تَشَوَّفُ مِن صَوتِ الصَدى كُلَّما دَعا

تَشَوُّفَ جَيداءِ المُقَلَّدِ مُغيِبِ

Longing for the echo's voice whenever it calls

Yearning for the beautiful, bejeweled one's departure

تُبارِي حَراجيجًا عِتاقًا كَأَنَّها

شَرَائِجُ مَعطُوفٍ مِن القُضبِ مُصحَبِ

Rivaling the twittering of birds as though it were

Strands interlaced of cane stalks accompanied

إذا ما بَلَغنا الجُهدَ مِنها تَوَعَّبَت

وَضيعُ زِمامٍ كَالُبابِ المُسيَّبِ

When we reach the limit of endurance she writhes

A loose rein like an open door left ajar

أَضَرَّ بِها عَلقُ السُّرَى كُلَّ لَيلَةٍ

إِليكَ فإِسآدي ضُحىً كُلَّ صَيهَبِ

The clinging of pitch darkness harmed her every night

To you, so my mourning is daybreak, each dawnlit

حَلِيمٌ إَذا ما نالَ عاقَبَ مُجمِلاً

أَشَدَّ العقابِ أَو عَفا لَم يُثرِّبِ

Clement, when he punishes, exacting yet forgiving

The harshest punishment, or pardoning, never blaming

فَعَفوًا أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ وَحِسبَةً

فَما تَتَسِب مِن صالِحٍ لَكَ يُكتَبِ

So pardon, Commander of the Faithful, and be satisfied

No good you do but is recorded and prescribed

أَساؤُوا فإن تغفر فِإِنَّكَ أَهلُهُ

وَأَفضَلُ حِلمٍ حِسبَةً حِلمُ مُغضَبِ

They did evil, but if you forgive, you are worthy of it

The greatest clemency is the clemency of one provoked

نَفَتهُم قُرَيشٌ عَن أباطِحِ مَكَّةٍ

وَذِي يَمَنٍ بِالمَشرِفِّي المُشَطَّبِ

Quraysh denied them the valley grounds of Mecca

And the Yemeni the overlooks terraced and leveled