طِفْلانِ كَالأَخَوَيْنِ مُؤْتَلِفَانِ

شَبَّا وَشَبَّ عَلَى الهَوَى القَلْبَانِ

Two children like brothers, united

Both grew into youth, their hearts filled with passion

مُتَمَازِحَيْنِ كَأَنَّمَا نَفْسَاهُمَا

نَفْسٌ لَهَا شَبَحَانِ مُنْفَصِلانِ

Joking with one another, as if their very souls

Were one soul with two images, inseparable

يَتَشَاطَرَانِ العَيْشَ إِنْ يَحْسُنْ وَإِنْ

يَخْشُنْ كَمَا تَتَشَاطَرُ العَيْنَانِ

Sharing in good and bad times alike

As two eyes share sight

لَبِثَا عَلَى هَذَا الوِصَالِ بُرَيْهَةً

ثُمَّ انْقَضَتْ وَتَفَارَقَ الخِلاَّنِ

For a time they remained in this bond

Then it was broken, and the two friends parted

كَانَتْ أَلِيفَتَهُ وَكَانَ أَلِيفَهَا

فَسَطَا النَّوَى وَتَشَتَّتَ الإِلفَانِ

She was his companion, and he was hers

But fate intervened, severing their closeness

جَزِعَا لِهَذا البَيْنِ حَتَّى كَانَ لا

يَلْهُو بِشَيْءٍ ذَانِكَ الفَتَيانِ

Grieving at this separation, to the point that

Those two youths delighted in nothing

سَرْعَانَ مَا أَنْمَى الجَوَى عَقْلَيْهِمَا

وَتَعَلَّمَا التَّفْكِيرَ قَبْلَ أَوَانِ

Soon their intellects matured

And they learned to think before their time

فَتَرَاسَلا لا يُحْسِنَانِ كِتَابَةً

بِالذِّكْرِ وَهْوَ رَسُولُ كُلِّ جَنَانِ

Exchanging letters, though neither wrote well,

With remembrance, the messenger of every garden

وَتَشَاكَيَا كُلٌّ إِلَى آلامِهِ

شَكْوَى أَدَلَّ عَلَى وَفَاءِ العَانِي

Sharing their sorrows, each lamenting their pain

A lament that evoked the suffering of the troubled

وَاسْتَرْسَلا كُلٌّ إِلَى آمَالِهِ

بِالقُرْبِ بَعْدَ تَطَاوُحِ الهِجْرَانِ

And confiding their hopes for nearness

After the discord of parting

لَكِنَّهُ طَالَ البِعَادُ وَشُوغِلاَ

عَنْ مُؤْلِمِ التَّذْكَار بِالحِدْثَانِ

But the distance grew long, and both were preoccupied

From painful thoughts by other matters

فَاسْتَوْدَعَا فِي مَعْلَمَيْنِ لِيَنْمُوا

بِهِمَا عَلَى الآداب وَالعِرْفَانِ

So they entrusted themselves to two schools

To be reared in manners and wisdom

وَلْيَنْسَيَا ذَاكَ القَدِيمَ مِنَ الهَوَى

فِي عِشْرَةِ الأَتْرَابِ وَالأَقْرَانِ

And forget that old love

In the company of peers and fellows

فَتَعَلَّمَا النُّطْقَ الصَّحِيحَ وَعُوِّدَا

خَطَّ الحُرُوفِ كِلاهُمَا فِي آنِ

There they learned proper speech and were trained

In the writing of letters, both at once

حَتَّى إِذَا رَسَمَا الكَلامَ جَرَى كَمَا

اتَّفَقَا عَلَى قَلَمَيْهِمَا لَفْظَانِ

Until, when they shaped words, these flowed as if

Their two pens had agreed on utterances

خُلْوَانِ مِنْ مَعْنىً وَفِي قَلْبَيْهِمَا

لَهُمَا أَحَبَّ مُنَى الحَيَاةِ مَعَانِي

Empty of meaning, though in their hearts

Were the dearest hopes and meanings of life

جَمَعَا البَلاغَةَ كُلَّهَا فِي اسْمَيْنِ قَدْ

كُتِبَا بلا حُسْنٍ وَلا إِتْقَانِ

Bringing together all eloquence in two names

Written without beauty or skill

كَتَبَ الفَتَى سَلْمَى وَخَطَّتْ يُوسُفُ

وَإِلَيْكَ مَا عَنيَا بِبَعْضِ بَيَانِ

The youth wrote “Salma” and Yusuf drew

And to you, some of what they meant to convey:

قَالَ الفَتَى يَا مَنْ تَحَلَّى لِي اسْمُهَا

فَرَسَمْتُهُ وَيَدَايَ تَرْتَجِفَانِ

The youth said: O she whose name adorned me

I drew it though my hands trembled

صَوَّرْتُهُ وَكَأَنَّ صُورَتَهَا بَدَتْ

فِيهِ أَرَاهَا دُونَهُ وَتَرَانِي

I pictured it as if her image appeared

In it - I saw her through it, and she saw me

وَعَبَدْتُ أَحْرُفَهُ كَرَمْزٍ حَاجِبٍ

صَنَماً رَآهُ عَابِدُ الأَوْثَانِ

I worshipped its letters like the obscure signs

Of an idol, seen by a pagan worshipper

لَكِنْ شَجَانِي الطِّرْسُ قَرَّ بِضَمِّهِ

وَمَشُوقُ صَدْرِي دَائمُ الخَفَقَانِ

But the paper cut me, pressed to my chest

And the fluttering of my heart quickened

وَأَغَارَنِي قَلَمِي يَصِرُّ مُقَبِّلاً

تِلْكَ الحُرُوفَ بِمَلْثَمٍ رَنَّانِ

While my pen, insistently kissing

Those letters with murmuring lips, made me jealous

فَحَطَمْتُ شِقَّيْهِ تَوَهُّمَ أَنَّ مَا

عَاقَبْتُهُ شَفَتَانِ آثِمَتَانِ

So I broke it in two, imagining that I had

Punished those sinful lips

سَلْمَى وَمَا أَحْلَى اسْمَهَا وَحُرُوفَهُ

مَوْصُولَةً كَقَلائِدِ العِقْيَانِ

Salma - how sweet her name and its letters

Linked like strings of pearls

مُتَشَابِكَاتٍ يَرْتَضِعْنَ عَلَى المَدَى

مَاءَ الحَيَاةِ مَعاً وَهُنَّ هَوَانِي

Entwined, suckling together the water of life

While they are cups, pliant and submissive

وَلَوَ أَنَّهُنَّ فُصِلْنَ بِتْنَ أَوَاسِفاً

كَاليَتْمِ يَفْطِمُ مُرْضِعَ الوِلدَانِ

If they were separated, it would be mournful

Like an orphan severed from the nursing breast

يَا ذِي الحُرُوفُ أَأَنْتِ عَالِمَةٌ بِمَا

أَوْلَيْتِهِ مِنْ طَائِلِ الإِحْسَانِ

O you of letters, do you know

What kindness I have shown you?

لَوْ كُنْتُ مِنْكِ لَمَا فَتِئْتُ مَنَعَّماً

أَبَداً بِأَطْيَبِ مُلْتَقًى وَقِرَانِ

If I were made of you, I would live forever blissful

In the sweetest place and company

وَلمَا غَدَوْتُ عَلَى الفِرَاقِ كَمَا أُرَى

رُوحاً تَهُمُّ بِفُرْقَةِ الجُثْمَانِ

I would not, at our separation, wander as I do

A soul longing for its body’s absence

طَالَ النَّوَى يَا مُنْيَتِي سَلْمَى فَهَلْ

زَمَنُ التَّنَائِي آذِنٌ بِتَدَانِي

The days of longing have been long, Salma, so are we

Approaching a time of unity?

مَا زِلْتِ مِلْءَ نَوَاظِرِي وَخَوَاطِرِي

لَكِنَّ شَفَتَايَ مُوحَشَتَانِ

You remain my sights and thoughts

Though my lips are desolate

يَا لَيْتَنَا طِفْلانِ لَمْ نَبْرَحْ كَمَا

كُنَّا إِلَى مُتَأَخِّرِ الأَزْمَانِ

Would that we were children again, never leaving

That state until the end of time!

قَالُوا لِمِثْلِكِ فِي المَدَارِسِ سَلْوَةٌ

كَذَبُوا أَيَسْلُوا كَارِهُ السُّلْوَانِ

They called you “frivolity” in school -

They lied! Ask the loather of frivolity!

بِيَ حُرْقَةٌ أَخْفَيْتُهَا عَنْهُمْ كَمَا

يُخْفِي الرَّمَادُ ذَوَاكِي النِّيرَانِ

In me is an ardor I hid from them

As embers conceal the flames within

سَلْمَى العُلُومُ جَمِيعُهَا فِي لَفْظَةٍ

كَالعِطْرِ قَطْرَتُهُ عَصِيرُ جِنَانِ

Salma, all knowledge is contained in one phrase

Like a drop of perfume, the extract of gardens

سَلْمَى الحَيَاةُ وَمَا النَّعِيمُ مُخَلَّداً

يُشْرَى لَدَى إِقْبَالِهَا بِثَوَانِي

Salma, you are life - and eternal bliss

Can only be bought with your return

سَأَجِدُّ فِي طَلَبِي فَأَسْتَدْنِي بِهِ

زَمَناً أَصِيرُ وَفِي يَدَيَّ عِنَانِي

I will strive to gain means and draw nearer

A time when I hold the reins again

فَأَطِيرُ مِنْ شَغَفِي إِلَيْكَ تَشَوُّقاً

وَأَبُلُّ غُلَّةَ قَلْبِي الظَّمْآنِ

Then I will fly to you from passion’s fervor

And achieve the harvest of my thirsting heart

قَالَتْ وَقَدْ رَسَمَتْ عَلَى الطِّرْسِ اسْمُهُ

يَا مَنْ وَقَفْتُ لِحُبِّهِ وِجْدَانِي

She said, having drawn his name upon the page:

O you at whose love I surrendered my being

وَحَلا هَوَانِي فِيهِ لِي وَصَبَابَتِي

حَتَّى كَأَنِّي قَدْ هَوَيْتُ هَوَانِي

And dissolved into adoration, until I seemed

To have fallen into adoration of myself

لِيَكُنْ فِدًى لَكَ يَا أَلِيفَ طُفُولَتِي

أَنْ بِتُّ فِيكَ أَلِيفَةَ الأَشْجَانِ

Let my childhood companion be ransom for you

And I will pass into you the intimacy of longing

وَغَدَوْتُ أَسْتَحْلِي جَمَالَكَ غَائِباً

مِنْ أَحْرُفٍ نَمَّقْتُهَا بِبَنَانِي

I pretended to admire your absent beauty

With letters I formed with my fingers

نَمَّقْتُهَا وَكَأَنَّنِي صَوَّرْتُهَا

عَنْ صُورَةٍ مَرْسُومَةٍ بِجِنَانِي

I formed them as if I had depicted them

From an image painted in my soul

سَوَّدْتُهَا وَحُرُوفُهَا فِي مُهْجَتِي

نَارِيَّةٌ كُتِبَتْ بِأَحْمَر قَانِي

I traced them, and though their letters in my core

Are fiery, written in my blood

يَبْغِي الأَقَارِبُ لِي هَنَاءً آتِياً

بِالعِلْمِ وَهْوَ لِيَ الشَّقَاءُ الثَّانِي

My family wishes me future happiness

Through knowledge, though it is my second misery

أَيُضَاعُ فِي غَيْرِ الهَوَى عَهْدُ الصِّبَا

وَالعُمْرُ مِنْ بَعْدِ الشَّبِيبَةِ فَانِي

Can the promise of youth be wasted on other than love

When life after one’s prime is fleeting?

أَلِنَسْتَزِيدَ يَقِينَنَا بِضَلالِنَا

وَبِجَهْلِنَا نَقْضِي أَحَبَّ زَمَانِ

Should we not increase our certainty in our misguidance

And by our ignorance be rid of the best of times?

خَلُّوا سَبِيلَ الطَّيْرِ يَمْرَحُ هَانِئاً

فِي جَوِّهِ وَيَرُودُ كُلَّ مَكَانِ

Leave the bird to flutter merrily

In his air, roaming every place

وَليَلحَقَنَّ بِإِلْفِهِ وَلَيَسْعَدَا

حِيناً قُبَيلَ العَهْدِ بِالأَحْزَانِ

And let them reunite in their harmony, and be happy

For a while before the age of sorrows

هَذَا يَسِيرٌ مِنْ مَعَانٍ جَاوَزَتْ

وُسْعَ امْرِيءٍ وَقَدِ احْتَوَاهَا اسْمَانِ

This small amount of meaning surpassed

What one person can contain, yet two names held it

وَلَرُبَّمَا عَجَزَتْ بَلاغَاتُ الوَرَى

عَمَّا يَخُطُّ هُدًى طِفْلانِ

Though the eloquence of the world may fall short

Of what two children pen in guidance