1. فُؤادٌ لا يُسَلّيهِ المُدامُ

    وَجِسمٌ لا يُفارِقُهُ السَقامُ

    A heart that wine cannot console,

    and a body that sickness never leaves.

  2. وَأَجفانٌ تَبيتُ مُقَرَّحاتِ

    تَسيلُ دَماً إِذا جَنَّ الظَلامُ

    And eyelids that spend the night ulcerated,

    streaming blood when darkness falls.

  3. وَهاتِفَةٌ شَجَت قَلبي بِصَوتٍ

    يَلَذُّ بِهِ الفُؤادُ المُستَهامُ

    And a caller grieved my heart with a voice

    in which the love-stricken heart delights.

  4. شُغِلتُ بِذِكرِ عَبلَةَ عَن سِواها

    وَقُلتُ لِصاحِبي هَذا المَرامُ

    I was engrossed in remembering Abla, heedless of all others,

    and I told my companion, “This is what I seek.”

  5. وَفي أَرضِ الحِجازِ خِيامُ قَومٍ

    حَلالُ الوَصلِ عِندَهُمُ حَرامُ

    And in the land of the Hijaz are a people's tents,

    where lawful union is forbidden.

  6. وَبَينَ قِبابِ ذاكَ الحَيِّ خَودٌ

    رَداحٌ لا يُماطُ لَها لِثامُ

    And among the domed tents of that clan is a lovely maiden,

    full-hipped, whose face-veil is never drawn aside.

  7. لَها مِن تَحتِ بُرقُعِها عُيونٌ

    صِحاحٌ حَشوُ جَفنَيها سَقامُ

    Beneath her face-veil she has eyes

    healthy, yet sickness fills her eyelids.

  8. وَبَينَ شِفاهِها مِسكٌ عَبيرٌ

    وَكافورٌ يُمازِجهُ مُدامُ

    And between her lips are musk and perfume,

    and camphor, with which wine mingles.

  9. فَما لِلبَدرِ إِن سَفَرَت كَمالٌ

    وَما لِلغُصنِ إِن خَطَرَت قَوامُ

    So the full moon has no perfection when she unveils,

    and the bough has no graceful form when she sways.

  10. يَلُذُّ غَرامُها وَالوَجدُ عِندي

    وَمَن يَعشَق يَلَذُّ لَهُ الغَرامُ

    Passion for her and longing are sweet to me,

    and whoever loves finds passion sweet.

  11. أَلا يا عَبلَ قَد شَمِتَ الأَعادي

    بِإِبعادي وَقَد أَمِنوا وَناموا

    Ah, O Abla, the enemies have gloated

    at my banishment, and they have felt safe and slept.

  12. وَقَد لاقَيتُ في سَفَري أُموراً

    تُشَيِّبُ مَن لَهُ في المَهدِ عامُ

    And on my travels I have encountered things

    that would gray the hair of a year-old in the cradle.

  13. وَبَعدَ العُسرِ قَد لاقَيتُ يُسراً

    وَمَلكاً لا يُحيطُ بِهِ الكَلامُ

    And after hardship I have found ease,

    and a king whom words cannot encompass,

  14. وَسُلطاناً لَهُ كُلُّ البَرايا

    جُنودٌ وَالزَمانُ لَهُ غُلامُ

    and a sovereign for whom all creatures

    are soldiers, and Time is his servant-boy.

  15. يَفيضُ عَطاؤُهُ مِن راحَتَيهِ

    فَما نَدري أَبَحرٌ أَم غَمامُ

    His bounty pours from his two palms,

    so we cannot tell: is he a sea or a raincloud?

  16. وَقَد خَلَعَت عَلَيهِ الشَمسُ تاجاً

    فَلا يَغشى مَعالِمَهُ ظَلامُ

    And the sun has bestowed a crown upon him,

    so no darkness shrouds his features.

  17. جَواهِرُهُ النُجومُ وَفيهِ بَدرٌ

    أَقَلُّ صِفاتِ صورَتِهِ التَمامُ

    Its jewels are the stars, and within it is a full moon

    whose form's least attribute is perfection.

  18. بَنو نَعشٍ لِمَجلِسِهِ سَريرٌ

    عَلَيها وَالسَماواتُ الخِيامُ

    Banu Na‘sh: for his court, a throne

    rests upon them, and the heavens are the tents.

  19. وَلَولا خَوفُهُ في كُلِّ قُطرٍ

    مِنَ الآفاقِ ما قَرَّ الحُسامُ

    And were it not for the fear he inspires in every quarter

    of the horizons, the keen sword would never rest.

  20. جَميعُ الناسِ جِسمٌ وَهوَ روحٌ

    بِهِ تَحيا المَفاصِلُ وَالعِظامُ

    All people are a body, and he is its soul;

    through him the joints and bones live.

  21. تُصَلّي نَحوَهُ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ

    مُلوكُ الأَرضِ وَهوَ لَها إِمامُ

    Toward him, from every mountain pass, pray

    the kings of the earth, and he is their prayer-leader.

  22. فَدُم يا سَيِّدَ الثَقَلَينِ وَاِبقى

    مَدى الأَيّامِ ما ناحَ الحَمامُ

    So endure, O master of humankind and jinn, and remain

    throughout the days, as long as the doves lament.