1. الأرضُ بينَ مُدَبَّجٍ ومُحَلَّلِ

    والرَّوضُ بينَ مُتَوَّجٍ ومُكَلَّلِ

    The earth is clothed in brocade and fine robes,

    and the gardens are crowned and wreathed.

  2. والزَّهرُ بينَ مورَّدٍ ومُوَرَّسٍ

    والنَّشرُ بينَ مُمَسَّكٍ ومُصَنْدَلِ

    The blossoms range from rose-red to yellow-dyed,

    and the fragrance from musk-scented to sandalwood-perfumed.

  3. والماءُ قد صقَل النسيمُ فِرَنْدَهُ

    فتوشَّحتْ منهُ الرياضُ بمُنْصلِ

    And the breeze has polished the water's damascened sheen,

    so the gardens have girded themselves with its blade.

  4. لُوِيَتْ مَذانِبهُ على أدواحِها

    فاختلْنَ بينَ مُنَطَّقٍ ومُخَلْخَلِ

    Its channels have been wound around their spreading trees,

    so they strut, some belted and some ankleted.

  5. ما ذاكَ سجعُ نسيبهِ في ظِلِّها

    لكنَّهُ وَسواسُ هاتيكَ الحُلي

    That is not the cooing of its love-song in their shade,

    but it is the faint tinkling of those ornaments.

  6. أهلاً بأيَّامِ الرَّبيع وطِيبِها

    أُنسِ الخليعِ ونُزهةِ المُتَبتِّلِ

    Welcome to spring's days and their sweetness,

    the libertine's delight and the ascetic's recreation.

  7. زَمَنٌ أرَقُّ مِنَ الوِداد شَمائلاً

    وألذُّ من عصرِ الشبابِ الأوَّلِ

    A season gentler in its ways than affection,

    and sweeter than the first days of youth.

  8. تُذكي بَلابِلُهُ البَلابِلَ لَوْعةً

    ولَرُبَّ بَلبالٍ يَهِيجُ لِبُلبلِ

    Its nightingales inflame sorrows with longing,

    and many a heartache is stirred by a nightingale.

  9. أعْجِبْ بهِ من مِهْرجانٍ قائِمٍ

    بينَ البَسيطةِ والحَيا المُتَهلِّلِ

    How marvelous it is—a festival unfolding

    between the earth and the smiling rain!

  10. حَشَدَ الرِّياضُ لهُ جُنودَ جَمالهِ

    وأتى بحافِل جُندهِ في جَحْفَلِ

    The gardens have mustered for it the troops of their beauty,

    and brought their massed troops in a mighty host.

  11. فالطَّيرُ تَشْدو والغَديرُ مُصَفِّقٌ

    والقُضْبُ ترقُص والأزاهرُ تَنجلي

    So the birds sing, and the pool claps,

    and the boughs dance, and the blossoms are unveiled.

  12. وعَرائسُ الأشجار تُجلى في حُلىً

    خُضْرٍ ولا وَجْهَ العَروس إذا جُلى

    And the brides of the trees are displayed in ornaments

    of green—no bride's unveiled face can match them.

  13. ما إنْ تَرى عُرساً بأجْمَل منهُ في

    عَيْنِ الشَّجيْ إن غابَ عن عَيْنِ الخَلي

    You will see no wedding more beautiful than this in

    the lovesick one's eyes, even if hidden from the carefree one's eyes.

  14. فاعطفْ عَلى وَجْهِ الزَّمانِ وحَيِّهِ

    وانظرُ الى حُسنِ الرَّبيعِ المُقبلِ

    So turn to the face of time and greet it,

    and behold the beauty of the coming spring.

  15. وأجِلْ لِحاظَك في صِفاحِ كتابهِ

    حتَّى تَبَيَّنَ واضحاً من مُشْكلِ

    And let your gaze roam over the pages of its book,

    until you distinguish the clear from the obscure.

  16. وإنِ اعتراك عَشىً لِنيِّرِ نَوْرِهِ

    فاعدِلْ لإثمدِ ظِلِّهِ فتكحَّلِ

    And if the brilliance of its blossoms dims your sight,

    then turn to the antimony of its shade and line your eyes with it.

  17. مَن لم يُشاهِدْ موقعَ الحُسنِ الخَفي

    مِن مَنْظرٍ لم يَدْرِ ما الحُسنُ الجَلي

    Whoever has not seen where hidden beauty lies

    in a scene does not know what manifest beauty is.

  18. فالحُسنُ ما وَضُحت شَواهدُ فَضْلِه

    للْمُجْتَني كوضوحِها للْمُجتَلي

    For beauty is that whose signs of excellence are clear

    to the gatherer as they are to the beholder.

  19. ولَرُبَّ وَرْدَةِ دَوْحةٍ حَيَّتْ بِها

    جَاماً تَلهَّب نُورُه في أُنْمُلِ

    And many a rose has a spreading tree offered in greeting—

    a goblet whose light blazes amid fingertips.

  20. يَندى على جَنباتِه قَطْرُ النَّدى

    فاعجَبْ له ماءً وناراً قَدْ مُلي

    Drops of dew moisten its sides;

    so marvel at it, filled with water and fire!

  21. قد حُجِّبَتْ في ظلِّها فتَبسَّمتْ

    عَنْ قَرْقَفٍ وتَنسَّمتْ عن مَنْدَلِ

    Veiled in the tree's shade, the rose then smiled,

    revealing wine, and breathed out sandalwood's scent.

  22. مافَتَّح الزَّهرُ الجنيُّ ثُغورَه

    إِلّا لِيَرْشُفَ طِيبَ ذاكَ السَّلْسَلِ

    The fresh blossoms did not open their mouths

    except to sip the sweetness of that limpid draught.

  23. كلاَّ ولا جَمَدتْ عُيونُ بَهارِهِ

    إلّا لغَيْرتها عليهِ أو فَلِ

    No, nor did the eyes of its oxeye blossoms grow dry—

    or those of jasmine—except out of jealousy over it.

  24. هذي البَلابلُ قد سَجَعْنَ لِشُربهِ

    تَشْدو وتُنشدُ في الثَّقيل الأوَّلِ

    These nightingales have warbled for its drinking,

    singing and chanting in the First Heavy rhythm.

  25. إيهٍ مُطَرِّبةَ الخليِّ بَعَثْتِ لي

    أسفَ الشَّجِيْ رُدّي عَليَّ وبَدِّلي

    Sing on, you who delight the carefree—you have stirred in me

    the lovesick one's grief; answer me, and change your tune.

  26. ماعُذْرُها والوردُ مَوْرد عِشْقِها

    لَوْ لَمْ تَغَنَّ بِحُسنهِ وتَغَزَّلِ

    What excuse would she have, when the rose is her love's wellspring,

    if she did not sing of its beauty and compose love verse?

  27. فالرَّوضُ قد فَتح الحيا في خَدِّهِ

    وَرْداً سَبَى وردَ الحياءِ المُخْجِلِ

    For rain has opened upon the garden's cheek

    roses that have taken captive the rose of blushing modesty.

  28. عَجباً وحتَّى الحُسْنُ يعشقُ بَعْضُه

    بَعْضاً لقَدْ أزْرى الهوى بالعُذَّلِ

    How strange! Even beauty's parts fall in love

    with one another—love has indeed shamed its reprovers.

  29. لَطَفٌ من الإحسان أعْجَزتِ الورَى

    أوْصافُها سُبحانَ مُبْدعِهِا العَلي

    Delicate gifts of beneficence, beyond humankind's power

    to describe—glory to their Creator, the Most High!