رد لا تخف من حمرة الورد

هذا خيال المطلع الوردي

Come forward; do not fear the redness of the roses.

This is the vision of the rose-hued opening verse.

فهنا هنا كانت مودعتي

وهنا هنا سفرت عن الخد

For here, here, was she who bade me farewell.

And here, here, she unveiled her cheek.

وهنا تباعد عن فمي فمها

ونأت ودام غرامها عندي

And here her mouth drew away from mine.

And she departed, while passion for her stayed with me.

بلّت حصى الوادي بمدمعها

فوددت لو أن الحصى خدي

She wet the valley's pebbles with her tears.

So I wished the pebbles were my cheek.

ونأت تقول اصبر على بعدي

وأنا أقول لها اسلمي بعدي

And she departed, saying, 'Be patient with my absence.'

And I said to her, 'Stay safe when I am gone.'

نون النوى يا مي مانعةٌ

للجمع بين الصبر والوجد

The nūn of separation, O Mayy, forbids

the joining of patience and longing.

من يشتري صبري بريقتها

حتى أبيع الصبر بالشهد

Who will buy my patience with her saliva,

so I may sell patience for honey?

أو مانحي من نومه فرصاً

أدعو الخيال بها إلى مَهدي

Or who will grant me moments of his sleep,

with which to summon the phantom to my bed?

هيهات آمالي تعللني

وتعلة الولهان لا تجدي

How far away! My hopes offer me false comfort,

and the lovelorn's consolation is of no avail.

يا ليلة زفت كواكبها

للناس والنهدين لي وحدي

O night that brought its stars as brides

to all, and the two breasts to me alone,

وجلت لنا القمرين خيرهما

ما كان بين التاج والعقد

and unveiled two moons for us—the fairer of them

was the one between the crown and the necklace.

عودي لنا لتعودنا فُنُقٌ

برء الضنا برضابها القندي

Return to us so a pampered beauty may visit us;

healing from wasting sickness lies in her sugar-sweet saliva.

في ثغرها بردٌ يقول إذا

ما ذاقه المحرور وا بردي

There is coolness in her mouth: whenever

the fevered man tastes it, he cries, 'Ah, my cool relief!'

شامية فعلت لواحظها

بجوانحي ما يفعل الهندي

A woman of al-Sham—her glances have done

to my ribs what an Indian sword does.

ما شمت نوناً مثل حاجبها

طوراً تغيث وتارةً تجدي

Never have I beheld a nūn like her eyebrow,

now bringing relief, now bestowing bounty,

إلّا لأحمد حين يكتب لا

عان يساء ولا صدٍ يكدي

except Ahmad's: when he writes, no

captive is mistreated, nor does a thirsty man go empty-handed.

شكري الذي شكري له شرفي

وتغزلي بكماله مجدي

Shukri, whom it is my honor to thank,

and my love-song to his perfection is my glory.

حمال أثقال الرجال إذا

كاد الرجال تقاعد الجد

Bearer of men's burdens, when

faltering fortune conspires against men.

في دسته قمرٌ على فلكٍ

وبسرجه ليثٌ على نهد

On his dais, a moon upon a sphere,

and in his saddle, a lion on a sturdy steed.

نهدت لأوج المجد همته

قبل امتصاص عقيقة النهد

His ambition rose to glory's summit

before he suckled the breast's carnelian bead.

لولاه لا فرسي مسوَّمةٌ

كلا ولا سَرَقي على جلدي

Were it not for him, my horse would not be adorned,

no, nor would my silk be upon my skin.

يا من تطوف ببيت نائله

آمالنا وتعج بالحمد

O you whose house of bounty is circled

by our hopes, clamoring in praise,

ما كان يوم العيد ينقصني

غير اللقا فحرمته وحدي

on the feast day, I lacked nothing

except our meeting; I alone was denied it.

خلت النضار دماً فأخرني

عن باب غاب الضيغم الغرد

I mistook the gold for blood; I was held back

from the gate of the lion's forest by fear,

حتى إذا استوضحته ذهباً

ورأيته يجري بلا عد

until, when I recognized it as gold

and saw it flowing without reckoning,

وافيت والآمال قائلة

رد لا تخف من حمرة الورد

I arrived, with my hopes saying:

Come forward; do not fear the redness of the roses.