أَلا لَيتَ رَيعانَ الشَبابِ جَديدُ
وَدَهراً تَوَلّى يا بُثَينَ يَعودُ
Oh if only the fresh days of youth would return anew
And time that has passed would come back, O Buthayna
فَنَبقى كَما كُنّا نَكونُ وَأَنتُمُ
قَريبٌ وَإِذ ما تَبذُلينَ زَهيدُ
So we could remain as we were, while you
Stay close, though now when you are affectionate it is trifling
وَما أَنسَ مِنَ الأَشياءِ لا أَنسَ قَولَها
وَقَد قُرِّبَت نَضوي أَمِصرَ تُريدُ
Nothing makes me forget but the memory of our love
Though she drew near, she denied affection entirely
وَلا قَولَها لَولا العُيونُ الَّتي تَرى
لَزُرتُكَ فَاِعذُرني فَدَتكَ جُدودُ
And not her memory, but for the eyes that see
I would have visited you, so forgive me, your ancestors ransom me
خَليلَيَّ ما أَلقى مِنَ الوَجدِ باطِنٌ
وَدَمعي بِما أُخفي الغَداةَ شَهيدُ
My darling, no sorrow remains hidden within me
And my tears bear witness to what grief I conceal in the morning
أَلا قَد أَرى وَاللَهِ أَن رُبَّ عُبرَةٍ
إِذا الدار شَطَّت بَينَنا سَتَزيدُ
Indeed, by God, I see that many tears
Will flow when the house parts between us
إِذا قُلتُ ما بي يا بُثَينَةُ قاتِلي
مِنَ الحُبِّ قالَت ثابِتٌ وَيَزيدُ
When I say I have no illness, O killer of me
She says, "It is certain and will increase"
وَإِن قُلتُ رُدّي بَعضَ عَقلي أَعِش بِهِ
تَوَلَّت وَقالَت ذاكَ مِنكَ بَعيدُ
And if I say, "Give me back some of my reason that I may live by it"
She turns away and says, "That is far from you"
فَلا أَنا مَردودٌ بِما جِئتُ طالِباً
وَلا حُبُّها فيما يَبيدُ يَبيدُ
So neither am I turned back from what I came seeking
Nor does her love for what perishes, perish
جَزَتْكِ الجَوازي يا بُثَينَ سَلامَةً
إِذا ما خَليلٌ بانَ وَهُوَ حَميدُ
May you be rewarded with safety, O Buthayna
When the beloved stays away, and he is praiseworthy
وَقُلْتُ لَها بَيني وَبَينَكِ فَاِعلَمي
مِنَ اللَهِ ميثاقٌ لَهُ وَعُهودُ
And I said to her, "Know between me and you
There is a covenant with God and vows"
وَقَد كانَ حُبّيكُم طَريفاً وَتالِداً
وَما الحُبُّ إِلّا طارِفٌ وَتَليدُ
Your love was beautiful and lasted long
For love is only beautiful and lasting
وَإِنَّ عَروضَ الوَصلِ بَيني وَبَينَها
وَإِن سَهَّلَتهُ بِالمُنى لَكَؤودُ
And the circumstances of union between her and I
Though she made it easy with affection, are difficult
وَأَفنَيتُ عُمري بِاِنتِظارِيَ وَعدَها
وَأَبلَيتُ فيها الدَهرَ وَهوَ جَديدُ
I wasted my life waiting for her promise
And in her I wasted time, though it was new
فَلَيتَ وُشاةَ الناسِ بَيني وَبَينَها
يَدوفُ لَهُم سُمّاً طَماطِمُ سودُ
If only the slanderers of people between her and I
Were given deadly poison to drink until they were sated
وَلَيتَهُمُ في كُلِّ ممسىً وَشارِقٍ
تُضاعفُ أَكبالٌ لَهُم وَقُيودُ
And if only they were, every dusk and dawn
Laden with shackles and chains in multitude
وَيَحسَبُ نِسوانٌ مِنَ الجَهلِ أَنَّني
إِذا جِئتُ إِيّاهُنَّ كُنتُ أُريدُ
And loose women think when I come to them
That I want them, though between them lies a great distance
فَأَقسِمُ طَرفي بَينَهُنَّ فَيَستَوي
وَفي الصَدرِ بَونٌ بَينَهُنَّ بَعيدُ
So I glance at them equally, yet inside
There is vast emptiness between them
أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل أَبيتَنَّ لَيلَةً
بِوادي القُرى إِنّي إِذَن لَسَعيدُ
Oh if only I knew! Did they spend a night
In Wadi al-Qura? Then I would be happy!
وَهَل أَهبِطَن أَرضاً تَظَلُّ رِياحُها
لَها بِالثَنايا القاوِياتِ وَئيدُ
Did they descend upon a land whose winds
Stir its twisting ravines?
وَهَل أَلقَيَن سُعدى مِنَ الدَهرِ مَرَّةً
وَما رَثَّ مِن حَبلِ الصَفاءِ جَديدُ
Did they find happiness from fate even once?
Has any fresh rope of purity remained?
وَقَد تَلتَقي الأَشتاتُ بَعدَ تَفَرُّقٍ
وَقَد تُدرَكُ الحاجاتُ وَهيَ بَعيدُ
For the separated may reunite after parting
And far off hopes may be attained
وَهَل أَزجُرَن حَرفاً عَلاةً شِمِلَّةً
بِخَرقٍ تُباريها سواهِمُ قودُ
Did they curb a restive, muscular, impetuous mare
With a rupture that competes with arrowheads in speed?
عَلى ظَهرِ مَرهوبٍ كَأَنَّ نَشوزَهُ
إِذا جازَ هُلّاكُ الطَريقِ رُقودُ
On the back of a frightened horse whose balking
When it crosses the road seems stumbling
سَبَتني بِعَينَي جُؤذُرٍ وَسطَ رَبرَبٍ
وَصَدرٌ كَفاثورِ اللُجَينِ وَجيدُ
They captivated me with large, dark eyes amidst a litter
With a chest like an empty waterskin and prominent collarbone
تَزيفُ كَما زافَت إِلى سَلِفاتِها
مُباهِيَةٌ طَيَّ الوِشاحِ مَيودُ
Swaying as she swayed to her ancestors
Flaunting, the edges of her cloak fluttering
إِذا جِئتُها يَوماً مِنَ الدَهرِ زائِراً
تَعَرَّضَ مَنفوضُ اليَدَينِ صَدودُ
When I come to her one day
The one who rejects, spurns, and is rude appears
يَصُدّ وَيُغضي عَن هَوايَ وَيَجتَني
ذَنوباً عَلَيها إِنَّهُ لَعَنودُ
He prevents, ignores my passion, and accuses me
Of sins against her - he is truly stubborn
فَأَصرِمُها خَوفاً كَأَنّي مُجانِبٌ
وَيَغفلُ عَنّا مَرَّةً فَنَعودُ
So I avoid her fearfully as if estranged
And he overlooks us once, so we return
وَمَن يُعطَ في الدُنيا قَريناً كَمِثلِها
فَذَلِكَ في عَيشِ الحَياةِ رَشيدُ
Whoever is matched with the likes of her in life
Is rightly guided in the livelihood of life
يَموتُ الهَوى مِنّي إِذا ما لَقيتُها
وَيَحيا إِذا فارَقتُها فَيَعودُ
Passion for her dies in me when I meet her
And lives when I leave her, so it returns
يَقولونَ جاهِد يا جَميلُ بِغَزوَةٍ
وَأَيَّ جِهادٍ غَيرُهُنَّ أُريدُ
They say, "Struggle, O beautiful one, with a raid!"
But what struggle do I want other than them?
لِكُلِّ حَديثٍ بَينَهُنَّ بَشاشَةٌ
وَكُلُّ قَتيلٍ عِندَهُنَّ شَهيدُ
For every conversation between them there is cheerfulness
And every fallen one with them is a martyr
وَأَحسَنُ أَيّامي وَأَبهَجُ عيشَتي
إِذا هيجَ بي يَوماً وَهُنَّ قُعودُ
The best of my days and most pleasant living
Is when one stirs me while they are sitting
تَذَكَّرتُ لَيلى فَالفُؤادُ عَميدُ
وَشَطَّت نَواها فَالمَزارُ بَعيدُ
I remembered Layla, so my heart is firm
And forgot other than her, so the pilgrimage is far
عَلِقتُ الهَوى مِنها وَليداً فَلَم يَزَل
إِلى اليَومِ يَنمي حُبُّها وَيَزيدُ
I tied passion for her as an infant, so it never ceased
To this day, her love grows and increases
فَما ذُكِرَ الخلّانُ إِلّا ذَكَرتُها
وَلا البُخلُ إِلّا قُلتُ سَوفَ تَجودُ
When misers are mentioned, I remember her
And when stinginess - I say she will be generous
إِذا فَكَّرَت قالَت قَدِ اِدرَكتُ وُدَّهُ
وَما ضَرَّني بُخلي فَكَيفَ أَجودُ
When she thought, she said, "I have attained his love
And my stinginess did not harm me, so why would I be generous?"
فَلَو تُكشَفُ الأَحشاءُ صودِفَ تَحتُها
لبَثنَةَ حُبٌّ طارِفٌ وَتَليدُ
If her conscience were revealed, a hidden love would be found beneath
For Buthayna, beautiful and lasting
أَلَم تَعلَمي يا أُمَّ ذي الوَدعِ أَنَّني
أُضاحِكُ ذِكراكُم وَأَنتِ صَلودُ
Do you not know, O mother of farewell, that I
Laugh when you are remembered and you are aloof?
فَهَل أَلقَيَن فَرداً بُثَينَةَ لَيلَةً
تَجودُ لَنا مِن وُدِّها وَنَجودُ
Did Buthayna meet a companion one night
Who was generous to us with his love, so we were generous?
وَمَن كانَ في حُبّي بُثَينَةَ يَمتَري
فَبَرقاءُ ذي ضالٍ عَلَيَّ شَهيدُ
Whoever competes with me in love of Buthayna
The bright star is a martyr to me
