1. Let me be, my youthfulness, and my passions,
O my beloved, for impetuosity is my faith,

2. Leave me alone, for my fervor calls me,
To bear with it the torment of love’s ache,

3. Did the doe of ardour ask after my heart?
Has she ever asked, to deserve the severing of the ties?

4. No! And he who has seduced the eyelids with magic,
Harut slept from it as if spellbound,

5. Neither have I asked about passion or the promise of the beautiful maidens,
Would that the foliage make me needless of them both!

6. I was not saddened but by the cooing of the doves,
For it stirred my passions, so my passions poured forth,

7. I and the foliage in the gardens strolling,
From infatuation - their yearning and my yearning,

8. Excellent were my youthfulness and the days of comradeship,
He brought them, the warbler of promised fidelity,

9. And quenched with fever the frolics of the gazelle,
The singing slave-girls like hidden pearls,

10. A quadrangular garden I had, like Eden,
And I was in it, amongst houris and eyes,

11. Amongst cheeks, with them the new moon a companion,
That peeks out from above an eyebrow knit together,

12. And a girl sways a slender, delicate form,
So many slain by her deadly onslaughts!

13. Movements of hers that broke my heart upon rejection
So it became hostile without any tranquility

14. And the Turkish swords, all the battling they spared me,
With the Indian gazelles’ glances and arrows from their eyes,

15. Would I find, if I incline toward peace one day,
Would their beauty grant me confidence, confidence in myself?

16. By my soul! I cannot forget any branch,
That bends toward passion, bending me with it,

17. Or a gazelle, if she turns to face my opposition,
Or if languor of sleep overcame my eyelids,

18. O fairest of beauty, be gentle with a slave
Who has yearned for you like a madman,

19. And his tears flowed about the sea
That the sea never gave to the hands of the faithful,

20. The prince whose commendable qualities bring to mind
The excellence of Al-Rashid and Al-Ma’mun,

21. The one with whom the family of Ruslan rose up high
With power over the two brilliants (the sun and moon),

22. One of Bani Urayhah, if Hatim spurned generosity,
He would have ended up, due to his spurning, ungenerous

23. The one whose donations - even the least of them - surpass
Everything attributed to Qarun and his treasures

24. He attracts hearts like a magnet, pulls them
With the attraction of water for the thirsty,

25. How often have I wandered the lands so that, from my travels,
My feet detached from the saddle of the weary camel,

26. I find the people praying for him, securely
And time in safekeeping,

27. And if I depart, praise is before me
And behind me, on my right side and my left,

28. The family of Asafi - if hardship befalls us -
They call us with the title ‘the Firm and Strong’,

29. The horseman of horses, for his glory none can compare but
For his good fortune - his companion,

30. A hero - had he brandished his sword - none would remain
Except that he slew each lion in its lair,

31. How many stabs with a spear tipped with death, from him,
Under the birthmark on a forehead!

32. He has an awesomeness that almost
Can stir the heart of the embryo in the womb,

33. He is the star in the procession that rises to guide
Every one who travels by the light of his shining lamp,

34. My hopes’ necklaces draw favor through
The beauty of its studding and composition,

35. So you see the jewels disdain the river pebbles -
Adornment made more beautiful without adornment,

36. Wisdom gleaming with signs of grace
Rising with the wisdom of clear divine decree,

37. Power along with dignity, generosity along with
Clemency, and firmness along with softness,

38. Thus is the springtime of the generous, but otherwise
Glory without firm control is unattainable,

39. For if a man of prestige does not protect them,
They are no longer of guarded honor,

40. There! A gift to you - the most majestic of those appointed to power
Over Lebanon, both the eminent and commons,

41. An offering from the treasures of my gratitude, adorned
With a string of precious pearls,

42. And it came at the joyous feast to give congratulations
When the fortune-favored crescent brought good tidings,

43. The feast of Ramadan whose rewards are great
And may Allah grant you its hidden good on it,

44. Every feast reminds people to exchange greetings
As joy - so it is not shortchanged,

45. How many times in your presence did the fasting month pine,
One who loves you or is tormented unto moaning,

46. By my life, you must be one whom if the full moon saw
It would go back curved like the crescent,

47. So delight and enjoy, treat well and be treated well, hope and gain,
Live long and prosper, be calm and fast - at all times,

48. You are of excellent repute - your name scents the mouth with gratitude -
So face time that has let you down with no disgrace,

49. Rise above the creation - let it see you every day
With a feast marking the passing of years,

50. Neither has the garden poured its blossoms and fragrance
When he charmed the branches’ affection with his hands,

51. Nor have the stems of the lote tree and willow’s frond bent over,
So the foliage sang, endowed with arts,

52. Nor has one who recalled the tale of youth and passion sung,
Let me be, my youthfulness, and my passions.