يا سَيِّدا أَركانُ عَليائِهِ

في ذَروَةِ العَيّوقِ مَبنِيّه

O master, pillar of its lofty heights

Built at the peak of steep nobility

عِندِيَ فَرّوجانِ ما مِنهُما

إِلّا اشبنُ هِندِيٍ وَهِندِيَّه

I have two balconies, neither of which

Is other than Indian teak and sandalwood

قَد عُمِلَ الواحِدُ تُبّالَةً

وَأَصلَحَ الآخَرَ مَصلِيَّه

One is used for ablutions

The other to lay out his prayer rug

وَأَفرُخٌ ما بَينَ سَنبوسِجٍ

عَلَيهِ أَثوابُ خَلوقِيَّه

And chicks between cabinets

Draped in fine embroidered fabrics

وَنِصفُ جَدى بارِدٍ أُمُّهُ

كَما حَكى الجَلّابُ حَوفِيَّه

And half a chilled carafe whose mother

As the butcher recounted, was a ewe

وَمَجمَعٌ بَينَ كَواميخِهِ

مُخَلَّلاتٌ غَيرَ سوقِيَّه

And a gathering of goblets between which

Are fruits, none market-bought

وَمِن بَناتِ البَرِّ دُرّاجَةٌ

وَمِن بَناتِ البَحرِ بَنِّيَّه

And of land-grown produce, a pumpkin

And of sea-grown, a melon

قَد طَبَختُ لَكَ وَهاتيكَ قَد

جاءَبِها الطاهِيُّ مَشوِيَّه

I have cooked for you, and here is what

The cook has grilled and roasted

في جَونَةٍ تَهتَزُّ أَعطافُها

في حُلَلٍ لِلبَقلِ جيزِيَّه

In a pan whose edges quiver

In pods for parsley, coriander leaf

يَلوحُ فيها لِلفَتى إِن حَدَت

بِهِ إِلى رُؤيَتِها نِيَّه

Gleaming for the youth, if his intention

Leads him to see her

زَيتونَةٌ صَفراءَ قَيسِيَّةٌ

وَجُبنَةٌ بَيضاءُ خيسِيَّه

A yellow, thin-skinned olive

And a white, crumbly cheese

وَخَلُّ خَمرٍ هُوَ لي عُدَّةٌ

في جَرَّةٍ عِندِيَ بِبَتِيَّه

Vinegar is for me a provision

In a jar I have of clay

وَدُقَّةٍ كافورُ أَبرازِها

مُختَلِطٌ مِنها بِمِسكِيَّه

And a mortar whose pounding of camphor

Is mixed with musk

وَلَيسَ يَخلو حينَ تَأتيكَ مِن

رُقاقَةٍ فيها وَفُرنِيَّه

Nor is it devoid, when it comes to you, of

Fine semolina dough and baklava

وَإِن يَكُن عِندِيَ لَوزَينَجٌ

مَلَأتُ مِنهُ لَكَ زُبدِيَّه

And if I have sweet almonds

I have filled for you almond pudding

بَلى لَنا مِن بَعدَ ذا نَكرَةٍ

وَقَطرَميزٌ وَبُلَسقِيَّه

Indeed, we have after this, a rarity

And citron and sour cherry

قَد قَطَفَ الغِلمانِ فيها لَنا

سُلافَةً عَذراءَ كَرمِيَّه

The lads have picked for us in it

Chaste fruit of a grapevine

واضِحَةَ الثَغرِ لَها وَجنَةٌ

ساطِعَةُ اللألاءِ وَردِيَّه

Clear of lip, with a cheek for her

Radiant, rosy, reddish

يَزُفُّها في كاسِها مُنصِفٌ

سُنَّتُهُ في السَقى مَرضِيَّه

It is served in its goblet by a fair one

Whose way of giving drink is agreeable

وَقَد تَقَدَّمتُ بِأَخذِ الَّذي

يُصلِحُ مِن كَوزٍ وَصينِيَّه

And I took the lead in taking what

Is fitting of cups and trays

وَفُستُقٌ نَنثُرُهُ بَينَنا

إِن لَم نَجِد في الوَقتِ نُقلِيَّه

And pistachios we sprinkle between us

If we cannot find pine nuts at the time

وَعِندَها فاكِهَةٌ كُلُّها

مِنَ الفُكاهاتِ العَقيلِيَّه

And with it are amusing fruits, all

Of sharp wits and intellect

تَقَرَّعَ مِنّي في تَضاعيفِها

سَمعَكَ أَشعارٌ بَديهِيَّه

Rapping me in its folds are

Your ears with spontaneous verse

وَمُسمِعٌ تَسمَعُ مِنهُ إِذا

غَنّاكَ أَلحاناً سُرَيجِيَّه

And a hearing aid you hear from, when

I sing folk tunes to you

قَد رُندِجَت بِالنَغَماتِ الَّتي

تَكونُ في الطَبعِ غَريزِيَّه

Set to tunes which in one's nature

Are innate and instinctive

وَقَد حَمَلنا مَعَنا مَفرَشاً

فيهِ تِكاءاتٌ دَبيقِيَّه

And we have brought with us a mattress

In it are fine Dabiqi textures

وَاِتَّفَقَ الرَأيُ عَلىنُزهَةٍ

تَكونُ بِالآدابِ مَجلِيَّه

And it was unanimously decided on an outing

That would be ethical and proper

في رَوضَةٍ ريضَت فَحَوذانُها

مِثلُ الدَنانيرِ العَزيزِيَّه

In a meadow whose bushes delighted

Like precious golden dinars

تَهتَزُّ في بُردِ النَباتِ الَّذي

حاشيتاهُ قَلَمونِيَّه

Swaying in the cool of vegetation whose

Hems are daisies

وَغَيضَةٍ فوطَةُ مَنثورِها

مِنها عَلى أَطرافِ صوفِيَّه

And a brook whose scattered water

Over the edges of wool spills

تُحفِها خُضرُ الغُصونِ الَّتي

تُجلى بِأَثمارٍ عَقيقِيَّه

Shading it are the greenery of boughs

Fruited with carnelian clusters

فَاِنشُر إِلى داري خَطاكَ الَّتي

تَظَلُّ في دارِكَ مَطوِيَّه

So traverse to my abode, your steps that

Have remained folded in your abode

فَالجيزَةُ الحَسناءُ في حُلَّةٍ

مِن حُلُلِ الخَيرِيِّ تِبرِيَّه

For Jezira, pretty one, is dressed

In robes from Tibrah cotton

مُروجُها مِن زَهرِها قَد حَكَت

بُسطاً مِنَ الديباجِ رومِيَّه

Its pastures, from its blossoms, have traced

Carpets of Roman brocade

بَينَ رُبىً تَنفَحُنا النَدَّ مِن

مَجمَرَةٍ مِنها وَكِمِّيَّه

Between hills breathing to us the breeze from

A live coal brazier, one of its chimneys

يَشتامُ فيها لَحَظاتٍ سُدىً

قَد آنَ أَن تُصبِحَ مَرعِيَّه

Whiffing in it for free moments that have

Come time to be pastured

فَاِسرِع إِلَيها قَبلَ تَبدو لَنا

بِزَعفَرانِ الشَمسِ مَطلِيَّه

So hurry to it before the saffron of the sun

Shows it to us steeped

فَبَينَنا ما يَقتَضي أَن تُرى

حَوائِجي عِندَكَ مَقضِيَّه

For between us is what requires you to see

My needs fulfilled by you