1. A dreamer whose sorrows weigh down his resting place,
While the trees weep behind him,

2. And a secret that tightens with its mystery,
And separation whose fire is stoked by estrangement.

3. So the eyelids fell off his swollen eyes,
Neglect played with his glance and tooth.

4. He herds the stars when his phantom is delayed,
If only his watchful eyes would delay it.

5. He is accustomed to sleeplessness, so if his imagination came,
The eyelids would not feel him.

6. By God, our pact which guaranteed,
A passion the morning after the neighbors left.

7. Half of desire with frightened tears,
That wet the black garment and the bracelets.

8. And if we heard news from a critic,
Its tears would be more bitter than perfume.

9. And I came upon the wall carrying my complaint,
Its plaster torn, still wet.

10. Dawn broke and lit up his forehead,
His braid bursting open.

11. And I swore to the Abode of Amer, after
The tumult subsided and the shepherds rested.

12. And I stopped him where I placed the right hand
As the girl’s necklace, and the reins in the left.

13. And I returned barefoot, dragging its tail,
While estrangement gnawed the skin of my palm.

14. O friends, did your sight ever wander
After that, or is madness agreeable?

15. For I remembered Amer in a memory
Beyond which oblivion cannot heal.

16. The wind blew gently on the fence,
So it folded its cloak to it, compliant.

17. And it walked slowly, so its foliage stirred
From its sleep and the branches' whispers.

18. And when the morning breeze stole a glance at it
It swayed like a nashwan drunk with nasha.

19. The edges of the ground were clouded by its waters
That trickled to shape its pools.

20. As if the wind's delegation cured its land
With fresh rain to stir its marshes.

21. People from a yard who branded foreheads with its soil,
Game fenced in by their glory, submitting.

22. They bowed to the owner of an ancient, lofty lineage,
For the glorious, homeland for Adnan.

23. A people, if they loudly proclaimed descent from Amer,
The oryx trembled, and the small deer shook.

24. And an eagle shaded the edges of the plain,
A burly lion foretelling its young.

25. The tails of the she-camel flock spilling over,
Polished swords and seasoned blades.

26. With the palms of heroes whose armors
Melt away at the clash of forearms.

27. Whenever war grew harsh, their supple mounts
Frolicked, playing with their flexible necks.

28. And a brown-skinned one whose tents were stained with blood
From a hand generosity flourished through.

29. If spirits had a remainder in it,
The bodies would cling to its every part.

30. The sons of Ruwas travel the path of glory,
A route deprivation itself loses sight of.

31. Noble, while the heavy clouds are vile,
Wise when the brave are foolish.

32. Whether they wrest smiles from the swords,
Or the guests wrest dinner from the bowls.

33. And when the vagabonds cloaked themselves in their homes,
The two guests dressed in its shade.

34. Spilt blood boiled in its corners,
Fires stoked around it.

35. And toward the glory of the state we faltered,
The feet of travelers danced and the riders sang.

36. Full of praise like one intoxicated by his cup,
And the finest lute nourished him with pure wine.

37. O you the enemies fell short of,
We celebrated his terrifying assault.

38. Our holidays in your sheltering care
Are white like the hem of a robe.

39. So meet the Feast with a resplendent kingdom,
With the mark of glory across its pages.

40. And browse through the words that the heights of eloquence reached,
Forcefully, smoothly, and clearly.

41. They put their reins in my hands out of obedience,
And they are free with the sensitive.

42. For glory disdains to be flattered by an unskilled one,
While the excellent have intelligence.

43. And poetry is pleased with its spontaneous outpouring,
Foolishness of youth, and clarity and eloquence.

44. My hand is honored, so I do not give
Handouts over their bent wrists shamefully.

45. The water in clefts is abundant, and wealth is
Where contentment and modest provisions are.

46. Wishes give birth to determination, while
Humiliation sterilizes my resolve.