1. سَرَى طَيفُ مَن أَهوى فَيا طيبَ مَسرَاهُ

    وَزَجَّ عَلى بُعدِ المَزارِ مَطَايَاهُ

    The phantom of the one I love traveled by night—how sweet its journey!

    And urged its mounts onward despite the distance to its destination.

  2. فَأكرِم بِهِ مِن زائِرٍ زارَ مَوهِناً

    فَحَيَّا فُؤَادَ المُستَهامِ وَأَحياهُ

    How noble a visitor, coming late at night,

    To greet the lovesick heart and bring it back to life!

  3. فَيا لَكَ من طَيفٍ سَرَى بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

    يُذَكِّرُنِي عَصرَ الصَفَا لا عَدِمناهُ

    Oh, what a phantom you are, traveling by night after a spell of sleep,

    Reminding me of the time of serenity—may we never lose it!

  4. بِرُوحِيَ مَن أَهدى إِلَيَّ خَيالَهُ

    مَناماً وَحَسبي حينَ ضَنَّ بِلُقياهُ

    My soul as ransom for him who sent me his phantom

    In a dream—enough for me when he begrudges me meeting him.

  5. فَبِتنَا كأنا رَأيُ عَينٍ بِغِبطَةٍ

    كَيَعقُوبَ لَمّا أَنَّ يُوسُفَ وافاهُ

    So we spent the night in bliss, as though face to face,

    Like Jacob when Joseph came to him.

  6. فَطَوراً أُحَلِّي مَسمَعِي من حَدِيثهِ

    وَأَملأُ طَرفِي من سِهامِ مُحَيَّاهُ

    At times I adorn my hearing with his words,

    And fill my gaze with the arrows of his face.

  7. فَقَضَّيتُ لَيلي في سُرُورٍ وَنَفحَةٍ

    وَأَصبَحتُ جَذلاناً أُباهِي بِرُؤيَاهُ

    So I passed my night in joy and a breath of fragrance,

    And awoke jubilant, boasting of my vision of him.

  8. فَيا طَيفَهُ قُل لِي أَهَل هو لم يَزَل

    عَلَى العَهدِ باقٍ بعدَنَا أَم تَنَاسَاهُ

    O his phantom, tell me: does he still

    Hold to the pledge since our parting, or has he chosen to forget it?

  9. وَهَل ودّنا ما غَيَّرَتهُ يَدُ النَوَى

    وَظَنِّي به ما حالَ عَن ما عَهِدنَاهُ

    And has our affection remained unchanged by the hand of separation?

    And I believe he has not changed from what we knew of him.

  10. وَهَل هو يَرعَى سِرَّنا في مَغِيبِهِ

    كَما أننا في بُعدِهِ قد رَعَينَاهُ

    And does he guard our secret while he is away,

    As we have guarded it while he is far from us?

  11. وَهَل لِزَمانِ الوَصلِ سَقياً لِعَهدِهِ

    رُجُوعٌ فَمَا أَمرَاهُ وَصلاً وَأَهنَاهُ

    And will the time of union—may rain bless its days—

    Return? How pleasant that union was, and how blissful!

  12. وَهل باجتِماعِ الشَملِ مَع مَن أَوَدُّهُ

    لنا عَودَةٌ يوماً فَما كانَ أَحلاهُ

    And will there be reunion with the one I love,

    A return for us one day? How sweet it was!

  13. فَيا راكِباً إِن جُزتَ رَبعاً بِنَبعَةٍ

    سَقَى رَبعَهُ غَيثُ السُرُورِ وَرَوَّاهُ

    O rider, if you pass a dwelling at Nab'ah,

    May the rain of joy water his dwelling and drench it!

  14. فأَبلِغ سَلامِي ساكِنيهِ جَمِيعَهُم

    سَلامَ مُحِبٍّ مُولَعِ القلبِ مُضنَاهُ

    So convey my greetings to all its inhabitants,

    The greeting of a lover whose heart is enthralled and worn with longing.

  15. وَحَيِّ رُبُوعاً أَوطَنُوا عَرَصَاتِهِ

    تَحيةَ مَتبُولِ الفُؤادِ مُعَنَّاهُ

    And salute the dwellings whose courtyards they made their home,

    The greeting of one whose heart is love-stricken and tormented.

  16. وَفَالِحَ باشا لا عَدِمتُكَ خُصَّهُ

    بأَزكى سلامٍ يَفضَحُ المِسكَ رَيَّاهُ

    And Falih Pasha—may I never lose you—single him out

    With the purest greeting, whose fragrance puts musk to shame.

  17. فَذاكَ فَتَى العَليَا وَحامِلُ بَندِها

    وَمُجري يَنابِيعِ السَماحِ بِيُمناهُ

    For he is the champion of eminence, the bearer of its banner,

    And sets the springs of generosity flowing with his right hand.

  18. هو السَيدُ المِقدامُ وَالباسِلُ الذي

    تَذِلُّ لَهُ أُسدُ الشَرى حينَ تَلقَاهُ

    He is the lord, intrepid and valiant, before whom

    The lions of al-Shara humble themselves when they meet him.

  19. وَعُج ثانياً نحوَ المُصَلَّى تجد بهِ

    فَتَى الفَضلِ مَن بِالفَضلِ قِدماً عَرَفناهُ

    And turn next toward al-Musalla; there you will find

    The champion of virtue, whom we have long known for his virtue.

  20. فَبَينَ يَديهِ قِف ذَلِيلاً وَأَقرِهِ

    بِحَقِّكَ أَفرادَ السلامِ وَمَثناهُ

    So stand humbly before him, and convey to him,

    I beg you, greetings singly and in pairs.

  21. سَمِيَّ العُلا عبدَ العَزيزِ الذي ارتَقى إلى

    مُرتَقىً في العِلمِ قَد عَزَّ مَرقاهُ

    Glory's peer, Abd al-Aziz, who has ascended to

    A height in learning whose ascent is hard to attain.

  22. فَتىً لَوذَعِيٌّ مَاجِدٌ مُتَفَضِّلٌ

    أَدِيبٌ بَنَى لِلمَجدِ بَيتاً فَأَعلاهُ

    A keen-witted, noble, generous young man,

    A man of letters who built glory a house and raised it high.

  23. إمَامٌ هُمَامٌ أَروَعٌ مُتَوَرِّعٌ

    لَبيبٌ مُنِيبٌ خاشِعُ القَلبِ أَوَّاهُ

    An imam, magnanimous, awe-inspiring, scrupulously pious,

    Wise and penitent, humble-hearted, ever sighing in devotion.

  24. حَبِيبٌ نَجِيبٌ زاهِدٌ مُتَبَتِّلٌ

    شَدِيدٌ عَلَى الأَعداءِ طَوعاً لِمَولاهُ

    Beloved, noble-born, ascetic, devoted to worship,

    Stern against enemies, willingly obedient to his Lord.

  25. فَيا سَيِّدي عُذراً وَصَفحاً لِمُذنِبٍ

    جَنَى مُوجِبَ العُتبَى وَجُملُكَ جَرَّاهُ

    So, O my lord, grant forgiveness and pardon to a sinner

    Who incurred grounds for reproach, and your words led him on.

  26. فَأَلبِسهُ ثَوبَ العَفوِ من سُندسِ الرِّضا

    لِيُطفِي أَسىً بينَ الجَوانِحِ أَضنَاهُ

    So clothe him in the robe of pardon, of the fine silk of favor,

    To quench the sorrow between his ribs that has worn him out.