لَجَأْتُ إِلى عُتْبَاكَ فاسْتَبْقِ مَنْ لَجَا

لَجَأْتُ إِلى عُتْبَاكَ فاسْتَبْقِ مَنْ لَجَا

ولا تَفْتَحَنْ بابًا إِلى العَتْبِ مُرْتَجا

ولا تَفْتَحَنْ بابًا إِلى العَتْبِ مُرْتَجا

I sought refuge in your pardon; spare the one who sought refuge.

I seek refuge in your rebuke, so hasten to help one who seeks refuge,

And do not open a bolted door to reproach.

And open not a door to blame with eager haste,

فإِنَّكَ لو أَنصفَت في الوُدِّ صاحبًا

فإِنَّكَ لو أَنصفَت في الوُدِّ صاحبًا

جَعَلْتَ له فيما تَوَهَّمْتَ مَخْرَجَا

جَعَلْتَ له فيما تَوَهَّمْتَ مَخْرَجَا

For if you treated a friend fairly in affection,

For if you judge fairly one friendly with love

you would give him a way out of what you imagined.

You make for him in what you suspect an escape,

أُعيذُكَ أَن يقتادَكَ الظَّنُّ طَوْعَهُ

أُعيذُكَ أَن يقتادَكَ الظَّنُّ طَوْعَهُ

قَيَثْنِيكَ عن سُبْلِ الوفاءِ مُعَرِّجا

قَيَثْنِيكَ عن سُبْلِ الوفاءِ مُعَرِّجا

I seek to shield you from suspicion leading you at its bidding,

I bid you beware lest fancy lead you blindly

then turning you aside from the paths of loyalty.

To turn you from the paths of loyalty swerving,

فقد خاطَبَتْنِي مقلتَاكَ بباطلٍ

فقد خاطَبَتْنِي مقلتَاكَ بباطلٍ

طويتَ عليه باطنًا مُتَأَجِّجَا

طويتَ عليه باطنًا مُتَأَجِّجَا

For your two eyes have spoken to me with a falsehood,

For your glances have addressed me with falsehood

which you harbored in a heart ablaze.

Veiling over it an inward fire surging,

أَتُوبُ من الذنبِ الذي سُؤْتَنِي له

أَتُوبُ من الذنبِ الذي سُؤْتَنِي له

وإِن كنتُ منه لم أَزَلْ مُتَحَرِّجا

وإِن كنتُ منه لم أَزَلْ مُتَحَرِّجا

I repent of the fault for which you hurt me,

I repent of the sin to which I was tempted

though I have always scrupulously avoided it.

Though I was not thereby made to swerve,

ولو كانَ ما خَيَّلْتَ ما كَانَ بدْعَةً

ولو كانَ ما خَيَّلْتَ ما كَانَ بدْعَةً

هُوَ الرَّبْعُ جادَتْهُ السّحابُ فأَبْهَجا

هُوَ الرَّبْعُ جادَتْهُ السّحابُ فأَبْهَجا

And even if what you imagined were true, it would be nothing new:

Had that you fancied been no innovation

it is the dwelling the clouds watered, and it grew lovely.

It is the rain-watered garden land flourishing,

سواك يُمِيلُ المرءُ عنه فؤادَهُ

سواك يُمِيلُ المرءُ عنه فؤادَهُ

ويُسْلِكُهُ غَيْرَ المَوَدَّةِ منهجا

ويُسْلِكُهُ غَيْرَ المَوَدَّةِ منهجا

A man may turn his heart away from anyone but you,

Other than you the heart of man inclines from

and lead it along a path other than affection.

And threads a path other than love pursuing,

أَدَرْتَ على قَلْبِي هَوَاكَ سُلافَةً

أَدَرْتَ على قَلْبِي هَوَاكَ سُلافَةً

فَحَيَّاهُ روضٌ من ثَنَاكَ تَأَرَّجا

فَحَيَّاهُ روضٌ من ثَنَاكَ تَأَرَّجا

You poured your love upon my heart as pure wine,

You turned your love gently into my heart

and a fragrant garden of praise for you greeted it.

So it came alive, a meadow of your watering,

وقُمْتَ بِهِ وإِنْ جَلَّ قَدْرُهُ

وقُمْتَ بِهِ وإِنْ جَلَّ قَدْرُهُ

حَفِيفًا على ظَهْرِ المُرُوءَةِ والحِجا

حَفِيفًا على ظَهْرِ المُرُوءَةِ والحِجا

And you bore it, great though its worth,

And you stood by it, though far greater its merit

lightly on the back of noble virtue and reason.

Murmuring over the back of manhood and caution,

فما بالُ بحرِ الوُدِّ جاشَ تَغَيُّراً

فما بالُ بحرِ الوُدِّ جاشَ تَغَيُّراً

وَعَهْدِي به يَشْجُو الأَعادِي إِذا سَجَا

وَعَهْدِي به يَشْجُو الأَعادِي إِذا سَجَا

Why, then, has the sea of affection turned turbulent,

Why then did the sea of love boil in change

when I knew it to grieve foes whenever it lay calm?

When my pact with it was to still foes in flowing?

وما رَاعَني إِلاَّ انبساطٌ طَوَيْتَه

وما رَاعَني إِلاَّ انبساطٌ طَوَيْتَه

مَلاَلاً كما تَطْوِي الأَنامِلُ مَدْرَجَا

مَلاَلاً كما تَطْوِي الأَنامِلُ مَدْرَجَا

And nothing alarmed me but an openness you folded away,

Naught disturbed me save a relaxation you folded

out of weariness, as fingers roll up a scroll.

Wearily, as the fingers fold a letter,

ظمِئتُ وقد يَظْمَا البعيدُ مناهِلاً

ظمِئتُ وقد يَظْمَا البعيدُ مناهِلاً

وصادَفْتُ ذاكَ العَذْبَ منك تَمَرَّجا

وصادَفْتُ ذاكَ العَذْبَ منك تَمَرَّجا

I thirsted—and one far from watering places may thirst—

I thirsted, and the distant one may thirst by springs,

and found that sweet water from you had turned bitter.

And I met that sweetness from you oozing,

ولاحَ هجيرُ الهَجْرِ مِنِّيَ بَهْجَةً

ولاحَ هجيرُ الهَجْرِ مِنِّيَ بَهْجَةً

عَدِمْتُ لها ظِلاًّ ببابكَ سَجْسَجَا

عَدِمْتُ لها ظِلاًّ ببابكَ سَجْسَجَا

And estrangement's noonday heat scorched the joy from me;

The howl of estrangement gleamed in me with joy

I found no temperate shade for it at your door.

For which I lacked a shadow by your gate murmuring,

أَتَثْنِي وِدادِي الحفيظَةُ مُرَّةٌ

أَتَثْنِي وِدادِي الحفيظَةُ مُرَّةٌ

لِظَنِّ دَجَا في وجهِ عُذْرٍ تَبَلَّجَا

لِظَنِّ دَجَا في وجهِ عُذْرٍ تَبَلَّجَا

Can bitter indignation turn aside my affection

Does my firm love sometimes bend to a thought

because of a suspicion grown dark in the face of an excuse shining clear?

Of blame that dawned, a face of excuse adorning?

غدا صائِغًا فيكُمْ حُلِيَّ قصائدٍ

غدا صائِغًا فيكُمْ حُلِيَّ قصائدٍ

فَطَوَّقَ أَجيادًا بِهِنَّ وَتَوَّجَا

فَطَوَّقَ أَجيادًا بِهِنَّ وَتَوَّجَا

It became a goldsmith, fashioning poetic ornaments for you,

Tomorrow composing among you necklaces of verse

then decked necks with them and crowned heads.

And crowning nobles with them, embellishing,

أَقِلْ ذا ضُلوعٍ أَضْرَمَ الوجدُ نارَها

أَقِلْ ذا ضُلوعٍ أَضْرَمَ الوجدُ نارَها

وإِنْ كانَ في بحر المُصافاةِ لَجَّجَا

وإِنْ كانَ في بحر المُصافاةِ لَجَّجَا

Pardon one whose ribs longing has set ablaze,

Restrain one whose ribs passion’s fire has scorched

even if he has ventured deep into the sea of sincere friendship.

Though in the sea of concord he was plunging,

فقد راحَ مسلوبَ العَزَاءِ كأَنَّه

فقد راحَ مسلوبَ العَزَاءِ كأَنَّه

ووُقِّيتَ مما يَضْرِبُ اللَّوْمَ أَهْوَجَا

ووُقِّيتَ مما يَضْرِبُ اللَّوْمَ أَهْوَجَا

For he has gone bereft of patience, as though he

For he went bereft of solace as though

—and may you be spared his plight—were lashing out at reproach in a frenzy.

And you were protected from what strikes with madness,