1. غَشيتُ دِيارَها مِن بَعدِ عَشرِ

    فَهَيَّجَتِ الرُسومُ غَليلَ صَدري

    I visited her dwellings after ten years,

    and the traces stirred the burning longing in my breast.

  2. لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ ما وَجدي بِسَلمى

    وَلا وَجدُ الدِيارِ بِمُستَقِرِّ

    By your father's life, neither my longing for Salma

    nor my longing for the dwellings comes to rest.

  3. هَوىً كَالدَهرِ لَيسَ لَهُ اِنقِضاءٌ

    وَكَالقَدرِ المُرَوِّعِ حينَ يَجري

    A love like time itself, with no end,

    and like terrifying fate when it unfolds.

  4. وَما عاهَدتُ مَن أَهواهُ حَتّى

    وَفَيتُ بِعَهدِهِ وَقَضيتُ نَذري

    No sooner did I pledge myself to one I love than

    I honored his covenant and fulfilled my vow.

  5. وَبَعضُ الناسِ يَذكُرُ ثُمَّ يَنسى

    وَمالي غَيرُ ذِكرٍ بَعدَ ذِكرِ

    Some people remember, then forget,

    but I have nothing but remembrance after remembrance.

  6. أَصونُ أَحِبَّتي ما الحُبُّ إِلّا

    أَمانَةُ فاضِلٍ وَوَفاءُ حُرِّ

    I guard my loved ones; love is nothing but

    the trustworthiness of the virtuous and the fidelity of the free.

  7. إِذا مَكَرَ المُخاتِلُ قُلت قَلبي

    أُعيذُكَ مِن مُخاتَلَةٍ وَمَكرِ

    When the deceiver plots, I say: 'My heart,

    I seek protection for you from deceit and guile.'

  8. وَيا نَفسي الوَفِيَّةُ لا تَكوني

    مِراحَ خِيانَةٍ وَمَسيلَ غَدرِ

    And O my faithful soul, do not become

    a pasture for treachery and a channel for betrayal.

  9. بِنَفسِكَ فَاِحتَفِظ إِن كُنتَ حُرّاً

    وَعَقلَكَ فَاِستَشِر في كُلِّ أَمرِ

    Take care of yourself, if you are free,

    and consult your reason in every matter.

  10. وَحَقِّ سِواكَ فَاِرعَ وَلا تَخُنهُ

    وَحَقَّكَ لا تَدَعهُ تُقاةَ شَرِّ

    Respect another's right, and do not betray it;

    and do not abandon your own right for fear of harm.

  11. وَما لِلمَرءِ حينَ يُضامُ بُدٌّ

    مِنَ الصَمصامِ وَالفَرَسِ الطِمِرِّ

    When a person is wronged, there is no choice

    but the keen sword and the bounding horse.

  12. وَتارِكُ حَقِّهِ مِن غَيرِ حَربٍ

    كَتارِكِ عِرضِهِ مِن غَيرِ عُذرِ

    One who abandons his right without a fight

    is like one who abandons his honor without excuse.

  13. رَأَينا الحاكِمينَ فَما رَأَينا

    حُكومَةَ صالِحٍ وَقَضاءَ بَرِّ

    We have seen the rulers, yet we have not seen

    a righteous person's rule or an upright person's judgment.

  14. لِحُكمِ الجاهِلِيَّةِ في بَنيها

    عَلى ما فيهِ مِن عَنَتٍ وَضُرِّ

    The rule of the Age of Ignorance among its sons,

    despite the hardship and harm within it,

  15. أَخَفُّ أَذىً وَأَقرَبُ مِن رَشادٍ

    وَأَبعَدُ عَن مُماحَكَةٍ وَنُكرِ

    is less harmful and closer to sound guidance,

    and further from wrangling and wrongdoing.

  16. أَلَم تَرَ كَيفَ صارَ البَغيُ ديناً

    لِكُلِّ حُكومَةٍ وَبِكُلِّ مِصرِ

    Have you not seen how oppression has become a creed

    for every government and in every city?

  17. مَضى الحُنَفاءُ في العُصُرِ الخَوالي

    فَهاتِ حَديثَهُم إِن كُنتَ تَدري

    The upright believers departed in bygone ages;

    so tell their story, if you know it.

  18. وَقِف بي في طُلولِ الشَرقِ وَاِذكُر

    هُدى الفاروقِ وَاِندُب عَهدَ عَمرِو

    Stand with me among the East's ruins, and recall

    al-Faruq's guidance, and lament the era of Amr.

  19. وَلا تَصِفِ الحَضارَةَ لي فَإِنّي

    أَرى عَصرَ الحَضارَةِ شَرَّ عَصرِ

    Do not describe civilization to me, for I

    see the age of civilization as the worst of ages.

  20. أَذىً ما لِلمَمالِكِ مِنهُ واقٍ

    وَلا لبَني المَمالِكِ مِن مَفَرِّ

    A harm against which the kingdoms have no protector,

    nor do the kingdoms' sons have any escape.

  21. أَرانا ظامِئينَ إِلى حَياةٍ

    تَفيضُ بِمُزبِدِ التَيّارِ غَمرِ

    I see us thirsting for a life

    that overflows with a deep, foaming current.

  22. تَجولُ حَوائِمُ الآمالِ فيهِ

    وَتَسبَحُ مِنهُ في رِيٍّ وَطُهرِ

    Within it wander the hovering birds of hope,

    and swim, finding in it refreshment and purity.

  23. تَراكَضَتِ المَشارِقُ تَبتَغيها

    وَغودِرَتِ الكِنانَةُ في المَكَرِّ

    The lands of the East raced to seek it,

    and al-Kinana, the Quiver, was left on the battlefield.

  24. رَأَيتُ الشَعبَ ذا العَزَماتِ يَمضي

    وَيَركَبُ في المَطالِبِ كُلَّ وَعرِ

    I saw the resolute people advance

    and ride every rugged path in pursuit of their aims.

  25. يَخوضُ النَقعَ أَغبَرَ وَالمَنايا

    عِجالُ الشَدِّ مِن سودٍ وَحُمرِ

    They plunge, dust-covered, through battle's dust, while deaths

    charge swiftly, some black and some red.

  26. وَبَعضُ العالَمينَ يَذوبُ رُعباً

    إِذا بَرَزَ الكُماةُ غَداةَ كَرِّ

    Yet some among mankind melt in terror

    when armored warriors appear on the morning of a charge.

  27. يُحِبُّ حَياتَهُ وَيَزيدُ حِرصاً

    فَيَلقى المَوتَ مِن خَوفٍ وَذُعرِ

    They love their life and cling to it ever more keenly,

    and so meet death from fear and panic.

  28. تُراعُ فَوارِسُ الهَيجاءِ مِنهُ

    بِزَأرَةِ ضَيغَمٍ وَوُثوبِ هُرِّ

    Battle's horsemen are frightened by him,

    by a lion's roar and a cat's leap.

  29. إذا أبصرتَ دهرك مستريباً

    فدافعه بِعَزمٍ مُكفَهِرِّ

    If you find your age mistrustful,

    then confront it with grim resolve.

  30. وَلَن تحظى بِعَيشٍ مِنهُ حُلوٍ

    إِذا ما كانَ طعمُك غيرَ مُرِّ

    You will never win a sweet life from it

    if your own taste is anything but bitter.

  31. أُساةَ النيلِ وَالأَدواءُ شَتّى

    فَمِن بادٍ يَلوحُ وَمُستَسِرِّ

    O healers of the Nile, the ailments are manifold,

    some plainly apparent, and others concealed.

  32. أَقيموا صُلبَهُ وَتَدارَكوهُ

    وَلا تُدنوهُ مِن كَفَنٍ وَقَبرِ

    Set its backbone straight and save it in time,

    and do not bring it near a shroud and a grave.

  33. ظَلَلتُ أُراقِبُ العُوّادَ مالي

    سِوى ماذا يَكونُ وَلَيتَ شِعري

    I kept watching the visitors to the sick, with nothing on my mind

    but what would happen—if only I knew!

  34. لِمِصرَ شَبابُها في الدَهرِ إِنّي

    خَلَعتُ شَبيبَتي وَطَوَيتُ عُمري

    Egypt has her youth for all time; I

    have cast off my youth and folded up my life.