1. يَميناً بما في مُقلتَيكَ مِنَ السِحرِ

    وبالصُدغِ والطَرفِ الكَحِيلِ وبالنَحرِ

    I swear by the magic in your eyes,

    and by your sidelock, your kohl-dark eye, and your throat,

  2. وبالجِيدِ والخدِّ الأسِيل المُورَّدِ

    وبالمَبسَمِ الصافي وما فيه من خَمرِ

    and by your neck and your smooth, rose-tinted cheek,

    and by your pure smiling mouth and the wine it holds,

  3. وبالسَاقِ والشَعرِ الأَثيثِ المُعثكَلِ

    وبالرِدفِ والنَهدينِ أيضاً وبالخَصرِ

    and by your leg and your thick hair hanging in clusters,

    and by your buttocks, your two breasts too, and your waist,

  4. عَلى أَنَّني ما خُنتُ عهدَكِ في الهَوى

    ولا حُلتُ عن حِفظ الموَدَّةِ والسِرِّ

    that I have not betrayed your pledge in love,

    nor turned from preserving affection and the secret.

  5. ولكنَّما عَهدي كَما تعهَدينَهُ

    وَثِيقٌ بأنواعِ التَجلُّدِ والصَبرِ

    Rather, my pledge remains as you know it:

    firm through all forms of fortitude and patience.

  6. سأحفَظُ ما قد كانَ بيني وبينَها

    وأُخفيهِ لا أُبدِيهِ لو كنتُ في قَبري

    I shall preserve what once was between her and me,

    and conceal it, never reveal it, even were I in my grave.

  7. أقولُ لها لمّا التقينا عشيَّةً

    وحفَّت بنا أيدِي التَهاني والبِشر

    I said to her when we met one evening,

    and hands of congratulation and gladness surrounded us,

  8. وبتُّ وباتَت نقطفُ الأُنسَ بينَنا

    وقد غابَتِ الحُسَّادُ عنَّا أُلِي الشَرِّ

    and she and I spent the night plucking the joys of companionship,

    while the envious, those possessed of evil, were away from us,

  9. وعانقتُ مِنها ناعمَ الغُصنِ راشِفاً

    من الثَغرِ أَحلى من مُعتَّقةِ الخمرِ

    and I embraced her supple bough, sipping

    from her lips something sweeter than aged wine,

  10. وقبَّلتُ خدّاً يفضحُ الوَردَ لونُهُ

    وشاهَدتُ منها النُورَ يَحكي سَنا الفجرِ

    and kissed a cheek whose color shames the rose,

    and saw her light resemble the radiance of dawn:

  11. أَيا جنَّةَ الدُنيا ويا غايةَ المُنى

    ويا بهجَةَ الأيام يا زينَةَ الدهرِ

    O paradise of this world, O ultimate goal of desire,

    O joy of the days, O adornment of time,

  12. سألتُكِ أن لا تنقُضِي العهد بينَنا

    ولا تُبدِلِي منكِ التَواصُلَ بالهَجرِ

    I asked you not to break the pledge between us,

    nor replace your companionship with estrangement,

  13. ولكن صِلِيني والزمانُ مُساعِدٌ

    وما دامت الأيامُ طَوعِي وَفِي أَمري

    but stay close to me while time is favorable,

    and while the days remain obedient to me and under my command.

  14. وإِلا عِدِينيهِ وإن شئتِ فامطُلِي

    بإِنجازِهِ إنّي قَنوعٌ أَخُو شُكرِ

    Otherwise, promise it to me, and if you wish, delay

    its fulfillment; I am content with little, a man of gratitude.

  15. فقالت تَطِب نَفساً إذن سوفَ نَلتَقي

    ونُبدِلُ ذاكَ العُسرَ لا شكَّ باليُسرِ

    She said: Be at ease; then we shall meet,

    and surely replace that hardship with ease.

  16. فَما كانَ من هذا سوى الهجرِ والقِلى

    وإِبدالِ حُلوِ العيشِ يا صاحِ بالمُرِّ

    Yet nothing came of this but estrangement and aversion,

    and the exchange of life's sweetness, my friend, for bitterness.

  17. فيا راكباً باللَهِ عنّي تحمَّلَن

    سلاماً زكيّاً صافياً طيِّبَ النَشرِ

    So, O rider, by God, carry on my behalf

    a pure, sincere greeting, sweet in fragrance,

  18. إلى من رَقى في المجدِ أرفَعَ غايةٍ

    وَسادَ بسبقٍ في المعالِي بَنِي الدهرِ

    to him who rose to the loftiest height of glory,

    and led the sons of time, foremost in noble attainments:

  19. خليليَ إبراهيمُ نجلُ محمَّدٍ

    عزيزٌ عظيمُ القَدرِ وَالجاهِ ذو بشرِ

    my dear friend Ibrahim, son of Muhammad,

    mighty, great in worth and standing, a man of cheer.

  20. عزيزٌ يُجيرُ المستجيرَ إذا أتى

    وحفَّت بنا أيدي التَهاني بالنَصرِ

    Mighty, he shelters the seeker of refuge when he comes,

    and hands of congratulation surrounded us with victory.

  21. مَهيبٌ تخالُ الصِيدَ في الحربِ عِندهُ

    عليهِم جَلاليبُ المَذلَّةِ والذُعرِ

    Awe-inspiring—you would think the proud chiefs before him in war

    wore robes of humiliation and terror.

  22. عزيزٌ كريمٌ ساد طُرّاً ذَوي العلا

    وحازَ النَدى إذ كفُّهُ زاخِرُ البَحرَ

    Mighty and generous, he surpassed all those of high rank,

    and attained munificence, for his palm is a surging sea.

  23. أيا سيِّدي قَد فَرَّقَ الدهرُ بيننا

    فأَوقَدَ ناراً في فُؤادِيَ كَالجَمرِ

    O my master, time has parted us,

    and kindled in my heart a fire like glowing embers.

  24. فَلِلَّهِ ما أحلى لياليَ قُربنا

    فيا ليتَها دامَت إلى مُنتَهى عُمرِي

    By God, how sweet were the nights of our closeness!

    Would that they had lasted until the end of my life!

  25. ويا ليتَ طِيبَ الوصلِ يرجِعُ ثانياً

    إِليَّ فإِنّي ذو اشتياقٍ أخُو فِكرِ

    Would that the sweetness of union might return once more

    to me, for I am full of longing, a man of thought.

  26. وخُذ هاكَ من مُضنىً مَشُوقٍ قصيدةً

    وأسبِل عليها السِترَ يا واسِع السَترِ

    And take this poem from one worn out and yearning,

    and cast a veil over it, O you who conceal so generously.

  27. عليكَ سلامي عدَّ ما لاحَ بارقٌ

    وما غنَّت الورقاءُ شَوقاً إِلى الوَكرِ

    My greeting be upon you as often as lightning flashes,

    and as often as the gray dove sings in longing for its nest,

  28. وما حنَّ للحبِّ الحبيبُ بِلَوعَةٍ

    وَما أسفَرَ الغِربيبُ من طلعةِ البدرِ

    and as often as the beloved yearns for love in anguish,

    and as often as pitch-darkness brightens at the full moon's appearance.

  29. ولا زالَ ربّي ذو الجلالِ تكَرُّماً

    يولِّيكَ بالحُسنى وَيكلاكَ من ضُرِّ

    And may my Lord, the Possessor of Majesty, generously continue

    to favor you with goodness and guard you from harm.

  30. وصلّى إِلهِي ذو الجلالِ مسلِّماً

    على أحمدَ المبعوثِ بالنَهي والأمرِ

    And may my God, the Possessor of Majesty, bestow blessings and peace

    upon Ahmad, sent with prohibitions and commands,

  31. وأصحابِهِ مَن قد أهانوا ودمَّرُوا

    بصَولتِهم دينَ البُغاةِ ذَوِي الكفرِ

    and his companions, who humbled and destroyed

    with their onslaught, the religion of the rebellious unbelievers.