طَمَعي في لِقاكَ بَعدَ إِياسِ

هُوَ أَغرى قَلبي بِقَصدِ أَياسِ

My hope of meeting you after despair

Has deluded my heart with the intention of despair

وَلَوَ اَنّي عَلِمتُ أَنَّكَ بِالزَو

راءِ وافَيتُها بِعَيني وَراسي

And if I had known you were in Aleppo

I would have met it with my eyes and head

وَكَذا في دِمَشقَ لَولاكَ ما أَو

رَدتُ خَيلي بِها عَلى بانِياسِ

And so in Damascus, had it not been for you

I would not have returned my horses to it from Baniyas

بَل تَوَهَّمتُ أَن تَعودَ إِلى الشا

مِ فَوافَيتُها عَلى سيواسِ

Rather, I imagined you would return to Damascus

So I returned to it from Cyrrhus

يا خَليلي مِن دونِ كُلِّ خَليلٍ

وَأَنيسي مِن دونِ أَهلَي وَناسي

O my intimate unlike any other intimate

And my companion unlike my family and people

لا تَكُن ناسِياً لِعَهدي فَإِنّي

لَستُ ما عِشتُ لِلعُهودِ بِناسي

Do not forget my covenant, for I

As long as I live, do not forget covenants

قِس ضَميري عَلى ضَميرِكِ في الوُد

دِ فَإِنَّ الوِدادَ عَلمُ قِياسي

Compare my conscience to yours in affection

For affection is the standard of my measurement

وَاِعتَمِد موقِناً عَلىصِدقِ وُدّي

لا عَلى ما يَضُمُّهُ قُرطاسي

And rely confidently on the sincerity of my affection

Not on what my paper contains

لَو تَراني كَما عَهِدتَ مِنَ اللَذ

ذَةِ بَينَ القِسّيسِ وَالشَمّاسِ

If you could see me as you knew me

To be among the priests and the deacons

أَشتَري التِبرَ بِاللُجَينِ وَلا أَف

رُقُ ما بَينَ عَسجَدٍ وَنَحاسِ

Buying minced meat with two silver coins and not

Distinguishing between a church and a synagogue

فَتَراني يَوماً بِخِمّارَةِ النَه

رِ وَطَوراً بِحانَةِ الدِرباسِ

You would see me one day at a tavern by the river

And another at a wine shop by the highway

فَأُناسٌ تَلومُ في نَقصِ كيسي

وَأُناسٌ تَلومُ في مَلءِ كاسي

So some blame the lack in my purse

And others blame the fullness of my cup

ذاكَ خَيرٌ مِن خِدمَتي لِأُناسٍ

هُم إِذا ما اِختَبَرتُ غَيرُ أُناسِ

That is better than serving people

Who when tested are not people

يَستَقِلّونَ ما بَذَلتُ مِنَ النُص

حِ وَيَستَكثِرونَ فَضلَ لِباسي

They belittle what I have given of advice

And see my clothing as too much

وَلَوَ اَنّي أَفوهُ فيهِم بِلَفظٍ

كادَ أَن يَنسِفَ الجِبالَ الرَواسي

And if I were to utter to them a word

That almost tore down mountains at their foundations

فَسَأُفني ما قَد حَوَيتُ وَلا أَذ

خَرُ فَلساً لِساعَةِ الإِفلاسِ

I would exhaust what I possess and not save

A penny for the time of bankruptcy

وَإِذا ما غَرِقتُ في لُجَجِ الهَم

مِ فَفي مارِدينَ مَلقى المَراسي

And when I drown in the mires of anxiety

In Mardin is the place I cast my anchor

بَلدَةٌ ما أَتَيتُها قَطُّ إِلّا

خِلتُها بَلدَتي وَمَسقَطِ راسي

A town I have never visited except I

Left it my town and place of my head's rest

بَذَلوا لي مَعَ السَماحَةِ وُدّاً

هُوَ مِنهُم يَزيدُ في إيناسي

They bestowed upon me, with generosity, affection

That from them increases my tranquility

فَنَهاري جَليسُ لَيثِ عَرينٍ

وَمَسائي ضَجيعُ ظَبيِ كِناسِ

So my day is spent with a cave lion

And my evening is sleeping with a wild deer

فَأُناسٌ تَقولُ يا أَبا فِراسٍ

وَأُناسٌ تَقولُ يا أَبا نُواسِ

Some call me Abu Firas

And others call me Abu Nuwas

لَستُ أَشكو بِها مِنَ العَيشِ إِل

لا أَنَّني لا أَراكَ في الجُلّاسِ

I do not complain of life except that

I do not see you in the gatherings

سَيِّدي صاحِبي أَنيسي جَليسي

طَوقُ جيدي مُعاشِري تاجَ راسي

My master, my companion, my intimate, my friend

Necklace of my neck, crown of my head

لا يُغَيُّركَ ما تَقولُ الأَعادي

فَبِناءُ الوِدادِ فَوقَ أَساسِ

What enemies say does not change you

For the building of affection is above foundation

أَو نَفاري عَليكَ مِن نَصَبِ الدَر

بِ بِحَسبِ الإِدلالِ وَالإيناسِ

Or my boast of you from the effort of poetry

According to my pampering and tranquility

أَو خِصامُ الشَهباءِ في يَومِ إِخرا

جِ غُلامي بِها إِلى النَخّاسِ

Or the quarreling of the gray-haired on the day

I sold my boy slave to the broker

ذاكَ هَفوُ اللِسانِ مِن حِدَّةِ الغَي

ظِ لِأَنَّ الفُضولَ مِثلُ العُطاسِ

That is the nonsense of the tongue from the intensity of rage

For nonsense is like sneezing

يا نَسيمَ الشَمالِ إِن جُزتَ بِالزَو

راءِ يَوماً مُعَطَّرَ الأَنفاسِ

O northern breeze, if you pass by Aleppo one day

A day of fragrant breaths

زُر حَبيباً لَنا بِدَربِ حَبيبٍ

وَاِتلُ شَوقي وَما أَبيتُ أُقاسي

Visit a beloved of ours in the land of a beloved one

And convey my passion and what I have endured of torment

صاحِباً لَم يَزَل إِذا دَهَمَ الهَم

مُ يُساوي بِنَفسِهِ وَيُواسي

A companion who whenever worries attacked

Makes his soul equal and consoles

وَإِذا ما قَضَيتَ تَقبيلَ كَفَّي

هِ فَسَلَّم عَلى فَتى الدِرباسِ

And when you finish kissing his palms

Greet the young man of the highway

ثُمَّ صِف لِلجَلالِ نَجلَ الحَريرِي

يُ اِشتِياقي وَالفَخرُ نَجلُ الياسِ

Then describe to the magnificent descendant of Hariri

My yearning, and pride is the descendant of Yas