1. آنَسنَ في الفَودَينِ وَخطَّ بَياضِ

    فَرَمَينَني بِالصَدِّ وَالإِعراضِ

    They glimpsed a streak of white at both my temples,

    and pelted me with rejection and aversion.

  2. وَبَخِلنَ أَن يُسري إِلي مُسَلِّماً

    طَيفُ الكَرى فَذَهَبنَ بِالإِغماضِ

    They begrudged me even a nighttime greeting

    from sleep's phantom, and so robbed me of slumber.

  3. أَصمَيتَني بِلَواحِظٍ يَومَ النَوى

    صَحَّت وَأَجفانٍ لَهُنَّ مِراضِ

    You struck me dead with glances on the day of parting—

    sound glances, though their eyelids were sickly.

  4. مَن لي بِأَسمَرَ لا يُبِلُّ طَعينُهُ

    في جَفنِهِ لِلفَتكِ أَبيَضُ ماضي

    Who can bring me the dusky one whose wounded victim never heals,

    with a keen white blade in his eyelid, ready to kill?

  5. أَسخَطتُ فيهِ العاذِلاتِ وَلَيتَهُ

    عَنّي بِإِسخاطِ العَواذِلِ راضي

    For his sake I angered the reproaching women; would that he

    were pleased with me for angering those reproachers!

  6. أَبرى وَأَنكَسُ في هَواهُ فَكَيفَ لي

    بِشِفاءِ قَلبٍ في الهَوى مِمراضِ

    I recover and relapse in loving him; how can I

    find healing for a heart so prone to sickness in love?

  7. إِن يُمسِ طَيعَ قِيادَةٍ فَلَرُبَّما

    أَعيَت رِياضَتُهُ عَلى الرُوّاضِ

    If he is now obedient to the reins, how often

    his training has baffled the trainers!

  8. لِلَّهِ أَيّامٌ بِجيرَتِنا الأولى

    سَلَفَت وَلَيلاتٌ بِهِنَّ مَواضي

    How wondrous the days with our former neighbors,

    now past, and the nights that passed along with them!

  9. أَيّامَ لا سَيفُ المَلامَةِ مُنتَضىً

    دوني وَلا أَنا لِلشَبيبَةِ ناضي

    Days when no sword of blame was drawn

    against me, nor had I shed the garb of youth.

  10. ما سَرَّني بَعدَ الشَبابِ مُوَدَّعاً

    خَلَفٌ وَلا عِوضٌ مِنَ الأعواضِ

    After youth had been bidden farewell, I found no joy

    in any successor, nor in any substitute.

  11. إِن فَلَّلَت غَربي الخُطوبُ وَبَدَّلَت

    غَدراً سَوادَ غَدائِري بِبَياضِ

    Though hardships have blunted my edge and exchanged,

    treacherously, my locks' blackness for whiteness,

  12. فَلَطالَما خاطَرتُ في حُبِّ الدُمى

    وَخَطَرتُ في ثَوبِ الصِبا الفَضفاضِ

    yet how often I risked myself for love of doll-like beauties,

    and strutted in youth's flowing robe!

  13. ما لِلحِسانِ قَطَعنَ بَعدَ تَواصُلٍ

    حَبلي وَفيمَ سَخِطنَ بَعدَ تَراضي

    Why have the beauties cut, after close communion,

    my cord, and why grown angry after mutual accord?

  14. وَعَلامَ أَسهُمِيَ الصَوائِبُ كُلَّما

    فَوَّقتُهُنَّ عَدَلنَ عَن أَغراضي

    And why do my true-flying arrows, whenever

    I nock them, veer away from my targets?

  15. أَرضى بِحَظِّ العاجِزِ الواني وَقَد

    جَرَّدتُ عَزمَ المُعمِلِ الرَكّاضِ

    I am content with the lot of the helpless sluggard, though

    I have unsheathed a tireless, hard-driving striver's resolve.

  16. سِيّانِ عِندي ما لَبِستُ قَناعَتي

    ثَوبُ الثَراءِ وَحُلَّةُ الإِنفاضِ

    Equal to me, so long as I wear my contentment, are

    the robe of wealth and the garment of poverty.

  17. وَإِذا جَلالُ الدينِ راضَ نَداهُ لي

    حَظّي فَإِنَّي عَن زَمانِيَّ راضي

    And when Jalal al-Din's bounty tames for me

    my fortune, I am content with my times.

  18. ما ضَرَّني وَبِهِ تَتِمُّ مَآرِبي

    ما تَكسِرُ الأَيّامُ مِن أَعراضي

    It does not hurt me, when through him my wishes are fulfilled,

    whatever the days may shatter of my honor.

  19. بِجَميلِ رَأيِ أَبي المُظَفَّرِ عادَ لي

    مُستَقبَلاً زَمَنُ الشَبابِ الماضي

    Through Abu al-Muzaffar's gracious regard there returned to me

    the bygone season of youth, now stretching ahead.

  20. رَبِّ الصَوارِمِ وَالصَواهِلِ وَالقَنا

    وَأَخي النَدى وَالنائِلِ الفَيّاضِ

    Lord of sharp swords, neighing steeds, and spears,

    and brother to generosity and overflowing bounty.

  21. يَبدو لِشائِمِ جودِهِ مِن وَجهِهِ

    بِشرٌ كَبَرقِ المُزنَةِ الوَمّاضِ

    To one watching for signs of his bounty, his face reveals

    cheerfulness like a raincloud's flashing lightning.

  22. ما اِستَبطَأَ الراجي نَداهُ وَلا يَرى ال

    سُؤالَ خَلفَ عَطائِهِ بِتَقاضي

    No hopeful petitioner finds his bounty slow; nor does he regard the

    request after his giving as a demand for payment.

  23. تَحمي سَماحَتُهُ حَقيقَةَ عِرضِهِ

    إِنَّ السَماحَةَ حارِسُ الأَعراضِ

    His generosity guards the very essence of his honor;

    indeed, generosity is the guardian of honor.

  24. إِن يُمسِ عَدلاً في قَضِيَّتِهِ فَقَد

    أَمسى عَلى الأَموالِ أَجوَرَ قاضي

    If he is just in his judgments, he has indeed

    become wealth's most unjust judge.

  25. شَرِسُ الخَلائِقِ في الوَغى فَإِذا اِحتَبى

    في القَومِ فَهُوَ المُسمِحُ المُتَغاضي

    Fierce in temper in battle, yet when he sits with knees clasped

    among the company, he is obliging and forgiving.

  26. قَد جَرَّبَتهُ يَدُ الخَلائِقِ فَاِكتَفَت

    مِنهُ بِعَزمَةِ مُبرِمٍ نَقّاضِ

    The hand of humankind has tried him and been satisfied

    with his resolve—he who binds firmly and unbinds.

  27. فَرّاجُ كُلِّ مُلِمَّةٍ تَعرو وَفي

    هَبَواتِ كُلِّ كَريهَةٍ خَوّاضِ

    He dispels every calamity that strikes; and amid

    the dust-clouds of every dread battle, he plunges deep.

  28. أَلفَوهُ مَخشِيَّ المَكائِدِ يُرتَجى

    لِشِفاءِ ما أَعيا مِنَ الأَمراضِ

    They found him feared for his stratagems, and looked to

    for curing illnesses that have defied treatment.

  29. مَلِكٌ يَبيتُ اّلوَفدُ مِن أَلطافِهِ

    وَنَداهُ بَينَ مَرابعٍ وَحِياضِ

    A king whose visitors spend the night, through his kindness

    and bounty, among spring pastures and watering pools.

  30. فَإِذا نَحاهُ المُعتَفونَ وَعَرَّسوا

    بِذَراهُ أَنقاضاً عَلى أَنقاضِ

    And when seekers of bounty approach him and halt for the night

    in his shelter, worn-out riders on worn-out beasts,

  31. رَحَلوا بِها مُغتَصَّةً أَنساعُها

    خِصباً وَكُنَّ حَوائِلَ الأَعراضِ

    they depart upon them, their girth-straps choked

    with abundance, though their flanks had been barren.

  32. في كَفِّهِ طَيّانُ أَرقَشُ لِلعِدى

    مِنهُ لِسانُ الحَيَّةِ النَضناضِ

    In his palm is a lean, speckled pen; for his foes,

    it bears the serpent's flickering tongue.

  33. ما أُنشِبَت في النائِباتِ نُيوبُهُ

    إِلّا أَرَتكَ بِها نُدوبَ عِضاضِ

    Never are its fangs sunk into calamities

    without showing you there the scars of bites.

  34. وَإِذا اِنتَضاهُ عَلى الخُطوبِ تَضاءَلَت

    بيضٌ بِأَيدي المُصلِتينَ مَواضِ

    And when he draws it against hardships, diminished are

    the keen white blades in the hands of those who bare them.

  35. مِن أَسهُمٍ بُرِيَت لِخَيرِ مُناضِلٍ

    كَفّاً وَخَيرِ كَنانَةٍ وَوِفاضِ

    One of the arrows shaped for the finest archer

    in skill of hand, and the finest quiver and arrow-cases.

  36. يُصمي بِهِ قَلبَ العَدُوِّ مُرامِياً

    مِن غَيرِ ما نَزعٍ وَلا إِنباضِ

    With it he mortally strikes the enemy's heart, shooting

    without any drawing of a bow or twanging of a string.

  37. يا طالِبي مَسعاهُ في طَلَبِ العُلى

    طاشَت سِهامُكُمُ عَنِ الأَعراضِ

    O you who seek his path in pursuit of eminence,

    your arrows have strayed from the targets.

  38. خَلّوا لَهُ طُرُقَ المَعالي وَاِفرِجوا

    لِمُدَرَّبٍ بِسُلوكِها مُرتاضِ

    Leave the paths of greatness to him, and make way

    for one practiced and trained in treading them.

  39. وَإِذا القُرومُ البُزلُ أَعياهُم تَوَ

    لُّجُها فَكَيفَ يُخاضُ بِاِبنِ مَخاضِ

    And if the great, mature camel-stallions are baffled at entering

    them, how can one venture through with a yearling camel?

  40. يا مُنهِضي حَتّى لَطِرتُ مُحَلِّقاً

    في عَصرِهِ بِجَناحَي المِنهاضِ

    O you who lifted me till I took flight, soaring

    in his time, on the two wings of the broken-winged!

  41. أَنهَضَتني مِن كَبوَةٍ لا تَملِكُ ال

    أَيّامُ مِن عَثَراتِها إِنهاضي

    You lifted me from a fall; the

    days cannot lift me from the stumbles they cause.

  42. أَحيَيتَ مَيتَ الجودِ يا اِبنَ مُحَمَّدٍ

    وَلقَدَ يُرى حَرَضاً مِنَ الأَحراضِ

    You revived generosity's corpse, O son of Muhammad,

    and it had indeed been seen as a wasted wreck among the wasted.

  43. فَأَصِخ لِنَظمِ لَآلِىءً قَذَفَت بِها

    أَصدافُها مِن زاخرٍ فَيّاضِ

    Then listen to a string of pearls cast forth

    by their shells from a surging, overflowing sea,

  44. مُتَأَرِّجاتٍ بِالثَناءِ كَأَنَّما

    حُمِّلنَ نَشرَ خَمائِلٍ وَرِياضِ

    fragrant with praise, as though

    they were laden with the scent of groves and gardens.

  45. عُفنَ المَوارِدَ عِفَّةً وَالشِعرُ قَد

    ذيدَت كَرائِمُهُ عَنِ الأَحواضِ

    They shunned the watering places out of self-respect; poetry, indeed,

    has had its noblest verses driven from the watering pools.

  46. يَأبى عَلى الخِلِّ المُواصِلِ عِطفُها

    تيهاً فَكَيفَ بِهاجِرٍ مِعراضِ

    They deny their favor even to the friend who stays close,

    out of pride—what then of one who forsakes and turns away?

  47. فَتَلَقَّ شَهرَكَ بِالقُبولِ مُهَيّاً

    بِلِباسِ إِقبالٍ عَليكَ مُفاضِ

    So welcome your month with favor, made ready

    in a robe of good fortune lavished upon you.

  48. لا زالَ بَحرُكَ بِالمَكارِمِ طامِياً

    وَسَحابُ جيدِكَ دائِمَ الإيماضِ

    May your sea ever surge with noble deeds,

    and may the cloud of your neck forever flash with lightning.