1. لي غَريمٌ لازِمٌ وَهوَ الغَرامُ

    وَحَبيبٌ نامَ عَمَّن لا يَنامُ

    I have an unrelenting creditor: passionate love,

    and a beloved who fell asleep, heedless of one who never sleeps.

  2. مُقلَتاهُ نَرجِسي وَالخَدُّ وَردي

    وَالأَقاحُ الثَغرُ وَالريقُ المُدامُ

    His eyes are my narcissi, and his cheek my rose;

    and his mouth is daisies, and his saliva wine.

  3. بابِلِيُّ الطَّرفِ تُركِيُّ المُحَيّا

    حاجِباهُ القَوسُ وَاللَحظُ السِهامُ

    Babylonian of gaze, Turkish of countenance,

    his brows are the bow, and his glance the arrows.

  4. حُسنُهُ يَستَوقِفُ الناسَ وَما

    فيهِمُ إِلا المُحِبُّ المُستَهامُ

    His beauty stops people in their tracks, and none

    among them is anything but a love-distraught lover.

  5. لامَ فيهِ عاذِلي حَتّى إِذا

    ما رَآهُ قالَ في ذا ما تُلامُ

    My reproacher blamed me over him, until, when

    he saw him, he said, 'You are not to blame for this.

  6. عِشقُ هَذا لَكَ يا صاحِ مُباحٌ

    وَمَلامي فيهِ مِن بَعدُ حَرامُ

    Loving this one is lawful for you, my friend,

    and my reproaching you over him is henceforth forbidden.'

  7. يا أُصَيحابي أَمِن عَدلِ الهَوى

    أَنَّني أَحمِلُ جوراً وَأُضامُ

    O my dear companions, is it love's justice

    that I bear injustice and am wronged?

  8. وَلَئِن فارَقتُكُم لا عَن قِلىً

    فَلأَمرٍ فارَقَ الغِمدَ الحُسامُ

    And if I have parted from you, it was not from aversion:

    for a purpose the keen sword has left its sheath.

  9. بَعدَها لا حَلَّ لَومي عُروَةً

    لا وَلا لي شُدَّ في العَذلِ حِزامُ

    After that, may reproaching me undo no bond,

    no, nor may a belt be buckled to reproach me.

  10. بَل لِمَدحِ المَلِكِ الظاهِرِ غازي

    عُروَةٌ لَيسَ لَها مِنّي اِنفِصامُ

    Rather, for praising King al-Zahir Ghazi,

    there is a bond that I shall never break.

  11. مَلِكٌ خَيرُ مُلوكِ الأَرضِ في ال

    دَهرِ ما يُنكِرُ ما قُلتُ الأَنامُ

    A king, the best of earth's kings throughout the

    ages; mankind does not deny what I have said.

  12. كُلُّ وَقتٍ مِنهُ تَبدو مِنَنٌ

    ما اِهتَدَت قِدماً إِلَيهِنَّ الكِرامُ

    At every moment, favors come forth from him

    that generous men of old never conceived.

  13. لِلمُلوكِ الشوسِ في السِّلمِ عَلى

    قَصدِها تَقبيلَ يُمناهُ اِزدحامُ

    In peacetime, the fierce kings, in their

    wish to kiss his right hand, throng together.

  14. وَلِيُمناهُ اِستِلامٌ مِثلُ ما

    لِحَجيجِ البَيتِ بِالرُكنِ اِستِلامُ

    And his right hand is touched, just as

    pilgrims to the House touch the Corner.

  15. هُوَ كَالغَيثِ لَدى السِلمِ سَماحاً

    وَغَداةَ الحَربِ لَيثٌ لا يُرامُ

    In peace he is like rain in generosity,

    and on the morning of war, a lion none can assail.

  16. ما رَأَينا قَمَراً مِن قَبلِهِ

    وَلَهُ مِن نَسجِ داوودَ لِثامُ

    Never before him have we seen a moon

    wearing a veil of David's weaving.

  17. لا وَلا الشَمسُ اِنجَلَت يَومَ الوَغى

    تَحتَ لَيلٍ حالِكٍ وَهوَ القَتامُ

    No, nor has the sun shone forth on battle's day

    beneath a pitch-black night: the dust of battle.

  18. جَيشُهُ المَأمومُ في الحَربِ مُشيحاً

    هازِمٌ وَالمَلِكُ الغازي الإِمامُ

    His army, following its imam and resolute in war,

    routs the foe, and the warrior king is the imam.

  19. سَيفُهُ الراكِعُ في هامِ العِدا

    تَحتَهُ ساجِدَةٌ في التُربِ هامُ

    His sword, bowing into the heads of foes—

    beneath it, heads lie prostrate in the dust.

  20. باسِطُ الكَفِّ فَما يَثنيهِ لل

    قَبضِ إِلّا سَمهَرِيٌّ وَحُسامُ

    His hand is open; nothing turns him toward

    grasping, save a stout spear and a keen sword.

  21. حينَ سامٌ مُنكِرٌ أَبناءهُ

    يَدَّعيهِم لاسوِدادِ اللَّونِ حامُ

    When Shem disowns his sons,

    Ham claims them because of the blackness of their color.

  22. وَخَياشيمُ العَوالي راعِفاتٌ

    وَلَها بِالعَلَقِ القاني زُكامُ

    And the nostrils of the tall spears are bleeding,

    and they have a head-cold from crimson clotted blood.

  23. وَالخُيولُ الشُهبُ دُهمٌ وَالظُبى ال

    بيضُ حُمرٌ وَبَنو المَوتِ قِيامُ

    And the gray horses are black, and the blades—

    white—are red, and the sons of death stand upright.

  24. وَيُرى كُلُّ عَبوسِ الوَجهِ وَال

    مَلِكُ الظاهِرُ في فيهِ اِبتِسامُ

    And everyone is seen grim-faced, while the

    King al-Zahir has a smile upon his lips.

  25. قَسَماً لَو لَم يَذُد عَن قَصدِهِ

    لَم يَكُن لِلشِركِ بِالشامِ مُقامُ

    I swear, were he not kept from his aim,

    polytheism would have no abode in the Levant;

  26. وَلَرَدَّى الأَونِيَّ الكَلبَ طَوقاً

    مِن حِمامٍ فَهوَ بِالطَوقِ حَمامُ

    and he would fit al-Awni, the dog, with a collar

    of death; with that collar he would be a dove.

  27. وَغِياثُ الدينِ لِلدُنيا غِياثٌ

    حينَ لا يَسمَحُ بِالغَيثِ الغَمامُ

    And Ghiyath al-Din is succor to the world

    when the clouds withhold rain.

  28. ما رَأى الإِسلامُ يَوماً مَلِكاً

    مِثلَهُ إِلّا أَباهُ وَالسَلامُ

    Never has Islam seen a king

    like him, save his father—and that is all.

  29. فاتِحُ الأَمصارِ مُردي عُصَبِ ال

    كُفرِ كَالبَحرِ عَطاياهُ الجِسامُ

    Conqueror of cities, destroyer of the bands of

    unbelief; his mighty gifts are like the sea.

  30. شاعَ في الناسِ لَهُ الذِكرُ جَميلاً

    وَهوَ في الأُخرى لَهُ نِعمَ المقامُ

    His fair renown has spread among the people,

    and in the hereafter his abode is excellent.

  31. فَاِبقَ في المُلكِ غِياثَ الدينِ ما

    مَرَّ عامٌ وَأَتى مِن بَعد عامُ

    So remain in kingship, Ghiyath al-Din, as long as

    one year passes and another year follows.