لا أترك الحبّ والعذَّال وعَّاظ

لا أترك الحبّ والعذَّال وعَّاظ

ما دام في حفظه للقوم إحفاظ

ما دام في حفظه للقوم إحفاظ

I will not forsake love, though its reproachers preach,

I do not abandon love and reproaches of censurers

As long as cherishing it enrages those people.

As long as protecting people is in its preservation

يرتاض قلبي إذا ما الحبّ خامرَه

يرتاض قلبي إذا ما الحبّ خامرَه

فخلّ عاذله في الحبِّ يغتاظ

فخلّ عاذله في الحبِّ يغتاظ

My heart grows tame when love pervades it;

My heart flutters when love stirs it

So let its reproacher rage over love.

So leave the one blaming me for being angry about love

رووا الشجون على سمعي فإني من

رووا الشجون على سمعي فإني من

قوم لحديث الشجو حفَّاظ

قوم لحديث الشجو حفَّاظ

Recount sorrows in my hearing, for I am among

They told sad poems to my hearing, for I am from

A people who commit sorrow’s tales to memory.

A people who treasure hearing sad poems

وانْظر لألحاظ من أهوى وقل لي عن

وانْظر لألحاظ من أهوى وقل لي عن

علم تلك ظباً أم تلك ألحاظ

علم تلك ظباً أم تلك ألحاظ

Look at my beloved’s glances, and tell me with

And look at the glances of whom I love and tell me about

Knowledge: are those sword-edges, or are those glances?

The science of that gazelle or the glances of that one

أعيذ بالكهف ألحاظاً مناقضةً

أعيذ بالكهف ألحاظاً مناقضةً

تخالهنَّ رقوداً وهي إيقاظ

تخالهنَّ رقوداً وهي إيقاظ

I invoke protection through ‘The Cave’ for paradoxical glances:

I seek refuge in the cave from contradictory glances

You deem them asleep, yet they bring awakening.

Which I imagine are asleep while they are wakeful

ومبسماً لبهيِّ الدّرّ متَّسقاً

ومبسماً لبهيِّ الدّرّ متَّسقاً

كأنه لبهاء الدِّين ألفاظ

كأنه لبهاء الدِّين ألفاظ

And for a smiling mouth, arrayed with splendid pearls,

With a smile smoothly flowing

As though it were the words of Baha al-Din.

As if it is the elocution of the shining religion

ذو البيت نظماً ومجداً قد سخا وذكا

ذو البيت نظماً ومجداً قد سخا وذكا

حتَّى شتا حوله الطلاب أو قاظوا

حتَّى شتا حوله الطلاب أو قاظوا

Master of the house in verse and glory, he has been generous and brilliant,

The owner of the house has given generously and proven himself

Till seekers wintered around him, or summered there.

Until students have crowded around him or are awake

لله ما مدحة علياء قد نسبت

لله ما مدحة علياء قد نسبت

فهي الصَّميم ونظم القوم أوشاظ

فهي الصَّميم ونظم القوم أوشاظ

By God, what a lofty panegyric has been ascribed!

By God what a sublime eulogy you have attributed

It is pure stock, while others’ verse is lowborn rabble.

It is the essence while the people's poems are worthless

ودّ العدا منه ما فاض العروض بها

ودّ العدا منه ما فاض العروض بها

لو أنهم بنفوسِ الغيظ قد فاظوا

لو أنهم بنفوسِ الغيظ قد فاظوا

The foes wished, because of him, while meter overflowed with it,

Keep enemies away whose abundance overflows with them

That they had breathed their last, their souls filled with rage.

As if they were enraged in their souls

مزجت يا بحرُ بحرَيها فذاك وذا

مزجت يا بحرُ بحرَيها فذاك وذا

عذب على أنه للدّرّ ألفاظ

عذب على أنه للدّرّ ألفاظ

You mingled its two seas, O sea; so both that and this

You have mixed, O sea, your two seas, so that is

Are sweet, though their utterances are pearls.

Freshwater while it is the elocution of jewels

مقدس بيتها حتى الخليل به

مقدس بيتها حتى الخليل به

جذلان والباحث الوزَّان مغتاظ

جذلان والباحث الوزَّان مغتاظ

Sacred is its verse; through it even al-Khalil

His house is sanctified, for even Khalil is in it

Is overjoyed, while the scrutinizing prosodist fumes.

Fascinated, and the researching prosodist angry

قالت لنظم مجاريها وما ظلمت

قالت لنظم مجاريها وما ظلمت

ما أنت حمل فإن الحمل نهاظ

ما أنت حمل فإن الحمل نهاظ

It told its rival’s verse—and was not unjust—

It said to the course of its poems and it did not wrong

You are no burden, for a burden weighs heavily.

Since you are not a burden, and burdens are vile

وزاد ذكر عليّ مجدها فلها

وزاد ذكر عليّ مجدها فلها

مع رقَّة القول بالأنداد إغلاظ

مع رقَّة القول بالأنداد إغلاظ

And mention of Ali increased its glory; it therefore has

And mention of Ali increased its glory, so for it

Alongside delicate speech, harshness toward rivals.

Is firmness along with gentle speech for peers

ونطَّقتني ببكرٍ هامَ سامعها

ونطَّقتني ببكرٍ هامَ سامعها

حتَّى كأنَّ انتصاب السمع إنعاظ

حتَّى كأنَّ انتصاب السمع إنعاظ

And it made me voice a virgin ode whose listener was enraptured,

And it spoke to me with an earnestness that made its hearer

Till the ear’s pricking up seemed an erection.

Feel as if the erecting of hearing were inclining

تجنبت لك حوشيّ الكلام فما

تجنبت لك حوشيّ الكلام فما

فيها وحوشيت حنياظٌ ولغماظ

فيها وحوشيت حنياظٌ ولغماظ

I avoided uncouth diction for you; thus there is no

I avoided for you the arduous words, so there is not in it

‘Ḥinyāẓ’ or ‘lighmāẓ’ in it—may you be spared.

Anything arduous, neither snarling nor scowling

لا زلتَ تملي وتملأ الحلو من كلمٍ

لا زلتَ تملي وتملأ الحلو من كلمٍ

بذكرهنَّ لسان الذوق لمَّاظ

بذكرهنَّ لسان الذوق لمَّاظ

May you ever dictate and pour forth sweet words,

You continue dictating to me and filling sweetness of every word

At whose mention the tongue of taste smacks with relish.

With mentioning them, so the tongue of taste is smooth