1. صُدودُكَ علَّمَ النَّومَ الصُّدودَا

    وجدَّدَ للهَوى عَهْداً جديدا

    Your shunning taught sleep to shun,

    and renewed for love a fresh covenant.

  2. مَلَلْتَ فعاد منك الجُودُ مَنْعَاً

    ولو أنصفْتَ عادَ المنعُ جودا

    You grew weary, and your bounty turned to withholding;

    and had you been fair, withholding would have turned to bounty.

  3. أحلَّ وَداعُنا عَطْفاً جديداً

    وأدنى بينُنا وَصْلاً بعيدا

    Our farewell allowed a fresh tenderness,

    and our parting brought distant union near.

  4. فمِنْ خَدٍّ يُصافِحُ فيه خَدّاً

    ومن جيدٍ يُعانِقُ فيه جِيدَا

    So there was cheek clasping cheek in greeting,

    and neck embracing neck.

  5. وساجي الطَّرْفِ أَلبْسَهُ التَّصابي

    سِخاباً يُلبِسُ الجَزِعَ الجَليدا

    And one with a languid gaze, whom youthful dalliance clothed

    in a necklace that clothes the steadfast in anguish.

  6. أُنازِعُه اللِّحاظَ فإن تَصدَّى

    لنا واشٍ تَنازَعنا الصُّدودا

    I trade glances with him; but should there appear

    before us a talebearer, we trade aloofness.

  7. فما ضيَّعْتُ فيه الحِلمَ إلاَّ

    لأحفَظَ في الهَوى منه العُهودا

    So I cast aside my self-restraint over him only

    to preserve, in love, his pledges.

  8. وما انحلَّت عقودُ الدَّمعِ حتى

    تحلَّى من مدامعِه عُقودا

    And the necklaces of tears did not come unstrung until

    he adorned himself with necklaces of his own tears.

  9. سقى رَبْعَاً يُجدِّدُ لي التَّصابي

    رُباه ويُخلِقُ الصَبْرَ الجديِدا

    May a dwelling be watered—youthful ardor is renewed for me

    by its hills, which wear out fresh patience—

  10. حَيَاً يزدادُ منه الرَّوْضُ حُسْناً

    إذا ما ازدادَ بارِقُهُ وَقُودا

    by life-giving rain that makes the meadow grow more beautiful

    whenever its lightning blazes more fiercely.

  11. فكم صَعَّدْنَ من أنفاسِ صَبٍّ

    فأروى من مَدامِعِه الصَّعيدا

    And how many sighs they sent rising from a lovesick man,

    who then drenched the earth with his tears!

  12. تلقَّى الدَّهرُ آمالي بنُجْحٍ

    وعاد ذميمُ أيامى حَميدا

    Time met my hopes with success,

    and my once-blameworthy days became praiseworthy.

  13. وقالَ ألا إلى جُودِ ابنِ فَهْدٍ

    فرُحْتُ من اللَّيالي مُستزَيدا

    And it said, 'Come—to the bounty of Ibn Fahd!'

    So I went forth, asking the nights for more.

  14. فتىً يُمسي بنائِله مُفيداً

    ويُصبحُ للمحامدِ مُستَفيدا

    A young man who bestows his bounty at evening,

    and at dawn gains praise.

  15. ربيعُ الجودُ ما ينفكُّ بُيْدي

    رَبيعاً من خلائقِهِ مَجودا

    Generosity's spring, he never ceases to display

    a springtime richly watered by his virtues.

  16. ملئٌ أن يَزيدَ الأزْدَ فخراً

    طريفاً أو يَشِيدَ لها تَليدا

    Well able to bring al-Azd glory,

    newly won, or to exalt its ancestral glory.

  17. رأى وجهَ العُلى حَسَناً جَميلا

    فأصبحَ بالعُلى صبّاً عَميدا

    He saw glory's face, fair and beautiful,

    and became glory's lover, stricken with love.

  18. وردَّ عَطاه لي صفوَ العَطايا

    فليسَ يَمَلُّ وارِدُهُ الوُرودا

    His bounty restored to me the purest of gifts,

    so none who comes to him tires of coming.

  19. ومدَّ عليه ظِلُّ السَّيفِ حتى

    تَفَيَّأ للعُلى ظِلاً مَديدا

    And the sword's shadow stretched over him until

    he took shelter, for glory's sake, beneath a far-reaching shade.

  20. فأسعدَ جُودُه جَدّاً شقيّاً

    وأشقى بأْسُه جَدّاً سَعيدا

    So his bounty made wretched fortune happy,

    and his might made happy fortune wretched.

  21. تَمَلَّ أبا الفوارسِ مُشرِقاتٍ

    تُعيدُ نحوسَها أبداً سُعودا

    Long may you enjoy radiant days, Abu al-Fawaris,

    whose ill fortunes you forever turn to good.

  22. أقام نداك للآداب سوقا

    يعيد نحوسها أبدا سعودا

    Your bounty established a market for the literary arts,

    turning their ill fortunes forever into good.

  23. وزادَك وافدُ الآمالِ نَشْراً

    يُبَشِّرُ بالعُلى منكَ الوُفودا

    And the envoy of hopes spread your renown still further,

    bringing visitors glad tidings of glory from you.

  24. فكم أنجزْتَ من عِدَةٍ لعافٍ

    فأنجزَ للزمانٍ بكَ الوعيدا

    And how many a promise to a petitioner you fulfilled,

    and through you he made good his threat against Time!

  25. متى شرَّفْتُ غيرَك بامتداحي

    لَبِسْتُ بمدحِكَ الشَّرَفَ العَتيدا

    When have I honored anyone but you with my praise?

    By praising you, I donned honor ready at hand.

  26. وكم لي فيك من عَذراءَ بِكْرٍ

    تُخالُ لحُسْنِها عَذراءَ رُودا

    And how many an untouched virgin I have in your praise,

    taken, for her beauty, for a tender maiden—

  27. عرائسَ ما اجتلاها الطَّرْفُ إلاّ

    أباحَتْه السَّوالِفَ والخُدودا

    brides whom the gaze never unveils without

    their offering it the sides of their necks and their cheeks,

  28. بألفاظٍ يراها القلبُ بيضاً

    إذا ما عايَنَتْها العينُ سُودا

    in words the heart sees as white,

    when the eye beholds them black.

  29. مُخلَّدَةٍ تُطيلُ شَجَى الأعادي

    وتَضمَنُ عن معاليكَ الخُلودا

    Everlasting, they prolong the grief of foes,

    and guarantee immortality for your noble deeds.

  30. شَغَلْتُ بها قلوبَ النّاسِ طُرّاً

    فما تَنفَكُّ نَسْخاً أو نَشيدا

    With them I have occupied the hearts of all people,

    so they are forever copied or recited.