1. I yearn for you from this time that oppresses me
And from the terraces of the prominent, its joy

2. And from the plains of the favorites, the restless
I swayed to it like a child who stirs his cradle

3. And from the flirtations of the enchantresses and their cheeks
Clouds rumbling thunder in response to longing's call

4. And from the moles on the face, how difficult are the situations
In which the master of the people makes light of his servant

5. And from the open mouths, amid their sweetness
As a blossom opens among the roses and their buds

6. And from the expanses of the earth, your coat of mail
Protects me from misfortunes, they cannot harm me

7. And from your gait, an ocean, when it rages
Its foam disappears, and its depths revealed

8. So the enemies barred my way on the paths of desire
And without them, the paths of desire banished me

9. And the burden of nights carried me, and so
My lover's abandonment weighed heavily on me

10. God protect you, O my heart, however headstrong
And so too, my passion, though blameworthy in its fervor

11. Has not the time come to awaken from this age
And erase the misguidance, giving wisdom its due?

12. Each day my longing for your distance grows
Adding anxiety to an emaciated, sleepless form

13. And between my ribs are goals
For which the expanse of space is too confining

14. The foolish think me inactive
Though their words do their effort injustice

15. As long as my resolve, prudence and virtue remain
In every land, I have a friend I can turn to

16. May God protect the one I left, not out of boredom
But by fate's decree, which no king can alter

17. They stayed, and we traveled, for passion is uncertain
They did not notice until our ties were severed

18. I bid them farewell, tears flowing unrestrained
When we parted, the blossoms withered and faded

19. My loved ones, the heart is ruled by tenderness of love
And longing has conquered my eyelids and deprived them of sleep

20. Is there any way to draw near when I cannot see
One more weary than I, suffering in separation?

21. I do not despair of this estrangement
So my Lord, fulfill the promise, its time has come

22. I pledged to the nights they would not remain unchanged
What era does not change its promise?

23. And in the poison of this time is my antidote
Sweet is that which absorbs it, and in it dissolves its bitterness

24. How many have gained though not seeking
And how many, striving tirelessly, see efforts fail

25. Indifferent is he from whom it is withheld or attained
If what is yours is not yours to reclaim

26. May God soon turn the violent tide of fate
So our hopes overtake it and block its path

27. And the terrors of events become secure
Through one whose generosity embraced all people in its glory

28. For how often have I gained at his hands favors
That dazzle the world and provide succor to supplicants

29. He is the glorious ruler, the sword of his people, Mohammed
And who but the sword sheathes the praises sung in his honor?

30. He has prepared the means to attain his ambitions
So grateful thanks and praise are obligatory upon us

31. A noble soul, though the clouds withhold their rain
Clement, even if rancor takes hold of the heart

32. Valiant, with each day he hunts prey
The least of which is the master of chieftains and lions

33. When he leads an army, the light of his brow
Is the crescent, and the stars his troops

34. I have recounted the many virtues of my protector
But virtue is only what enemies acknowledge

35. And I have witnessed from him, gifts to the refugees
That they grasp with both hands, continuously drawing from him

36. O son of one who, if era is reckoned, matches its time
You my master, are singular in your time

37. O son of one whose enemies, though numerous
Were confined because of you, and not you by them

38. O you who was opposed by enemies wishing
I have not seen one made an enemy by his own wish

39. O uncommanded, O best commander
Fate does not please you, but you direct its aim

40. O bringer of glad tidings, by your chastity
Seeking tests you not, nor does praising you please

41. Your bliss is this feast of which you are its joy
Your fortune this day of which you are its luck

42. And as long as you remain, nothing compares
Each day that passes I see as a feast to come

43. And here she comes, shortening her steps shyly
As longing and love for you redden her cheeks

44. In it what tenderness remains of our deepest passions
And the youth is tested when love grips the heart

45. I made for it a wire to conduct its currents
And composed it while night scattered its pearls

46. We hope for pardon for meanings that deceive
And one like you sees through pretense and falsity

47. So accept it from me, my patron, though it
Results from anger whose sharpness overwhelms

48. And always seek and fear, for one given favor, his gifts wane
Generous to him, and accustomed gifts to give

49. Eternity, if a star emerges or hides
What remains is the scent of ambergris and basil

50. And what rain descends from the clouds' eyelids, bestowing
Life to the ground's cheeks, marking them

51. You are, in this age, its exemplar
And the loss of an exemplar is painful to bear