هنيئا لمَنْ حثّ الرّكائِبَ في بدْرِ

ومهْبَطِ وحْيِ اللهِ في ليْلَةِ القدْرِ

Blessed is the one who urged the mounts onward at Badr,

and at the place where God’s revelation descended on the Night of Decree.

لقدْ مُزَجَتْ روحي بروحِكَ في الهَوى

كَما مُزِجَ الماءُ الزُّلالُ معَ الخَمْرِ

I have indeed mingled my soul with yours in love,

as limpid water is mingled with wine.

فأنتَ الى قلْبي ألَذُّ منَ المُنى

وأشْهى الى نفْسي منَ النّهْيِ والأمْرِ

For you are sweeter to my heart than all its wishes,

and more delectable to my soul than prohibition or command.

وقد شفّني وجْدٌ إليْكَ ولوْعَةٌ

هيَ الجَمْرُ أو أذْكى وَقوداً منَ الجَمْرِ

Longing for you and burning anguish have wasted me;

that anguish is embers—or hotter and more fiercely kindled than embers.

فإنْ طرَقَتْني منْ جَنابِكَ نسْمَةٌ

وضَعْتُ لَها يُمْنى يَدَيَّ على صَدْري

If a breath from your precinct visits me by night,

I lay my right hand upon my breast for it.

مَلكْتُ بني الدّنْيا ويمْلِكُني الهَوى

ألا فاعْجَبوا باللهِ يا قَوْمُ منْ أمْري

I rule the people of this world, yet love rules me—

so marvel, by God, O people, at my plight!

حَبيبٌ إذا ما حجّبَتْهُ يدُ النّوى

فطَيْفٌ لهُ يسْري وذَكْرٌ له يجْري

My beloved—whenever separation’s hand veils him—

a phantom of him travels by night, and his remembrance flows on.

بنفْسي مَنْ أهْدى إليّ تحيّةً

كَما حمَلَتْ ريحُ الصَّبا نفْحَةَ الزّهْرِ

My soul be the ransom of the one who sent me a greeting,

just as the east wind bore the fragrance of flowers.

يمثِّلُ منْهُ البدْرُ والنّجْمُ والدُّجى

مِثالاً لعَيْني أو خَيالاً الى فِكْري

Of him the full moon, the star, and darkness compose

a likeness for my eyes, or an image for my thought.

فإنْ غابَ عنّي وجْهُهُ ودَلالُهُ

أعَلِّلُ قلْبي بالدُّجُنّةِ والبَدْرِ

When his face and coquettish grace are absent from me,

I console my heart with darkness and the full moon.

وإنْ غابَ قُرْطٌ عنْدَهُ ومُقلَّدٌ

رجَعْتُ الى الجوْزاءِ والأنْجُمِ الزُّهْرِ

And when his earring and necklace are hidden from me,

I turn again to Gemini and the radiant stars.

لَحا اللهُ أجْفانَ الغَواني فإنّها

تسوقُ الهَوى للقَلْبِ منْ حيثُ لا يَدْري

May God curse the eyelids of beautiful women, for they

drive passion into the heart from where it cannot know.

لَها فتَكاتٌ في القُلوبِ كأنّها

سُيوفُ المُلوكِ الغالِبينَ بَني نَصْرِ

Theirs are death-strokes in hearts, as though they were

the swords of victorious kings—the Banu Nasr:

لُيوثُ الهُدى تحْمي حِمى كُلِّ خائِفٍ

غُيوثُ النّدى تهْمي على كلِّ مُضْطَرِّ

lions of guidance, defending the sanctuary of every fearful soul;

rain clouds of generosity, pouring upon everyone in distress.

أولَئكَ قوْمي دوّنوا المجْدَ والعُلى

فكُنْتُ كباسْمِ اللهِ في أوّلِ السّطْرِ

Those are my people: they inscribed glory and exalted rank,

and so I was like “In the name of God” at the beginning of the line.

تراءَتْ لعَزْمي همّةٌ يوسُفيّةٌ

بِها قَصَرَ اللهُ الكَمالَ على قصْري

A Joseph-like aspiration disclosed itself to my resolve;

through it, God confined perfection to my palace.