أقولُ لما فازَ قِدْحِي به

أقولُ لما فازَ قِدْحِي به

منْ لكمُ بي والسُّها دوني

منْ لكمُ بي والسُّها دوني

I say, when my lot-arrow won him:

I say, as my cup gained from him

Who among you can match me, when al-Suha is beneath me?

Some wine, and left me careless in my sorrow,

قد طلع البدرُ فأهلاً به

قد طلع البدرُ فأهلاً به

مُطالِعاً بالسَّعْدِ مَقْرُون

مُطالِعاً بالسَّعْدِ مَقْرُون

The full moon has risen—welcome to him,

The full moon rose before me, so greetings to it,

rising in conjunction with good fortune.

Rising fortune-blessed and well-matched.

غيثٌ هي بالمجدِ في رَوْضَةٍ

غيثٌ هي بالمجدِ في رَوْضَةٍ

ما شئتَ منْ عزٍّ وتمكين

ما شئتَ منْ عزٍّ وتمكين

She is rain, with glory, in a garden

It is a plentiful rain in a garden of glory,

of all the honor and power you could wish.

Whatever you wish of honor and strength.

فانتشقا نَشْرَ التُّقَى إنَّهُ

فانتشقا نَشْرَ التُّقَى إنَّهُ

أطْيَبُ مِنْ نَشْرِ الرَّياحين

أطْيَبُ مِنْ نَشْرِ الرَّياحين

So you two breathe in piety’s fragrance: it is

So they split, spreading the fragrance of piety - indeed it

sweeter than the fragrance of aromatic herbs.

Is sweeter than the scent of meadows.

والتمحا زَهْرَ العُلا إنه

والتمحا زَهْرَ العُلا إنه

أَوْما إلى زهْرِ البساتين

أَوْما إلى زهْرِ البساتين

And you two behold the bloom of eminence: it

And they wiped away the flowers of ascension - indeed it

has gestured toward the flowers of gardens.

Brought more radiance than garden blooms.

وبأبي كيفَ تجلَّيْتُما

وبأبي كيفَ تجلَّيْتُما

عن كلِّ تأميلٍ وتأمين

عن كلِّ تأميلٍ وتأمين

And may my father be your ransom—how you two have shone

By my father, how you two glittered,

beyond every hope and assurance!

Beyond all hope and security.

وكيف جاءوك بشمسِ الضحى

وكيف جاءوك بشمسِ الضحى

والليلَ في أثوابهِ الجون

والليلَ في أثوابهِ الجون

And how they brought you the midmorning sun,

And how they brought you the morning sun

while night was in its dark robes.

While night was clothed in its gown.

جاءوك بالسّحْرِ ولا بابلٌ

جاءوك بالسّحْرِ ولا بابلٌ

والمسكِ لا من أُفْقِ دارين

والمسكِ لا من أُفْقِ دارين

They brought you enchantment, with no Babylon,

They brought you magic, not from Babylon,

and musk, not from Darin’s horizon.

And musk, not from the horizon's houses.

واستودعوها قُبّةً سَمْكُها

واستودعوها قُبّةً سَمْكُها

أجْنِحةُ الطَّيرِ المآمين

أجْنِحةُ الطَّيرِ المآمين

And they entrusted her to a dome whose roof

And they entrusted you to a dome whose ceiling

is the wings of trusted birds.

Is the wings of sheltering birds.

إلا تكنْ عدناً ففي ظلّها

إلا تكنْ عدناً ففي ظلّها

أنتَ وإحدى حُورِها العِين

أنتَ وإحدى حُورِها العِين

If it is not Eden, then beneath its shade

Unless it were Eden, in its shade,

are you and one of its wide-eyed houris.

You and one of its maidens with dark eyes.

إيهٍ أبا بكرٍ وهذي المنى

إيهٍ أبا بكرٍ وهذي المنى

تَفْتَنُّ منها في أفانين

تَفْتَنُّ منها في أفانين

Go on, Abu Bakr—and these are the wishes

Alas! O Abu Bakr, these wishes

among which you range in manifold ways.

Seduce me into fantasies.

يا جُمْلَةَ العلم وتفصيلَه

يا جُمْلَةَ العلم وتفصيلَه

منْ كل مَفْروضٍ ومسنون

منْ كل مَفْروضٍ ومسنون

O sum of knowledge and its every detail,

O essence of knowledge and its details

in all that is obligatory and prescribed by tradition.

Of every duty and tradition!

إن جيءَ قومٌ بدواوينهمْ

إن جيءَ قومٌ بدواوينهمْ

فأنتَ ديوانُ الدواوين

فأنتَ ديوانُ الدواوين

If people are brought forth with their compendiums,

If a people come with their records,

then you are the compendium of compendiums.

You are the record of records.

بمنْ يباهي القوم أعداءهم

بمنْ يباهي القوم أعداءهم

في كلِّ حَفْلٍ منكَ مفتون

في كلِّ حَفْلٍ منكَ مفتون

Whom can the people boast of against their enemies

With whom do people compete against their foes,

at every gathering enraptured by you?

In every gathering enraptured by you?

قد أقْفَرَتْ منكَ ميادينُنَا

قد أقْفَرَتْ منكَ ميادينُنَا

فأصبَحَتْ غيرَ ميادين

فأصبَحَتْ غيرَ ميادين

Our arenas have grown desolate without you,

Our battlefields have been emptied of you

and are no longer arenas.

And become other than battlefields.

تَعَضُّ من شوقٍ ومنْ حسرةٍ

تَعَضُّ من شوقٍ ومنْ حسرةٍ

على يَدَيْ لهفانَ مغبون

على يَدَيْ لهفانَ مغبون

They bite, from longing and from regret,

You bite your hands in longing and regret,

upon the hands of one distraught and cheated.

For one enraptured, and overcome with passion.

وكلما سِرْتَ إلى بلدةٍ

وكلما سِرْتَ إلى بلدةٍ

نادتْ بأعلى الصوتِ يكفيني

نادتْ بأعلى الصوتِ يكفيني

And whenever you traveled to a town,

And whenever you traveled to a country,

it cried at the top of its voice, ‘He is enough for me!’

It called out in the loudest voice, "Enough for me!"

حتى إذا أُوطِئْتَ حمصاً أتتْ

حتى إذا أُوطِئْتَ حمصاً أتتْ

تَنْظُرُ في أعْطافِ قارون

تَنْظُرُ في أعْطافِ قارون

Until, when you were brought to Homs, it came,

Until you came and stayed in Homs, there came

gazing upon Qarun’s flanks.

A watching of the flanks of Korah.

زاحمْ بركنٍ غيرِ مَوْهُونِ

زاحمْ بركنٍ غيرِ مَوْهُونِ

منْ كلِّ تحسينٍ وتحصين

منْ كلِّ تحسينٍ وتحصين

Press forward with an unweakened pillar,

Vie for honor, though unfortified,

drawn from every embellishment and fortification.

From all embellishment and fortification.

فقد صفا عيشُكَ فانْعَمْ به

فقد صفا عيشُكَ فانْعَمْ به

فهو متاعٌ لا إلى حين

فهو متاعٌ لا إلى حين

For your life has become serene; delight in it,

For your life is now clear, so enjoy it,

for it is enjoyment with no time limit.

Since it is a possession, not forever.