1. An apparition pained me just before dawn then left
I almost succumbed to grief over losing it

2. It returned, leaving no doubt for my companion that it
Was a creature of the morning, when night's wings had folded

3. It visited me while the darkness, its tresses disheveled
Scattered the night until it split it in half

4. Greetings to it, an apparition that stirred in me passion
For the beloved, and revived rapture and fervor

5. O apparition, my love for you was ardent
And when you visited, you increased my passion

6. My life was not good before you left
If only that past time had lasted

7. They thought it beautiful, but since you vanished
I have found no substitute nor replacement for you

8. Except the Helper, who had it not been for the aid of His hand
I would have found no respite from the turns of fate

9. I had been powerless against the whims of fate
And today, by God's grace, I have regained my strength

10. My soul and all my hands possess are ransom for
A clement king, true to his splendid promises

11. The lance, when the horses bolt, steady in his hand
Familiar, though when you look at it, strange

12. The horses' hooves erect tabernacles
And the white blades unfold upon the chargers, pages

13. The dogs at his side boast long-held honor
And the protector of the state clothes them in nobility

14. O foremost of the noble Arabs entire
By whom the harm was lifted from me entirely

15. You were excessive in your generosity to me
And I see no excess in gratitude to you

16. I plunge into a sea of your praises
Finding only pearls, no shells

17. Your glory still rises high
And you remain under the shade of power, its peacemaker