1. يَا بُدوراً لَسْتُ عَنْهَا بِصَاحْ

    مَا لِقَلْبِي عن هَواكُمْ بَراحْ

    O full moons, I am intoxicated by you!

    My heart has no escape from love of you.

  2. آهِ مِنْ وَجْدِي مِنْ بَعْدِكُمْ

    آهِ رَوْحُ الْمُسْطَلِي بِانْتِزاحْ

    Ah, my anguish since you departed!

    'Ah' is solace for one burning in separation.

  3. فَوَمَا أَسْأَرْتُمُ فِي الْحَشَا

    إِذْ سَقَانَا الوُدُّ رَاحاً بِراحْ

    So, by what you left in my breast,

    when affection served us wine by hand,

  4. مِنْ هَوَى نَمَّتْ بِهِ أَدْمُعِي

    إِذْ وَشَى شَوْقِي بِوَجْدِي وَبَاحْ

    of passion betrayed by my tears,

    when my longing revealed my anguish and spoke out,

  5. مَا رَضِيتُ مِنْ لَدُنْ أَرْقَلَتْ

    بِي النَّوَى شَيْئاً يَسُرُّ الَّلوَاحْ

    I have not accepted, since I was hurried away

    by separation, anything that pleases reproachers.

  6. وَفُؤَادِي مِنْ لَدُنْ بِنْتُمُ

    فِي اغْتِبَاقٍ بِالْجَوَى وَاصْطِبَاحْ

    And my heart, ever since you departed,

    drinks burning grief at dusk and dawn.

  7. وَعَذُولِي عَذْلُهُ ضَائِعٌ

    مِثْلَ مَا ضَاعَ سِرَاجُ الصَّباحْ

    And my reproacher's reproach is wasted,

    like a lamp wasted in daylight.

  8. أَأُطِيعُ عاذِلاً فِي هَوَى

    مَنْ أَنَا مِنْ حُبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ صَاحْ

    Should I obey a reproacher in my love

    for those whose love leaves me anything but sober?

  9. لاَ وَهَذَا الْحَبْرِ مَنْ أنْجَبَتْ

    بِمَعَالِيهِ سُرَاةٌ صِبَاحْ

    No, by this scholar, nobly begotten

    with his lofty virtues by fair-faced nobles:

  10. فَغَذَاهُ الفَضْلُ ذَرَّ السَّمَاحْ

    وَسَقَاهُ الْحِلْمُ رَاحَ الفَلاَحْ

    so excellence fed him the fine grains of generosity,

    and forbearance poured him the wine of success.

  11. شَيْخُنَا الكَمَّادُ مَنْ ذِهْنُهُ

    حمَلَتْ مِنْهُ الْمَعَانِي السِّلاحْ

    Our shaykh al-Kammad, from whose mind

    meanings have taken up arms.

  12. الْهُمَامُ الْبَرُّ مَنْ أَشْرَقَتْ

    بِسَنَا عِلْمِهِ دُهْمُ النَّوَاحْ

    The valiant, virtuous man, through whom were illumined

    the dark regions, by the radiance of his knowledge.

  13. نَشَرَتْ هِمَّتُهُ فُوْقَهُ

    رَايَةَ الْمَجْدِ الصَّمِيمِ الصُِّراحْ

    His high resolve unfurled above him

    the banner of pure, unalloyed glory.

  14. وَالْعُلاَ أَلْقَتْ عَلَيْهِ مُلىً

    نَسَجَتْهَا بِيَمِينِ النَّجاحْ

    And eminence cast mantles upon him,

    woven with the right hand of success.

  15. وَالْهُدَى أَصْلَتَ مِنْ فَهْمِهِ

    بِيَمِينِ الْيُمْنِ أَمْضَى الصِّفَاحْ

    And guidance unsheathed from his understanding,

    with good fortune's right hand, the sharpest blades.

  16. فَغَدَا السَّعْدُ به فِي ارْتِيَاحْ

    وَغَدَا الْوَجْدُ به فِي انْزِيَاحْ

    So good fortune found delight through him,

    and anguish, through him, was driven away.

  17. فَاقَ مَا تُبْدِيهِ أَقْلاَمُهُ

    أثَرَ الْبِيضِ وَسُمْرَ الرِّمَاحْ

    What his pens reveal surpasses

    the impact of white swords and brown-shafted spears.

  18. فَاضِلٌ تُنْسِيكَ أَخْلاَقُهُ

    خُلُقَ الرَّوْضِ الأَنِيقِ الْبِطَاحْ

    A virtuous man, whose character makes you forget

    the grace of lovely meadows across the plains.

  19. وَجْهُهُ يَبْرُقُ مِنْ بِشْرِهِ

    مِثْلَ مَا حَيَّتْكَ خَوْدٌ رَدَاحْ

    His face gleams with his cheerfulness,

    as when a full-figured maiden greets you.

  20. قُلْ لِمَنْ قَدْ لَجَّ فِي مَدْحِهِ

    وَهَدِيلُ الْوُرْقِ غَيْرُ النُّبَاحْ

    Say to whoever has persisted in praising him—

    and the cooing of gray doves is not barking—

  21. مَنْ يَرُمْ يَحْصُرُ أَمْدَاحَهُ

    حَلَّ فِي لُجَّةٍ عِيٍّ بَوَاحْ

    whoever seeks to encompass his praises

    finds himself in a deep sea of manifest inarticulacy.

  22. أيَفَيِ شِعْرٌ بِمَدْحِ امْرِئٍ

    حَازَ عِلْماً ضَاقَ عَنْهُ الْبَرَاحْ

    Can poetry do justice to the praise of a man

    who gained knowledge too vast for open space?

  23. سَعِدَتْ كُتْبُ الْبُخَارِي بِهِ

    مُذْ غَدَا يُبْدِي سَنَاهَا وَراحْ

    Al-Bukhari's books rejoiced in him,

    since he revealed their radiance, morning and evening.

  24. فَا لصَّحِيحُ نَشْرُهُ عَاطِرٌ

    ضَاعَ يَوْمَ الْخَتْمِ مِسْكًا وَفاحْ

    So the Sahih's fragrance is sweet;

    on the day of completion it spread like musk and perfumed the air.

  25. بَسَمَتْ غُرُّ أَحَادِيثِهِ

    عَنْ وُضُوحٍ كَابْتِسَامِ الصَّبَاحْ

    Its radiant hadiths smiled,

    revealing clarity like the smile of morning.

  26. لاَ تَزَلْ تُبْرِزُ أَسْرَارَهُ

    كَالصَّبَا تُذْكِي أَرِيجَ الأَقَاحْ

    May you never cease unveiling its secrets,

    like the east breeze kindling the fragrance of chrysanthemums.

  27. وَشَذَا مَدْحِكُمْ فَائِحٌ

    مَا هَمَى مُزْنٌ وَهَبَّتْ رِيَاحْ

    And the fragrance of praise for you shall waft

    as long as rain clouds pour and winds blow.