يا غُلاماً يَوَدُّ كِت

يا غُلاماً يَوَدُّ كِت

مانَ أَمرٍ لَهُ فَشا

مانَ أَمرٍ لَهُ فَشا

O boy, who wishes to conceal

O youth who desires concealment of a matter causing him anguish,

O young lad desiring the concealment

an affair of his now spread abroad,

Do you think that aloofness from me was defiance or bashfulness?

Of a secret affair that has already spread wide

أَتَرى أَنَّ ما بِنا

أَتَرى أَنَّ ما بِنا

صَمَمٌ عَنكَ أَو عَشا

صَمَمٌ عَنكَ أَو عَشا

do you think what ails us

We have seen your expertise in barely perceptible intimate discourse,

Do you imagine that what afflicts us

is deafness to you, or dimness of sight?

And your companionship in softness when you fear harshness.

Is deafness regarding you, or blindness?

قَد رَأَينا اِختِصاصَ طَر

قَد رَأَينا اِختِصاصَ طَر

فِكَ بِاللَمحِ خَنبَشا

فِكَ بِاللَمحِ خَنبَشا

We have seen your gaze single out

Words that in their phrasing are either gentle or embellished,

We have observed the devotion of your eye

Khanbash with its fleeting glances,

Tell me, may I ransom you, O my soul, O emulator of sprinkling.

In casting glances towards Khanbasha

وَتُواليكَ بِالرِقا

وَتُواليكَ بِالرِقا

عِ إِذا خِفتَ مِن وَشا

عِ إِذا خِفتَ مِن وَشا

and your repeated sending of notes

Why do you choose companions, powerless, blind and deaf?

And how he plies you with written notes

whenever you fear a tale-bearer,

Do you not restrain yourself from the wrong, in the path of the misguided one who walked

Whenever you fear a slanderer

حاكِياتٍ بِلَفظِها

حاكِياتٍ بِلَفظِها

عُروَةً أَو مُرَقَّشا

عُروَةً أَو مُرَقَّشا

their wording echoing

And found censure lost, so he pastured on it and became cautious?

Notes that mimic, in their wording,

ʿUrwa or Muraqqash.

Then he twisted his beard, stretching from it and shaking off.

The eloquence of Urwa or al-Muraqqash

خَبِّرَنّي فَدَتكَ نَف

خَبِّرَنّي فَدَتكَ نَف

سي أَيا مُشبِهَ الرَشا

سي أَيا مُشبِهَ الرَشا

Tell me—may my soul ransom you—

So if you see him while the scruff is recalcitrant,

Tell me—may my soul be your ransom,

O you who resemble a young gazelle,

You’d say a shepherd filled up then went to herd rams.

O you who resemble the young fawn—

لِمَ تَختارُ أُنوكاً

لِمَ تَختارُ أُنوكاً

خامِلَ القَدرِ أَعمَشا

خامِلَ القَدرِ أَعمَشا

why do you choose a fool,

Why would you choose a fool,

low in standing and blear-eyed?

Of obscure standing and watery eyes?

أَوَما تَرعَوي عَنِ ال

أَوَما تَرعَوي عَنِ ال

غَيِّ في شَرِّ مَن مَشى

غَيِّ في شَرِّ مَن مَشى

And will you not desist from

Will you not desist from this error

this folly over the worst man ever to walk?

Regarding the vilest wretch who ever walked?

وَجَدَ اللَومَ ضائِعاً

وَجَدَ اللَومَ ضائِعاً

فَرَعى فيهِ وَاِختَشى

فَرَعى فيهِ وَاِختَشى

He found reproach going to waste,

He found that reproach was wasted on him,

so he grazed on it and stuffed himself.

So he grazed within it, yet grew fearful

ثُمَّ أَلوى بِلِحيَةٍ

ثُمَّ أَلوى بِلِحيَةٍ

مَدَّ مِنها وَنَفَّشا

مَدَّ مِنها وَنَفَّشا

Then he flourished a beard,

Then he twisted a beard,

stretching it out and fluffing it up.

Which he tugged at and teased out

فَإِذا ما رَأَيتَهُ

فَإِذا ما رَأَيتَهُ

وَهوَ مُستَفحِلُ الحَشا

وَهوَ مُستَفحِلُ الحَشا

And whenever you see him,

So that when you behold him

with his belly swollen huge,

Swelling his gut like a stallion,

قُلتَ راعٍ مُمَلأً

قُلتَ راعٍ مُمَلأً

راحَ يَستاقُ أَكبُشا

راحَ يَستاقُ أَكبُشا

you would say, 'A well-fed shepherd

You would say: "A stuffed shepherd

has gone off driving rams.'

Setting out to drive his rams."