لَعَمري لَئِن أَخلَقتُ ثَوبَ التَغَزُّلِ

وَأَصبَحتُ عَن عَينِ الغَيورِ بِمُعزِلِ

By my life, if I don the garb of love poetry

And become indifferent to the jealous one's eyes

وَأَعرَضتُ عَن رَيِّ الصَبوحِ تَبَلُّداً

وَأَقصَرَ جَهلي مِن مَراحِ التَبَطُّلِ

And turn away from the dawns of youth playfully

And my ignorance becomes shorter than roaming in vain

فَرُبَّ مَصوناتٍ بَكَرنَ لِنُزهَةٍ

فَوافَينَ في غُمّى بِأَنزَهِ مَنزِلِ

Then many chaste maidens who went out for an innocent stroll

Would meet me in sorrow at the most splendid abode

إِذا ما تَنازَعنَ الحَديثَ شَوارِباً

مَزَجنَ حُمَيّاها بِحُسنِ التَدَلُّلِ

When they converse with curled mustaches

They mix their love talk with the charm of coquetry

غَنيتُ وَجيهاً عِندَهُنَّ مُمَتَّعاً

بِما شِئتُ مِن لَهوٍ وَرَشفِ مُقَبَّلِ

I sang being honored among them, entertained

With whatever I wished of joy and kissing embraced

أَوانَ رِكابِ الجَهلِ عِندَ تَطَرُّبي

مُوَجَّهَةٌ نَحوَ الخِباءِ المُجَلَّلِ

When the foot of ignorance dances during my rapture

Directed towards the adorned tent

إِلى ظِلِّ مَمروجٍ بُرودٍ مَقيلُهُ

طَليلِ السَواري بِالقِبابِ مُعَزَّلِ

To the shade of a cool, relaxing meadow

Secluded by domes and palm trees

لَهُ نَخَلاتٌ بِالفِناءِ تَشوقُنا

كَثيراً إِلى فَيءٍ كَثيرِ التَنَقُّلِ

It has palm trees in its courtyard that make me

Yearn greatly for ample shade that moves

إِذا زالَ زُلنا ناصِبينَ كَمَنزِلٍ

يُعَفّيهِ سافٍ مِن جَنوبٍ وَشَمأَلِ

When our siesta passes, we set up camp

Shaded from the south wind and the evening star

نَصَرتُ بِهِ دَهري وَلِلدَهرِ غِرَّةٌ

بِكُلِّ غَوِيٍّ بِالمُدامِ مُعَذَّلِ

With it I triumphed over fate, though fate has tricks

Against every blinded one, relaxed with wine

إِذا سارَتِ الصَهباءُ في أُمِّ رَأسِهِ

يُؤَسِّفُ كَفّاً بَينَ دَنٍّ وَمَنزِلِ

When gray hair runs through his head

He sadly waves between humbleness and camp

هَشيمَةُ ذاتُ الحاجِبَينِ تُعِلَّنا

مُشَمِّرَةً سُقيا لَها مِن مُعَلِّلِ

The one with arched eyebrows makes us rise

Rolling up her sleeves to serve us from the diseased

تَفُضُّ خِتامَ الراحِ في ضَوءِ بارِقٍ

يَلوحُ حَفافي بارِقٍ مُتَهَلَّلِ

She undoes the seal of comfort in the light of lightning

That flashes while my robes flutter

سَلامُ وَإِن قَلَّ السَلامُ مُضاعَفاً

عَلى ذاكَ مِن لَهوٍ وَشَكلُ مُشَكَّلِ

Greetings repeatedly even if greetings are few

Upon that one from joy and elaborate beauty

سَأَندُبُ ما أَبلَيتُهُ مِن شَبيبَتي

وَأُعوِلُ مِن شَيبي إِلى كُلِّ مُعوَلِ

I will mourn what I wasted of my youth

And complain in my old age to all who listen

عَلَينا بِحَمدِ الِلَّهِ لِلَّهِ نِعمَةٌ

تَروحُ وَتَغدو مِن يَدِ المُتَوَكِّلِ

We have, by the grace of God, a blessing from Him

That comes and goes from the hand of the trusting

إِذا نَحنُ جَدَّدنا لَهُ الشُكرَ جُدِّدَت

لَهُ نِعَمٌ أُخرى بِبَذلٍ مُعَجَّلِ

If we renew thanking Him, He renews

For us other blessings with quick bestowal

وَإِن نَحنُ عُدنا عاوَدَتنا سَماؤُهُ

بِأَحمَدَ مِن جَدواهُ أَوَّلَ أَوَّلِ

And if we return, His sky returns to us

With better than its constant flow, again and again

فَأُقسِمُ ما يَنفَكُّ بِالفَضلِ عائِداً

عَلَينا وَلا نَنفَكُّ مِن فَضلِ مُفضِلِ

So I swear it does not cease to return with bounty

Upon us, and we do not cease to have a generous Benefactor

جَوادُ بَني العَبّاسِ قَد تَعلَمونَهُ

وَزَينُ بَني العَبّاسِ في كُلِّ مَحفَلِ

The generous one of the Abbasids, you know him

And the adornment of the Abbasids in every gathering

لَهُ عِندَ تَجديدِ السُؤالِ طَلاقَةٌ

مُحَقَّقَةٌ بِالغَيبِ ظَنَّ المُؤَمِّلِ

When asking is renewed, he has an eloquence

Made certain by the unseen, the hope of the hopeful

كَأَنَّ وَميضَ التاجِ فَوقَ جَبينِهِ

عَلى قَمَرٍ بِالشِعرَيَينِ مُكَلَّلِ

As if the gleam of the crown above his forehead

Was upon a moon crowned with the two brightest stars

أَماطَ حِمى الإِسلامِ مِن كُلِّ شُبهَةٍ

وَقامَ بِعَدلٍ واضِحٍ غَيرِ مُشكِلِ

He removed the sanctity of Islam from every doubt

And established obvious, unambiguous justice