1. ما طَوَّل الليل القَصيرا

    ونَهى الكواكبَ أن تَغورا

    None lengthened the short night

    and forbade the stars to set,

  2. إلا وفي يَدِه عَزي

    ماتٌ يحلُّ بِها الأُمورا

    save one with charms in his hand,

    with which he settles affairs:

  3. ذو مُقلةٍ لا تستقِل

    لُ ضَنىً وإن أضنَت كَثيرا

    one with an eye that cannot rise

    for languor, though it has wasted many.

  4. ليسَت تفتر عن دَمي

    وتَرى بِها أبداً فُتورا

    It never slackens in seeking my blood,

    yet you always see languor in it.

  5. وتَرى بها ضَعفاً يُري

    كَ المُستجارَ المُستَجيرا

    And you see in it a weakness that shows

    you the protector as the seeker of protection.

  6. فيما يُنازعُني عَذو

    لاً أو يُسامِحُني عَذيرا

    While he contends with me, reproaching,

    or indulges me, excusing.

  7. أتَرى بَوادِرَ فِتنَتي

    فيما تَرى إلا بُدورا

    Do you see the first signs of my bewitchment

    among what you see, as anything but full moons?

  8. لو شاءَ لاختَصرَ الغَرا

    مَ بِها من اختَصر الخُصورا

    Had he wished, he would have shortened passion

    with it—he who made waists slender.

  9. ولقد لَبستُ ثيابَ نَف

    سِكَ مالِكاً أو مُستَعيرا

    I have indeed worn the garments of

    your own self, as owner or borrower.

  10. وتمثَّلَ الشيطانُ لي

    ليغرَّني رَشأً غَريرا

    And Satan took form before me,

    to beguile me, as a guileless fawn.

  11. فخلعتُها ولبستُ ثَو

    بَ الفتكِ سحابا جَرورا

    So I cast them off and donned the garment

    of deadly violence—a trailing cloud.

  12. ما شئتَ فاقلِع عنه واس

    تَغفِر تَجد ربّاً غَفورا

    Whatever you have chosen, desist from it and seek

    forgiveness; you will find a forgiving Lord,

  13. ما لم يَكن من مَعشَرٍ

    غَدروا وقد شهِدوا الغَديرا

    so long as one is not among a people

    who betrayed, though they had witnessed al-Ghadir,

  14. وتآمَروا ما بَينَهم

    أن يَنصِبوا فيها أَميرا

    and conspired among themselves

    to appoint an emir in it,

  15. من كلِّ صدرٍ مُوغرٍ

    ملأَت ضَغائِنُه الصدورا

    from every rancorous breast

    whose grudges filled the breasts.

  16. مُترشِّحٌ للمُلكِ قد

    نصبَت سَريرتُه السريرا

    An aspirant to kingship—already

    his secret intent had set up the throne.

  17. وتَوارَثوها ليسَ تَخ

    رُجُ عنهُمُ شِبراً قَصيرا

    And they inherited it in turn; it never

    left them by even a short handspan.

  18. هَذا إلى أَن قامَ قا

    ئِمُ آل أحمدَ مُستَثيرا

    This lasted until the Qa'im arose,

    of Ahmad's house, rousing others to action.

  19. وتَسلَّم الإسلامَ أق

    تَمَ مُظلِماً فَكساهُ نُورا

    And he took charge of Islam, dusky

    and dark, then clothed it in light.

  20. وكأنَّما مزقا بذا

    لِك عن دَعائِمه قُبورا

    And as though, by that, the two had torn

    tombs away from its pillars.

  21. حتَّى إذا ما الحاكِم ال

    مَنصورُ قامَ لها نَصيرا

    Until, when al-Hakim

    al-Mansur arose as its champion,

  22. ظَهَرت دلائلُ لم تَجِد

    من دونِ دَولَته ظَهيرا

    signs appeared that found no

    supporter apart from his rule.

  23. يا مُستَمداً من مَنا

    قِبهِ يُسَطُّرُها سُطورا

    O you drawing on his virtues,

    setting them down in lines:

  24. هل كانَ عندكَ أنَّ في ال

    أَقلامِ ما يُفني البُحورا

    Did you know that within

    the pens lies what can exhaust the seas?