1. يَومَ الفِراقِ لَقَد خُلِقتَ طَويلا

    لَم تُبقِ لي جَلداً وَلا مَعقولا

    O day of parting, you were indeed created long.

    You have left me neither fortitude nor reason.

  2. لَو حارَ مُرتادُ المَنِيَّةِ لَم يُرِد

    إِلّا الفِراقَ عَلى النُفوسِ دَليلا

    If death's scout lost his way, he would seek nothing

    but parting as a guide to souls.

  3. قالوا الرَحيلُ فَما شَكَكتُ بِأَنَّها

    نَفسي عَنِ الدُنيا تُريدُ رَحيلا

    They said, ‘Departure!’—and I had no doubt that it was

    my soul that wished to leave this world.

  4. الصَبرُ أَجمَلُ غَيرَ أَن تَلَدُّداً

    في الحُبِّ أَحرى أَن يَكونَ جَميلا

    Patience is more beautiful; yet restless bewilderment

    in love has a better claim to beauty.

  5. أَتَظُنُّني أَجِدُ السَبيلَ إِلى العَزا

    وَجَدَ الحِمامُ إِذاً إِلَيَّ سَبيلا

    Do you think I can find a way to consolation?

    Then death would have found a way to me.

  6. رَدُّ الجَموحِ الصَعبِ أَسهَلُ مَطلَباً

    مِن رَدِّ دَمعٍ قَد أَصابَ مَسيلا

    Reining in a headstrong, unruly steed is an easier task

    than checking tears that have found a channel.

  7. ذَكَرَتكُمُ الأَنواءُ ذِكرِيَ بَعضَكُم

    فَبَكَت عَلَيكُم بُكرَةً وَأَصيلا

    The rain-bearing stars remembered you as I remembered some of you,

    and wept for you morning and evening.

  8. وَبِنَفسِيَ القَمَرُ الَّذي بِمُحَجَّرٍ

    أَمسى مَصوناً لِلنَوى مَبذولا

    And my life be ransom for the moon who, at Muhajjar,

    became guarded, yet given over to separation.

  9. إِنّي تَأَمَّلتُ النَوى فَوَجَدتُها

    سَيفاً عَلَيَّ مَعَ الهَوى مَسلولا

    Indeed, I pondered separation and found it

    a sword unsheathed against me, alongside love.

  10. لا تَأخُذيني بِالزَمانِ فَلَيسَ لي

    تَبَعاً وَلَستُ عَلى الزَمانِ كَفيلا

    Do not hold me accountable for Time, for it is not

    subject to me, nor am I Time's guarantor.

  11. مَن زاحَفَ الأَيّامَ ثُمَّ عَبا لَها

    غَيرَ القَناعَةِ لَم يَزَل مَفلولا

    Whoever battles the days and then musters against them

    anything but contentment will remain defeated.

  12. مَن كانَ مَرعى عَزمِهِ وَهُمومِهِ

    رَوضُ الأَماني لَم يَزَل مَهزولا

    He whose resolve and cares have as their pasture

    the meadow of wishes remains forever gaunt.

  13. لَو جازَ سُلطانُ القُنوعِ وَحُكمُهُ

    في الخَلقِ ما كانَ القَليلُ قَليلا

    If contentment's authority and rule prevailed

    among humankind, little would not be little.

  14. الرِزقُ لا تَكمَد عَلَيهِ فَإِنَّهُ

    يَأتي وَلَم تَبعَث إِلَيهِ رَسولا

    Do not grieve over sustenance, for it

    comes without your sending a messenger to it.

  15. لِلَّهِ دَرُّكِ أَيُّ مَعبَرِ قَفرَةٍ

    لا يوحِشُ اِبنَ البَيضَةِ الإِجفيلا

    God bless you—what a mount for crossing a desert waste,

    one that does not alarm the egg's skittish son—the ostrich!

  16. بِنتُ الفَضاءِ مَتى تَخِد بِكَ لا تَدَع

    في الصَدرِ مِنكَ عَلى الفَلاةِ غَليلا

    The daughter of the open expanse, whenever she bears you swiftly, leaves

    no burning resentment against the desert in your breast.

  17. أَوَ ما تَراها ما تَراها هِزَّةً

    تَشأى العُيونَ تَعَجرُفاً وَذَميلا

    And do you not see her, whenever you see her, as a surge

    that outstrips the eyes with headlong force and a swift trot?

  18. لَو كانَ كَلَّفَها عُبَيدٌ حاجَةً

    يَوماً لَأُنسِيَ شَدقَماً وَجَديلا

    If Ubayd had charged her with an errand

    one day, he would have been made to forget Shadqam and Jadil.

  19. بِالسَكسَكِيِّ الماتِعِيِّ تَمَتَّعَت

    هِمَمٌ ثَنَت طَرفَ الزَمانِ كَليلا

    Through al-Saksaki al-Mati'i were gratified

    aspirations that turned Time's gaze back, weary.

  20. لا تَدعُوَن نوحَ بنَ عَمرٍو دَعوَةً

    لِلخَطبِ إِلّا أَن يَكونَ جَليلا

    Never summon Nuh son of Amr

    for a calamity unless it is momentous.

  21. يَقِظٌ إِذا ما المُشكِلاتُ عَرَونَهُ

    أَلفَينَهُ المُتَبَسِّمَ البُهلولا

    Vigilant: whenever difficult matters beset him,

    they find him smiling and magnanimous.

  22. ما زالَ يُبرِمُهُنَّ حَتّى إِنَّهُ

    لَيُقالُ ما خَلَقَ الإِلَهُ سَحيلا

    He has kept twisting them tight, until indeed

    it is said, ‘God created no single-stranded cord.’

  23. ثَبتُ المَقامِ يَرى القَبيلَةَ واحِداً

    وَيُرى فَيَحسَبُهُ القَبيلُ قَبيلا

    Firm in his stance, he sees a tribe as one man;

    and when seen, the tribe reckons him a whole tribe.

  24. كَم وَقعَةٍ لَكَ في المَكارِمِ فَخمَةٍ

    غادَرتَ فيها ما مَلَكتَ قَتيلا

    How many a mighty battle is yours in noble deeds,

    in which you left all you owned slain!

  25. أَوطَأتَ أَرضَ البُخلِ فيها غارَةً

    تَرَكَت حُزونَ الحادِثاتِ سُهولا

    There you made a raid trample the land of stinginess,

    leaving the rugged ground of misfortunes as plains.

  26. فَرَأَيتَ أَكثَرَ ما حَبَوتَ مِنَ اللُهى

    نَزراً وَأَصغَرَ ما شُكِرتَ جَزيلا

    So you deemed the greatest gifts you bestowed

    scant, and the slightest thanks you received abundant.

  27. لَم يَتَّرِك في المَجدِ مَن جَعَلَ النَدى

    في مالِهِ لِلمُعتَفينَ وَكيلا

    He has left nothing undone for glory who makes generosity

    a steward over his wealth for those seeking gifts.

  28. أَوَلَيسَ عَمرٌو بَثَّ في الناسِ النَدى

    حَتّى اِشتَهَينا أَن نُصيبَ بَخيلا

    And has not Amr spread generosity among people

    until we longed to come across a miser?

  29. أُشدُد يَدَيكَ بِحَبلِ نوحٍ مُعصِماً

    تَلقاهُ حَبلاً بِالنَدى مَوصولا

    Clasp Nuh's rope with both hands, holding fast;

    you will find it a rope joined to generosity.

  30. ذاكَ الَّذي إِن كانَ خِلَّكَ لَم تَقُل

    يا لَيتَني لَم أَتَّخِذهُ خَليلا

    That is the man—if he is your close friend, you will never say,

    ‘Oh, would that I had not taken him as a close friend!’