1. I am overwhelmed by longing, and longing overwhelms me,
And I am amazed at separation and union's strangeness.

2. Do not err, O days, thinking that I see
One hated drawing near or loved ones coming close.

3. By God, my course has seldom swerved
From east to west or sunset to dawn.

4. An evening when I shun most men for their disdain
And take the two roads I always avoid.

5. And how many hands does night's darkness hold for you
That tell that oaths of parting are lies?

6. It kept enemies from you, though they crept up,
And someone veiled came to visit you.

7. A day I watch like a lover's night to see
When the sun will set so I can come to you.

8. My eyes incline to my ears as though
A star remains between them from the night.

9. It has an aura beyond its body in its halo
That comes and goes on an ample chest.

10. I cleave the dark with it. I slacken its reins,
Then I pull them taut repeatedly, and it frolics.

11. I fell which beasts its heels subdue,
And I dismount the same as when I rode up.

12. Horses are few, though numerous in the eye
Of one who does not test them out and ride them.

13. If you do not look beyond the beauty of their forms
And limbs, beauty is veiled from you.

14. By God, the world which brings riders rest
Tortures all who have lofty aspirations.

15. Oh, would that I knew if I should compose
A poem without complaining or blaming fate!

16. But between me and poetry is my heart, O noble lady,
Ever tossing and turning.

17. Camphor's nature is that if I wish to praise it
I do so, but if not, it dictates to me and I write.

18. When a man leaves family behind
And heads for camphor, he is not an exile.

19. A stalwart whose deeds brim with wisdom and reason
And wit he at times accepts and at times resents.

20. When his palm strikes with the sword in battle
You see the sword strikes with the palm.

21. His gifts surpass lingering clouds in abundance,
While his clouds of gifts eventually run dry.

22. Abu Musk, is there some wine left I can have
Now that I've been singing and drinking for ages?

23. You gave in proportion to the span of our days,
While my soul seeks in proportion to your hands' span.

24. If you do not grant me some farmland or domain,
Your generosity clothes me while your work robs me.

25. Laughing on this feast day, each with his beloved,
Are my shoes, while I weep for my absent love.

26. I yearn for my family and crave to see them.
But where are the sand grouse of the Maghreb from me?

27. If it is only Abu Musk or them,
You are sweeter in my heart and more delicious.

28. Every place that nurtures glory is lovable,
And every man who inclines to beauty is beloved.

29. With you, the envious desire what God prevents,
And rugged cliffs and perforated iron prevent.

30. Short of what they seek, if they escaped it
Till death, you would live on and your child grow old.

31. If they ask, give them judgement and rule.
If they seek the superiority in you, disappoint them.

32. If it were possible they could possess your grandeur and gifts—
But some things cannot be granted.

33. Darkest of wrongdoers is one who envies
One who spends his night happy in blessings.

34. You raised this kingdom's prince since he was nursed,
He has no mother but you, no father.

35. You were the lion defending your cub in his den.
But you have only an Indian sword, no claws.

36. You met spears, risking a noble soul,
Fleeing into death's fray to avoid dishonor.

37. One may abandon a soul that knows no fear,
But one salvages a soul that fears and trembles.

38. Your absence did not lack valor and hardship,
But those who faced you were firmer and nobler.

39. Their white blades in white blades were true to them,
Their white blades in white blades were polished.

40. You drew swords that taught every suitor
How to court and propose to each slender bride.

41. The noble deeds attributed to you suffice you
Against what people claim are yours.

42. What tribe competing with you is worthy of you?
Ma'add bin Adnan—for you they sacrifice themselves!

43. I was not distraught when I first saw you,
For I hoped to one day to see you and be distraught.

44. Rhymes accuse me concerning you and my resolve
As though I had sinned praising you already.

45. But the road was long, and I never stopped
Seeking these words, though they were plundered.

46. You roamed east till east had no further east,
And west till west had no further west.

47. When I recite it, no lofty wall or peaked tent
Can keep it from reaching its destination.