لا غَرْوَ إِنْ هَزَّ عِطْفي نَحْوَكَ الطَّرَبُ

قَدْ قَامَ حُسْنُكَ عَنْ عُذْرِي بِمَا يَجِبُ

No wonder if passion inclines me towards you,

Since your beauty excuses me for what must be.

ما كانَ عَهْدُكَ إِلّا ضَوْءُ بَارِقَةٍ

لاحَتْ لَنَا وطَوَتْ أَنْوَارَهَا الحُجُبُ

Your habit was but a flash of lightning

That shone for us, though veils enshrouded it.

تَمِيلُ عَنِّي ملالاً مَا لَهُ سَبَبٌ

سِوَى اعْتِرافي بِأَنّي فِيكَ مُكْتَئِبُ

You turn from me out of boredom for no reason

Save that I admit being depressed by you.

فَرَاعَنِي في وِدادٍ كُنْتُ رَاعِيَهُ

أَنّي بَعُدْتُ وَغَيْرِي مِنْكَ مُقْتَرِبُ

So it startles me, though I tended the love,

That I have grown apart while others draw near you.

لِلْعَيْنِ عِنْدَكَ رَاحَاتٌ مُوَفَّرةٌ

وَلِلفُؤَادِ نَصيبٌ كُلُّهُ نَصَبُ

For the eye, with you, comforts are abundant,

While the heart's share is all toil and trouble.

فإِنْ عَشِقْتَ فَهذا الحُسْنُ لِي وَطَرٌ

وإِنْ سَلَوْتَ فَهَذا الهَجْرُ لي سَبَبٌ

If you love, then this beauty is my fortune,

And if you spurn me, this estrangement my fate.

لِكنَّ لي حُسْنُ ظَنٍّ أَنْ يُعِيدَكَ لِي

ذَاكَ الحَياءُ وذَاكَ الفَضْلُ والأَدَبُ

But my hope's fair opinion may bring you back to me -

That shyness, merit and propriety.

وَبَيْنَنَا مِنْ عَلاقاتِ الهَوَى ذِمَمٌ

وَمِنْ رِضَاعَةِ أَخْلاقِ الصِّبا نَسَبُ

Between us are the obligations of passion's pledge

And the kinship of having suckled the milk of youth together.

قِسْني وَقُسّاً وَقَيْساً مَنْطِقاً وَهَوىً

وَانْصِفْ تَجِدْ رُتْبَتي مِنْ دُونِها الرُّتَبُ

Judge me, and judge justly, in reason, love and passion,

And you will find my rank is not inferior to theirs.

وَلا يَغُرَّنَّكَ مِنْ فَوْدَيَّ شَيْبَهُما

فَصُبْحُ عَزْمِي بادٍ لَيْسَ يَحْتَجِبُ

Let not my temples' grayness deceive you about me,

For my resolute morning is not one to conceal itself.

كَمْ مَهْمَهٍ جُبْتُه وَاللَّيْلُ مُعْتَكِرٌ

وَوَجْهُ بَدْرِ الدُّجَى بِالغَيْمِ مُنْتَقِبُ

How often have I faced anxieties in the deep dark night

While the full moon's face wore a veil of driving cloud!

أَقولُ وَالبارِقُ العُلْوِيُّ مُبْتَسِمٌ

وَالرّيحُ مُعْتلَّةٌ والغَيْثُ مُنْسَكِبُ

I speak while the celestial lightning smiles

And the scented breeze blows and rain pours down.

إذا سَقَى حَلَبٌ مِنْ مُزْنِ غَادِيةٍ

أَرْضاً فَخُصَّتْ بِأَوْفَى قَطْرِه حَلَبُ

When a cloud gave drink to ground from Muzayn's water-skin,

The ground it singled out got its richest moisture.

أَرضٌ إذا قُلْتَ مَنْ سُكَّان أَرْبُعِها

أَجابَكَ الأَشْرفَانِ الجُودُ والحَسَبُ

A land which, if you ask who live in its expanse,

Is answered: the noblest in generosity and lineage.

قَوْمٌ إذا زُرْتَهُمْ أَصْفُوكَ وُدَّهُم

كَأَنَّما لَكَ أُمٌّ مِنْهُمُ وَأَبُ

A people whom, when you visit them, their love provides you

With a mother and father, as it were, among them.