لمَّا دعا في الرّكب داعي الفِرَاقْ

لبّاه ماءُ الدَّمْعِ من كُل ماقْ

When the caller called for departure in the caravan

My eye sockets were filled with tearful water from every tear duct

يا دمعُ لم تَدْعُ سِوَى مُهْجَتي

فَلِمْ تَطَفَّلْتَ بَهَذَا السباق

O tear, you invited none but my love

So why did you impose yourself on this race?

وإِن تكن خِفْتَ لَظَى زَفْرَتِي

فأَنْتَ معذورٌ بِهذَا الإِبَاق

And if you were afraid of the heat of my sigh

You are excused for this transgression

وإِن تكن أَسْرَعْت مِن أَنَّةٍ

إِنَّ لَها من أَنَّتي أَلف رَاق

And if you hurried faster than a she-camel

She has a thousand folds more haste than you

مهلاً فما أَنت كَدَمْع جَرَى

وَرَاقَ بل أَنتَ دِمَاءٌ تُراق

Wait! You are not a tear that flowed

And dripped, but you are blood being shed

فقمت والأَجفانُ في عَبْرَةٍ

والدمعُ من مَسْأَلتي في شِقَاق

So I got up while my eyelids were still weeping

And the tears were disputing my request

أَسقِي بمزنِ الحُزْنِ روضَ اللَّوى

يا قربَ ما أَثمَرَ لي بِالفِراق

I watered the garden of passion with the rain of sorrow

Oh so near is what the separation has fruited for me

وأُسْلِفُ التوديعَ سكري لكيْ

يخدعَ قلبي بِتَلاقي التَّرَاق

And I bid farewell intoxicated so that

My heart would be deceived by the encounter of the cups

وما عِنَاقُ المرْء محبوبَه

إِلاَّ لكي يلتَفَّ سَاقٌ بِسَاق

The embrace of a person for their beloved

Is only so that leg may wrap around leg

لله ذاك اليوم كم مُقْلَةٍ

غَرْقي وقَلْب بالجَوَى ذي احتراق

By Allah that day—how much anguish

My drowning and a heart burning with love

ومعشر لاقوا وجُوهَ النَّوى

وهي صِفاقٌ بِقُلُوبٍ رِقَاق

And a group who met the faces of hardship

Yet they are chaste with tender hearts

ووالدٌ بَل سَيِّدٌ والهٌ

سَقَاه توديعيَ كأَسَاً دهَاق

A father, or rather a master and protector

My farewell made him drink a bitter cup

يقول لي أَتعبتَ قَلْبي فلا

لَقِيتَ مِنْ بَعْدِيَ ما القلْبُ لاَق

He says to me “You have tired my heart so do not

Meet after me what the heart has met”

قلت له والحقُّ ما قُلته

والصدقُ ما زالَ لنُطقِي نِطاق

I said to him, and truth is what I said

And honesty is still the scope of my speech

أَيقنت أَن آنَسَ في بلدة

أَخلاق قَوْمٍ مَا لَهُم من خَلاَق

I was certain that the people of this town

Have character that lacks all ethics

هُمْ مَعْشرٌ دِقٌ فمن أَجل ذا

أَضْحَت مَعَاني اللؤمِ فيهم دِقَاق

They are a wretched group so because of that

The meanings of villainy in them are minute

لما سرت خَيْلي عَن أَرضِهم

أَسميت قَلْبي بعَتِيق العِتَاق

When my horses went away from their land

I named my heart the emancipation of emancipation

وبَدْرُ تِمٍّ قال لي عاتباً

قلَّلْت صَبْري يا كثير النفاق

And the full moon of Taym admonished me saying

“You belittled my patience, O hypocrite!

خدعتني حتى إِذا حُزْتَني

سلَّطْتَ بالبين عليَّ المحاق

You tricked me until when you became desirous of me

You unleashed separation upon me”

قلت بدُورُ التِّم أَسرى السّرى

فارْضَ بأَنِّي لَكَ يا بدرُ وَاق

I said “The full moons are captives of captives

So be pleased that for you, O full moon, I am a prisoner

واقعد طليقاً ما نأَت دَارُه

وَدَعْ أَسيراً سائراً في وثَاق

And stay free, do not come to his house

And leave a traveler walking in shackles

وربَّما كانت لنا عودةٌ

وإِن تكن كانَ إِليك المَسَاق

Maybe there will be for us a return

And if so, the journey will be towards you

مذْ صُعِق القَلْب لتوديعهم

وخرّ لم يبلُ فَلمَّا أَفاق

When the heart was shocked by bidding them farewell

And fell down unconscious, when it regained consciousness

إِن كان وجدي غير فانٍ بهم

فإِنَّ قلبي بَعْدَهُم غَيْرُ بَاق

If my love for them does not fade

Then my heart after them will not remain

والله لا سَاوَى وإِن كَابَرُوا

جورُ النَّوى عندي بيوم التَّلاق

By Allah, the hardship of parting with them

Is not equal on the day we meet again