شاقَ قَلبي مَنزِلٌ دَثَرا

حالَفَ الأَرواحَ وَالمَطَرا

A ruined dwelling stirred my heart with longing,

long companion to the winds and rain.

شَمأَلاً تُذري إِذا لَعِبَت

عاصِفاً أَذيالُها الشَجَرا

A north wind scatters all when it frolics,

its raging skirts lashing the trees—

لِلَّتي قالَت لِجارَتِها

وَيحَ قَلبي ما دَهى عُمَرا

for the woman who said to her companion,

“Woe to my heart—what has stricken Umar?

فيمَ أَمسى لا يُكَلِّمُنا

وَإِذا ناطَقتُهُ بَسَرا

Why has evening found him not speaking to us,

and when I speak to him, he scowls?

أَبِهِ عُتبى فَأَعتِبُهُ

أَم بِهِ صَبراً فَقَد صَبَرا

Is he aggrieved? Then I will make amends.

Or is it patience? He has indeed endured.

أَم حَديثٌ جاءَهُ كَذِبٌ

أَم بِهِ هَجرٌ فَقَد هَجَرا

Or has some false report reached him?

Or is it estrangement? Then he has truly shunned us.

أَم لِقَولٍ قالَهُ كاشِحٌ

كاذِبٌ يا لَيتَهُ قُبِرا

Or was it something an ill-wisher said,

a liar—would that he were buried!

لَو عَلِمنا ما يُسَرُّ بِهِ

ما طَعِمنا البارِدَ الخَصِرا

If we knew what would please him,

we would not taste the cool, fresh water.

وَأَرى شَوقي سَيَقتُلُني

وَحَبيبَ النَفسِ إِن هَجَرا

I see that my longing will kill me,

if the beloved of my soul should shun me.

إِنَّ نَومي ما يُلائِمُني

أَجلَهُ يا أُختِ إِن ذُكِرا

My sleep gives me no comfort—

I put it off, sister, whenever he is mentioned.”

فَأَجابَت في مُلاطَفَةٍ

أَسرَعَت فيها لَها الحَورا

Her friend answered with gentle teasing,

swiftly turning her wide, dark eyes upon her:

إِنَّني إِن لَم أَمُت عَجَلاً

أَرتَجي أَن راحَ أَو بَكَرا

“If I do not die at once,

I hope to see him this evening or tomorrow morning.

فَإِذا ما راحَ فَاِستَلِمي

إِن دَنا في طَوفِهِ الحَجَرا

When he sets out, reach forth and touch,

if in his circling he draws near the Stone.

وَأُشَفّي البُردَ عَنكِ لَهُ

كَي تَشوقيهِ إِذا نَظَرا

For him I will draw your mantle away,

so that, when he looks, you may kindle his longing.”

فَأَرَتني مُسفِراً حَسَناً

خِلتُهُ إِذ أَسفَرَت قَمَرا

Then she showed me a beautiful, unveiled face;

when she unveiled it, I took it for the moon,

وَشَتيتَ النَبتِ مُتَّسِقاً

طَيِّباً أَنيابُهُ خَصِرا

and teeth, delicately spaced and even,

her teeth sweet and cool.

لِشَقائي قادَني بَصَري

وَلِحَينٍ وافَقَ القَدَرا

To my misery my eyes led me,

and toward doom, in keeping with fate.

ثُمَّ قالَت لِلَّتي مَعَها

لا تُديمي نَحوَهُ النَظَرا

Then she said to the woman beside her,

“Do not keep your gaze fixed upon him.

خالِسيهِ أُختِ في خَفَرٍ

فَوَعَيتُ القَولَ إِذ وَقَرا

Steal a glance at him, sister, with modesty.”

I understood the words once they had sunk in:

إِنَّهُ يا أُختِ يَصرِمُنا

إِن قَضى مِن حاجَةٍ وَطَرا

“Sister, he will break with us

once he has satisfied his desire.”

قُلتُ قَد أُعطيتِ مَنزِلَةً

ما أَرى عِندي لَها خَطَرا

I said, “You have been granted a standing

for which I see nothing I possess of equal worth.

فَأَنيلي عاشِقاً دَنِفاً

ثُمَّ أَخزى اللَهُ مَن كَفَرا

So show favor to a lovesick lover—

then may God abase whoever proves ungrateful!”