1. وَرَأَيتُ أَجسامَ العُدا

    ةِ كَما رَأَيتُ بِغَيرِ هامِ

    And I saw the bodies of the enemies,

    as I had seen them, without heads;

  2. وَدَمارَها لِدِمائِهِم

    وَسَقامَها مِلءَ العِظامِ

    and their ruin, for their blood,

    and their sickness filling the bones.

  3. وَمُحَسَّرٍ لِمُكَسَّرٍ

    أَعزِز عَلَيهِ يَدُ المُقامِ

    And many a stripped one for a shattered one—

    strengthen authority's hand against him!

  4. كَم مِن رُءوسٍ مِن لَجا

    جٍ أَو خُدودٍ مِن لِطامِ

    How many heads, through obstinacy,

    or cheeks, through slapping!

  5. وَالسَيفُ سَيفُ اللَهِ يَس

    فِكُ بِالحُدودِ دَمَ الأَثامِ

    And the sword—the sword of God—sheds

    the blood of sin through prescribed penalties.

  6. وَمَآتِمُ اللَذّاتِ قا

    ئِمَةٌ بِأَندِيَةِ النِدامِ

    And wakes for pleasures are held

    in the halls of drinking companions.

  7. أَيُّ اِعتِزازٍ كانَ لِل

    تَقوى وَأَيُّ يَدِ اِعتِزامِ

    What might there was for

    piety, and what a hand of resolve!

  8. وَرَأَيتُ شَمسَ الراحِ أَو

    نَجمَ الحَبابِ بِلا ظَلامِ

    And I saw the sun of wine, or

    the star of its bubbles, without darkness,

  9. سَجَدَت لِيوسُفَ في اِنتِبا

    هٍ مِثلَ يوسُفَ في مَنامِ

    bow to Yusuf while awake,

    as to Yusuf in a dream.

  10. لِمَ يَعجَبونَ فَإِنَّها

    كَيَدٍ تُحَدِّثُ عَن حُسامِ

    Why do they marvel? For it is

    like a hand speaking of a sword.

  11. وَكَأَنَّها في كَفِّهِ

    بَرقٌ تَضاحَكَ مِن غَمامِ

    And in his palm it is as though

    lightning laughed from a cloud.

  12. كَم أَرغَمَت سَكَراتُها

    دَع أَنفَها تَحتَ الرَغامِ

    How often its drunken spells brought humiliation!

    Leave its nose beneath the dust.

  13. ما أَختَشي نارَ العُقو

    لِ بِجَيشِ دينِهِمُ اللُهامِ

    I fear no fire of intellect,

    with their faith's overwhelming army.

  14. عَينُ الحَلالِ أَقَرَّها

    إِقلاقُكُم عَينَ الحَرامِ

    The eye of the lawful was gladdened

    by your unsettling the eye of the forbidden.

  15. حَدَثٌ تُعَظِّمُ ذِكرَهُ

    صُحُفُ الأَحاديثِ العِظامِ

    An event whose fame is magnified

    by the records of great happenings.

  16. أُنهي إِلى المَولى الأَجَل

    لِ وَقَد أَطَلتُ مَعَ اِتِّهامِ

    I report to the most illustrious lord—

    having spoken at length, with misgivings—

  17. أَنَّ الحَريقَ سَرى بِمِص

    رٍ في مَنازِلِها السَوامي

    that fire spread through Egypt,

    among its lofty dwellings,

  18. مِن بَعدِ ما خَرَجَت أَوا

    مِرُهُ بِتَبديدِ المُدامِ

    after his decrees had gone forth

    to pour away the wine.

  19. وَظَنَنتُ أَنَّ الأَرضَ تُس

    قاها فَتُثمِرُ بِالضِرامِ

    And I thought the earth was watered

    with it, and thus bore flames as fruit;

  20. أَو أَنَّ حَدَّ اللَهِ قا

    مَ عَلى الحِجارَةِ كَالأَنامِ

    or that God's punishment had fallen

    upon stones, as upon humankind.

  21. أَوَ لا تَرى ذَهَباً لَدَي

    كُم يَستَقِرُّ عَلى الدَوامِ

    And do you not see gold in your keeping

    that endures forever?

  22. إِن شِئتَ مِن ذَهَبِ الطِلا

    أَو شِئتَ مِن ذَهَبِ الرَغامِ

    Whether you wish for the gold of wine

    or wish for the gold of dust,

  23. فَليَذهَبِ الذَهَبُ الَّذي

    قَد كانَ يَذهَبُ بِالكِرامِ

    so let the gold depart that

    once carried noble men away.

  24. كَم أَتلَفَتهُ أَكُفُّكُم

    فَجَرى التِلافُ عَلى نِظامِ

    How often your hands have squandered it;

    thus destruction followed an ordered course.

  25. فَليَقطَعوا مِنها الرَجا

    ءَ فَقَد ثَوَت تَحتَ الرِجامِ

    So let them cut off hope of it;

    for it has settled beneath the stones.

  26. قوموا فإنَّ المُلكَ ما

    ينساه مَلِكُ القيام

    Rise, for dominion is not

    forgotten by a vigilant king.

  27. وَدَعوا لِغَيرِكُمُ إِذا اِس

    تَيقَظتُمُ دَعَةَ المَنامِ

    And leave to others, when you

    awaken, the comfort of sleep.

  28. تِلكَ المَناكِبُ قَد حَما

    ها اللَهُ مِن ضَمِّ الزِحامِ

    Those shoulders have been protected

    by God from the crush of crowds.

  29. أَيُّ اِنحِطامٍ أَنَّ بَي

    تَ العِزِّ يُمسي في الحُطامِ

    What a shattering, that the house

    of glory should end up amid wreckage!

  30. وَاِرحَل عَن الإِقطاعِ فَال

    إِقطاعُ مِن سَعدِ الغُلامِ

    And leave the fief behind, for

    the fief is part of the lad's good fortune.

  31. وَاِنشُر لَها العَلَمَ الشَري

    فَ وَدَع مُحاسَبَةَ الغُلامِ

    And unfurl for her the noble banner,

    and leave off calling the lad to account.

  32. ما الغَزوُ في أَيّامِكُم

    وَالنَصرُ رَميَةُ غَيرِ رامِ

    What is warfare in your days,

    when victory is a shot by a non-archer?

  33. قُلنا اِعتَذَرتُم في الصِيا

    مِ فَقَد عَذَرنا في الصِيامِ

    We said: "You made excuses during the fast;

    we have indeed excused you during fasting."

  34. فِرّوا فَهَذا القَرُّ قُل

    نا قَد سُبِقتَ بِذا الكَلامِ

    "Flee—this is bitter cold!" We

    said: "These words were spoken before you."

  35. لا تَنفِروا في الحَرِّ قُل

    نا العُذرُ حَقٌّ في الضِرامِ

    "Do not march out in the heat!" We

    said: "The excuse is valid amid flames."

  36. ما العُذرُ إِذ وَلِيَ الخَري

    فُ وِلايَةَ البِكرِ الحَوامي

    What excuse, when autumn has taken charge

    as guardians take charge of a maiden,

  37. إِذ آب آبُ القاعدي

    نَ وَآلَ أَيلولُ القِيامِ

    when August of the stay-at-homes has passed,

    and September of those who rise has come?

  38. ماذا أقولُ لَهُ إذا

    ما قالَ لي قَلبي أَمامي

    What shall I say to him, when

    he tells me, "My heart is ahead of me"?

  39. وَاللَهُ ما داري عَلى ال

    غَربِيِّ مِن دارِ السَلامِ

    By God, my home is not on the

    western side of Dar al-Salam.

  40. يا ناصِحي لَم تَرعَ إِن

    فَنَّدَتني حَقَّ الذِمامِ

    O my counselor, you have not honored—if

    you call me foolish—the claims of loyalty.

  41. مُلكُ المَنامِ لِناظِري

    أَمرٌ سِوى مُلكِ الأَنامِ

    To my eyes, the kingdom of dreams

    is something apart from ruling humankind.

  42. دَعني فإِنّي مُضمِرٌ

    سَبقَ الحَمامِ إِلى الحِمامِ

    Leave me, for I intend

    to outstrip the doves in the race to death,

  43. بِرَدىً يَرُدُّ مُرادَ هَم

    مامٍ بِفُرصَتِهِ هُمامِ

    with a death that thwarts the purpose of a

    resolute man, a hero intent on his chance.

  44. بِيَدَيهِ لا بِيَدي زِما

    مُكَ ما أَميري مَع زَمامي

    In his hands, not mine, is your rein;

    my commander is not subject to my rein.

  45. وَإِذا يُباشِرُ عَذلَهُ

    فَالسَمعُ أَشرَدُ مِن نَعامِ

    And when he begins his rebuke,

    the ear is more flighty than ostriches.

  46. وإذا يُباشرُ حربَهُ

    فالرِجلُ أثبتُ من شمامِ

    And when he undertakes his war,

    the foot is steadier than Shamam.

  47. وَالمَجلِسُ المَخدومُ مَخ

    صوصٌ بِلَثمِي وِاِستِلامي

    And the honored court is singled out

    for my kisses and my reverent touch.

  48. وَلَهُ فَإِنَّ عَلَيهِ لا

    أَسخو بِها أَبَداً سَلامي

    And for him—for against him I would not

    ever be lavish with it—is my greeting of peace.

  49. وَأَقَلُّ ما يُنمَى لَهُ

    عَنّي التَحِيّاتُ النَوامي

    And the least of what is conveyed to him

    from me is ever-growing greetings,

  50. ما تَوَّجَت أَلِفَ الغُصو

    نِ الخُضرِ هَمَزاتُ الحَمامِ

    so long as the alif of the green boughs is crowned

    by the hamzas of doves.