1. From the loved ones, O fragrant of spirits with the breeze
Or from the folds of that dune you came

2. The scent of perfume wafted, or did their sweetness spread?
My tears were quenched one day when fond memories

3. Were stirred by the zephyr's purity, redolent breath of meadowsweet
By Allah! Call on that lively settlement, then invite

4. To a perfumed, well-fortified abode of safety and peace
My pacts with it I kept hoping the winds would whisper to me

5. At the dwellings of Arabs - whenever I recalled them
My heart was rent by lovers with piercing throes

6. How often I was tempted by them in days when we were close!
With every lithe and slender-waisted one who freely

7. Shed my blood, slaying those who spilled my tears
Hail, my announcer! If you come to me at dawn

8. When the settlement's breeze blows, then spread
Abundantly my fervent longing in harmonious verse

9. Hail the ruins - yes, yes - how excellent are those places I frequented!
Let the lively settlement's youth pause by those hills

10. And convey the greetings of one blamed by none
Ask those maidens about the heart that loved them

11. Did it sleep in their land or wander, sick with yearning?
What is the way when death has razed our holy places?

12. Or how can I solace myself when my heart still craves them?
By Allah! From the day their lands drew far apart from ours

13. My heart held a fire fuelled by our separation
God help a lonely stranger, restless, hollow-eyed,

14. His tears flowing like sap down his wounded lids
Time stretched out its palm to oppress him and came upon him

15. With its evil, though he walked with haste
My lifetime has been unjust, observing no code for me

16. Save that of oppression - we shared nothing but injustice
If a youth has no luck to aid him he gets no use

17. From fine words or books - nothing helps unless destiny favours
By Allah! My burning entrails melt with sorrow

18. Till anguish rules them - what arbitrator can judge this?
My heart that wasted over passion, patience!

19. You grew no tumour - you were never fat
I may meet again those whose settlement's scent I treasured

20. And gain, though a dream's illusion, their company
Our bygone days may yet return one day

21. Though my heart once told me: have done with loving ghosts and ruins
Consider her outstanding in beauty - she seemed to be

22. Moulded for the sublime long ago
I died of love for her and if she abandoned me

23. I had no peace or pact to break
I saw no solace without her smiling

24. She is always recalled by my lips
A sorceress whose glances slay hearts

25. Who captivated Ibn Qasim and the songstress Sophia
Our Junblatt whom the Arabs and non-Arabs agreed

26. In praising - when the bard acclaimed:
"This is Bashir - virtue and nobility's Bashir"

27. Elders' Shaykh - though the days have whitened his cheeks
His glory makes Time count as part

28. Of his magnificence, cheeks rosy, marked with moles
The opinions he taught serve us instead of

29. Swords and pens for the astute
His achievements show his spirit's nobility

30. And the clouds his hands release shower harmoniously
As if his palm in generosity pours a stream

31. From the oceans and pools of munificence
How often he made peace and how often his resolve

32. Perplexed Time with its own tribulations!
Valiant, undaunted among warriors, praising him,

33. The meadows witnessed his reckless courage
A terrifying lion - ask his sword about him

34. In battle, and his stricken foes' hacked limbs
Noble, excelling in generosity, bounty and gifts

35. Learned, nurtured in perfection's bosom
His will for excellence tireless and unsleeping

36. His virtues always lovingly confirm him
Allah showed his fine attributes He built for us

37. In the best Beauty transcending any throne
Her orbit vied with stars - did she appear

38. A radiant Canopus in a clear design?
Her exalted mansion with its might seems like the bow

39. Of that famed house, the Lion mansion in the sky
O refuge of the lofty, lord of this settlement

40. Guard her sanctuary from all nations!
Abodes graced with beauty - Bashir adorned them

41. Scholar son of the peerless learned man
O you who are the moon whose gleam none can hide

42. How can the light be hidden that shines in knowledge?
I am one whose verse was tender lover's talk

43. And your praise made my gain seem good
So let your noble spirit's compassion embrace

44. A slave who came to shelter in your shadow
I may gain from your care victory over fate

45. And cure by it the sickness of my soul
May your good fortune and the sublime forever cling together

46. And may the raincloud of your glory soak each thirsty land
To you I dedicate the bride of my verse's creation

47. Praising this high-climbing bloom, O keeper of pacts!
She is graceful, conveying in her prayer and praise for you

48. A sweet clarity at the start and close