1. A guest has squeezed my head without modesty
And the sword acts better than it with gentleness
١. ضَيفٌ أَلَمَّ بِرَأسي غَيرَ مُحتَشِمِ
وَالسَيفُ أَحسَنُ فِعلاً مِنهُ بِاللِمَمِ
2. Stay away, you have kept away paleness without paleness for it
You are darker in my eyes than darkness
٢. إِبعِد بَعِدتَ بَياضاً لا بَياضَ لَهُ
لَأَنتَ أَسوَدُ في عَيني مِنَ الظُلَمِ
3. With love for my killer and gray hair I was nourished
My passion a child and my gray hair of mature wisdom
٣. بِحُبِّ قاتِلَتي وَالشَيبِ تَغذِيَتي
هَوايَ طِفلاً وَشَيبي بالِغَ الحُلُمِ
4. I do not pass by a depiction I do not ask about
Nor a veiled one whose wine does not shed my blood
٤. فَما أَمُرُّ بِرَسمٍ لا أُسائِلُهُ
وَلا بِذاتِ خِمارٍ لا تُريقُ دَمي
5. She breathed with loyalty that was not fragmented
The day of departure and people that were not brought together
٥. تَنَفَّسَت عَن وَفاءٍ غَيرِ مُنصَدِعٍ
يَومَ الرَحيلِ وَشَعبٍ غَيرِ مُلتئِمِ
6. I kissed her while my tears blended with her tears
And she kissed me in fearful mouth to mouth
٦. قَبَّلتُها وَدُموعي مَزجُ أَدمُعِها
وَقَبَّلَتني عَلى خَوفٍ فَماً لِفَمِ
7. I tasted the water of life from her kiss
If it poured on dust it would revive past nations
٧. فَذُقتُ ماءَ حَياةٍ مِن مُقَبَّلِها
لَو صابَ تُرباً لَأَحيا سالِفَ الأُمَمِ
8. She looks to me with the eye of a startled gazelle
And wipes the morning dew over roses with her Softness
٨. تَرنو إِلَيَّ بِعَينِ الظَبيِ مُجهِشَةً
وَتَمسَحُ الطَلَّ فَوقَ الوَردِ بِالعَنَمِ
9. Restrain your judgement of us, unjustified
With all the people, I ransom you from judgement
٩. رُوَيدَ حُكمَكِ فينا غَيرَ مُنصِفَةٍ
بِالناسِ كُلِّهِمِ أَفديكِ مِن حَكَمِ
10. You have shown the same despair I have shown
And did not drive me mad like I have been driven mad from pain
١٠. أَبدَيتِ مِثلَ الَّذي أَبدَيتُ مِن جَزَعٍ
وَلَم تُجِنّي الَّذي أَجنَنتُ مِن أَلَمِ
11. So the garment of beauty loosened upon you while still small
And you became like me in two garments of sickness
١١. إِذاً لَبَزَّكَ ثَوبَ الحُسنِ أَصغَرُهُ
وَصِرتِ مِثلِيَ في ثَوبَينِ مِن سَقَمِ
12. Coveting hope is not the habit of a sound person
Nor is contentment with less the trait of my character
١٢. لَيسَ التَعَلُّلُ بِالآمالِ مِن أَرَبي
وَلا القَناعَةُ بِالإِقلالِ مِن شِيَمي
13. Nor do I think the daughters of fate will leave me
Until its paths are blocked to them by my resolves
١٣. وَلا أَظُنُّ بَناتِ الدَهرِ تَترُكُني
حَتّى تَسُدَّ عَلَيها طُرقَها هِمَمي
14. Blame the nights that cheated my grandmother
With the delicacy of the situation, excuse me and do not blame
١٤. لُمِ اللَيالي الَّتي أَخنَت عَلى جِدَتي
بِرِقَّةِ الحالِ وَاِعذُرني وَلا تَلُمِ
15. I see people whose harvest is sheep
And the mention of generosity while my harvest is words
١٥. أَرى أُناساً وَمَحصولي عَلى غَنَمٍ
وَذِكرَ جودٍ وَمَحصولي عَلى الكَلِمِ
16. And a wealthy man made poor by his magnanimity
He did not become rich from it as he enriched from non-existence
١٦. وَرَبَّ مالٍ فَقيراً مِن مُروَّتِهِ
لَم يُثرِ مِنها كَما أَثرى مِنَ العَدَمِ
17. The blade will accompany from me like its wielder
And my matter will become clear from the deafness of the deaf
١٧. سَيَصحَبُ النَصلُ مِنّي مِثلَ مَضرِبِهِ
وَيَنجَلي خَبَري عَن صِمَّةِ الصِمَمِ
18. I have endured until I surpassed the enduring
Now I plunge until I surpass the plunged
١٨. لَقَد تَصَبَّرتُ حَتّى لاتَ مُصطَبَرٍ
فَالآنَ أُقحِمُ حَتّى لاتَ مُقتَحَمِ
19. I will leave the faces of horses quivering
And war is more erect than a leg upon a foot
١٩. لَأَترُكَنَّ وُجوهَ الخَيلِ ساهِمَةً
وَالحَربُ أَقوَمُ مِن ساقٍ عَلى قَدَمِ
20. And the stab sets them ablaze and the shout startles them
As if among them is a kind of test from afflictions
٢٠. وَالطَعنُ يُحرِقُها وَالزَجرُ يُقلِقُها
حَتّى كَأَنَّ بِها ضَرباً مِنَ اللَمَمِ
21. The lofty places have spoken to them, so they yearn
As if the bridle is clasped upon the gums
٢١. قَد كَلَّمَتها العَوالي فَهيَ كالِحَةٌ
كَأَنَّما الصابُ مَعصوبٌ عَلى اللُجُمِ
22. With every blade that is unsheathed, it awaits me
Until I submit to it from the course of servants
٢٢. بِكُلِّ مُنصَلِتٍ ما زالَ مُنتَظِري
حَتّى أَدَلتُ لَهُ مِن دَولَةِ الخَدَمِ
23. An old man who sees the five prayers as voluntary
And sees shedding the blood of pilgrims in the sanctuary as permissible
٢٣. شَيخٍ يَرى الصَلَواتِ الخَمسَ نافِلَةً
وَيَستَحِلُّ دَمَ الحُجّاجِ في الحَرَمِ
24. And whenever he is gored beneath the nostrils with it
The lion of battalions, his thrower, did not throw
٢٤. وَكُلَّما نُطِحَت تَحتَ العَجاجِ بِهِ
أُسدُ الكَتائِبِ رامَتهُ وَلَم يَرِمِ
25. The lands forget the flashes of the drawn sword blazing
And are content with the blood pouring from the veins
٢٥. تُنسى البِلادَ بُروقَ الجَرِّ بارِقَتي
وَتَكتَفي بِالدَمِ الجاري عَنِ الدِيَمِ
26. Return the paddocks of destruction, O self, and leave
The paddocks of fear of destruction for the sheep and goats
٢٦. رِدي حِياضَ الرَدى يا نَفسُ وَاِتَّرِكي
حِياضَ خَوفِ الرَدى لِلشاءِ وَالنِعَمِ
27. If I do not leave you asking about the spears
Then I am not called the son of the mother of glory and generosity
٢٧. إِن لَم أَذَركِ عَلى الأَرماحِ سائِلَةً
فَلا دُعيتُ اِبنَ أُمِّ المَجدِ وَالكَرَمِ
28. Do I possess the kingdom while swords are thirsty
And birds hungry for flesh upon worry
٢٨. أَيَملِكُ المُلكَ وَالأَسيافُ ظامِئَةٌ
وَالطَيرُ جائِعَةٌ لَحمٌ عَلى وَضَمِ
29. One who if he saw me thirsty, he would die of thirst
And if I appeared to him in sleep, he would not sleep
٢٩. مَن لَو رَآنِيَ ماءً ماتَ مِن ظَمَأٍ
وَلَو مَثَلتُ لَهُ في النَومِ لَم يَنَمِ
30. The promised time for all soft bellied slaves is tomorrow
And those among the kings of Arabs and non-Arabs who disobeyed
٣٠. ميعادُ كُلِّ رَقيقِ الشَفرَتَينِ غَداً
وَمَن عَصى مِن مُلوكِ العُربِ وَالعَجَمِ
31. If they respond, I do not intend them by it
And if they turn away, I am not pleased with them for it
٣١. فَإِن أَجابوا فَما قَصدي بِها لَهُمُ
وَإِن تَوَلَّوا فَما أَرضى لَها بِهِمِ