لو كان بالصبرِ الجميلِ مَلاذُه

لو كان بالصبرِ الجميلِ مَلاذُه

ما سَحَّ وابِلُ دَمْعِه ورَذاذُهُ

ما سَحَّ وابِلُ دَمْعِه ورَذاذُهُ

Had his refuge been in gracious patience,

If patience and forbearance were his refuge

neither the torrent of his tears nor their drizzle would have flowed.

His tears and sorrow would not have flowed

ما زال جيشُ الحبِّ يَغْزو قلبه

ما زال جيشُ الحبِّ يَغْزو قلبه

حتى وَهَى فتقطعتْ أَفْلاذه

حتى وَهَى فتقطعتْ أَفْلاذه

Love's army never ceased invading his heart,

The army of love still storms his heart

until it weakened and was torn to shreds.

Until his vitals wore out and severed

لم يَبْقَ فيه مع الغرام بقيةٌ

لم يَبْقَ فيه مع الغرام بقيةٌ

إلا رَسيس تحتويه جُذاذه

إلا رَسيس تحتويه جُذاذه

Passion left no remnant within it,

Naught remains in him, save the sigh

save a faint trace enclosed within its shards.

That his ribs contain, a hollow sound

من كان يرغبُ في السلامة فلْيَكُن

من كان يرغبُ في السلامة فلْيَكُن

أبداً من الحَدَق المِراضِ عياذُه

أبداً من الحَدَق المِراضِ عياذُه

Whoever desires safety, let him

He who desires salvation, let him be

always seek refuge from languishing eyes.

Safe from the mischievous and playful eyes

لا تَغْرُرَنَّك بالفتورِ فإنه

لا تَغْرُرَنَّك بالفتورِ فإنه

مرضٌ يضرُّ بقلِبك اسْتِلْذاذه

مرضٌ يضرُّ بقلِبك اسْتِلْذاذه

Let them not deceive you with their languor, for it

Be not fooled by indifference, for

is a sickness; delighting in it harms your heart.

It is an ailment that hurts your heart when it allures

يا أيُّها الرَّشَأُ الذي مِنْ لحظِه

يا أيُّها الرَّشَأُ الذي مِنْ لحظِه

سهمٌ إلى حَبِّ القلوب نَفاذه

سهمٌ إلى حَبِّ القلوب نَفاذه

O young gazelle, from whose glance

Oh you, whose glance is like

an arrow pierces straight to the cores of hearts.

An arrow shot straight to the hearts when it desires

دُرٌّ يلوح بِفيكَ من نَظّامُه

دُرٌّ يلوح بِفيكَ من نَظّامُه

خمرٌ يجول عليه مَنْ نَبّاذُه

خمرٌ يجول عليه مَنْ نَبّاذُه

Pearls gleam in your mouth—who strung them?

A pearl shining through your mouth from its stringer

Wine swirls over them—who brewed it?

Wine stirred by the one who fetched it

وقناةُ ذاك القَدِّ كيف تَقوَّمت

وقناةُ ذاك القَدِّ كيف تَقوَّمت

وسِنان ذاك اللحظِ ما فُولاذه

وسِنان ذاك اللحظِ ما فُولاذه

And the spear-shaft of that figure—how was it straightened?

That waist, how could it straighten

And the spearhead of that glance—of what steel is it made?

And the teeth of that glance, what is their mettle

رِفْقاً بجسمك لا يذوبُ فإنني

رِفْقاً بجسمك لا يذوبُ فإنني

أخشى بأنْ يَجْفو عليه لاذُه

أخشى بأنْ يَجْفو عليه لاذُه

Be gentle with your body, lest it melt away, for I

Gently, lest your body melts, for I

fear that its silk may hang loose upon it.

Fear it might dry up and lose its moisture

هاروتُ يَعْجِز عن مَواقعِ سِحْره

هاروتُ يَعْجِز عن مَواقعِ سِحْره

وهو الإمامُ فمن تُرى أستاذه

وهو الإمامُ فمن تُرى أستاذه

Harut cannot rival the effects of his magic;

Harut is helpless against his sorcery

and he is the master—who, do you think, is his teacher?

And he is the Imam, who then is his mentor

تاللهِ ما علقتْ مَحاسُنك أمرأً

تاللهِ ما علقتْ مَحاسُنك أمرأً

إلا وعزَّ على الورى اسْتِنْقاذه

إلا وعزَّ على الورى اسْتِنْقاذه

By God, your charms have never ensnared a man

By Allah, your beauty has not fancied

without his rescue proving hard for all mankind.

Anyone unless it was hard to retrieve him back

أَغْزيتَ حبَّك في القلوبِ فأذعنتْ

أَغْزيتَ حبَّك في القلوبِ فأذعنتْ

طَوْعاً وقد أَوْدَى بها اسْتِحواذه

طَوْعاً وقد أَوْدَى بها اسْتِحواذه

You sent your love to invade hearts, and they submitted

You have invaded with your love in the hearts

willingly, though its dominion has destroyed them.

So they surrendered, totally dominated

مالي أتيتُ الحظَّ من أبوابه

مالي أتيتُ الحظَّ من أبوابه

جهدي فَدام نفورُه ولواذه

جهدي فَدام نفورُه ولواذه

Why, though I approached fortune through its gates,

Why did I approach fortune from its doors

with all my might, did it keep shunning and evading me?

My efforts failed, so persistent was its refusal

إياكَ من طمعِ المُنَى فعَزيزه

إياكَ من طمعِ المُنَى فعَزيزه

كذَليله وغنيُّه شَحّاذه

كذَليله وغنيُّه شَحّاذه

Beware the greed of hopes, for its mighty

Beware the greed of wishes, for rarely

are like its lowly, and its rich are its beggars.

Can the humble get it, while the rich are deprived

ذالية ابن دريد استهوى بها

ذالية ابن دريد استهوى بها

قوماً غداةَ نَبتْ به بغداذه

قوماً غداةَ نَبتْ به بغداذه

Ibn Duraid, with his dhāl-rhymed ode, beguiled

A lady, Ibn Duraid was infatuated with

some people, the morning his Baghdad grew inhospitable to him.

A people were ruins when she blossomed in Baghdad

دانوا لُزخرفِ قوله فتفرقوا

دانوا لُزخرفِ قوله فتفرقوا

طمعاً فهم صَرْعاه أو جُذّاذه

طمعاً فهم صَرْعاه أو جُذّاذه

They bowed to the glitter of his speech, then scattered

They succumbed to the adornment of his words and scattered

out of greed; they are its fallen victims or its shattered fragments.

Seeking her, some attained her, some flirted

من قَدَّر الرزقَ الذي لك أَيْنَما

من قَدَّر الرزقَ الذي لك أَيْنَما

قد كان ليس يضرُّه إنفاذه

قد كان ليس يضرُّه إنفاذه

He who apportioned your sustenance, wherever

He who apportioned you your sustenance wherever

it may be, is not harmed by sending it forth.

It has been, does not harm him to grant it