يَميناً بنورِ الفجْرِ يوْماً إذا بَدا

يَميناً بنورِ الفجْرِ يوْماً إذا بَدا

وبالنّجْمِ في جوِّ السّماءِ إذا هَوى

وبالنّجْمِ في جوِّ السّماءِ إذا هَوى

I swear by the light of dawn on a day when it appears,

With the light of dawn some day when it appears

And by the star in the sky's expanse when it falls:

And with the star in the sky's expanse when it descends

لقدْ شِدْتَ رَبْعَ النّظْمِ بعْدَ دُروسِه

لقدْ شِدْتَ رَبْعَ النّظْمِ بعْدَ دُروسِه

وأحْيَيْتَ منْهُ سفنّةً وافَقَتْ هَوى

وأحْيَيْتَ منْهُ سفنّةً وافَقَتْ هَوى

You have indeed rebuilt poetry's dwelling after its ruin,

You have composed a quarter of poetry after its lessons

And revived from it a tradition [uncertain reading] that suited desire.

And revived from it a ship that met desire

وأنّسْتَ نفْساً طالَما لقِيَتْ بِها

وأنّسْتَ نفْساً طالَما لقِيَتْ بِها

صُروفُ اللّيالي في مُصاحَبَةِ النّوى

صُروفُ اللّيالي في مُصاحَبَةِ النّوى

And comforted a soul long visited by

And delighted a soul that for long encountered with it

The vicissitudes of nights, in the company of separation.

The turns of nights in accompanying intentions

وأتْحَفْتَ بالدُرِّ الذي مَنْ يفُزْ بهِ

وأتْحَفْتَ بالدُرِّ الذي مَنْ يفُزْ بهِ

على كلِّ ذُخْرٍ في الوجودِ قدِ احْتَوى

على كلِّ ذُخْرٍ في الوجودِ قدِ احْتَوى

And bestowed pearls, such that whoever wins them

And gifted with a pearl that whoever wins it

Has acquired every treasure in existence.

Has surpassed all treasures in existence it contained

خَلا أنّ دَعْوَى منْكَ غيْرُ صحيحةٍ

خَلا أنّ دَعْوَى منْكَ غيْرُ صحيحةٍ

أتَتْ ضِدَّ ما أخْفَى الفُؤادُ وما نَوى

أتَتْ ضِدَّ ما أخْفَى الفُؤادُ وما نَوى

Except that a claim of yours is untrue,

Except that a claim from you is not true

It ran counter to what the heart concealed and what it intended.

That came against what the heart concealed and intended

ويُكْذِبُها الحِسُّ الذي مَنْ يرُدُّهُ

ويُكْذِبُها الحِسُّ الذي مَنْ يرُدُّهُ

فللجَهْلِ أصْغى أو إلى أهْلِهِ انْضَوى

فللجَهْلِ أصْغى أو إلى أهْلِهِ انْضَوى

And sense perception refutes it; whoever rejects it

And it is denied by the perception that whoever repels it

Has listened to ignorance, or joined its people.

Has listened to ignorance or joined its people

إذا خبَرٌ ضُمّتْ إليه قَرينَةٌ

إذا خبَرٌ ضُمّتْ إليه قَرينَةٌ

حكَمتَ بظنٍّ ليْسَ بالواهِنِ القُوَى

حكَمتَ بظنٍّ ليْسَ بالواهِنِ القُوَى

When corroborating evidence is joined to a report,

When a report is coupled with a context

You judge by a presumption whose strength is not feeble.

You judge with an assumption that is not strongly sound

وزُهْدُكَ في الأنْثى شَهيدٌ مُثبِتٌ

وزُهْدُكَ في الأنْثى شَهيدٌ مُثبِتٌ

وما ضَلّ مَنْ بالحَقِّ جاءَ ولا غَوى

وما ضَلّ مَنْ بالحَقِّ جاءَ ولا غَوى

And your lack of desire for women is a corroborating witness;

And your asceticism toward women is a witness proving

And whoever brings the truth has neither strayed nor erred.

And none who came with truth strayed or deviated

وما قُلْتُ بيْتاً منْ نَسيبٍ مُشَبِّباً

وما قُلْتُ بيْتاً منْ نَسيبٍ مُشَبِّباً

بغانِيَةٍ أو بتَّ منْهُ علَى جَوى

بغانِيَةٍ أو بتَّ منْهُ علَى جَوى

And I have uttered no love verse in praise

And I have not said any verse of yearning, craving

Of a beautiful woman; nor have you spent a night aching because of it.

A woman of immorality or craving her in infatuation

إذا ما ذكَرْنا مَنْ يَهيمُ بغادَةٍ

إذا ما ذكَرْنا مَنْ يَهيمُ بغادَةٍ

ذُكِرْتَ فنَسْتَثْنيكَ منّا بِما سِوى

ذُكِرْتَ فنَسْتَثْنيكَ منّا بِما سِوى

Whenever we mention someone infatuated with a graceful woman,

When we mention one who is infatuated with a beauty

You are mentioned, then we set you apart from us for other tastes.

You are singled out from us by what is other than you

أتَقْعُدُ عنْ قاضِي القُضاةِ ابْنِ أكْتَمٍ

أتَقْعُدُ عنْ قاضِي القُضاةِ ابْنِ أكْتَمٍ

وعنْ حسَنٍ منْ بعْدِ ما نشَرَ اللِّوا

وعنْ حسَنٍ منْ بعْدِ ما نشَرَ اللِّوا

Will you lag behind the chief judge, Ibn Aktam,

Will I abstain from the judge of all judges son of Aktam

And behind Hasan, after he unfurled the banner?

And from Hassan after he disseminated poetry

وأنتَ الذي شمّرْتَ في شدِّ أزْرِهِ

وأنتَ الذي شمّرْتَ في شدِّ أزْرِهِ

عنِ السّاعِدِ الأقْوى لتَنْشُرَ ما طَوى

عنِ السّاعِدِ الأقْوى لتَنْشُرَ ما طَوى

And you are the one who, to strengthen his back, rolled up your sleeve

While you are the one who rolled up your sleeve

From your stronger forearm, to unfold what he had folded.

With the strongest arm to spread what he folded

فكمْ مُرْهَفِ العِطْفِ انْتَضى اللحْظَ مُرْهَفاً

فكمْ مُرْهَفِ العِطْفِ انْتَضى اللحْظَ مُرْهَفاً

عليْكَ وأحْوى الطّرْفِ لُبَّكَ قدْ حَوى

عليْكَ وأحْوى الطّرْفِ لُبَّكَ قدْ حَوى

For how many a slender-waisted one has unsheathed a keen-edged glance

So how many gentle hearts glanced at you gently

Against you, and how many a dark-eyed one has already captured your heart!

And averted their eyes for you have contained their hearts

وزِدْتَ بأنّ الورْدَ عندَكَ إنْ بَدا

وزِدْتَ بأنّ الورْدَ عندَكَ إنْ بَدا

أنيقَ الجَنى والآسَ في وَجْنَةٍ سَوا

أنيقَ الجَنى والآسَ في وَجْنَةٍ سَوا

And you added that, to you, the rose, if it appears

And you excel in that roses with you if they appear

Lovely for the plucking, and myrtle on a cheek are alike.

Are exquisite, fresh in a soft cheek

وهذا لعَمْري مَذْهَبٌ لمْ يُقَلْ بهِ

وهذا لعَمْري مَذْهَبٌ لمْ يُقَلْ بهِ

ولكنّ مَنْ لمْ يرْوِ ليْسَ كمَنْ رَوى

ولكنّ مَنْ لمْ يرْوِ ليْسَ كمَنْ رَوى

And this, by my life, is a doctrine never professed;

And by my life this is an approach that has not been said about

But one who has not recounted it is not like one who has.

But one who has not tasted is not like one who has tasted

وإنْ أفْرَطَ الشّيْءُ اسْتَحالَ لضِدّهِ

وإنْ أفْرَطَ الشّيْءُ اسْتَحالَ لضِدّهِ

وكمْ طابِخٍ كشْحانَ رمّدَ ما شَوى

وكمْ طابِخٍ كشْحانَ رمّدَ ما شَوى

And if a thing goes to excess, it turns into its opposite;

And if something exceeds it changes to its opposite

And many a spiteful cook has reduced his roast to ashes.

And how many cooks stinginess spoiled what he cooked

ودونَكَها منّي إليْكَ بَديهَةً

ودونَكَها منّي إليْكَ بَديهَةً

أتَتْ لكَ من قَلْبٍ علَى حُبِّكَ انْطَوى

أتَتْ لكَ من قَلْبٍ علَى حُبِّكَ انْطَوى

And take it, from me to you, composed on the spot:

And below it from me to you is a truism

It came to you from a heart folded around love for you.

That came to you from a heart that in loving you is wrapped

بقِيتَ أخا سعْدٍ جَديدٍ لباسُهُ

بقِيتَ أخا سعْدٍ جَديدٍ لباسُهُ

وعِزٍّ على الأيّامِ ممْتَنِعِ الصَّوَى

وعِزٍّ على الأيّامِ ممْتَنِعِ الصَّوَى

May you remain a brother to good fortune, its robe ever new,

You remained a brother to Sa'd, his attire new

And to glory whose heights are unassailable by the days.

And glory over days inaccessible to temptation