سَيِّدِي أَنْتَ إِنَّني بِكَ صَبُّ

بَيْنَ أَيدِي الْهُمُوم والشَّوْق نَهْبُ

My master, I pine for you

Between the hands of worries and longing I am plundered

وشَفِيعِي إِلَيْكَ أَنِّي مُحبٌّ

وقَدِيماً أُحِبَّ مَنْ لاَ يُحِبُّ

And my intercessor to you is that I am a lover

And I have long loved one who does not love

بَعَثَ الحُبُّ لي سَقاماً فَأَعْدَى

بِيَ حُزْناً مداوماً ما يَغِبُّ

Love has sent me an illness so I am in pain

With lasting sadness that does not go away

لَيْس لي نِيَّةٌ أُسَلِّي بها النَّفْ

سَ لِمَا قَدْ رَأَى وَلاَ لِيَ قَلْبُ

I have no intention to console myself

Neither for what my heart has seen nor do I have a heart

ضَاعَ صَبْرِي وَأَخْلَفَتْنِي ظُنُونٌ

كاذِباتٌ يَلَذُّها مَنْ يَصَبُّ

My patience is lost and hopes have betrayed me

Lies that delight those who pine

غَيْرَ أنِّي أُرِحْتُ مِنْ قَوْلِ لاَحٍ

هُوَ هَمٌّ عَلَى الفُؤادِ وكَرْبُ

Except that I felt relief from the words of a jester

It is sorrow upon my heart and anguish

عَذَلَ العَاذِلُونَ فِيكَ وقالُوا

ما عَلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ مثلَكَ عَتْبُ

The blamers have chided you and said

What blame is there for one who loves the likes of you

لكَ خَدٌّ مُوَرَّدُ اللَّوْن سَهْلٌ

وَفَمٌ طَيِّبُ الْمُجَاجَةِ عَذْبُ

You have a rosy cheek smooth in color

And a mouth pleasant in speech, sweet

وجَبينٌ تَلأَلأَ الحُسْنُ فيه

كهِلالٍ تكَشَّفَتْ عَنْهُ حُجْبِ

And a brow where beauty glistens

Like the new moon revealed from behind its veils

وجَفونٌ مُفَتَّراتٌ مِرَاضٌ

وحديثُ الْمُؤَنَّثِ اللَّفْظِ رَطْبُ

And sleepy eyelids, content,

And the talk of the feminine in speech, tender

وقَوامٌ للرِّيح فيهِ احْتِكَارٌ

يَتَثَنَّى تثنِّيَ الغُصْنِ شَطْبُ

And a figure around which the breeze lingers

Bending as the branch of a willow bends

أَخْصَبَ الحُسْنُ في جميعكَ إلا

أَنَّ حظِّي منْ كُلِّ ذَلكَ جَدْبُ

Beauty has flourished in all of you except

That my share of all that is barren

لَهْفَ نفسي عَلَيْكَ لو أَنْصَفَ الْحب

بُ لَذَلَّ الغَداةَ لي منْكَ صَعْبُ

The craving of my soul for you, if love were fair

Would have been difficult for me from you in the morning

لا أُسَمِّيك خيفَةً بلْ أُعدِّي

عنك طَرْفاً دُمُوعُهُ فيكَ سَكْبُ

I do not call you fickle, but I avert

An eye from you, its tears pouring onto you

وعَدَدْتَ الْهَوَى عَلَيَّ ذُنوباً

إِنْ يَكُنْ ذَا فَحُسْنُ وجهك ذَنْبُ

And you counted passion for me as sins

If it is so, then the beauty of your face is a sin

أيمرُّ الزمان صَفْحاً عَلَيْنا

لَمْ يُنَلْ طائلٌ ولم يُقْضَ نَحْبُ

Does time pass in forgiveness over us

No use has been gotten and no beloved attained

ظَلَمَتْنِي كظُلْمِكَ السِّنُّ حَتَّى

شَابَ رَأْسِي ودَعْوَةُ الشَّيْبِ سَبُّ

You have wronged me like your teeth wronged

Until my head grayed and the call of white hair captivated

سَلَبَتْني ثَوْبَ الشَّباب الثَّلاَثُو

نَ وللشَّيْب بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ سَلْبُ

The thirty years took from me the garb of youth

And after that the white hair had its plunder

وأحالَتْ دُهْمَاً عَلَى الرَّأْسِ شُهْباً

لَيْسَ يَجِزي بِخَيْلِهِ اللَّهْوِ شُهْبُ

And it directed onto my head gray hair

White hair is not worthy for its sport

إِنْ يَكُنْ سَارَ عَامداً لِدِمَشْقٍ

وطَوانِي كَمَا طَوَى الشَّمْسَ غَرْبُ

If he traveled heading to Damascus

And twisted away like the setting sun twists away

فهوَ للْقَلْب حيثُ ما مال ذِكْرٌ

وهُوَ للطَّرْف حيثُ ما دار نُصْبُ

Then he is to the heart wherever a memory turns

And he is to the eye wherever a gaze wanders

حُسْنُ رَأْيِ الْوَزِيرِ عَوَّض فيه

فَهو للْجُودِ والْمَكارمِ رَبُّ

The good opinion of the minister compensated him

So he is for generosity and noble deeds a lord