غادِ النَّدَى بِالْجِيزَةِ الفَيْحَاءِ

واحْدُ الصَّبُوحَ بِنَغْمَةِ الوَرْقَاءِ

The dew descended in the spacious valley,

And dawn shone with the melody of the foliage,

والْمَحْ بِطَرْفِكَ ما وَحَتْهُ يَدُ الصَّبا

فَوْقَ الْغَدِيرِ تَجِدْ حُروفَ هِجاءِ

Your glance cannot reach what the morning breeze wrote,

Above the pond you will find scribbled letters,

مِنْ كُلِّ حَرْفٍ فيهِ مَعْنَى صَبْوَةٍ

تَتْلُو بِهِ الوَرْقَاءُ لَحْنَ غِنَاءِ

Each letter has the meaning of a passing rapture,

With it the foliage sings a melody of singing,

مَيْدَانُ سَبْقٍ لِلْخَلاعَةِ أَشْرَقَتْ

فيهِ الْكُمَيْتُ بِغُرَّةٍ غَرَّاءِ

The racecourse for steeds gleamed,

There the bay horse shone with a glossy chestnut color,

حَمْرَاءُ دارَ بها الْحَبابُ كأَنَّها

شَفَقٌ بَدَتْ فِيهِ نُجُومُ سَماءِ

Red are the abodes where friends dwelt as though it were

A sunset in which the stars of the sky appeared,

هِيَ كالأَشِعَّةِ غَيْرَ أَنَّ ضِيَاءَها

مِنْ ذاتِها لا مِنْ ثُقُوبِ ضِياءِ

They are like rays except that their light

Is from themselves not from perforations of light,

وإِذا رَجَعْتَ إِلى الْيَقِينِ فَإِنَّها

نارٌ تَحَلَّلَ جِسْمُها في ماءِ

And if you return to the truth they are

A fire whose body dissolved in water,

تَجْرِي فَتَفْعَلُ بالْعُقُولِ كُؤُوسُها

ما تَفْعَلُ الأَلْحَاظُ بالأَحْشَاءِ

It flows and intoxicates minds with its goblets

As glances intoxicate hearts,

خَفِيَتْ عَلَى الأَحْقَابِ فَهِيَ ذَخِيرَةٌ

مِنْ عَهدِ آدَمَ أُودِعَتْ بِوِعاءِ

It was hidden from eras so it is a treasure

Deposited in a container since Adam's time,

مَحَقَ الْفَنَاءُ وُجُودَها فَتَزَايَلَتْ

إِلاَّ نَسِيماً شَفَّ عَنْ حَوْباءِ

Oblivion erased its existence so it vanished

Except as a breeze that blew away dust,

هِيَ جَمْرَةُ الفُرْسِ الَّتِي سَجَدَتْ لَهَا

أَملاكُها في سَالِفِ الآنَاءِ

It is the embers of the steed to which

Its angels prostrated in bygone days,

فَانْهَضْ إِلَى شُرْبِ الصَّبُوحِ فَقَدْ بَدَا

شَيْبُ الصَّباحِ بِلِمَّةِ الظَّلْماءِ

So get up and drink the dawn for the gray hair

Of morning has appeared with darkness,

وَتَرَنَّمَتْ في وَكْرِها سَحَرِيَّةٌ

تُغْنِي الْمَقَامَةَ عَنْ صَفِيرِ النَّاءِ

And a sorceress crooned in her den,

Making music instead of the whistling of the flute,

وَرْقاءُ تَسْجَعُ في سَماوَةِ أَيْكَةٍ

مَوْشِيَّةِ الْعَذَباتِ بِالأَنْدَاءِ

The foliage sings saj‘ in the stillness of a meadow

Grazed by the gentle, crying camels,

تَبْكِي الْهَدِيلَ وَما رَأَتْهُ فَيَا لَها

مِنْ ذُكْرَةٍ عَرَضَتْ بِغَيْرِ لِقاءِ

It weeps the warble though it never saw it

What a rememberance occurred without meeting!

قَدْ أَشْبَهَتْنِي في الْهَوى لَكِنَّها

لَمْ تَحْكِني في لَوْعَتِي وَبُكائِي

It resembled me in love but it

Did not share with me my burning and crying,

مَالَ النَّسِيمُ بِهَا وَمَالَ بِيَ الأَسَى

شَتَّانَ بَيْنَ نَعِيمِها وَشَقائِي

The breeze leaned toward it while grief leaned toward me

Far apart are its bliss and my misery!

أَنَا يَا حَمَامَةُ مِنْكِ أَعْلَمُ بِالْهَوى

فَدَعي الْحَنِينَ فَلَسْتِ مِنْ أَكْفائِي

I, o turtledove, know more of love than you

So leave yearning for you are not my equal,

إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ مَلَكَ الودادُ قِيَادَتِي

وَجَرَى عَلَى صِدْقِ الْعُهُودِ وَفائِي

I am a man led by affection

And the truth of pacts and loyalty flows in me,

لا أَسْتَرِيحُ إِلَى السُّلُوِّ وَلَوْ جَنَى

خِلِّي عَلَيَّ وَلا أَشِينُ وَلائِي

I find no peace in diversion even if

My bosom friend acts foolishly toward me,

لا ذِمَّتِي رَهْنُ الْفِكَاكِ وَلا يَدِي

تُلْقِي أَزِمَّةَ عِفَّتِي وَحَبائِي

My integrity is not hostage to ransom nor does

My hand cast off the crisis of my chastity and loves,

لَكِنَّنِي غَرَضٌ لأَسْهُمِ حاسِدٍ

وارِي الجَوانِحِ مِنْ لَهِيبِ عِدَائِي

But I am a target for the arrows of envious people

Who protect themselves from the flames of my enemies,

مِنْ غَيْرِ ما ذَنْبٍ جَنَيْتُ وَإِنَّما

بُغْضُ الْفَضِيلَةِ شِيمَةُ الْجُهَلاءِ

Without any crime I am attacked only because

Hatred of merit is the way of ignoramuses,

تَعِست مُقارَنَةُ اللَّئِيمِ فَإِنَّها

شَرَقُ النُّفُوسِ وَمِحْنَةُ الْكُرَمَاءِ

Evil company is wretched for it is

The rising of souls and trial of generous people,

أَنا في زَمانٍ غادِرٍ وَمَعَاشِرٍ

يَتَلَوَّنُونَ تَلَوُّنَ الْحِرْباءِ

I live in a betraying and treacherous time,

Changing color like the chameleon,

أَعْداءُ غَيْبٍ لَيْسَ يَسْلَمُ صاحِبٌ

مِنْهُمْ وإِخْوَةُ مَحْضَرٍ وَرَخَاءِ

Hidden enemies no friend is safe from

And brothers of the present and ease,

أَقْبِحْ بِهِمْ قَوْماً بَلَوْتُ إِخاءَهُمْ

فَبَلَوْتُ أَقْبَحَ ذِمَّةٍ وَإِخَاءِ

I tried the brotherhood of a people so I tried

The ugliest pact and brotherhood,

قَدْ أَصْبَحُوا للدَّهْرِ سُبَّةَ ناقِمٍ

فِي كُلِّ مَصْدَرِ مِحْنَةٍ وَبَلاءِ

They have become for fate an object of blame

In every source of ordeal and affliction,

وَأَشَدُّ مَا يَلْقَى الْفَتَى فِي دَهْرِهِ

فَقْدُ الْكِرَامِ وصُحْبَةُ اللُّؤَمَاءِ

The harshest that the youth faces in his time

Is loss of honor and company of villains,

شَقِيَ ابنُ آدَمَ في الزّمانِ بِعَقلِهِ

إِنَّ الْفَضِيلَةَ آفَةُ الْعُقَلاءِ

Man is wretched in time because of his intellect

For merit is the bane of rational people.