1. His phantom passed me by - no, his mirage swept by,
And from the den of darkness his raven took flight.

2. The phantom knew not, before the break of dawn,
That my opening eyelids would lift his veil.

3. Though his closeness pained my soul, his nearness oppressed me,
More painful still was his parting and estrangement.

4. Had my heart not drowned in the sea of passion,
His distance and proximity would have been the same.

5. With the advent of midnight came the face of my beloved,
So I said, “A beloved has sent me a missive.”

6. He conveyed reproach so sweet, would that
I had prolonged my sins so his reproach would increase.

7. I have a gazelle with features so sweet, so beautiful,
Who captures my heart when we are left alone together.

8. He scatters my containment across his breasts
And wipes his henna with my kisses.

9. His beauty has broken my patience, not my amulets,
And his musk has touched my skin, not just his dust.

10. That is the full moon, though a crescent is his veil,
So think not the crescent is his head-covering.

11. My love speaks of bright teeth and lightning,
This is naught but his mouth and soft cheeks.

12. That mouth is a meadow for the nectar, his pride,
Those cheeks are a refuge for the cheeks’ down.

13. In my heart there is a yearning, his mention of which
Would ignite fires and inflammation in my mouth.

14. If one asked me about the absent one,
My teary eyes would answer on his behalf.

15. His courtyards have been made miserable by his absence,
Just as his saddlebags were made joyful by his presence.

16. The warbling of the love’s confidant is his singing voice,
And the echo of the love’s garden, his lamentations.

17. When the longing one despairs of his beloved returning,
Who will bring me my longed-for love?

18. A heart worn down by the darkness of nights that deserve blame,
And whose gloom and melancholy have overwhelmed it.

19. Yet, complaining of fate is a habit,
And for me, complaining about hardship is shameful.

20. Whoever dreads the injustices of time,
Say to my time, “I do not fear it.”

21. To me, times of prosperity or hardship are equal,
Whether my fate is fair or unfair.

22. How can one fear poverty or dread devastation,
When his livelihood comes from the hands of the Merciful?

23. So whoever takes refuge as I do,
Fate, excuse me - its fangs have become blunt.

24. Its gardens have been distorted, or its heavens,
Yet it is said, despite the envious, “Pure are its robes.”

25. It continues to spread its shadows over me
As its clouds continue to bring me rain.

26. And how many lies that tried to change my opinion of him
Were fruitless - his lies did not benefit him.

27. His perjury did not soften my resolve,
Nor did his calumnies shake the mountains of my clemency.

28. And he imagined vainly, out of ignorance,
That we do not have a Lord who will call him to account.

29. Soon, regret at his denial will overcome him,
Followed by punishment after a short time.

30. So blessed is he whose bliss remains with me,
While for you, O envious ones, is agony.

31. And if I say, “I possess some of the reports of his glory,”
The one who relates them and presents them is his delegate.

32. No envious person ever doubted his sublime nature
Until they said, “His doubts about him have dissipated.”

33. His eulogy is presented by every praiser,
And every sound opinion is gifted to him.

34. Virtue is only what his writings contain,
And glory only what his clothes contain.

35. Into the refuge of the virtuous, his gifts descend,
And at the summit of glory, his domes ascend.

36. His excessive bestowals have corrupted moral purity,
And they hope his wishes would become scarce.

37. He has satisfied and enriched those who visit his court,
And he has received gratitude from all who are thankful.

38. Every desperate one relies only on him,
And every aspiring one’s destination is only him.

39. I see the days as an ocean with his house within it,
And all of existence as its pebbles and shells.

40. It says to him that the wilderness is his abode,
And the stars of the horizon are his companions.

41. Yet he is the horizon of all virtues,
And his thoughts sailing within it are shooting stars.

42. His writings undo the sorrows of misfortunes,
And his discourse eliminates the griefs of tribulations.

43. His words analyze the hearts of men -
He is none but the lion and the bold leopard.

44. My patron! I complain of the tyranny of a cheerless fate
That presumptuously strove to destroy me when it revived against me.

45. It came to me, but where is it returning?
And it approached, but where is it heading?

46. The heart of my fate hardened after I had grown accustomed to its softness -
Who can save me from the reversal of its state?

47. And if you do not find a cloud to shelter me,
Then between me and the doomed, there is resemblance.

48. I am one whose purpose is attaining nobility,
And who seeks nothing but the most generous favors.

49. I am the wanderer, and you are its shooting star,
Or I am the desirer, and from you comes its drink.

50. So how many needs of mine have failed to be attained!
And how many hopes of mine have prolonged anticipation!

51. Fate is but a servant whose master you are,
And sustenance is but a house whose door you are.