1. The ruins told the desert about her abode,
And it excellently narrated, except for my falling tears.

2. Did the tyrants ignite a fire in her land?
For only the embers of my liver were its flames.

3. It is not passion for the house that makes me weep for its traces
And lament it, were it not for the youths and the memories.

4. I remembered through it the days of beauty, and its epoch
Was beautiful, and the prime of youth adorned with blossoms.

5. When living was pure, and the loved ones were neighbors,
And the meadow of passion was fresh, its gardens green.

6. I lived in comfort in the prime of my youth,
Cuddled by a sun, kissed by a full moon.

7. The white-skinned beauty, daughter of Ulya bin Ghalib,
Protected by plains and perfumed blond hair.

8. I swear, if the eggs and arrows did not protect her,
Her singing and poetry would have been enough.

9. She is a rosy gazelle, were it not for her figure,
And the morning sun, were it not for her smile and mouth.

10. The flowers of the horizon vie with the flowers of her attributes,
And poetry comes down to describe her in verse.

11. I obeyed her love as much as I could, and none had
Over me concerning her love any prohibition or order.

12. Lost indeed is he, whose heart is obsessed with Ghada,
Mu'addi bin 'Adnan bin Udad, her neighbor.

13. If the coquetry of her eyes is scattered one day,
For her lover, her coquetry and sight arise.

14. They resent that their handsome youth should love their belle,
Is there any shame in a confidant loving his confidante?

15. It would not have harmed them had my relationship embraced hers,
While estrangement has separated what is between us.

16. I seek refuge in God from my love of an aloof beauty,
And my loyalty to her, while treason spreads among her folk.

17. She sheds the blood of lovers, knowing
That shedding the blood of lovers is easy for her.

18. As if she has a string on every lover,
She swore his string would not sleep.

19. I excuse lengthily, while none hear the blamer,
So the hidden is revealed and the excuse exposed.

20. By my life, you have tried to advise me, but
My ear turns only to what you allow it to hear.

21. Before you blamed the lovers, but
They have with the people of passion no praise or reward.

22. Before this, the enamored entered into love,
Not knowing that love is a bumpy ride.

23. They harbored hopes of union, but awoke
With hands empty of what they sought.

24. The lovers do not deny estrangement or torment,
For no union tastes good unless estrangement precedes it.

25. And I, with the passion and sorrow within me,
Am of bitter disposition, which fate cannot provoke.

26. I see patience as the taste of honey when
You lick it, and patience is like its name, patience.

27. And I am of the exalted people who,
When offended, were harmful, and when blessed, were righteous.

28. When they promised, they fulfilled, and when they threatened, they forgave.
When angry, they were evil, and when forbearing, they were good.

29. They are the masters of the world and itsstatesmen,
And the finest of the exalted, their blossoms most fragrant.

30. The clan of Hashim, kin of the Prophet Mohammed,
Through him, above all creation, excellence was due.

31. He is their pure root and their sharp one, who
When purified, produced a branch, and when keen, published far and wide.

32. Does a sweet basil plant grow but from its seed?
Or bloom, but in its own gardens?

33. Beware, O you who seek to attain their glory,
Go slowly, do not exert, for the matter is settled.

34. If you are in troubling doubt about them, then ask
An expert, for the reports have proven truthful about them.

35. The brilliant dawn may be denied by a blind kinsman,
But else, why would the dawn conceal from a seer?

36. When counted among them are Ahmed, his cousin,
His uncle, his sons, and his immaculate daughter.

37. And his chaste family, the finest guides, and those who
Have merits that do not vanish, though time vanishes.

38. Then they have secured, beyond all people, glories
Too narrow for the plain or the sea at its widest.

39. They are my forefathers, so bring me their equals,
If gatherings of nobles are adorned with blossoms.

40. May the prayers of God be upon them, as long as the east glows,
And as long as their light shines in the horizons from dawn.