مطيعٌ غيرُ مستعصِ

على اللذّاتِ ذو حِرْصِ

Obedient, not stubborn

Eager for pleasures

دعتني حمصُ عن عُفْرٍ

فلبّيتُ هوى حمصِ

Homs called me from Ufran

So I answered the passion of Homs

بنفسي شخصُ بابِ الرَّسْ

تَنِ المستحسَنِ الشَّخْص

I went in person to the door of leadership

To the well-proportioned, distinguished man

فكم ألفتْ لنا فيه

ظباءُ الإِنس مِنْ شخص

How many gazelles of humankind

Did his glances gather whenever he glanced

ظباءٌ كلمَّا لاحظ

تُها لحظةَ مُسْتَقْص

Gazelles, whenever he noticed them

He fully noticed a glance

فمن شمسٍ على غُصْنٍ

ومِنْ غُصْنٍ على دِعْص

So there was a sun on a branch

And a branch on a carpet

إذا قَصُّوا من المسكِ

طراراً حُلْوَةَ القصِّ

When they picked sweet petals

Of musk piece by piece

أُبيحَ الوردُ للشمِّ

وماءُ الوردِ للمص

Roses were made lawful for smelling

And rosewater for drinking

دع القُفْصَ ففي الميما

سِ ما أَغْنى عن القُفْص

Leave the cage, for in freedom

Is what will suffice you instead of a cage

نسيمٌ يسرقُ الشمّ

نداهُ سَرقَ اللصِّ

A breeze that steals the scent

Its cooing stole a thief

لدى روضٍ كساه الزَّه

رُ من مَوْشِيِّة القُمْص

By a garden dressed by blossoms

In soft patterned fabric

كما رُصَّتْ قدودٌ تَس

تبي الألبابَ بالرصِّ

As if strung pearls that

Appeal to minds by stringing

يشوبُ حُمْرةَ العضِّ

عليها خُضْرَةَ القَرْص

On it is the redness of the bite mark

And the greenness of the coin

وأنهارٌ تهادى بي

نَ مُنْسابٍ وَمُنْغَصِّ

And rivers flowing gently

Between outpouring and damming up

وطيرٌ كلما غَنَّتْ

تَشَوَّقْنا إلى الرقص

And birds, whenever they sang

We yearned for dancing

فقمْ نَفْتَضّها مَصْبُو

غَة السربالِ بالحُصِّ

So get up, we will pluck them

Fluttering, with the yellow dress

جرى مَطْلِعُها للعي

نِ مَجْرى مَطْلِعِ القُرْص

Its rise was to the eye

Like the rise of a coin

هي البكرُ التي إِن أَعْ

صَتِ البكر فما تَعْصي

She is the virgin, who if

She disobeyed, would not disobey

ترَى باقِيَتها في أس

فَلِ الجامةِ كالفصِّ

You see her remnants in the

Hems of the robe like a panel

بكفي رخصةٍ تَسْرِ

قًها الألحاظُ أو رَخْص

With my hand a license

Stolen by the glances or granted

له رُسْلٌ من الأجفا

نِ توصيك بأن تَوْصي

It has messengers from nobles

Who advise you to advise

متى حُدِّثْتَ عن نفسي

بصبرٍ يا أبا حفص

Whenever you talk about me

With patience, oh Abu Hafs

فلا تحفلْ بإسنادي

فإسنادي إلى خُص

So do not bother with supporting me

Since my support is to the devoted

وَمَنْ في حِمْصَ أُدنيه

وَمَنْ في حَلَبٍ أُقصي

And whoever I brought near in Homs

And whoever I distanced in Aleppo

لقد بعتُ إِذنْ عِلْقَ ال

هوى الغاليَ بالرُّخْص

I have sold the attachment

Of precious passion for cheap

إذا طالعتِ المزنُ

حِمَى حورانَ فالحُصِّ

If you gaze at the landmarks

Of the Sanctuary of Hauran, then desire

فقل عُمِّي مغاني حً

لَبٍ إِن شيتِ أو خُصِّي

Say, my mother bought

Homs, if you want, or Khusay

فكائن ثَمَّ من مُسْتَأ

ثِرٍ بالحُسْنِ مُخْتَصِّ

So whoever likes let him be

Impressed with beauty there

سأقري النصَّ كُوْماً هُ

نَّ من خيرِ قِرى النصِّ

I will fold the text like a protected

Sanctuary of the best land

كما تُطوى الحنيّاتُ

من الآجرِّ والجصِّ

As mud bricks are folded

With gypsum and plaster

عسى يأخذ صدق العَزْ

م حظِّي منْ يدِ الحرص

May the sincerity of resolve take

My luck from the hand of greed

وليس ذو الحجى للوَ

شَلِ النزرِ بممتَصِّ

And he of little worth is not

One who hoards the paltry sum

ولا مثليَ مَنْ أَغضى

مِنَ العيشِ على شِقْص

And none like me is disgusted

By living off scraps

وحبلُ الودِّ من حَبْلِ اب

نِ سَهْلٍ غيرُ مُنْقَصِّ

And the rope of love from the rope

Of Sahl's son is unsevered

حوى المجد عليٌّ فاسْ

مَعِي قوليَ أوْ أَعصي

Containing glory is Ali, so

Listen to my words or disobey

فتى كالبحر ما يَنْقُ

صُهُ شيءٌ من النَّقْص

A man like the sea, nothing

Diminishes him of defects

تناهى في معالٍ لَيْ

س يُحصي عدَّها المحصي

He has attained such heights

The counter cannot count his number

فمن يُوصِ عليّاً بال

علا يوصِ بمستوصي

So whoever commends Ali

Commends the one who is commended

كفاني أزَمَاتٍ نَ

كَصَتْ بي غايةَ النكص

Enough missteps have stumbled me

To the utmost stumbling point

فقد أُيِّدْتُ منه ب

جناحٍ غيرِ مُنْحَصِّ

For through him I was supported

With an unfailing wing

وأبْدِلْتُ به القبض

على العيشِ من القبض

And I took in exchange

Holding onto life instead of scraps

أيادٍ كلما تُفْحَ

صُ تزدادُ على الفحص

Oh hands, whenever you grasp

You increase in grasping

إذا إقْتُصَّتْ على السَّمعِ

سلا عنْ كلِّ مُقْتَصِّ

If horses are reined back from hearing

Reports from every reined-back one