1. بِأَبي مَن ذُبتُ في الحُ

    بِّ لَهُ شَوقاً وَصَبوَه

    My father be ransom for the one in whose love I have melted,

    with longing for him and yearning.

  2. كُلَّما زادَ جَفاءً

    زادَ مِن قَلبي حُظوَه

    Whenever he grows colder,

    he gains more favor in my heart.

  3. شَقوَتي ما تَنقَضي في

    حُبِّهِ وَالحُبُّ شَقوَه

    My misery never ends in

    loving him—and love is misery.

  4. بُحتُ شَجوا فيهِ وَالمَح

    زونُ لا يَكتُمُ شَجوَه

    I voiced my sorrow over him; one who grieves

    does not conceal his sorrow.

  5. لَو أَجابَ اللهُ في المَع

    عشوقِ لِلعاشِقِ دَعوَه

    If God answered, concerning the beloved,

    a lover's prayer,

  6. لَسَأَلتُ اللَهَ أَن يُن

    صِفَني مِن حِبِّ عَلوَه

    I would ask God to grant me justice

    against love for ʿAlwa.

  7. مَلَكَت قَلبي وَقَد كا

    نَ مِنَ الحُبِّ بِنَجوَه

    She possessed my heart, though it had been

    safe from love.

  8. يا مَليحَ الدَلِّ زِد جَو

    راً عَلى الحُبِّ وَقَسوَه

    O lovely in coquetry, increase your injustice

    toward love, and your cruelty.

  9. لي بِمَن ماتَ بِداءِ ال

    عِشقِ في حُبِّكَ أُسوَه

    For me, one who died of the sickness

    of passion is a model in loving you.

  10. لا أَتاحَ اللَهُ لي وَص

    لَكَ إِن أَضمَرتُ سَلوَه

    May God never grant me union

    with you, if I harbor thoughts of forgetting.

  11. وَأَما وَالثَغرِ يُصبي

    ني لَمىً فيهِ وَحُوَّه

    And indeed, by the mouth that enchants

    me with its dusky tint and dark redness,

  12. وَاِجتِماعٍ سَمَحَ الوَص

    لُ بِهِ مِنكَ وَخَلوَه

    and by a meeting that union

    with you granted, and a private tryst,

  13. تَمزُجُ القَهوَةَ لي مِن

    ريقِكَ العَذبِ بِقَهوَه

    where you blend wine for me with

    wine from your sweet saliva,

  14. قَسَماً إِنَّ عِمادَ ال

    دينِ في الأَجوادِ قُدوَه

    I swear: ʿImād al-Dīn

    is a model among the generous.

  15. جَمَعَ السودَدَ أَخلاقاً

    وَنَفساً وَأُبُوَّه

    He united nobility in character,

    in soul, and in ancestry.

  16. وَسَما مِن مَجدِهِ البا

    ذِخِ في أَرفَعِ ذُروَه

    And through his towering glory he rose

    to the loftiest summit.

  17. وَشَأى حاتِمَ في الجو

    دِ سَخاءً وَمُروَّه

    And he outstripped Ḥātim in generosity,

    in largesse and noble virtue.

  18. فَهوَ لا تَجذِبُ عِطفَي

    هِ لِغَيرِ الحَمدِ نَشوَهُ

    For no rapture sways his shoulders

    toward anything but praise.

  19. خالِصُ الوُدِّ وَوُدُّ ال

    ناسِ مَمذوقٌ مُموَّه

    His affection is pure; the affection

    of others is diluted and disguised.

  20. سَيّدٌ لَكِنَّهُ يَعتَ

    دُّنا في الوُدِّ إِخوَه

    A lord, yet he counts us

    as brothers in affection.

  21. يا جَواداً ما رَأى قَ

    طُّ لَهُ الحُسّادُ كَبوَه

    O generous one, whose enviers have never

    seen you stumble.

  22. وَبَليغاً أَخرَسَت أَق

    لامُهُ كُلَّ مُفَوَّه

    And eloquent one, whose pens have silenced

    every gifted speaker.

  23. لَم يُحِل عَهدَكَ ما

    أوتيتَ مِن حالٍ وَثَروَه

    Your pledge has not been altered by what

    you were granted of standing and wealth.

  24. يا أَتَمَّ الناسِ جوداً

    وَحَياءً وَفُتوَّه

    O most perfect of people in generosity,

    modesty, and chivalry!

  25. إِن بَغداذَ الَّتي لِل

    بُخلِ أَمسَت دارَ دَعوَة

    Indeed Baghdad, which has become

    a rallying-place for miserliness,

  26. وَبَنوها فَهُمُ أَك

    ثَرُ أَهلِ الأَرضِ جَفوَه

    and whose sons are the most

    cold-hearted people on earth—

  27. قَد أَقامَ الثَلجُ فيها

    شَتوَةً مِن بَعدِ شَتوَه

    snow has settled there,

    winter after winter.

  28. فَهوَ يَغزونا مَساءً

    في نَواحيها وَغَدوَه

    It raids us in the evening,

    throughout its quarters, and in the morning,

  29. مِثلَ ما يُتبَعُ نورُ ال

    دينِ في الأَعداءِ غَزوَه

    just as Nūr al-Dīn pursues

    raid after raid against his foes.

  30. فَاِفرِ عَن جِسمي أَذاهُ

    يا أَخا الجودِ بِفَروَه

    So cut its harm away from my body,

    O brother of generosity, with a fur coat:

  31. فَروَةٍ تُكسِبُني حَو

    لاً عَلى البَردِ وَقُوَّه

    a fur coat that gives me might

    against the cold, and strength;

  32. فَروَةٍ تَصلُحُ أَن يُه

    ديها مِثلُكَ كُسوَه

    a fur coat fit to be bestowed

    by one like you as clothing.

  33. أَكتَسي مِنها جَمالاً

    رائِعاً في كُلِّ نَدوَه

    I clothe myself through it in beauty,

    splendid at every gathering.

  34. فَفِرا جِلِقَّ عِندَ ال

    ناسِ في بَغداذَ شَهوَه

    For the furs of Jilliq, among

    the people of Baghdad, are coveted.

  35. تَعتَلِق كَفُّكَ مِن شُك

    ري لَها أَوثَقَ عُروَه

    Your hand will grasp, through my thanks

    to it, the firmest handhold.

  36. فَالكَريمِ الخيمِ مَن وُجِّ

    هَتِ الآمالِ نَحوَه

    For noble in nature is the one

    toward whom hopes are directed.

  37. وَتَعَلَّم لا تَلَقَّت

    كَ مِنَ الأَيامِ نَبوَه

    And know—may no setback

    from the days ever come upon you,

  38. لا وَلا حَلَّت يَدُ الدَه

    رِ لِعَليائِكَ حُبوَه

    no, nor may the hand of Time loosen

    the knee-wrap of your high estate—

  39. أَنَّني ما زِلتُ ذا تي

    هٍ مَعَ العُدمِ وَنَخوَه

    that I still bear pride

    despite poverty, and self-respect.

  40. قَلَّ أَن أَضرَعَ أَو أَر

    كَبَ لِلأَطماعِ صَهوَه

    Rarely do I humble myself or mount

    the saddle of covetous hopes.

  41. ذا إِباءٍ آخِذُ الرِز

    قَ بِحَدِّ السَيفِ عُنوه

    Unbowed, I take my livelihood

    by the sword's edge, by force.

  42. أَتَعاطاهُ بِكَدٍّ

    وَيَدي تَملِكُ عَفوَه

    I obtain it through toil,

    though my hand commands its easy yield.

  43. غَيرَ أَنَّ العَيشِ قَد كَدَّ

    رَتِ الأَيامُ صَفوَه

    But the purity of life has been clouded

    by the days.

  44. كَم لَها مِن زِلَّةٍ عِن

    دي مُذ غِبتَ وَهَفوَه

    How many slips they have made against me

    since you left, and lapses,

  45. بَعدَما قَد كُنتُ ذا

    أَمرٍ عليهِنَّ وَسَطوَه

    after I had once held

    command over them and sway,

  46. واضِعَ الهِمَّةِ لا يُق

    رَعُ لي بِالهَمِّ مَروَه

    my ambition at rest, no

    flint of mine struck by care.

  47. هَرِم الحَظُّ فَقَد ق

    ارَبَ في الحاجاتِ خَطوَه

    Luck has grown old; it has shortened

    its steps in meeting needs.

  48. لا تَراهُ أَبداً إِل

    لا مَعَ الجُهالِ صِفوَه

    You never see it

    except as a close companion of the ignorant.

  49. فَلِهَذا الفَضلُ مَخم

    ولٌ وَذو الجَهلِ مُنَوَّه

    Hence merit is left obscure,

    while the ignorant man is acclaimed.

  50. فَاِستَمِعها عَذبَةَ الأَ

    لفاظِ في مَدحِكَ حُلوَه

    So hear it, sweet in its diction,

    delightful in praising you.

  51. نَسأَلُ اللَهَ بِأَن يَر

    زُقَها عِندَكَ جَلوَه

    We ask God to grant it

    an unveiling before you.