1. أَغار إِذا وَصَفتُكَ مِن لِساني

    وَمِن قَلَمي عَلَيكَ وَمِن بَناني

    When I describe you, I grow jealous of my tongue,

    and of my pen, jealous over you, and of my fingertips.

  2. لَئِن مِنَعتُكَ قَومَك مِن حَديثي

    فَكَم باتَت تُساجلك الأَماني

    Though your people have kept you from my conversation,

    how often wishes have spent the night conversing with you!

  3. وَإِن حَجبوك عَن نَظري فَإِني

    أَراكَ بِعَين فكري مِن مَكاني

    And if they veil you from my sight, I still

    see you with my mind’s eye from where I am.

  4. وَإِن تَكُ نار صَدِكَ لي تَلظى

    فَمِنكَ أَشمُّ رائِحَة الجِنانِ

    And though the fire of your rejection of me blazes,

    from you I breathe the fragrance of Paradise.

  5. وَإِن شَرَّقت أَو غَرَّبت عَني

    فَمالَكَ مِنزل إِلّا جِناني

    And whether you go east or west, away from me,

    you have no dwelling but my heart.

  6. سَقى الأَثلاث مِن بَيرين دَمعي

    وَحَيا العَهد هاتيك المَغاني

    My tears watered al-Athlath in Bayrin,

    and remembrance greeted those dwelling places.

  7. مَعاهدُ كَم جَنيت العَيش غَصّاً

    بِها زَمَناً وَلَم أَعهَد بِجاني

    Haunts—how often I harvested life fresh

    in them for a time, knowing no wrongdoer.

  8. أَروح بِها أَجرُّ الذَيل تَيهاً

    وَأَسقي الراح مِن راح التَهاني

    I would stroll there, proudly trailing my hem,

    and pour wine from the palms of rejoicing.

  9. لَيال كُلَها سحر وَدَهري

    فَوادي مِنهُ يَرتَعُ في أَمانِ

    Nights all enchantment, while from my fate

    my heart grazed in safety.

  10. فَغالَطَني الزَمان وَقالَ كَهل

    وَأَيام الصِبا في العُنفُوانِ

    Then time tricked me and said, “Middle-aged!”

    while the days of youth were still at their height.

  11. أَقبل الأَربَعين أُصيب شَيباً

    فَما عذر المُشيب وَقَد دَهاني

    Do I acquire gray hair before forty?

    What excuse has graying, now that it has struck me?

  12. طَوَت أَيدي الحَوادث بَسطَ لَهوي

    وَأَلوت عَن مَواطِنِهِ عِناني

    The hands of calamity rolled up the carpets of my revelry,

    and turned my reins away from its haunts.

  13. وَما تَرَكتُ مِن اللذات شَيئاً

    لِمِثلي غَير مَدحِكَ في الزَمانِ

    And I have left no pleasure

    for one like me in this life, save praising you.

  14. لَكَ القَلَم الَّذي يَزري مَضيّاً

    لَدى الأَحكام بِالعَضب اليَماني

    Yours is the pen whose decisive force puts to shame

    the keen Yemeni sword in matters of judgment.

  15. بَراهُ اللَهُ لِلأَعداءِ حَتفاً

    وَصَيرَهُ الحَياة لِكُل قانِ

    God sharpened it to be death to enemies,

    and made it life for every recipient.

  16. وَخَط يَسحر الأَلباب وَدَت

    لَو اِكتَحَلَت بِهِ مُقل الحِسانِ

    And handwriting that enchants minds; they long

    to line themselves with it as kohl—the eyes of beauties.

  17. وَفي طَي الطُروس لَهُ رِياض

    سَقاها الفَضل أَنواع المَعاني

    And in the folds of pages it has gardens,

    which excellence has watered with all kinds of meaning.

  18. وَما الفاتهُ إِلّا غُصون

    أَزاهرها العُقود مِن الجُمانِ

    Its alifs are nothing but boughs,

    whose blossoms are necklaces of pearls.

  19. وَواواتٌ هِيَ الأَصداغ يَحكي

    سَواد سُطورَها طُرر الغَواني

    And waws are temple-locks; they resemble,

    in their lines’ blackness, the forelocks of beauties.

  20. لَكِ الخَيرات عُذر اليسَ يُحصى

    لِساني بَعض وَصفِكَ بِالبَيان

    Blessings upon you—pardon me: beyond recounting

    by my eloquent tongue is even a fraction of your qualities.

  21. وَلَو أَني أَتيت بِكُل مَعنى

    بِديع في مَديحك ما كَفاني

    And even if I offered every idea

    original in your praise, it would not suffice me.

  22. وَإِن أَسهبت أَو أَطنَبَت فيما

    بِهِ أَمعَنَت كانَ العَجز شاني

    And if I spoke at length or elaborated on what

    I explored in depth, inadequacy would be my lot.

  23. بِكَ الشَرَف الرَفيع سَما مَحَلّاً

    عَلَيّاً دونَ ذاكَ الفرقدانِ

    Through you, lofty honor has risen to a station

    so high that the two Farqad stars lie below it.

  24. وَأَخصيت الممالك بَعدَ مَحلٍ

    وَعادَ رَبيعُها بَعدَ الأَوانِ

    And the realms grew fertile after drought,

    and their spring returned when its season was past.

  25. حُسام الدين وَالدك المُفدى

    وَأَنتَ كَميه عِندَ الرِهانِ

    Husam al-Din is your cherished father,

    and you are his champion when the contest is joined.

  26. إِذا ما جلتما في بَحثِ علمٍ

    تَحل المُشكِلات بِلا تَواني

    Whenever you two delve into scholarly inquiry,

    difficult questions are resolved without delay.

  27. أَخفت بُغاة هَذا الدَهر حَتّى

    بِهِ تَخشى الأُسودُ مِن الجَبانِ

    You have terrified this age’s tyrants so much

    that in it lions fear the coward.

  28. عَنَت لسطاك أَزمنة وَدانَت

    لَكَ الثَقلان مِن أُنسٍ وَجان

    Ages bowed to your might, and homage was paid

    to you by the two races, humankind and jinn.

  29. فَمالك في صِفاتك مِن نَظيرٍ

    وَلا لَكَ في مَقامك مِن مَداني

    So you have no equal in your qualities,

    nor anyone who approaches your station.