سَرَى الطَّيفًُ مِن لُبنَى فَهَاجَ الضَّنَى وَهنَا

وغَادَرَ مَسقِيَّ الهَوَى لِلهَوَى رَهنَا

The specter sailed from Lubna so longing was aroused, and here

The one who waters passion departed, enslaved to passion.

فَبَاتَ بِقَلبٍ خَافِقٍ وبِمُقلَةٍ

سَكُوبٍ يُحَاكِى وَدقُ أدمُعِهَا المُزنَا

So he spent the night with a pounding heart and with downcast eyes

Brimming over, competing with the weeping of their tears.

وجَفنٍ كَأنَّ الصَّابَ في حِضنِ عَينِهِ

يُهَجهِجُ طَيفَ النَّومِ إِن طَرَقَ الجَفنَا

And an eyelid as though the eyeliner in the embrace of his eye

Excites the specter of sleep if it knocks on the eyelid.

فَبَاتَت أكُفُّ الوَجدِ تَمرِى شُئُونَهُ

إِذَا الدَّمعُ مِن شَانٍ تَقَضَّى امتَرَت شَأنَأ

So the palms of ardour spent the night tossing his concerns

When a tear out of disdain accomplishes its role, it drips.

لأشعثَ أغفي بَعدَما سَئِمَ السُّرَى

وانضَى الهِبَلَّ الوَهمَ والعِرمِسَ الوَجنَا

In the morning he was disheveled and neglected after tiring of the specter

And after imagination and sleepiness subsided.

بِمَوزُونَةِ الوَهدانِ في العينِ والرُّبَى

بِها الكُدرُ عَن إتيَانِ أفرُخِهَا تُثنَى

With the intoxication of drowsiness in the eye and sleepiness

Through which murkiness refrains from coming to its nestlings.

إِذَا رَجَّعَ الفَيَّادُ لَحناً بِجَوزِهَا

تُجَاوِبُهُ أصداؤُهَأ ذَلكِ اللَّحنَا

When the lute player repeats a melody with his instrument

Its echoes respond to him with that melody.

فَواعَجَباًَ أني اهتَدَت لِرِحَالِنَا

وقَد ألحَفَ اللَّيلَ البَهِيمَ الدُّجىَ رُدنَا

So it amazes me that she was guided to our mounts

When the stupid night had clothed the darkness thickly around us.

وعَهدِى بِهَا إِن تَخطُ صَرَّعَها الوَنَى

فَيَحبِسَهَا عَن بَيتِ جارَتِهَا الأدنَى

And I knew her that if the separation crossed her path

Loneliness would detain her from the house of her neighbor.

أَلَمَّت فَبَتَّت نَظمَ صَبرِى وأحكَمَت

نِظَامَ الجَوَى لُبنَى وهيَّجَتِ الحُزنَا

She blamed me so she undid the prose of my patience and affirmed

The system of longing for Lubna and provoked sorrow.

فَبَاتَت تُرِينِى الشَّمسَ واللَّيلُ أليَلٌ

وأليَلَ قَد غَشَّت غَدَائِرُهث المَتنَا

So she spent the night showing me the sun and a ceaseless night

And an endless night whose covers enveloped us.

وأحوَرَ فَتَّاناً أعَدَّ بِسِحرِهِ

خَطَاطِيفَ للأَلبَابِ تَجدِ بها حِجنَا

And she brought a smooth charmer who prepared with his sorcery

Superstitions for people's minds that entrap them.

وجِيدَ خَذُولٍ مُطفِلٍ وتَرَائِباً

يَفُصنَ كَأنَّ جَمرَ الغَضَاهُنَّ إِذ فُصنَا

And supple, delicate poem, so smooth to the touch

That every passage in it complains of a passage.

وألمَى شَتِيتًَ النَّبتِ عَذباً مُؤَشَّراً

كَنورِ أقَاحِى الرَّوضِ مُطلُولَةٍ حُسنَا

And a string of pure pearls and smooth

Flowing water that once embraced the basin with bliss.

وكَشحاً طِوَاءً لَيِّنَ اللَّمسِ مُونِقاً

غَدَا كُلُّ عُكنٍ مِنهُ مُشتَكِياً عُكنَا

And an agile, tender branch, soft to the touch, bending

So that every bough in it leaned towards a bough.

وَرِدفاً كَمَمطُورِ النَّقَى ومُذَالاً

سَقِيًّا كَانَ لِلحِجلِ مُستَبطِنٌ ضِغنَا

When its twigs bent with the greenish whiteness

I said to her, "Do not leave me prone,

إِذَا مَا تَثَنَّت في الخَرَائِدِ خِلتُهَا

مِنَ ألبَانَةِ الخَضرَاءِ مَيَّادَها اللَّدنَا

A pillar, my heart filled with passion, confused, O Lubna!"

She blamed me so the riders turned away from the strike of destiny

فَقُلتُ لَهَا لا تَتركِينِي مُسَهَّداً

عَمِيداً مَشُوقَ القَلبِ حَيرَانَ آي لُبنَى

And when she turned away, she destroyed its pillar of patience.

So she said to me, "Make your destination favorable

ألَمَّت فَهَبَّ الرَّكبُ مِن سِنَةِ الكَرَى

وَوَلَّت فَهَدَّت مِن تَصَبُّرِهِ الرُّكنَا

Where you find prosperity, justice, and safety."

I said, "His lips are blocked from our blood

فَقَالَت لِى إجعَل مَا لامِينَ مُيَمَّماً

تُصَادِف لدَيهِ اليُمنَ والعَدلَ والأمنَا

And I fear him - he did not stop blaming whenever we came."

So she said, "You are ignorant in this matter, may you be spared, he

فَقُلتُ وافَاه وَفدٌ بِذَمِّنَا

وأحجُوهُ لَم يَبرَح يُعَنِّفُ إِن جِئنَا

Is frightened of the feathers of snakes, so quench their thirst."

And we pity the absence of their mothers

فَقَالَت جَهِلتَ الأمرَ وَيحَكَ إِنَّهُ

خًذُوفٌ لِتَرفِيشِ الأُلَى أُشرِبُوا الشَّحنَا

For he is the most just, kind, and merciful leader.

We will go with him in every land we desire

وأحنَآ على الغِيابِ مِن أُمَّهَأتِهِم

فَهُوَّ الإِمَامُ الأَعدَلُ الأرأفُ الأحنَى

And we will return from it safe when we want.

And he was a glorious, ascending leader

نَسِيرُ بِهِ في كُلِّ أرضٍ نَؤُمُّهَا

ونَرجِعُ مِنهَا آمنين إِذَا أُبنَا

Ascending the glory - hard to ascend, elevating us.

He ascended to the highest peaks by the nobility of his determination

وكَانَ إِمَاماً مَاجِداً مُتَرَقِيًّا

مِنَ المَجدِ صَعبَ المُرتَقَى مُشرِفاً رَعَنا

And suffering through reaching them on easy and rugged roads.

So he did not stop answering every faint call

تَرَقَّى ِإلَى العَليَا عَلَى نُجبِ عَزمِهِ

وقَاسِي عَلَى إِدرَاكِهَا السَّهلَ والحَزنَا

To it until he attained it and quenched the thirst.

As though the heated rumors that destiny brewed

فَمَا بَرِحَ الجَوَّابَ كُلَّ تَنُوفَةٍ

إلَيهَا إلى أن نَالَهَا أستَعذبَ المَهنَا

To glory were words, yet it was their meaning.

A desperate, staunch, determined Hatim

كَأنَّ السُّعَاةَ المَجتوي قَرقَفَ الكَرَى

إلَى المَجدِ ألفَاظٌ وهوَ لهَا مَعنَى

So he did not fear preceding in the heights or cheating.

O What is the trusted, glorious sword an Indian sword

إيَاسِىُّ مَقلٍ حَاتِمِىُّ نَوَافِلٍ

فَلَم يَخشَى سَبقاً في المَعَالِى ولاَ غَبنَا

And it has no scabbard, and you were a scabbard for it.

Your generosity has spent everything you earned

أيَا ما الأمِينُ المَجدُ سَيفٌ مُهَنّدٌ

ولَيسَ لَهُ جَفنٌ وكُنتَ لَهُ جَفنَا

But it kept immortal praises that do not perish.

Praises that made tongues tired counting some of them

سَخَاؤُكَ أفنَى كُلَّ مَا أنتَ كَاسِبٌ

ولَكِنَّهُ أبقَى مَحَامِدَ لاَ تفَنَى

And no wonder if your praises made tongues tired.

For you were a magnet for every pleasure

مَحَامِدَ أعيَا اللُّسنَ إحصَاءُ بَعضِهَا

ولاَ غَروَ إِن أعيَت مَحَامِدَكَ اللُّسنَا

And a fortress against everything that calls for murkiness.

And you were Galen for every malady

فَقَد كُنتَ مَغنَاطِيسَ كُلِّ مَسَرَّةٍ

ومن كُلِّ مَا يَدعُو إِلَى كَدَرٍ حُصنَا

That the healers could adorn with a remedy.

And our refuge during adversities if they were confused

وقَد كُنتَ جَالَينُوس كُلِّ مُلِمِّةٍ

مِنَ الدَّاءِمَا اسطَاعَ الأُسَاةُ لَهَا زَينَا

And our safe haven during fears if we were afraid.

So many a man whose worries you relieved for him

ومَلجَأنَا عِندَ الشَّدَائِدِ إِن دَهَت

ومَأمَنَنَا عند المَخَاوِفِ إن خُفنا

And whom you released after deserving torture.

And many a naked person whose thirst clouds you quenched

فَرُبَّ امرِىءٍ فَرَّجتَ عَنهُ هُمَومَهُ

واطلَقتَهُ مِن بَعدِ ما استَوجَبَ السَّحنَا

So you clothed him in silk, headbands, and cotton.

And how much prosperity your good fortune gave in thousands

ورُبَّ عُرَاةٍ كُنتَ غَيثَ جُسُومِهَا

فَأمرَعتَها الدِّيبَاجَ والعَصبَ والقُطنَا

And how many sacrifices you made in bodies!

From it good fortune's prosperity was derived for your good fortune

وكًم وَهَبَت يُمنَاكَ ألفاً مُصَتَّماً

وكَم أعمَلتَ لُدناً وكَم نَحَرتَ بُدنَا

And your ease from it was ease for you like the right hand.

فَيُمنَاكَ مِنهَا اليُمنُ كَانَ إشتِقَاقهُ

ويُسرَاكَ مِنها اليُسرُ يُسرَاكَ كَاليُمنَى