هَذي بَرَزتِ لَنا فَهُجتِ رَسيسا

ثُمَّ اِنثَنَيتِ وَما شَفَيتِ نَسيسا

You appeared before us and stirred a lingering passion,

Then turned away, leaving a dying breath unhealed.

وَجَعَلتِ حَظّي مِنكِ حَظّي في الكَرى

وَتَرَكتِني لِلفَرقَدَينِ جَليسا

You made my portion of you as fleeting as my slumber,

And left me a sleepless companion to the polar stars.

قَطَّعتِ ذَيّاكِ الخُمارَ بِسَكرَةٍ

وَأَدَرتِ مِن خَمرِ الفِراقِ كُؤوسا

You severed that old stupor with a fresh intoxication,

And circulated bitter cups from the wine of separation.

إِن كُنتِ ظاعِنَةً فَإِنَّ مَدامِعي

تَكفي مَزادَكُمُ وَتُروي العيسا

If you are set on departing, know that my flowing tears

Will fill your waterskins and quench your white camels.

حاشى لِمِثلِكِ أَن تَكونَ بَخيلَةً

وَلِمِثلِ وَجهِكِ أَن يَكونَ عَبوسا

Far be it for one like you to ever be miserly,

Or for a face of such beauty to wear a frown.

وَلِمِثلِ وَصلِكِ أَن يَكونَ مُمَنَّعاً

وَلِمِثلِ نَيلِكِ أَن يَكونَ خَسيسا

Far be it that your union should be forbidden,

Or that your bestowal should be paltry and mean.

خَودٌ جَنَت بَيني وَبَينَ عَواذِلي

حَرباً وَغادَرَتِ الفُؤادَ وَطيسا

A maiden who ignited a war between me and my censors,

And left my heart burning like a furnace within.

بَيضاءُ يَمنَعُها تَكَلَّمَ دَلُّها

تيهاً وَيَمنَعُها الحَياءُ تَميسا

A fair beauty, whose pride forbids her to speak,

And whose shyness restrains her swerving gait.

لَمّا وَجَدتُ دَواءَ دائي عِندَها

هانَت عَلَيَّ صِفاتُ جالينوسا

Since I found the cure for my ailment lies with her,

The prescriptions of Galen have become worthless to me.

أَبقى زُرَيقٌ لِلثُغورِ مُحَمَّداً

أَبقى نَفيسٌ لِلنَفيسِ نَفيساً

Zurayq has preserved Muhammad to guard the frontiers;

A noble father leaving a noble son for a noble cause.

إِن حَلَّ فارَقَتِ الخَزائِنُ مالَهُ

أَو سارَ فارَقَتِ الجُسومُ الروسا

When he settles, his wealth departs from his treasuries;

When he marches, heads are severed from their bodies.

مَلِكٌ إِذا عادَيتَ نَفسَكَ عادِهِ

وَرَضيتَ أَو حَشَ ما كَرِهتَ أَنيسا

He is a king—if you hate your own life, then oppose him,

And embrace the desolation of the grave as your companion.

الخائِضَ الغَمَراتِ غَيرَ مُدافِعٍ

وَالشَمَّرِيَّ المِطعَنَ الدِعّيسا

He plunges into the floods of war, unrepelled,

The swift aggressor, the piercer, the crusher of foes.

كَشَّفتُ جَمهَرَةَ العِبادِ فَلَم أَجِد

إِلّا مَسوداً جَنبَهُ مَرؤوسا

I examined the multitudes of men, yet found no one

But subjects beside him, while he alone is the chief.

بَشَرٌ تَصَوَّرَ غايَةً في آيَةٍ

تَنفي الظُنونَ وَتُفسِدُ التَقِيّسا

A man formed as the ultimate limit within a miracle,

Defying all conjecture, rendering analogies void.

وَبِهِ يُضَنُّ عَلى البَرِيَّةِ لا بِها

وَعَلَيهِ مِنها لا عَلَيها يوسى

The world is envied for having him, not he for the world;

We grieve for his sake over the world, not for the world itself.

لَو كانَ ذو القَرنَينِ أَعمَلَ رَأيَهُ

لَمّا أَتى الظُلُماتِ صِرنَ شُموسا

Had Dhu al-Qarnayn employed his wisdom like him,

The darkness he entered would have blazed like suns.

أَو كانَ صادَفَ رَأسَ عازَرَ سَيفُهُ

في يَومِ مَعرَكَةٍ لَأَعيا عيسى

Had his sword struck the head of Lazarus

On the day of battle, Jesus would have failed to raise him.

أَو كانَ لُجُّ البَحرِ مِثلَ يَمينِهِ

ما اِنشَقَّ حَتّى جازَ فيهِ موسى

Had the depths of the sea been as generous as his right hand,

It would never have parted for Moses to pass through.

أَو كانَ لِلنيرانِ ضَوءُ جَبينِهِ

عُبِدَت فَصارَ العالَمونَ مَجوسا

And had the sacred fires possessed the light of his brow,

They would be worshipped, and all men would turn Magian.

لَمّا سَمِعتُ بِهِ سَمِعتُ بِواحِدٍ

وَرَأَيتُهُ فَرَأَيتُ مِنهُ خَميسا

When I heard of him, I heard of a single man,

But when I saw him, I beheld a mighty army.

وَلَحَظتُ أُنمُلَهُ فَسِلنَ مَواهِباً

وَلَمَستُ مُنصُلَهُ فَسالَ نُفوسا

I glanced at his fingers, and they flowed with gifts;

I touched his blade, and it flowed with souls.

يا مَن نَلوذُ مِنَ الزَمانِ بِظِلِّهِ

أَبَداً وَنَطرُدُ بِاِسمِهِ إِبليسا

O you in whose shadow we seek refuge from Time,

Forever, and by whose name we banish the Devil.

صَدَقَ المُخَبِّرُ عَنكَ دونَكَ وَصفُهُ

مَن بِالعِراقِ يَراكَ في طَرَسوسا

The messenger spoke truth, yet his description fell short;

One in Iraq can see your glory in Tarsus.

بَلَدٌ أَقَمتَ بِهِ وَذِكرُكَ سائِرٌ

يَشنا المَقيلَ وَيَكرَهُ التَعريسا

A land where you dwell, though your fame travels far,

Your renown shuns rest and disdains to halt.

فَإِذا طَلَبتَ فَريسَةً فارَقتَهُ

وَإِذا خَدَرتَ تَخِذتَهُ عِرّيسا

When you hunt for prey, you leave that land behind,

But when you rest, you make it your lion's den.

إِنّي نَثَرتُ عَلَيكَ دُرّاً فَاِنتَقِد

كَثُرَ المُدَلِّسُ فَاِحذَرِ التَدليسا

I have scattered pearls of verse upon you, so judge them—

For deceivers abound, so beware of counterfeits.

حَجَّبتُها عَن أَهلِ إِنطاكِيَّةٍ

وَجَلَوتُها لَكَ فَاِجتَلَيتَ عَروسا

I veiled these verses from the people of Antioch,

But unveiled them for you, revealing a radiant bride.

خَيرُ الطُيورِ عَلى القُصورِ وَشَرُّها

يَأوي الخَرابَ وَيَسكُنُ الناوّسا

The noblest birds alight upon the high palaces,

While the base ones seek out ruins and tombs.

لَو جادَتِ الدُنيا فَدَتكَ بِأَهلِها

أَو جاهَدَت كُتِبَت عَلَيكَ حَبيسا

If the world were generous, it would ransom you with its people,

Or if it strove for piety, it would dedicate itself to you.