يا مَنْ لأجْفَانٍ قَرِيْحَهْ

سَهِرَتْ لأجفانٍ مَلِيحَهْ

O you whose eyelids were deprived of sleep

So fair eyelids could rest

لم تَتْرُكِ المُقَلُ المري

ضَةُ في جارِحَةً صَحِيْحَهْ

The aching heart did not leave

A healthy body at peace

ومُتَيّمٍ نَهِكَ الهَوَى

أجْفانَهُ وأَعَلّ رُوحَهْ

And an enamored soul worn out by love

Whose passion overwhelmed him

يُخْفِي الهَوَى وَتُذِيعُهُ

عَنْهُ مَدَامِعُهُ السَّفُوحَهْ

Love he hides and broadcasts

Through tears flowing generously down his cheeks

حَيٌّ بحالَةِ مَيِّتٍ

وَهَواكِ يودِعُهُ ضَريْحَهْ

Alive yet in the state of a dead man

Your love inters him in a grave

خيرٌ له مِما يُكا

بِدُ مِيْتَةٌ تَأْتي مُرِيْحَهْ

Better for him than what he endures

Is a death where rest can be found

وَأَنَا الفِدَاءُ لمن عَصَيْ

تُ ولم أُطِعْ فيه النَّصِيحَهْ

And my life I sacrifice for one disobeyed

And I did not obey good advice

وَمِنَ الفَضِيحَةِ كُلِّها

لَوْ لَمْ أكن فيه فَضِيحَهْ

Of all dishonor

Even if I were the disgraced one

لو يَسْتَطِيعُ لِخِلَّةٍ

فِيهِ بإسْعَافِي شَحِيحَهْ

If only in his isolation I could

With my meager efforts bring relief

مَنَعَ الصَّبا مِنْ أنْ تَسُو

قَ إليّ حِينَ تَهُبُّ رِيحَهْ

The morning breeze is kept from

Blowing my way when its fragrance stirs

كَمْ بِتُّ فِيهِ بِلَيْلَةٍ

لَيْلاءَ لَيْسَ لها صَبِيحَهْ

How many nights I spend

Sleepless nights with no morn

قَلِقاً أُكابِدُ حُرْقَةً

في طيِّ أحشاءٍ جَريْحَهْ

Restless, burning inside

My aching wounded heart

إنسانةٌ تَيّاهَةٌ

لِحِمَى فُؤَادِكَ مُسْتَبِيحَهْ

A desperate woman

Crazed by the fever of your heart

كَغَزَالَة القَفْرِ السَّنِي

حَةِ عَارَضَتْكِ أو البَريْحَهْ

Like a gazelle of the wilderness

Who came to you or the open plain

تَرْعَى القلوبَ وتَرْتَعي ال

غِزْلاَنُ بَرْوَقَهُ وَشِيْحَهْ

She grazes on hearts and browses

On the tenderness of the young

لَوْ للمَجُوسِ تعرَّضَتْ

بِسُيُوفِ لحْظَتِها مُلِيحَهْ

Had she exposed herself

To the Magian’s shining swords

جَعَلُوا لها من دون بي

تِ النّارِ قُرْبانَ الذّبِيحَهْ

They would have offered her instead of

Sacrifice in the Temple of Fire

أوْ للنّصَارى قدسو

ها ثُمّ سَمَّوْهَا مَسيحَهْ

Or if she had sanctified herself

To the Christians, they would have called her Messiah

لكنّها شانَتْ محا

سِنَهَا بأخلاقٍ قَبِيحَهْ

But she was ill-mannered

With ugly morals

تأبى النّوالِ إذا اسْتُمِيْ

حَتْ لو تَكُونُ المسْتَمِيحَهْ

She refuses intimacy

Even if she were to be the ardent one

لأَبَحْتُها نَفْسي وما

لي إنَّ شَأْنِي أَنْ أُبِيْحَهْ

I would have offered myself, but

It is not for me to be so bold

شَهِدَتْ نَدَاكَ مَنَاسِبٌ

لي في ذُرَى كِسْري صَريحَهْ

Witnessed your attributes fitting mine

In the relics of Ctesiphon laid bare

وَسَجِيحَةٌ لي في المَكا

رِمِ إنّ لي فِيها سَجِيْحَهْ

And glory destined for me

To which truly I am entitled

مُتَغَيِّراً منها مُعَلْ

لَى المَجْدِ مُجْتَنِياً مَنِيْحَهْ

Changing them for the glory

I seek elevated and comforting

وَلَقَدْ سَنَنْتُ من الكِتا

بَةِ للهَوَى طُرُقاً فَسِيْحَهْ

Long have I blazed trails in composing

Of love poems ample and free

وَفَضَضْتُ من عُذْرِ المَعَا

ني الغُرّ في اللُّغَةِ الفَصِيْحَهْ

And in making excuses I was lavish

In eloquent tongue of pure Arabic

وَشَفَعْتُ مَأْثورَ الرِّوا

يَةِ بالبَيعِ مِنَ القَرِيْحَهْ

And I prefaced inherited narration

With innate poetry from my soul

وَوَصَلْتُ ذاكَ بِهِمَّةٍ

في المَجْدِ سامِيَةٍ طَمُوحَهْ

And joined them with an ambition

Lofty and aspiring

وعزِيمَةٍ لا بالكلي

لةِ في الخُطُوبِ وَلاَ الطّلِيْحَهْ

And determination not one to

Succumb to hardships or ordeals

وَجَعَلْتُ من كَفّي نصي

باً لليرَاعَةِ والصّفِيْحَهْ

I made my palm a companion

To gentleness and swordplay

فكلاهُما لِي صاحِبٌ

في كُلِّ دَاهِيَةٍ جَمُوحَهْ

Both were my friends in every

Perilous and daring venture

وَلَئِنْ شَعَرْتُ لَمَا تَعَمْ

مَدْتُ الهِجَاءَ ولا المَدِيْحَهْ

And if I sensed poetry not used

For satire or praise

لَكِنْ وَجَدْتُ الشِّعْرَ لِلْ

آدَابِ تَرْجَمَةً فَصِيْحَهْ

I found it still rendered virtues

Eloquently into this graceful speech