ما لسلمي يهزها الخيلاء

يتهادى بها الهوى والهواء

What has come over Salma, swayed by conceit?

Passion and the breeze bear her gently along.

لم تكن قبل هكذا العذراء

أو مغريها أننا الأسراء

The maiden was never like this before.

Or is she enticed by our being captives?

أو مغويها منهم الإطراء

خدعوها بقولهم حسناء

Or is it their flattery that beguiles her?

They deceived her by calling her a beauty.

والغواني يغرهن الثناء

كان قلبي في راحتيها وحيدا

And beauties are beguiled by praise.

My heart alone lay in her two palms.

كنت وحدي في الحب أحيا سعيدا

هي كانت عرشي وكنت الرشيدا

I alone lived happily in love.

She was my throne, and I was al-Rashid.

كم تغنيت بالقريض عليها

فلفت العيون منكم إليها

How often I sang of her in verse!

So I drew your eyes toward her.

ما تراها تناست اسمي لما

كثرت في غرامها الأسماء

Why, do you think, did she pretend to forget my name when

the names of her lovers multiplied?

مغرم كلهم بسلماي مثلي

كلهم في الغرام فاقد عقل

Every one is enamored of my Salma, like me.

Every one has lost his reason in love.

زاحموني وضايقوها لأجلي

زاحموني وعلموها التجني

They jostled me and harassed her because of me.

They jostled me and taught her to be unjust.

فتناست ما كان منها ومني

إن رأتني تميل عني كأن لم

So she feigned forgetting what had passed between us.

If she sees me, she turns away, as though there had never

تك بيني وبينها أشياء

داخل العجب نفسها فتعالت

been anything between her and me.

Conceit entered her soul, and she grew haughty.

واستطالت عن عاشقيها وصالت

وتراءت لها القلوب فجالت

And she held herself aloof from her lovers and swaggered.

Hearts appeared before her, and she roamed among them.

أشرقت بين مدنفيها كشمس

ذكروها ما كان منها بأمس

She shone like a sun among those lovesick for her.

They reminded her of what she had done yesterday:

نظرة فابتسامة فسلام

فكلام فموعد فلقاء

A glance, then a smile, then a greeting,

then talk, then an appointment, then a meeting.

هي سلمى كما علمت أمامي

وأنا النامي في هواها غرامي

She is Salma, as you know, here before me.

And I am one whose passion grows in loving her.

لم يزل بعد في يديها زمامي

هي سلمى بعينها هي سلمى

My reins are still in her hands.

She is the very same Salma; she is Salma.

هي سلمى ولا أزيدك علما

يوم كنا ولا تسل كيف كنا

She is Salma, and I add nothing to what you know.

The day we were together—do not ask how we were—

نتهادى من الهوى ما نشاء

ذلك العهد بين سلمى وبيني

we gave each other as much love as we wished.

That time between Salma and me,

يوم كنا فيما يرى توأمين

لست أنسى ولم يزل نصب عيني

when, to all appearances, we were twins,

I do not forget; it is still before my eyes.

لست أنساه ليته اليوم عادا

يوم وافت ونحن فيه فرادى

I do not forget it; if only it would return today!

The day she came, when we were alone,

وعلينا من العفاف رقيب

تعبت في مراسة الأهواء

and chastity kept watch over us,

I grew weary wrestling with passions.

كاشفتني بالحب فازددت حبا

ساءلتني هل لم تزل بي صبا

She confessed her love to me, and I grew more in love.

She asked me, “Are you still lovesick for me?”

قلت قلبي أدرى فنادت فلبى

فحصته فلم تجده خليا

I said, “My heart knows best”; she called, and it answered.

She examined it and did not find it free of love.

أظهرت حينذاك عطفا عليا

جاذبتني ثوب العصى وقالت

She then showed tenderness toward me.

She tugged with me at the robe of defiance and said:

أنتم الناس أيها الشعراء

كم سحرتم بقولكم من عقول

“You are the true people, O poets!

How many minds you have bewitched with your words!

كم غررتم بسحركم من جميل

كم أقمتم على الهوى من دليل

How many beauties you have deceived with your magic!

How many proofs of love you have furnished!

كم فتنتم بشعركم من غواني

كم تركتم من غادة في افتتان

How many beauties you have captivated with your poetry!

How many lovely maidens you have left infatuated!

فاتقوا الله في خداع العذارى

فالعذارى قلوبهن هواء

So fear God in your deceit of maidens,

for maidens’ hearts are air.”