أَهْلاً بِوَجْهِكَ لا حُجِبْتَ عَنْ نَظَري

أَهْلاً بِوَجْهِكَ لا حُجِبْتَ عَنْ نَظَري

يا فِتْنَةَ القَلْبِ بَلْ يا نُزْهَةَ البَصَرِ

يا فِتْنَةَ القَلْبِ بَلْ يا نُزْهَةَ البَصَرِ

Welcome to your face—may it never be veiled from my sight!

I welcome your face—may you never be veiled from my sight.

O captivation of the heart—nay, O delight of the eye!

O enchantment of the heart—rather, O delight of the eye!

أَهْنَى المحبَّةِ أَنْ تَرْضى بِلاَ عَتب

أَهْنَى المحبَّةِ أَنْ تَرْضى بِلاَ عَتب

وَأَطْيَبُ العَيْشِ أَنْ يَصْفُو بِلا كَدَرِ

وَأَطْيَبُ العَيْشِ أَنْ يَصْفُو بِلا كَدَرِ

Love is sweetest when you are content, without reproach,

Love is most blissful when you are content without reproach,

and life is sweetest when it runs clear, untroubled.

And life is sweetest when it is clear and unclouded.

لا تَخْفِرنَّ عُهُوداً قَدْ نَطَقْتَ بِهَا

لا تَخْفِرنَّ عُهُوداً قَدْ نَطَقْتَ بِهَا

تَكَفَّل الصِّدْقُ فيها شَاهِدَ الحضَرِ

تَكَفَّل الصِّدْقُ فيها شَاهِدَ الحضَرِ

Never betray the vows you once pronounced:

Do not betray pledges you have uttered,

a witness among those present guaranteed their sincerity,

In which truth stood surety, a witness to the gathering.

في لَيلَةٍ بِكَ وَافَتْنِي على قَدَرِ

في لَيلَةٍ بِكَ وَافَتْنِي على قَدَرِ

فما نَقمْتُ على حُكْمٍ مِنَ القَدَرِ

فما نَقمْتُ على حُكْمٍ مِنَ القَدَرِ

on a night when you yourself came to me, as destiny ordained—

On a night that brought you to me as fate ordained,

and so I found no fault with any decree of Fate.

So I resented no decree of fate.

فَلا نُهَدَّدُ بالإبْصَارِ مِنْ حَرَسٍ

فَلا نُهَدَّدُ بالإبْصَارِ مِنْ حَرَسٍ

ولا نُروَّعُ بالإِسْفارِ من سَحَرِ

ولا نُروَّعُ بالإِسْفارِ من سَحَرِ

We were not threatened with discovery by guards,

So we are not threatened with discovery by guards,

nor alarmed by daybreak after the predawn dark.

Nor are we frightened by dawn's spreading light.

وَلائِمٍ فِيك ما أَعْطَيْتُهُ أُذُني

وَلائِمٍ فِيك ما أَعْطَيْتُهُ أُذُني

ولا شُغِلْتُ بِشَيْءٍ قالَهُ فِكْرِي

ولا شُغِلْتُ بِشَيْءٍ قالَهُ فِكْرِي

And as for any censurer of you, I never lent him my ear,

And to a reproacher over you I lent no ear,

nor heeded anything my own mind said.

Nor was I preoccupied with anything my mind said.

إِنّ الحِجَاءَ عَلى تَرْكِ الحِجَى خُلُقٌ

إِنّ الحِجَاءَ عَلى تَرْكِ الحِجَى خُلُقٌ

أُثَبِّتُ ما قِيلَ فيهِ عُذْرَ مُعْتَذِرِ

أُثَبِّتُ ما قِيلَ فيهِ عُذْرَ مُعْتَذِرِ

Indeed, reserve that makes one forsake reason is a disposition;

Disputing over forsaking reason is indeed a habit;

the soundest plea made for it is an excuse-maker’s excuse.

I affirm what was said of it as an excuse from one excusing himself.

لا سَيْرَ إِلّا بِلَيْلَاتِ الشَّبابِ عَلى

لا سَيْرَ إِلّا بِلَيْلَاتِ الشَّبابِ عَلى

مُضِيِّ عزْمٍ للَهْوٍ غَيْرِ مُخْتَصَرِ

مُضِيِّ عزْمٍ للَهْوٍ غَيْرِ مُخْتَصَرِ

There is no journeying save through the nights of youth, borne on—

No journey but through the nights of youth, with

—the onward march of a resolve for love, never cut short;

Steadfast resolve for revelry without stint.

وَلا مَدايِحَ إلّا في مُحمَّد بْن

وَلا مَدايِحَ إلّا في مُحمَّد بْن

الافْتِخارِ المُرْجَى دَافعِ الضَّررِ

الافْتِخارِ المُرْجَى دَافعِ الضَّررِ

and no panegyrics save in praise of Muhammad, son of—

And no praises except for Muhammad ibn

—al-Iftikhar, the hoped-for averter of harm:

al-Iftikhar, in whom hopes rest, warding off harm:

وَالي الرَّعِية مَوْلىً لِلْبَريَّة مَسْ

وَالي الرَّعِية مَوْلىً لِلْبَريَّة مَسْ

ؤُولِ العَطِيَّةِ مِنْ تِبْرٍ وَمِنْ دُرَرِ

ؤُولِ العَطِيَّةِ مِنْ تِبْرٍ وَمِنْ دُرَرِ

governor of his people, patron of all creation, one be-

Governor of the people, patron of creation, petitioned

—sought for largesse of gold and pearls;

For gifts of raw gold and pearls.

مَعْنَىً لِمُبْتَكِرٍ أُنْسٌ لِمُفْتَكِرٍ

مَعْنَىً لِمُبْتَكِرٍ أُنْسٌ لِمُفْتَكِرٍ

فَجْرٌ لِمُعْتَكِرٍ بِالنَّقْعِ مُعْتَكِرِ

فَجْرٌ لِمُعْتَكِرٍ بِالنَّقْعِ مُعْتَكِرِ

a helper to the early petitioner, a solace to the thinker;

A theme for the innovator, solace for the thinker;

a dawn for one engulfed in battle-dust, himself plunging into the fray.

A dawn for the charging warrior, darkened by battle-dust.

أَكْرِمْ بِهِ مُنْصِفٍ بالعَدْلِ مُتَّصِفٍ

أَكْرِمْ بِهِ مُنْصِفٍ بالعَدْلِ مُتَّصِفٍ

لِلدّينِ مُنْتَصِفٍ لِلْحَقِّ مُنْتَصِرِ

لِلدّينِ مُنْتَصِفٍ لِلْحَقِّ مُنْتَصِرِ

How noble he is—equitable, marked by justice,

How noble he is: fair-dealing, endowed with justice,

a vindicator of the faith, a champion of the right!

Securing redress for religion, championing truth.

أَدْرَكْتَ في عَصْرِكَ العَلْيَاءَ ذَا صِغَرٍ

أَدْرَكْتَ في عَصْرِكَ العَلْيَاءَ ذَا صِغَرٍ

وَفُتَّ أَسْبَقَهَا إِذ أَنْتَ ذا كِبَرِ

وَفُتَّ أَسْبَقَهَا إِذ أَنْتَ ذا كِبَرِ

You attained, in your own time, the heights of glory while still young;

You attained the summit of glory in your time while young,

then outstripped its foremost when you had grown old.

And, grown older, surpassed the first to reach it.

شَكا لأَسْيافِهِ قَلْبُ الوَغَى لَهباً

شَكا لأَسْيافِهِ قَلْبُ الوَغَى لَهباً

فَجَاوَبَتْهُ اسْتَعرْ بَرْداً أَوِ اسْتَعِرِ

فَجَاوَبَتْهُ اسْتَعرْ بَرْداً أَوِ اسْتَعِرِ

The heart of battle complained to his swords of its blaze;

The heart of battle complained to his swords of flame;

they answered it: “Borrow coolness—or blaze on!”

So they answered it: 'Borrow coolness—or blaze up!'

يا خَيْرَ مُنْتَسِبٍ لِلمَجْدِ مُحْتَسِبٍ

يا خَيْرَ مُنْتَسِبٍ لِلمَجْدِ مُحْتَسِبٍ

بِالعَزْمِ مُكْتَسِبٍ مَدْحاً مِنَ البَشَرِ

بِالعَزْمِ مُكْتَسِبٍ مَدْحاً مِنَ البَشَرِ

O best of those tracing their lineage to glory, seeking God’s reward,

O best of those linked to glory, seeking reward,

winning through resolve the praises of humankind,

Through resolve earning praise from humankind,

في حَيْثُ تَشْتَغِلُ البِكْران عَن وَلدٍ

في حَيْثُ تَشْتَغِلُ البِكْران عَن وَلدٍ

بِكْرٍ ويذْهَلُ نُورُ العَيْنِ عَنْ بَصَرِ

بِكْرٍ ويذْهَلُ نُورُ العَيْنِ عَنْ بَصَرِ

there where the two Bakrs are distracted from a son of—

Where the young camels are distracted from a calf,

—Bakr, and the light of the eye is distracted from sight.

A firstborn—and the eye's light is oblivious to sight.