سَلِ البَدرَ عَنِّي إِن قَدِمتَ عَلَى البَدرِ

يُخَبِّركَ أَنِّي مِثلُه أبَداً أَسرِي

Ask the full moon about me, if you visit the full moon

It will inform you that I'm like it, always traveling

وأَنِّي أَهفُو بِالمَطَايَا عَلَى الوَجَا

وَأحمِلُهَا مِن حَيثُ أَدرِي وَلا أَدرِي

And that I yearn for the horses on the sands

And I carry them from where I know and where I don't know

بِعَزمٍ يَخَالُ البَحر شَربَةَ مُرتَوٍ

وَيَحسَب طُولَ الأَرضِ فِي سَعَةِ الشِّبرِ

With determination that rivals the sea gulping down a sweet drink

And considers the length of the earth to be the width of a span

نَذَرتُ عَلَيهِ أَن يُبَلِّغَنِي المُنَى

فَهَل إِن بَلَغتُ النَّجمَ يَكمُلُ فِي نَذرِي

I vowed to it that it would convey me to my death

So if I reach the star, will my vow be completed?

إِذَا الأُفقُ يَتلُو سُورَة اللَّيلِ بِالفَلا

تَلَوتُ لَهُ مِن صَارِمِي سُورَةَ الفَجرِ

When the horizon recites the chapter of the night in spots

I recite to it from my sword the chapter of dawn

وَإِن خَانَنِي خِلٌّ أَعُدُّ وَفاءَهُ

فَسَيفِي وَزِيرٌ لِي أَشُدُّ بِهِ أَزرِي

And if a friend betrays me, I count his loyalty

So my sword is a minister to me, I hold it close

سَيَدرِي زَمَانِي أَيَّ عِلق مَضِنَّةٍ

أَضَاعَ وَيُفنِي السِّنَّ قَرعاً إِذَا يَدرِي

My time will know which twisted branch

Wasted away and destroyed years when it realizes

خَلِيلَيَّ مَا لِلدَّهرِ يَطوِي مَآرِبي

أَلا حَكَمٌ فَصلٌ يُقيدُ مِن الدَّهرِ

My friend, why does time conceal my affairs

Isn't there a just judgment that restricts time?

وَمَا لِعُقَابِ النَّائِبَاتِ تَصِيدُنِي

أَمَا عَلِمَت فِي الأَرضِ وَكراً سِوَى وَكرِي

And why do misfortunes hunt me

Don't they know a den other than my den?

نَعَم عَلِمَت وَكراً سِوَاهُ وَإِنَّمَا

صُرُوفُ اللَّيَالِي تَستَطِيلُ عَلَى الحُرِّ

Yes, they know another den, but

The turns of nights grow long in freeing

خَلِيلَيَّ قَد أَفنَيتُ دَمعِي صَبَابَةً

فَمَن عِندَهُ دَمعٌ أُقيمُ بِهِ عُذرِي

My friend, I have wasted my tears streaming

So who has tears with which I defend my excuse?

وَهَا سِمطُ دَمعِي مُذ نَأَيتُم كَأَنَّمَا

أُعَلِّمُهُ مِن بَعدِكُم صَنعَةَ النَّثرِ

And my tear pouring has not stopped since I left you

As if after you I teach it the craft of prose

فَلَمّا رَأَوا دَمعِي تَلاطَم مَوجُهُ

دَعَونِي عَلَى حُكمِ البُكَا بِأَبِي بَحرِ

When they saw my tear surging in waves

They called me to rule over crying, the father of the sea

أَخِلايَ بِالخَضرَاءِ دُومُوا بِنعمَةٍ

فَوَالعَصرِ أَنِّي مُذ نَأَيتُم لَفِي خُسرِ

My friends, stay in the green oasis

By the evening, since I left you, I have been losing

إِذا نَسَمَت رِيحُ الجَزِيرَةِ هَيَّجَت

ذمَاءَ نُفَيسٍ لا تَرِيشُ وَلا تَبرِي

When the breeze of the peninsula stirs

It excites the slumber of a soul that does not rest or calm

تَقِ اللَّهَ فِيهَا يَا نَسِيمُ فَإِنَّهَا

إِذَا فُقِدَت ضَاعَ الصِّبَا وَالهَوَى العُذرِي

Protect it, oh breeze, for if it is lost

The morning and infatuation will be lost

يقِرُّ لِعَينَي بَانَة السِّدرِ أَنَّنِي

أَحِنُّ عَلَى عُفرٍ إِلَى بَانَةِ السِّدرِ

It settles my eye for the acacia of Bana

That I yearn for a dune towards the acacia of Bana

أُغازِلُ بَرقَ الغَربِ حُبّاً لِعَهدِكُم

فَمَهمَا بَدَا بَرقٌ أَقُل كُن أَبَا ذَرِّ

I flirt with the lightning of the west, loving your era

So whenever lightning flashes, I say here I am, Abu Dharr

كَأَن لَم نرد زَهرَ الرِّيَاضِ وَلَم نرِد

مَشَارِعَ ذَاكَ النَّهرِ بُورِكَ مِن نَهرِ

It's as if we never wanted the flowers of the gardens, and never wanted

The streets of that river - blessings from a river!

وَلَم نَلتَحِف ظِلَّ الأَرَاكَةِ بُردَةً

مُنَمَّقَةَ الأَعطَافِ بِالزَّهَرِ النَّضرِ

And we never wrapped ourselves in the shade of the palm trees, a garment

Embroidered at the sleeves with fresh flowers

وَلم نَلتَقِط دُرَّ الحَديثِ عَشِيَّةً

بِسَاحَةِ ذَاكَ القَصرِ أَفدِيهِ مِن قَصرِ

And we never picked the pearls of conversation in the evening

In the courtyard of that palace - I ransom it from any palace!

شَبَابٌ وَإخوَانٌ تَوَلَّى كِلاهُمَا

فَلا خَانَنِي دَمعِي وَلا جَدَّ لِي صَبرِي

Youth and brothers have both deserted

So neither did my tears betray me, nor did my patience strengthen me

وَكَم رُمتُ أَلا يَشعَبَ الدَّهرُ شَملَنَا

وَلَكِنَّ سِحرَ الدَّهرِ أَنفَذُ مِن سِحري

And how I wished time would not divide us

But the sorcery of time is stronger than my sorcery

ثَلاثَةُ إخوَانٍ تَأَلَّفَ شَملُهُم

تَأَلَّفَ شَملِ الظِّلِّ وَالمَاءِ وَالزَّهرِ

Three brothers whose gathering was united

Like the gathering of shade, water, and flowers

فَأمَّا أبُو مُوسَى فَنَأيُهُ عَبرَةٌ

وَيَا لَيتَنِي أَلفَاهُ أَعلَى مِنَ العَصرِ

As for Abu Musa - his remoteness is a lesson

If only I had met him at a loftier time

لَهُ أَدَبٌ سَمحٌ كَمَا رَقَّتِ الصَّبَا

إِلَى أَدَبٍ كَسبٍ كَعَهدِكَ بِالشِّحرِ

He has a generous literary style, as the dawn softened

To a literary style he earned, as you knew him to have poetry

أَقُولُ خَلِيلِي وَهوُ أَعظَمُ رُتبَةً

وَلَكِنَّهُ تَأتِي الضَّرُورَاتُ فِي الشِّعرِ

I say my friend, and he is of highest rank

But necessities come in poetry

وَمَا شَبَّ عَمرٌو فِي الزَّمَانِ الَّذِي مَضَى

عَنِ الطَّوقِ لَكِن شَبَّ عَنهُ أَبُو عَمرِ

Time did not make Amro youthful in the past era

But it made him youthful over it - Abu Amr

وَإِنَّ بَنِي حَسُّونَ سَادَةُ دَهرِهِم

وَلَكنَّ هَذَا فِيهِمُ بيضةُ العُقرِ

And the clan of Hassoun are the masters of their time

But among them is the egg of the eagles

وَلا عَجَبٌ أَن سَادَهُم وَهو مِنهُمُ

فَمِن جُملَةِ الأَسيَافِ صَمصَامَتا عَمرو

It's no wonder he mastered them, and he is one of them

Among the collection of swords, the two swords of Amro

وَبِي مِن نَوَى ابنِ القَاسِمِ النَّدبِ لَوعَةٌ

تعَلّم قَلبِي كَيفَ يَنزَحُ عَن صَدرِي

And in me from the essence of Ibn Al-Qassim is a wound

That teaches my heart how to be carried from my chest

تَنَاءى فَمَا مَرَّ السُّلُوُّ بِخَاطِرِي

وَلا أَشرَقَت فِي مُقلَتِي غُرَّةُ البَدرِ

He disappeared, and time did not pass in my thoughts

Nor did the crescent shine in my eyelids

وَتُطرِبُنِي ذِكرَاهُ حَتَّى يَقُولَ مَن

يُعَاينُنِي حُدُّوا فَلاناً عَلَى السُّكرِ

And remembering him excites me until someone

Who sees me says, "Restrain So-and-so from intoxication!"

أَحِبَّتَنَا قَصَّرتُ فِي شُكرِ مَجدِكُم

وَلَكِنَّنِي أَغيَيَتُ فِيهِ عَلَى قَدرِي

My loved ones, I fell short in thanking your glory

But I grew weary in it to my ability

فَأَنتُم ظُبَا بَاسِي وَأَطوَادُ عِصمَتِي

وَمُستَوطِنُو صَدري وَمُستَوجِبُو شُكرِي

So you are the doorsteps of my domination and pillars of my allegiance

And dwellers of my chest and deservers of my gratitude

وَدُونَكُمُوهَا تُحفَةً مِن أَخِيكُمُ

تَصُوغُ سِوَارَ الشُّكرِ فِي مِعصَمِ البرِّ

And along with it, a gift from your brother

Which forms the bracelet of gratitude on the wrist of righteousness

عَسَى اللَّهُ يُدنِينَا عَلَى بُعدِ دَارِنَا

فَقَد يَلتَقِي مَاءُ الغَمَامِ مَعَ الخَمرِ

May God bring us close despite the distance of our homes

For the water of clouds may meet with wine