لَعَمري لَقَد أَمسى عَلى الأَمرِ سائِسٌ

بَصيرٌ بِما ضَرَّ العَدُوَّ أَريبُ

By my life, he has become well-versed in the matter,

Perceptive of what the sly enemy schemes.

جَريءٌ عَلى ما يَكرَهُ المَرءُ صَدرَهُ

وَلِلفاحِشاتِ المُندِياتِ هَيوبُ

Bold towards what a man's chest would dislike,

And to disgraceful, shameless acts, bashful.

سَعيدٌ وَما يَفعَل سَعيدٌ فَإِنَّهُ

نَجيبٌ فَلاهُ في الرِباطِ نَجيبُ

Fortunate—and whatever fortunate men do,

He is noble, so prisons cannot degrade him.

سَعيدٌ فَلا تَغرُركَ خِفَّةُ لَحمِهِ

تَخَدَّدَ عَنهُ اللَحمُ فَهُوَ صَليبُ

Fortunate—let not his slender build delude you:

Flesh falls away from him, but he's like a cross.

إِذا خافَ إِصعاباً مِنَ الأَمرِ صَدرُهُ

عَلاهُ فَباتَ الأَمرُ وَهُوَ رَكوبُ

When his chest fears a harsh command,

He rises above it and spends the night riding.

إِذا غِبتَ عَنّا غابَ عَنّا رَبيعُنا

وَنُسقى الغَمامَ الغُرَّ حينَ تَؤوبُ

When you're absent from us, our spring disappears,

And we're given bitter clouds to drink when you return.

فَنِعمَ الفَتى تَعشو إِلى ضَوءِ نارِهِ

إِذا الريحُ هَبَّت وَالمَكانُ جَديبُ

So excellent is the young man who lives by the light of his fire

When the wind blows and the place is barren.

وَما زِلتَ تُعطي النَفسَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

يَظَلُّ لِأَقوامٍ عَلَيكَ نُحوبُ

You have never ceased to give your soul until it seems

Misfortunes about some people hover over you.

إِلَيكَ تَناهى كُلُّ أَمرٍ يَنوبُنا

وَعِندَ ظِلالِ المَوتِ أَنتَ حَسيبُ

To you comes every matter that afflicts us,

And near the shadows of death, you are the trustworthy one.