رعى اللهُ عهدَ حبيبٍ ظَعنْ

وحيّا مساكنَ ذاك السّكَنْ

May God protect the covenant of a beloved friend

And enliven the dwellings of that settlement

فإنِّي مُذ أضمرتْهُ البلادُ

مُعَنّىً بأشواقِهِ مُمْتَحَنْ

For since the lands have harbored him

I have been tested by yearning for him

وقلبي على صدقِ إيمانِهِ

يُحبُّ عبادةَ ذاكَ الوثَنْ

And my heart is true in its faith in him

It loves the worship of that idol

أروحُ وفي الحَلْقِ منِّي شَجىً

وأَغدو في القَلبِ مِنِّي شجَنْ

I walk with grief in my throat from me

And I start the day with sorrow in my heart from me

وأَبكي ولا طوقَ لي بالفراقِ

إذا ذاتُ طَوقٍ بكتْ في فَنَنْ

And I cry though I have no neck-ring to cry for

When a neck-ringed one cried during trials

فللماءِ من مُقلتي ما بَدا

وللنّارِ من مُهجتي ما كمَنْ

So my tears openly flow

And my passion hides within

وأسهرُ مُنتصباً في الفراش

كما انتصبَ الفِعلُ من بعدِ أَنْ

And I stay up erect in bed

As the verb stood after the subject

ومَن لجُفوني بشيءٍ نسيتُ

وأحسبُهُ كان يُدعى الوسَنْ

And who can lend me something I forgot

Which I think was called sleep

ومهما تلسّنَ برقُ الحِمى

فإنيِّ في ذكرهِ ذو لَسَنْ

And no matter how eloquently the fever's lightning flashes

I remember him with an agile tongue

أَقولُ لنفسي عسى أو لعلَّ

وذلك من خِدَعِ العِشقِ فَنْ

I say to myself perhaps or maybe

And that is a trick of love

كأنِّي في حبّه تاجرٌ

وما رأس ماليَ إلاَ الثَمَنْ

It's as if in loving him I am a merchant

And I have no capital except the price

فخلِّ الهَوى إنّهُ والهَوانَ

شريكانِ لُزّا معاً في قَرَنْ

So leave passion, for it and disgrace

Are partners, equally yoked

وإنِّي جُهينةُ أخبارِهِ

وعِنْدي اليَقينُ بِها فاسألَنْ

And I am the storehouse of his news

And I have certain knowledge of it, so ask

أأَرعى السّفوح ولي همّةٌ

مُطنِّبةٌ في نَواصي القُنَنْ

Shall I herd the hillsides, and I have a will

Roaming the tips of spears?

وآسى وفي الأرضِ مثلُ العميدِ

أبي طاهرٍ خلفِ بنِ الحسَنْ

And I despair though the land has the likes of

My father Tahir son of al-Hasan

جهيرِ النِّداءِ كثيرِ النّدى

جزيلِ العَطاءِ رحيبِ العَطَنْ

Loud of call, fresh with dew

Abundant in giving, welcoming in hospitality

ونِيطَتْ عُرا الملك من رائِهِ

بِبعض الدَّهاءِ مِعَنٍّ مِفَنْ

The nakedness of the kingdom was covered through him

With some cleverness, an accomplished art

إذا بعُدَ الماءُ مِن ماتِحٍ

فمن عندِهِ دَلوُهُ والشّطن

When water is far from one who seeks it

It is from him that his bucket and drinking-horn come

وإنْ تاهَ في الناسِ آمالُنا

تَداركَنا منهُ سَلوى ومَنْ

And if hopes have been lost among people

He recovers for us consolation and grace

فسلوى وفيهِ لنا سَلوةٌ

وَمنٌّ لوم يتنغّصْ بمَنْ

So he is consolation, and in him is solace for us,

And grace - would that blame be choked in grace!

يُهينُ كرائمَ أموالِهِ

ويَشْري الثّناءَ بأغلى ثمَنْ

He makes precious his generous acts

And buys praise at the highest price

هو الرُوحُ في بدنِ المكرُماتِ

وبالرُّوحِ يُرجى بقاءُ البدَنْ

He is the spirit in the body of noble deeds

And through the spirit survival of the body is hoped for

فما فاتَهُ في الشبابِ الوقارُ

ولم يُنسِهِ الشّيبُ عهدَ الدَّدَنْ

He did not miss dignity in youth

Nor did old age make him forget the way of intimacy

شَجاياهُ مثلُ رياضِ الحزونِ

تَسرُّ الحزينَ وتَسرو الحَزَن

His playful ways are like the gardens of the grieved

They please the grieved and increase grief

فعِلمٌ يفنِّدُ فيهِ الحليمُ

وحِلمٌ يُزلزَلُ منهُ حَضَنْ

A knowledge in which the forbearing prove ignorant

And a forbearance that shakes even the nest

به نفرةٌ من دَنايا الأمورِ

كما ذَعَر السربَ نَبعٌ أرَنْ

Through him there is an aversion to the affairs of baseness

As the flock was startled by a howling wolf

تجرُّ أعاديهِ من بأسِهِ

على الأخشنينِ السّفا والسّفَن

I headed for his abode, and my assumption of him

Was beautiful, and he made every assumption true

قَصدتُ ذَراهُ وظنِّي بهِ

جميلٌ فحقّقَ لي كلَّ ظَنْ

I toured the wastelands and roamed the lands

But did not see a freeman except him

وجبتُ القِفارَ وطفتُ البلادَ

فلم أرَ حُرّا سِواهُ ولَنْ

Neither has my praise of the chosen one digressed from him

Nor has his gift to the covetous one digressed

ولا مدحِيَ المُجْتبى شذَّ عنْهُ

ولا مَنحُهُ المُجْتنى شذَّ عَنْ

So he remains in a blessing that does not cease

And a new passion that renews throughout time

فلا زالَ في نعمةٍ لا تَزولُ

وجدٍّ يجدَّدُ طولَ الزَّمنْ