1. أَظباءُ رامَةَ بِالظبى آرامُها

    فَتَكَت بِأَفئِدَةٍ نَمَت آلامُها

    Have Ramah’s gazelles—its white antelopes—with blades

    Ravaged hearts whose pains have grown?

  2. أَم تِلكَ أَعيُنِ عينيها حَكَمَت بِنا

    فَقَضَت بِسَلب عُقولِنا أَحكامُها

    Or did those eyes—her two eyes—rule over us,

    And their verdicts decree the theft of our reason?

  3. تَسطو بِأَلحاظ نبال جُفونها

    أَمضى مِن الأَجَل المُتاح سِهامُها

    She attacks with glances, arrows from her eyelids;

    Her arrows are sharper than destined death.

  4. مِن كُلّ هَيفاءِ المَعاطف كُلَّما

    قامَت تُجاذب ردفَها وَقَوامها

    From every slender-waisted beauty, whenever

    She rises, her hips and stature tug against each other.

  5. مَرَّت وَقَد صَدحت حَمائم حليها

    وَكَذاك تَصدح في الغُصون حمامُها

    She passed, while the doves of her jewelry sang,

    And likewise her doves sing in the branches.

  6. وَمَهاة سِربٍ في الفُؤاد مَحلّها

    كَثرت عَليَّ بِحُبِّها لوّامُها

    And an oryx of the herd, whose dwelling is in my heart—

    Those who reproach me for loving her have multiplied.

  7. أَمسى الغَرام غريمها بي مثلَما

    أَضحى غَريمي في الأَنام غَرامُها

    Passion became her creditor through me, just as

    Her love became my creditor among humankind.

  8. هامَت بِها روحي جَوىً وَصَبابَةً

    وَلَطالَما بِهَوايَ كانَ هيامُها

    My soul was madly in love with her, in heartache and longing,

    And how often she was madly in love with me.

  9. لَم أَنسَ لَيلة زارَ طَيف جَمالها

    سحراً وَقَد جَافى الجُفون مَنامُها

    I have not forgotten the night when the phantom of her beauty visited,

    Before dawn, when sleep had forsaken my eyelids.

  10. بِتنا وَقَد ظَنَّ الوُشاة بِنا الخَنا

    إِنَّ الظُنون كَثيرة أَوهامُها

    We spent the night, while slanderers suspected us of indecency;

    Indeed, suspicions teem with delusions.

  11. مَن لي بِأَوقات المَسَرَّة في الحِمى

    وَعُهود أُنسٍ لا يُملُّ دَوامُها

    Who can give me back the times of joy in the sanctuary,

    And times of intimacy whose continuance never wearies?

  12. حَيّا الحَيا تِلكَ المَعاهدَ إنَّها

    مَولاة عَهدي وَالزَمان غُلامُها

    May rain bless those familiar haunts, for they are

    The mistress of my pledge, and Time is her servant.

  13. حَيث المَنازل لِلبُدور مَطالع

    يَكسو أَهلّتها الجَمالَ تَمامُها

    Where the dwellings are rising places for full moons,

    Their fullness clothes their crescents in beauty.

  14. حَيث الرِياض أَريجة أَرجاؤُها

    لِلَّهوِ طابَ مَحلُّها وَمقامُها

    Where the gardens’ expanses are fragrant,

    Their setting and abode are delightful for amusement.

  15. حَيث الحَدائق أَحدقت بِورودنا

    أُنساً وَأَينَع وردُها وَخُزامُها

    Where gardens encircled us as we arrived,

    In delight, and their roses and lavender blossomed.

  16. حَيث النَسيم رَوَت لَنا خَبر الهَوى

    عَنها فَنمَّ بسرّها نمّامُها

    Where the breeze told us the tale of love

    About her; so her tale-bearer divulged her secret.

  17. حَيث الحَيا وَشّى بِساطَ رَبيعها

    وَطِراز مَربعها فتمّ نِظامُها

    Where rain embroidered the carpet of its spring,

    And the border of its spring abode, perfecting its design.

  18. لِلّه معتلّ الصبا كَم مُهجَةٍ

    مُعتَلّة برئت بِها أَسقامُها

    God be praised for the languid east wind! How many a heart

    Ailing, has had its maladies cured by it!

  19. لَم أَلقَ أَطيَب مِن شَذا أَراجها

    إِلّا إِذا مَدح الأَمين همامها

    I have found nothing sweeter than the waft of its fragrances,

    Except when praising al-Amin, its noble champion:

  20. شَمس الإِمارة بدرها مقدامها

    سَيف المَعالي درعها صمصامها

    The sun of emirship, its full moon, its bold champion,

    The sword of lofty honors, their shield, their keen blade.

  21. شهم بعزّة قَدرِهِ الرُتب العُلى

    رَفعت عَلى هام الكَواكب هامها

    A noble man, through whose exalted worth the highest ranks

    Have lifted their heads above the heads of the stars.

  22. قُل لِلمناظر أَن يُقلَّ فَقلَّما

    يَدع الفَريسة للسوى ضرغامُها

    Tell the rival to speak less, for seldom

    Does the lion leave its prey to anyone else.

  23. أَبت المَراتب أَن تُفارق أَهلَها

    شَرَفاً لِكَيلا يُستَهان مقامُها

    The ranks refused to part from those worthy of them,

    Out of honor, lest their standing be belittled.

  24. أَبَت المَناصب أَن تُفارق أَهلَها

    حَتّى تَحلّ ذرى حِماه خِيامُها

    The offices refused to part from those worthy of them,

    Until their tents settled on the heights of his sanctuary.

  25. أَنّى يُناظره السِوى بِشَمائل

    لا تَستَوي أَنوارُها وَظَلامُها

    How could anyone else rival him in qualities

    Whose lights and darkness are not alike?

  26. إِن عُدَّت البُلغاء فَهوَ خَطيبها

    أَو عُدَّت النبلاء فَهوَ إِمامها

    If the eloquent are counted, he is their orator;

    Or if nobles are counted, he is their leader;

  27. أَو عُدّت الأمراءُ فَهوَ أَميرها

    أَو عُدَّت الخُلَفاء فَهوَ حُسامُها

    Or if emirs are counted, he is their emir;

    Or if caliphs are counted, he is their keen sword.

  28. يا أَيُّها المَولى الَّذي نعماؤُه

    عَمَّ الأَنام بِبَذلِهِ إنعامُها

    O lord, whose blessings

    Have spread their bounty to all mankind through his giving,

  29. أَعجَزت أَلسِنة المَلا عَن شُكرِها

    ولَقَد تحار بِوَصفِها أَفهامُها

    Have left the people’s tongues unable to thank them,

    And their minds are indeed bewildered in describing them.

  30. فَإليك بكراً عَن سِواك تَحجّبت

    حَتّى أُميط لَدى عُلاك لثامُها

    So here is a virgin for you, veiled from all others,

    Until her face-veil was lifted before your eminence.

  31. قامَت بِخدمة بابك العالي كَما

    حتمٌ عَلَيها أَن يَكون قِيامُها

    She stood in service at your lofty gate, as

    It is her bounden duty to stand.

  32. أَعلى مَقامكَ في الأَنام مَقالها

    فَسَمَت بِمَدحك في الوَرى أَعلامُها

    Your station among mankind exalted her words,

    So her banners rose among mortals through praising you.

  33. وَأَتَت وَسيلَتها التَهاني وَالهَنا

    أَرجى الوَسائل أَن يَطيب كَلامُها

    And she came, with congratulations and joy as her offering,

    The most promising means for her words to please.

  34. فَاِستجل شَمس كُؤوسِها فَلَطالَما

    رَقّت زُجاجتها وَراقَ مدامُها

    So unveil the sun of her cups, for so often

    Her glass has grown delicate, and her wine clear.

  35. وَليهنك العيد السَعيد فَلَم تَزَل

    أَمثالُهُ بِكَ تَزدَهي أَعوامُها

    May the happy feast gladden you, for always

    The years of feasts like it have been adorned by you.

  36. عيد بِهِ نَحر الحَسود ألذّ من

    نَحر الضَحايا سُوِّمت أَغنامُها

    A feast in which slaying the envious man is sweeter than

    Slaying the sacrificial victims whose sheep are marked.

  37. فاِسلمِ فَأَنتَ العيد لا أَعيادنا

    فَهيَ المَواسم تَنقضي أَيّامُها

    So remain safe: you are the feast, not our feasts,

    For they are seasons whose days pass away.

  38. واِرقَ عَلى فلك السَعادة وَالعُلى

    فَلَكَ التَهاني بدؤها وَخِتامُها

    And ascend the sphere of happiness and glory,

    For yours are congratulations, their beginning and their end.