1. أَلا يا خاتَمَ المُلكِ ال

    لَذي في نَيلِهِ إِمرَه

    Ah, O Khatam, seal of kingship,

    whose attainment confers authority.

  2. أَما عِندَكَ لي رِزقٌ

    أُرجّيهِ وَلا قُطرَه

    Have you no bounty for me

    to hope for—not even a drop?

  3. أَما لي مِنكَ إِلّا الشَو

    قُ وَالوَسواسُ وَالحَسرَه

    Have I nothing from you but longing

    and anxious thoughts and sorrow?

  4. سَحَرتِ الرَجُلَ الحُرَّ

    وَما حَلَّت لَكِ السَحرَه

    You have bewitched the freeborn man,

    though sorcery was not lawful for you.

  5. وَرَفَّ الهَمُّ يَبريني

    وَيَدعوني الهَوى بُكرَه

    And care hovered, wearing me away,

    and passion summons me in the morning.

  6. كَأَنَّ القَلبَ مِن حُبِّ

    كِ مَوضوعٌ عَلى جَمرَه

    As though my heart, from love

    of you, were laid upon a glowing coal.

  7. وَما يَلقَى الَّذي لاقَي

    تُ مَولودٌ عَلى الفِطرَه

    And what I have endured is endured by no

    one born with an unspoiled nature.

  8. فُؤادي بِكِ مِشغولٌ

    وَعَقلي مِنكِ في سَكرَه

    My heart is preoccupied with you,

    and my mind is intoxicated by you.

  9. أُريدُ القَتلَ أَحياناً

    وَأَخشى السَيفَ وَالشُهرَه

    At times I desire to kill,

    and I fear the sword and notoriety.

  10. إِذا ما بِتُّ مِن حُبِّ

    كِ أَصبَحتُ عَلى خُمرَه

    Whenever I spend the night in love

    with you, I wake in a drunken haze.

  11. وَتَأبَينُ الَّذي أَهوى

    وَما تَأتينَ مِن عُسرَه

    Yet you refuse what I desire,

    and it is not hardship that makes you do so.

  12. وَلو تَلقينَنا وَاللَ

    هِ أَو نَلقاكِ في سُترَه

    And if you met us—by

    God—or we met you in seclusion,

  13. قَضَينا حاجَةً مِنكِ

    وَلَم نُقدِم عَلى فَجرَه

    we would satisfy a need with you,

    and undertake no sinful deed.

  14. وَصاحٍ مِن هَوى الخاتَ

    مِ يَلحاني عَلى زَفرَه

    And one not drunk with love for Khatam

    reproaches me for a sigh.

  15. فَما أَعتَبتُهُ إِلّا

    بِأُخرى أَورَثَت فَترَه

    So I appeased him only

    with another sigh that brought on lassitude.

  16. يَلومونَ عَلى الخاتَ

    مِ لا طابَت لَهُم عِشرَه

    They blame me for Khatam—

    may companionship bring them no delight!

  17. وَلَو يُبصِرُها العُمّا

    رُ ما طابَت لَهُم عُمرَه

    And if the pilgrims saw her,

    their Umrah would bring them no delight.

  18. أَلا لَيتَ ما شِعري

    فَهَل في اللَيتِ مِن قُدرَه

    Ah, if only I knew!

    But is there any power in 'if only'?

  19. أَتَجزينَ بِما ألقى

    فَقَد ضاقَت بِيَ البَصرَه

    Will you repay me for what I endure?

    For Basra has grown too narrow for me.

  20. وَقَد قُلتُ لَها جودي

    بِوَعدٍ مِنكِ أَو نَظرَه

    And I have said to her: Be generous

    with a promise from you, or a glance.

  21. فَأَودى القَلبُ مِن حُبِّ

    كِ والعَينانِ مِن عَبرَه

    So my heart has perished from love

    of you, and both my eyes from tears.

  22. فَقالَت أَنتَ كَالشَبعا

    نِ لا تَلوي عَلى كِسرَه

    So she said: You are like one sated,

    paying no heed to a crust.

  23. أَتاني مِنكَ ما أَكرَ

    هُ وَالمَكروهُ لي غُدرَه

    From you has come what I detest,

    and what I detest is betrayal.

  24. إِذا لَجَّ الهَوى كُنتَ

    سَراباً لاحَ في قَفرَه

    When passion grows insistent, you are

    a mirage gleaming in a barren waste.

  25. وَإِن كُنتَ كَذي كُنتَ

    هِلالاً لاحَ في غُبرَه

    And if you are like this, you are

    a crescent moon gleaming in a dusty haze.