1. أتَدري ما بقلبِكَ من جِراحِ

    فَتاةٌ طَرْفُها شاكي السِّلاحِ

    Do you know what wounds are in your heart?

    A maiden whose gaze is fully armed.

  2. تُدِيرُ على النُّدامَى مُقلتاها

    كُؤُوسَ مَنيَّةٍ وكُؤُوسَ راحِ

    Her two eyes pass round among the drinking companions

    Cups of death and cups of wine.

  3. مُهفهَفةُ القَوامِ رَنَتْ بعينٍ

    ذكرتُ بها الأسِنَّةَ في الرِّماحِ

    Slender of figure, she gazed with an eye

    That brought the points of spears to mind.

  4. تَسُلُّ اللَحظَ من جَفْنٍ مَريضٍ

    كما تَفتَرُّ عن دُرَرٍ صِحاحِ

    She unsheathes her glance from a languid eyelid,

    Just as she smiles, revealing flawless pearls.

  5. وَقَفْتُ برَبعها فبَكيتُ حتّى

    تَباكَتْ وُرْقُهُ بعدَ النَّواحِ

    I stood at her dwelling and wept, until

    Its gray doves joined in weeping after my lament.

  6. وسَمْتُ الأرضَ دَمعاً إثرَ دَمعٍ

    فبعضٌ كاتبٌ والبعضُ ماحِ

    I marked the earth with tear after tear,

    Some writing, and others wiping away.

  7. لقد عَبِثَتْ بنا أيْدي اللَيالي

    فراحَ القومُ أدراجَ الرِّياحِ

    The hands of the nights have indeed toyed with us,

    And the company scattered to the winds.

  8. تَبطَّنَ كلَّ وادٍ كلُّ نادٍ

    تَطيرُ به المَطِيُّ بلا جَناحِ

    Every company traversed the depths of every valley,

    Their mounts flying with them, though wingless.

  9. قَصَدنا مَنزِلَ الشَّهباءِ ليلاً

    وقد سالت بنا خِلَلُ البِطاحِ

    We headed for the abode of al-Shahba by night,

    While the passages through the plains streamed with us.

  10. فأغنتَنا النَسائمُ عن دَليلٍ

    ونيرانُ الخليلِ عن الصَّباحِ

    The breezes spared us any need of a guide,

    And al-Khalil's fires, any need of dawn.

  11. إذا زرتَ الوزير على صلاحٍ

    فقل للركبِ حيَّ على الفلاحِ

    If you visit the minister, all being well,

    Then tell the caravan: Come to success!

  12. وقُلْ للدَّهرِ مالَكَ من سبيلٍ

    علينا في الغُدُوِّ وفي الرَّواحِ

    And tell Time: You have no power

    Over us, morning or evening.

  13. هو الظِلُّ الظَليلُ بأرضِ قومٍ

    وقاهُمْ حَرَّ هاجرةِ الضَّواحي

    He is the sheltering shade in a people's land;

    He shielded them from the open country's noonday heat.

  14. جَرَتْ سُودُ اليَراع براحتَيهِ

    فإنْ قَصُرَتْ جَرَت بيضُ الصِّفاحِ

    Black reed-pens sped within his palms;

    If they fell short, white sword-blades sped.

  15. أقامَ الرُعبَ في الأكبادِ حتَّى

    أحاطَ بكلِّ نفسٍ كالوِشاحِ

    He lodged terror in their vitals, until

    It wrapped around every soul like a sash.

  16. فأيقَظَ كلَّ جَفنٍ فيهِ غُمضٌ

    ونَبَّهَ كلَّ قَلبٍ غيرِ صاحِ

    So he woke every eyelid closed in sleep,

    And roused every heart that was not alert.

  17. هُمامٌ قد تَصَّدرَ في مَقامٍ

    يَبينُ الجِدُّ فيه من المُزاحِ

    A man of resolve, he has taken the foremost place

    Where earnestness is distinguished from jest.

  18. قَضَى حَقَّ الوزارةِ فاقتضاها

    بحُكم العَدلِ والحَقّ الصُراحِ

    He fulfilled the vizierate's due and thus claimed it,

    By the judgment of justice and unalloyed truth.

  19. سليمُ القلبِ ذو عرضٍ مَصُونٍ

    كريمُ النَّفسِ ذو مالٍ مُباحِ

    Sound of heart, with honor kept inviolate,

    Generous of soul, with wealth open to all.

  20. لهَيبَتِهِ شكائمُ في الرَّعايا

    تَرُدُّ الجامِحينَ عن الجِماحِ

    The awe he inspires bridles his subjects,

    Turning the headstrong back from running wild.

  21. أتى كالغيثِ تَرْوَى كلُّ أرضٍ

    بهِ بينَ اغتباقٍ واصطباحِ

    He came like rain; every land drinks its fill

    From him, with draughts at evening and at dawn.

  22. فصفَّقَتِ الغُصونُ لهُ ابتِهاجاً

    وأصبَحَ باسماً ثَغرُ الأقاحي

    So the boughs clapped for him in delight,

    And the daisies' mouths awoke in smiles.

  23. عَرَفنا حمدَهُ في القلبِ لكن

    عجَزَنا في اللِسان عنِ امتِداحِ

    Our hearts knew the praise he deserved, yet

    Our tongues were powerless to voice his praise.

  24. فلَيسَ على عُلاهُ منِ انحطاطٍ

    بذاكَ ولا علينا من جُناحِ

    So his eminence suffers no diminishment

    Through that, nor do we incur any blame.

  25. أيا مَنْ أفعَمَ الحُسَّادُ ذُلاً

    وأفحَمَ كلَّ مُعترِضٍ ولاحِ

    O you who filled the envious with humiliation

    And silenced every objector and faultfinder,

  26. لقد وافاكَ نصرُ اللهِ فَوْراً

    يُبشِّرُ بالمسَرَّةِ والنَجاحِ

    God's aid has indeed come swiftly to you,

    Bringing tidings of joy and success.

  27. فكُنْ باللهِ مُعتصِماً رشيداً

    مهيبَ السُّخطِ مأمولَ السَّماحِ

    So hold fast to God, rightly guided,

    Feared in wrath, looked to for generosity.