عَيناكَ بِالنيرانِ قَلبي أَصلَتا

آهاً لِطَرفِكَ أَيَّ سَيفٍ أَصلَتا

Your eyes have set my heart aflame

Alas for your glance, what sword it has unsheathed!

جِفناكَ لا هاروتُ بابِلَ نافِثٌ

بِالسِحرِ كَم قَلبٍ صَحيحٍ فَتَّتا

Your eyelids - no Babylon sorcerer spews forth

What hearts made whole they have shattered with magic!

أَو ما لِهَجرِكَ مِن مَدىً فَأُراحُ مِن

أَوصابِهِ فَإِلى مَتى وَإِلى مَتى

Does your estrangement offer any respite

That I might find rest from its pangs? How long, how long?

يا مُشمِتاً بي حاسِدي لَمّا رَأى

شَملي بِهِ بَعدَ الدُنُوِّ مُشَتَّتا

My envious censurers gloated when they saw

My state fragmented once more after reunion

في فيكَ يَنبوعُ المُدام فَنَبِّني

مَن فيهِ حَصباءَ اللآلِئِ أَنبَتا

In your mouth lies the fountain of wine - give me to drink

Who else has brought forth pearls from the gravel?

كَم رُمتُ مِن قَلبي السُلُوَّ فَلَم يُطِع

وَأَبى وَخالَفَني وَعَن أَمري عَتا

How many arrows have I launched from my heart but they disobeyed

Refused me, flouted me, defied my command,

إِلّا أَلِيَّةَ صادِقٍ بَرٍّ بِمَن

فيهِم أَتى لا في سِواهُم هَل أَتى

Save the loyal, righteous fellowship of those

Amongst whom he came - came not midst others; has any other come?

أَهلُ الصَفاءِ وَأَهلُ كُلِّ مُروءةٍ

وَفُتُوَّةٍ زانوا الصَفا وَالمَروتا

The people of sincerity, honor and chivalry

They adorned purity and manliness

إِنّي أَقولُ وَلا أُحاشي قائِلاً

قَولاً لِعُذّالي أَصَمَّ وَأَصمَتا

Truly I speak, make no bones, saying

To my critics words both deaf and deafening:

لا سَيفَ إِلّا ذو الفَقارِ وَلا فَتىً

إِلّا عَلِيٌّ حَبَّذا ذاكَ الفَتى

No sword save Thulfiqar, no warrior but

`Ali - blessed be that knight!

لَم أَهوَهُم أَبَداً بِبُغضي غَيرهم

كُلّاً وَمَن فَرَضَ الصَلاةَ وَوَقَّتا

Never have I loved others, ever hated them

Ordained as he did the prayer and the fast