1. يا هَذِهِ أَقصِري ما هَذِهِ بَشَرُ

    وَلا الخَرائِدُ مِن أَترابِها الأُخَرُ

    O you, desist: this woman is no human being,

    Nor are the other secluded maidens of her age human.

  2. خَرَجنَ في خُضرَةٍ كَالرَوضِ لَيسَ لَها

    إِلّا الحُلِيَّ عَلى أَعناقِها زَهَرُ

    They came forth in green, like a garden with no

    Flowers but the jewels upon their necks.

  3. بِدُرَّةٍ حَفَّها مِن حَولِها دُرَرٌ

    أَرضى غَرامِيَ فيها دَمعِيَ الدِرَرُ

    With a pearl encircled all around by pearls;

    My copious tears appeased my passion for her.

  4. رِيَمٌ أَبَت أَن يَريمَ الحُزنُ لي جَلَداً

    وَالعَينُ عَينٌ بِماءِ الشَوقِ تَبتَدِرُ

    Gazelles who would not let sorrow leave me any fortitude,

    And the eye is a spring, gushing with longing's water.

  5. صَبَّ الشَبابُ عَلَيها وَهوَ مُقتَبَلٌ

    ماءً مِنَ الحُسنِ ما في صَفوِهِ كَدَرُ

    Youth, in its first bloom, poured upon her

    Water of beauty, with no cloudiness in its clarity.

  6. لَولا العُيونُ وَتُفّاحُ الخُدودِ إِذاً

    ما كانَ يَحسُدُ أَعمى مَن لَهُ بَصَرُ

    Were it not for eyes and the apples of cheeks,

    No blind man would envy someone with sight.

  7. حُيّيتَ مِن طَلَلٍ لَم تُبقِ لي طَلَلاً

    إِلّا وَفيهِ أَسىً تَرشيحُهُ الذِكرُ

    Greetings, O ruin! You left no remnant of me

    Without sorrow nourished by remembrance.

  8. قالوا أَتَبكي عَلى رَسمٍ فَقُلتُ لَهُم

    مَن فاتَهُ العَينُ هَدّى شَوقَهُ الأَثَرُ

    They said, 'Do you weep over a trace?' So I said to them:

    For one denied the beloved herself, her trace guides his longing.

  9. إِنَّ الكِرامَ كَثيرٌ في البِلادِ وَإِن

    قَلّوا كَما غَيرُهُم قُلٌّ وَإِن كَثَروا

    Indeed, the noble are many in the land, even if

    They are few, just as others are few, even if numerous.

  10. لا يَدهَمَنَّكَ مِن دَهمائِهِم عَدَدٌ

    فَإِنَّ جُلَّهُمُ بَل كُلَّهُم بَقَرُ

    Let no multitude from their rabble overwhelm you;

    For most of them—indeed, all of them—are cattle.

  11. وَكُلَّما أَمسَتِ الأَخطارُ بَينَهُمُ

    هَلكى تَبَيَّنَ مَن أَمسى لَهُ خَطَرُ

    And whenever distinctions among them lie

    Dead, it becomes clear who still has standing.

  12. لَو لَم تُصادِف شِياتُ البُهمِ أَكثَرَ ما

    في الخَيلِ لَم تُحمَدِ الأَوضاحُ وَالغُرَرُ

    Had unmarked coats not characterized most

    Of the horses, white markings and forehead blazes would not be praised.

  13. نِعمَ الفَتى عُمَرٌ في كُلِّ نائِبَةٍ

    نابَت وَقَلَّت لَهُ نِعمَ الفَتى عُمَرُ

    What a fine young man is Umar in every calamity

    That strikes and proves slight to him—what a fine young man is Umar!

  14. يُعطي وَيَحمَدُ مَن يَأتيهِ يَحمَدُهُ

    فَشُكرُهُ عِوَضٌ وَمالُهُ هَدَرُ

    He gives, and praises whoever comes to him praising him;

    So his thanks are recompense, while his wealth is given without return.

  15. مُجَرِّدٌ سَيفَ رَأيٍ مِن عَزيمَتِهِ

    لِلدَهرِ صَيقَلُهُ الإِطراقُ وَالفِكَرُ

    He draws from his resolve a sword of judgment

    Against Time, polished by bowed-head contemplation and thought;

  16. عَضباً إِذا سَلَّهُ في وَجهِ نائِبَةٍ

    جاءَت إِلَيهِ بِناتُ الدَهرِ تَعتَذِرُ

    Keen-edged: when he draws it in the face of a calamity,

    The daughters of Time come to him apologizing.

  17. وَسائِلٍ عَن أَبي حَفصٍ فَقُلتُ لَهُ

    أَمسِك عِنانَكَ عَنهُ إِنَّهُ القَدَرُ

    And to one who asked about Abu Hafs, I said:

    Hold back your reins from him: he is Fate.

  18. هُوَ الهُمامُ هُوَ الصابُ المُريحُ هُوَ ال

    حَتفُ الوَحِيُّ هُوَ الصَمّامَةُ الذَكَرُ

    He is the great-hearted hero, he is the deadly bitter sap, he is the

    Swift death; he is the unbending, hard-tempered sword.

  19. فَتىً تَراهُ فَتَنفي العُسرَ غُرَّتُهُ

    يُمناً وَيَنبُعُ مِن أَسرارِها اليُسُرُ

    A young man whose radiant brow, when you see him, banishes hardship

    By its auspiciousness, while ease springs from its lines.

  20. فِدىً لَهُ مُقشَعِرٌّ حينَ تَسأَلُهُ

    خَوفَ السُؤالِ كَأَن في جِلدِهِ وَبَرُ

    May one who bristles when you ask him be his ransom,

    For fear of the request, as though his skin bore fur.

  21. أَنّى تُرى عاطِلاً مِن حَليِ مُكرَمَةٍ

    وَكُلَّ يَومٍ تُرى في مالِكَ الغِيَرُ

    How could you be seen without the adornment of a noble deed,

    When each day sees changes in your wealth?

  22. لِلَّهِ دَرُّ بَني عَبدِ العَزيزِ فَكَم

    أَردوا عَزيزَ عِدىً في خَدِّهِ صَعَرُ

    God bless the sons of Abd al-Aziz! How many

    Mighty foes with pride-tilted cheeks have they slain!

  23. تُتلى وَصايا المَعالي بَينَ أَظهُرِهِم

    حَتّى لَقَد ظَنَّ قَومٌ أَنَّها سُوَرُ

    The precepts of high virtues are recited in their midst,

    So much that some have thought them Qur'anic chapters.

  24. يا لَيتَ شِعرِيَ مَن هاتا مَآثِرُهُ

    ماذا الَّذي بِبُلوغِ النَجمِ يَنتَظِرُ

    Oh, would that I knew: a man whose glorious deeds are these—

    What is he waiting for before reaching the star?

  25. بِالشِعرِ طولٌ إِذا اِصطَكَّت قَصائِدُهُ

    في مَعشَرٍ وَبِهِ عَن مَعشَرٍ قِصَرُ

    Poetry has reach when its odes clash

    Among one people, yet falls short of another.

  26. سافِر بِطَرفِكَ في أَقصى مَكارِمِنا

    إِن لَم يَكُن لَكَ في تَأسيسِها سَفَرُ

    Travel with your gaze to the furthest reaches of our noble deeds,

    If you have made no journey in laying their foundations.

  27. هَل أَورَقَ المَجدَ إِلّا في بَني أُدَدٍ

    أَوِ اِجتُنِيَ مِنهُ لَولا طَيِّىءٌ ثَمَرُ

    Did glory put forth leaves except among the sons of Udad,

    Or, without Tayy, was any fruit gathered from it?

  28. لَولا أَحاديثُ بَقَّتها مَآثِرُنا

    مِنَ النَدى وَالرَدى لَم يُعجِب السَمَرُ

    Were it not for tales spread abroad by our glorious deeds

    Of bounty and death, evening conversation would have no charm.