عَجباً لِمَن يومَ النَّوى يَتجلَّدُ

وغَرامهُ وَقفٌ عليهِ مُخَلَّدُ

How strange is he who on the day of purpose is firm,

Yet his love for her stands still immortalized.

تَسري الرِّكابُ بِمن يحبُّ وَلمَ يمُت

أَتُرَى حَديُدٌ قلبَهُ أَم جلمَدُ

The travelers journey on, loving one not dead,

Is his heart iron or frozen numb?

ما نَفعهُ ببقائهِ وشَقاؤهُ

مُتضاعفٌ وَعناؤهُ مُتجدِّدُ

Of no use was his survival and agony,

Recurring, his trouble multiplied twofold.

هيَ مهجةٌ لا بدَّ مشنها فَليجدُ

عَجلاً بهَا إِن كانَ ممَّن يُسعدُ

It is a passion, no doubt one must taste it,

So let him hasten if he's one to be made happy.

بأبي الرَّكائبَ إِنَّ فوقَ حُدُوجها

كِللاً تُزَرُّ على البُدورِ وتُعقدُ

By my father the riders, above her cheeks

Are pearls adorning moons that are strung.

لا تَشتكي عيِسٌ تسيرُ بمِثلها

كلاً ولا يَنأى علَيها فَدفدُ

The fawn of the thicket does not complain of her pace,

Nor does the full moon cease beaming at her.

شَجرٌ تَميلث على طلائحَ رُزَّحِ

وَثمارُهَا هِيفٌ كَواعبُ نُهَّد

A tree leaning over the cheeks of a gazelle,

Its fruits soft hippies with swaying breasts.

من كلِّ زائدةِ الجَمالِ وَوَجهُهَا

لِضيائهِ الشَّمسُ الُمنيرةُ تَسجُدُ

Of all the excess beauty and her face,

To its brilliance even the shining sun bows.

حَسُنَت فمَلَّكها الجَمالَ مُخَلخَلٌ

وَمُسوَّرق وُمدَملجٌ ومُقلَّدُ

So fair that beauty itself surrendered to her,

Adorned, bejeweled and arrayed.

قَمَرُ السَّماءِ الُمستنيرُ إذَا بدَت

وإذَا رنَت ظَبيُ الكِناسِ الأَغيدُ

The moon in the glowing sky when it appears,

And when she sings, the birds in the thicket trill.

نَقضت عُهودَ مَواثقي وأَحالَها ال

إِعراضُ عَمَّا كُنتُ مِنها أَعهدُ

She broke her vows and covenants and turned them

To rejection of what I had grown accustomed to.

ما ذاكَ إلاَّ أَنَّ غُصنَ قَوامِها

نَضِرٌ بأَنفَاسِ الصبِّا يَتأوَّدُ

That is only because the stalk of her figure

Is verdant with the breaths of the morning breeze.

وعَقيلةٍ مِن حَيِّ ذُهلٍ ساءَها

كَوني يَقومُ بِيَ الزَّمانُ وَيقعُدُ

And a faultless one from a tribe of Duhl, it saddened her

That time stands still with me and is seated.

قالَت إلى كَم ذا السُّرى وإلى مَتى

يَجري بِعزمتِكَ الذًَّميل وَيَركدُ

She said how long will this concealment last,

And when will your hesitant resolve find footing?

قُلتُ اتركيني والبلادَ فَلَم أَضِف

إلاَّ على مَن يُستَماحُ وَيُقصَدُ

I said leave me be, and the homelands,

For I have not squatted except at the courted and visited.

قَالت وَهل في الأرضِ إِن عُدمَ النَّدى

مَن عِندهُ بَذلُ الرَّغائبِ يوجدُ

She said: Is there on earth, without dew, one who can be found

Whose hands' generosity fulfills hopes and wants?

مَن ذا يُجيرُ مِنَ الخُطوبِ وجَورِها

فأَجَبتُها الَمِلكُ العَزيزُ مُحمَّدُ

Who will protect from disasters and their tyranny?

I answered: the mighty king Muhammed.

الظَّاهريُّ مَناقِباً لا تَنطَوي

والنَّاصرِيُّ مَآثراً لا تُجحدُ

Al-Dhahir in virtues that cannot be contained,

Al-Nasir in glories that cannot be denied.

أَحللت آمالي بهِ مُسترفِداً

بِراً فَغادرَني أَبرُّ وأَرفِدُ

I pinned my hopes on him profiting

A dutiful son, and I became the most dutiful.

وَقصدتهُ أَبغي مَواهبَ كفِّهِ

فَغدوتُ في سامي ذَرَاهُ أُقصدُ

I went to him seeking the bounty of his palms

And came to be in his lofty presence sought.

ودنوتُ مِنهُ في الخَسِيسِ مَكانتَي

واليَومَ مِن دوِني السُّها والفَرقدُ

From him I drew near in my lowly status,

Today without me steeds race and flee.

كُنتُ الوَحيدَ فَردَّني وكأَنَّني

قَد عاشَ جَدَّي خالدٌ أَو مَزيَد

I was the only one so he turned me away as though

My ancestors were Khalid or Mazyad.

أَمنَ الضَّلالَ الُمستضيءُ بنورهِ

وثَنَى أَعادِيهُ بهِ الُمستنجِدُ

Safe from misguidance, enlightened by his light,

Made strong against his enemies by his support.

وَحَوَى الَمعالي الُمقتفِي آثارَهَ

ونَجَا بصائبِ رَأيهِ الُمسترشدُ

He sheltered the seeker of his glorious path,

And the guided succeeded by his wise counsel.