1. ما شِئتُما يا صاحِبَيَّ فَقُولا

    هَيهاتَ لَن تَجِدا لَدَيَّ قَبُولا

    Say whatever you two wish, my two companions;

    Far from it! You will find no acceptance with me.

  2. لَو ذُقتُما ما ذُقتُ مِن أَلَمِ الجَوى

    لَم تُكثِرا قالاً عَلَيَّ وَقِيلا

    Had you two tasted what I tasted of love's burning pain,

    you would not have heaped so much talk and hearsay upon me.

  3. قَد قُلتَ لِلقَلبِ اللَحُوحِ وَما نَأَت

    دارٌ وَما عَزَمَ الخَليطُ رَحيلا

    You said to the insistent heart, though no

    dwelling had grown distant and the company had not resolved to depart:

  4. أَصَبابَةً وَأَسىً وَما حَدَجُوا لَهُم

    عِيساً وَلا شَدّوا لَهُنَّ حُمُولا

    Is this yearning and sorrow, when they have not yet saddled for themselves

    pale camels, nor fastened loads upon them?

  5. هَذا الغَرامُ فَكَيفَ لَو نادى بِهِم

    بَينٌ وَأَصبَحَتِ الدِيارُ طُلولا

    Such is this passion—what if they were summoned by

    separation, and the dwellings became deserted ruins?

  6. فَاِستَبقِ دَمعَكَ وَالحَنين لِساعَةٍ

    تَذَرُ الأبيلَ مِن الرِجالِ وَبِيلا

    So save your tears and yearning for an hour

    that leaves even a monk among men stricken.

  7. وَإِنِ اِستَطَعتَ غَداةَ داعِيَةِ النَوى

    فَاِجعَل لِدَمعِكَ في الدِيارِ سَبيلا

    And if you can, on the morning when departure calls,

    make a path for your tears through the dwellings.

  8. أَنَسيمَ نَجدٍ بِالمُهَتَّكِ سُحرَةً

    لِشِفاءِ ذي الكَبدِ العَليلِ عَليلا

    O breeze of Najd, at al-Muhattak before dawn,

    blowing gently to heal one whose liver is ailing,

  9. اِحمِل إِلى أَرضِ العِراقِ رِسالَةً

    عَنّي فَما أَرضى سِواكَ رَسُولا

    carry a message to the land of Iraq

    from me, for I accept none but you as messenger.

  10. وَالبَصرَةَ الفَيحاءَ لا تَتَخَلَّفَن

    عَنها وَلا تَتَجاوَزَنها مِيلا

    And spacious Basra—do not stay away

    from it, nor go even a mile beyond it.

  11. وَاِجعَل مُرُورَكَ مِن هُذَيلٍ إِنَّها

    أَرضٌ أُحِبُّ جَنابَها المَأهُولا

    Let your route pass through Hudhayl, for it is

    a land whose inhabited precinct I love.

  12. وَأَفِض عَلَيها أَلفَ أَلفِ تَحِيَّةٍ

    بِالمِسكِ تَفتُقُ بُكرَةً وَأَصيلا

    And pour upon it a thousand thousand greetings,

    bursting with musk at morning and evening.

  13. وَاِخصُص بِأَكثَرِها الهُمامَ المُرتَجى ال

    مَلكَ الأَغَرَّ الماجِدَ المَأمُولا

    And reserve most of them for the hoped-for champion, the

    radiant, noble king in whom hopes are placed;

  14. الأَروَعَ النَدبَ السَرِيِّ العالِمَ الـ

    ـحبرَ الجَرِيَّ السَيِّدَ البهلُولا

    the awe-inspiring, gallant, noble, learned

    scholar, the bold master, the generous chief;

  15. الحامِلَ العِبءَ الَّذي لَو رازَهُ

    حَضَنٌ لآبَ بِظَهرِهِ مَحزُولا

    bearer of a burden which, if tested by

    Hadan, would make it return broken-backed;

  16. مُعفي العُفاةِ مِن السُؤالِ فَقَلَّما

    تَلقاهُ يَومَ عَطائِهِ مَسؤُولا

    who spares supplicants the need to ask, so seldom

    do you find him being asked when he gives.

  17. يُعطي الجَزيلَ مِنَ النَوالِ فَلا يَرى

    إِلّا كَعابِرَةٍ عَلَيهِ سَبيلا

    He gives lavish bounty, regarding it

    only as a traveler crossing his path.

  18. وَيَعُمُّ في إِعطائِهِ فَتَخالُهُ

    بِجَميعِ أَرزاقِ العِبادِ كَفيلا

    His giving embraces all, so you think him

    the guarantor of all people's sustenance.

  19. لا يُمسِكُ الدِينارَ إِلّا رَيثَما

    يَلقى اِبنَ نَيلٍ لَم يُلاقِ مُنيلا

    He holds a dinar only long enough

    to meet a seeker of bounty who has found no giver.

  20. وَمَتى يَقُم مَعَهُ لِأَمرٍ ساعَةً

    مِن يَومِهِ فَلَقَد أَقامَ طَويلا

    And if it stays with him for some purpose for an hour

    of his day, it has stayed long indeed.

  21. العابِدُ المُحيي قِياماً لَيلَهُ

    إِذ ناشِئاتُ اللَيلِ أَقوَمُ قِيلا

    The worshipper who keeps his night alive by standing in prayer,

    when the night vigils are soundest in utterance;

  22. وَالزاهِدُ الصَوّامُ غَيرُ مُخَصِّصٍ

    بِالصَومِ كانُوناً وَلا أَيلُولا

    and the ascetic, frequent faster, who does not restrict

    his fasting to Kanun or Aylul.

  23. يا سائِلاً عَنهُ أَعَن شَمسِ الضُحى

    تَعمى لَقَد فُقتَ الوَرى تَغفيلا

    O you who ask about him—is it to the morning sun

    that you are blind? You have surpassed mankind in folly.

  24. سِر تَلقَهُ واِبغِ الدَليلِ لِغَيرِهِ

    فَالصُبحُ لا تَبغي عَلَيهِ دَليلا

    Go, and you will find him; seek a guide for someone else,

    for you need no guide to point out the dawn.

  25. وَإِنِ اِعتَرَتكَ جَهالَةٌ طَبَعِيَّةٌ

    فَاِسكُت وَطُف تِلكَ الدُروبَ قَليلا

    And if inborn ignorance assails you,

    keep silent and wander those lanes a little.

  26. وَعَلَيكَ بِالبابِ الَّذي لا حاجِباً

    تلقى بِسُدَّتِهِ وَلا قِنديلا

    And make for the door where no gatekeeper

    is found at its threshold, nor any lamp.

  27. لَكِن تَرى الفُقَراءَ مُحدِقَةً بِهِ

    زُمَراً وَأَبناءَ السَبيلِ نُزُولا

    Instead, you see the poor surrounding it

    in groups, and wayfarers lodging there;

  28. وَالمُوضِحينَ لِما رَأَوا وَبِما رَوَوا

    شَرعَ الرَسولِ مُعَلَّلاً تَعليلا

    and those who elucidate, through insight and transmitted reports,

    the Messenger's law, fully explaining its grounds;

  29. وَذَوي الوُجُوهِ الصُفرِ شَفَّ جُسُومَها

    إِشفاقُها وَكَسا الشِفاهَ ذُبولا

    and men of pale faces, whose bodies have been wasted by

    their fearful awe, which has clothed their lips in withering.

  30. هَذا يَرومُ قِرىً وَذاكَ قِراءَةً

    سُمِعَت عَن المُختارِ عَن جِبريلا

    This one seeks hospitality, that one a recitation

    heard from the Chosen One, from Gabriel.

  31. فَهُناكَ أَلقِ عَصا المَسيرِ تَجِد ثَرىً

    دَمثاً وَظِلّاً لا يَزالُ ظَليلا

    There lay down your traveling staff: you will find earth

    soft, and shade that remains deeply sheltering,

  32. وَذُرىً تَقيكَ القُرَّ حينَ هُجُومِهِ

    وَالحَرَّ لا وَحماً وَلا مَملُولا

    and sheltering heights that ward off cold when it strikes,

    and heat—neither stifling nor wearisome.

  33. يا عادِلاً بِأَبي شُجاعٍ غَيرَهُ

    أُتُراكَ لا نَظراً وَلا مَعقُولا

    O you who set another equal to Abu Shuja,

    have you neither discernment nor reason?

  34. تَأبى مَكارِمُ باتِكينَ بِأَن تَرى

    أَحَداً لَهُ في ذا الزَمانِ عَديلا

    Batkin's noble deeds refuse to let you see

    anyone as his equal in this age.

  35. جَرَتِ المُلوكُ فَلم تَشُقَّ غُبارَهُ

    وَجَرى فَشَقَّ غُبارَها مَشكولا

    Kings raced, yet never pierced his dust,

    and he raced, cleaving their dust, though hobbled.

  36. لَو لَم يَكُن بِالبَصرَةِ اِنقَلَبَت بِمَن

    فيها وَجَرَّ بِها الخَرابُ ذُيولا

    Had he not been in Basra, it would have fallen with those

    within it, and ruin would have dragged its skirts through it.

  37. كانَت سَواداً قَبلَهُ فَأَعادها

    مِصراً تَرُوقُكَ مُمسِئاً وَمَقيلا

    It was countryside before him; he made it once more

    a city that delights you by evening and at midday rest,

  38. بِالمُبرِمِ الأَسواقَ وَالسُورِ الَّذي

    مَنَعَ الأَعادي أَن تَميلَ مَمِيلا

    through his securing of the markets and the wall that

    barred enemies from making the slightest move,

  39. وَالرّبطِ بَينَ مَدارِسٍ وَمَشاهِدٍ

    شَرُفَت وَفُضِّلَ أَهلُها تَفضيلا

    and the lodges amid schools and shrines

    that were ennobled, their people greatly favored.

  40. أَحيَا بِها لِلشافِعِيِّ وَمالِكٍ

    وَأَبي حَنيفَةَ أَحرُفاً وَفُصُولا

    He revived there, for al-Shafi'i and Malik,

    and Abu Hanifa, passages and chapters.

  41. وَبِجامِعٍ نَدَّ الجَوامِعِ كُلَّها

    حُسناً وَعَرضاً في البِناءِ وَطُولا

    And with a congregational mosque surpassing all other mosques

    in beauty, breadth of building, and length.

  42. لَولا اِتِّفاقُ حَريقِهِ في عَصرِهِ

    لَعَفا وَعُطِّلَ رَسمُهُ تَعطيلا

    Had its burning not coincided with his time,

    it would have vanished, its structure fallen into utter disuse.

  43. كَم مِن رُواقٍ زادَ فيهِ وَحُصرُهُ

    زادَت إِلى تَرفيلِهِ تَرفيلا

    How many porticoes he added to it! And its mats

    added still more splendor to its splendor.

  44. وَبَنى بِهِ لِلمُسلِمينَ مُقَرمَداً

    تَرَكَ الخَوَرنَقَ في العُيونِ ضَئيلا

    He built there for the Muslims a tiled structure

    that made al-Khawarnaq seem paltry to the eye.

  45. وَلَقد مَضَت حُقبٌ بِها وسُراتُها

    نَهبٌ فَأَنقَذَ شِلوَها المَأكُولا

    Ages had passed there while its nobles

    were plunder; he rescued its devoured remains.

  46. أَفعالُهُ لِلّهِ خالِصَةٌ فَما

    تَلقى لِمُعتَقدِ الرِياءِ مَثيلا

    His deeds are purely for God, so you do not

    find him resembling one devoted to ostentation.

  47. لَو كانَ في الأُمَمِ الخَوالي مِثلهُ

    مَلكٌ لَما بَعَثَ الإِلَهُ رَسُولا

    Had there been among the nations of old, like him,

    a king, God would not have sent a messenger.

  48. يفديكَ شَمسَ الدّينِ قَومٌ لا تَرى

    حَبلاً لَهم بِفَضيلَةٍ مَوصُولا

    May people be your ransom, Shams al-Din—you see no

    bond of theirs connected to virtue:

  49. مِن كُلِّ مَغلُولِ اليَدَينِ عَنِ النَدى

    فاقَ اليَهُودَ لآمَةً وَغُلولا

    each with both hands shackled against generosity,

    surpassing the Jews in baseness and embezzlement.

  50. يَبدُو بعُثنُونٍ لَهُ قُبحاً لَهُ

    لِقُرَيظَةٍ أَو لِلنَضيرِ سَليلا

    By his beard he appears—shame upon him!—

    a descendant of Qurayza or al-Nadir.

  51. زُمَّيلَةٌ فَإِذا المَظالِمُ أُسنِدَت

    يَوماً إِلَيهِ رَأَيتَهُ إِزميلا

    A little weakling; yet when grievances are entrusted

    to him one day, you see him as a chisel.

  52. لا يَتَّقي اللَهَ العَلِيَّ وَلا يَرى

    لِشَقائِهِ الفِعلَ الجَميلَ جَميلا

    He does not fear God Most High, nor does he regard

    a noble deed as noble, in his wretchedness.

  53. جَمَعَ الحُطامَ وَسَلَّ سَيفاً دُونَهُ

    لَؤماً وَسَبَّلَ عِرضَهُ تَسبيلا

    He gathered worldly debris and drew a sword to guard it,

    out of baseness, while making his honor utterly common property.

  54. لَو أَنَّهُ حُمِلَت إِلَيهِ بَقَّةٌ

    لأَضاعَ مِن مالِ الأمانَةِ فِيلا

    Were a bedbug brought to him,

    he would squander an elephant from entrusted wealth.

  55. لَولاكَ ما وَرَّيتُ لَكِن أَتَّقي

    بَقَراً يَعُدُّونَ الصَحيحَ فُضولا

    Were it not for you, I would not have spoken in veiled hints; but I fear

    cattle who count sound truth as needless talk.

  56. فَاِسلَم وَدُم يابا شُجاعٍ لِلعُلى

    وَالمَجدِ ما دَعَتِ الحَمامُ هَديلا

    So live in safety and endure, O Abu Shuja, for high rank

    and glory, as long as doves call with cooing.

  57. تُعطي وَتَمنَعُ ما تَشاءُ وَلا تُرى

    إِلّا مُذيلاً عِزَّةً وَمُنيلا

    You give and withhold whatever you wish, and are seen

    only trailing majesty and bestowing bounty,

  58. في ظِلِّ خَيرِ خَلِيفَةٍ مِن هاشِمٍ

    وَرِثَ الكِتابَ وَأُلهِمَ التَنزيلا

    in the shade of the best caliph of Hashim,

    who inherited the Book and was inspired with revelation.

  59. وَاِسعَد بِذا الشَهرِ الأَصَبِّ سَعادَةً

    تَبقى وَتُبلِغُكَ المُنى وَالسُولا

    And rejoice in this outpouring month with a happiness

    that endures and brings you your wishes and desires,

  60. وَتُريكَ حاسِدَكَ المُسَفِّهَ نَفسَهُ

    حَرِضاً قَليلاً في الأَنامِ ذَليلا

    and shows you your envier, making a fool of himself,

    wasted, insignificant among mankind, and abased.