أَصرَمٌ بليلى حادِثٌ أَم تَجنُّبُ

أَم الحَبلُ مِنها واهِنٌ مُتَقَضِّبُ

Is it a mishap with Layla, or avoidance?

Or is it that affection for Layla remains as it was,

أَم الوِدُّ مِن لَيلى كَعَهدي مَكانَه

وَلَكِنَّ لَيلى تَستَزيدُ وَتَعتِبُ

Yet Layla demands and complains more?

Don’t you know, O Layla, I can be submissive

أَلَم تَعلَمي يا لَيلَ أَنّيَ لَيِّن

هَضومٌ وَأَنّي عَنبَسٌ حينَ أَغضَبُ

And gentle when angered?

When I spend lavishly, hoping for repayment,

وَأَنّي مَتى أُنفِق مِن المالِ طارِفا

فَإِنّي أَرجو أَن يَثوبَ المُثَوَّبُ

Should wealth be lost unjustly?

Layla ignores my words and frowns.

أَأَن تَلِفَ المالُ التِلادُ بِحَقِّهِ

تَشَمَّسُ لَيلى عَن كَلامي وَتٌقطِبُ

At night she said, when the riding beasts were ready,

“Where are you going with your packed belongings?”

عَشيَّةَ قالَت وَالرِكابُ مُناخَةٌ

بِأَكوارِها مَشدودة أَينَ تَذهَبُ

Do you have some purpose in every place you migrate to?

Such is the way of a scattered man.

أَفي كُلِّ مِصرٍ نازِحٍ لَك حاجَةٌ

كَذَلِكَ ما أَمرُ الفَتى المُتَشَعِّبُ

By God, her camel kept pleading with me

Until the sun nearly set.

فَوَ اللَه ما زالَت تُلَبِّتُ ناقَتي

وَتُقسِمُ حَتّى كادتِ الشَمسُ تَغرُبُ

Let me be! Death has no defense against me,

Nor does he who has lost interest in life seek more.

دعينيَ ما المَوتِ عَنيَ دافِعٌ

وَلا لِلَّذي وَلّى مِن العَيشِ مَطلَبُ

To you, Obedullah, our riding beasts incline.

They roam the unknown desert and persist.

إِلَيكَ عُبيدَ اللَهِ تَهوي رِكابُنا

تَعسَّفُ مَجهولَ الفَلاةِ وَتَدأَبُ

Her eyes have smoldered as if they were

The pools of a desert whose water flows gently.

وَقَد ضمرت حَتّى كأَنَّ عُيونَها

نِطافُ فَلاةٍ ماؤُها مُتَصَبِّبُ

So I said to her, “Do not complain of the where.

Before you is a coin from Umayyah ibn Shabib.”

فَقُلتُ لَها لا تَشتَكي الأينَ أَنَّهُ

أَمامَكِ قَرمٌ مِن أُميَّةَ مُصعَبُ

When others mention the superiority of some man of the past,

The superiority of Obedullah is fresher and sweeter.

إِذ ذَكَروا فَضلَ امرىءٍ كانَ قَبلُهُ

فَفَضلُ عُبَيدِ اللَهِ أَثرى وَأَطيَبُ

Were a wound to be healed by you, it would not return,

For you are a claw and fang against enemies.

وَأَنَكَ لَو يُشفى بك القَرحُ لَم يَعُد

وَأَنتَ عَلى الأَعداءِ نابٌ وَمِخلَبُ

Obedullah and glory are the choicest

Allies—neither Hibr nor Yathrib equal them.

تَصافى عُبيدُ اللَهِ وَالمَجدُ صَفوَةَ ال

حليفين ما أَرسى ثَبِرٌ وَيَثرِبُ

And you are foremost in pursuing good.

So rejoice! You have attained what you sought.

وَأَنتَ إِلى الخَيراتِ أَوَلُ سابِقٍ

فَأَبشِر فَقَد أَدرَكتَ ما كُنتَ تَطلُبُ

Help me with a useful register of your registers,

For each day has brought you ample provision.

أَعِنّي بسَجلٍ مِن سِجالكَ نافِعٍ

فَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ قَد سَرى لَكَ مِحلَبُ

If you were to seek something of me,

A family and welcome would come to you in speech.

فانكَ لَو ايايَ تَطلُبُ حاجَةً

جَرى لَك أَهلٌ في المَقالِ وَمَرحَبُ