1. Absence has beautified our meeting, my eyes
We only meet through the space between us
١. حَسّن الهَجْرَ مع القُرْبِ لعَيْني
أنّنا لا نلتقي إلا بَبيْنِ
2. They bid farewell and my heart went with them
May God water the land of the two lovers
٢. وَدَّعونا وفؤادي مَعهمْ
يا سقَى اللهُ عهودَ الظْاعنَيْن
3. My eyelids were confused by their crying
Was it because of two loved ones or two dark nights?
٣. واستَرابَتْ ببُكاها مُقلتي
كان مِن شَأْنَين أو من وَدَجَيْن
4. Whenever they heard of a war one day
They started it between my days and me
٤. كُلُّ حَربٍ سَمِعوا يوماً بها
أوقَعوها بين أيّامي وبَيْني
5. When the teary eyes go to war
They make you forget the war of the two lovers
٥. والعيونُ العامريّاتُ إذا
فتكَتْ أنستْكَ فَتْكَ العامِرَيْن
6. With arrows creation never formed
And swords no warrior's hand has ever polished
٦. بسهامٍ ما بَراها صَنَعٌ
وسُيوفٍ ما جلَتْها يَدُ قَيْن
7. My excuse for my growing passion
And the flowing of the drops of my two tears
٧. منَ عَذيري مِن تَمادي حُرَقي
وتَوالي قَطَراتِ الدَّمْعَتَيْن
8. I have a love that wears me out and I have tears that wash me away
Which of my secrets can hide between the two?
٨. لي هوىً يُبْلي ولي دمعٌ يَشي
أىُّ أسراريَ تَخْفَى بينَ ذَيْن
9. No blame falls on a lover if
His secrets are stored in the two teardrops
٩. ما على العاشقِ من عَتْبٍ إذا
خُزنَت أسرارُهمْ في المَدمَعيْن
10. They have captured my heart until I could not find
A place in me for my secret but my eye
١٠. هُمْ سَبَوا قلبيَ حتّى لم أجِدْ
مَوضعاً فيَّ لسرّي غيرَ عَيْني
11. O caravan of the east, by the sanctuary
Do you know the people of the two flags?
١١. أيّها الرَّكبُ بشَرقيّ الحِمى
هل لكمْ عِلْمٌ بأهلِ العَلمَيْن
12. They roamed in which valley of desolation
Only the heart knows which of the two guides
١٢. ظَعنوا في أيّ واديّ الكُوَى
وحدا بالقلبِ أىُّ الحاديَيْن
13. Every noble and auspicious feast
Their elders fill with all goodness
١٣. يَملأ لِبيدَ بأشياخهمْ
كُلُّ عيديٍّ نَجيبٍ وعُصَيْني
14. The sun disappears into their resting place
The trotting of horses and trailing of spears
١٤. ويُغيبُ الشّمسَ في نَقعهمْ
مَرَحُ الخيلِ وتَجريرُ الرُّدَيْني
15. On their wells are tent ropes
Of Syrian wool stretching two tent pegs
١٥. وعلى أكوارِهمْ من وَجْرة
سُدُمُ الآرامِ تَنْحو رامَتَيْن
16. Among them is one whose heart is attached
And whose passion angers the two blamers
١٦. فيهمُ مَنْ عَلِقَ القلبُ به
وأطالَ الوجدَ غيْظُ اللاّئمَيْن
17. The doe goes around its pasture
Circling like the eyebrow around the eye of a human
١٧. والقنا يَسْعَى حَوالَيْ خِدْرِه
دَورةَ الهُدْبِ على إنسانِ عَيْن
18. The morning prayer submitted to the intense heat
And the remnants of religion to the two minerals
١٨. أسلَم الصَبَّ إلى حَرٍّ الجوَى
وإلى القَطْرِ بقايا الدِّمنتَيْن
19. Think not that rhyming has troubled me
I have made the valley doves sing together
١٩. لا تَظنُّوا أنّ سَجعاً شاقَني
أنا أطربتُ حَمامَ الواديَيْن
20. I taught the winter when it cried
Its tear sketches the shape of two drawings
٢٠. أنا علَّمتُ الشّتا حينَ بكَى
دَمعَهُ يَرقُمُ رَسْمَ الرَّقمتَيْن
21. O lightning, you are free to miss the tryst
Do not come at the appointed time
٢١. لك أن تُخلِفَ ميعادَ الحَيا
أيّها البرقُ ولا بالرَّقمتَيْن
22. So it watered her unlike the shape of its course
The rain near in rain and far in distance
٢٢. فسقاها غيرَ ماحِ رسْمها
دانيَ الهَيْدَبِ نائي الحَجْرتَين
23. Standing crying over their ruins
The stance of a lover between two who have left
٢٣. واقفاً يبكي على آثارهم
وِقفةَ العاشقِ بَيْنَ العاذِلَين
24. Lightning precedes thunder like
Anger precedes the flashing of the two eyebrows
٢٤. يَسبِقُ الرَّعدَ ببَرقٍ مثْلَما
يَبْدُر الزَّجْرُ بلَمْعِ الحاجبَيْن
25. O rain, you are not, even if you have watered it
Like the beauty of a king in the generosity of his two hands
٢٥. لستَ يا غَيثُ وإنْ روَّيتَها
مثْلَ زينِ المُلكِ في جودِ اليَدين
26. And when will you stop resembling him
So rain upon the land with good soil or mud
٢٦. ومتى تَتْركُ أن تُشبهَهُ
فامْطِرِ الأرضَ بِتبْرٍ أو لُجَين
27. Majeed, both his hands are in the dew
Its flow embarrasses the flow of the two rivers
٢٧. ماجدٌ كلتا يدَيْه في النَّدى
رِفدُها يخجِلُ رِفْدَ الرّافدَين
28. He is the essence of justice in generosity, not in passion
He is the beauty of the kingdom in truth, not in pretense
٢٨. هو مَعْنَى العَدْلِ جوداً لا هوى
وهْو زينَ المُلك صدْقاً غيرَ مَيْن
29. His beauty named him at his call
And he may be called beauty other than beauty
٢٩. زانَه حين دعاه زَينه
ولقد يدعَى بزَينٍ غيرَ زَين
30. Every comfortable, easy ride
Brings delegations to his doors
٣٠. يَحمِلُ الوَفْدَ إلى أبوابهِ
كُلُّ مُرتاحِ مَجالِ النّسعَتين
31. They earned spirituality with horses
And mounts, unlike the earnings of the two sculptors
٣١. كَسبوا بينَ الأيادي بالسُّرى
والمطايا كَسْبُهمْ رُوحاً بأَيْن
32. The wise one of far-reaching wisdom
Of pure honor and commendable qualities
٣٢. صائبُ الرّأيِ بَعيدُ المُنتهَى
طاهُرُ العِرْضِ حَميدُ الشيمتَين
33. The best of what is in his goodness
Is a character that equals the traits of yearning
٣٣. حَسَن أحسنُ ما في حُسنه
خُلُقٌ يَعدِلُ سَمتَ الحَنّين
34. If we saw his like in his time
We would see two moons in a dream
٣٤. لو رأينا مِثْلَه في عَصْرِه
لرأينا في المنامِ القَمَرين
35. And if he waged an opinion in speech
He avoids all gentle idioms
٣٥. وإذا هَزَّ لخَطْبٍ قَلماً
ناب عن كُلِّ رقيقِ الشَّفْرتَين
36. And if he put his wise opinion to use
Against an enemy, he is firmer than firm mountains
٣٦. وإذا أعملَ حَدَّيْ رأيه
في عَدُوٍّ كان أمضَى المُرهَفيْن
37. Seriousness and fun are combined in him
They never part from him
٣٧. جُمع الجَدُّ معَ الجِّدِ له
لا يزالا عندهُ مُجتَمِعَين
38. Knowledge and generosity have expanded through him
So we came to two overflowing seas
٣٨. وتَناهَى العلْمُ والجودُ به
فتَواردْنا لبَحْرٍ لُجَّتَيْن
39. Fasting hurried to his yard
As a friend of the frontier, sincere to both lands
٣٩. أسرَع الصّومُ إلى ساحتِه
باسمَ الثّغْرِ صَدوقَ البُشْرَييْن
40. So let his likes fast in prosperity
And loftiness that remains like the two rivers
٤٠. فَلْيصُمْ أمثالُه في نِعمةٍ
وعُلاَ تَبقَى بقاءَ الرّافدَين
41. O inhabitant of the highest glory
And flier of mention between the two orbits
٤١. يا مُقيمَ المجدِ في أعلَى السُّها
ومُطارَ الذِّكْرِ بينَ الخافقَين
42. The listener gleans two pearls from it
The source of poetry is near, different sources
٤٢. هاكَها مصقولةً لو جُسِّمَتْ
قُرِّطَ السّامعُ منها دُرَّتَيْن
43. So if I wanted, it would surpass the two anklets
So remain in limitless honor
٤٣. مَأْخَذُ الشِّعْرِ قَريبٌ أَمَمٌ
فإذا شئْتُ يفوقُ الفرقَديْن
44. His era does not end before the grasp of the two fateful events
Every successor follows with richness
٤٤. فابْقَ في عزِّ عُلاً لا يَنقضي
عَهدُه قبلَ مآب القارِظَين
45. And to each brother, richness in due time
So when the conditions of life changed
٤٥. تَقتفي كُلَّ وليٍّ بغِنَى
وإلى كُلِّ أخي ضِغْنٍ بحَين
46. He was like time, settled in two states
٤٦. فإذا غَيَّر حالاتِ الورَى
كان كالدَّهرِ مُقيمَ الحالتَين