أَطِرسُكَ أَم ثَغرٌ تَبَسَّمَ واضِحُ

وَلَفظُكَ أَم رَوضٌ تَنَفَّسَ نافِحُ

Your cheeks, are they a smile that beamed bright,

Or is your mouth a meadow that breathed fragrant?

لَوانِيَ لَيِّ الخَيزُرانَةِ هِزَّةً

وَتَهفو بِأَعطافِ الكِرامِ المَدائِحُ

It swayed to me like the basil gently stirred,

And it sang the praises of the generous souls sublime.

كَلامٌ يَرِفُّ النورُ في جَنَباتِهِ

وَتَندى بِهِ تَحتَ الهَجيرِ الجَوانِحُ

A speech wherein the light flows through its veins,

And dew forms beneath the passionate sighs.

تُنَصَّلُ يَومَ الرَوعِ سُمرُ القَنا بِهِ

وَتُطبَعُ مِنهُ لِلجِلادِ الصَفائِحُ

On days of bliss, it adorns the cheeks’ blush,

And from it stamps are minted for the gallant knights.

يَشِفُّ سَوادُ النَقسِ عَنهُ كَما سَرى

وَراءَ الدُجى بَرقٌ تَطَلَّعَ لامِحُ

Its darkness reveals the gloom, like flashes

Of lightning that gleamed behind the dusky night.

وَإِنّي لَظَمآنٌ إِلَيهِ عَلاقَةً

وَها أَنا في بَحرِ البَلاغَةِ سابِحُ

And I, to it, am thirsty with fervent crave,

I sent it to moisten like a cloud that rained,

بَعَثتُ بِهِ يَندى كَما جادَ عارِضٌ

وَيُطرِبُني طَوراً كَما حَنَّ صادِحُ

And thrill me sometimes like a zealous chanter.

In the ink’s gloom, it flashes like a coin newly-minted,

تَلوحُ بِهِ في دَهمَةِ الحِبرِ غُرَّةٌ

وَيَركُضُ في خَوطِ الفَصاحَةِ سائِحُ

And roams through the lines of linguistic mastery.

If I fail to thank you while foreign is my abode,

فَإِن أَنا لَم أَشكُركَ وَالدارُ غُربَةٌ

فَلا جادَني غادٍ مِن المُزنِ رائِحُ

Then no lavish liver provided me soothing fragrances,

Nor did the horizons ever portend to me with it,

وَلا اِستَشرَفَت يَوماً إِلَيَّ بِهِ الرُبى

جَلالاً وَلا هَشَّت إِلَيَّ الأَباطِحُ

Glory, nor did the dunes ever allure me.