1. When the gazelle roams as a visitor
Do not trust the visiting lion
١. إِذا ما الغَزالُ سَرى زائِرا
فَلا تَأمَنِ الأَسَدَ الزائِرا
2. But ask the night for concealment over you
Even if you deem it an infidel
٢. وَلَكِن سَلِ اللَيلَ سَتراً عَلَيكَ
وَإِن كُنتَ تَأمَنُهُ كافِرا
3. Perhaps dawn will slumber even for an hour
In which its star sleeps travelling
٣. عَسى الفَجرُ يَغفو وَلَو ساعَةً
يَنامُ بِها نَجمُهُ سائِرا
4. So O night if you lend me it with a hand
You will find me thanking and remembering it
٤. فَيا لَيلُ إِن تولِنيها يداً
تجدني لها ذاكراً شاكرا
5. And if it is said we know him an infidel
I say no, but yes indeed a debauchee
٥. وإن قيل نعرفُهُ كافِراً
أَقُل لا وَلَكِن نَعَم فاجِرا
6. So O night the lovers do not separate
When you are present between them
٦. فَيا لَيلُ ما اِفتَرَقَ العاشِقانِ
إِذا كُنتَ بَينَهُما حاضِرا
7. My visitor came joining me
So may my joining one not return emigrant
٧. فَقَد جاءَني هاجِري واصِلاً
فَلا يَرجِعَن واصِلي هاجِرا
8. You quenched my anguish visiting
So do not make me bereft with him leaving
٨. رَوَيتَ بِهِ غُلَّتي وارِداً
فَلا تَفجَعَنّي بِهِ صادِرا
9. And let me confide to it the agony of parting
And preserve the love talk immaculate
٩. وَدَعني أُطارِحهُ شَكوى الفِراقِ
وَأَحفَظ حَديثَ الهَوى طاهِرا
10. Maybe you know the secret of passion
So you become excusing toward the afflicted
١٠. لَعَلَّكَ تَعرِفُ سِرَّ الغَرامِ
فَتُصبِحَ لِلمُبتَلى عاذِرا
11. And you fall in love with its full moon like my love
And you return confused by them like me
١١. وَتَعشَقَ بَدرَكَ عِشقي البُدورَ
وَتَرجِعَ مِثلي بِهِم حائِرا
12. So do not send dawn before nightfall
Nor follow the first with the last
١٢. فَلا تَبعَث الفَجرَ قَبلَ العِشاءِ
وَلا تُتبِع الأَوَّلَ الآخِرا
13. For how many a bird in your margins
Makes my fluttering heart race
١٣. فَكَم في حَواشيكَ مِن طائِرٍ
تُمِضُّ بِهِ قَلبِيَ الطائِرا
14. And your dawn breaks its eyes for me
So O night you remain breaking it for him
١٤. وَيَكسِرُ صُبحُكَ لي عَينَهُ
فَيا لَيلُ دُمتَ لَهُ كاسِرا
15. And how much you have for a person of hands
Whose colour overwhelms the thoughts
١٥. وَكَم لَكَ عِندَ اِمرِئٍ مِن يَدٍ
كَلَونِكَ يَغشى الأَسى الخاطِرا
16. We believe in blaming the curser
Even if his words are infidel's
١٦. نُصَدِّقُ في ذَمِّكَ المانَوِيَّ
وَإِن كانَ في قَولِهِ كافِرا
17. Whispering of a matter with which
Dawn establishes a traveller
١٧. أَسِرّاً بِأَمرٍ بِهِ موبِقاً
يُقيمُ الصَباحُ بِهِ سافِرا
18. And it did not spend the night except on suspicion
For which the onlooker is embarrassed
١٨. وَما بَتَّ إِلّا عَلى رِيبَةٍ
نَغُضُّ حَياءً لَها الناظِرا
19. So had the dawn not washed you of us
You would not have been immaculate
١٩. فَلَو لَم يُغَسِّلكَ مِنّا الصَباحُ
لَما كُنتَ مِن نَجَسٍ طاهِرا
20. And were it not for the appearance of the terminator of bashfulness
Making you smile persist as dazzling
٢٠. وَلَولا جِلاءُ مُحَيّا الأَجَلِّ
مُحَيّاكَ دامَ كَذا باسِرا
21. It brings you back the day it excites racers
With which it calms the agitated
٢١. أَعادَكَ يَومَ يُثيرُ العَجاجَ
بِرَكضٍ بِهِ سَكَّنَ الثائِرا
22. And it returns your horizon to you despite dawn
Appearing from its bleach
٢٢. وَرَدَّ إِلَيكَ بِرَغمِ الصَبا
حِ أُفقَكَ مِن سُمرِهِ ظاهِرا
23. And beating for it the neighing one restored
For us two months of drought by its downpour
٢٣. وَضَربٍ لَهُ ناجِرٍ قَد أَعادَ
بِشَهرَي قُماحٍ لَنا ناجِرا
24. So a body you see it falling on it
And a raptor you see it flying by it
٢٤. فَجِسمٌ تَراهُ بِهِ واقِعاً
وَهامٌ تَراهُ بِهِ طائِراً
25. And the tailwind avoids the rear
So it produces what severs continuity
٢٥. وَيَجنُبُ ريحُ العِنانِ الدُبورَ
فَيُحدِثُ ما يَقطَعُ الدابِرا
26. And how much at rest it moves for dust
So it calms what was under it buried
٢٦. وَكَم حَرَّكَت ساكِناً لِلغُبارِ
فَسَكَّن مِن تَحتِهِ غابِرا
27. And its lofty aspirations' attempter repairs
For you is the glory O the apathetic time
٢٧. وَيَجبُرُ ناهِضُ هِمّاتِهِ
لَكَ المَجدُ ذا الزَمَنَ الفاتِرا
28. So you have persisted commanding good
And you have persisted forbidding evil
٢٨. فَدُمتَ عَلى خَيرِهِ آمِراً
وَدُمتَ عَلى شَرِّهِ آمِرا
29. Indeed God granted victory to the religion of guidance
By granting victory to the King Al-Nasir
٢٩. لَقَد نَصَرَ اللَهُ دينَ الهُدى
بِأَن نَصَرَ المَلِكَ الناصِرا
30. So we do not fear for its jungle
If the coward was in its jungle
٣٠. فَلَسنا نَخافُ عَلى غابِهِ
إِذا كنَ في غابِهِ خادِرا
31. And whoever counts survival from it a second life
I do not consider him for it a companion
٣١. وَمَن عَدَّ مِنهُ الحَيا ثانِياً
فَلَستُ أَراهُ لَهُ عاشِرا
32. So do not take on a question for it
Its beginning will suffice you responsive
٣٢. فَلا تَتَجَشَّم سُؤالاً لَهُ
سَيَكفيكَهُ بادِئاً بادِرا
33. Does the plant of darkness need a planter for it?
And the heart of the sky a digger?
٣٣. أَيَحتاجُ عُشبُ الدُجى زارِعاً
لَهُ وَقَليبُ السَما حافِرا
34. So do not persist other than its benevolence
Or else die thirsty withered
٣٤. فَلا تَستَمِر غَيرَ إِحسانِهِ
وَإِلّا فَمُت ظامِئاً ضامِرا
35. For whoever persists of the palms of villains
Lives his lifetime not seeing ease
٣٥. فَمَن يَستَمِر مِن أَكُفِّ اللِئامِ
يَعِش دَهرَهُ ما يرى مَائِرا
36. And whoever lowered the worth of his request
I have not ceased making ample his request
٣٦. وَمَن حَطَّ أَقدارَ سُؤَّالِهِ
فَما زِلتُ سائِلَهُ الفاخِرا
37. If they asked a preventer powerless
I asked through it a Giver Able
٣٧. إِذا سَأَلوا مانِعاً عاجِزاً
سَأَلتُ بِهِ باذِلاً قادِرا
38. So He fulfilled their word first
And fulfilled His word last
٣٨. فَأَوفى عَلى قَولِهِم أَوَّلاً
وَأَوفى عَلى قَولِهِ آخِرا
39. The people saw the emigration of His slave
So let them not see him for it emigrant
٣٩. رَأى الناسُ هِجرَةَ مَملوكِهِ
فَلا يَنظُروهُ لَهُ هاجِرا
40. And your generosity is more eloquent than his poetry
So the poet is not devoid of poetry
٤٠. وَجودُكَ أَشعَرُ مِن شِعرِهِ
فَلا عَدِمَ الشاعِرُ الشاعِرا
41. And these glorious deeds were it not for poetry
You would not find for them traces
٤١. وَهَذي المَآثِرُ لَولا القَريضُ
لَما كُنتَ تَلقى لَها آثَرا
42. And had the mortals not worn off from his face
The moon would have remained for us shining
٤٢. وَلَمّا جَلا البِشرُ مِن وَجهِهِ
لَنا القَمَرَ المُصبِحَ الزاهِرا
43. I saw my time has all passed
Travelling, bringing me thus withered
٤٣. رَأَيتُ زَماني مَضى كُلُّهُ
سُرىً جاءَ بي هَكَذا ضامِرا
44. And had I not wanted his face I would not have won
A dawn I gaze at flaming
٤٤. وَلَو لَم أَرِد وَجهَهُ ما ظَفِرتُ
بِصُبحٍ أُطالِعُهُ نائِرا
45. And I have an envier whom you have profited
While you make him a loser
٤٥. وَلي حاسِدٌ أَنتَ أَربَحتَهُ
وَأَنتَ تُصَيِّرُهُ خاسِرا
46. And he fared badly in earnestness his overdoing
Repeating his words scheming
٤٦. وَقَد ساءَ في الجِدِّ تَوسيعُهُ
يُكَرِّرُ أَقوالَهُ ماكِرا
47. And how much has he been emptied of his devils
So he conducted the talk with us debauched
٤٧. وَكَم قَد خَلا بِشَياطينِهِ
فَأَجرى الحَديثَ بِنا فاجِرا
48. And he reminded me of the course of time
So he tempted with my flesh a mouth gaping
٤٨. وَذَكَّرَ بي فَمَ صَرفِ الزَمانِ
فَأَغرى بِلَحمي فَماً فاغِرا
49. And God looked to the Muslims
That you were regarding their matter observing
٤٩. وَقَد نَظَرَ اللَهُ لِلمُسلِمينَ
بِأَن كُنتَ في أَمرِهِم ناظِرا
50. And I did not beg them to wrong me
And if that, I would have been for them excusing
٥٠. وَلَم أَلحَهُم أَن يَجوروا عَلَيَّ
وَلَو ذاكَ كُنتُ لَهُم عاذِرا
51. So he who wrongs in his rule is not wronged
But rather who coerces the coercer
٥١. فَما جارَ مَن جارَ في حُكمِهِ
وَلَكِنَّ مَن أَلجَأَ الجائِرا
52. And I do not fear that any slander passes
Through your integrity except appearing evident
٥٢. وَما أَتَّقي أَن زيفاً يَمُرُّ
بِنَقدِكَ إِلّا بَدا ظاهِرا