1. فيكَ عَذولي عَذَرا

    وَلائِمي قَد أَقصَرا

    For loving you, my reproacher has excused me,

    and my critic has ceased his blame.

  2. طَيفُكَ ما وَدَّعَني

    لمّا سَرى بَل أَسَرا

    Your phantom did not bid me farewell

    when it passed by night, but took me captive.

  3. كَم لَوعَةٍ أَسعَرَ بَي

    نَ أَضلُعي وَأَسأَرا

    How many a burning anguish it kindled between

    my ribs, leaving a remnant!

  4. وَحَسرَةٍ حاسِرَةٍ

    في كَبِدي إِذ حَسَرا

    And how many a consuming sorrow

    within my liver, when he unveiled!

  5. وَكَم صَباحٍ مُسفِرٍ

    مِن ثَغرِهِ إِذ سَفَرا

    And how many a radiant morning

    shone from his mouth when he unveiled!

  6. وَأَسمَرَ اللَّونِ مَتى

    ما اِهتَزَّ هَزَّ أَسمَرا

    And a dusky-hued youth who, whenever

    he sways, sets a brown lance swaying.

  7. أَودَعَ في لِثامِهِ

    بَرقاً وَأَذكى قَمَرا

    He lodged within his face-veil

    lightning, and kindled a moon.

  8. واهاً لَهُ مِن أَسمَرٍ

    أَمسَيتُ فيهِ سَمَرا

    Ah, what a dusky beloved!

    Because of him I became a nighttime tale.

  9. رَجَوتُ أَن يَخفِرَني

    مِن هَجرِهِ فَأَخفَرا

    I hoped he would protect me

    from his abandonment, but he betrayed that trust.

  10. حَفِظتُهُ أَحفَظَني

    دَنَوتُ مِنهُ نَفَرا

    I cherished him; he angered me.

    I drew near him; he fled.

  11. يا غُصُناً نَقطِفُ مِن

    هُ بِاللِحاظِ الثَمَرا

    O branch from which we pluck

    fruit with our glances!

  12. يا بَدَوِيّاً يَعتَزي

    إِلى عُبَيدِ بنِ مِرا

    O Bedouin who traces his descent

    to Ubayd ibn Mira!

  13. إِرعَ ذِمامي وَاتَّئِب

    ما حَسَنٌ أَن تَغدُرا

    Respect my covenant, and act deliberately:

    it is not good to betray.

  14. إِنَّ الأَعاريبَ الأُلى

    طابوا نَثاً وَعُنصُرا

    Indeed, the Bedouin Arabs who

    were noble in repute and lineage,

  15. وَاِستَوطَنوا مِن العلا

    ءِ وَالعُلى أَعلى الذُرا

    and made their home on glory's

    and eminence's loftiest peaks,

  16. يَرَونَ إِخفارَ الذِّما

    مِ في الأَنامِ مُنكَرا

    regard betrayal of covenants

    among mankind as abhorrent.

  17. وَذاكَ ذَنبٌ عِندَهُم

    لِفَضلِهِم لَن يُغفَرا

    That is a sin in their eyes

    which, owing to their virtue, will never be forgiven.

  18. أَبى لَهُم آباؤُهُم

    ضَيماً فَسادوا البَشَرا

    Their forefathers would not allow them

    humiliation, so they became lords of mankind.

  19. كَم عَسكَروا لِذَبِّهِم

    عَنِ الذِمامِ عَسكَرا

    How often they mustered, in defense

    of their covenant, an army!

  20. وَكَم حَمَوا حَقيقَةً

    وَلَم يُوَلّوا القَهقَرا

    How often they defended their honor

    and did not turn backward in retreat!

  21. وَكَم حُسامٍ أَبيَضٍ

    رَدّوا شَباهُ أَحمَرا

    How many a gleaming white sword

    they brought back with its edge red!

  22. وَأَسمَرٍ دَقّوهُ في

    كُلى العِدا مُنكَسِرا

    And many a brown lance they shattered in

    the kidneys of their foes!

  23. يَدعونَ في الحَربِ نَزا

    ل بِالقَنا مُنأَطِرا

    They cry in war, 'Come forth to fight!'

    with their lances bent.

  24. أَخبارُهُم مُجَمِّلا

    تٌ في الطُروسِ السِيَرا

    Their exploits adorn

    the histories upon the scrolls.

  25. هُم زَحزَحوا عَن مُلكِهِ

    كِسرى وَأَردَوا قَيصَرا

    They displaced from his kingdom

    Kisra, and laid Caesar low.

  26. يا حارِ إِن جِئتَ ضُحىً

    ذاكَ الكَثيبَ الأَحمَرا

    O Harith, if you come in the morning

    to that red dune,

  27. وَعايَنَت عَيناكَ حَو

    ذانَ الحِمى وَالعَبهَرا

    and your eyes behold the buttercups

    of the protected pasture and the narcissus,

  28. وَالشيحَ وَالقَيصومَ وَال

    عرارَ غَضاً مُزهِرا

    and the wormwood, yarrow, and

    oxeye flowers, fresh and blooming,

  29. فَنادِ في وادي القُرى

    هَل يا عُرَيبُ مِن قِرى

    then call out in Wadi al-Qura:

    'O dear Arabs, is there any hospitality?'

  30. سَوفَ تَرى مِن أَسَدٍ

    دونَ الكَثيبِ مَعشَرا

    You will see men of Asad,

    a company on this side of the dune.

  31. كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ مُنصُلُهُ

    مُنصَلِتٌ لِيَعقِرا

    Each man's blade

    is unsheathed, ready to hamstring.

  32. وَلِلعِشارِ ضَجَّةٌ

    مَخافَةً أَن تُنحَرا

    The pregnant she-camels raise an uproar

    for fear of being slaughtered.

  33. وَالشاءُ مُبذَعِرَّةٌ

    مَزؤودَةٌ أَن تُعتَرا

    The sheep and goats scatter,

    terrified lest they be sacrificed.

  34. تَلقَ رُغاءً وَثُغا

    ءً وَدَماً مُثعَنجِرا

    You encounter bellowing and bleating,

    and blood gushing forth.

  35. وَالنارُ في يَفاعِها

    قَد أُجِّجَت لتُبصَرا

    And the fire upon its height

    has been kindled to be seen.

  36. فَقُل لَهُم ما طلبُنا

    يا أُمراءُ ذا القِرا

    Then tell them, 'Our request is not,

    O princes, this hospitality.

  37. خَير القِرى أَن تَزَعوا

    أَحسَنَكُم أَن يَهجُرا

    The finest hospitality is to restrain

    your fairest one from abandoning me.

  38. أَجفانُهُ تُدهِشُ عَن

    جِفانِكُم من حَضَرا

    His eyelids distract

    those present from your serving bowls.

  39. أَسدافُ صُدغَيهِ حَمَت

    سَديفَكُم أَن يُمتَرى

    The dark veils at his temples have kept

    your camel-hump fat from being taken.

  40. وَثَغرُهُ يمنَعُ ثَغ

    رَ زادِكُم أَن يُثغَرا

    And his mouth prevents the opening

    of your provisions from being breached.'

  41. مَن لِكَئيبٍ قَد جَفا

    أَجفانَهُ طيبُ الكَرى

    Who will help a sorrowful man whose

    eyelids sweet sleep has forsaken?

  42. حَيرانَ ما نالَ مِن ال

    لذي يُحِبُّ الوَطَرا

    Bewildered, he has not won from

    the one he loves what he desires.

  43. يُلصِقُ بِالصَعيدِ قَل

    باً صادِياً مُنكَسِرا

    He presses to the earth a heart

    thirsting and broken.

  44. يَستافُ تُربَ حاجِرٍ

    عَلَّ يوافي أَثَرا

    He sniffs the dust of Hajir,

    hoping to come upon a trace.

  45. يَقتادُهُ الهَوى كَما

    تُقادُ عَنسٌ بِالبُرا

    Passion leads him just as

    a sturdy she-camel is led by nose-rings.

  46. يا سَعدُ عَدِّ عَن هَوىً

    فيهِ اِرتَكَبتَ الخَطَرا

    O Sa'd, turn away from a passion

    in which you have courted danger.

  47. وَاِدفَع براحِ الجِدِّ في

    صَدرِالمُزاحِ مُنكَرا

    And thrust the palm of earnestness into

    the breast of jest, in disapproval.

  48. وَحُك قريضاً مونِقاً

    مُفَوَّفاً مُحَبَّرا

    And weave delightful verse,

    finely patterned and richly adorned,

  49. أَندى مِنَ النَسيمِ مَط

    لولَ الحَواشي سَحَرا

    more dewy than the breeze, dew-soaked

    along its fringes before dawn;

  50. أَبهَجَ مِن نَبتِ رِيا

    ضِ الحَزنِ حينَ نَوَّرا

    more lovely than the plants in gardens

    of the uplands when they blossom;

  51. أَذكى مِنَ المِسكِ إِذا

    فاحَ شَذاً وَأَعطَرا

    more fragrant than musk when

    its scent wafts and perfumes the air;

  52. أَحسَنُ مِن وَعدٍ بِوَص

    لٍ مِن حَبيبٍ هَجَرا

    finer than a promise of reunion

    from a beloved who has forsaken you.

  53. فَاِخلَع عَلى القاضي صَفِي

    يِ الدِّينِ مِنهُ حِبَرا

    Then bestow upon the judge Safi

    al-Din embroidered robes woven from it—

  54. عَلى الَّذي زَمانُهُ

    أَضحى بِهِ مُفتَخرا

    upon the man whose age

    has come to take pride in him.

  55. كَم عالِمٍ في حَفلِهِ

    أَلقَمَ فاهُ حَجَرا

    How many a scholar at his gathering

    he has silenced, stuffing his mouth with a stone!

  56. وَشاعِرٍ أَشعَرَهُ

    بِأَنَّهُ ما شَعَرا

    And many a poet he has made aware

    that he has never truly composed poetry!

  57. قيلَ لَهُ أَطرِق كَرى

    إِنَّ النَعامَ في القُرى

    He was told, 'Bow your head, curlew:

    the ostriches are in the villages.'

  58. وَمُنشئٍ غادَرَهُ

    أَلكَنَ يُبدي الحَصَرا

    And many a prose-writer he has left

    tongue-tied, showing his inability to speak.

  59. وَهَل يُقاسُ جُندُبٌ

    صَرَّ بِبازٍ صَرصَرا

    Can a grasshopper be compared,

    chirping, with a falcon that shrieks?

  60. وَلَيسَ مَسكٌ أَدفَرٌ

    يَصيرُ مِسكاً أَذفَرا

    No foul-smelling hide

    can become fragrant musk.

  61. وَالثَعلَبُ الرَوّاغُ لا

    يَروعُ لَيثاً قَسوَرا

    And the elusive fox cannot

    terrify a mighty lion.

  62. لا حَبَّذا الدَهرُ الَّذي

    يُصَغِّرُ المُكَبَّرا

    Unwelcome is the age that

    belittles the exalted,

  63. وَيَجعَلُ النَجمَ الثُرَي

    يا خاضِعاً تَحتَ الثَرى

    and makes the Pleiades

    bow down beneath the dust.

  64. يُسمِعُنا جَعجَعَةً

    مِن غَيرِ ما طَحنٍ يُرى

    It lets us hear the clatter of a mill

    with no grinding to be seen.

  65. يا شُعَراءَ العَصرِ لا

    تَأسَوا لِدَهرٍ غَبَرا

    O poets of this age, do not

    mourn an age gone by.

  66. دونَكُمُ نَزاهَةً

    عَنِ المَقامِ المُزدَرى

    Keep yourselves clear

    of a despised station.

  67. أُمُّوا جَنابَ الصاحِبِ ال

    قاضي تُوافُوا وَزَرا

    Make for the presence of the lord,

    the judge, and you will find a refuge.

  68. إِنَّ اِبنَ شُكرٍ مُستَحِقٌّ

    سَعيُهُ أَن يُشكَرا

    Indeed, Ibn Shukr is deserving:

    his endeavors ought to be thanked.

  69. بِوجهِهِ بِشرٌ يُرى ال

    عافي بِه مُستَبشِرا

    His face is cheerful; the

    supplicant is seen rejoicing because of him.

  70. يُبدي تواضعاً إذا

    ما غَيرُهُ تَكَبَّرا

    He shows humility when

    another behaves arrogantly.

  71. خاطِرُه نارٌ وُيُم

    ناهُ تَفيضُ أَبحُرا

    His mind is fire, and his right hand

    pours forth seas.

  72. لو لم تكن حرّ ذكا

    ء صدرِهِ مُستَتِرا

    If the heat of his brilliance

    were not hidden in his breast,

  73. لاحتَرَقَت ذكاء إذ

    يُلقي إلَيها الشَّررا

    Dhuka', the sun, would burn

    when he cast sparks toward it.

  74. بحرُ ندىً نحرُ عدىً

    غَيثُ جَداً ليثُ شَرى

    A sea of generosity, a slaughterer of foes,

    a rain of bounty, a lion of Shara;

  75. أثبتُ من رَضوى وَثَه

    لانَ وقُدسٍ وَحِرا

    more steadfast than Radwa and Thahlan,

    and Quds and Hira.

  76. فكلُّ مَدحٍ غَيرُ مد

    حِهِ حَديثٌ يُفتَرى

    All praise except praise of him

    is fabricated talk.

  77. وبالمقاديرِ على

    كلِّ عَدوٍّ نُصِرا

    And by fate's decrees, over

    every enemy he was granted victory.

  78. يَقذِفُ بحرُ صَدرِهِ

    من لفظِ فيهِ الدّرَرا

    The sea within his breast casts forth

    pearls through the utterance of his mouth.

  79. قد أُلبِسَ الملكُ بهِ

    أَنفَسَ تاجٍ جَوهَرا

    Kingship has been clothed, through him,

    in a crown whose gems are most precious.

  80. بهِ غدا متَوّجاً

    مُخَتَّماً مُسَوَّرا

    Through him it has become crowned,

    adorned with rings and bracelets.

  81. وهوَ الذي سَما عَلى

    كُلِّ وَزيرٍ وَزَرا

    He is the one who has risen above

    every vizier who has held office.

  82. ووعدُهُ بِسُرعَةِ ال

    إِنجازِ يَأتي مُثمِرا

    And his promise, through swift

    fulfillment, comes bearing fruit.

  83. عَلَيهِ أَضحى المَلِكُ ال

    عادِلُ يَثني الخِنصَرا

    For him, the king

    al-Adil now bends his little finger in esteem.

  84. في نُصحِهِ لَهُ وَصِد

    قِ وُدِّهِ لا يُمتَرى

    His counsel to him and the sincerity

    of his affection cannot be doubted.

  85. عَبدَ الإِلَهِ يا أَبا

    مُحَمَّدٍ سُدتَ الوَرى

    Abd al-Ilah, O Abu

    Muhammad, you have become lord of mankind!

  86. يا اِبنَ عَلِيٍّ من أَبي

    بَكرٍ رَأَينا عُمَرا

    O son of Ali, from Abu

    Bakr we have beheld Umar.

  87. بِرَأيِهِ لَمّا يَزَل

    مَؤَيَّداً مُظَفَّرا

    Through his counsel, he has never ceased

    to be upheld and victorious.

  88. لا بَرِحا في النصرِ ما

    واصَلَ طَرفٌ نَظَرا

    May they both remain victorious as long as

    an eye continues to gaze.