1. O you who blame me, stop blaming and reproaching me!
I do not turn away from my purpose to weaknesses.

2. No! And the exalted purpose has healed my weaknesses,
The originality of my opinion protected me from missing the mark,

3. And the splendor of virtue adorned me in the eyes of the noble.
So I have a share of glory everlasting and enduring,

4. Rather those worthy of it are my followers among mankind.
We are a people who set out on the path of glory,

5. My early glory and my later glory set out.
The sun at noon is like the sun in the infant.

6. Therefore my time never ceases to seek me out
With the injustice of oppression and with hardships seeks me out.

7. And turns me away from pleasures and estranges me.
Why should I stay in an abode which is not my homeland?

8. I have there neither she-camel of mine nor camel of mine nor family of mine.
I depart while I have there neither family nor children,

9. Nor, when far from them, patience or composure.
Griefs and sorrows have overwhelmed my heart,

10. I moan, deprived of family, my palm empty,
Like a bare sword divested of its sheath.

11. So my tears are like the rain pouring down at nightfall
And my ribs are in the fires of passion and affliction

12. Since the beloved departed from me and left me.
So I have no friend to whom I confide my sorrow,

13. Nor companion to whom my longing is revealed.
The nights in this world have deserted me in my isolation--

14. Ignorant, so they have substituted war for my isolation.
Alas for my soul far from loved ones!

15. So long has my estrangement been that my estrangement has pined.
My camel litter and my departure when the honeymoon has withered,

16. And my prolonged exile from family has increased
And the fires of passion for my love have blazed.

17. My eyelids have rained tears after the weeping,
And from the ardour of my sighing and grief, a tumult arose.

18. I spurred on my camel litter and plunged on into blame--
I seek no pleasure I strive after,

19. No! Nor do I hope for a world I might win.
Far from it! The path of glory is not to be mistaken.

20. I want open-handedness which I might seek aid from
In fulfilling the rights of the exalted before me.

21. The deceiver of hopes kept making me covet
Attaining what I hoped for while my soul deluded me.

22. And fortune kept me from obeying hopes
And time reversed my hopes and convinced me

23. To be content with the fetter after the struggle.
An ambition warns me against laziness

24. And is not content with excuses and hopes.
It seeks to gather all the scattered glories for me,

25. With a firmness like the breast of a lance brought together,
The like of it frightened by neither fear nor misgivings,

26. Whose determination the lofty were not gladdened by,
And a free soul not mingled except with glory,

27. And it murmured only with virtues, not hopes.
Pleasant is joking, bitter is earnest--it has mingled them

28. With harsh valour from it, gentle love.
When night began, we penetrated its darkness,

29. While the Pleiades were like ships sailing in its sea.
And my companion, whenever deep sleep overcame him,

30. I dispelled the cares of the pupil from his rosebud mouth,
And night made the drooping eyelids drowsy

31. As though we, while the meteors passed by,
Were travelling above the oceans of sorrow and sufferings.

32. And among the group appeared effects of seriousness and effort.
While the caravan inclined drunkenly from joy,

33. One shouted and another from the wine of cares was drunk.
He forgot his ambition and abandoned me,

34. Left as hostage to fate and prisoner of woes.
He slept forgetting me while sorrows kept me awake.

35. So I said, I call you in the darkness that you might help me,
While you fail me at dire need--isn't that shameful!

36. The Pleiades are moving above the humps of the white camels
With us, and news of what we will meet are moving

37. While an ambition to help you moving stealthily
Sleeps forgetting me though the star's eye is awake

38. And is diffident though the night's darkness has not faded.
Will you not lament for my heart flaming,

39. And for confused youth a path of no ambiguity?
If you help one love-sick and seeking his desire,

40. Then will you aid me in the confusion I have resolved upon,
Though confusion at times prohibits one from disgrace?

41. I got up to wander the desert in the dark.
My purpose accepts not what is not earnest.

42. If I had penetrated among the lions, I would not have recoiled
I want the well-being of the living with protection,

43. Though the archers of life have protected him from smearing with blood.
Against whoever, if he appeared by night with his retinue,

44. Would illuminate from his face the lights of his planet,
While his lance would return familiar with his shoulder,

45. Protecting with the white and the brown the cuirasses with it,
The black of the forelocks, the red of the ornaments and garb.

46. In their presence uncowed lions do not tread the quarter of their dwelling,
Nor does my love-sick heart cease to pine,

47. Pining for a sweet- basil sprig of delicate form.
The lions of the thickets have made her their resemblance,

48. And by frequenting the deserts, her light resembled.
The heart is infatuated with love of her but she is heedless,

49. The perfume of the discourse of the generous has increased through her,
With generosity not of cowardice nor stinginess.

50. I have no patience whatsoever for her disdain,
While composure is diminished and passion escalating.

51. Thus the love of the gazelle leaves no one alone,
The fires of love for them spend the night in my liver,

52. Scorching, while the fires of the hearths are on the hills.
Had it been a heart that did not weary of her nor rave,

53. A wild cow guarded by guardians like lions raving,
Guarding the protected precinct from their archers

54. Who kill the fat, bright with no movement in them,
And slaughter the generous horses and camels.

55. My glories, no humiliation in them is tolerated,
Nor do lions tread fearful of their land,

56. While my heart is lovesick in captivity of their love,
Cured by the bite of the archers in their houses

57. With a draft of wine and honey.
Sometimes of the gazelles of the wilderness her likeness is included,

58. And by theBedouin's frequenting the wilderness her light resembles.
The heart is sick with love of her but she is not aware!

59. The perfume of the generous people's conversation has increased through her
With generosity without cowardice or stinginess.

60. I have no patience whatsoever for her disdain
While composure is diminished and passion escalating.

61. Thus the love of the gazelle leaves no one alone,
The fires of love for them spend the night in my liver,

62. Scorching, while the fires of the houses are on the hills.
Had it been a heart that did not weary of her nor become distracted,

63. A wild cow protected by guardians like impassioned lions
Guarding the protected places from their archers

64. Who kill the bright, fat ones with no movement in them
And slaughter the generous horses and camels.

65. My glories--in them no humiliation for one hurt is tolerated!
The lions do not tread fearful of their land out of fear.

66. While my heart is enslaved by the captivity of their love,
It is healed from the bite of the archers in their homes

67. With a draft from the basin of wine and honey.
When the night came on, I penetrated its darkness,

68. While my ambition to seek the people's well-being was rising
And without that there are opposing horrors.

69. And for love--wherever the enemy and lion lie in wait
Around the drinking-places for them is an intimated forest of the thickets.

70. My soul is in the anguish of terrible suffering I have met with,
And my intellect is torn by chaste love.

71. My eagle and my falcon--seeking the desert's wilderness will not remain
As long as I survive, the new-born fires of ardour and grief

72. Have watered my eyelids beyond the tears, with blood.
And from the violence of my sighing and grief arose a great commotion.

73. I spurred on my she-camel and the caravan plunged into blaming me.
I seek no pleasure I exert myself for,

74. No! Nor do I hope for a world I might win.
Far from it! The path of glory is not ambiguous.

75. I want bounty of hand I might seek aid from
To fulfil the rights of the exalted that were before me.

76. The deluder of hopes kept making me covet
Attainment of what I hoped for while my soul deluded me.

77. And fortune kept me from obeying hopes
And time reversed my hopes and convinced me,

78. Contenting me after the struggle with fetters.
An ambition warns me against laziness

79. And is not content with hopes' excuses.
It seeks to gather all the scattered glories for me

80. With a firmness like the breast of a lance brought together
The like of which is unafraid of risks nor misgivings.

81. Whose determination the lofty were not gladdened by,
And a free soul not mingled except with glory,

82. Which murmured only of virtues, not of hopes.
Pleasant is jesting, bitter is earnest--it has mingled them

83. With harsh valour from it, gentle love.
When night began, we penetrated its darkness,

84. While the Pleiades were like ships sailing in its sea.
My companion, when deep slumber seduced him,

85. I dispelled the dreams from his rosebud mouth,
And night made drowsy the languid eyelids,

86. As though we, while the meteors shot by,
Were passing over the surfaces of woes and sufferings.

87. And among the group appeared effects of seriousness and effort
While the caravan inclined drunkenly from joy.

88. One shouted and another from the wine of cares was drunk,
Forgetting his ambition and abandoning me,

89. Left as hostage to fate and prisoner of woes,
And slept forgetting me while sorrows kept me awake.

90. So I said, I call you in the darkness that you might help me,
While you are letting me down at terrible straits--

91. How shameful! And you fail me when I need you most.
The Pleiades are travelling on the hump of the white camel

92. With us, and news of what we will meet up with are travelling.
While an ambition to help you travelling furtively

93. Sleeps, forgetting me, though the star's eye is awake
And is diffident though the night's darkness has not cleared.

94. How can you not mourn for my flaming heart,
And for confused youth an unambiguous path?

95. If you help a love-sick friend obtain his wish,
Then will you aid me in what I have resolved upon?

96. Though confusion deters one at times from disgrace?
I got up wandering the desert in the darkness

97. While my ambition accepts not what is not serious.
Were I to plunge into among the lions, I would not recoil.

98. I want the welfare of the living with protection
Though the archers of the thicket have protected him from smearing with blood

99. Against everyone who, were he to appear by night with his train,
Would illuminate from his face the lights of his planet,

100. While his lance would be familiar with his shoulder,
Guarding with the white and bay the coats of mail with it,

101. The black of the forelocks, the red of the adornments and mantle.
In their presence uncowed lions do not tread the territory of their lair,

102. Nor does my love-sick heart ever cease from pining,
Pining for a sweet basil sprig of delicate form.

103. The gazelles of the thickets resemble her in likeness
And the frequenting of the deserts resembles her brilliance.

104. The heart is infatuated with love of her but she is unaware!
The perfume of the generous people's talk has increased through her

105. With generosity without cowardice or stinginess.
I have no patience whatsoever for her disdain

106. While composure is diminishing and passion escalating.
Thus the love of the gazelle leaves no one alone.

107. The fires of love for them spend the night in my liver,
Scorching, while the fires of the encampments are on the hills.

108. Were it a heart that did not weary of her nor become confused,
A wild cow protected by guardians like impassioned lions

109. Guarding the protected precinct from their archers,
Who kill the bright juicy ones with no movement in them

110. And slaughter the generous horses and camels.
My glories--in them no humiliation to one hurt is condoned!

111. The lions do not tread fearful of their territory.
While my heart is enslaved by the captivity of their love,

112. It is healed from the archers' bites in their dwellings
With a draft from the basin of wine and honey.

113. When the night came on, I penetrated its darkness,
While my ambition to seek the people's welfare was rising,

114. And without that there are opposing horrors,
And love--wherever the enemy and lion lie in wait

115. Around the drinking-places for them is an unspoken thicket of thickets.
My soul is in the distress of dreadful torment I have encountered,

116. And my mind torn by chaste love.
My eagle and falcon--seeking refuge in the wilderness will not remain

117. As long as I survive, the newly kindled fires of passion and sorrow
Have watered my eyelids beyond tears, with blood.

118. And from the violence of my sighing and lament arose a great clamour.
I spurred on my camel-litter and plunged on into blame--

119. I seek no pleasure I exert myself for,
No, nor do I aspire for a world I might win!

120. Far from it! The path to glory is not ambiguous.
I want open-handedness I might seek aid from

121. In fulfilling the rights of the exalted that were before me.