1. أَلحَظُكَ حَزَّ قلبي أَم حُسامُ

    وَلَفظُكَ حازَ لُبّي أَم كَلامُ

    Was it your glance that slashed my heart, or a sword?

    And was it your utterance that seized my mind, or speech?

  2. وَقَدُّكَ أَم قَضيبٌ في كَثيبٍ

    وَريقُكَ أَم مُعَتَّقَةٌ مُدامُ

    And is it your stature, or a bough in a sand dune?

    And is it your saliva, or well-aged wine?

  3. وَثَغرُكَ أَم لآلٍ ناصِعاتٌ

    حِسانُ النَّظمِ يَجلوها اِبتِسامُ

    And is it your mouth, or gleaming pearls,

    beautifully strung, which a smile reveals?

  4. وَوَجهُكَ تَحتَ لَيلِ الشَعرِ بَدرٌ

    عَلَيهِ جناحَهُ مَدَّ الظَلامُ

    And your face beneath the night of hair is a full moon,

    over which darkness has spread its wing.

  5. إِذا ما مستَ عُجباً هَزَّ رُمحاً

    يُسَدِّدُهُ لِيَطعَنَني القَوامُ

    Whenever you sway in pride, a spear is brandished,

    which your figure aims to pierce me.

  6. كَفاني أَنَّني أُمسي المُعَنّى

    بِحُبِّكَ لا أُنيمُ وَلا أَنامُ

    It suffices me that I pass the evening tormented

    by your love, neither lulling anyone to sleep nor sleeping.

  7. وَتُركِيٍّ كَأَنَّ بِفيهِ راحاً

    لَها مِن مِسكِ نَكهَتِهِ خِتامُ

    And a Turk, as though his mouth held wine,

    whose seal is the musk of his breath.

  8. فَلم قَتلي حَلالٌ في هَواهُ

    عَلى عَمدٍ وَلم وَصلي حَرامُ

    Then why is it lawful, in love of him, to kill me

    deliberately—and why is union with me forbidden?

  9. سَباني وَهوَ مَملوكٌ رَقيقٌ

    وَكَم حُرٍّ تَمَلَّكَهُ غُلامُ

    He captured me, though he is an owned slave;

    and how many a free man has been possessed by a boy!

  10. تَناسى صُحبَتي وَذِمامَ عَهدي

    وَعِندَ التُركِ لا يُرعى ذِمامُ

    He chose to forget my companionship and my pledge's sanctity;

    among the Turks, no pledge is honored.

  11. بِضيقِ جُفونِهِ وَسَّعتُ عُذري

    فَزالَ العُذرُ عَنّي وَالمَلامُ

    Through his narrow eyelids I broadened my excuse;

    then excuse and blame alike left me.

  12. يُجيبُ بِلا أَلا يا لَيتَ مِنّي

    وَمِنهُ تَعانَقَت أَلِفٌ وَلامُ

    He answers 'no'; ah, would that from me

    and him an alif and a lam might intertwine!

  13. لِمَن أَحبَبتُهُ صَلَفٌ رَحيمُ

    وَخيمٌ وَالغَريمُ لِيَ الغَرامُ

    The one I love has a merciful arrogance,

    a baleful one; and passion is my creditor.

  14. فَيا لِلناسِ للريمِ المُفَدّى

    بِروحي فَهوَ ريمٌ لا يُرامُ

    O people, help! That gazelle, ransomed

    with my soul, is a gazelle beyond reach.

  15. جَديبٌ خَصرُهُ وَالرِدفُ مِنه

    خَصيبٌ ما لِعُروَتِهِ اِنفِصامُ

    His waist is barren, while his rump

    is fertile; its clasp never breaks.

  16. بِعَقدِ البَندِ حَلَّ عُرى اِصطِباري

    فَعَن قَلبي الكَئيبِ لَهُ اِنهِزامُ

    By tying his belt, he untied the bonds of my patience;

    so it retreats from my sorrowful heart.

  17. إِذا لَبِسَ التَريكَةَ مُستَديراً

    عَلى فيهِ مِنَ الزَّرَدِ اللِّثامُ

    When he dons the helmet, there circles

    over his mouth a veil of chain mail.

  18. هُناكَ يُغادِرُ الأَبطال صَرعى

    بِأَلحاظٍ بِفَترَتِها سَقامُ

    There he leaves the champions fallen,

    with glances whose languor carries sickness.

  19. أَمِن جَناتِ عَدنٍ فَرَّ لَمّا

    غَفا رِضوانُ أَم حالي مَنامُ

    Did he flee the gardens of Eden when

    Riḍwān dozed, or is my state a dream?

  20. كَأَنَّ بِوَجنَتَيهِ جُلَّناراً

    فَمِنهُ جُلُّ ناري وَالضِرامُ

    As though pomegranate blossom were upon his cheeks;

    from it comes most of my fire and blaze.

  21. أَقولُ لِقَلبِيَ الصَبِّ المُعَنّى

    بِهِ وَهوَ الكَئيبُ المُستَهامُ

    I say to my yearning heart, tormented

    by him—sorrowful and maddened by love—

  22. بِمَن مِن ذِكرِهِ طَرَبي كَأَنّي

    يُراسِلُ مَعبَداً عِندي زُنامُ

    by one whose mention delights me, as though

    Zunām were exchanging melodies with Maʿbad before me:

  23. لَواحِظُهُ سِهامٌ لَيسَ تُخطي

    رَمايا قَوسِ حاجِبِهِ السِّهامُ

    His glances are arrows; never do the arrows miss

    the targets of his eyebrow's bow.

  24. كَقَوسِ الأَشرَفِ المَلِكِ المُرَجّى

    يَطيرُ إِلى العِدا مِنهُ الحِمامُ

    Like the bow of al-Ashraf, the king in whom hopes rest,

    from it death flies toward the foes.

  25. مَتى يوتِرهُ في يُمناهُ يَستُر

    حَياءً قَوسَهُ مِنهُ الغَمامُ

    Whenever he strings it in his right hand,

    the cloud hides its own bow from him in shame.

  26. مَكارِمُهُ تَنَبَّهُ كَلَّ وَقتٍ

    وَكَم قَومٍ مَكارِمُهُم نِيامُ

    His generous deeds are awake at every hour;

    how many people's generous deeds lie asleep!

  27. يَطوفُ بِبابِهِ عافو نَداهُ

    كَأَنَّ البابَ زَمزَمُ وَالمقامُ

    Seekers of his bounty circle at his gate,

    as though the gate were Zamzam and the Maqām.

  28. فَعادَةُ بَطنِ راحَتِهِ اِنبِجاسٌ

    وَعادَةُ ظاهِرِ الكَفِّ اِستِلامُ

    The hollow of his palm is wont to gush;

    the back of his hand is wont to receive reverent touches.

  29. عَلى تَقبيلِهِ لَهُمُ اِزدِحامٌ

    كَما لَهُمُ عَلى الرُكنِ اِزدِحامُ

    They crowd to kiss it,

    as they crowd at the Corner.

  30. يُرى ماءُ الحَياءِ بِوَجنَتَيهِ

    وَيروى مِن جَنا يَدِهِ الإِمامُ

    The water of modesty is seen upon his cheeks,

    and the imam drinks his fill from his hand's harvest.

  31. مُلوكُ الأَرضِ مَأمومونَ كُلٌّ

    مُصَلٍّ خَلفَهُ وَهوَ الأَنامُ

    The kings of earth follow him in prayer, each one

    praying behind him, while he is mankind entire.

  32. فَمِن عَزَماتِهِ سَترى وَشيكاً

    دُنُوَّ حُتوفِها الكُرجُ اللِئامُ

    Through his firm resolves, soon they will see

    their deaths draw near—the vile Georgians.

  33. هُمُ حُمرٌ تَناهَقُ خَوفَ زَأرِ ال

    أُسودِ وَهُم لَدى الطَيرِ الطَّعامُ

    They are asses braying for fear of the roar of the

    lions; to the birds, they are food.

  34. تَكُبُّهُمُ مُهَنَّدَةً ذُكورٌ

    عَلى الأَذقانِ وَالضَربُ التُؤامُ

    Virile, Indian-forged blades cast them down

    upon their chins, and the blows come in pairs.

  35. لِنارِ حُسامِهِ حرٌّ وَحَدٌّ

    لَهُم بِهِما اِصطِلاءٌ وَاِصطِلامُ

    His sword's fire has both heat and an edge;

    through both, they are scorched and annihilated.

  36. بِهِ يَهفو بُراقٌ في الوَغى أَو

    قُدامى البَرقِ يَحفِزُهُ اِقتِحامُ

    Bearing him, a Burāq darts through battle, or

    lightning's foremost wing-feathers, driven by the charge.

  37. تَمَنّاهُ العِراقُ وَأَهلُ مِصرٍ

    وَموصِلُ وَالعَواصِمُ وَالشَآمُ

    Iraq and the people of Egypt longed for him,

    as did Mosul, al-ʿAwāṣim, and al-Shām.

  38. كَريمٌ ما اِهتَدت يَوماً إِلى ما

    رَأَينا مِن مَكارِمِهِ الكِرامُ

    Generous—never have the generous found their way to what

    we have witnessed of his noble deeds.

  39. مُديرُ رَحى الحُروبِ وَمُصطَليها

    فَفيها مِنهُ غِطريفٌ هُمامُ

    He turns the mill of wars and braves their fire;

    within them, he is a noble, valiant champion.

  40. وَأَثقَفُ مَن سَطا بِالسَيفِ صَلتاً

    إِذا بِثِقافِهِ حَمِيَ المقامُ

    And the most skillful of those who strike with a drawn sword,

    when, through his skill, the battlefield grows hot.

  41. وَلَيسَ لَهُ نَظيرٌ في المَعالي

    سِوى المَلِكِ المُعَظَّمِ وَالسَلامُ

    He has no equal in lofty ranks

    except King al-Muʿaẓẓam—and that is all.

  42. هُما مَلِكا الوَرى وَكِلاهُما وَح

    دَهُ يَومَ الوَغى جَيشٌ لُهامُ

    They are mankind's two kings, and each of them

    alone, on battle day, is a vast army.

  43. تَفِرُّ الأُسدُ خَوفاً مِنهُما مِث

    لَما فَرَّت مِنَ الأُسدِ السَوامُ

    Lions flee from them in fear, just

    as grazing herds flee from lions,

  44. مُهَروِلَةً بِأَشبُلِها نِفاراً

    كَما بِرِئالِها نَفَرَت نَعامُ

    hurrying away with their cubs in flight,

    as ostriches flee with their chicks.

  45. هُما أَخَوانِ ودُّهُما صَحيحٌ

    إِذا شابَ المَوَدّاتِ السَقامُ

    They are two brothers whose affection is sound

    when sickness taints other affections.

  46. أَما البَيتُ المُقَدَّسُ حينَ كا

    نَ المُقَدَّسَ في المُلوكِ لَهُ مَقامُ

    Did not the Holy House, when it was

    held sacred, possess standing among kings?

  47. وَلِلمَلِكِ المُعَظَّمِ مَكرُماتٌ

    لَها في الخَلقِ أَنباءٌ عِظامُ

    And King al-Muʿaẓẓam has noble deeds

    of which great reports circulate among humankind.

  48. مَتى جادَت أَنامِلُهُ بِأَرضٍ

    فَلا سَغَبٌ هُناكَ وَلا أُوامُ

    Whenever his fingers rain bounty upon a land,

    there is no hunger there, nor burning thirst.

  49. فَلا مَلِكٌ سِوى موسى وَعيسى

    وَسَيفِ الدينِ وَاِنقَطَعَ الكَلامُ

    There is no king but Mūsā and ʿĪsā

    and Sayf al-Dīn—and the speech is ended.

  50. أَيادٍ في الوَرى عَمَّت فَصارَت

    هِيَ الأَطواقُ وَالناسُ الحمامُ

    Favors have spread throughout mankind and become

    the collars, while people are the doves.

  51. إِلَيكَ مُظَفَّرَ الدينِ اِستَمِعها

    مُنَظَّمَةً يَتيهُ بِها النِظامُ

    To you, Muẓaffar al-Dīn—listen to it:

    strung in verse, of which composition itself is proud.

  52. حَباكَ بِها اِمرُؤٌ أَغنَتهُ عَن أَن

    يَؤُمَّ سَواكَ أَنعُمُكَ الجِسامُ

    A man has gifted it to you, spared the need

    to seek anyone else by your immense favors.