1. عندي إذا مالروضُ أصبحَ ذابلا

    تُحَفٌ أغضُّ من الرِّياضِ شمائِلا

    When the garden has grown withered, I have

    treasures fresher in their charms than gardens.

  2. خُرسٌ تُحدِّثُ أخراً عن أوَّلٍ

    بعجائبٍ سلَفتْ ولسْنَ أوائِلا

    Mute, they tell those who come later of those who came before,

    of bygone marvels, though they are not themselves the first.

  3. سُقِيَتْ بأطرافِ اليَراعِ ظُهورُها

    وبطونُها طَلاً أجمَّ ووابِلا

    Their backs have been watered by the tips of reed pens,

    and their insides with copious dew and pouring rain.

  4. تلقاكَ في حُمرِ الثِّيابِ وسُودِها

    فَتَخَالُهُنَّ عرائساً وثَواكِلا

    They meet you in garments red and black,

    so you take them for brides and bereaved mothers.

  5. وتُريكَ ما قَد فاتَ من دَهرٍ مضَى

    حتى تَراه بعينِ فِكرِك ماثِلا

    And they show you what has gone by in an age now past,

    until you see it standing before your mind's eye.

  6. وإذا خلوتَ بهنَّ ظمآنَ الحَشا

    مَنَحتكَ من صَوبِ العُقولِ مَناهِلا

    And when you are alone with them, thirsty at heart,

    they offer you watering places fed by the rain of minds.

  7. ولَها إذا حُلَّت نتاجُ غرائبٍ

    يَمكُثنَ ما زُرَّت بهِنَّ حَوامِلا

    And when unbound, they give birth to marvels;

    they remain pregnant as long as their covers are clasped shut.

  8. يَلبَسنَ أرديةَ الأديمِ كأنّما

    رَقْرَقتَ فيهِن الخَلوقَ السَّائِلا

    They wear mantles of leather, as though

    you had poured liquid saffron perfume into them.

  9. فإذا مَددتَ لها يمينَكَ فاتحاً

    عَبِقَت يمينُكَ راحةً وأنامِلا

    So when you stretch your right hand toward them to open them,

    your right hand grows fragrant, palm and fingertips.

  10. نشَرت حدائقُها على أمثالِها

    حُللاً مدبَّجةً وحَلْياً كَامِلا

    Their gardens spread upon their counterparts

    richly embroidered robes and a full array of ornaments.

  11. روضٌ تُزَخرِفُه العقولُ ورَوضةٌ

    باتَت تُزَخرِفُها الغُيوثُ هَواطِلا

    A garden adorned by minds, and a garden

    that pouring rains have adorned through the night.

  12. وكَتِيبتَا زَنْجٍ ورومٍ أَذْكَتَا

    حَرباً يَسُلُّ بها الذَّكاءُ مَناصِلا

    And two battalions, Zanj and Romans, have kindled

    a war in which intelligence unsheathes swords,

  13. في مَعْرَكٍ قَسَمَ النِّزالُ بِقاعَه

    بينُ الكُماةِ المُعلَمِين مَنازِلا

    on a battlefield whose spaces combat has divided

    into stations among the marked warriors.

  14. لم يَسفَحا فيه دماً وكأنَّما

    رَشَحا الدماءَ أعالياً وأسافِلا

    They have spilled no blood there, yet it is as though

    they had oozed blood above and below.

  15. يُبدي لعينِك كلَّما عاينتَه

    قِرنَين جَالاَ مُقدِماً وَمُخاتِلا

    Whenever you look at it, it reveals to your eye

    two rivals maneuvering, one advancing and one feinting.

  16. فكأنَّ ذا صاحٍ يَسيرُ مُقوَّماً

    وكأنَّ ذا نَشْوانُ يَخطِرُ مائِلا

    So this one seems sober, walking straight,

    and that one drunk, strutting at a slant.

  17. أَعجِبْ بِها حرباً تُثيِرُ إذا التظَت

    فَضلَ الرِّجال ولا تُثِيرُ قساطِلا

    Marvel at this war: when it blazes, it brings out

    men's excellence, but raises no clouds of dust.

  18. ومُحكَّمانِ على النُفوسِ وربَّما

    لم يَحكُما فيهِنَّ حُكماً عادِلا

    And two arbiters over souls, who sometimes

    fail to pass a just judgment on them.

  19. أخَوَانِ قد وَسَما على مَتْنَيهِما

    سِمةً تَحُثُّ على البَليدِ غَوائِلا

    Two brothers have inscribed upon their backs

    a mark that spurs misfortunes against the dull-witted.

  20. يلقاهما المسعودُ سَعداً طالعاً

    ويراهما المَنحوسُ سعداً آفِلا

    The fortunate meets them as a rising lucky star,

    and the unlucky sees them as a lucky star setting.

  21. فإذا هما اصطحَبا على كَفِّ الفَتى

    ضَرَّاه أو مَنحَاه نَفعاً عاجلاً

    So when the two come together on a young man's palm,

    they harm him or grant him an immediate gain.

  22. وصُنوفُ أَنبِذَةٍ إذا عاينَتها

    عاينتَ أفراحَ النُفوسِ كَوامِلا

    And varieties of wine: when you behold them,

    you behold the joys of souls in their fullness.

  23. مثلُ العَرائسِ ما اجتُلينَ رَوائحاً

    إلاّ اخْتَلَفْنَ قَلائِداً وغَلائِلا

    Like brides, never are they unveiled at evening

    without differing in necklaces and fine gowns.

  24. وأغنُّ قَدَّحَ عارضاهُ فلاَوَذَا

    واخضَرَّ شاربُه فسار مقابِلا

    And a nasal-voiced youth, whose cheek-whiskers sparked, then took cover,

    while his mustache turned green and advanced to confront them.

  25. من مَعشرٍ صِيغَت حُلى أجسامِهم

    خُضراً إذا الأجسامُ كنَّ عَواطِلا

    from a company whose bodies' ornaments are fashioned

    green, even when their bodies wear no ornaments.

  26. مُبيضَّ أيامِ العُقوبةِ صابراً

    مُحمرَّ أيامِ الشَّطارةِ صائِلا

    White in days of punishment, patiently enduring,

    red in days of roguery, springing to attack.

  27. يتذاكرُ الفِتيانُ كيفَ يُحرِّموا

    فمضَوا قتيلاً لا يُعابُ وقَاتِلا

    The youths discuss how to declare things forbidden,

    then go their ways, slain without reproach, and slayers.

  28. ولقَد تأملتُ الشَّطارةَ قَبلَه

    فَوَجَدْتُها حقَّاً يُسمَّى باطِلا

    And indeed, I had pondered roguery before him,

    so I found it a truth called falsehood.

  29. فابكُرْ أبا بَكْرٍ فقد بَكَرَ الهَوىَ

    طلْقاً لَدَيَّ وكان جَهْماً بَاسِلا

    So come early, Abu Bakr, for desire has come early,

    smiling at my side, though it had been grim and fierce.

  30. وأَجِبْ إلى شُربِ الشَّمولِ فإنّها

    تُهدي بقُربِك لي سُروراً شَامِلا

    And answer the call to drink wine, for it

    brings me all-encompassing joy through your nearness.

  31. وكفاكَ بي خُلّا تَسُرُّ خِلالُه

    وكفَى بمثلِك مُسعِداً ومُواصِلا

    And I suffice you as a friend whose qualities delight,

    and one like you suffices as a helper and faithful companion.