أَمرَضَتنِي مَرِيضَةُ اللَحظِ سَكرى

مَرَضاً ما إِخالُهُ الدهر يَبرا

The glance of a beautiful maiden has made me lovesick

With an illness time cannot cure

تَتَثَنّى غُصناً وَتَبسِمُ دُرّاً

وَتُوَلّي دِعصاً وَتُقبِلُ بَدرا

She sways like a branch, smiles like a pearl

Turns her back like a palm tree and faces like the full moon

فَهِيَ كَالذابِلِ المُثَقَّفِ قَد أُف

عِمَ عَجزاً وَقَد تَهَفهَفَ صَدرا

She is like a withered palm tree, weak and frail

Her chest panting and lacking strength

أَسبَلَت فَوقَ الشَعَرَ الوَح

فَ فَكانَت لَيلاً بِهَيماً وَفَجرا

Her hair flowing over cheeks

That were like night, now bright like dawn

وَتَرَشَّفتُ رِيقَها فَتَوَهَّم

تُ بِأَنّي غَدَوتُ أَرشِفُ خَمرا

When I tasted her saliva I imagined

I was sipping fine wine

غادَةٌ رَخصَةُ الأَنامِلِ مَمكُو

رَةُ ما في مُفَوَّفِ الرَيطِ عذرا

A tempting girl with soft fingers

Full of everything that entices and excuses

أَسكَرَتني سُكرَينِ مِن لَحظِها القا

تِلِ سُكراً وَمَن جَنى الرِيقِ سُكرا

Her murderous glances made me drunk

As did the sweetness of her saliva

وَرَمَت بِالجِمارِ تَلتَمِسُ الأَج

رَ وَقَد أَسعَرَت بِقَلبِكَ جَمرا

She plays with hearts seeking a reward

And sets your heart aflame with embers

كَيفَ تُجرِي دَمِي وَتَسعى مَعَ السا

عِينَ تَبغي مِن المُهَيمِنِ أَجرا

How can you take my blood and race with the sword

Seeking a prize from the Almighty?

وَلَقَد هاجَ لي رَسيساً إِلى الغَو

رِ خَيالٌ مِن ساكِنِ الغَور أَسرى

She unleashed upon me from her dwelling in the caves

A passionate illusion that came by night and left by day

زارَ سِرّاً مِن العُيُونِ وَضَوّا ال

لَيلَ حَتّى ظَنَنتُهُ زارَ جَهرا

He secretly visited under the cover of darkness

Until I thought he visited openly in daylight

مِن لِوى عالِجٍ وَلَو أَمَّتِ العِي

سُ لِوى عالِجٍ لَأَرقَلنَ شَهرا

He twisted and coiled about so much

Had he persisted for a month, he would have danced

حَبَّذا دارُها المُحِيلَةُ بِالجِز

عِ وَأَطلالُها القِفارُ بِبُصرى

Blessed is her abode in Al-Jiz'

And her ruins at Bussra

عُجتُ أَشفِي بِها الغَليلَ فَقَد زِد

تُ غَليلاً عَلى الغَلِيلِ وَذِكرا

I tried curing my sickness through her

But she only added sickness to sickness and thoughts of her

صاحَ مالِي وَلِلهَوى كُلَّما حا

وَلتُ عَنهُ صَبراً تَجَرَّعتُ صبراً

My money is gone and with desire whenever

I tried to abstain from it I endured with patience

لا دُمُوعِي الغِزارُ تَرقا وَلا حرْ

رُ فُؤادِي يُطفا وَلا العَينُ تَكرى

Neither my flowing tears would stop

Nor the burning of my heart be extinguished, nor my eyes tire

ذُبتُ وَجداً فَلَو قَضَيتُ لَما احتَج

تُ سِوى مَوطِئِ البَعُوضَةِ قَبرا

I wasted away with love that if I died

I would need only a niche for a mosquito as a grave

كُلَّ يَومٍ أَلقى اِعتِداءً وَظُلماً

وَأُقاسِي نَأياً مُشِتّاً وَهَجرا

Each day I am wronged and treated unjustly

And suffer remoteness, separation, and abandonment

وَلَقَد زارَنِي المَشِيبُ فَما كا

نَ وَقاراً بَل كانَ في الأُذنِ وَقرا

Gray hairs have come upon me but brought no dignity

Rather they were as bells ringing in my ears

غادَرَتنِي المَسائِحُ البِيضُ لا أُن

كِرُ مِن رَبَّةِ الغَدائِرِ غَدرا

The white flowers deserted me, I don't blame

The fickleness of the one whose tresses flow

وَعَسى أَن أَفُوزَ يَوماً لِأَسما

ءَ بِوَصلٍ فَإِنَّ لِلعُسرِ يُسرا

Perhaps one day I may be granted

Reunion, for ease comes after hardship

أَيُّها القَلبُ لَم يَدَع لَكَ في وَص

لِ العَذارى نِصفُ الهَبِيدَةِ عُذرا

O heart, her glances left you no excuse among the chaste maidens

Take from fate what is pure and from people what I know of them

خُذ مِنَ الدَهرِ ما صَفا وَمِن النا

سِ فَإِنّي بِهِ وَبِالناسِ أَدرى

If you have wealth guard your honor above it all

And do good whenever you can for rewards are like treasures stored for you

وَإذا كُنتَ ذا ثَراءٍ مِنَ الما

لِ فَصَيِّرهُ دُونَ عِرضِكَ سِترا

My friends and I became arrogant

With youthful cheeks hoping for youthful cheeks

وَافعَلِ الخَيرَ ما استَطَعتَ فَإِنَّ ال

خيرَ تَلقاهُ مِثلَ ذُخرِكَ ذُخرا

The skilled ones compete with us

Erasing lines and writing lines

وَلَقَد أَغتَدي وَصَحبِي عَلى الأَك

وارِ صُعرَ الخُدودِ يَرجُونَ صُعرا

I said, "Mount your steeds to the best of people"

Whether from pure lineage or branch or offspring

تَتَبارى بِنا المَهارى وَأَيدِي

هِنَّ تَمحُو سَطراً وَتَكتُبُ سَطرا

So they set out across the easy plains

Towards my father creased and rugged

قُلتُ جُوبُوا الفَلا إِلى أَكرَمِ النا

سِ جَميعاً عِرقاً وَفَرعاً وَنَجرا

The horses almost stepped into puddles

Weakened by their thinness and frailty

فَاِنبَرَوا يَقطَعُونَ نَحوَ أَبِي العُل

وانِ سَهلاً مِنَ البِلادِ وَوَعرا

Coming from a sea where you see whales

Swimming about safely in its depth

وَالمَطايا تَكادُ تَدخُلُ في الأَخ

راتِ سُقماً مِنَ الذَمِيلِ وَضُمرا

His palm covered the land with kindness

Nomads and settled folk alike

وَارِداتٍ بَحراً تُرى السَبعَةُ الأَب

حُرُ في سَيبِهِ ثِماداً وَغُدرا

Like heavy clouds led by ostrich

Spreading rain over the land

غَمَرت كَفُّهُ البَرِيَّةَ بِالإِح

سانِ عُجماً مَنهُم وَبَدواً وَحَضرا

The most forbearing of people against punishing

The more you add to your sins the more he forgives

كَالسَحابِ الكَنَهوَرِ الجَودِ قادَت

هُ النُعامى فَطَبَّقَ بِالأَرضِ قَطرا

His two hands are divided - one for destinies

And the other for provision

أَحلَمُ الناسِ عَن عِقابٍ إِذا ما

زِدتَ جُرماً إِلَيهِ زادَكَ غَفرا

Generous with honor, he does not hoard it

How can one who has squandered honor hoard?

راحَتاهُ مَقسُومَتانِ فَلِل

آجالِ إِحداهُما ولِلرِّزقِ أُخرى

Whenever you smell the perfume from his fingers

You find it purer than pure musk

وَافِرُ العِرضِ لَيسَ يَترُكُ وَفراً

كَيفَ يُبقي مَن وَفَّرَ العِرضَ وَفرا

His hands were generous to me beyond what I deserve

So I was generous in praise and gratitude

كُلَّما شِمتَ مِن أَنامِلِهِ العَش

رِ نَدىً خِلتَها مِنَ السُحبِ عَشرا

A aromatic scent the riders carry

Sweet, fragrant, and perfumed

أَوسَعَتنِي يَداهُ فَضلاً مِنَ اللَ

هِ فَأَوسَعتُها ثَناءً وَشُكرا

In howdahs that spread more fragrance

When people fill them with perfume and scent

عَبَقاً تَحمِلُ الرِكابُ إِلى الآ

فاقِ مِنهُ طِيباً ذَكِيّاً وَعِطرا

Like the flowers of sweet basil bloomed by rain

And breeze blew gently over them

في طُروسٍ تَزِيدُ نَشراً إِذا ما ال

قَومُ أَمُّوا لَهُنَّ طِيباً وَنَشرا

A king who overpowers other kings and builds Glory upon glory and pride upon pride

He is free of blame, no secrets remain hidden from him

مِثلُ زَهرِ الرُبى الَّتي جادَها الغَي

ثُ وَمَرَّت مِن فَوقِها الرِيحُ حَسرى

Of pure and lofty character and generous traits

God prevented any meanness being seen in him

مَلِكٌ يَقهَرُ المُلوكَ وَيَبنِي

شَرَفاً فَوقَ ما بَنَوهُ وَفَخرا

He proceeded to serve and receive bounty and favors from the virtuous in floods

On an inauspicious Thursday I observed in him

فَهوَ خِلوٌ مِنَ المَعايِبِ لا تَل

قى سَرِيّاً إِلّا وَتَلقاهُ أَسرى

A mighty Thursday in awe and glory

Whenever the sword wavered in the lands of enemies

خُلُقاً طاهِراً وَخِيماً كَرِيماً

أَنكَرَ اللَهُ أَن تَرى فيهِ نُكرا

They wavered from it in fright

It strikes sparks against the sparks, and the sharp sword

سارَ يَستَخدِمُ السُعُودَ وَيَستَق

بِلُ فَضلاً مِنَ الفَضِيلَةِ دَثرا

Repels the polished white blades

A journey that brought elevation, and steps

في خَمِيسٍ مَجرٍ تَأَمَّلتُهُ فِي

هِ خَمِيساً مِنَ المَهابَةِ مَجرا

That blessed the journey and the traveling

God renewed through him honor, fortune

وَالقَنا كُلَّما تَزَعزَعَ في أَر

ضِ الأَعادِي تَزَعزَعُوا مِنهُ ذُعرا

Capability over the enemy, and conquest

How can you not be helped when you are the right hand of God's religion

يَقرَعُ النَبع حَولهُ النَبعَ وَالنَق

عُ يَرُدُّ المَطارِدَ البِيضَ غُبرا

In times of distress and the left hand in ease?

Favors from you cannot be repaid, I see ingratitude

رِحلَةٌ أَكسَبَت عُلاً وَمَسيرٌ

بُورِكَت رِحلَةً وَبُورِكَ مَسرى

In repaying good deeds with ingratitude

You live bestowing benefits whether good or bad befalls you

جَدَّدَ اللَهُ فِيهِ عِزّاً وَسَعدا

وَاِقتِداراً عَلى العَدُوِّ وَقَهرا

If you take a course by your grace you steer it with grace

The world was not devoid of the beauty of your rule

كَيفَ لا تُجتَبى وَأَنتَ لِدِينِ الْ

لهِ يُمنى في النائِباتِ وَيُسرى

Nor were you devoid of forbidding wrong and enjoining right

مِنَنٌ مِنكَ لَيسَ تُكفَرُ إِنّي

لَأَرى الكُفرَ بِالصَنائِعِ كُفرا

عِشتَ تُسدِي نَفعاً وَضُرَّاً إِذا حَلَّ

يتَ شَطراً بِالفَضلِ أَمرَرتَ شَطرا

لا خَلَت مِن جَمالِ طَلعَتِكَ الدُن

يا وَلا أَعدَمَتكَ نَهياً وَأَمرا