1. في الخَدِّ أَن عَزَمَ الخَليطُ رَحيلاً

    مَطَرٌ تَزيدُ بِهِ الخُدُودُ مُحولا

    On the cheek, since the companions resolved to depart,

    there is rain that makes the cheeks more barren.

  2. يا نَظرَةً نَفَتِ الرُقادَ وَغادَرَت

    في حَدِّ قَلبي ما حَيِيتُ فُلولا

    O glance that banished sleep and left

    notches in my heart's edge for as long as I live!

  3. كانَت مِنَ الكَحلاءِ سُؤلي إِنَّما

    أَجَلي تَمَثَّلَ في فُؤادي سولا

    That glance from the kohl-eyed woman was my wish; it was only

    my death that took the shape of a wish in my heart.

  4. أَجِدُ الجَفاءَ عَلى سِواكِ مُروءَةً

    وَالصَبرَ إِلّا في نَواكِ جَميلا

    I find coldness toward anyone but you noble,

    and patience beautiful, except in separation from you.

  5. وَأَرى تَدَلُّلَكِ الكَثيرَ مُحَبَّباً

    وَأَرى قَليلَ تَدَلُّلٍ مَملولا

    I find your abundant coyness endearing,

    yet find even a little coyness in others tiresome.

  6. تَشكو رَوادِفَكِ المَطِيَّةَ فَوقَها

    شَكوى الَّتي وَجَدَت هَواكَ دَخيلا

    The mount complains of your haunches above her,

    like one who found your love an intruder within.

  7. وَيُعيرُني جَذبُ الزِمامِ لِقَلبِها

    فَمَها إِلَيكِ كَطالِبٍ تَقبيلا

    And pulling the reins to turn her lends me

    her mouth toward you, like one asking for a kiss.

  8. حَدَقُ الحِسانِ مِنَ الغَواني هِجنَ لي

    يَومَ الفِراقِ صَبابَةً وَغَليلا

    The eyes of the fairest among lovely women stirred in me

    on the day of parting, yearning and burning thirst.

  9. حَدَقٌ يُذِمُّ مِنَ القَواتِلِ غَيرَها

    بَدرُ بنُ عَمّارِ بنِ إِسماعيلا

    Eyes: against all killers except these, protection is granted by

    Badr ibn Ammar ibn Isma'il.

  10. الفارِجُ الكُرَبَ العِظامَ بِمِثلِها

    وَالتارِكُ المَلِكَ العَزيزَ ذَليلا

    He who dispels great afflictions with their like,

    and brings the mighty king low.

  11. مَحِكٌ إِذا مَطَلَ الغَريمُ بِدَينِهِ

    جَعَلَ الحُسامَ بِما أَرادَ كَفيلا

    Relentless: when a debtor stalls on his debt,

    he makes the sharp sword a guarantor of what he desires.

  12. نَطِقٌ إِذا حَطَّ الكَلامُ لِثامَهُ

    أَعطى بِمَنطِقِهِ القُلوبَ عُقولا

    Eloquent: when speech lowers his veil,

    he bestows minds upon hearts through his words.

  13. أَعدى الزَمانَ سَخاؤُهُ فَسَخا بِهِ

    وَلَقَد يَكونُ بِهِ الزَمانُ بَخيلا

    His generosity infected Time, and Time gave him generously,

    though Time may well be miserly with the gift of him.

  14. وَكَأَنَّ بَرقاً في مُتونِ غَمامَةٍ

    هِندِيُّهُ في كَفِّهِ مَسلولا

    And like lightning across the backs of a cloud

    is his Indian sword, unsheathed in his palm.

  15. وَمَحَلُّ قائِمِهِ يَسيلُ مَواهِباً

    لَو كُنَّ سَيلاً ما وَجَدنَ مَسيلا

    And where its hilt rests, gifts flow forth;

    were they a torrent, they would find no channel.

  16. رَقَّت مَضارِبُهُ فَهُنَّ كَأَنَّما

    يُبدينَ مِن عِشقِ الرِقابِ نُحولا

    Its striking edges grew thin, as though they

    showed emaciation from their love of necks.

  17. أَمُعَفِّرَ اللَيثِ الهِزَبرِ بِسَوطِهِ

    لِمَنِ اِدَّخَرتَ الصارِمَ المَصقولا

    O you who cast the mighty lion into dust with your whip,

    for whom have you reserved the polished, cutting sword?

  18. وَقَعَت عَلى الأُردُنِّ مِنهُ بَلِيَّةٌ

    نُضِدَت بِها هامُ الرِفاقِ تُلولا

    From him a calamity befell Jordan,

    by which travelers' heads were piled into mounds.

  19. وَردٌ إِذا وَرَدَ البُحَيرَةَ شارِباً

    وَرَدَ الفُراتَ زَئيرُهُ وَالنيلا

    Tawny: when he came to the lake to drink,

    his roar reached the Euphrates and the Nile.

  20. مُتَخَضِّبٌ بِدَمِ الفَوارِسِ لابِسٌ

    في غيلِهِ مِن لِبدَتَيهِ غيلا

    Dyed with horsemen's blood, he wears

    in his thicket another thicket of his twin mane-locks.

  21. ما قوبِلَت عَيناهُ إِلّا ظُنَّتا

    تَحتَ الدُجى نارَ الفَريقِ حُلولا

    His eyes were never met without being mistaken,

    in the dark, for the fire of an encamped tribe.

  22. في وَحدَةِ الرُهبانِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ

    لا يَعرِفُ التَحريمَ وَالتَحليلا

    He dwells in monks' solitude, except that he

    knows neither what is forbidden nor what is allowed.

  23. يَطَءُ الثَرى مُتَرَفِّقاً مِن تيهِهِ

    فَكَأَنَّهُ آسٍ يَجُسُّ عَليلا

    He treads the soil gently in his pride,

    like a physician feeling a sick man's pulse.

  24. وَيَرُدُّ عُفرَتَهُ إِلى يافوخِهِ

    حَتّى تَصيرَ لِرَأسِهِ إِكليلا

    And he sweeps his mane back onto the crown of his head,

    until it becomes a diadem for his head.

  25. وَتَظُنُّهُ مِمّا يُزَمجِرُ نَفسُهُ

    عَنها لِشِدَّةِ غَيظِهِ مَشغولا

    And, from his growling, his own soul thinks him

    distracted from her by the fierceness of his rage.

  26. قَصَرَت مَخافَتُهُ الخُطى فَكَأَنَّما

    رَكِبَ الكَمِيُّ جَوادَهُ مَشكولا

    Fear of him shortened strides, as though

    the armored warrior were riding his hobbled charger.

  27. أَلقى فَريسَتَهُ وَبَربَرَ دونَها

    وَقَرُبتَ قُرباً خالَهُ تَطفيلا

    He dropped his prey and growled before it,

    and you drew so near he thought you an uninvited guest at his meal.

  28. فَتَشابَهُ الخُلُقانِ في إِقدامِهِ

    وَتَخالَفا في بَذلِكَ المَأكولا

    Thus the two natures matched in his boldness,

    but differed in your giving food away.

  29. أَسَدٌ يَرى عُضوَيهِ فيكَ كِلَيهِما

    مَتناً أَزَلَّ وَساعِداً مَفتولا

    A lion sees both his own members in you—

    a lean back and a sinewy forearm—

  30. في سَرجِ ظامِئَةِ الفُصوصِ طِمِرَّةٍ

    يَأبى تَفَرُّدُها لَها التَمثيلا

    as you sit in the saddle of a long-legged mare with parched joints,

    whose uniqueness permits no comparison.

  31. نَيّالَةِ الطَلَباتِ لَولا أَنَّها

    تُعطي مَكانَ لِجامِها ما نيلا

    She overtakes every quarry; were she not to

    yield her mouth to the bridle, no one could ever reach it.

  32. تَندى سَوالِفُها إِذا اِستَحضَرتَها

    وَيُظَنَّ عَقدُ عِنانِها مَحلولا

    Her neck-sides grow moist when you urge her to gallop,

    and the knot of her reins seems undone.

  33. ما زالَ يَجمَعُ نَفسَهُ في زَورِهِ

    حَتّى حَسِبتَ العَرضَ مِنهُ الطولا

    He kept gathering himself into his chest,

    until you thought his breadth was his length.

  34. وَيَدُقُّ بِالصَدرِ الحِجارَ كَأَنَّهُ

    يَبغي إِلى ما في الحَضيضِ سَبيلا

    And he crushes stones with his chest, as though

    seeking a way to what lies in the depths.

  35. وَكَأَنَّهُ غَرَّتهُ عَينٌ فَاِدَّنى

    لا يُبصِرُ الخَطبَ الجَليلَ جَليلا

    And, as though deceived by his eye, he drew near,

    not seeing the grave peril as grave.

  36. أَنَفُ الكَريمِ مِنَ الدَنِيَّةِ تارِكٌ

    في عَينِهِ العَدَدَ الكَثيرَ قَليلا

    A noble man's disdain for baseness makes

    a great multitude seem small in his eyes.

  37. وَالعارُ مَضّاضٌ وَلَيسَ بِخائِفٍ

    مِن حَتفِهِ مَن خافَ مِمّا قيلا

    Disgrace stings; unafraid

    of his death is he who fears what people say.

  38. سَبَقَ اِلتِقاءَكَهُ بِوَثبَةِ هاجِمٍ

    لَو لَم تُصادِمُهُ لَجازَكَ ميلا

    He beat you to the encounter with an attacker's leap;

    had you not met him head-on, he would have passed you by a mile.

  39. خَذَلَتهُ قُوَّتُهُ وَقَد كافَحتَهُ

    فَاِستَنصَرَ التَسليمَ وَالتَجديلا

    His strength deserted him when you confronted him,

    so he sought the aid of surrender and being laid low.

  40. قَبَضَت مَنِيَّتُهُ يَدَيهِ وَعُنقَهُ

    فَكَأَنَّما صادَفتَهُ مَغلولا

    His doom seized his two forepaws and his neck,

    so it was as though you had met him fettered.

  41. سَمِعَ اِبنُ عَمَّتِهي بِهِ وَبِحالِهِ

    فَنَجا يُهَروِلُ مِنكَ أَمسِ مَهولا

    His paternal aunt's son heard of him and his plight,

    so he escaped you yesterday, running in terror.

  42. وَأَمَرُّ مِمّا فَرَّ مِنهُ فِرارُهُ

    وَكَقَتلِهِ أَن لا يَموتَ قَتيلا

    His flight was bitterer than what he fled from,

    and not to die slain was like his being killed.

  43. تَلَفُ الَّذي اِتَّخَذَ الجَراءَةَ خُلَّةً

    وَعَظَ الَّذي اِتَّخَذَ الفِرارَ خَليلا

    The death of the one who took daring as a friend

    admonished the one who took flight as a companion.

  44. لَو كانَ عِلمُكَ بِالإِلَهِ مُقَسَّماً

    في الناسِ ما بَعَثَ الإِلَهُ رَسولا

    If your knowledge of God were distributed

    among mankind, God would have sent no messenger.

  45. لَو كانَ لَفظُكَ فيهِمِ ما أَنزَلَ ال

    قُرآنَ وَالتَوراةَ وَالإِنجيلا

    If your speech were among them, He would not have revealed the

    Qur'an, the Torah, and the Gospel.

  46. لَو كانَ ما تُعطِيهِمِ مِن قَبلِ أَن

    تُعطِيهِمِ لَم يَعرِفوا التَأميلا

    Had they possessed what you give them before you

    gave it to them, they would never have known hope.

  47. فَلَقَد عُرِفتَ وَما عُرِفتَ حَقيقَةً

    وَلَقَد جُهِلتَ وَما جُهِلتَ خُمولا

    You are indeed known, yet not truly known;

    and indeed unknown, yet not through obscurity.

  48. نَطَقَت بِسُؤدُدِكَ الحَمامُ تَغَنِّياً

    وَبِما تُجَشِّمُها الجِيادُ صَهيلا

    The doves spoke of your eminence in song,

    and the chargers, in neighs, of what you make them endure.

  49. ما كُلُّ مَن طَلَبَ المَعالِيَ نافِذاً

    فيها وَلا كُلُّ الرِجالِ فُحولا

    Not everyone who seeks high honors succeeds

    in them, nor are all men stallions.