1. الذَنبُ ذَنبُ طَرفي

    في الحُبِّ إِذا رَنا

    The fault is my gaze's fault

    in love, whenever it gazes.

  2. فَكَم أَخَذتُ قَلبي

    ظُلماً وَما جَنا

    How often I have taken my heart to task,

    unjustly, though it did no wrong.

  3. نامَ في خَفاء جِسم

    في البُرد ناحلِ

    A body slept in concealment,

    wasted within the cloak.

  4. لَم يَبقَ غير رسم

    تَحتَ الغَلائِل

    Nothing remained but an outline

    beneath the thin garments.

  5. وَدمع عينيَ يهمي

    يَهدي عَواذِلي

    And the tears of my eye stream down,

    guiding my reproachers.

  6. الثِياب تَخفي

    ما بي مِن الضَنا

    The clothes conceal

    the wasting sickness within me;

  7. شحوبي

    تَنسى فيفطنا

    my pallor

    they forget, and so one notices.

  8. قَد لَجَّ في هَواه

    أَو في نَوى قَذفِ

    He has persisted in his passion,

    or in far-flung separation.

  9. غَضبان ما رضاهُ

    مِنّي سوى التلفِ

    Angry, nothing satisfies him

    from me but my destruction.

  10. يُسرِف في أَذاهُ

    لا خَيرَ في السَرَفِ

    He goes to excess in his cruelty;

    there is no good in excess.

  11. حِبُّ يحبُّ حَتفي

    يَجفو إِذا دَنا

    A beloved who loves my death,

    he shuns me when he draws near.

  12. قَد فاقَ كُلَّ حسن

    لَو كانَ مُحسِنا

    He has surpassed all beauty—

    if only he were kind.

  13. لَو كانَ يَدري

    لاحٍ يُعَنِّفُ

    If only he knew—

    the reproacher who berates me!

  14. وَفي العِذار عذري

    لَو كانَ يُنصِفُ

    And the down on his cheeks is my excuse,

    if only he were fair.

  15. يَزري بِضوء البَدر

    وَاللَيلُ مُسدِفُ

    He puts the full moon's light to shame

    while the night is dark.

  16. يَهفو فَوقَ حِقف

    لَدناً إِذا اِنثَنى

    He sways above a curved dune,

    supple whenever he bends.

  17. وَعهدنا بِالكُثُبِ

    لا تُنبِتُ القَنا

    Yet we have known dunes

    not to sprout spear-shafts.

  18. مالي يَدُ فَأَقوى

    بالصَدِّ وَالنَوى

    I have no strength to endure

    rejection and separation.

  19. فارحم حَليفَ بلوى

    قَد شفَّه الهَوى

    So pity one bound to affliction,

    whom passion has worn away.

  20. لا يَستَطيعُ شَكوى

    مِن شَدّة الجَوى

    He cannot voice a complaint,

    so fierce is his burning grief.

  21. حمل بقدر ضَعفي

    جِسمي مِن الضَنا

    Burden, in proportion to my weakness,

    my body with wasting sickness;

  22. ومنِّني بالكذب

    يا غايَةَ المُنى

    and give me hope through lies,

    O ultimate object of my wishes.

  23. يا دائِم الجِدالِ

    تَنهى وَتأمرُ

    O ceaseless disputant,

    you forbid and command.

  24. أَضحى عَلى اِبتِذالي

    وَفري يُشاجِرُ

    Now, over my lavish spending,

    my wealth quarrels with me.

  25. إِن قَلَّ وفر مالي

    فالعِرض وافِرُ

    If the abundance of my wealth dwindles,

    my honor remains abundant.

  26. إِن خيفَ حتف

    فالحَديثُ مُعلَنا

    If death is feared,

    then the report is made public,

  27. طَلائِعاً وَحَسبي

    للخطب إِن عَنا

    as harbingers—and enough for me

    against calamity, should it come.

  28. ما العيدُ في الأَيامِ

    يأَتي بأوحد

    No feast-day, among all days,

    brings anyone more peerless,

  29. يا أَوحدَ الأَنامِ

    في كُلِّ سؤدَدِ

    O peerless one among mankind

    in every kind of eminence.

  30. لا زِلتَ كُلَّ عامِ

    عيدَ المعيِّدِ

    May you remain, every year,

    the celebrant's feast.

  31. يا غَوث مَن أَتاهُ

    يا خيف يا مُنى

    O succor to whoever comes to him,

    O Khayf, O Mina,

  32. يا كعبة المُلبّي

    في حَجّكَ الغِنى

    O Kaaba of the pilgrim answering the call,

    in pilgrimage to you lies wealth.