1. أَهيمُ وَما قَلبي مِنَ البينِ خائِف

    وَأَينَ فُؤادُ الصبِّ وَالحبِّ خاطِفُ

    I wander lovesick, my heart unafraid of parting.

    And where is the lover's heart, when love snatches it away?

  2. وَأَصبو غَراماً بِالهَوى وَصَبابَةً

    وَأَلهو وَما مِنّي الدّموعُ ذَوارِفُ

    And I yearn passionately, with love and ardent longing,

    And I make merry; no tears stream from me.

  3. وَكَيفَ بُكائي وَالهَوى فَرح الفَتى

    وَطرف أَخي الأَفراحِ بِالدّمعِ ناشِفُ

    And how could I weep, when love is a young man's joy,

    And the joyful man's eye is dry of tears?

  4. وَأَشتاقُ لِلغَيداءِ وَهيَ بِمُهجَتي

    وَإِنّي عَلى التّهيامِ فيها لَعاكِفُ

    And I yearn for the graceful maiden, though she dwells in my heart's core,

    And I remain devoted to my consuming passion for her.

  5. أَقامَت بِأَحشائي وَعَيني وَمَسمَعي

    فَهَل أَنا دارٍ مَنْ سِواها وَعارفُ

    She has settled in my innermost being, my eye, and my hearing;

    So do I know or recognize anyone besides her?

  6. وَلا عُضوَ إِلّا وَهيَ فيهِ حياتهُ

    وَكُلٌّ بِها المشغوف وَالحبُّ شاغِفُ

    And there is no limb but she is the life within it;

    And each is enthralled by her, and love pierces the heart.

  7. فَلا صَبرَ لي عَنها حُضوراً وَغَيبَةً

    وَيا وَيحَ قَلبي إِنّ صَبريَ تالِفُ

    So I cannot do without her, in her presence or absence;

    And alas for my heart! My patience is ruined.

  8. فَتاةُ جَمالٍ وَالجَمالُ جَمالها

    لَدَيها ذواتُ الحُسنِ طرّاً وَصائفُ

    A maiden of beauty; beauty itself is her beauty.

    In her presence, all beautiful women are handmaids.

  9. فَصِفها بِأَسنى الحُسنِ في وَصفِ حسنِها

    وَهَيهات ذاكَ الحُسن يُحصيهِ واصِفُ

    So describe her beauty in beauty's most radiant terms;

    But no describer could ever encompass that beauty.

  10. وَتِلكَ اِزدَرت بِالشّمسِ وَالبدر طالعاً

    وَإِن تبدُ غابَ البدرُ وَالبدرُ كاسِفُ

    And that maiden has scorned the sun and the rising full moon;

    And if she appears, the full moon vanishes, eclipsed.

  11. جَرحت لَطيفَ الخَدِّ مِنها تَخيُّلاً

    فَبانَ سَنا بَرق لِطرفِيَ خاطفُ

    I wounded her delicate cheek merely by imagining it;

    Then a lightning flash appeared, dazzling my eye.

  12. فَأَدمَت فُؤادي لِلقصاصِ بِلَحظِها

    وَمِن دَمِ قَلبي اِحمَرَّ إِذ هوَ راشفُ

    So she bloodied my heart with her glance in retaliation;

    And her glance reddened with my heart's blood as it sipped.

  13. بِروحي الّتي كَالخيزرانِ قَوامها

    وَمِنها بِميسِ الغصنِ تُزري المَعاطِفُ

    My soul be ransom for her whose figure is like bamboo;

    And her curves put the branch's swaying to shame.

  14. وَعَنها الصَّبا تَروي طَرائف لطفِها

    وَعَن صالِح وَاللَّهِ تُروى اللَّطائِفُ

    And the east wind recounts the wonders of her grace;

    And of Salih, by God, delightful tales are told.

  15. أَخو الفَضلِ ربّ الحذقِ خِدن بَلاغَةٍ

    فَصيحُ لِسانٍ مِنهُ تُجنى الطّرائِفُ

    A man of excellence, master of skill, companion of eloquence,

    Eloquent of tongue, from whom rare delights are gathered,

  16. أَبو النّظمِ ثمّ النّثرِ درّاً وَجَوهَراً

    بِسِحرِ بَيانٍ عِندهُ الحُسنُ واقِفُ

    Father of verse, then prose—pearls and jewels—

    Through the magic of expression, beauty stands before him.

  17. عُقودُ لآلٍ مِن ثَمينِ جَواهِرٍ

    أَساليبُها غُرٌّ حِسان ظَرائفُ

    Necklaces of pearls, of precious jewels,

    Their styles are radiant, beautiful, and exquisite.

  18. عَلى حُسنِها أَهلُ البَلاغَةِ أَجمَعوا

    وَما أَحدٌ مِنهم لِذاكَ مخالفُ

    The masters of eloquence agree on their beauty,

    And none of them disagrees with that.

  19. نَبيهٌ فَقيهُ النّفسِ في فَرطِ فِطنة

    بِفَهمٍ إِلَيه الدّهرَ تجبى المَعارِفُ

    Astute, wise of soul, with exceptional discernment,

    Through his understanding, knowledge is ever brought to him as tribute.

  20. إِلَيّ لَقَد أَهدى رَداحاً بِفَضلِها

    يقرّ أَخو فَضل خَبير وَعارفُ

    He has indeed gifted me a full-bodied poem, to whose excellence

    An experienced, knowledgeable man of merit attests.

  21. عَروس قَريض وَهيَ بكرُ خريدَةٍ

    بِخدر اِنسِجامٍ لَيسَ يَدريهِ واصفُ

    A bride of verse, yet a virgin, secluded maiden,

    In a chamber of harmony no describer can fathom.

  22. فَلا فضّ فاها لا ولا خينَ فكرة

    وَإِنّ الّذي يَشنوه في الدَّهرِ تالفُ

    So may her mouth never be shattered, nor thought betrayed,

    And indeed, whoever hates him is doomed for all time.

  23. وَدامَ بِحِفظِ اللَّهِ في خصبِ عِيشةٍ

    وَحِيكَت لَهُ بِالمَجدِ عزّاً مطارفُ

    And may he live on under God's protection, in a life of plenty,

    And may bordered cloaks be woven for him with glory, as an honor,

  24. مَدى الدّهرِ وَالأيّامِ ما هَبَّ شَمْأَلٌ

    وَما حَرَّك الأَغصان في الرّوضِ عاصفُ

    Through all time and all days, as long as a north wind blows,

    And as long as a gale stirs the branches in the garden,

  25. وَما صَدَحت وَرقاءُ في غُصنِ أَيكَةٍ

    وَما هَتَفت في الدّهرِ يَوماً هواتِفُ

    And as long as a gray dove sings on a branch in a grove,

    And as long as voices ever call out through the ages.