1. أَتَت طَيفاً بَعدَ المِطالِ

    وَجادَت بِالخَيالِ عَلى الخَيالِ

    She came as a phantom after delay,

    and bestowed a phantom upon a phantom.

  2. يَنِمُّ بِها شَذاها في سُراها

    فَتُدمِجُ لي وِصالاً في اِنفِصالِ

    Her fragrance betrays her on her night journey,

    so she weaves reunion for me into separation.

  3. جَلَت بَدراً عَلَيهِ اللَيلُ داجٍ

    عَلى دِعصٍ عَلى غُصنٍ مُهالِ

    She unveiled a full moon, night dark above it,

    upon a loose-heaped sandhill, upon a bough.

  4. رَمَت عَن مُقلَةٍ حَوراءَ قَلباً

    شوت سوداءَهُ بعدَ المِحالِ

    She shot from a dark-pupilled, bright-white eye at a heart;

    she seared its black core after resistance.

  5. كأنَّ بِخَصرِها وَجدي عَلَيها

    كِلانا في سَقامٍ وَاِغتَلالِ

    As though her waist held my longing for her—

    both of us are sick and wasting.

  6. لَقَد أبلى اِشتِياقي فيكِ جِسمي

    إلى أَن دَقَّ عَن ضَربِ المِثالِ

    Indeed, my longing for you has worn my body away,

    until it grew too slight for any comparison.

  7. أسىً لا تَستَقِلُّ بِهِ ضُلوعي

    وَفَيضٌ سَحَّ مِن دَمعي المُذالِ

    A grief my ribs cannot bear,

    and a flood poured from my freely shed tears.

  8. فإن أسعى فَبِالإرقالِ أطوي

    تَنائِفَ لا يَضيقُ بِها اِحتِمالي

    So if I journey, at a swift trot I traverse

    trackless deserts that do not strain my endurance,

  9. بِعيسٍ تَحتَ جُنحِ اللَيلِ تَبدو

    كَوخطِ الشَيبِ في جَنبِ القَذالِ

    on pale camels appearing beneath night's wing

    like flecks of gray hair beside the back of the head.

  10. ضَوامِرَ كَالقِداح تَجِدُّ وَخداً

    إلى مَغنى المَعالي وَالجَلالِ

    Lean as arrow-shafts, they press on at a rapid trot

    toward the abode of lofty honors and majesty.

  11. مَعاهِدُ طالما جادَت ثَراها

    غَوادي الوَحيِ هامِيَةُ العَزالِ

    Abodes whose soil was so often drenched

    by revelation's morning clouds, their spouts streaming.

  12. سَتَنتَشِقُ الحَياةَ إذا اِنتَشَقتُ

    أَريجَ النَشرِ مِن تِلكَ التِلالِ

    Life will be breathed in when I inhale

    the wafting fragrance from those hills;

  13. وَتَنتَعِلُ الوُجوهَ بِهِنَّ لمّا

    ثَواها الصادِقُ الزاكي المقالِ

    and faces will be worn as sandals there, since

    the truthful one, pure of speech, dwelt there.

  14. رَسولُ اللَهِ صفوَةُ مَن بَراهُ

    وَمَن جَلا بِهِ جُنحَ الضَلالِ

    God's Messenger, the chosen of Him who created him,

    and of Him who through him dispelled the darkness of error.

  15. أتى وَالخلقُ في عَمياءَ جَهلٍ

    ودَينُ الدينِ في أسرِ المِطالِ

    He came while humankind lay in the blindness of ignorance,

    and religion's debt was held captive by delay.

  16. فَاسَّس للهُدى ركناً شَديداً

    وآل الكُفرُ مِنهُ لِلزَوالِ

    So he established a firm pillar for guidance,

    and through him unbelief came to an end.

  17. بِبَدرٍ طَوَّقَ الإِشراكَ خِزياً

    على حُكمِ الصَوارِم وَالعَوالي

    At Badr he put a collar of disgrace on polytheism,

    under the judgment of keen swords and tall lances.

  18. ولم تَألُ الكَتائِبُ عن عِراقٍ

    وَلا شامٍ وَلا أَقصى الشَمالِ

    And the battalions did not hold back from Iraq,

    nor the Levant, nor the farthest north.

  19. فوالى اللَهُ تَسليماً عَلَيه

    وجَدَّدَهُ عَلَيهِ عَلى اِتِّصالِ

    So may God send salutations upon him continually,

    and renew them upon him without interruption.

  20. وَلا زالَ الهُدى فينا مُقيماً

    بِدولةِ سِبطِهِ فَخرِ المَعالي

    And may guidance ever remain among us,

    under the rule of his descendant, the pride of lofty honors.

  21. هُمامٌ دونَ مَنعَتِه اِعتِلاءٌ

    مَراقي الشُهبِ أَو مَجرى الهِلالِ

    A valiant lord, whose inviolable might lies beyond the ascent

    to the heights of the shooting stars or the crescent's course.

  22. وهذا المَجدُ أقعَسُ مَن مَعَدٍّ

    تَخِرُّ لِعزِّه شُمُّ الجِبالِ

    And this glory is more unyielding than Maʿadd;

    lofty mountains fall before its might.

  23. فَأَنتَ الفذُّ في العلياءِ فرداً

    فَما لِسِواكَ فيها مِن مَقالِ

    So you alone are peerless in the heights of glory,

    and none but you has any say there.

  24. فأيُّ الخلقِ وازى في سِباقٍ

    مَقامَكَ في نَوال أو قِتالِ

    For who among humankind has matched, in any contest,

    your standing in generosity or combat?

  25. وَأيُّ مآزِق الهيجاءِ تَلقى

    ولَستَ بضاربٍ تِلك الرِعالِ

    And what straits of battle do you face

    without striking those squadrons?

  26. وأَيُّ كَتائبٍ جالَدَت إِلّا

    تَركتَ كُماتَها جَزَرَ النِصالِ

    And what battalions fought, except that

    you left their champions as carrion for the blades?

  27. وَما مَحَلَت مَراعٍ فيكَ إِلّا

    شَفَت أمحالَهُ بِدَرُ النَوالِ

    And no pastures in you ever grew barren, but

    purses of bounty healed their drought.

  28. لقَد قَطَعَت بنا الآمالُ حتّى

    كرعنا مِن مَعينِكَ ف زُلالِ

    Indeed, hopes carried us onward until

    we drank deep from your flowing spring, and so drank limpid water.

  29. فدُمتَ للمكارم تَبتَنيها

    وَتَنشُرَ ما طَوَت مِنها اللَيالي

    So may you live on to build noble deeds,

    and unfold what the nights have folded away of them.

  30. أَشَدتُم للمَواسِم طيبَ ذِكرٍ

    طَوى ما كانَ في الأمَمِ الخَوالي

    You have raised for the festivals a fragrant renown,

    that folded away all that was among bygone nations.

  31. فَما للدينِ غيرُكَ مِن عِمادٍ

    وَما لِلدَهرِ غَيرُكَ مِن جَمالِ

    So religion has no pillar but you,

    and time has no beauty but you.