قِف بِاللَواحِظِ عِندَ حَدِّك

قِف بِاللَواحِظِ عِندَ حَدِّك

يَكفيكَ فِتنَةُ نارِ خَدِّك

يَكفيكَ فِتنَةُ نارِ خَدِّك

Rein in your glances at your limit—your blade’s edge;

Keep your glances within your bounds;

the beguiling fire of your cheek is enough for you.

the spell of your cheek's fire is enough for you.

وَاِجعَل لِغِمدِكَ هُدنَةً

وَاِجعَل لِغِمدِكَ هُدنَةً

إِنَّ الحَوادِثَ مِلءُ غِمدِك

إِنَّ الحَوادِثَ مِلءُ غِمدِك

And grant your scabbard a truce,

And grant your scabbard a truce:

for calamities already fill your scabbard.

indeed, calamities fill your scabbard.

وَصُنِ المَحاسِنَ عَن قُلو

وَصُنِ المَحاسِنَ عَن قُلو

بٍ لا يَدَينِ لَها بِجُندِك

بٍ لا يَدَينِ لَها بِجُندِك

And guard those beauties from hear—

And keep your charms away from hearts

—ts with no strength against your army.

that have no strength against your army.

نَظَرَت إِلَيكَ عَنِ الفُتو

نَظَرَت إِلَيكَ عَنِ الفُتو

رِ وَما اِتَّقَت سَطَواتِ حَدِّك

رِ وَما اِتَّقَت سَطَواتِ حَدِّك

They looked toward you in langu—

They gazed at you languidly,

—or, and did not fear the onslaughts of your edge.

and did not guard against the assaults of your blade's edge.

أَعلى رِواياتِ القَنا

أَعلى رِواياتِ القَنا

ما كانَ نِسبَتُهُ لِقَدِّك

ما كانَ نِسبَتُهُ لِقَدِّك

The loftiest tale in the lore of spears

The loftiest accounts of lances

is the one that traces its lineage to your stature.

are those ascribed to your stature.

نالَ العَواذِلُ جَهدَهُم

نالَ العَواذِلُ جَهدَهُم

وَسَمِعتَ مِنهُم فَوقَ جَهدِك

وَسَمِعتَ مِنهُم فَوقَ جَهدِك

The reproachers did all they could,

The reproachers have done their utmost,

and you heard from them more than you could bear.

and you have heard from them beyond your endurance.

نَقَلوا إِلَيكَ مَقالَةً

نَقَلوا إِلَيكَ مَقالَةً

ما كانَ أَكثَرُها لِعَبدِك

ما كانَ أَكثَرُها لِعَبدِك

They carried a report to you,

They relayed to you a statement,

most of which was untrue of your servant.

most of which was not your servant's.

قَسَماً بِما حَمَّلتَني

قَسَماً بِما حَمَّلتَني

فَحَمَلتُ مِن وَجدي وَصَدِّك

فَحَمَلتُ مِن وَجدي وَصَدِّك

I swear by what you made me bear—

I swear by what you made me bear,

and I bore it—my passion and your rebuff:

and I bore—my yearning and your rejection:

ما بي السِهامُ الكُثرُ مِن

ما بي السِهامُ الكُثرُ مِن

جَفنَيكَ لَكِن سَهمُ بُعدِك

جَفنَيكَ لَكِن سَهمُ بُعدِك

what ails me is not the many arrows from

it is not the many arrows from

your eyelids, but the arrow of your distance.

your eyelids that wound me, but the arrow of your distance.