سَلُو عَنْ فُؤَادِي بَعْدَكُمْ كَيْفَ حَالُهُ

وَقَدْ قُوِّضَتْ عِنْدَ الصَّبَاحِ رِحَالُهُ

Ask how my heart is after you,

Its bags were loaded at dawn.

وَلاَ تَحْسَبُوا أَنِّي سَلَوْتُ عَلَى النَّوى

فَسُلْوَانُ قَلْبِي فِي هَوَاكُمْ مُحالُهُ

Do not think I asked about the spears,

For my heart's Solwan is in love with you.

وَمَا حَالُ مَنْ شَطَّتْ بِغَرْبٍ دِيَارُهُ

وَفِي الشَّرْقِ أَهْلُوهُ وَثَمَّ حِلاَلُهُ

What is the state of one whose home was swept to the west,

While his family and lawful things are in the east?

وَلَكِنَّنِي وَطَّنْتُ نَفْسِي وَإِنَّهَا

سَجِيَّةُ مَنْ طَابَتْ وَجَلَّتْ خِلاَلُهُ

But I made myself used to it, though it is

The nature of one whose ways are good and traits are beautiful.

وَعَلَّلْتُ نَفْسِي بِاللِّقَاءِ فَإِنَّنِي

لآمُلُ لُطْفَ اللهِ جَلَّ جَلاَلُهُ

I made excuses to myself about the meeting, for I

Hope for God's kindness, His majesty is glorious.

وَمَا الْحُرَّ إِلاَّ مَنْ يُعَانِي ضَرُورَةً

فَيَبْدُو عَلَيْهِ صَبْرُهُ وَاحْتِمَالُهُ

For the free man suffers adversity,

Through which his patience and tolerance appear.

سَجِيَّةُ آبَاءٍ كِرَامٍ وَرِثْتُهَا

بِحَقٍّ وَيَبْنِي الْمَجْدَ لِلْمَرْءِ آلُهُ

It is the nature of noble fathers I inherited

With right, and glory is built for man by his family.

تَوَارَثْتَ عِزَّ الْمُلْكِ عَنْ كُلِّ مَاجِدٍ

سَمَا فِي الْمَعَالِي بَأَسُهُ وَنَوَالُهُ

You have inherited the glory of the kingdom from every glorious one,

Whose courage was high in great deeds and achievements.

صَهِيلُ الْجِيَادِ الصَّافِنَاتِ غِنَاؤُهُ

وَتَحْتَ الْبُنُودِ الْخَافِقَاتِ ظِلاَلُهُ

The neighing of swift steeds is its anthem,

And under its fluttering banners are its shadows.

سَلِ الدَّهْرَ عَنْ أَبْنَاءِ نَصْرِ وَإِنْ تَشَأ

فَسَلْ عَنْهُمُ الدِّينَ الَّذِي هُمْ رِجَالُهُ

Ask time about the sons of victory, or if you wish,

Ask the religion of which they are its men.

عَسَى جَبَلُ الْفَتْحِ الِّذِي بِجَوارِهِ

حَلَلْتُ بِقُرْبِ الْفَتْحِ يَصْدُقُ فَالُهُ

Perhaps the mountain of conquest near which

I camped at the conquest will prove true in its omens.

نُسَائِلُ أَنْفَاسَ النَّسِيمِ إِذَا سَرَى

عَسَى خَبَرٌ عَنْكُم تُؤَدّي شمالُهُ

We ask the breaths of the breeze when it blows,

Maybe news of you its left side will convey.

وَنَرْجُوا مَزَارَ الطَّيْفِ فِي سِنَةِ الْكَرَى

وَمَنْ لِي بِنَوْمٍ فِيهِ يَسْري خَيَالُهُ

And we hope for the visit of the beloved one in the year of reunion,

Who will I have for a sleep in which his imagination comes to me?

بِنَفْسِي غَزَالٌ قَدْ غَزَتْنِي لِحَاظُهُ

وَتَيَّمَ قَلْبِي حُسْنُهُ وَجَمَالُهُ

For myself a gazelle who fascinated me with her glances,

And my heart was infatuated with her beauty and grace.

هُوَ الْبَدْرُ وَالْجَوْزَاءُ قُرْطٌ مُعَسْجَدٌ

وَجُنْحُ اللَّيَالِي فَرْعُهُ وَدَلاَلُهُ

She is the full moon and the five bright stars,

And the wing of the nights, its branch and its dalliance.

تُقَرِّبُهُ الأَوْهَامُ مِنِّي وَإِنْ نَأتْ

مَنَازِلُهُ عَنِّي وَعَزَّ مَنَالُهُ

Imagination brings her near me, though

Her dwellings are far from me and difficult to attain.

وَأَسْألُ عَنْ أَخْبَارِهِ كُلَّ وَارِدٍ

فَيَالَيْتَ شِعْرِي كَيْفَ عَنِّي سُؤَالُهُ

And I ask about news of him from every newcomer,

If only I knew how he asks about me!

أَلاَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ قَلْبٌ مُقَلَّبٌ

عَلَى الْبُعْدِ لاَ يَخْلُو مِنَ الْوَجْدِ بَالُهُ

In the way of God a tossed heart,

Empty of sorrow cannot remain.

وَبِالْجَانِبِ الشّرْقِيِّ سِرْبٌ مِنَ الدّمَى

بِغَيْرِ الْكَرَى مَا إِنْ يُصَادُ غَزَالُهُ

And on the east side a herd of ostriches,

That will not be hunted if their gazelle is missed.

تَقَنَّصْتُ مَنْهُ ظَبْيَةَ الأُنْسِ فَانْثَنَتْ

رَهِينَةَ حُبً أَوْثَقَتْهَا حِبَالُهُ

I hunted the gazelle of companionship, so she bowed,

Taken captive by a love whose ropes tightened around her.

أَفَاتِكَةَ اللَّحْظِ الَّذِي بِجَوَانِحِي

عَلَى غِرَّةٍ مِنْهَا اسْتَقَرَّتْ نِبَالُهُ

The killer glance, which settled in my being

Suddenly in a fleeting moment its arrows pierced me.

يُطِيعُ الْوَرَى مُلْكِي امْتِثَالاً لأَِمْرِهِ

وَأَمْرُكِ مَكْتُوبٌ عَلَيَّ امْتِثَالُهُ

The world obeys my rule submissively to my command,

And your command is written upon me, submissive to it.

لَئِنْ غِبْتِ عَنْ عَيْنِي فَشَخْصُكِ حَاضِرٌ

يُلاَزِمُ فِكْرِي شَكْلُهُ وَمِثَالُهُ

If you are absent from my eye, your image is present,

Accompanying my thought, its shape and example.

وَإِنْ نَقَّلتْ عَنْكِ اللَّيَالِي رَكَائِبِي

فُؤَادِيَ شَيْءٌ لَيْسَ يَخْفَى انْتِقَالُهُ

And if the nights moved me away from you,

My heart is something, its movement cannot be hidden.

إِذَا مَا حَدَتْ رِيحُ الزَّفِيرِ مَدَامِعَي

تَسِحُّ فَتُرْوَى مَنْ دُمُوعِي رِمَالُهُ

When the breeze of sighs makes my tears flow,

It wipes them, and my tears water its sands.

وَتَاللهِ مَا اعْتَلَّ الأَصِيلُ وَإِنَّمَا

تَعَلَّمَ مِنْ شَجْوِي فَبانَ اعْتِلاَلُهُ

By God, the noble one did not weaken, but rather

Learned from my passion, so his weakness appeared.

تَذَكَّرْتُ لَيْلاً بِالْحَبِيبِ قَطَعْتُهُ

وَشَمْلِي عَلَى كُلِّ الأَمَانِي اشْتِمَالُهُ

I remembered at night the beloved I embraced,

And my gathering of all wishes in its embrace.

تَحَيَّرَ فِيهِ الْفَجْرُ أَيْنَ طَرِيقُهُ

وَفَوْقَ ذِرَاعِي بَدْرُهُ وَهِلاَلُهُ

The dawn wandered in it, where was its path?

And above my arm was its full moon and crescent.

وَعاطَيْتُهُ مِنْ خَمْرِه وَرُضَابِهِ

شَرَاباً بِهِ مِنْهُ عَلَيْهِ انْتِقَالُهُ

And I gave him of its wine and cushions,

A drink with which from it to him was the transition.

وَعَانَقْتُ مِنْهُ الْغُصْنَ مَالَتْ يَدُ الصَّبَا

بِهِ فَسَبَانِي لِينُهُ وَاعْتِدَالُهُ

And I embraced from it the branch, the morning breeze tilted,

With its softness and balance it intoxicated me.

تُرَى هَلْ يَعُودُ الشَّمْلُ كَيْفَ عَهِدْتُهُ

وَيَبْلُغُ قَلْبِي مَا اشْتَهَى وَيَنَالُهُ

Will the days of reunion return as I knew them,

And my heart attain what it desires and reaches?

سَقَى اللهُ مِنْ غَرْنَاطَةٍ مُتَبَوَّأً

غَمَاماً يُرَوِّي سَاحَتَيْهَا سِجَالُهُ

May God water Granada where I dwell

With clouds that water its plains with their showers.

وَرَبْعاً بِحَمْرَاءِ الْمَديِنَةِ آهِلاً

أُمِيطَتْ عَلَى بَدْرِ السَّمَاءِ حِجَالُهُ

And a quarter in red Madinah teeming

With clouds unveiled over the full moon of the sky.

وَغَاباً بِهِ لِلْمُلْكِ أَشْبَالُ ضَيْغَمٍ

يَرُوعُ الأَعَادِي بَأَسُهُ وَصِيَالُهُ

And a forest in it for the kingdom cubs of Dhi Ghaim,

Whose might and long neighing frighten the enemies.

لَقَدْ هَاجَنِي شَوْقٌ إِلَيْهَا مُبَرَحٌ

إِذَا شِمْتُ بَرْقَ الشَّرْقِ شَبَّ ذُبَالُهُ

Yearning that shakes me has been aroused

When I smell the lightning of sunrise flash its tails.

فكَمْ لِي عَلَى الْوادِي بِهَا مِنْ عَشِيَّةٍ

يَقِلُّ لَهَا ذِكْرُ الْفَتَى وَمَقَالُهُ

So how many evenings with it in the valley I have

When the youth's mention of it and speech are few!

عَسَى اللهُ يُدْنِي سَاعَةَ الْفَرَجِ الَّتِي

بِهَا يَتَسَرَّى عَنْ فُؤَادِي خَبَالُهُ

May God bring near the hour of relief in which

My heart will delightily relax from its sorrows.

صَرَفْتُ إِلَى اللهِ الرَّجَاءَ ضَرَاعَةً

وَمَا خَابَ يَوْماً مَنْ عَلَيْهِ اتِّكَالُهُ

I turned my hope to God in supplication,

For whoever relies on Him is never deprived.