودُها

لشقائِهم ورحيلُها لدمَارهم

For union with them is bliss, and her rejection

Is misery, and her departure their ruin

وإِذا هيَ اسْتترتْ صدوداً عَنْهمُ

فانظرْ لما هَتَكَتْهُ من أَسْتَارِهم

And if she hid from them in rejection

Look what she tore away from their veils

لا ينقضي يوْمٌ لها لَمَّا نَأَتْ

إِلاَّ وقَد أَخذَتْه من أَعمَارِهم

No day passes for her, but she takes

From their lifespans when she comes

وغدت تحدِّث عنهمُ أِشعارُهم

فيها بما كَتَمُوه من أَسْرَارِهم

And their poetry started telling about them

What they had concealed of their secrets

أَنا شيخُهم في عِشْقِها وعَليَّ قد

قَرَءوا الذَّي نَظَمُوهُ من أَشْعارِهم

I am their elder in loving her, and they read to me

What they composed of their poetry

أَمنوا انبساطَ العَذْل من عذَّالِهم

ثِقَةً بما بَسَطُوه من أَعْذَارهِمْ

Trusting the loosening of the scolder’s knot from their scolders

In what they presented of their excuses

لم يُقْبل العذَّال لمّا أَقْبلُوا

لكِنَّهم ولَّوْا على أَدْبَارِهم

The scolder did not accept when they came near

But they turned their backs