أسير الهوى قل لي فما أنت صانع

أسير الهوى قل لي فما أنت صانع

إذا ما بدت للظاعنين المصانع

إذا ما بدت للظاعنين المصانع

Captive of love, tell me: what will you do

I am captive to passion, tell me what will you do

when the fortified dwellings appear to those departing?

When schemes appear to the schemers

وأنت بأخفاف الملاكد واقف

وأنت بأخفاف الملاكد واقف

وطرفك مطروف وعنسك ظالع

وطرفك مطروف وعنسك ظالع

And you stand at the hoofs of the malakid (unclear term),

While you stand with slow steps

your eye stricken and your she-camel lame.

And your gaze is downcast and your glance rising

عشية جد البين وانشقت العصا

عشية جد البين وانشقت العصا

وجاد بدمع في الوداع الموادع

وجاد بدمع في الوداع الموادع

At evening, when parting grew grave and the staff split,

The night before the separation and the stick was split

the one bidding farewell poured out tears at parting.

And he bid farewell with tears at the farewells

وسرت شموس الحي وسط هوادجي

وسرت شموس الحي وسط هوادجي

مغاربها فيها ومنها المطالع

مغاربها فيها ومنها المطالع

And the clan's suns traveled by night within my howdahs;

And the suns of the quarter set amidst my love

inside them are their sunsets, and from them come their sunrises.

Their setting in it and from it the rising

ظعائن من حيي عمير وعامر

ظعائن من حيي عمير وعامر

بها افتخرت يوم الفخار التبابع

بها افتخرت يوم الفخار التبابع

Women in howdahs from the two clans of Umayr and Amir,

Raids from the living tribes of Umayr and Aamir

in whom the Tubbaʿ kings took pride on the day of boasting.

With it I took pride on the day of pride and vying

إذا سارت الأحداج في كل بسبس

إذا سارت الأحداج في كل بسبس

شذى المسك من أردانها وهو ضائع

شذى المسك من أردانها وهو ضائع

When the howdahs travel through every wasteland,

When the litters walked in every plain

the scent of musk wafts from their sleeves.

The scent of musk from their furnishings is dispersed

وإن ضربوا الأقباب في حي عاصم

وإن ضربوا الأقباب في حي عاصم

تجاوب قينات القباب السواطع

تجاوب قينات القباب السواطع

And if they pitch the domed tents in Asim's encampment,

And if they hit the tents in the living tribe of Aasim

the songstresses of the gleaming tents answer one another.

The responding voices of the brilliant tents echo

وفي القبة الحمراء شمس بها دجى

وفي القبة الحمراء شمس بها دجى

وظبي وغصن تحته الدعص بارع

وظبي وغصن تحته الدعص بارع

And in the red tent is a sun with darkness about it,

And in the red dome a sun within its darkness

and a gazelle, and a splendid bough with a sand dune beneath it.

And a gazelle and a branch beneath which the intertwined creepers excel

يضفر آمالي سواد ظنونها

يضفر آمالي سواد ظنونها

كما امحر منها الخد والظلم ناصع

كما امحر منها الخد والظلم ناصع

The darkness of her suspicions braids my hopes,

It plaits my hopes the darkness of its suspicions

just as her cheek reddened, while her teeth gleam white.

As the cheek from it blushed and the injustice shone

تجوز على عذلي وتعذل جائزي

تجوز على عذلي وتعذل جائزي

ويعصب آمالي ووعدي يخادع

ويعصب آمالي ووعدي يخادع

She passes over my reproach and reproaches my benefactor.

It surpasses my inability and makes difficult my ability

And it binds my hopes, while my promise beguiles.

And bands my hopes and my promise is unkept

ويعذب في قلبي أليم عذابها

ويعذب في قلبي أليم عذابها

لطائفها عندي على الصد نافع

لطائفها عندي على الصد نافع

And the pain of her torment grows sweet in my heart;

And it hurts in my heart the pain of it

her tender favors benefit me despite her rejection.

Its subtleties are useful to me against the indifference

وكم بات طرفي ساهراً وهو راقد

وكم بات طرفي ساهراً وهو راقد

وبالطيف منها إن سرت فيه قانع

وبالطيف منها إن سرت فيه قانع

And how often my eye stayed wakeful while he slept;

And how many times my gaze stayed up while it slept

I am content with her dream-image, if she passes through it by night.

And I sufficed with its specter if it walked in it

إذا عز مطلوب فما حيل طالبٍ

إذا عز مطلوب فما حيل طالبٍ

وإن فات متبوع رضا الحم تابع

وإن فات متبوع رضا الحم تابع

If the desired one is hard to attain, what stratagems has the seeker?

When an object of desire becomes difficult, there is no stratagem for the desirer

And if the one followed eludes you, acceptance of fate follows.

And if the pursued is missed, following the zeal is enough

وعذراء إن صدت فليس تبدلت

وعذراء إن صدت فليس تبدلت

علي وإن زارت فليس تمانع

علي وإن زارت فليس تمانع

And a maiden—if she turns away, she has not changed

And if a maiden is aloof, she will not change

toward me; and if she visits, she does not refuse.

For me, and if she visits, she will not refuse

خلوت بها وحدي وثالثنا التقى

خلوت بها وحدي وثالثنا التقى

ورابعنا ماضي الغرارين قاطع

ورابعنا ماضي الغرارين قاطع

I was alone with her, with piety as our third,

I was alone with her, just us two and the third that met us

and our fourth was a keen blade, cutting with both edges.

And the fourth, the separator of the two deceived ones

يدي العقود وجيدها

يدي العقود وجيدها

وبات فمي من ظلمها العذب ناقع

وبات فمي من ظلمها العذب ناقع

My hand, the necklaces, and her neck.

Undoing the necklaces of my hands and her neck

And my mouth was quenched all night by her sweet saliva.

And my mouth tasted its sweet injustice

تنصل من الأطماع واعلم بأنها

تنصل من الأطماع واعلم بأنها

تقطع أعناق الرجال المطامع

تقطع أعناق الرجال المطامع

Renounce greedy desires, and know that

Free yourself from ambitions, and know that they

greed severs the necks of men.

Cut off the necks of ambitious men

ولا مدح إلا في النبي محمد

ولا مدح إلا في النبي محمد

وكل مديح في سواه فضائع

وكل مديح في سواه فضائع

There is no praise except for the Prophet Muhammad,

And there is no praise except in the Prophet Muhammad

and every panegyric for anyone else is wasted.

And any praise of others is wasted

نبي في علاه ينشد الحمد والثنا

نبي في علاه ينشد الحمد والثنا

فمن دونه الينجوج والمسك ضائع

فمن دونه الينجوج والمسك ضائع

A prophet in whose exalted praise acclaim and thanksgiving are chanted;

A prophet seeking praise and glorification in his exaltation

beneath him, aloeswood and musk waft their fragrance.

Without him, beauty and musk are wasted

نبي الهدى سم العدى منجع الجدى

نبي الهدى سم العدى منجع الجدى

وبدر بدا من صلب عدنان طالع

وبدر بدا من صلب عدنان طالع

The prophet of guidance, poison to enemies, a source of bounty,

The prophet of guidance, poison of enmity, haven of purpose

and a full moon that appeared, rising from Adnan's loins.

And a full moon rose from the loins of Adnan

نبي على كل النبيين حاكم

نبي على كل النبيين حاكم

غدا قدوة كل له فهو تابع

غدا قدوة كل له فهو تابع

A prophet sovereign over all the prophets,

A prophet over all prophets, the judge

he became their exemplar; each is his follower.

Who became a model, all are his followers

نبي فلولاه ما كان كائن

نبي فلولاه ما كان كائن

ولا كان إسلام به ذاع ذايع

ولا كان إسلام به ذاع ذايع

A prophet without whom nothing would have existed,

A prophet, without him there would have been no creation

nor Islam, which spread far and wide through him.

Nor would Islam through him have spread and become widespread

محمد خير المرسلين أخيرها

محمد خير المرسلين أخيرها

وأولها في الفضل والمجد شايع

وأولها في الفضل والمجد شايع

Muhammad, the best of the messengers, the last of them,

Muhammad, best of messengers, last of them

and foremost in excellence and glory, widely renowned.

And first in virtue and glory, most famous

تفرع من عليا لؤي بن غالب

تفرع من عليا لؤي بن غالب

فناهيك عرقاً طال والفرع بارع

فناهيك عرقاً طال والفرع بارع

He branched forth from the nobility of Lu'ayy son of Ghalib;

Branching from the Luy tribe of Ghaleb

what a lofty root, and what a splendid branch!

So a long lineage and the branch is skillful

تقبل كميه ملائكة السما

تقبل كميه ملائكة السما

وتلثم نعليه الملوك التبابع

وتلثم نعليه الملوك التبابع

The angels of heaven kiss his sleeves,

Accepted by the angels of the sky

and the Tubbaʿ kings kiss his sandals.

And kissed his sandals the submitting kings

كريم المساعي للنبيين خاتم

كريم المساعي للنبيين خاتم

شرائعه ما بعدهن شرائع

شرائعه ما بعدهن شرائع

Noble in his endeavors, the seal of the prophets;

The generous one in his efforts for the prophets and seal

his laws—no laws come after them.

His laws after him there are no laws

عليه صلاة اللَه ما خب راكب

عليه صلاة اللَه ما خب راكب

وما جزعت بالجهلتين الأجازع

وما جزعت بالجهلتين الأجازع

May God's blessing be upon him as long as a rider trots,

Upon him the prayers of God as long as a rider mounts

and as long as the ajaziʿ cross at al-Jahlatayn (wording unclear).

And the two terrified ones panic

وعمت ضجيعيك أبا بكر والرضى

وعمت ضجيعيك أبا بكر والرضى

إذاً عمراً ومن لهم فهو تابع

إذاً عمراً ومن لهم فهو تابع

And may it embrace the two who lie beside you: Abu Bakr and the well-pleasing one,

And your two companions covered you, Abu Bakr and Al-Ridha

Umar, then, and whoever follows them.

Umar then and whoever follows them