1. هَل ليمَ نَضوُ صَبابَةٍ فَأَفاقا

    أَم سيمَ صَبراً في الهَوى فَأَطاقا

    Has one wasted by longing ever been reproached and come to his senses?

    Or was patience in love demanded of him, and could he bear it?

  2. ما أَتعَبَ اللُوّامَ إن مَلَكَ الهَوى

    رِقَّ القُلوبِ وَطَوَّقَ الأَعناقا

    How weary the reproachers are when love holds

    Hearts in bondage and collars their necks!

  3. حَشَدوا المَلاوِمَ وَاِنبَرى بِلِوائِهِ

    يُزجي العُهودَ وَيَحشُدُ الأَشواقا

    They mustered reproaches; he stepped forth with his banner,

    Urging pledges onward and mustering longings.

  4. أَولى الفَوارِس بِاللِواءِ مُجاهِدٌ

    يُردي الوُشاةَ وَيَنصُرُ العُشّاقا

    The knight most worthy of the banner is a warrior

    Who strikes down slanderers and champions lovers.

  5. عَرَفَالهَوى حَرباً فَكَرَّ مُغامِراً

    فيهِ وَراحَ مُبادِراً سَبّاقا

    He knew love as war and charged, daring all,

    Into it, setting forth swiftly and taking the lead.

  6. مَنَعَ الذِمارَ مَنازِلاً وَأَحِبَّةً

    وَحَمى الحَقيقَةَ جيرَةً وَرِفاقا

    He defended his sacred charge: homes and loved ones,

    And guarded those owed protection: neighbors and companions.

  7. طُف بِالحُماةِ فَهَل تَرى ذا نَجدَةٍ

    إِلّا بِحَيثُ تَرى الدَمَ المُهراقا

    Go among the defenders: do you see a man of valor

    Except where you see blood spilled?

  8. وَالمَجدُ يَعرِفُهُ بِطيبِ مَذاقِهِ

    مَن يَستَطيبُ المَوتَ فيهِ مَذاقا

    And glory's sweet savor is known to the one

    Who finds death for its sake sweet to taste.

  9. وَأَرى العُلى تَأبى عَلى خُطّابِها

    حَتّى يَكونَ لَه النُفوسُ صَداقا

    And I see high glory refusing its suitors

    Until souls become its bridal dower.

  10. لَيسَ الَّذي أَخَذَ الحَياةَ بِحَقِّها

    مِثلَ الَّذي أَخَذَ الحَياةَ نِفاقا

    He who lives life as it ought to be lived is not

    Like him who lives life through hypocrisy.

  11. يُزجي التَصَنُّعَ وَالرِياءَ بِضاعَةً

    تُغري التِجارَ وَتَزدَهي الأَسواقا

    He peddles affectation and ostentation as merchandise

    That tempts merchants and dazzles markets.

  12. حَتّى إِذا وَضَحَ اليَقينُ تَسَلَّلوا

    عُصَباً تَروعُ العاصِفاتِ إِباقا

    Until, when the truth is clear, they slink away

    In bands, terrifying the storm winds with their flight.

  13. إِنَّ الغِوايَةَ لِلرِجالِ تِجارَةً

    تَلِدُ البَوارَ وَتورِثُ الإِخفاقا

    Indeed, waywardness is a trade for men

    That breeds ruin and bequeaths failure.

  14. وَلَقَد رَأَيتُ فَما رَأَيتُ كَمُدَّعٍ

    يَرجو بِأَحرارِ الرِجالِ لَحاقا

    And indeed I have seen, but never seen the like of a pretender

    Who hopes to catch up with free men.

  15. يَنسى أَباهُ وَلَو يُطاوِعهُ الثَرى

    لَسَعى إِلى ساداتِهِ مُشتاقا

    He forgets his father; were the earth to obey him,

    He would hasten to his masters, full of longing.

  16. يَأتي وَيَذهَبُ في ظِلالِ قُصورِهِم

    لا يَشتَكي عَنَتاً وَلا إِرهاقا

    He comes and goes in the shade of their palaces,

    Complaining of neither hardship nor exhaustion.

  17. لَيسوا كَمَن مَلَكَ النُفوسَ فَسامَها

    سوءَ العَذابِ وَغالَها اِستِرقاقا

    They are not like one who owned souls and subjected them

    To dreadful torment, destroying them through enslavement.

  18. هَزَّ الجَناحَ يُريدُ دارَةَ قَشعَمٍ

    مَلَكَ الجِواءَ وَظَلَّلَ الآفاقا

    He shook his wing, seeking Qashʿam's abode;

    He ruled the open sky and overshadowed the horizons.

  19. تَدَعُ النُسورُ لَهُ بَعيدَ مَطارِها

    وَتَحيدُ عَن هَبَواتِهِ إِشفاقا

    The vultures yield him their farthest reaches of flight,

    And veer from his dust clouds in fear.

  20. اللَهُ بارَكَ في البُناةِ فَزادَهُم

    مَجداً وَزادَ جَلالَهُم إِشراقا

    God blessed the builders, bestowing on them more

    Glory, and adding radiance to their majesty.

  21. مِن كُلِّ مِقدامٍ يُقيمُ لِجيلِهِ

    شَرَفاً يَمُدُّ عَلى النُجومَ رُواقا

    Each a bold man who raises for his generation

    Honor that spreads a canopy above the stars.

  22. وَلَرُبَّ مَغلولِ العَزيمَةِ يَشتَكي

    في كُلِّ عِضوٍ رِبقَةً وَوثاقا

    And many a man with fettered resolve complains

    Of a tether and a binding cord on every limb.

  23. لا يَستَطيعُ سِوى المَقالِ وَلا يَرى

    أَحَدٌ بِما يَهذي بِهِ مِصداقا

    He can do nothing but talk, and no one sees

    Any proof in what he babbles.

  24. أَسدى وَشَيَّدَ ما اِستَطاعَ وَإِنَّما

    أَسدى المِدادَ وَشَيَّدَ الأَوراقا

    He gave and built as much as he could, but all he did

    Was give ink and build up sheets of paper.

  25. في كُلِّ حَرفٍ مَسجدٌ أَو مَلجَأٌ

    يُعيي الدُهاةَ وَيُعجِزُ الحُذّاقا

    In every letter is a mosque or a refuge

    That wearies the shrewd and defeats the skilled.

  26. لَو شاءَ لِلسَبعِ الطِباقِ زِيادَةً

    لَأَقامَ عَشراً فَوقَهُنَّ طِباقا

    If he wished to add to the seven layered heavens,

    He would raise ten more tiers above them.

  27. لَيسَ الأُلى حَمَلوا النُفوسَ كَريمَةً

    مِثلَ الأُلى حَمَلوا الوُجوهَ صِفاقا

    Those who bear noble souls are not

    Like those who bear brazen faces.

  28. وُدُّ البِلادِ لِمَن يَقومُ بِحَقِّها

    وَلِمَن يُقيمُ لِقَومِهِ الأَخلاقا

    The homeland's affection belongs to whoever upholds its rights,

    And to whoever establishes virtue for his people.