لَعَمرِي وَمَا عَمرِي بِحِلفَة فَاجِرٍ

وَلَكِنَّهَا بَرٌّ وَصِدقٌ وَأَيمَانُ

By my life, and my life is no oath of a licentious one,

But it is righteousness, truthfulness and oaths,

لَقَد عَلَّمَتنِي كَيفَ تَصفُو مَوَدَّتِي

أعَادَتكَ مِن ذِكرِ الأَحِبَّةِ أَشجَانُ

You have taught me how my affection becomes pure,

You have revived me from the remembrance of lovers, passions,

صَدَقتَ إِذَا لَم يُصفِ صَفوَانُ وُدَّهُ

فَلَيسَ بِصَافِي الوُدِّ فِي النَّاسِ إِنسَانُ

You spoke truly when Safwan does not describe his affection as pure,

For there is no human among people with pure affection,

هَلِ النُّونُ فِي صَفوَانَ إِلا مَزِيدَةٌ

مِنَ الصَّفوِ وَالإخلاصِ يُشتَقُّ صَفوَانُ

Is the nun in Safwan anything but an increase,

In purity and sincerity is derived Safwan.

شَهِدتُ يَقِيناً أَنَّ فِكرَكَ آيَةٌ

يُؤَيِّدُهَا مِن مُعجِزَاتِكَ بُرهَانُ

I bear certain witness that your thought is a miracle,

Supported by its miracles the proof,

فَلا تَجعَلَنِّي مِن بَنِي الدَّهرِ إِنَّهُم

لِنَعلِي عَلَى أَنِّي تَسَامَحتُ عَبدَانُ

So do not make me among the people of this world, they

Are for my master to boast that I was forgiving of the two slaves

وَلا كُلُّ مَن يدعَى فَتىً هُوَ مَالِكٌ

وَلا كُلُّ مَا فَوقَ البَسِيطَةِ سَعدَانُ

And not everyone who claims to be a gallant is a master,

And not everything above al-Basitat is Sa'dan.

أَلَستُ الَّذِي ارتَجَّ العِرَاقُ لِذِكرِهِ

كَمَا ارتَجَّ إِذ لاقَت جِيَادِيَ صَنعَانُ

Am I not the one for whose mention Iraq shook

As it shook when my steeds met San'a.

وَكَم كَلِفَت مِصرٌ بِنَشرِ مَآثِرِي

وَقَامَت عَلَى سَاقٍ لِذِكرِيَ بَغدَانُ

And how much did Egypt struggle to spread my exploits

And Baghdad stood on one leg for my mention.

لِيَ الكَلِمُ العَذبُ الَّذِي لَو بَذَلتُهُ

لِطَالِبِهِ مَا استَعمَلَ المَاءَ صَديَانُ

Mine is the sweet utterance which if I gave

To its seeker, Sudyan would not have used water.

مِنَ الكَلِمِ الرَّطبِ الَّذِي لَو أَبَحتُهُ

لَزُيِّفَ عِقيانٌ وَبُهرِجَ مَرجَانُ

Of the juicy utterance which if I disclosed

‘Uqyan would be adulterated and Marjan would be disturbed.

كَلامٌ إِذا أَرسلتُهُ قَالَ بَعضُهُم

لِبَعضٍ أَعِنِّي الآنَ عُمرِيَ لُقمَانُ

Speech, if I sent it, some of them would say

To some, “Help me now, my life Luqman.”

وَإِنِّي لَمَاضِي المَضرِبَينِ وَحَامِلي

جَبَانٌ وَلَكِن فِي المَجَامِعِ سَحبَانُ

And I do go ahead with the two heights and I carry

Cowardly, but in the battlefields bold.

جردتُ حُسَاماً فِي يَدِ الدَّهرِ لَو دَرَى

لَسَادَ بهِ لَكِنَّمَا الجَهلُ حِرمَانُ

I have brandished a sword in the hands of fate, if it realized

It would be satisfied with it, but ignorance is deprivation.

وَلَو أَنَّ إِنسَانِي يُسِرُّ مَوَدَّتِي

لَمَا انطَبَقَت من فَوقِهِ لِيَ أَجفَانُ

And if my humanity delighted in my affection

My eyelids would not have closed over it.