1. لَعَمري لَئِن أَخلَقتُ ثَوبَ التَغَزُّلِ

    وَأَصبَحتُ عَن عَينِ الغَيورِ بِمُعزِلِ

    By my life, even if I have worn out the robe of love poetry,

    and am now apart from the jealous one's gaze,

  2. وَأَعرَضتُ عَن رَيِّ الصَبوحِ تَبَلُّداً

    وَأَقصَرَ جَهلي مِن مَراحِ التَبَطُّلِ

    and, grown dull, have turned from my fill of morning wine,

    and my folly has ceased its idle frolics—

  3. فَرُبَّ مَصوناتٍ بَكَرنَ لِنُزهَةٍ

    فَوافَينَ في غُمّى بِأَنزَهِ مَنزِلِ

    yet many sheltered women set out early for an outing,

    and arrived in secret at the loveliest retreat.

  4. إِذا ما تَنازَعنَ الحَديثَ شَوارِباً

    مَزَجنَ حُمَيّاها بِحُسنِ التَدَلُّلِ

    Whenever they traded conversation as they drank,

    they mixed the wine's fire with lovely coquetry.

  5. غَنيتُ وَجيهاً عِندَهُنَّ مُمَتَّعاً

    بِما شِئتُ مِن لَهوٍ وَرَشفِ مُقَبَّلِ

    I lived esteemed among them, enjoying

    whatever pleasures I desired, and kisses sipped from lips,

  6. أَوانَ رِكابِ الجَهلِ عِندَ تَطَرُّبي

    مُوَجَّهَةٌ نَحوَ الخِباءِ المُجَلَّلِ

    when folly's mounts, as I reveled,

    were directed toward the draped pavilion,

  7. إِلى ظِلِّ مَمروجٍ بُرودٍ مَقيلُهُ

    طَليلِ السَواري بِالقِبابِ مُعَزَّلِ

    into lush shade, its noonday resting place cool,

    its pillars dew-damp, secluded among domes.

  8. لَهُ نَخَلاتٌ بِالفِناءِ تَشوقُنا

    كَثيراً إِلى فَيءٍ كَثيرِ التَنَقُّلِ

    It had palms in its courtyard that made us long

    keenly for shade that shifted often.

  9. إِذا زالَ زُلنا ناصِبينَ كَمَنزِلٍ

    يُعَفّيهِ سافٍ مِن جَنوبٍ وَشَمأَلِ

    When it shifted, we shifted, weary, like a campsite

    effaced by sand-blowing winds from south and north.

  10. نَصَرتُ بِهِ دَهري وَلِلدَهرِ غِرَّةٌ

    بِكُلِّ غَوِيٍّ بِالمُدامِ مُعَذَّلِ

    There I sustained my days—Time has its unguarded hour—

    with every wayward man rebuked for drinking wine.

  11. إِذا سارَتِ الصَهباءُ في أُمِّ رَأسِهِ

    يُؤَسِّفُ كَفّاً بَينَ دَنٍّ وَمَنزِلِ

    When the tawny wine courses through the core of his head,

    he sets his hand grieving between wine-jar and lodging.

  12. هَشيمَةُ ذاتُ الحاجِبَينِ تُعِلَّنا

    مُشَمِّرَةً سُقيا لَها مِن مُعَلِّلِ

    Hashimah, she of the two eyebrows, plies us with drink,

    sleeves rolled up—may she be watered, such a giver of draughts!

  13. تَفُضُّ خِتامَ الراحِ في ضَوءِ بارِقٍ

    يَلوحُ حَفافي بارِقٍ مُتَهَلَّلِ

    She breaks the wine's seal in the light of a flash

    that gleams on either side of a radiant flash.

  14. سَلامُ وَإِن قَلَّ السَلامُ مُضاعَفاً

    عَلى ذاكَ مِن لَهوٍ وَشَكلُ مُشَكَّلِ

    A redoubled farewell—though even farewell is scant—

    to that pleasure and the charm of a finely formed beauty.

  15. سَأَندُبُ ما أَبلَيتُهُ مِن شَبيبَتي

    وَأُعوِلُ مِن شَيبي إِلى كُلِّ مُعوَلِ

    I shall lament what I wore away of my youth,

    and wail over my gray hair with every lament.

  16. عَلَينا بِحَمدِ الِلَّهِ لِلَّهِ نِعمَةٌ

    تَروحُ وَتَغدو مِن يَدِ المُتَوَكِّلِ

    Upon us—praise be to God—rests God's favor,

    coming at evening and morning from al-Mutawakkil's hand.

  17. إِذا نَحنُ جَدَّدنا لَهُ الشُكرَ جُدِّدَت

    لَهُ نِعَمٌ أُخرى بِبَذلٍ مُعَجَّلِ

    Whenever we renew our thanks to him, renewed are

    further favors of his, through swiftly bestowed gifts.

  18. وَإِن نَحنُ عُدنا عاوَدَتنا سَماؤُهُ

    بِأَحمَدَ مِن جَدواهُ أَوَّلَ أَوَّلِ

    And if we return, his sky visits us anew,

    with gifts finer than his very first bounty.

  19. فَأُقسِمُ ما يَنفَكُّ بِالفَضلِ عائِداً

    عَلَينا وَلا نَنفَكُّ مِن فَضلِ مُفضِلِ

    So I swear he never ceases returning with bounty

    to us; nor are we ever parted from a benefactor's bounty.

  20. جَوادُ بَني العَبّاسِ قَد تَعلَمونَهُ

    وَزَينُ بَني العَبّاسِ في كُلِّ مَحفَلِ

    The generous one of the sons of al-Abbas—you surely know him—

    and the adornment of the sons of al-Abbas in every assembly.

  21. لَهُ عِندَ تَجديدِ السُؤالِ طَلاقَةٌ

    مُحَقَّقَةٌ بِالغَيبِ ظَنَّ المُؤَمِّلِ

    He has a cheerful welcome whenever requests are renewed,

    confirming, even in absence, the hopeful man's expectations.

  22. كَأَنَّ وَميضَ التاجِ فَوقَ جَبينِهِ

    عَلى قَمَرٍ بِالشِعرَيَينِ مُكَلَّلِ

    As though the crown's flash above his brow

    were on a moon crowned with the two Shi'ra stars.

  23. أَماطَ حِمى الإِسلامِ مِن كُلِّ شُبهَةٍ

    وَقامَ بِعَدلٍ واضِحٍ غَيرِ مُشكِلِ

    He freed Islam's sanctuary from every doubt,

    and upheld clear, unambiguous justice.