بِاِسمِ الإِلَهِ تَحيَّةٌ لِمُتَيَّمِ
تُهدى إِلى حَسَنِ القَوامِ مُكَرَّمِ
In the name of God, a greeting from a heart enslaved by love,
Offered to the one of graceful stature, the honored one;
وَصَحيفَةٌ ضَمَّنتُها بِأَمانَةٍ
عِندَ الرَحيلِ إِلَيكِ أُمَّ الهَيثَمِ
And a scroll I have entrusted with a sacred charge,
Upon its departure to you, O Umm al-Haytham.
فيها التَحِيَّةُ وَالسَلامُ وَرَحمَةٌ
حَفَّ الدُموعُ كِتابَها بِالمُعجَمِ
Within it lie greetings, peace, and mercy,
While tears have bordered its script, obscuring the words.
مِن عاشِقٍ كَلِفٍ يَبوءُ بِذَنبِهِ
صَبِّ الفُؤادِ مُعاقَبٍ لَم يَظلِمِ
From a lover, infatuated, acknowledging his guilt,
A man of yearning heart, punished though he did no wrong.
بادي الصَبابَةِ قَد ذَهَبتِ بِعَقلِهِ
كِلفٍ بِحُبِّكِ يا عُثَيمَ مُتَيَّمِ
His passion is laid bare; you have bereft him of his reason,
Consumed by your love, O 'Uthaym, a captive thrall.
يَشكو إِلَيكِ بِعَبرَةٍ وَبِعَولَةٍ
وَيَقولُ أَمّا إِذ مَلِلتِ فَأَنعِمي
He complains to you with a tear and a wailing cry,
Saying: "If you have grown weary, then at least be kind."
لا تَقتُليني يا عُثَيمَ فَإِنَّني
أَخشى عَلَيكِ عِقابَ رَبِّكِ في دَمي
Do not slay me, O 'Uthaym, for truly I,
I fear for you the retribution of your Lord for my blood.
إِن لَم يَكُن لَكِ رَحمَةٌ وَتَعَطُّفٌ
فَتَحَرَّجي مِن قَتلِنا أَن تَأثَمي
If you possess no mercy and no affection,
Then shrink from killing us, lest you bear a sin.
لَم يُخطِ سَهمُكِ إِذ رَميتِ مَقاتِلي
وَتَطيشُ عَنكِ إِذا رَمَيتُكِ أَسهُمي
Your arrow never missed when you aimed at my vital parts,
Yet my arrows go astray whenever I aim at you.
وَوَجَدتُ حَوضَ الحُبِّ حينَ وَرَدتُهُ
مُرَّ المَذاقَةِ طَعمُهُ كَاِلعَلقَمِ
I found the cistern of love when I came to drink from it,
Bitter in its taste, a flavor like colocynth.
لا وَالَّذي بَعَثَ النَبِيَّ مُحَمَّداً
بِالنورِ وَالإِسلامِ دينِ القَيِّمِ
No, by the One who sent the Prophet Muhammad,
With the Light and Islam, the upright faith;
وَبِما أَهَلَّ بِهِ الحَجيجُ وَكَبَّروا
عِندَ المَقامِ وَرُكنِ بَيتِ المَحرَمِ
And by the chant raised by pilgrims declaring God's greatness,
At the Station of Abraham and the corner of the Sacred House;
وَالمَسجِدِ الأَقصى المُبارَكِ حَولَهُ
وَالطَورِ حِلفَةَ صادِقٍ لَم يَأثَمِ
And by the Blessed Farthest Mosque and its precincts,
And by Mount Sinai—the oath of a truthful man who has not sinned:
ما خُنتُ عَهدَكِ يا عُثَيمَ وَلا هَفا
قَلبي إِلى وَصلٍ لِغَيرِكِ فَاعلَمي
I have never betrayed your covenant, O 'Uthaym, nor has
My heart inclined toward union with another—know this well.
فُكّي أَسيراً يا عُثَيمَ فَإِنَّهُ
خَلَطَ الحَياءَ بِعِفَّةٍ وَتَكَرُّمِ
Set a prisoner free, O 'Uthaym, for he is one who
Has blended shyness with chastity and noble generosity.
وَرَعى الأَمانَةَ في المَغيبِ وَلَم يَخُن
غيبَ الصَديقِ وَذاكَ فِعلُ المُسلِمِ
He guarded the trust in your absence and did not betray
The unseen bond of a friend; such is the act of a Muslim.
أَحصَيتُ خَمسَةَ أَشهُرِ مَعدودَةٍ
وَثَلاثَةً مِن بَعدِها لَم توهَمِ
I have counted five numbered months,
And three following them, about which there is no illusion.
هَذي ثَمانِيَةٌ تَهُلُّ وَتَنقَضي
عالَجتُ فيها سُقمَ صَبٍّ مُغرَمِ
These are eight months that rise and pass away,
In which I endured the sickness of a lover utterly enthralled.
مَكَثَ الرَسولُ لَدَيكُمُ حَتّى إِذا
قَدِمَ الرَسولُ وَلَيتَهُ لَم يَقدَمِ
The messenger tarried with you, until when
The messenger returned—and would that he had never returned!
لَم يَأتِني لَكُمُ بِخَطٍّ واحِدٍ
يَشفي غَليلَ فُؤادِيَ المُتَقَسِّمِ
He brought me not a single line from you
To cure the burning thirst of my shattered heart.
وَحَرَمتِني رَدَّ السَلامِ وَما أَرى
رَدَّ السَلامِ عَلى الكَريمِ بِمَحرَمِ
You withheld the return of the greeting, yet I do not see
Returning a greeting to a noble man as something forbidden.
إِن كُنتِ عاتِبَةً عَلَيَّ فَأَهلَ ما
أَن تَعتَبي فيما عَتَبتِ وَتُكرِمي
If you are reproachful towards me, then you are worthy
To blame as you wish, yet still show honor.
أَنتِ الأَميرَةُ فَاِسمَعي لِمَقالَتي
وَتَفَهَّمي مِن بَعضِ ما لَم تَفهَمي
You are the princess, so listen to my plea,
And comprehend some of what you have not yet understood.
إِنّي أَتوبُ إِلَيكِ تَوبَةَ مُذنِبٍ
يَخشى العُقوبَةَ مِن مَليكٍ مُنعِمِ
Indeed, I repent to you with the repentance of a sinner
Who fears the punishment of a beneficent sovereign,
حَتّى أَنالَ رِضاكِ حَيثُ عَلِمتُهُ
بِطَريفِ مالي وَالتَليدِ الأَقدَمِ
That I may attain your contentment, wherever I know it to be,
Offering my new wealth and my ancient inheritance.
وَأَعوذُ مِنكِ بِكِ الغَداةَ لِتَصفَحي
عَمّا جَنَيتُ مِنَ الذُنوبِ وَتَرهَمي
I seek refuge in you from you this morning, that you may forgive
The sins I have committed, and that you may have mercy.
إِن تَقبَلي عُذري فَلَستُ بِعائِدٍ
حَتّى تُغادَرَ في المَقابِرِ أَعظُمي
If you accept my excuse, I shall never return to error
Until my bones are left behind in the graves.
لَو كَفِّيَ اليُمنى سَأَتكِ قَطَعتُها
وَلَذُقتُ بَعدَ رِضاكِ عَيشَ الأَجذَمِ
If my right hand has offended you, I would cut it off,
And endure, after winning your favor, the life of the maimed.
