لا تَلحَني إِن عَزَّني الصَبرُ

لا تَلحَني إِن عَزَّني الصَبرُ

فَوَجهُ مَن أَهواهُ لي عُذرُ

فَوَجهُ مَن أَهواهُ لي عُذرُ

Do not blame me if patience has eluded me;

Reproach me not if patience brings me solace,

For the face of the one I love is my excuse.

For the face of my beloved is excuse enough.

غانِيَةٌ لَم أَغنَ عَن حُبِّها

غانِيَةٌ لَم أَغنَ عَن حُبِّها

يَقتُلُ في أَجفانِها السِحرُ

يَقتُلُ في أَجفانِها السِحرُ

A beauty whose love I cannot do without;

A songstress with whom love brought me no joy;

Magic within her eyelids kills.

Her sorcery slays between her lids.

إِن نَظَرَت قُلتُ بِها ذِلَّةٌ

إِن نَظَرَت قُلتُ بِها ذِلَّةٌ

أَو خَطَرَت قُلتُ بِها كِبرُ

أَو خَطَرَت قُلتُ بِها كِبرُ

If she looks, I say she is meek;

If she glanced my way, submissiveness I claimed;

Or if she walks with a sway, I say she is proud.

If thoughts of her stirred, her arrogance I proclaimed.

يَخِفُّ أَعلاها فَتَعتاقُهُ

يَخِفُّ أَعلاها فَتَعتاقُهُ

رادِفَةٌ يَعيا بِها الخَصرُ

رادِفَةٌ يَعيا بِها الخَصرُ

Her upper body moves lightly, yet is held back

Her anklet she raises, that it might free her,

By buttocks that strain her waist.

A rider whom her hips do inhibit.

أَصبَحتُ لا أَطمَعُ في وَصلِها

أَصبَحتُ لا أَطمَعُ في وَصلِها

حَسبِيَ أَن يَبقى لِيَ الهَجرُ

حَسبِيَ أَن يَبقى لِيَ الهَجرُ

I now have no hope of union with her;

I've lost hope of union, my solace is but

It is enough for me that estrangement remains my lot.

Estrangement, which forever shall persist.

وَرُبَّما جادَ بِما يُرتَجى

وَرُبَّما جادَ بِما يُرتَجى

وَبَعضِ ما لا يُرتَجى الدَهرُ

وَبَعضِ ما لا يُرتَجى الدَهرُ

And sometimes what is hoped for is bestowed,

At times life grants what we hope to achieve,

And some things unhoped for, by Time.

And sometimes what we ne'er hoped to receive.

لَم يَبقَ مَعروفٌ يَعُمُّ الوَرى

لَم يَبقَ مَعروفٌ يَعُمُّ الوَرى

إِلّا أَبو إِسحاقَ وَالقَطرُ

إِلّا أَبو إِسحاقَ وَالقَطرُ

No bounty remains that reaches all humanity,

No noble deed in this world remains

Save Abu Ishaq and the rain.

Save Abu Is’haq and his rain.

أَبيَضُ يَنمي مِن بَني مُصعَبٍ

أَبيَضُ يَنمي مِن بَني مُصعَبٍ

إِلى الَّتي ما فَوقَها فَخرُ

إِلى الَّتي ما فَوقَها فَخرُ

A man of spotless honor, his lineage rising from the sons of Mus'ab

A white knight of the tribe of Mus'ab

To a rank above which no glory stands.

Whose feats all other feats surpass.

ما اِستَبَقَ الناسُ إِلى سُؤدَدٍ

ما اِستَبَقَ الناسُ إِلى سُؤدَدٍ

إِلّا تَناهى وَلَهُ الذِكرُ

إِلّا تَناهى وَلَهُ الذِكرُ

Never have people raced toward eminence

None raced mankind to generosity

Without the race ending with renown for him.

But he went furthest, his name extolled.

وَلا حَمَدنا في اِمرِئٍ خَلَّةً

وَلا حَمَدنا في اِمرِئٍ خَلَّةً

إِلّا وَفيهِ مِثلُها عَشرُ

إِلّا وَفيهِ مِثلُها عَشرُ

And never have we praised a virtue in a man

No man we ever praised for a trait

Without there being ten like it in him.

But in him tenfold that trait was found.

وَلَستُ أَدري أَيُّ أَقطارِهِ

وَلَستُ أَدري أَيُّ أَقطارِهِ

أَحسَنُ إِن عَدَّدَها الشِعرُ

أَحسَنُ إِن عَدَّدَها الشِعرُ

And I do not know which of his aspects

I know not which of his lands

Is finest, should poetry enumerate them:

Is sweetest, if one lists them in verse.

أَوَجهُهُ الواضِحُ أَم حِلمُهُ ال

أَوَجهُهُ الواضِحُ أَم حِلمُهُ ال

راجِحُ أَم نائِلُهُ الغَمرُ

راجِحُ أَم نائِلُهُ الغَمرُ

Is it his radiant face, or his forbearance—

Is it his radiant face, his steadfast grace,

So weighty—or his overflowing bounty?

Or the flood of gifts that he disbursed?

زينَت بِهِ الشُرطَةُ لَمَّ غَدا

زينَت بِهِ الشُرطَةُ لَمَّ غَدا

إِلَيهِ مِنها النَهيُ وَالأَمرُ

إِلَيهِ مِنها النَهيُ وَالأَمرُ

The police force was adorned by him when

The judiciary was blessed, when he

Its power to forbid and command passed to him.

Oversaw them, commanding and curbing.

كَأَنَّما الحَربَةُ في كَفِّهِ

كَأَنَّما الحَربَةُ في كَفِّهِ

نَجمُ دُجاً شَيَّعَهُ البَدرُ

نَجمُ دُجاً شَيَّعَهُ البَدرُ

As though the spear in his palm

In his hand the spear is like

Were a star in night's darkness, escorted by the full moon.

A star in the night sky, ringed by the moon.