قِف بِالدِيارِ عَفا مِن أَهلِها الأَثَرُ

عَفّى مَعالِمَها الأَرواحُ وَالمَطَرُ

Stop at the abodes whose traces have been effaced

By spirits and rain that have obliterated its features

بِالعَرصَتَينِ فَمَجرى السَيلِ بَينَهُما

إِلى القَرينِ إِلى ما دونَهُ البُسُرُ

Between the two meadows flows a torrent between them

To the hills, to what lies beyond the mounds

تَبدو لِعَينَيكَ مِنها كُلَّما نَظَرَت

مَعاهِدُ الحَيِّ دَوداةٌ وَمُحتَضَرُ

To your eyes whenever you look appear from it

The dwellings of the living as whitened bones and decaying

وَرُكَّدٌ حَولَ كابٍ قَد عَكَفنَ بِهِ

وَزَينَةٌ ماثِلٌ مِنهُ وَمُنعَفِرُ

And coagulated around a goblet they have devoted themselves to

Adorned and decked out yet fragmented from it

مَنازِلُ الحَيِّ أَقوَت بَعدَ ساكِنِها

أَمسَت تَرودُ بِها الغِزلانُ وَالبَقَرُ

The homes of the living have, after their inhabitants,

Become pasture for gazelles and cows

تَبَدَّلوا بَعدَها داراً وَغَيَّرَها

صَرفُ الزَمانِ وَفي تَكرارِهِ غِيَرُ

They have changed them to another abode and altered it

The cycle of time in its recurrence alters

وَقَفتُ فيها طَويلاً كَي أُسائِلَها

وَالدارُ لَيسَ لَها عِلمٌ وَلا خَبَرُ

I stood among them long that I might question them

But the abode has no knowledge or information

دارُ الَّتي قادَني حَينٌ لِرُؤيَتِها

وَقَد يَقودُ إِلى الحَينِ الفَتى القَدَرُ

The abode that a moment guided me to see

And destiny may lead the youth to the moment

خَودٌ تُضيءُ ظَلامَ البَيتِ صورَتُها

كَما يُضيءُ ظَلامَ الحِندِسِ القَمَرُ

A cheek whose image illuminates the darkness of the house

As the moon illuminates the darkness of the watchtower

مَجدولَةُ الخَلقِ لَم توضَع مَناكِبُها

مِلءُ العِناقِ أَلوفٌ جَيبُها عَطِرُ

Perfectly formed, its shoulders were not created

To fill the bosom - it is perfume its pockets scatter

مَمكورَةُ الساقِ مَقصومٌ خَلاخِلُها

فَمُشبَعٌ نَشِبٌ مِنها وَمُنكَسِرُ

Curved of leg, its anklets finely clipped

Satisfying, supple, made tender and broken

هَيفاءُ لَفّاءُ مَصقولٌ عَوارِضُها

تَكادُ مِن ثِقَلِ الأَردافِ تَنبَتِرُ

Slender, twisting, its brows smoothly arched

Nearly sprouting wings from the heaviness of its buttocks

تَفتُرُ عَن واضِحِ الأَنيابِ مُتَّسِقٍ

عَذبِ المُقَبَّلِ مَصقولٍ لَهُ أُشُرُ

Parted over polished white teeth in order

Sweet to kiss, for it the lips have polish

كَالمِسكِ شَيبَ بِذَوبِ النَحلِ يَخلِطُهُ

ثَلجٌ بِصَهباءَ مِمّا عَتَّقَت جَدَرُ

Like musk white hair mingled with bees' wax

Snow blended with the grayness of crumbling walls

تِلكَ الَّتي سَلَبَتني العَقلَ وَاِمتَنَعَت

وَالغانِياتُ وَإِن واصَلنَنا غُدُرُ

She who robbed me of my reason and refused

Though singers may join us, betrayal remains

قَد كُنتُ في مَعزِلٍ عَنها فَقَيَّضَني

لِلحَينِ حينَ دَعاني لِلشَفا النَظَرُ

I had been secluded from her but a moment destined me

For the appointed time when a look summoned me to healing

إِنّي وَمَن أَعمَلَ الحُجّاجُ خَيفَتَهُ

خَوصَ المَطايا وَما حَجّوا وَما اِعتَمَروا

I and whoever the pilgrims' driver terrified

With slender stallions never made pilgrimage or glory

لا أَصرِفُ الدَهرَ وُدّي عَنكِ أَمنَحُهُ

أُخرى أُواصِلُها ما أَورَقَ الشَجَرُ

I don't divert my love for you or give it

To another I join though the trees have leafed

أَنتِ المُنى وَحَديثُ النَفسِ خالِيَةً

وَفي الجَميعِ وَأَنتِ السَمعُ وَالبَصَرُ

You are the hope, my soul's discourse without

In all, you are hearing and sight

يا لَيتَ مَن لامَنا في الحُبِّ مَرَّ بِهِ

مِمّا نُلاقي وَإِن لَم نُحصِهِ العُشُرُ

Would that he who blamed us for love had undergone

Some of what we undergo though not a tenth

حَتّى يَذوقَ كَما ذُقنا فَيَمنَعَهُ

مِمّا يَلَذُّ حَديثُ النَفسِ وَالسَهَرُ

So he might taste what we tasted and prevent him

From what ravishes the soul and wakefulness

دَسَّت إِلَيَّ رَسولاً لا تَكُن فَرِقاً

وَاِحذَر وُقيتَ وَأَمرُ الحازِمِ الحَذَرُ

Send me no messenger, do not abandon me

And beware of your promised time and prudent caution

إِنّي سَمِعتُ رِجالاً مِن ذَوي رَحِمي

هُمُ العَدُوُّ بِظَهرِ الغَيبِ قَد نَذَروا

I have heard men of my family who are

Enemies behind my back have vowed

أَن يَقتُلوكَ وَقاكَ القَتلَ قادِرُهُ

وَاللَهُ جارُكَ مِمّا أَجمَعَ النَفَرُ

To kill you - but He who can protect you from murder protects you

And God is your protector against the group's resolve

السِرُّ يَكتُمُهُ الإِثنانِ بَينَهُما

وَكُلُّ سِرٍّ عَدا الإِثنَينِ مُنتَشِرُ

A secret two conceal between them

And every secret beyond two spreads

وَالمَرءُ إِن هُوَ لَم يَرقُب بِصَبوَتِهِ

لَمحَ العُيونِ بِسوءِ الظَنِّ يَشتَهِرُ

If a man does not watch his composure

Eyes detect the evil of suspicion and he is notorious