قِفا حيَّيا بالكرخ عني ربيبَها

فيا طيب ريَّاه الغداةَ وطيبَها

Stop the greetings in Al-Karkh, about the youth being reproached

With a sweet morning breeze and sweetness

تفيأَ من تلك المقاصرِ ظلَّها

فعطَّر فيهنَّ الصَبا وجُنوبَها

Shaded by those palaces, their shade perfumed

By the morning breeze and their doors

غُزالٌ ولكن في الرُصافةِ ناشئٌ

وهل تألفُ الغزلانُ إلاَّ كثيبَها

A gazelle, but raised in refinement

Can gazelles be raised except in the dunes?

فوالله ما أدري أزَرَّ جيوبه

على الشمسِ أم زرَّت عليه جُيوبها

By God, I don’t know if his clothes

Were dyed by the sun or the sun was dyed by his clothes

تعشقتهُ نشوانَ من خمرةِ الصِبا

منعَّم أطراف البنانِ خضيبها

The vigor of youth fell in love with him

The edges of his teeth shining white

لو أنَّ النصارى عاينت نارَ خدِّه

إذاً أوقدت ناقوسَها وصليبها

If the Christians saw the fire of his cheek

They would light their church bells and crosses

يُرشِفنيها ريقةً عنبيَّةً

كخُلقِ أبي الهادي روت عنهُ طيبها

His saliva intoxicates me

Like the morals of Abul Hadi, its goodness recited about him

فتىً كلُّ فخرٍ إن ناظرنا قِداحَهُ

وجدنا مُعلاَّها لهُ ورقيبَها

A young man whose every pride, if we look at his goblets

We find its elevation and guardian for him

تراهُ الورى في المحل فرَّاجَ خطبِها

ندىً ولدى فصلِ الخطاب خطيبَها

People see him as the lantern of his requests

A beloved when the time of speech arrives, its speaker

إلى الحسنِ اجتَبنا الفلا بنوازعٍ

خفافٍ سيُثقِلنَ الحقائبُ نيبَها

We chose the good fortune to fall in love

Feathers that will weigh down the burdens of his nobility

حلفتُ بأيديها لسوفَ أزيرُها

على الكرخ وضّاحَ العَشايا طروبها

I swore by her hands I will visit her

At Al-Karkh, clear are its evenings and clouds

إذا ما طرحنا الرحلَ عنها بربعهِ

غفرتُ لأيامِ الزمانِ ذُنوبها

If we pitched a tent away from it by a quarter

I would forgive the days of time for their sins