سَرَى الْبَرْقُ مِصْرِيَّاً فَأَرَّقَنِي وَحْدِي

وَأَذْكَرَنِي ما لَسْتُ أَنْسَاهُ مِنْ عَهْدِ

The lightning flashed Egyptian, keeping me awake alone,

And reminding me of what I have not forgotten from the past.

فَيَا بَرْقُ حَدِّثْنِي وَأَنْتَ مُصَدَّقٌ

عَنِ الآلِ والأَصْحَابِ مَا فَعَلُوا بَعْدِي

So, O truthful lightning, tell me

About my family and companions - what did they do after me?

وَعَنْ رَوْضَةِ الْمِقْيَاسِ تَجْرِي خِلالَها

جَدَاوِلُ يُسْدِيهَا الْغَمَامُ بِمَا يُسْدِي

And about the garden of Al-Miqsas, through which run

Rivulets shaded by clouds with their rain.

إِذَا صَافَحَتْهَا الرِّيْحُ رَهْواً تَجَعَّدَتْ

حَبَائِكُهَا مِثْلَ الْمُقَدَّرَةِ السَّرْدِ

When the wind blows gently upon it,

Its buds curl up like braided hair.

وَإِنْ ضَاحَكَتْهَا الشَّمْسُ رَفَّتْ كَأَنَّهَا

مَنَاصِلُ سُلَّتْ لِلضِّرَابِ مِنَ الْغِمْدِ

And when the sun smiles upon it, it blossoms as if

Unsheathed swords for fencing were drawn from their scabbards.

نَعِمْتُ بِهَا دَهْراً وَمَا كُلُّ نِعْمَةٍ

حَبَتْكَ بِهَا الأَيَّامُ إِلَّا إِلَى الرَّدِّ

For a time I enjoyed it, but not every delight

Has the days make you love except to loss.

فَوَا أَسَفَا إِذْ لَيْسَ يُجْدِي تَأَسُّفٌ

عَلَى مَا طَواهُ الدَّهْرُ مِنْ عَيْشِنَا الرَّغْدِ

So alas! Regret is fruitless

For what time has buried of our pleasant life.

إِذِ الدَّهْرُ سَمْحٌ وَاللَّيالِي سَمِيعَةٌ

وَلَمْيَاءُ لَمْ تُخْلِفْ بِلَيَّانِها وَعْدِي

For time is forgiving and the nights are hearing,

And the appointed tryst - the eyes have not failed my promise.

فَتَاةٌ تُرِيكَ الشَّمْسَ تَحْتَ خِمَارِهَا

إِذَا سَفَرَتْ وَالْغُصْنَ فِي مَعْقِدِ الْبَنْدِ

A maiden who shows you the sun beneath her veil

When she travels, and the branch in the knot of her belt.

مِنَ الفَاتِنَاتِ الْغِيدِ لَوْ مَرَّ ظِلُّهَا

عَلَى قَانِتٍ دَبَّتْ بِهِ سَوْرَةُ الْوَجْدِ

One of the languid beauties - if her shadow

Fell upon a worshipper, the surah of ardor would pulse within him.

فَتَاللهِ أَنْسَى عَهْدَها ما تَرَنَّمَتْ

بَنَاتُ الضُّحَى بَيْنَ الأَرَاكَةِ والرَّنْدِ

By God, I will forget her covenant as long as

The daughters of dawn twitter between branches and trellises.

حَلَفْتُ بِمَا وَارَى الْخِمَارُ مِنَ الْحَيَا

وَمَا ضَمَّتِ الأَرْدَانُ مِنْ حَسَبٍ عِدِّ

I swear by her life the veil has hidden

And by the lineage the gown has contained.

وبِاللُّؤْلُؤِ الْمَنْضُودِ بَيْنَ يَواقِتٍ

هِيَ الشَّهْدُ ظَنَّاً بَلْ أَلَذُّ مِنَ الشَّهْدِ

By the strung pearls between the breast-bones -

It is honey, nay sweeter than honey!

يَمِيناً لَوِ اسْتَسْقَيْتَ أَرْضاً بِهِ الْحَيَا

لَخَاضَ بِهَا الرُّعْيَانُ فِي كَلإٍ جَعْدِ

A solemn oath - if you used it to request rain from the land

The shepherds would wade through fresh herbage.

لأَنْتِ وَأَيُّ النَّاسِ أَنْتِ حَبِيبَةٌ

إِلَيَّ وَلَوْ عَذَّبْتِ قَلْبِيَ بِالصَّدِّ

You, whoever you are, are a beloved

To me, even if you torment my heart with aloofness.

إِلَيْكِ سَلَبْتُ الْعَيْنَ طِيبَ مَنَامِهَا

وفِيكِ رَعَيْتُ النَّجْمَ فِي أُفْقِهِ وَحْدِي

For you I robbed sleep’s eye of bliss

And for you I shepherded the star in its horizon, alone.

وَذَلَّلْتُ هَذِي النَّفْسَ بَعْدَ إِبائِها

وَلَوْلاكِ لَمْ تَسْمَحْ بِحَلٍّ وَلا عَقْدِ

I tamed this soul after its refusal,

And were it not for you, it would agree to neither tie nor bond.

فَحَتَّامَ تَجْزِينِي بِوُدِّيَ جَفْوَةً

أَمَا تَرْهَبِينَ اللهَ فِي حُرْمَةِ الْمَجْدِ

So for sure you repay my love with coldness -

Do you not fear God regarding the sanctity of glory?

سَلِي عَنِّيَ اللَّيْلَ الطَّوِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ

خَبِيرٌ بِمَا أُخْفِيهِ شَوْقاً وَمَا أُبْدِي

Ask the long night about me, for it

Knows what I conceal in yearning and what I divulge.

هَلِ اكْتَحَلَتْ عَيْنَايَ إِلَّا بِمَدْمَعٍ

إِذَا ذَكَرَتْكِ النَّفْسُ سَالَ عَلَى خَدِّي

Have my eyes lined with anything but tears

Whenever the soul mentions you, streaming down my cheek?

أُصَبِّرُ عَنْكِ النَّفْسَ وَهْيَ أَبِيَّةٌ

وَهَيْهَاتَ صَبْرُ الظَّامِئَاتِ عَنِ الْوِرْدِ

I restrain the soul from you though it is unwilling -

Alas! The thirsty are hardly patient from attaining the stream.

كَأَنِّي أُلاقِي مِنْ هَوَاكِ ابْنَ خِيسَةٍ

أَخَا فَتَكَاتٍ لا يُنَهْنَهُ بِالرَّدِّ

As if I meet from your love the son of Khisa,

A brother of the ferocious who cannot be deterred by refusal.

تَنَكَّبَ مُمْسَاهُ وَأَخْطَأَ صَيْدَهُ

فَأَقْعَى عَلَى غَيْظٍ مِنَ الْجُوعِ وَالْكَدِّ

He missed his target and lost his prey,

So he snarls in anger from hunger and toil.

لَهُ نَعَراتٌ بِالْفَلاةِ كَأَنَّها

عَلَى عُدَوَاءِ الدَّارِ جَلْجَلَةُ الرَّعْدِ

He has howls in the wilderness as if they are

Thunderclaps against the homes of enemies.

يُمَزِّقُ أَسْتَارَ الظَّلامِ بِأَعْيُنٍ

تَطِيرُ شَراراً كَالسُّقَاطِ مِنَ الزَّنْدِ

He tears the curtains of darkness with eyes

That shoot sparks like flint stones.

كَأَنَّهُمَا مَاوِيَّتَانِ أُدِيرَتَا

إِلَى الشَّمْسِ فَانْبَثَّا شُعَاعاً مِنَ الْوَقْدِ

As if they are two cressets rotated

Towards the sun, erupting with flames of fuel.

فَهَذَا الَّذِي أَلْقَاهُ مِنْكَ عَلَى النَّوَى

فَرَاخِي وَثَاقِي يَا بْنَةَ القَوْمِ أَوْ شُدِّي

This is what your aloofness from me has thrown

Onto the embers, my composure and restraint, O daughter of the people, or strengthen them!