1. At dawn I recalled Baljaa radiating light
As she breathed out the scent of aromatic plants

2. I did not forget the warbling of doves in the morning
The tinkling of anklets, nor their restless bustling

3. One morning she came, and her anklet of jingling bells
Had no eloquence against the silence of grief

4. A Najdi woman determined to complete her pilgrim rituals
She did not neglect a single rite on the day she circumambulated

5. Dazzling is Baljaa, exhaling fragrance
Captivating is Faljaa, stirring up longing

6. Every charming girl surpasses her peers
In that which enchants souls and hearts

7. Her waist arousing thirst quenched and sated
Her hips provoking desire, lush and abundant

8. Her cheek dimpling, her brow serene
By Allah! The light of dawn covers it in protective veils

9. I fell passionately in love with her beauty but no
Blame clung to my hearing or seeped inside

10. The girls taught me to surrender to them
No withered branch can carry fruit so plump

11. My love is candid so I haven’t wept from remorse
Whether my hair one day grays or stays raven

12. These charms have remained forbidden to me
Neither healing me nor responding to my fervent call

13. I won’t accept the betrayal of her fickle glances
I tend the stars when the gloomy night falls

14. My heart’s ardour and the blurring of my vision
Were troubled by the pangs of separation so I became distressed

15. I started to whisper my lineage to her though
She was addicted to avoiding me, stubbornly unresponsive

16. As if time in its way sought to teach me patience
For what saddened me and caused me anguish

17. When I sought comfort in her, she increased my agony
As if she followed the precedent of one who entrenched it

18. Oh the intensity of despair! If you lose hope in her
Then the hope of the heir apparent has brought me relief

19. Grandson of Yaḥyá ibn 'Abd al-Wáḥid ibn Abí
Ḥafṣ ibn Yaḥyá - what sublime solace!

20. A king who confidently follows the noble ways
Laid down by his forefathers, guided and well-trodden

21. He divides justly between leniency and severity
While the people fear him but have hope in him

22. The secret of nobility appears in his lineage
As sunlight never exceeds its limit of radiance

23. Though fortune favours him, he refuses to shed
His coat of mail until donning the garb of peace

24. He reckons war only a meadow where
Enemy blood churned violently in its midst

25. Though eminent, his station falls short
Of Saturn - oh how far it climbed and rose!

26. On his right, fleets cast from the sea
All sorts of knowledgeable captains, without dispute

27. The caliphate was entrusted to one of noble lineage
Preceding eras and pilgrimages, well-protected

28. Challenging on his behalf the white-robed pilgrims, even if
Their tongues dispute in the dark night of ignorance

29. It is incumbent upon him to gladden the true religion
A heart, even if the clamour of war had not gladdened it

30. Guiding to his father’s purpose, an exemplar
To repair what was ruined or correct what deviated

31. Allah has sanctioned these remarkable achievements
So let the rightly-guided people take them as proof

32. Purifying from among them all whose necks were impure
And whose ranks ascended loftily

33. He walks steadily to excuse himself while his defenders
Remain trembling in terrible dread

34. As if he was accustomed to show patience for affronts so
He was not shaken by disturbing dreams or distress

35. Their hurting him is sweetly endured in generosity
Though perhaps concealed in them is rancid rot

36. They understand the outcomes of goodness
So they do not deviate crookedly from its path

37. How complete is that of which deficiency is the start!
The wick fulfills the lantern’s radiance only by being snuffed

38. Be wary of their hypocrisy if their chancred gums kiss your hand
For perhaps their oaths concealed festering wounds

39. Do not be lulled into complacency by their small size
For it is the nature of sparks to ignite tinder

40. They are kings and sons of kings so time
Still adorns itself through them, joyous