1. بِروحي جوذَرٌ في القَلبِ كانِس

    تَراهُ نافِراً في زِيِّ آنِس

    My soul for a wild-ox calf taking shelter in my heart;

    you see him skittish in a friendly guise.

  2. وَأَحوى أَحوَرِ

    الأَحداقِ أَلمى

    And dusky, with contrasting black-and-white

    eyes and dark lips;

  3. تَكادُ خُدودُهُ

    بِالوَهمِ تَدمى

    his cheeks almost

    bleed from mere imagining.

  4. كَأَنَّ الحُسنَ

    لَمّا مِنهُ تَمّا

    As though Beauty,

    when it reached perfection through him,

  5. وَآثَرَ أَنَّ ذاكَ

    الرَوضَ يُحمى

    and chose to have that

    garden protected,

  6. غَدا لِلوَردِ في خَدَّيهِ غارِس

    وَظَلَّ لَهُ بِسَيفِ اللَحظِ حارِس

    became a planter of roses on his cheeks,

    and remained their guard with the sword of his glance.

  7. جَلا في كَفِّهِ

    كَأسَ الحُمَيّا

    He displayed in his palm

    a cup of heady wine;

  8. فَقابَلَ نورُها

    بَدرَ المُحَيّا

    then its radiance met

    the full moon of his face.

  9. وَطافَ بِكَأسِهِ

    فينا وَحَيّا

    And he went round with his cup

    among us and offered greetings,

  10. فَغادَرَ مَيِّتَ

    العُشّاقِ حَيّا

    thus leaving the dead

    among lovers alive,

  11. بِوَجهٍ إِن تَبَدّى في الحَنادِس

    غَدا لِلنَيِّراتِ الخَمسِ سادِس

    with a face that, if it appeared in deep darkness,

    would become a sixth beside the five luminaries.

  12. جَلا كَأسي فَقُلتُ

    إِلَيكَ عَنّي

    He displayed my cup, and I said,

    “Away from me,

  13. فَقَد ضَيَّعتُ

    عُمري بِالتَمَنّي

    for I have squandered

    my life in wishing.”

  14. فَقالَ مَعَ الخَلاعَةِ

    إِي وَإِنّي

    Then he said, with wantonness,

    “Yes—and I too.”

  15. فَقُلتُ فُطُف إِذاً

    وَاِمزُج وَغَنِّ

    I said, “Then go round,

    and mix the wine, and sing

  16. بِشِعري فَهوَ حَضراتُ المَجالِس

    وَفاكِهَةُ المُفاكِهِ وَالمُجالِس

    my poetry, for it is the company at gatherings,

    and the fruit of the wit and the companion.”

  17. أَما قالَ الَّذي

    في الحُسنِ زَيَّد

    Did he not say—the one

    who enhanced beauty—

  18. وَمَن وَجَدَ النَدى

    قَيداً تَقَيَّد

    “And whoever finds generosity

    a fetter becomes bound”?

  19. فَها أَنا في حِمى

    المَلِكِ المُؤَيَّد

    So here I am in the sanctuary

    of King al-Mu'ayyad,

  20. مَنيعِ العِزِّ ذي

    مَجدٍ مُشَيَّد

    unassailable in might, possessed of

    lofty glory,

  21. عِمادِ الدينِ مُغني كُلِّ بائِس

    وَمَن تَغدو الأُسودُ لَهُ فَرائِس

    Imad al-Din, who enriches every wretch,

    and for whom lions become prey.

  22. أَيا مَلِكاً حَماني

    مِن زَماني

    O king who protected me

    from the misfortunes of my times,

  23. وَأَعطاني أَماني

    وَالأَماني

    and granted me safety

    and my wishes:

  24. خَفَضتَ بِرَفعِ

    شَأني كُلَّ شاني

    you humbled, by raising

    my standing, every hater of mine,

  25. وَشَيَّدتَ المَعالي

    وَالمَعاني

    and built up noble achievements

    and noble meanings.

  26. وَلَولا أَنتَ يا مُردي الفَوارِس

    لَأَضحى العِلمُ بَينَ الناسِ دارِس

    And were it not for you, O slayer of horsemen,

    learning would have been effaced among the people.

  27. تَجَرّا مَن لِجودِكَ

    رامَ حَدّا

    He was presumptuous who, for your generosity,

    sought a limit;

  28. وَمَن بِالغَيثِ

    قاسَكَ قَد تَعَدّى

    and whoever with rain

    has compared you has overstepped.

  29. وَكَيفَ تُقاسُ

    بِالأَنواءِ حَدّا

    And how can you be compared

    with the rain-bearing stars in measure,

  30. وَكَفُّكَ لِلوَرى

    أَدنى وَأَندى

    while your hand to humankind

    is nearer and more bountiful?

  31. لِأَنَّ الغَيثَ يُسأَلُ وَهوَ حابِس

    وَلَيسَ يَجودُ إِلّا وَهوَ عابِس

    For rain is begged for while it holds back,

    and gives generously only while frowning.

  32. جَعَلتَ البيضَ

    دامِيَةَ المَآقي

    You made the bright swords

    bloody at their eye-corners,

  33. وَسُمرَ الخَطِّ تَرقى

    في التَراقي

    and the brown lances of al-Khatt rise

    into collarbones;

  34. مَساعٍ لِلعُلى

    أَضحَت مَراقي

    efforts toward the heights

    have become stairways,

  35. وَتِلكَ الصالِحاتُ

    هِيَ البَواقي

    and those righteous deeds

    are the enduring ones.

  36. فَتُرجِلُ فارِسَ الحَربِ المُمارِس

    وَتَجعَلُ راجِلَ الإِملاقِ فارِس

    Thus you unhorse the battle-seasoned rider,

    and make the man afoot in poverty a horseman.

  37. حَمِدتُ إِلَيكَ

    تَرحالي وَحالي

    To you I have expressed gratitude for

    my travels and my condition;

  38. وَزادَ لَدَيكَ إِقبالي

    وَبالي

    and with you my good fortune grew,

    and my well-being.

  39. وَقَد ضاعَفتَ آمالي

    وَمالي

    And you have doubled my hopes

    and my wealth,

  40. فَلَستُ أُطيلُ

    عَن آلي سُؤالي

    so I do not prolong

    my petitions on behalf of my family.

  41. أَفَضتَ عَلَيَّ لِلنُعمى مَلابِس

    فَصارَ لَدَيَّ رَطباً كُلُّ يابِس

    You lavished upon me robes of bounty,

    so all that was dry became moist for me.

  42. أَأَزعُمُ أَنَّني

    بِالمَدحِ جازي

    Shall I claim that I

    repay you with praise?

  43. وَهَل تُجزى

    الحَقيقَةُ بِالمَجازِ

    And can recompense be given

    for reality through metaphor?

  44. وَلَكِن في اِرتِجالي

    وَاِرتِجازي

    Yet in my improvising

    and my chanting of rajaz verse,

  45. إِذا قَصَّرتُ فَاللَهُ

    المُجازي

    if I fall short, God is

    the one who repays.

  46. فَلَو نَظَّمتُ مِن مَدحي نَفائِس

    فَإِنّي مِن قَضاءِ الحَقِّ آئِس

    For even if I strung precious gems of my praise,

    I would still despair of paying what is due.