هذا العَذولُ عليكُمُ ما لي ولَه

هذا العَذولُ عليكُمُ ما لي ولَه

انا قد رضيتُ بذا الغرام وذا الوَلَه

انا قد رضيتُ بذا الغرام وذا الوَلَه

Here is the reproacher—take him yourselves; what have I to do with him?

This reproacher is your concern; what have I to do with him?

I have consented to this passion and this love-mad rapture.

I have accepted this consuming love and this bewilderment.

شرطُ المحبَّةِ أنَّ كُلَّ متيَّمٍ

شرطُ المحبَّةِ أنَّ كُلَّ متيَّمٍ

صبِّ يُطيعُ هواهُ يَعصي عُذَّلَه

صبِّ يُطيعُ هواهُ يَعصي عُذَّلَه

Love’s condition is that every enamored,

Love's condition is that every enthralled lover

yearning lover obey his passion and defy reproach.

in his ardor obey his passion and defy his reproachers.

واخذتُموني حينَ صارَ مُحِبُّكُم

واخذتُموني حينَ صارَ مُحِبُّكُم

مثَلاً ومثلي سِرُّه لن يبذُلَه

مثَلاً ومثلي سِرُّه لن يبذُلَه

You took me to task when your lover had become

And you reproached me when your lover became

an exemplar—yet one like me will never divulge his secret.

a byword—yet one like me would never divulge his secret.

ما أعربت واللهِ عن وجدي بكِم

ما أعربت واللهِ عن وجدي بكِم

وصَبابتي إِلاَّ دُموعي الُمهمَله

وصَبابتي إِلاَّ دُموعي الُمهمَله

By God, I never disclosed my passion for you

By God, nothing revealed my passion for you

or my ardent longing, except through my unchecked tears.

and my yearning but my freely flowing tears.

يا راحلينَ وفي أكِلةِ عيسِهم

يا راحلينَ وفي أكِلةِ عيسِهم

رشأٌ عليه حشَى الُمحبِّ مُقَلقَلَه

رشأٌ عليه حشَى الُمحبِّ مُقَلقَلَه

O travelers, within the canopied litters of their white camels

O departing travelers, within their pale camels' canopies

is a gazelle-fawn for whom the lover’s heart is in turmoil.

is a young gazelle for whom the lover's heart is troubled.

جُزتم مَداكم في قَطيعتِكُم فلا

جُزتم مَداكم في قَطيعتِكُم فلا

عَطفٌ لعائِدكم يُرامُ ولا صِله

عَطفٌ لعائِدكم يُرامُ ولا صِله

You have reached the utmost bounds in cutting me off, so

You exceeded your bounds in severing ties, so no

neither kindness to one returning to you nor union may be hoped for.

kindness toward one returning to you can be hoped for, nor reunion.

أأَلومكُمُ في هِجرِكم وصُدودِكم

أأَلومكُمُ في هِجرِكم وصُدودِكم

ما هذهِ في الحُبِّ مِنكُم أوَّلَه

ما هذهِ في الحُبِّ مِنكُم أوَّلَه

Shall I blame you for your abandonment and aversion?

Should I blame you for your abandonment and aversion?

This is hardly your first such deed in love.

This is not your first such act in love.

قسَماً بكم قد حِرتُ ممَّا أشتكي

قسَماً بكم قد حِرتُ ممَّا أشتكي

حسبي الدُّجى فَعدمتُهُ ما أطوَلهُ

حسبي الدُّجى فَعدمتُهُ ما أطوَلهُ

By you I swear: I have been deprived of what I lament.

I swear by you, I am bewildered by what I lament;

Darkness suffices me—for, bereft of him, how long it is!

darkness alone is enough for me—may I be rid of it! How long it is!

ليلي كيومِ الحشر معنىً إِن يكن

ليلي كيومِ الحشر معنىً إِن يكن

لا ليلَ ذاكَ فَذا لا صبحَ لَه

لا ليلَ ذاكَ فَذا لا صبحَ لَه

My night is like Resurrection Day in this respect: if

My night is like the Day of Gathering in essence: if

that Day has no night, then this night has no dawn.

that day has no night, then this night has no dawn.

يا سائلي عن حالتي مِن بَعدِهم

يا سائلي عن حالتي مِن بَعدِهم

تَركُ الجوابِ جوابُ هذي المسالَه

تَركُ الجوابِ جوابُ هذي المسالَه

O you who ask about my state since their departure:

O you who ask me of my state after their departure,

leaving the question unanswered is itself its answer.

withholding an answer is the answer to this question.

عندي جوىً يذَرُ الفَصيحَ مُبلَّداً

عندي جوىً يذَرُ الفَصيحَ مُبلَّداً

فاترك مفصلَّهُ ودونكَ مُجمَلَه

فاترك مفصلَّهُ ودونكَ مُجمَلَه

Within me is a consuming grief that leaves the eloquent speechless;

I have a burning heartache that leaves the eloquent stupefied;

so leave its details, and take its sum.

so leave its details aside, and here is its summary.

القلبُ ليس مِنَ الصِّحاحِ فيُرتجَى

القلبُ ليس مِنَ الصِّحاحِ فيُرتجَى

إصلاحُه والعَينُ سُحبٌ مُهملَهُ

إصلاحُه والعَينُ سُحبٌ مُهملَهُ

The heart is not among the sound, that its healing might be hoped for;

The heart is not among the sound, that one might hope for

while the eye is clouds left to pour unchecked.

its restoration; the eye is clouds pouring unchecked.

حالي إِذا حدَّثتَ لا لُمَعٌ ولا

حالي إِذا حدَّثتَ لا لُمَعٌ ولا

جُمَلٌ لإيضاحي لها مِن تَكمِله

جُمَلٌ لإيضاحي لها مِن تَكمِله

When I relate my state, neither the Gleam nor

My condition, when you recount it—neither flashes of insight nor

the Sentences can Clarify it for me, nor can any Completion.

sentences can bring my explanation of it to completion.

الصُّدغُ منهُ عَقرَبٌ ولِحاظُه

الصُّدغُ منهُ عَقرَبٌ ولِحاظُه

أسَدٌ وخلفَ الظَّهرِ منهُ سُنبله

أسَدٌ وخلفَ الظَّهرِ منهُ سُنبله

His sidelock is Scorpio, and his glances

His temple-lock is a scorpion, and his glances

are Leo; behind his back stands Virgo.

are a lion; behind his back lies an ear of grain.

قَمرٌ لهُ في القلبِ بل في الطَّرفِ بل

قَمرٌ لهُ في القلبِ بل في الطَّرفِ بل

في النَّثرةِ الحصداءِ أشَرفُ مَنزِلهُ

في النَّثرةِ الحصداءِ أشَرفُ مَنزِلهُ

A moon whose dwelling is in the heart—no, in the eye—no,

He is a moon: in the heart—nay, in the eye—nay,

in al-Nathra the Hunchbacked lies his noblest station.

in close-woven mail lies his noblest mansion.

ما أجورَ الألحاظَ منهُ إِذا رنا

ما أجورَ الألحاظَ منهُ إِذا رنا

وإِذا انثنى فقوامُه ما أعدلَه

وإِذا انثنى فقوامُه ما أعدلَه

How unjust are his glances when he gazes;

How unjust his glances are when he gazes!

and when he sways, how straight and fair his stature!

And when he sways, how well-proportioned his figure is!

أَسرت له العُشَّاق نَضرةُ وجنَةٍ

أَسرت له العُشَّاق نَضرةُ وجنَةٍ

بسوى اللَّواحظ لا تبيتُ مقبَّله

بسوى اللَّواحظ لا تبيتُ مقبَّله

A glimpse of a cheek has captured the lovers for him—a cheek

The bloom of a cheek has captured lovers for him,

that spends the night kissed by none but gazing eyes.

a cheek that spends the night kissed by glances alone.

لوم لم يُصب صُدغيهِ عارضُ خَدَّهِ

لوم لم يُصب صُدغيهِ عارضُ خَدَّهِ

ما أصبحت في سالفيهِ مُسَلسله

ما أصبحت في سالفيهِ مُسَلسله

Reproach! Though the down of his cheek has not reached his temples,

If [opening unclear] his cheek's down had not reached his temple-locks,

how chained it has become within his two sidelocks!

it would not have become a chain along the sides of his neck.

لو كنتُ فيهِ قَبلتُ نُصحَ عواذلي

لو كنتُ فيهِ قَبلتُ نُصحَ عواذلي

ما أدبرت أيَّامُ حظِّي المُقبلهِ

ما أدبرت أيَّامُ حظِّي المُقبلهِ

Had I shown wisdom in this, I would have heeded my reproachers’ counsel;

Had I accepted my reproachers' counsel about him,

the approaching days of my good fortune would not have turned away.

my approaching days of good fortune would not have turned away.

للهِ منه مهُفهَفٌ أَجنيتُه

للهِ منه مهُفهَفٌ أَجنيتُه

عَسَلَ الهوى فَجنيتُ منه حَنظلهُ

عَسَلَ الهوى فَجنيتُ منه حَنظلهُ

By God, what a slender beauty he is! I made him reap

By God, what a slender youth he is! I let him reap

the honey of love, while from him I reaped bitter colocynth.

love's honey, then reaped its bitter colocynth from him.

ما فازَ غيرَ محبِّه وفتىً لهُ

ما فازَ غيرَ محبِّه وفتىً لهُ

مدَحٌ إلى الحَسنِ اغتدت مُتحملَّه

مدَحٌ إلى الحَسنِ اغتدت مُتحملَّه

None triumphs but his lover—and a youth for whom

None has won except his lover and a young man whose

my praise has gone forth, borne onward toward Beauty:

praises set out at dawn, journeying toward al-Hasan.

شرفُ الورى والدينِ والمولى الذي

شرفُ الورى والدينِ والمولى الذي

أنواءُ سُحبِ ندَى يديهِ مُسبلَه

أنواءُ سُحبِ ندَى يديهِ مُسبلَه

the honor of mankind and religion, the lord whose hands

The glory of humankind and the faith, the lord whose

pour down the rainstorms of the clouds of generosity.

hands' clouds of bounty pour their showers freely.

صدرٌ له يومَ المواهبِ راحةٌ

صدرٌ له يومَ المواهبِ راحةٌ

لسبيلهِ ونَوالهِ مُتهلِّلَه

لسبيلهِ ونَوالهِ مُتهلِّلَه

On the day of gifts, his palm comes to the fore,

A chief whose palm, on the day of gifts,

radiant along his path with bounty.

beams with joy at his way of giving and his bounty.

شادت مناقبُه له وفخارُه

شادت مناقبُه له وفخارُه

رُتباً على زُهرِ النُّجومِ مُرَتَّله

رُتباً على زُهرِ النُّجومِ مُرَتَّله

His virtues and his glory have raised for him

His virtues and his glory have raised for him

ranks arrayed above the radiant stars.

ranks arrayed above the radiant stars.

وزها به الدَّهرُ الذي أيَّامُه

وزها به الدَّهرُ الذي أيَّامُه

بِسوى عُلاهُ لم تكن مُتجمِّلَه

بِسوى عُلاهُ لم تكن مُتجمِّلَه

Time itself takes pride in him—the age whose days

And time grew splendid through him, time whose days

had never been adorned except by his high glory.

were adorned by nothing but his greatness.