1. عارضُه السندسِيُّ من رقمه

    وَثغرُه اللؤلؤيُّ من نظمَه

    His silken cheek-down—who embroidered it?

    And his pearly mouth—who strung it?

  2. ومن كَسا الأُرجوانَ وجنتَه

    وأَكسبَ الأقحوانَ مبتَسمَه

    And who clad crimson in his cheek,

    And endowed the chrysanthemum with his smile?

  3. ومن أَعار الصباحَ طلعَتَه

    فَلاحَ يَجلو عَن أفقه ظُلمَه

    And who lent the dawn his countenance,

    So it shone, clearing the darkness from its horizon?

  4. وأَرقَم الصدغَ والعذارَ على

    صفحةِ خدّيه من بَرى قلمَه

    And who patterned the temple-lock and cheek-down upon

    The page of his cheeks—who sharpened his pen?

  5. محجَّب إِن بَدَت محاسنُه

    هفَت عليه القُلوبُ مُزدحمَه

    A veiled one: if his beauties appear,

    Hearts flutter toward him, thronging together.

  6. لَو لَم يكن في صِفاته علماً

    ما نشر الحسنُ فوقَه عَلمَه

    Were he not a paragon in his qualities,

    Beauty would not have unfurled its banner above him.

  7. لَم أَنسَ إِذ زارَني بلا عِدَةٍ

    في لَيلةٍ بالسعود مبتسِمَه

    I have not forgotten when he visited me without a prior promise,

    On a night smiling with good fortune.

  8. فبتُّ فيها بالوصل مُبتَهِجاً

    وأَنفُسُ الكاشحين مضطرمَه

    So I passed that night rejoicing in union,

    While the souls of the ill-wishers burned.

  9. وَلَم يزل والمُدامُ يَعطفُهُ

    عليَّ عطفاً حتّى لثمتُ فمَه

    And he kept on, with the wine drawing him

    Tenderly toward me, until I kissed his mouth.

  10. فَذقتُ ماءَ الحياة من بَرَدٍ

    لم يَخشَ فقدَ الحياة من لثمَه

    Then I tasted the water of life from hailstones,

    Whose kisser had no fear of losing life.

  11. وَبات والسكرُ قد أَطاف به

    يُظهر لي من هَواه ما كتمَه

    And he passed the night, with drunkenness surrounding him,

    Revealing to me the passion he had concealed.

  12. حتّى بَدا الصبحُ فاِنثَنى عجلاً

    لَم يشِ واشٍ به ولا اِتَّهمَه

    Until dawn appeared, and he turned away in haste,

    Though no talebearer had denounced him or accused him.

  13. أَقسمُ باللَيلِ من ذوائِبه

    والصبحِ من فرقه إذا قَسمَه

    I swear by the night of his tresses,

    And the dawn of his hair-parting when he parts it:

  14. ما طابَ بعد اِستماع منطقِه

    لِمَسمَعي من مُحاوِرٍ كَلِمَه

    Since hearing his speech, nothing has sounded sweet

    To my ear—not a word from any speaker—

  15. سوى كَلامٍ لسيِّدٍ سندٍ

    حازَ العُلى والفخارَ والعظمَه

    Except the words of a lord, a pillar of support,

    Who has attained eminence, glory, and greatness.

  16. لا سيَّما شِعرهُ الَّذي اِطَّردَت

    أَبياتُه بالبيان منسجمَه

    Especially his poetry, which flows steadily,

    Its verses harmonious in eloquence.

  17. كأَنَّه الدرُّ ضمَّه نسَقٌ

    أَو الدراري في الأُفق مُنتظمَه

    As though it were pearls brought together in order,

    Or bright stars arrayed along the horizon.

  18. إِن يُصغ يوماً إليه ذو صَمَمٍ

    أَزالَ عنه بلطفه صَمَمه

    If a deaf man were one day to listen to it,

    Its subtle grace would take his deafness away.

  19. يا سيِّداً جلَّ قدرُه فسمت

    صفاتُه بالكَلام متَّسِمَه

    O lord whose worth is great, and thus exalted are

    His qualities, distinguished in speech.

  20. وَيا شَريفاً حلَّت شهامتُه

    بكلِّ مجد ومفخرٍ شيمَه

    And O noble one whose gallantry has adorned

    His character with every glory and distinction.

  21. شنَّفتَ سَمعي بنظم قافيةٍ

    لَو باهَت الدرَّ أَرخَصت قيمَه

    You have adorned my ear with a rhymed composition

    That, were it to vie with pearls, would cheapen their worth.

  22. فَلا عَدمنا بلاغة نسقَت

    منه المَعاني وأَبدعت حِكمَه

    May we never lack eloquence that has ordered

    His meanings and exquisitely fashioned his maxims.

  23. لا زلتَ في عزَّة وفي دعةٍ

    وصولةٍ من عِداك مُنتقمَه

    May you ever remain in honor and in ease,

    And in might that exacts vengeance on your foes,

  24. ما أَودَع السحر في بلاغته

    وضمَّن الدرّ شاعِرٌ كلِمَه

    As long as a poet lodges magic in his eloquence

    And embeds pearls within his words.