أَهْوَى وَمَا الغَانِيَاتُ مِنْ وَطَرِي
السَّالِبَاتُ العُقُولِ وَالفِكَرِ
I yearn, though singing women are not of my concern,
Those who rob minds and thoughts,
أَلصَّائِدَاتُ القُلُوبِ فِي شَرَكٍ
يَنْسُجْنَهُ مِن خَدَائِعِ الحَورِ
The trappers of hearts in their snares,
Which they weave with the guiles of maidens.
أَلمُشِقَياتُ الوَرَى لأَِيْسرِ مَا
يُسْدِينَ مِن نِعْمَةٍ إلى النَّظَرِ
The tormentors of people - how little
Of bounty their sight discloses.
أَلحَاكِمَاتُ المُحْكَمَاتُ فَمَا
يَبْرَحْنَ أَقْوَى وَسَائِلِ القَدَرِ
The arbiters, the judges - yet they
Never cease to be the strongest means of destiny.
فإِنَّ لِي دُونَهُنَّ فَاتِنَةً
فِي الزُّهْرِ مَحْسُودَةً وَفِي الزَّهَرِ
For I have, apart from them, a temptress
In blossom, envied, and among the blossoms,
ضَحُوكَةَ الوَجهِ لاَ يُغَيِّرُهَا
فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ شيءٌ مِنَ الغِيَرِ
Of smiling face, which nothing alters
In any case, something of change.
صَادِقَةَ العَهْدِ فِي مَوَاعِدِهَا
تَبْدُو وَفِيهَا تَغِيبُ عَنْ بَصَرِي
True to her word in her trysts,
She appears and from my sight she disappears.
شَبابُهَا دَائِمٌ وَرَوْنَقُهَا
أَكْثَرُ مَا يَزْدَهِي عَلَى السَّهَرِ
Her youth is lasting, her grace
Increases, most flourishing in vigil.
إِذَا التقَيْنَا فَلاَ يُنَغِّصُنَا
رَيْبُ رَقِيبٍ يَدْعُو إِلى حَذرِ
When we meet, no watchman's doubts
Trouble us, inviting caution.
وَإِنْ تَوَارَتْ رَقَدْتُ مُغْتَبِطَاً
بِمُلْتَقَى لِلغَدَاةِ مُنْتَظَرِ
And if she is veiled, I sleep content,
Anticipating a meeting at dawn,
كأَنَّها دُرَّةٌ مُعَلَّقَةٌ
وَأَيْنَ مِنْهَا فَرِيْدَةُ الدُّرَرِ
As if she were a pearl pendant suspended,
And how far from her is the uniqueness of pearls!
نُطْفَةُ قَطْرٍ عَلَى شَفا أَفُقٍ
مُفَضَّض الجَانِبَيْنِ مُنْحَدِرِ
A drop of rain on the edge of a horizon
With slopes cascading down.
دَمْعَةُ سَعْدٍ أَقَرَّهَا مَلَكٌ
فِي فُلُكٍ لَمْ تَسِلْ وَلَمْ تَثُرِ
A tear of joy an angel installed
In an orbit that did not flow or scatter.
أَوْدَعَ فِيهَا ابْتِسَامَهُ فَذَكَتْ
مِنْ عُصُرٍ يَنْقَضِي إِلى عُصُرِ
He placed in her his smile, so it shone
From an age ending to an age beginning.
نُقْطَةُ حَرْفٍ مِنِ اسْمِ خَالِقِهَا
أَبْيَنُ مِنْ نَقْطِ سَائِرِ الزُّهُرِ
A dot of a letter from the name of her Creator,
Clearer than dots on the rest of the flowers.
وَعَتْ بَدِيعَ البَدِيعِ فَهيَ تَلِي
فِي سُورَةِ الكَوْنِ آيَةَ القمَرِ
And she follows, in the chapter of existence,
The verse of the moon in the inimitable's inimitability.
غانِيَةٌ فِي جَمَالِ صُورَتِهَا
مَا تشْتَهِيهِ المُنى مِنَ الصوَرِ
A singing girl in the beauty of her image -
All that wishes desire of images.
لاَ تَعْرِفٌ الإِثْمَ فَهْيَ عَارِيَةٌ
تَبْدِي حِلاَهَا بِغيْرِ مُسْتَتَرِ
She knows no sin, so she is bare,
Revealing her adornment without being covered.
وَإِنَّما الإِثْمُ حَيْثُما خَبُثَتْ
ضَمَائِرٌ فهْوَ صَنْعَةٌ البَشَرِ
Indeed, sin is only where consciences are wicked -
That is the making of mankind.
حَوَّاءُ كانتْ كَذَاكَ ثُمَّ غَدَتْ
تَحْجُبُ مِنْ وَزْرِهَا بِمُؤْتَزَرِ
Eve was like that, then she came to
Cover her burden with being clothed.
للهِ صُبْحٌ رَأَيْتُهَا ابْتَرَدَتْ
بِمِثْلِ مَاءِ اللُّجَيْنِ مُنْهَمِرِ
By God, I saw her one morning clothed
In the like of pouring water.
يَجْرِي عَلَيْهَا الضِّياءُ غَيَّرَهُ
مِنْ عَنبَرِ اللَّيْلِ عَالِقُ الأَثَرِ
The light flowed over her, changing
From the musk of night still clinging.
فَكُلَّمَا سَالَ عَن جَوَانِبِهَا
صَفَا بِهَا مِنْ شوَائِبِ الكَدَرِ
So whenever it ran down her sides,
It purified her of blemishes of gloom.
وَكُلمَا زادَ نورُهُ لَطُفَتْ
فِيهِ وَرَقَّت عَنْ ذَائِبٍ عَطِرِ
And the more its light intensified,
The more it refracted within it and diffused a scent,
حَتَّى تَوَارَتْ فلاَ عَفافَ وَلاَ
حُسْنَ كغُسْلِ الزَّهْرَاءِ فِي السَّحَرِ
Until she disappeared, her chastity and beauty
Like the washing of the immaculate one at dawn.
