بَرِئْتُ إلى الشَّوْقِ الْمُبَرِّحِ مِنْ قَلْبي

وَسَلَّمْتُ أَمْرِي فِي الْغَرَامِ إِلَى رَبِّي

My heart has been purified by ardent desire,

And I have surrendered my love to the will of my Lord.

وَصَاتَعْتُ الْحَاظَ الظَّبَاءِ بِمُهْجَتِي

فَمَا قَبِلَتْ سِلْمِي وَلاَ تَرَكَتْ حَرْبِي

I fought with the willful gazelles using my eyelashes,

But they would not accept my peace nor leave off warring against me.

إِذَا لاَمَ قَلْبيِ في الْهَوَى عَيْنِىَ التَّي

جَنَتْ صَرَفَتْ عَنِّي الْمَلاَمَ إِلَى قَلْبي

When my heart blames my love-sick eyes,

They shift the blame for love back to my heart.

فَلاَ تُنْكِرُوا أَنْ هَزَّتِ الرِّيحُ مَنْكِبي

وَأَذْهَلَنِي وَجْدِي عَنِ الأَهْلِ وَالصَّحْبِ

So do not wonder that the wind has shaken my shoulders,

And that my passion has left me bewildered and heedless of family and friends.

فَفي سَكْرَةِ الصَّهْبَاءِ مَا تَعْلَمُونَهُ

فَكَيْفَ إٍذَا انْضَافَتْ إِلَى سَكْرَةِ الْحُبِّ

In the intoxication of youth you know this,

So how much more when it is combined with the intoxication of love?

وَبِي مِنْ ظبَاءِ الأَنْسِ رَائِقَةُ الْحُلَى

وَهَبْتُ لَهَا نَفْسِي وَمَلَّكْتُهَا لٌبِّي

I have a gazelle whose company is sweet as honey;

I have given myself to her and she reigns in my heart.

صَبَوْتُ وَمَا قَلْبِي بِأَوَّلِ مَنْ صَبَا

لِنَاطِقَةِ الْقُرْطَيْنِ صَامِتَةِ الْقَلْبِ

I became lovesick, though at first my heart was not thus,

For her, whose heart is silent though her eyes are eloquent.

إِذَا مَا رَنَتْ غَارَتْ بِأَلْحَاظِهَا الظّبَا

وَمَهْمَا انْثَنَتْ غَصَّتْ مُنَعَّمَةُ الْقُضْبِ

When she sings the gazelles are put to shame,

And when she bends, the delicate branches bend with her.

شَكَوْتُ لَهَا دَاءَ الْهَوَى فَاشْتَكَتْ بِهِ

فَأَبْكي لَهَا مِنْ حُبِّهَا وَهْيَ مِنْ حُبِّي

I complained to her of the malady of love, and she complained of the same,

So I weep for her love, while she weeps for mine.

خَلِيلَيَّ جَرَّبْتُ الْهَوَى وَخَبَرْتُهُ

فَمُلِّيتُ عِلْماً مِنْهُ بِالسَّهْلِ وَالصَّعْبِ

My friend, I have experienced love and come to know it,

And learned from it what is easy and what is hard.

وَمَا عَرَفَتْ نَفْسِي آَلَذَّ مِنَ اللِّقَا

وَأنْدَى عَلَى الأَكْبَادِ مِنْ سَاعَةِ الْقُرْبِ

Never did my soul know aught sweeter than meeting,

Or more tender to the heart than the moment of nearness.

وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعُتْبَى وَأَشْهَى مِنَ الرِّضَى

إِذَا جَاءَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْقَطِيِعَةِ وَالْعَتْبِ

It is sweeter than forgiveness, more delicious than consent

When it comes after estrangement and reproach.

سَأَذْهَبُ فِي اللَّذَّاتِ مِلْءَ أَعِنَّتِي

وَأَرْكِضُ خَيْلَ اللَّهْو فِي طَلَقِ رَحْبِ

I will indulge myself in the pleasures as far as I can reach,

And set the steeds of frivolity to galloping in an open plain.

وَإِنَّ وِدَادِي فِي الْخَلِيفَةِ يُوسُفٍ

يُكَفِّرُ عِنْدَ اللهِ مَا كَانَ مِنْ ذَنْبِي

For indeed my love of the successor to Joseph

Will atone before God for whatever sin I have committed.

سُلاَلَةُ أَنْصَارِ الْهُدَى وَحُمَاتُهُ

وَوَارِثُ حِزْبِ اللهِ نَاهِيكَ مِنْ حِزْبِ

The descendants of the Prophet’s helpers, his successors,

The heirs of the party of God—need I mention the party of Satan?

مُحَيَّا كَمِثْلِ الشَّمْسِ فِي رَوْنَقِ الضُّحَى

وَكَفُّ كَمَا حُدِّثْتَ عَنْ وَاكِفِ السُّحْبِ

Greeted am I, as the sun is greeted in the beauty of morning,

And palms spread forth, as you described the clouds' palms spreading.

يُصَاحِبُهُ التَّوْفِيقُ في كُلِّ وِجْهَةٍ

وَيَقْدُمُ مِنْهُ الْجَيْشَ جَيْشٌ مِنَ الرُّعْبِ

Victory attends him in every situation,

And his armies advance preceded by ranks of terror.

بِهِ نَظَمَ اللهُ الشَّتَاتَ فَأَصْبَحَتْ

نُفُوسُ الْبَرَايَا وَهْيَ آمِنَةُ السِّرْبِ

Through him God has brought unity after fragmentation;

By his hand the far-flung souls of humanity are at rest.

فَدَامَ قَرِيرَ الْعَيِنِ فِي ظِلِّ عِيشَةٍ

تُنِيفُ مَعَالِيهِ عَلَى رُتَبِ الشُّهْبِ

May he of the tranquil eyes continue in a life of ease

Whose sublime qualities scale the degrees of renown!

وَلاَ بَرِحَتْ أَيَّامُهُ وَزَمَانُهُ

مَآثِرُهَا تُحْيَ بِهَا دَوْلَةُ الْعُرْبِ

May his days and his times remain

As wonders reviving the empire of the Arabs!