1. Leave me be, for I no longer bear the burden of my youth
Unless I’ve marked its plains with my footsteps

2. And startled the darkness’ beasts till just before dawn
And clasped hands with the tales of steeds

3. Where the fragrance spreads its scent
Over the does’ walkways and the expanse of the cold nights

4. And I’ve passed many a dune whereon
My she-camel halted and turned back my mares

5. Between their plains and covenants
Quenched by tears flowing copiously

6. They pitched their tents in the valley’s midst
Amidst the swords and the echoing call to arms

7. And the leaves chirp around them, enraptured by their presence
So every curved route sings my songs

8. Oh you who weep in the valley, our sorrow suffices
Shall we speak of naught but the valley’s weeper?

9. Where are the does, sated by the morn’s first light
On your slopes? Where is the day of joy?

10. They came and went, and from some springs my tears flowed
They left, and some wandering hearts left mine

11. I irrigated them where their mounts’ feet tread
Scents and valleys pouring down their rains

12. That downpour from the blessed right hand of Abu Al-Fadl
They drink like one quenched by cool sweet water

13. Al-Arihi is humble despite his eloquence
While he who rides the litter acts lofty and arrogant

14. A judge whose rulings I obey
I do not unjustly drive my steed

15. Humble, as God raises his worth
Above all other glory

16. He was given authority without piety - but can
A bridle be placed save on a noble steed?

17. Open-handed and kind when loved
Expansive, delightful and hospitable when affection blooms

18. Had the ugly night worn its mantle of darkness
Its far reaches would not be blackened

19. Praise suits him, from his beautiful traits and noble birth
When we speak of his virtues

20. Conversing through the night as kohl to eyes half-asleep
The beauties are awed into silence

21. And when the darkness falls, drawing its veil, and the drowsiness
Of slumber weighs on the eyes of the sleepless

22. I rouse my companions to prepare for night’s coming
Lit by the shining star of his determined leadership

23. Oh apex of the bygone days and pillar for the shunned man
Shelter for the wayfarer and haven for the outcast

24. Take from my praise what almost matches the rhythm
Of a skilled Arabic poet's composition

25. I am the one kings have wished for, but I was not tempted
By one of little merit or high birth

26. And my tongue saw as a sharp sword,
Remembering it in times of hardship

27. Had my ambition not shunned attaining them
My hands would have feared poverty

28. Be my ally, oh ally of the lofty, against
An era that assailed the eloquent

29. Time’s pools are not pure for us
Save when pled for by the devout

30. Though the sons of this era appear coherent
Their interiors are fiery embers beneath ashes

31. No wonder you were raised among them
The blossoms grow amidst the brushwood

32. Wondrous is he who hoped to surpass you
How could a mule outrun a thoroughbred?

33. None can compete with your towering height
Who can match a stallion’s power?

34. You continue to dress lavishly in your grace
Trailing robes and mantles

35. And you remain an adornment to the land, an honor lofty
Indeed, the swords are finery for scabbards