فَعلَتْ هذِه الجفونُ الضَّواري

فَعلَتْ هذِه الجفونُ الضَّواري

بقلوبِ الرجالِ فِعْلَ القَماري

بقلوبِ الرجالِ فِعْلَ القَماري

These ravening eyelids have done

These eyelids have made

to men's hearts what turtledoves do.

Men's hearts gamble like gamblers',

ظلَمتْ أُمُّ ذا الغزالِ وجارتْ

ظلَمتْ أُمُّ ذا الغزالِ وجارتْ

حين جاءتْ به على الأقمار

حين جاءتْ به على الأقمار

The mother of this gazelle wronged and acted unjustly

The mother of the gazelle was unjust

when she brought him forth against the moons.

When she brought it under the moons.

يا حياتي وأنتَ ضِدُّ حياتي

يا حياتي وأنتَ ضِدُّ حياتي

وقَراري وأنت غَيثُ قَراري

وقَراري وأنت غَيثُ قَراري

O my life, though you are the opposite of my life,

O my life, you are against my life,

and my repose, while you are the rain of my repose.

And my stay, you are rain to my stay,

يا سَخيّاً بكلِّ ما لا يُريدُ الصْ

يا سَخيّاً بكلِّ ما لا يُريدُ الصْ

صَبُّ من جَفوةٍ ومن نَأْي دار

صَبُّ من جَفوةٍ ومن نَأْي دار

O you who lavish all that is unwanted by the love-

O you who lavish all that the intimate friend dislikes,

stricken one: coldness and a dwelling far away.

Pouring estrangement and remote home.

إن دَهراً نأَى بشَخْصِك عنّا

إن دَهراً نأَى بشَخْصِك عنّا

لَمُسِرٌّ عداوةَ الأغمار

لَمُسِرٌّ عداوةَ الأغمار

Indeed, a time that carried you far from us

If fate kept your person away from us

surely harbors the enmity of simpletons.

Enmity of times would be delightful.

بكَ عَيْشي إذا أردْتَ ومَوتي

بكَ عَيْشي إذا أردْتَ ومَوتي

قد جعَلْناك فيهما بالخِيار

قد جعَلْناك فيهما بالخِيار

Through you come my life, if you wish, and my death;

You control my life if you wish and my death,

we have left you free to choose between them.

We made you in both with the choice.

ليس لي من دُنُوِّ دارِك إلاّ

ليس لي من دُنُوِّ دارِك إلاّ

ما لقلبي من خُطّةِ الاِخْتيار

ما لقلبي من خُطّةِ الاِخْتيار

Of nearness to your house, I have nothing except

I have of the nearness of your house only

what my heart has through the course of its own choice.

What my heart has of the mark of choice.

بدَنٌ تحت قَبضةِ السُّقمِ مُلقىً

بدَنٌ تحت قَبضةِ السُّقمِ مُلقىً

وفؤادٌ في مِخْلَبِ الاِفتكار

وفؤادٌ في مِخْلَبِ الاِفتكار

A body cast down beneath the grip of sickness,

A body thrown under illness' grasp

and a heart in the talon of brooding.

And a heart in imagination's claw.

إنّ بينَ الإزارِ خَصْراً حكاني

إنّ بينَ الإزارِ خَصْراً حكاني

فكأنّ الزُّنّارَ في الزُّنّار

فكأنّ الزُّنّارَ في الزُّنّار

Indeed, within the waistcloth is a waist that resembles me,

Between the waist wrapper a slender waist so

so it is as though a girdle lay within a girdle.

As if the belt is in the belt.

صنَمٌ غيرَ أنّه يَفْتِنُ الكُلْ

صنَمٌ غيرَ أنّه يَفْتِنُ الكُلْ

لَ من المسلمينَ والكُفّار

لَ من المسلمينَ والكُفّار

An idol—except that he bewitches every-

An idol, but it seduces everybody

one, Muslims and unbelievers alike.

Not only Muslims and infidels.

رَبِّ خُذْ من طَرفْهِ السَّحّارِ

رَبِّ خُذْ من طَرفْهِ السَّحّارِ

وامتَحِنْهُ بحُرقةِ الاِنتظار

وامتَحِنْهُ بحُرقةِ الاِنتظار

My Lord, exact retribution from his spellbinding gaze,

O Lord, take from its charming glance

and test him with the burning ache of waiting,

And test it with the burning of waiting,

وبوَجْدٍ كوَجْدِ حُسّادِ مَوْلا

وبوَجْدٍ كوَجْدِ حُسّادِ مَوْلا

يَ أبي نَصْرٍ الكريمِ النِّجار

يَ أبي نَصْرٍ الكريمِ النِّجار

and with anguish like that of those who envy my lord,

And with a passion like the passion of the enviers of

Abu Nasr, of noble lineage,

My lord Abi Nasr the noble carpenter

الخليعِ العِذارِ جوداً وبأساً

الخليعِ العِذارِ جوداً وبأساً

لا كما قد عَهِدْتَ خَلْعَ العِذار

لا كما قد عَهِدْتَ خَلْعَ العِذار

unbridled in generosity and valor—

The debauched coquettish, lavish and valiant

not as you have known the casting off of the bridle.

Not as you were accustomed to the coquetry of the debauched.

وأخو السَّبقِ في مدىً لا يُرى في

وأخو السَّبقِ في مدىً لا يُرى في

ه لغيرِ الرّجالِ من مِضْمار

ه لغيرِ الرّجالِ من مِضْمار

And foremost on a stretch where no racecourse is seen

And brother of precedence in a field of excellence not seen

for anyone but men.

In it but by men of race‐course,

مُزِجَتْ خَمرةُ الشّبيبةِ منه

مُزِجَتْ خَمرةُ الشّبيبةِ منه

بمِزاجَيْ سكينةٍ ووَقار

بمِزاجَيْ سكينةٍ ووَقار

The wine of youth in him is blended

The wine of youth was mixed in it

with the twin admixtures of calm and dignity.

With equilibrium and dignity.

غيرَ ما رائحٍ بنَشوةِ إعْجا

غيرَ ما رائحٍ بنَشوةِ إعْجا

بٍ ولا مُغْتدٍ بسُكْرِ يَسار

بٍ ولا مُغْتدٍ بسُكْرِ يَسار

He does not go out at evening flushed with self-admira-

Other than the smell of rapture of fascination

tion, nor set out at dawn drunk on wealth.

And other than a revelry with intoxication of ease.

وسجايا لو مسّتِ الماءَ باعوا

وسجايا لو مسّتِ الماءَ باعوا

منه وَزْنَ القِطْميرِ بالدِّينار

منه وَزْنَ القِطْميرِ بالدِّينار

And qualities that, if they touched water, would make people sell

And traits if they touched water would sell

a date-stone skin's weight of it for a dinar.

The weight of musk for a dinar.

حيث فرْعُ السّناء غيرُ قَصيرٍ

حيث فرْعُ السّناء غيرُ قَصيرٍ

ورداءُ البهاء غيرُ مُعار

ورداءُ البهاء غيرُ مُعار

Where glory's bough is not short,

Where the branch of glory is not short

and the mantle of splendor is not borrowed.

And the robe of beauty is not borrowed.

وكأنّ الحديثَ عنه عطايا

وكأنّ الحديثَ عنه عطايا

هُ فما إن تُزادُ في إسفار

هُ فما إن تُزادُ في إسفار

And talk of him is like his gifts—

And as if talking about it gifts

no further disclosure makes them clearer.

If added in travelogues.

ففِداءٌ لأحمدَ النّاسُ إلاّ

ففِداءٌ لأحمدَ النّاسُ إلاّ

أهلَه من حوادثِ الأقدار

أهلَه من حوادثِ الأقدار

May all people be a ransom for Ahmad, except

So people's redemption is Ahmad

his family, against the calamities of fate.

Except his family from turns of fate.