يا صاحِبَيَّ أَقِلّا اللَومَ وَاِحتَسِبا
في مُستَهامٍ رَماهُ الشَوقُ بِالذِكَرِ
My friend, blame me less and be forbearing
In passionate longing has love cast me into remembrance
بِبَيضَةٍ كَمَهاةِ الرَملِ آنِسَةٍ
مِفتانَةِ الدَلِّ رَيّا الخَلقِ كَالقَمَرِ
Of a fair one, pleasing as the curved sand-hill,
A moon-like beauty, lovely in form and face.
سَيفانَةٍ فُنُقٍ جَمٍّ مَرافِقُها
مِثلِ المَهاةِ تُراعى ناعِمَ الزَهَرِ
Slender-waisted, a delicate branch, her companions
Like the sand-hill, pastured upon by the soft-scented herbs,
مَمكورَةِ الساقِ غَرثانٍ مُوَشَّحُها
حُسّانَةِ الجيدِ وَاللَباتِ وَالشَعَرِ
Her leg, as it were, wrapped in the long yellow worms of the sand-heaps,
Fair of cheek and chin and hair.
لَو دَبَّ ذَرٌّ رُوَيدا فَوقَ قَرقَرِها
لَأَثَّرَ الذَرُّ فَوقَ الثَوبِ في البَشَرِ
If a mote fell down slantwise upon her breast,
It would slide off her robe upon the folds of her flesh.
قالَت قَريبَةِ لَمّا طالَ بي سَقَمي
وَأَنكَرَت بي اِنتَقاصَ السَمعِ وَالبَصَرِ
To her kinswoman she complained, when my sickness was prolonged,
And chid her for the failing of my hearing and of sight.
يا لَيتَني أَفتَدي ما قَد تَهيمُ بِهِ
بِبَعضِ لَحمي وَبَعضِ النَقصِ عَن عُمُري
"Would," she cried, "that I might ransom what he is distraught withal
By some of my flesh and some lopping off of my life!"
قَد يَعلَقُ القَلبُ حُبّاً ثُمَّ يَترُكُهُ
خَوفَ المَقالِ وَخَوفَ الكاشِحِ الأَشَرِ
The heart may keep faith for love awhile, then leave it
For fear of reproach and fear of the spy's shame.
دَع حُبَّها وَتَناسَ الحُبَّ تُلقَ بِهِ
وَاِصبِر وَكُن كَصَريعِ قامَ مِن سَكَرِ
Leave thy love and forget love steals on thee
And have patience and be as one drunken waking from his drunkenness.
فَقُلتُ قَولاً مُصيبا غَيرَ ذي خَطَلٍ
أَتى بِهِ حُبُّها في فِطنَةِ الفِكَرِ
So I spoke reasonably without error,
Led by my love for her to an understanding heart.
سَمعي وَطَرفي حَليفاها عَلى جَسَدي
فَكَيفَ أَصبِرُ عَن سَمعي وَعَن بَصَري
Mine ear and mine eye pledged troth with my body concerning her,
How then could I have patience with my ear and my eye?
لَو تابَعاني عَلى أَن لا أُكَلِّمَها
إِذاً لَقَضَّيتُ مِن أَوطارِها وَطَري
Were they to follow me in forbidding converse with her,
Then would my limbs and fragments charged me with treachery.
دَلَّ الفُؤادَ عَلَيها بَعضُ نِسوَتِها
وَنَظرَةٌ عَرَضَت كانَت مِنَ القَدَرِ
It was my lady kinswoman dropped me a hint,
And a glance from her was a decree of Destiny.
وَقولُ بَكرٍ أَلَم تُلمِم لِنَسأَلَهُم
وَاِنظُر فَلا بَأسَ بِالتَسليمِ وَالنَظَرِ
Bukair said, "Wilt thou not go, and we will ask of them,
And look thou well—there's no harm in looking and surrender."
لا أَنسَ مَوقِفَنا وَهناً وَمَوقِفَها
وَتِربُها بِتُرابانا عَلى خَطَرِ
I forget not our unveiling and all our discourse,
Her sand is mingled with our dust in peril.
وَقَولَها وَدُموعُ العَينِ تَسبِقُها
في نَحرِها دَينُ هَذا القَلبِ مِن عُمرِ
Her words preceded her tears that outran them,
The burden of this heart of mine from life's remainder.
