1. The secret longing in passion, for whoever divulged it,
And the fervent love in purpose, for whoever wasted it.

2. Does separation assault us daily
Afflicting us, while we cannot defend against it?

3. So for God is the gathering He dispersed,
And the fellowship of companions He made perish.

4. And hours of intimacy, while its discourse was distraction,
May God water those nights and ordain its hours.

5. And none compares to Layla, if she appears at nightfall,
I extend my palms desiring to bid her farewell.

6. And she came, shedding tears profusely,
When the caller calls to separation, awakening its clamor.

7. The hands of estrangement have dispersed us, so we wake
To the smell of camphor and its dispersion.

8. We traverse the barrens whose regions we never stood,
And cross the deserts whose grounds we never trod.

9. The horizons incline us at night as though we
Were suckling infants who persisted in suckling.

10. When the morning breeze blows,
It excites and rages, appeasing our souls.

11. Of a fervor that knows no peace,
And a heart we fear will shatter.

12. The excess of affliction contends us,
Inciting the pain of estrangement and its ardour.

13. By it we measure the length and breadth of desolation
At night, when it extends its steps an arm’s length.

14. My companions say, when the journey was harsh
And the hands of mounts had burdened them,

15. “Awaken, for the goal had fled, and we only see
Worn-out camels we have tired of driving.”

16. So I said, “Hasten, agitate the camels’ gear
And quicken their pace.”

17. That we may gain the most of life,
And hear descriptions we yearned to hear.

18. And dismount, giving our rides rest,
Thanking what remains of our making.

19. To the most expansive land whose heights are peerless,
And the loftiest meadows whose breadth we never tire exploring.

20. In the plains of governance and its heir apparent
A generous one, through whom the hand of glory extended its reach.

21. The reins of fate are handed over to him
When people disobey, it is he they obey.

22. The suns of favors rise on his horizon,
Shedding their rays on all mankind.

23. He has a hand of excellence that is unmatched in generosity
Whenever heavy rain pours, they wish for its downpour.

24. Unending gifts that vie to outdo gifts,
We seek from the sea the breadth of its flow.

25. If one day the rainclouds of munificence recede,
The hands of his bounty have no fear of receding.

26. Through him the meadows of chivalry and dew flourished,
And the structures of glory and might fortified their foundations.

27. His excellence ennobles the excellent of merit and courage,
So say to the nights, “Do not delude with your brews.”

28. To him the refractory sun yields in awe,
Unafraid even if it disdained to submit.

29. The world yielded to him, handing him its reins,
Until we felt safe from its deceit.

30. The stars vie with the blossoms of his sword
When it sets out to protect them with its clanking reverberations.

31. And his pen mocks the transcriber’s
If his right hand encompasses transcribing it one day.

32. He compiled generosity, glory, honor and eminence,
And arranged the dispersed pearls of the sublime and their collection.

33. You are the one who attained the highest rank among mankind,
Which the magnificent wish they could attain.

34. To you we hurried every wavering, faltering mass,
And traversed the expansive deserts, ravaging its regions.

35. No wonder, for you are the landing of hopes,
And you roused their resolve and driving impetus.

36. And in you we recounted virtues in prose, so take them,
The produce of a mind whose mask I removed.

37. In your praise I strung the pearls of its composition,
And was creative in the art of poetry and its innovation.

38. What can the likes of Ibn Hani do if he is contented with the likes?
Alas, if he envisaged it, he could not accomplish it.

39. When the reciter recites it, a speaker says,
“Be grateful for it, a melodious listening.”