1. اِضحَك سُروراً لِلهَوى وَتَبسُّما

    وَاِفترَّ ثَغراً بِالغَرامِ وَمَبسما

    Laugh for joy in love, and smile.

    And let your mouth and lips break into a smile with passion.

  2. وَاِطرَب غَراماً بِالجَوى وَصَبابَةً

    فَأَخو الهَوى مَن كانَ يَطرَبُ مغرما

    And thrill with passion, with burning longing and desire;

    For love's companion is one who rejoices, enamored.

  3. وَاِخلَع جَلابيبَ الكآبَةِ في الهَوى

    وَاِنزَع بِهِ ثَوبَ الكمودَةِ تعدما

    In love, cast off the cloaks of melancholy,

    And through it strip away the robe of gloom, till it is gone.

  4. وَاِلبَس بِهِ حُلُل اِنبِساطكَ بِالصّفا

    وَتَحلَّ في عقدِ الهَناءِ منظّما

    And through it don the robes of your serene delight;

    And adorn yourself, strung in the necklace of bliss.

  5. وَاِنشد بِهِ مَغنى التّهاني راقِصاً

    وَاِضرِب بِهِ دفَّ الحبورِ وَدمدِما

    And sing through it the song of celebration, dancing;

    And beat with it joy's tambourine, and let it rumble.

  6. وَهِمِ الزّمانَ بِحُبِّ أَغيَد أَهيفٍ

    حَسنِ الشّمائِلِ بِالجَمالِ تَلَثّما

    And be lovesick all your days for a supple, slender one,

    Lovely in his ways, who has veiled himself in beauty;

  7. قاني الخُدودِ تَضَرَّجت بِمَحاسِنٍ

    ماءُ المَحاسِنِ سالَ مِنها عَندما

    Crimson-cheeked, his cheeks flushed with loveliness,

    Beauty's water streamed from them as crimson dye.

  8. شَمس تَجَسَّمَ مِن جَمالٍ زاهِرٍ

    باهٍ يُضيءُ وَيَزدَري شَمس السّما

    A sun embodied out of radiant beauty,

    Resplendent, shining, scorning the sun of heaven.

  9. البدرُ أَضحى عَبدهُ فَبِأَمرِهِ

    يَبدو وَيَخفى إِذ يَقول لَه اِعدما

    The full moon has become his slave; at his command

    It appears and hides when he tells it, 'Vanish.'

  10. إِذ حُسنهُ مِن حُسنِهِ عارِية

    لَو لَم يُعره كانَ جرماً مُظلِما

    For its beauty is borrowed from his beauty;

    Had he not lent it, it would be a darkened orb.

  11. ظَبيٌ أَغنّ لَهُ المَحاسِنُ رَوضة

    قَد ماسَ فيها بِالدّلالِ مُنعّما

    A sweetly nasal-voiced gazelle, his beauties a garden,

    Where he has swayed in pampered coquetry;

  12. غَنّاءُ فيها كلّ قَلب طائِر

    فيها تَغَنّى بِالجَوى وَتَرنّما

    A luxuriant garden where every heart is a bird,

    Singing there in burning love and warbling.

  13. حُلوُ الشّفاهِ اللّعسِ وَهيَ رَقيقَة

    ماءُ الحَياةِ بِضمنها يَطفي الظّما

    Sweet are his dusky lips, and delicate;

    Within them, the water of life quenches thirst.

  14. يَفتَرُّ ثَغراً عَن لآلٍ نُظّمت

    وَالدّرّ أَحسَنُهُ الّذي قَد نظّما

    He parts his lips to reveal pearls strung together,

    And the finest pearls are those strung in order.

  15. فيهِ اللّمى مثلَ الزّلالِ وَقَد حَلا

    وَهوَ الطّلى وَهَلِ الطّلى إِلّا اللّمى

    In his mouth, the nectar of dusky lips is like limpid water, grown sweet;

    It is wine—and is wine anything but that nectar?

  16. في الرّيحِ مِسكٌ في المَذاقِ حَلاوَة

    في الفِعلِ خَمرٌ شُربُها مَن حَرّما

    Musk in fragrance, sweetness in taste,

    Wine in effect—who has forbidden drinking it?

  17. وَجناتُه لِلوردِ أَضحَت جَنّةً

    جَعَلَت فُؤادي بِالغَرامِ جَهنّما

    His cheeks have become a paradise for roses,

    Making my heart, through passion, a hell.

  18. نَسَجت بِها أَيدي الجَمال عِذارَه

    زَرداً أَرقّ مِنَ الحريرِ وَأَنعَما

    There beauty's hands have woven his cheek-down

    As chain mail finer and softer than silk.

  19. غَنجٌ كَحيلُ الطّرفِ أَحورُ أَدعجٌ

    باهي البَهاءِ لِكُلِّ حسنٍ تَمَّما

    Coquettish, kohl-eyed, with bright whites and wide, dark pupils,

    Resplendent in splendor, perfecting every beauty.

  20. مِن طَرفِهِ السّحر المؤثّر عاجلا

    أَوحاهُ حتّى في العقولِ اِستَحكما

    From his gaze, a spell that takes effect at once

    He imparted, until it mastered minds.

  21. قَد سالَ مِنهُ فَلَم يَدَع عَقلَ اِمرئٍ

    إِلّا تَمَلَّكهُ وَفيهِ تَحَكَّما

    It streamed from him, leaving no man's mind

    Without possessing it and ruling over it.

  22. لَكِنَّ فيهِ مُهنّداً ما اِستَلَّهُ

    إِلّا وَمِن عشّاقِهِ أَجرى الدّما

    Yet in that gaze is an Indian blade; never does he draw it

    Without making his lovers' blood flow.

  23. وَقَدِ اِستَحَلَّ دِماءَهم فَاِهراقَها

    أَفَلا رَأى سَفكَ الدّماءِ مُحرَّما

    He deemed their blood lawful and spilled it;

    Does he not consider bloodshed forbidden?

  24. سُلطان حُسنٍ وَالمِلاحُ عَبيدُهُ

    مَلك الجَميعَ وَعندهُ قَد خدّما

    A sultan of beauty, all fair ones his slaves,

    He rules them all, and all have served before him.

  25. فَإِذا بَدا وَالبدرُ في سُلطانِهِ

    فَالبَدرُ غابَ وَبِالخُسوفِ تَلَثَّما

    If he appears while the full moon holds its sway,

    The full moon vanishes, veiled in eclipse.

  26. نَشوانُ مِن خَمرِ المَلاحَةِ ما صَحا

    وَالصّحوُ مِن خَمرِ المَلاحَةِ قَلَّما

    Drunk on the wine of beauty, he never sobers;

    And sobriety from beauty's wine is rare.

  27. لانَت مَعاطِفُهُ وَلَكِن قَلبه

    كَالصّخرِ قاسٍ لَن يَلينَ وَيَرحَما

    His limbs are supple, but his heart

    Is hard as rock, never to soften and show mercy.

  28. عَلّقتُه زَمَنَ الشّبيبَةِ وَالصّبا

    وَغَدوتُ فيهِ المُستَهامَ المُغرَما

    I loved him in the days of youth and boyhood,

    And became, for him, love-crazed and enamored.

  29. وَأَدمتُ فيهِ تَوَلُّعي حتّى اِغتَدى

    مُتَمَكِّناً إِذ صِرتُ شَيخاً قَشعَما

    I sustained my passion for him until it grew

    Deep-rooted, as I became a decrepit old man.

  30. قَد قَلَّ صَبري في هَواهُ وَحيلَتي

    وَاِزدادَ عِشقي وَالغرامُ بِهِ نَما

    My patience and resourcefulness in his love have dwindled,

    While my love increased and passion for him grew.

  31. يا لائِمي في حُبِّهِ لا تَتَّئد

    عَن لَومِ صَبٍّ بِالمَلامِ تَألّما

    O you who blame me for loving him, do not hesitate

    To reproach a lover pained by blame.

  32. لُمني وَأَكثِر في كَلامِك ذِكرَهُ

    وَبِذِكرِهِ في النّاسِ كُن لي أَلوَما

    Blame me, and mention him often in your speech;

    By naming him among people, blame me all the more.

  33. فَاللّومُ جرحٌ لِلقُلوبِ وَذِكرُهُ

    أَضحى لَها وَأَنا المُجَرِّب مَرهما

    For blame is a wound to hearts, but mention of him

    Has become their balm—I know by experience.

  34. وَاِحذَر تَلحْ ضِمنَ اِفتِكارِكَ سَلوَتي

    حبّ الّذي فيهِ فُؤادي أُغرِما

    And beware lest the thought cross your mind that I might forget

    The love of him with whom my heart is smitten.

  35. بَل لا أَزالُ الدَّهرَ يَلزَمُ حبُّه

    مِنّي فُؤاداً وَالضّلوعَ وَأَعظُما

    No—throughout my life his love will ever cling

    To the heart within me, my ribs, and my bones.

  36. أُحيي الدّياجي في هَواهُ بِذِكرِهِ

    أَجفو الكَرى سُهداً وَأَرعى الأَنجُما

    I keep vigil through dark nights, remembering him in love;

    I shun sleep, wakeful, and watch the stars.

  37. وَأُساهِرُ القُطبَ الشّمالي دائِماً

    حَتّى يَرى مِن شَرقِهِ فَجرَ السّما

    I keep the North Star company, sleepless always,

    Until it sees heaven's dawn in its east,

  38. يَبدو عَلى الآفاقِ يَملَؤُها ضيا

    مِنهُ ذَهابُ اللّيل كانَ مُحَتَّما

    Appearing on the horizons, filling them with light;

    Through it, night's departure is made inevitable.

  39. كَضِيا أَبي المِصباحِ قَد مَلأ العُلى

    وَنَودُّه أَن لا يَزول وَيعدَما

    Like Abu al-Misbah's radiance, which has filled the heights,

    And we wish him never to fade or cease to be.

  40. بَدرُ المَعالي مِن ذُرى المَجدِ اِرتَقى

    شَرف السّعودِ وَفي ثريّاهُ سَما

    Full moon of high honors, from glory's summits he ascended

    To fortune's pinnacle, soaring in its Pleiades.

  41. شَمسٌ مَنافِعُها المَكارمُ وَالنّدى

    وَمَحاسِنُ الأَخلاقِ تَسمو مَيسما

    A sun whose blessings are noble deeds and bounty,

    And noble virtues that rise high as its hallmark.

  42. وَشُعاعُها الجاهُ الّذي بِظِلالِهِ

    مِن كلِّ باغٍ يُستَظَلّ وَيُحتَمى

    Its rays are the prestige beneath whose shade

    Shelter and protection are found from every aggressor.

  43. لَيثُ الشّرى ضِرغامُ كلِّ كَريهَةٍ

    ما مِثلُهُ في النّاسِ شِمنا ضَيغَما

    Lion of al-Shara, a lion in every ordeal,

    We have never seen among men a lion like him.

  44. الفارِسُ الصنديدُ وَالبطلُ الّذي

    هَزَمَ الأُسودَ وَمِثلها لَن يُهزَما

    The dauntless horseman, the champion who

    Defeated lions, yet will never be defeated as they were.

  45. هابَتهُ في آجامِها فَتَخَبّأَت

    لِتَفوزَ مِنهُ بِالنّجاةِ وَتَسلَما

    They feared him in their thickets and hid,

    To escape him and come away unharmed.

  46. وَالخَوفُ حَلَّ قُلوبَها فَإِذا بِها

    رُعباً وَقَد نَخَر المَخاف الأَعظُما

    Fear entered their hearts, and behold them,

    Terror-stricken, dread having gnawed their bones.

  47. مِنهُ كَساها الخَوف خِلعةَ رَعشَةٍ

    فَعَلى قُواها قَد قَضَت أَن تهدَما

    Fear of him clothed them in a robe of trembling,

    Which doomed their strength to fall apart.

  48. تَبقى وَلا تَبلى الزّمانَ وَإِنّها

    نَسجُ المَخافِ لِنَسجِها قَد أحكَما

    It lasts, unworn through all time, for it is

    Woven by dread, which has perfected its weave.

  49. ما حَلَّ مُعتَركاً وَسَلَّ حُسامَهُ

    إِلّا تَطايَرَتِ الرّؤوسُ إِلى السّما

    Never did he enter a battlefield and draw his sword

    But heads went flying to the sky;

  50. أَو فيهِ هَزَّ سِنانَهُ نَحوَ العِدى

    إِلّا وَفيهِ قُلوبهم قَد نظَّما

    Or brandish his spearpoint there toward his foes

    But he strung their hearts upon it.

  51. فَسِنانهُ يَدري كَلام قُلوبهم

    فَلِذا لَها بِسِنانِهِ قَد كَلَّما

    His spearpoint knows the language of their hearts;

    Thus, with his spearpoint, he has spoken to them.

  52. يَعدو عَلى طرف كَحيل عَجوزَةٍ

    نَجديّ أَصلٍ قَد تَبَدّى صَلَدما

    He gallops on a steed of Kuhayl ʿAjuzah stock,

    Of Najdi lineage, manifestly strong and solid.

  53. حَسَنُ الصّفاتِ بَديع خَلقٍ مُوخِرا

    وَجَميلُ خَلقٍ لا يُضاهى مقدما

    Lovely in its qualities, wondrously built behind,

    And beautiful in form, unmatched in front.

  54. بَحرٌ وَسيمٌ أَحمرٌ في لَونِهِ

    كَم يَزدَري العِنّابُ ثمَّ العندَما

    A sea of speed, handsome and red in hue,

    How it puts the jujube, then crimson dye, to shame!

  55. فَإِذا عَلاهُ شِمتهُ فَخراً بِهِ

    قَد كادَ رَأساً أَن يَطولُ الأَنجُما

    When he mounts it, you see it, so proud of him,

    Almost overtopping the stars with its head.

  56. ما سابقَ الرّيحَ العَصوفَ إِذا جَرَت

    إِلّا وَكانَ السّابِقَ المُتَقَدِّما

    Never has it raced the storm wind as it sweeps along

    Without coming first, running in the lead.

  57. طِرفٌ لَهُ حَيثُ اِعتَلاهُ في الوَغى

    سَطَواتُ لَيثٍ فاقَ فيها الهَيضَما

    A steed that, when he mounts it in battle, has

    A lion's assaults, surpassing those of the mighty lion.

  58. يَسطو عَلى خَيلِ العداةِ بِعَضّهِ

    وَبِضَربِهِ وَوثوبهِ إِنْ أَقدَما

    It assails the enemies' horses with its bite,

    And with its blows and leaps when it charges.

  59. لا غَروَ إِنْ في الخَيلِ قَلَّ مِثالُهُ

    فَمِثالُ فارِسِهِ عَديم قَلَّما

    No wonder that among horses its equal is rare,

    For its rider's equal is all but nonexistent.

  60. يا أَيّها الشّهمُ الفَريدُ شَهامَةً

    مَن قَد حَوى القَدر الفَخيمَ الأَفخَما

    O noble-hearted one, unique in gallantry,

    You who have attained a rank most grand and exalted;

  61. يا ذا السّيادَةِ لا يُضاهى سُؤدداً

    يَرقى المَعالي بِالسّيادَةِ سُلّما

    O possessor of lordship, unrivaled in nobility,

    Who climbs the heights with lordship as a ladder;

  62. يا بَحرَ جودٍ لَم يُماثل جُودُهُ

    أَنسى بِهِ مَن قَد مَضى وَتَقَدَّما

    O sea of bounty, whose generosity is unmatched,

    Through it you have made all predecessors forgotten.

  63. حَدِّثْ وَلَست مكذّباً عَن جودِهِ

    لَو أَنّه أَعطى الدّنى لَم يَندما

    Tell of his bounty—you will not be disbelieved;

    Were he to give away the worlds, he would not regret it.

  64. إِنّي إِلَيك لَمرسلٌ بِخَريدَةٍ

    ضاءَت مُحيّاً وَهيَ تبسم مَبسَما

    I am indeed sending you a virgin beauty,

    Her face aglow, her mouth breaking into smiles.

  65. حَسناء بِكر زُيّنَت بِسلاسَةٍ

    وَلَها الرّشاقَةُ قَد تَبَدَّت مَيسما

    A virgin beauty, adorned with fluency,

    With elegance manifest as her distinguishing mark.

  66. غَيداءُ بِنتُ فَصاحَةٍ وَبَلاغَةٍ

    فيها البَديعُ لَقَد أَقامَ وَخيَّما

    A supple maiden, daughter of lucidity and eloquence,

    Within her, rhetorical artistry has dwelt and pitched its tent.

  67. مَهما تُكِرِّرْ يستَطبْ تِكرارها

    وَمِنَ الرّشاقَةِ كَونها لم تُسأَما

    However often you recite her, her repetition delights;

    Among her graces is that she never grows wearisome.

  68. أَلبستها أَغلى المَعاني حُلَّةً

    وَمَنَحتها درَّ البَيانِ مُنَظَّما

    I clothed her in a robe of the most precious meanings,

    And bestowed on her well-strung pearls of eloquence.

  69. أَركَبتها طِرفَ القَريضِ مُهذّباً

    سَهلَ الخَلائِقِ بِالجَزالَةِ ملجما

    I set her upon poetry's well-trained steed,

    Gentle in nature, bridled with stately eloquence.

  70. جاءَتكَ تَسعى وَالحَياءُ رِداؤُها

    حَتّى تقبِّلَ راحَتَيكَ وَتَلثِما

    She comes hastening to you, modesty her cloak,

    To kiss both your palms and press her lips upon them.

  71. تَرجو رِضاكَ وَإِنّه لَمرادُها

    حَتّى تَفوزُ بِهِ الزّمانَ وَتَغنَما

    She hopes for your favor; it is indeed her desire,

    That she may win it for all time and reap its rewards.

  72. أَقبِلْ عَلَيها وَاِقبَلَنْها مِنّةً

    وَبِذاكَ مَنٌّ تَفضلا وَتَكرُّما

    Turn toward her, and accept her as an act of grace;

    And that is a favor of grace and generosity.

  73. لا زِلتَ في العَلياءِ مُرتَفِع الذّرى

    رَحب الرِّحابِ مُكرّما وَمُعظما

    May you remain in the heights, your summits exalted,

    Spacious in your courts, honored and revered,

  74. مَع شبلكَ المصباح دامَ ضِياؤُهُ

    يَجلو مِنَ العَلياءِ ما قَد أَظلَما

    Alongside your lion-cub al-Misbah—may his light endure—

    Dispelling what has darkened in the heights.

  75. وَمنحتما العُمرَ الطَويلَ بِصحَّةٍ

    وَبَقيتُما حِصنَ الضّعيفِ وَمحتَمى

    May you both be granted long life in good health,

    And remain the weak one's fortress and refuge,

  76. ما لاحَ بَرقٌ ما نَسيمٌ نَسَّمت

    ما اِهتَزّ غُصنٌ ما الحمامُ تَرَنَّما

    As long as lightning flashes, as long as a breeze wafts,

    As long as a branch sways, as long as doves coo,

  77. ما قالَ خِدن الوَجدِ مَسروراً بِهِ

    اِضحَك سُروراً للهَوى وَتَبسَّما

    As long as love's companion, rejoicing in it, says:

    'Laugh for joy in love, and smile.'