لَعَمرِيَ لَو أَبصَرتِني يَومَ بِنتُمُ

وَعَيني بِجاري دَمعِها تَتَرَقرَقُ

By my life, if you had seen me the day we parted

With my eyes weeping for her, drop by drop

وَكيفَ غَداةَ البَينِ وَجدي وَكَيفَ إِذ

نَأَت دارُكُم عَن شِدَّةِ الوَجدِ آرَقُ

And how I fared the morning after separation and longing

When I came to your abode, sleepless from intensity of passion

لَأَيقَنتِ أَنَّ القَلبَ عانٍ بِذِكرِكُم

وَأَنّي رَهينٌ في حِبالِكَ مُثَقُ

You would have known that my heart is suffering with recollection of you

And that I am captive in your bonds, fettered

فَصَدَّت صُدودَ الرِئمِ ثُمَّ تَبَسَّمَت

وَقالَت لِتِربَيها اِسمَعا لَيسَ يَرفَقُ

Then the censures of the blamers drove me away, but she smiled

And said to her maid, “Listen, he is not rational”

فَقالَت لَها إِحداهُما هُوَ مُحسِنٌ

وَأَنتِ بِهِ فيما تَرى العَينُ أَخرَقُ

One maid said to her, “He is a benefactor”

“And you in his eyes are covered in rags”

وَقالَت لَها الأُخرى اِرجِعيهِ بِما اِشتَهى

فَإِنَّ هَواهُ بَيِّنٌ حينَ يَنطِقُ

And the other said to her, “Send him away with what he desires

For his passion, when he speaks, is evident”

شَفَعنَ إِلَيها حينَ أَبصَرنَ عَبرَتي

وَقَلبي حِذارَ العَينِ مِنهُنَّ مُشفِقُ

They interceded for me when they saw my tears

And my heart took precautions against them, fearing for them

فَلَمّا تَقَضّى اللَيلُ قالَت فَتاتُها

أَرى قَبلَ أَن يَستيقِظَ الحَيُّ أَرفَقُ

When the night had passed, her maid said

“I think before the living awaken, it's best to go”

وَعَضَّت عَلى إِبهامِها وَتَنَكَّبَت

قَريباً وَقالَت إِنَّ شَرَّكَ مُلحِقُ

And she bit her thumb and drew away, saying

“Surely your evil will overtake you”

تُبينُ هَوىً مِنّا وَتُبدي شَمائِلاً

وَوَجهاً لَهُ مِن بَهجَةِ الحُسنِ رَونَقُ

You make clear a love for us and express features

And a face made beautiful by the radiance of loveliness

فَأَلفَت لَها مِن خالِصِ الوُدِّ وَالهَوى

جَديداً عَلى شَحطِ النَوى لَيسَ يَخلَقُ

She composed for her from the quintessence of love and passion

Anew over the traces of previous campsites no longer frequented

لَدى عاشِقٍ أَحمى لَها مِن فُؤادِهِ

عَلى مَسرَحٍ ذي صَفوَةٍ لا يُرَنَّقُ

To a fervent lover, more passionate for her than his own spirit

On a field of chosen friends not to be equaled

حَلاها الهَوى مِنهُ فَلَيسَ لِغَيرِها

بِهِ مِن هَواهُ حَيثُ نَحّى مُعَلَّقُ

Passion had divested him of it, so he had no passion for others

Wherever his love inclined, suspended

تَكادُ غَداةَ البَينِ تَنطِقُ عَينُهُ

بِعَبرَتِهِ لَو كانَتِ العَينُ تَنطِقُ

The morning after separation, his eyes almost speak

With his tears, if eyes could speak