1. حانَ إِسفارُ الصَباحِ

    وَدَعا داعي الفَلاحِ

    The brightening of morning has come,

    and the caller to salvation has called.

  2. وَسَرَت تَحمِلُ نَشرَ ال

    رَوضِ أَنفاسُ الرِياحِ

    And drifted, bearing the fragrance of the

    garden, the breaths of the winds.

  3. وَتَغَنَّت هاتِفاتُ ال

    وُرقِ وَالعُجمِ الفِصاحِ

    And the calling birds sang—the

    gray doves and the speechless yet eloquent birds.

  4. فَاِشفِ بِالكَأسِ غَليلي

    وَاِطفِ بِالراحِ التِياحي

    So heal my burning thirst with the cup,

    and quench my thirst with wine,

  5. مِن كُمتِ وَردَةٍ ذا

    تِ شَبابٍ وَجَماحِ

    From dark, rose-red wine, possessed

    of youth and wild spirit,

  6. أَوطَأَت فارِسَها صَه

    وَةَ لَهوٍ وَمِزاحِ

    She set her rider upon the saddle

    of play and merriment,

  7. مِن يَدي مَهضومَةِ الكَش

    حَينِ بَيضاءَ رَداحِ

    From the hands of one slender at the

    waist, fair and full-hipped,

  8. غادَةٍ تَمزُجُ لي مِن

    ريقِها الراحَ بِراحِ

    A tender maiden who mixes for me, with

    her saliva, the wine with her palm.

  9. فَتَرَت إِذ فَتَنَت أَل

    حاظُها سوقُ المِلاحِ

    Slack grew, when her glances cast their spell,

    the market for beautiful women.

  10. أَنا شاكٍ في هَوى مَن

    طَرفُهُ شاكي السِلاحِ

    I complain of love for one

    whose glance is fully armed.

  11. ظالِمٌ يَبلُغُ أَقصى ال

    جِدِّ مِنّي بِالزاحِ

    A tyrant, who drives me to the utmost

    earnestness with his teasing.

  12. أَستُرُ الوَجدَ وَيَأبى

    حُسنُهُ إِلّا اِفتِضاحي

    I conceal my passion, yet

    his beauty insists on exposing me.

  13. ما عَلى العاذِلِ فيهِ

    مِن فَسادي وَصَلاحي

    What is it to the reproacher, in this love,

    whether I go astray or mend my ways?

  14. مَن صَحا مِن سَكرَةِ الحُب

    بِ فَقَلبي غَيرُ صاحِ

    Whoever has sobered from love's intoxication—

    yet my heart is not sober.

  15. أَنا ما عِشتُ إِلى الرا

    حِ غُدُوّي وَرَواحي

    For as long as I live, toward wine

    are my morning and evening journeys.

  16. كَلِفاً في طاعَةِ الحُب

    بِ بِعِصيانِ اللَواحي

    Devoted, in obedience to love,

    to disobeying the reproachful women.

  17. لا تَراني قَلِقاً إِل

    لا بِمِقلاقِ الوِشاحِ

    You will not see me restless except

    for one whose sash hangs loose.

  18. وَاِمتِداحي لِأَبي الفَض

    لِ الجَوادِ المُستَماحِ

    And my praise of Abu al-Fadl,

    the generous one whose bounty is sought,

  19. هُوَ كَفّارَةُ ما أَر

    كَبُ فيها مِن جُناحِ

    It is atonement for whatever I

    commit therein by way of sin.

  20. ماجِدٌ ما خُلِقَت كَف

    فاهُ إِلّا لِلسَماحِ

    A noble man, whose two palms were created

    only for generosity.

  21. أَريَحِيٌّ لِلمُرَجّي

    جودَهُ فَوزُ القِداحِ

    Open-handed: to whoever hopes for

    his bounty, he is a winning draw of the lot-arrows.

  22. ذو حَياءٍ سافِرٌ في ال

    رَوعِ عَن عَزمٍ وَقاحِ

    Full of modesty, yet unveiling in

    battle's terror a bold resolve.

  23. وَمُحَيّا بِشرُهُ يُخ

    جِلُ إِشراقَ الصَباحِ

    And a face whose cheer puts to shame

    the radiance of morning.

  24. وَاِبتِسامٌ لِذَوي الحا

    جِ كَفيلٌ بِالنَجاحِ

    And a smile for those in

    need, guaranteeing success,

  25. كَاِبتِسامِ الرَوضَةِ الغَن

    ناءِ عَن نورِ الأَقاحي

    Like the smile of a lush garden

    revealing its daisy blossoms.

  26. وَسُطىً في فَأفَةٍ تَم

    زُجُ بَأساً بِسَماحِ

    And force within compassion, blending

    might with generosity,

  27. مِثلُ ما شيبَت سُلافُ ال

    خَمرِ بِالماءِ القَراحِ

    Just as is blended the choicest

    wine with pure water.

  28. مِن قُرومٍ أَرضَعَتهُم

    دَرَّةُ المَجدِ الصُراحِ

    Of great chiefs, who were suckled by

    the flowing milk of pure glory.

  29. يَتَوالونَ نِظاماً

    كَأَنابيبِ الرِماحِ

    They follow one another in ordered ranks,

    like the segments of spear shafts.

  30. يُحسِنونَ الكَرَّ في يَو

    مي سَماحٍ وَكِفاحِ

    They excel at the charge on both days:

    the day of bounty and the day of battle.

  31. فَضَلوا الناسَ بِأَيدٍ

    تَفضَحُ السُحبَ وَراحِ

    They surpassed mankind with hands

    and palms that shame the clouds,

  32. وَوُجوهٍ كَقَنادي

    لِ المَحاريبِ صَباحِ

    And faces like the lamps

    of prayer niches, radiant.

  33. كَم لِمَجدِ الدينِ مِن مَغ

    دىً لِمَجدٍ وَرَواحِ

    How often Majd al-Din journeys at dawn

    toward glory, and returns at evening!

  34. شادَ ميراثَ العُلى مِن

    هُ بِكَسبٍ وَاِجتِراحِ

    He built up the inheritance of high honor

    with his own earning and achievement.

  35. قَرَّبَتنا مِنهُ أَنضا

    ءُ أَمانِيٍّ طِلاحِ

    We were brought near him by worn-out

    mounts of exhausted hopes,

  36. آبِياتٍ أَن يَرِدنَ ال

    وَشَلَ الطَرقَ قِماحِ

    Refusing to drink at the

    scant, fouled water, their heads held high.

  37. يَتَرَفَّعنَ إِباءً

    عَن جَدى الأَيدي الشِحاحِ

    They proudly rise above

    the gifts of miserly hands.

  38. أَيُّها الحامي حِمى الأَر

    ضِ بِأَطرافِ الرِماحِ

    O defender of the sanctuary of the

    land with the points of spears,

  39. بِالجِيادِ الأَعوَجِيّا

    تِ وَبِالبيضِ الصِفاحِ

    With steeds of the Aʿwaj breed,

    and with white, broad sword-blades,

  40. لِمَ لا تَحمي حِمى ما

    لِكَ هَذا المُستَباحِ

    Why do you not guard the sanctuary of

    this wealth of yours, open to plunder?

  41. فَاجتَلِ البِكرَ زَهَت حُس

    ناً عَلى البِكرِ الرَداحِ

    Then behold the virgin, surpassing in beauty

    the full-hipped maiden:

  42. مِن قَوافٍ مُحكَماتٍ

    عَرَبِياتٍ فِصاحِ

    Made of tightly wrought rhymes,

    Arabic and eloquent,

  43. بَدَوِيّاتٍ وَلَم تُغ

    ذَ بِأَلبانِ اللِقاحِ

    Bedouin-born, though never nourished

    with the milk of milch camels;

  44. شُرَّداً تَركَبُ في مَد

    حِكَ أَعناقَ الرِياحِ

    Wild-roaming, riding in praise

    of you upon the necks of the winds.

  45. ما أَطاعَت خاطِباً قَب

    لَكَ في عَقدِ نِكاحِ

    She has accepted no suitor before

    you in a marriage bond.

  46. فَاِلقَها مِنكَ بِبِشرٍ

    وَقَبولٍ وَاِنشِراحٍ

    So welcome her with your good cheer,

    acceptance, and an open heart.

  47. فَلَعَلَّ اللَهَ أَن يَر

    زُقَها بَختَ القِباحِ

    Then perhaps God will grant her

    the good fortune of ugly women.

  48. إِنَّ إِقبالَكَ يُضفي

    لِثَنائي وَاِمتِداحي

    Surely your favorable attention bestows

    upon my eulogy and praise

  49. نِعمَةً أَنفَعُ لي مِن

    نِعَمِ الحَيِّ المِراحِ

    a blessing more useful to me than

    the favors of the merry tribe.

  50. يا جَواداً مِثلُهُ كا

    نَ عَلى الدَهرِ اِقتِراحي

    O generous man, whose like

    was my request of time,

  51. لا تَدَعني في يَدِ الأَي

    يامِ مَحصوصَ الجَناحِ

    Do not leave me in the hand of

    the days, with my wing plucked bare,

  52. بَينَ أَحداثٍ تَواصَي

    نَ بِظُلمي وَاِجتِياحي

    Among calamities that have urged one another

    to wrong me and sweep me away.

  53. يَتَراكَضنَ إِلى حَر

    بِيَ مِن كُلِّ النَواحي

    They race to make war

    on me from every side,

  54. اِنثِيالاً مِثلَ ما تَب

    عَثُ أَفواهُ الجِراحِ

    Pouring in, like what flows from

    the mouths of wounds.

  55. فَلَأَنتَ اليَومَ والي

    كُلِّ مَطلولٍ مُطاحِ

    For surely you today are the guardian

    of every fallen one whose blood is unavenged.

  56. وَاِبقَ لي ما رَكَضَ السَي

    لُ بِمُستَنِّ البِطاحِ

    And live on for me, as long as the torrent gallops

    along the courses of the valley flats,

  57. في اِغتِباقٍ بِتَباشي

    رِ التَهاني وَاِصطِباحِ

    Drinking at evening amid glad tidings

    of congratulations, and drinking at dawn.