تَرَكَتنا لَواحِظُ الأَتراكِ بَي

نَ مُلقىً شاكِيَ السِلاحِ وَشاكِ

The gaze of the beauties has left me torn between

Lamenting for arms and armor and lamenting for

حَرَكاتٌ بِها سُكونُ فُتورٍ

تَترُكَ الأُسدَ مابِها مِن حَراكِ

Movements containing the stillness of languor

That leaves the lion devoid of movement

مَلَكَتني خُزرُ العُيونِ وَإِن خِل

تُ بِأَنّي لَها مِنَ المُلّاكِ

The green-eyed beauties have conquered me, even if

I am spared that I am for them a conquered one

كُلُّ ظَبيٍ في أَسرِ رِقّي وَلَكِن

ما لِأَسري في حُبِّهِ مِن فَكاكِ

Every gazelle is a captive to my gaze, but

My captivity to its love knows no escape

أَينَ حُسنُ الأَعرابِ مِن حُسنُ أُسدَ

أُفرِغَت في قاوالِبِ الأَملاكِ

Where is the beauty of the nomads in comparison to the beauty of lions

Molded in the molds of rulers?

فَإِذا غوزِلوا فَآرامُ سِربٍ

وَإِذا نوزِلوا فَأُسدُ عِراكِ

When they whisper, they are wild doves

And when they alter, they are lions in combat

وَإِذا نورُهُم ثَنى اللَيلَ صُبحاً

أَخَذوا ثارَ مَن ذُكي بِالمَذاكي

And when their light turns night to dawn

They take revenge on those stung by regret

كُلُّ طِفلٍ يَجِلُّ أَن يَحكِيَ البَد

رَ وَلَكِن لَهُ البُّدورُ تُحاكي

Every child yearns to recount valor

But valor itself recounts him

بِثُغورٍ لَم يَعلُها قَشَفُ النُح

لِ وَلَم تَجلُها يَدٌ بِسِواكِ

With moles to which the hand with file has not attained

And eyes in which destruction’s spy resides

وَعُيونٍ كَأَنَّما الغُنجُ فيها

رائِدُ الحَتفِ أَو نَذيرُ الهَلاكِ

And locks as though the knot of plaited hair

Were tied upon stems of fresh basil

وَقُدودٍ كَأَنَّما شُدَّ عَقدُ ال

بَندِ مِنها عَلى قَضيبِ أَراكِ

I almost escaped from the locks, but

A piercing stab caught up with me in them

كِدتُ أَنجو مِنَ القُدودِ وَلَكِن

أَدرَكَتني فيها بِطَعنٍ دِراكِ

Say to the one who gazes, you have robbed

My eye of sleep and went to far in ravaging me

قُل لِساجي العُيونِ قَد سَلَبَت عَي

ناكَ قَلبي وَأَفرَطَت في اِنتِهاكي

So leave me with a thought by which I may weave verse

And praise the one in the tavern

فَاَبقِ لي خاطِراً بِهِ أَسبُكُ النَظ

مَ وَأَثني عَلى فَتى السُبّاكِ

A ruler who paved the way to justice with

A penetrating mind and infinite awareness

حاكِمٌ مَهَّدَ القَضاءَ بِقَلبٍ

ثاقِبِ الفَهمِ نافِذِ الإِدراكِ

A flash beneath the farthest reach of the cosmos

And resolve at the pinnacle of the celestial orbits

فِكرَةٌ تَحتَ مُنتَهى دَرَكِ الأَ

ضِ وَعَزمٌ في ذُروَةِ الأَفلاكِ

Since the days called him to religion as a crown

The zealous envied religion through him

مُذ دَعَتهُ الأَيّامُ لِلدينِ تاجاً

حَسَدَ الدينَ فيهِ هامُ السِماكِ

A rank surpassing the station of the learned

And exceeding the degrees of the pious

رُتبَةٌ جاوَزَت مَقامَ ذَوي العِل

مِ وَفاقَت مَراتِبَ النُسّاكِ

One of insight who perceived events when

Their unfolding made the seeker laugh and weep

ذو يَراعٍ راعَ الحَوادِثَ لَمّا

أَضحَكَ الطَرسَ سَعيُهُ وَهوَ باكِ

With meanings that, if they were in bygone ages

Would have silenced the hearing of the critic

بِمَعانٍ لَو كُنَّ في سالِفِ العَص

رِ لَسَكَّت مَسامِعَ السِكّاكِ

My worth increased through his love when he saw

People's adherence to loving him and clinging to him

زادَ قَدري بِحُبِّهِ إِذ رَأى النا

سُ التِزامي بِحُبِّهِ وَاِمتِساكي

A creed from which I have not wavered

And a religion into which I have admitted no partnership

مَذهَبٌ ما ذَهَبتُ عَنهِ وَدينٌ

ما تَعَرَّضتُ فيهِ لِلإِشراكِ

O most splendid one whose utterance

And superiority among people is dazzling and shining

أَيُّها الأَروَعُ الَّذي لَفظُهُ وَال

فَضلُ بَينَ الأَنامِ زاهٍ وَزاكِ

If absent from the gaze of my eye, then for the heart

There is a gaze quick to realize

إِن تَغِب عَن لِحاظِ عَيني فَلِلقَل

بِ لِحاظٌ سَريعَةُ الإِدراكِ

You were only absent from my eyes, while my heart

Is thankful for your exaltation and the eye is longing

لَم تَغِب عَن سِوى عُيوني فَقَلبي

شاكِرٌ عَن عُلاكَ وَالطَرفُ شاكِ