ضَحِكَتْ مِنْ شَيْبَةٍ ضَحِكَتْ

فِي سَوَادِ اللَّمَّةِ الرَّجِلَهْ

She laughed at a strand of gray

In the blackness of my curly hair

ثُمَّ قَالَتْ وَهْيَ هَازِلَةٌ

جَاءَ هَذَا الشَّيْبُ بِالعَجَلَهْ

Then jokingly she said:

“This gray has come too soon!”

قُلْتُ مِنء حُبِّيْكِ لاَ كِبَرٍ

شَابَ رَأْسِي فَانْثَنَتْ خَجِلَهْ

I said: “It’s not from old age,

But from love for you that turned my hair gray.”

وَثَنَتْ جَفْنَاً عَلَى كَحَلٍ

هِيَ مِنْهُ الدَّهْرُ مُكْتَحِلَهْ

She lowered her eyelid lined with kohl.

Time itself adorned it with kohl.

أَكْثَرَتْ مِنْهُ تَعَجُّبَهَا

وَهْيَ تَجْنِيْهِ وَتَعْجَبُ لَهْ

In wonder she picked it out

And marveled amusingly

كَيْفَ لاَ يَبْلَى شَبَابُ فَتًى

تَقْطَعِيْنَ الحَبْلَ إِنْ وَصَلَهْ

How could the youth of a young man not wear out

If you keep cutting the rope when it’s joined?

مُفْرَدٌ بِالْبَثِّ مُصْطَبِرٌ

كُلُّ مَا حَمَّلْتِهِ حَمَلَهْ

Alone, with separation I’m patient

Bearing all the burdens she loaded on me.

وَهْيَ مِثْلُ البَدْرِ تَحْمِلُهُ

قَامَةٌ كَالغُصْنِ مُعْتَدِلَهْ

She’s like the full moon carrying it.

Her stature is like a supple branch.

وَلَهَا لَحْظٌ تَظُنُ لَهُ

أَنَّهَا مِنْ قَهْوَةٍ ثَمِلَهْ

Her glances, you’d think

Were from a brimming cup of coffee.

أَقْصَدَتْ قَلْبِي بِهِ فَمَضَى

سَهْمُهُ فِيْهِ وَقَدْ قَتَلَهْ

She aimed them into my heart so

Her arrow pierced it and killed me.

قَدْ تَجَشَّمْتُ السُّؤَالَ فَمَا

نَفَعَتْنِي عِنْدَهَا المَسَلَهْ

I undertook to question her, but gained

No benefit from her.

وَشَكَوْتُ الوَجْدَ وَهْيَ بِمَا

أَشْتَكِيْهِ غَيْرُ مُحْتَفِلَهْ

I complained of love’s torment while she—

My plaints did not concern her.

عَاذِلِي دَعْ عَنْكَ عَذْلَ فَتًى

لَجَّ فِي عِصْيَانِ مَنْ عَذَلَهْ

Chider, stop blaming a young man

Who slipped into disobeying the one who blamed him.

أَنَا مَشْغُولُ الفُؤَادِ بِهَا

وَهْيَ بِالْهِجْرَانِ مُشْتَغِلَهْ

My heart is preoccupied with her

While she is preoccupied with avoiding me.