1. I sent something like aloofness, yet
I sent my excuse, pleading, to the excuse
١. بعثْتُ بشيءٍ كالجَفاءِ وإنّما
بعثْتُ بعُذْري كالمُدلِّ الى عُذْرِ
2. And I said to myself, "Do not worry," for indeed,
As it is said, something that may help against fate
٢. وقلْتُ لنَفْسي لا تُراعَيْ فإنّهُ
كما قيلَ شيءٌ قد يُعينُ على الدّهْرِ
3. And it was not the same worth of love and glory,
So take it according to the worth of events or my worth
٣. وما كانَ قدْرُ الودِّ والمجْدِ مثلَهُ
فخذْهُ على قدْرِ الحَوادثِ أو قدْري
4. And if I have not done well in my dealings, then I
Will do well in gracefully accepting it, my thanks
٤. وإنْ كنتُ لمْ أُحْسِنْ صَنيعي فإنّني
سأحْسِنُ في حُسْنِ القَبولِ لهُ شُكْري
5. And your worth to me is like the worth of the Nile, and I
Am more minute than an atom next to your lofty worth
٥. وقدْرُكَ قدْرُ النيلِ عنْدي وإنّني
لدى قدْرِكَ العالي أدَقُّ منَ الذرِّ
6. I sufficed and my share of my time and your love
Is nonsense, and the like of me is not satisfied with little
٦. قنِعْتُ وحظّي منْ زَماني ووُدِّكُمْ
هَباءٌ ومثْلي ليسَ يقْنَعُ بالنّزْرِ
7. A proud, blessed letter came to me from you
I met with it hopes, O delight of the mouth!
٧. أتاني كِتابٌ منْكَ باهٍ مُبارَكٌ
لَقيتُ بهِ الآمالَ يا بهْجَة الثّغْرِ
8. It shone among the daughters of thought as a virgin, and he sent her
To my onlooking eye, swaying in the ink of the inkwell
٨. جَلا من بَناتِ الفِكْرِ بِكْراً وزفّها
الى ناظِري تخْتالُ في حِبَرِ الحِبْرِ
9. So its words are like flowers, and the flowers are blooming,
And the worth of meanings in origin is like flowers
٩. فألْفاظُها كالزّهْرِ والزّهْرُ يانِعٌ
وقدْرُ المَعاني في الأصالةِ كالزُّهْرِ
10. Stars of meaning in the sky of a paper,
But they flow, the stars, and do not flow
١٠. نُجومُ مَعانٍ في سَماءِ صَحيفةٍ
ولكنّها تسْري النّجومُ ولا تسْري
11. Containing some playfulness, by which
I hoped what was said in the intoxication of wine
١١. تضمّنَ منْ نوْعِ الدّعابَةِ ما بِهِ
رجَوْتُ الذي قد قيلَ في نشْوَةِ الخَمْرِ
12. May God watch over its noble joy! So it surpassed
What it surpassed of good news and showed of good news
١٢. رعى اللهُ مَسْراها الكريمَ فجلَّ ما
جلَتْهُ منَ البُشْرى وأبْدَتْ منَ البِشْرِ
13. By my life, you reminded me of the days of youth
And you gave me a lawful kind of magic
١٣. لعَمْري لقدْ أذْكَرْتَني دولَةَ الصِّبا
وأهْدَيْتَ لي نوعَ الحَلالِ منَ السّحْرِ
14. And when that wit came one morning
I found vigor throughout the day in my optimism
١٤. ولمّا أتَتْ تلْكَ الفُكاهةُ غُدْوةً
وجَدْتُ نشاطاً سائِرَ اليومِ في بشْري
15. Especially if its salt was led by
The peerless leader of the intelligent minds
١٥. ولاسيّما إنْ كان ملْحِمَ بُرْدِها
عَميدُ أولي الألْبابِ نادِرةُ العصرِ
16. You spread what I had folded the carpet of
For a time, and folding matters up is typical for me
١٦. نشَرْتَ بها ما قد طوَيْتُ بساطَهُ
زَماناً ولي طيُّ الأمورِ مع النّشْرِ
17. And what a good friend of goodness you are, preserving
The ways of sincerity in private and public
١٧. ونِعْمَ خَليلُ الخيرِ أنتَ مُحافِظاً
على سُنَنِ الإخْلاصِ في السّرِّ والجَهْرِ
18. And beneath it playing with it and turning it
Is the exhilaration of breaths, pleasant to unfold
١٨. ودونَكَها تلْهو بِها وتُديرُها
سُحَيْريّةَ الأنْفاسِ طيّبَة النّشْرِ