1. Alas, the slanderers claim you are a lover,
A true tale, by the life of Al-Ameriya, sincere,

2. We hung this madness on the straying of passion,
So why, when grey hairs have come, are there still attachments?

3. You are to us a forbidden beloved, with whom
We have made pacts of love, and oaths,

4. She has, in our eyes, despite the slanderers, affection
And memories of her remain, however far absence may spread.

5. Do you think I have turned away out of fear?
That I have become, due to this rejection, blameworthy?

6. How can I find solace away from you, when my heart is impassioned,
Your memory habitual, your phantom a constant visitor?

7. You are a fawn, in whom boys find pleasure,
Your coquetry is seductive, your gaze transcendent.

8. To what extent do Rabab and Zainab cause me to pine,
And Hatim weep for me, the tortured, the sleepless?

9. On every morning of passion, do they summon
Delicate beauties to entice me?

10. Gazelles of the palaces during our sessions upon the carpets,
Pillows for the cheeks laid out over them and textiles?

11. Did they shake the myrtle branches green in leaf,
And wear upon them silken clothes of vibrant hues?

12. They frolic with the pleasure of boys and are led
To the new passion, where the tender youths gather.

13. I was a man who suckled the young of Mei'a,
They made me dizzy with their giddiness.

14. Nights were filled with my pursuit of frivolity incumbent,
And my days were spent absorbed in the heedlessness of youth.

15. But youth fled, and the goals of passion were denied me,
Impeded by obstacles I could no longer surmount.

16. So I turned from temptation to piety,
And said to the maiden of passion: "You are divorced."

17. And I said to the brethren of wine: "Do not draw near,
For you all are nothing but treacherous hypocrites."

18. By God, I do not know, though I was resolute,
Whether I am shunned by fear, or whom I befriend.

19. I am astonished by the hatred and enmity of the envious,
When I have always been of good character with them.

20. They will not be able to destroy what God protects,
Nor thwart what He directs.

21. I have the power to dispel sorrows,
If ever in desolate places they descend upon me.

22. I have a refuge in the lands and a creed,
And I will reach, without doubt, the Abode of Honor.

23. Yet I have a place with the House of Nabhan,
Of righteousness, which I will never forsake.

24. I take as guarantor that I am with Muhammad,
Recipient of Nabhan's Grace, and trusting Ahmed.

25. Three nobles, three oceans,
Three moons, whose light shone radiant.

26. For them the lofty palm grove of glory flourished,
Its roots delved deep into origin and ancestral line.

27. For them the steep mountain of might towered,
With summits of steadfast peaks rising high.

28. For them are numbers in times of calamity, and fortresses,
When the narrow strait constricts and confines.

29. Among them is what their souls have chosen for themselves,
Resolve, purpose, and truth.

30. Generous ones of good stock, pure extraction,
Essence of gentle kings, first of the first,

31. Passing of the cup, filling of heads [with wine],
Joy of souls in profuse generosity,

32. Kissing of cheeks, drinking of wines,
With water from the frontier, transport of kisses,

33. No fatigue, nor striking by fate,
Or changing of fortunes when they befall.

34. Like the chief, lion of the bridegroom,
Pairing of Thursday when passions are inflamed.

35. My brother in might and esteem, peerless,
Possessed of glory, marked with good fortune, that best of men.

36. Bountiful in tithes, perfect in virtues,
Abundant in talents, sweet in transmission.

37. Springtime of eras, pouring of spears,
Like the downpour of clouds when first brought forth.

38. Among the tribes he has, on the day of rivalry,
In merit, become the parable.

39. If you fear some matter, or dread poverty,
And seek ease, then ask of Bakhtan.

40. When fate is harsh, placate it,
Befriend it to gain fortune, request of it to attain.

41. There he sails an endless sea,
Ceaselessly roaming, so fair of face.

42. And who in the wasteland, whether for sustenance,
Or to give charity, one day lingers,

43. Like Bakhtan of virtue and abundant reward,
Among the inhabitants of plain or mountain.

44. Excellent in crafts, pure in nature,
Reviver of sacred law, best of men.

45. I have a generous patron who is pleased with me,
The son of the Prophet, valiant hero.