1. قوامك تحت شعرك يا أُمامه

    لحسنك حاملٌ علمَ الإمامهْ

    Your figure beneath your hair, O Umama,

    bears the banner of leadership for your beauty.

  2. أما وصراط فرقٍ مستقيمٍ

    لقد قامت عليَّ به القيامهْ

    Indeed, by the straight path of your hair's parting,

    through it the Resurrection has come upon me.

  3. بروحي منك قدًّا هزَّ رمحاً

    فسلَّ الجفن أيضاً حسامهْ

    With my soul I would ransom that figure of yours that brandished a spear;

    then the eyelid, too, unsheathed its sword.

  4. وخدّ شاهدٌ بدمي وإلا

    بأن وراه من ريق مدامهْ

    And a cheek bears witness to my blood—or else

    to the wine of saliva that lies behind it.

  5. يشفّ من الإضاءة عن رحيقٍ

    تخال الخال من مسكٍ ختامهْ

    It shines with radiance, revealing a nectar;

    you would think the mole its seal of musk.

  6. تأخر يا غلام وخلّ خالاً

    ينادمني على خدِّ الغلامهْ

    Step back, lad, and leave a mole

    to drink with me upon the young woman's cheek.

  7. لشامته يقول إذا أديرت

    عليّ مدام ريقته بشامهْ

    To his gloater he says, whenever

    the wine of his saliva is passed to me—Bashama:

  8. ألذّ بظلمها لي حيث لذّت

    به فأفرّ من كشف الظلامهْ

    "I relish her wronging me, since she delights

    in it; so I flee from redress of that wrong."

  9. إلى أسد لها نسبٌ ولكن

    محاسنها إلى آرام رامهْ

    Her lineage traces to Asad, but

    her charms to the gazelles of Rama.

  10. أطعت بها الغواية والتصابي

    وعاصيت النَّصيحة والملامهْ

    For her I obeyed temptation and youthful folly,

    and disobeyed advice and reproach.

  11. وقلت لعاذلي لا كيد يمشي

    لمثلك في هوايَ ولا كرامهْ

    I told my reprover: "No scheme succeeds

    for your kind in my love—no honor to you!"

  12. زمان اللهو مبرور الليالي

    ووجه الأنس وضَّاح الغمامهْ

    The season of pleasure has blessed nights,

    and the face of joy shines through its cloud.

  13. ورب حمامة سجعت فهاجت

    خفايا مهجةٍ لي مستهامهْ

    Many a dove cooed and stirred

    the hidden depths of my lovesick heart.

  14. فما ورق الحمامة حين أبدت

    خفا شجني سوى زرق اليمامهْ

    Thus the gray dove, when she revealed

    my hidden grief, was none but Zarqa al-Yamama.

  15. لقد حاكيتها وجداً وحيداً

    عليه لحية النعمى وسامهْ

    I have echoed her in longing, a solitary man,

    with bounty's beard upon him as an adornment [wording unclear].

  16. فما يبلى جوايَ ولا أنادي

    عليّ لي ولا طوق الحمامَهْ

    Thus my heartache does not fade; nor do I call

    Ali for myself; nor does the dove's collar fade [wording unclear].

  17. سقى دنيا عليّ كما سقاني

    فواصل كفّه صوب الغمامهْ

    May Ali's world be watered—as I was watered

    by the joints of his hand—by the cloud's downpour.

  18. وزير ما ترى الفضل بن يحيى

    سواه ولا الحسين ولا قدامهْ

    A vizier: you see no al-Fadl ibn Yahya

    apart from him, nor al-Husayn, nor Qudama.

  19. عيان الفضل دع خبر ابن قيس

    ورأس الجود دع كعب بن مامهْ

    Excellence before your eyes—leave tales of Ibn Qays;

    generosity's chief—leave Ka'b ibn Mama.

  20. تعالى الله ما أندى حياه

    لدى رجوَى وما أوفى ذمامهْ

    Exalted be God! How abundant his rain

    in answer to hope, and how faithful his pledge!

  21. بدا ويدُ الزّمان قد استطالت

    فأخمد ظلمه ومحا ظلامهْ

    He appeared when Time's hand had grown overbearing,

    then quenched its tyranny and erased its darkness.

  22. ووفى الملك ما شرطت عليه

    تكاليف الكفالة والزّعامهْ

    He fulfilled for the king all that was required of him

    by the demands of guardianship and leadership.

  23. وداعي الجود يروي عن رباحٍ

    وداعي اليأس يروي عن أُسامهْ

    The herald of generosity recounts from Rabah;

    the herald of despair recounts from Usama.

  24. وكأس الحمد في يمناه يملا

    بممزوج اللّطافه والشهامهْ

    He fills the cup of praise in his right hand

    with a blend of grace and gallantry.

  25. وملك صلاح دين الله يزهو

    بأفضل فاضل فيه إقامهْ

    And the realm of Salah Din Allah glories

    in the most excellent man dwelling within it.

  26. فأمَّا أصله فإلى قريشٍ

    وأمَّا سرّه فإلى كتامهْ

    As for his origin, it goes back to Quraysh;

    as for his secret, it goes back to Kutama.

  27. له قلم تقسّم ريقتاه

    شهاد فم المحاول أو سمامهْ

    He has a pen whose two juices dispense

    honeycombs or poison into the petitioner's mouth.

  28. مكين في الندى والبأس إما

    لهامٍ في المصالح أو لهامهْ

    Mighty in generosity and battle, whether

    a vast sea in public affairs or a devouring force.

  29. وما الّلامات تحمي الجيش إلا

    إذا ما خطَّ فوق الطرس لامهْ

    No coats of mail protect the army unless

    he traces his lam across the parchment.

  30. وما الروض النضير له نظير

    إذا أدراجه مزجت كلامهْ

    Nor can a verdant garden match him

    when his scrolls mingle his words.

  31. وما الدّرّ اليتيم ربيب بيت

    إذا لم يعتمد يوماً نظامهْ

    Nor is the orphan pearl a fosterling of a verse

    unless it one day rests upon his stringing.

  32. علاء الدِّين ما أشهى للثمِي

    ثرى قدميكَ أجعلهُ لثامهْ

    Ala al-Din, how sweet for me to kiss

    the dust of your feet and make it my veil!

  33. أتيتُ الشام بعد سنين جدبٍ

    فكان العام حين أغثت عامهْ

    I came to Syria after years of drought;

    when you brought relief, the year became a raft.

  34. وواليت الندى مالاً وجاهاً

    إلى أن جانس الكرم الكرامهْ

    You bestowed bounty continually, in wealth and standing,

    until generosity became akin to honor.

  35. وعدتَ عزيز مصرَ وكلّ مصرٍ

    سعيداً في الترحُّل والإقامهْ

    You returned, the Aziz of Egypt and of every city,

    fortunate in travel and in residence.

  36. وقالوا سارَ قلبكَ يوم سارت

    ركائبه فقلت مع السَّلامهْ

    They said, "Your heart departed the day

    his mounts set out." I said, "Go in peace!"

  37. ففي دارِ البوار الآن شخصي

    وقلبي الآن في دار المُقامهْ

    Thus my body is now in the abode of ruin,

    and my heart now in the abode of lasting rest.

  38. إليكَ أبو الخلائف من قريشٍ

    سؤال سامه أملي وحامهْ

    To you, father of Quraysh's caliphs,

    comes a plea my hope has sought and circled.

  39. أذكّر جودك الوعد المبدَّا

    وقد أخمدت من سغبي ضرامهْ

    I remind your bounty of the promise first made,

    and you have already quenched my hunger's blaze.

  40. جعلت الجسم منِّي بيت لحمٍ

    وزدت وظائفي أيضاً قمامهْ

    You made my body a house of flesh—Bethlehem—

    and added Qumama, too, to my stipends.

  41. وما أدري أتوقيعي بمصرٍ

    وإلاَّ بالشآمِ فلن أُسامهْ

    I do not know: is my appointment decree in Egypt,

    or else in Syria? I shall not be bargained with over it.

  42. إلى التوقيع قد طرب اسْتماعي

    وحارَ دقيق فكرِي في العلامهْ

    My hearing has thrilled at the decree,

    and my keenest thought is baffled by the signature.