حُيِّيتَ يا رَبْعَ الحِمَى بِزَرُودِ

مِنْ مُغْرَمٍ دَنِفِ الحَشَا مَعْمُودِ

I salute you, O abode of dignity, with a wreath

From a lover with a slender waist and braided hair,

يا نُزْهَتِي الكُبْرى ومَعُدِن لذَّتِي

ومَحَلَّ أَهْلِ مَوَدَّتِي وعُهُودِي

O my greatest delight and source of my pleasure,

And dwelling of those I love and made covenants with.

عُوجُوا عليهِ فَلَسْتُ أُبْرِدُ غُلَّةً

حَتّى أُعَفِّر في ثَراهُ خُدُودي

They were unjust to him, so I will not cool my burning thirst

Until I rub my cheeks in his dust.

لَوْ كُنْتُ إِذْ أَدْعو أُجَابُ لَقُلْتُ يا

أَيّامَ وَصْلي بالأَحِبَّةِ عُودِي

If I were answered when I call, I would say:

“O days of my union with the loved ones, return!”

أَيّامُ ذاتِ الخالِ لَيْسَ تَخِلّ في

وَعْدٍ وَذاتِ الجيدِ ذاتِ الجُودِ

O days of the dark-lipped ones, who never break

A promise, givers of generosity.

وَرَشِيقَةُ الأَعْطَافِ ذاتُ مُقبَّلٍ

يَفْتَرُّ عَنْ عَذْبِ الرّضَابِ بَرُودِ

And the soft-limbed gazelle, she of the kisses

That distract from the sweetness of the red wine.

نَادَيْتُهَا والرَّكْبُ بَيْنَ مُوَدَّعٍ

يَهْدي الجَوَى وَمُودِّعٍ مَكْمُودِ

I called her while the caravan was between one bidding farewell,

Bearing passion, and one bidding farewell, submissive.

يا ظَبْيةَ الوَعْسَاءِ ما ضَرَّ الهَوَى

لَوْ كُنْتِ مِنْ قَنْصِي وبَعْضِ صُيُودِي

O roe of the rugged land, passion did no wrong

If you were of my hunting or some of my prey.

قَالُوا الشَّبَابُ إِلى الغَواني شَافِعٌ

مَا لي رَجَعْتُ بِشَافِعٍ مَرْدُودِ

They said: “Youth can intercede for sins,”

But I have not returned with an intercessor driven away.

قَالُوا الثَّرَاءُ يَزِينُهُ فَاعْمدْ إِلى

ظِلِّ ابنِ عَبْدِ الظَّاهِرِ المَمْدُودِ

They said: “Wealth makes it beautiful,” so I set out

For the shade of the son of ʿAbd al-Ẓāhir the outstretched.

فَخَرجتُ أُظْهِرُ هِمَّتي ومحبَّتي

وَمَطِيَّتي ومَقاصِدِي وقَصِيدي

So I set out displaying my resolve, love,

My mount, my aims, and my ode,

وَسَريتُ مُدَّلِجاً إِليه ومُدْلِحاً

وَالشّوْقُ يُدْني مِنْهُ كُلَّ بَعِيدِ

And I traveled by night to him, drawing near

While yearning brought him closer, though remote.

لا وَعْرُ أَهْلِ الشّام يُبْعِدني وَلَا ال

رَمْلُ المدِيدُ ولا اتِّسَاعُ البيدِ

Neither the ruggedness of Syria’s land keeps me away

Nor the elongated sands, nor the breadth of the waste,

حَتَّى أَنَخْتُ بِمَنْ بِهِ اتَّضَحَتْ لَنَا

طُرُقُ الهُدَى وأَدلَّةُ التَّوْحِيدِ

Until I alighted near the one by whom the paths

Of guidance and the proofs of monotheism were made clear.