Al-Burda

أمِنْ تذَكُّرِ جيرانٍ بذي سلمِA-min tadhakkuri jīrānin bi-Dhī SalamiIs it from remembering neighbours at Dhū Salam

مزجتَ دمعاً جرى من مقلةٍ بدمِmazajta damʿan jarā min muqlatin bi-damithat you have mixed tears flowing from your eye with blood?

أمْ هبَّتِ الريحُ من تلقاءِ كاظمةٍAm habbati r-rīḥu min tilqāʾi KāẓimatinOr has the wind blown from the direction of Kāẓima,

وأوْمَضَ البَرْقُ في الظلْماءِ مِنْ إضَمِwa-awmaḍa l-barqu fi ẓ-ẓalmāʾi min Iḍamiand lightning flashed in the darkness from Iḍam?

فما لعينيكَ إن قلتَ اكففا هَمَتاFa-mā li-ʿaynayka in qulta kfufā hamatāWhat ails your eyes, that when you say "hold back" they stream,

ومَا لِقَلْبِك إنْ قُلْتَ اسْتَفِقْ يَهِمِwa-mā li-qalbika in qulta stafiq yahimiand your heart, that when you say "come to your senses" it wanders?

أَيَحْسَبُ الصَّبُّ أنَّ الحُبَّ مُنْكتِمٌA-yaḥsabu ṣ-ṣabbu anna l-ḥubba munkatimunDoes the lover think that love can be hidden,

ما بَيْنَ مُنْسَجِم منهُ ومضطَرِمِmā bayna munsajimin minhu wa-muḍṭarimibetween a flood of tears and a heart on fire?

لولاَ الهَوَى لَمْ تُرِقْ دَمْعاً عَلَى طَلَلٍLawlā l-hawā lam turiq damʿan ʿalā ṭalalinWere it not for passion you would not shed tears over a ruin,

ولا أرقتَ لذكرِ البانِ والعَلمِwa-lā ariqta li-dhikri l-bāni wa-l-ʿalaminor lie sleepless at the mention of the willow and the mountain.

فكيفَ تُنْكِرُ حُبَّا بعدَ ما شَهِدَتْFa-kayfa tunkiru ḥubban baʿda mā shahidatSo how can you deny a love,

بهِ عليكَ عدولُ الدَّمْعِ والسَّقَمbihi ʿalayka ʿudūlu d-damʿi wa-s-saqamiwhen the honest witnesses of tears and sickness have testified against you?

وَأثْبَتَ الوجْدُ خَطَّيْ عَبْرَةٍ وضَنًىWa-athbata l-wajdu khaṭṭay ʿabratin wa-ḍananLonging has fixed two lines of weeping and wasting

مِثْلَ البَهارِ عَلَى خَدَّيْكَ والعَنَمِmithla l-bahāri ʿalā khaddayka wa-l-ʿanamion your cheeks, like the yellow of narcissus and the red of the ʿanam berry.

نعمْ سرى طيفُ من أهوى فأرقنيNaʿam sarā ṭayfu man ahwā fa-arraqanīYes, the phantom of the one I love came by night and kept me awake;

والحُبُّ يَعْتَرِضُ اللَّذاتِ بالأَلَمِwa-l-ḥubbu yaʿtariḍu l-ladhdhāti bi-l-alamilove blocks pleasure with pain.

يا لائِمِي في الهَوَى العُذْرِيِّ مَعْذِرَةًYā lāʾimī fi l-hawā l-ʿudhriyyi maʿdhiratanYou who blame me for a chaste love, accept my excuse;

منِّي إليكَ ولو أنصفتَ لم تلُمِminnī ilayka wa-law anṣafta lam talumihad you been fair, you would not blame.

عَدَتْكَ حالِيَ لا سِرِّي بمُسْتَتِرٍʿAdatka ḥāliya lā sirrī bi-mustatirinMay my state pass you by: my secret is not hidden

عن الوُشاةِ ولادائي بمنحسمِʿani l-wushāti wa-lā dāʾī bi-munḥasimifrom slanderers, nor is my sickness cut off.

مَحَّضَتْنِي النُّصْحَ لكِنْ لَسْتُ أَسْمَعُهُMaḥḥaḍatniya n-nuṣḥa lākin lastu asmaʿuhuYou gave me sincere advice, but I do not hear it;

إنَّ المُحِبَّ عَن العُذَّالِ في صَمَمِinna l-muḥibba ʿani l-ʿudhdhāli fī ṣamamithe lover is deaf to those who reproach.

إني اتهمتُ نصيحَ الشيبِ في عذلٍInnī ttahamtu naṣīḥa sh-shaybi fī ʿadhalinI even suspected the counsel of grey hair in its reproach,

والشَّيْبُ أَبْعَدُ في نُصْحٍ عَنِ التُّهَمwa-sh-shaybu abʿadu fī nuṣḥin ʿani t-tuhamithough grey hair is the furthest of advisers from suspicion.