رَعى مِن أخي الوجدِ طيفٌ ذماما

فَحَلّلَ من وَصْلِ سلمى حرَاما

A scent of passion wafted from my brother

And made forbidden the union with Salma

تَحَمّلَ منها بريّا العبير

ومنْ أرْضِها بأريجِ الخزامى

It carried the perfume of meadows

And the aroma of aromatic plants

تَعَرّضَهُ سُورُ قَصْرٍ فَطارَ

وَسَاوَرَهُ مَوْجُ بَحْرٍ فَعاما

A palace wall appeared to him

And a sea wave roared around him

مَشى بالتواصلِ بَيْنَ الجُفونِ

وَداوَى السليمَ وأهدى السلاما

He walked in continuous communication between the eyelids

And healed the healthy and gave peace

وَمَثّلَ للصّبّ في نومِهِ

ضجيعاً إذا أرّقَ الصّبَّ ناما

And portrayed for the infatuated in his sleep

A lover, when the infatuated falls asleep

ومن صُوَرِ الفكر محبوبةً

يعودُ عليلاً بها مستهاما

And from the images of thought, a beloved

To whom he returns ill and zealous

لها عَنَمٌ في غُصُونِ البنان

يَعُلّ نَدى أُقحُوانٍ بشاما

She has a soft branch in the myrtle trees

That makes the nectar of orchids dripping

ترى نَضْرَةَ الحُسْنِ في خَدّها

تَمَيّعُ ماءً وتُذْكى ضِرَاما

You see the freshness of beauty on her cheek

Melting water and igniting embers

تَرَنّحُ بالبدرِ غُصْناً رطيباً

وترتجّ في السيرِ دِعْصاً ركاما

She whimpers to the full moon a moist branch

And sways gracefully as she walks proudly

فأمسيتُ منها بماءِ اللمى

أُرَوّي أُواماً وأشْفي سقاما

So I have become, with her saliva's water

Quenching thirst and curing sickness

حلا لي وأسكرني ريقها

فهل خامرَ الأرْيُ منْهُ المداما

Her saliva was sweet to me and intoxicated me

Did it then ferment from the wine?

تلاقتْ صواعِدُ أنْفاسِها

فمازَجَ منها السلوُّ الغراما

The bases of her breaths met

And mixed with it passionate ardour

ولا عَجَبٌ أنّ ضَمّاتنا

جَبَرْنَ القلوبَ وَهِضْنَ العظاما

And no wonder that our cuddles

Healed hearts and erected bones

بأرضٍ دحاها الكرى بيننا

ننالُ الأمانيّ فيها احتكاما

In a land that fate has spread between us

We attain wishes through its arbitration

فلا بَسَطَ الصبحُ فيها الضّياءَ

ولا قَبَضَ الليلُ عنها الظلاما

So neither does the dawn expand its light in it

Nor does the night retract its darkness from it

فلو عاينَ الأمرَ حلَّ الجوادَ

وشدّ الحزامَ وسلّ الحساما

If the matter sees the generous loosen

The belt and unsheathe the sword

وأقبلَ بالرّيحِ نحوَ السّحابِ

يظنّ سنَا البرق منها ابتساما

And set out against the clouds with the wind

You'd think the lightning from it smiles

ولما أتانا من الإنتباهِ

دخلنا له بالوصال المناما

Since the heed has come to us

We have entered with it the sleep of union

جعلنا تزاوُرَنا في الكَرى

فما نَتّقي من مَلومٍ مَلاما

We have made our visiting in fate

So we fear no blamer's blame

وَمَرّتْ لطائفُ أرْواحِنا

بِلَغْوِ الهَوَى حيثُ مَرّتْ كراما

And the subtleties of our souls have passed

With the fervour of passion wherever they passed nobly

وطامٍ كجيشِ الوَغَى لا تخوضُ

به غمرةُ الموتِ إلا اقتحاما

And exertion like an army of ferocity not entered

By the immersion of death but by storming

تُباري عليه الدَّبورُ الصَّبا

مُنَاقَضَةً والشمالُ النعامى

The Pleiades compete with it

Contrasted by the Little Bear and the ostrich

إذا ما ارتمى فيه قَرْمُ الرّدَى

ركبنا له وهو يرغُو سناما

When the foot of fate jumps into it

We ride it as it neighs loftily

وردنا فُراتاً يُنيلُ الحياة

ومن كفّ يحيى انتجعنا الغماما

And we return gushing with the water of life

And from a handful we are revived by the clouds

لدى مَلِكٍ جادَ بالمكرمات

تلاقيه في كلّ فَضْلٍ إماما

In the presence of a generous king who meets

Every virtue with leadership

أشَمُّ قديمُ تراثِ العُلى

يراجِحُ بالحلم منه شَماما

An elder breathing the heritage of glory

Rivaling wisdom with his discernment

إذا قَرّ في دَسْتِهِ جالساً

رأيتَ الملوكَ لديه قياما

When he stays focused in his assembly

You see kings standing before him

بنادٍ تَرَى فيه سَمْتَ الوقارِ

يَزِينُ عظيماً أبيّاً هُماما

In a club you see in it the trait of dignity

Adorning the great and resolute

يقلل في الجفن عنه اللحاظَ

ويبعثُ بالوزن فيه الكلاما

His gaze in the eyelid reduces

And sends weight with his speech

تَعَلّمَ عِفّتَهُ سيفُهُ

فليس يُريقُ نجيعاً حراما

His sword has taught him chastity

It does not shed blood unjustly

وما زالَ دينُ الهدى في الخطوبِ

يشدّ عليه يديه اعتصاما

And the religion of guidance in adversities

Strengthens his hands by clinging

ولا عَجَبٌ أنّ صَرْفَ الزّمان

تُصَرّفُ يُسْرَاهُ منه زماما

And no wonder time's turns

Sway its ease from it as reins

أما مَهّدَ الملكَ يحيى أما

أرَاكَ لكلّ اعوجاج قَوَاما

Haven't you prepared the king Yahya or

Made you straight every crookedness?

أما نَشَأتْ منه سُحْبُ النّدى

سواكبَ تهمي وكانت جهاما

Or risen from him clouds of dew

Planets that conspire and were violent?

أما ذِكْرُهُ ذِكْرُ من يُتّقى

يداً ويكون كلامٌ كِلاما

Or is his mention the mention of one to be feared

A hand and speech words?

يبيد العدا بِلُهامٍ يريك

رداءً على منكبيه القَتاما

He destroys enemies with an attacking flash

You see on his shoulders crowding darkness

بعزْمٍ يُجَرّدُ منه السيوفَ

ورأيٍ يفوّقُ منه السهاما

With resolve that strips the swords from him

And opinion that sends arrows from him

يَعُدّ من الصِّيد آبائِهِ

كُفاةً حُفاةً وَغُرّاً كراما

He counts his fathers as sufficient

Barefoot, barefoot, and honorable warriors

مجالسُهُمْ في الحروبِ السروجُ

إذا قَعَدَ الموتُ فيها وقاما

Their assemblies amid wars are the saddled horses

When death sits and stands in them

تُحَمّرُ حِمْيَرُ أرْضَ الوَغَى

وَتَفْلُقُ بالبِيضِ بَيْضاً وهاما

The steeds of war's land become red

And split eggs whites and yolks excitedly

تَكَهّلَ مُلكُهُمُ والزمانُ

يُصَرَّفُ بين يديه غلاما

Their rule has lasted as time goes on

Turned in front of it like a boy

وجيشٍ يجيشُ بأبطاله

كما ماجَ موجُ العباب التطاما

And an army that boils with its heroes

As the wave of flooding roared

بنقعٍ يُريكَ نجومَ السماء

إذا الجوّ منه على الشمس غاما

With stars that show you the stars of the sky

When the atmosphere from it covers the sun

إذا همّ بالفتكِ فيه الشجاعُ

وحامَ على نفسه الموتُ خاما

When the brave decides on murder in it

And death anxiously craves himself

غدا ابن تميم به قَسْوَراً

وقد لَبِسَ البدْرُ منه التماما

Ibn Tamim charges in it as an attacker

And the full moon dresses it completely

فيا مَنْ تسامى بهمّاتِهِ

فنالَ بها للثريّا مَصَاما

O you who ascends with his ambitions

And so attains the pinnacle for the elite

ملأتَ الزمانَ على وُسْعِهِ

أناةً وبطشاً فراضا الأناما

You have filled time in its capacity

With composure, violence, obliging people

وحلماً مفيداً وروعاً مبيداً

وعيشاً هنيئاً وموتاً زؤاما

And beneficial composure, pernicious awe

And pleasant life, and hard death

وَقُضْباً بضربِ الطّلى مقطرات

وَقُبّاً على الهامِ تعدو هياما

And drippings by hitting the hills

And thunders over zeal leaping zealously

جعلتَ لكلّ مقالٍ فَعَالاً

ولم تَحْتَقِبْ في صنيعٍ أثاما

You have made deeds for every saying

And seized no guilt in doing

ليهنك عودةُ عيدٍ مَشَى

إليك على جَمْرَةِ الشوْق عاما

May the return of a feast cheer you

That has come to you on the embers of passion

وأوْدَعَ في كلّ لحظٍ رنا

إليك وفي كلّ لفظٍ سلاما

And deposited in every moment a groan

To you and in every utterance greetings

وحجّ بربعك بيتَ العلى

وطافَ به لا يملّ الزحاما

And performed hajj by your abode the Supreme House

And circumambulated it endlessly crowded

ومن لَثْمِ يمناك لولا النّدى

رأى حَجَرَ الركن يُغْشَى استلاما

And if it weren't for the dew from kissing your right hand

The Black Stone would be seen overwhelmed in submission

حَمَيْتَ حِمى المُلْكِ بالمُرْهَفاتِ

وَدُمْتَ له في المعالي دواما

You have protected the sanctity of the kingdom with fine horses

And lasted supplying it glorious deeds