1. رَأى عَلى الغَورِ وَميضاً فَاِشتاق

    ما أَجلَبَ البَرقَ لِماءِ الآماق

    He saw a flash above al-Ghawr, and longed.

    How lightning draws forth the water of the inner eye-corners!

  2. ما لِلوَميضِ وَالفُؤادُ الخَفّاق

    قَد ذاقَ مِن بَينِ الخَليطِ ما ذاق

    What business has the flash with the throbbing heart?

    It has tasted what it has tasted of parting from the companions.

  3. داءُ غَرامٍ ما لَهُ مِن إِفراق

    قَد كَلَّ آسيهِ وَقَد مَلَّ الراق

    A sickness of passion with no remission;

    its physician is exhausted, and its spell-healer has grown weary.

  4. لِآلِ لَيلى في الفُؤادِ أَعلاق

    تَزيدُ مِن حَيثُ تُقَضّى الأَشواق

    The heart holds bonds of love for Layla's people,

    which grow where yearnings are fulfilled.

  5. قامَت تُرائيكَ بِقُلبٍ مِقلاق

    وَلِلوَداعِ عَجَلٌ وَإِرهاق

    She rose, showing herself to you with a loose, swaying bracelet,

    while farewell brought haste and urgency.

  6. مِن ثُقَبِ الدُرِّ النَقيِّ بَرّاق

    يَرمي القُلوبَ وَأَسيلاً رَقراق

    From the openings in pure pearls flashed a brilliance,

    shooting at hearts; and she showed a smooth, shimmering cheek,

  7. يَقومُ لِلَّيلِ مَقامَ الإِشراق

    حَيٌّ إِذا قامَ الوَغى عَلى ساق

    that takes the place of daylight in the night.

    A tribe who, when battle stands on its feet,

  8. رَدّوا القَنا وَطاعَنوا بِالأَحداق

    أُحِبُّهُم عَلى الضَنا وَالإيراق

    put aside spears and jousted with their eyes.

    I love them despite wasting sickness and sleeplessness,

  9. حُبَّ الضَنينِ المالَ بَعدَ الإِملاق

    إِنَّ مَوَدّاتِ القُلوبِ أَرزاق

    as a miser loves wealth after destitution.

    Indeed, the affections of hearts are allotted sustenance.

  10. مَن مُنصِفي مِنَ المَلولِ المَذّاق

    قَلبي وَطَرفي مِن جَوىً وَإِقلاق

    Who will give me justice against the fickle, insincere one?

    My heart and my eye, from burning love and unrest,

  11. في غَرَقٍ ما يَنقَضي وَإِحراق

    يَضَنُّ حَتّى بِالخَيالِ الطَرّاق

    are drowning without end, and burning.

    He begrudges even the phantom that visits by night.

  12. رَمى الإِلَهُ بِالرَميضِ الذَلّاق

    كُلَّ غُرابٍ بِالزِيالِ نَعّاق

    May God strike with a honed, keen-edged point

    every crow that caws of separation.

  13. يا ناقَ أَدّاكِ المُؤَدّي يا ناق

    ماذا المُقامُ وَالفُؤادُ قَد تاق

    O she-camel, may the Deliverer bring you safely, O she-camel!

    Why linger, when the heart is already longing?

  14. هَل حاجَةُ المَأسورِ إِلّا الإِطلاق

    أَلهاكِ عَن لَيلِ السُرى وَالإِعناق

    Does a captive need anything but release?

    You were distracted from night journeys and swift striding

  15. مَناشِطُ الشيحِ وَرَعيُ الطَبّاق

    سيري إِلى وِردِ الجَمومِ الفَهّاق

    by wormwood pastures and grazing on tabbaq shrubs.

    Go to the abundant, overflowing watering place;

  16. حَملُ المَساعي غَيرُ حَملِ الأَوساق

    بِحَيثُ تَسري لِلعَلاءِ أَعراق

    bearing noble endeavors is unlike bearing loads.

    Where ancestral roots run toward eminence,

  17. نورُ الغَواشي وَمِساكُ الأَرماق

    مِن مَعشَرٍ باتوا بِلَيلِ العُشّاق

    a light amid engulfing darkness and a stay for fading lives,

    from a people who spent a lovers' night,

  18. إِلى المَعالي وَالنَدى بِالأَشواق

    كانوا إِذا أَظلَمَ لَيلُ الطُرّاق

    yearning for high honors and generosity.

    Whenever night grew dark for night visitors, they were

  19. شُهبَ الدَياجي وَنُجومَ الآفاق

    بيضُ وُجوهٍ كَالظُبى وَأَعناق

    meteors of dark nights and stars of the horizons.

    White faces like sword-blades, and necks

  20. أَطوَعُ مِن تيجانِها وَالأَطواق

    سِيّانِ مِنهُم سابِقٌ وَلَحّاق

    more obedient than their crowns and collars.

    Among them, front-runner and close pursuer are alike.

  21. مَن قادَ غَيرَ المَجدِ مِنهُم أَو ساق

    مَهلاً إِلى أَينَ الصُعودُ يا راق

    Who among them has led or driven anything but glory?

    Wait! Where are you climbing, O climber?

  22. ضَلَّ المُجارونَ وَقامَ السُبّاق

    لَم يَلحَقوا يَوماً غُبارَ الأَطلاق

    The rivals lost their way, and the front-runners halted.

    They never once reached the dust of the freely running steeds,

  23. إِلّا قَذىً لِناظِرٍ أَو حِملاق

    قَد رَجَعوا عَنكَ بِلَيِّ الأَعناق

    save as grit in an eye or on an eyelid's inner lining.

    They have turned back from you, twisting their necks.

  24. هَيهاتَ فاتَ الأَعوَجِيَّ المِعناق

    سَهمٌ مِنَ اللَهِ بَعيدُ الإِغراق

    Far beyond! The swift A‘waji steed was outstripped

    by an arrow from God, reaching far from a full draw.

  25. أَعطى ديونَ القَومِ خَصلَ الأَسباق

    مَسعاةُ مَجدٍ عاقَ عَنها ما عاق

    It paid the people's debts by winning the race-prizes.

    A quest for glory, despite whatever barred the way,

  26. خَطَبتَها عَلى النَجيعِ المِهراق

    غَرّاءَ ما ناكِحُها بِمِطلاق

    you wooed her with blood poured out,

    a radiant bride whose husband is not given to divorce.

  27. لَيسَ لَها إِلّا الجُرازُ الذِلّاق

    يَضرَحُها ضَرحَ القَذى مِنَ الماق

    She has only the keen, cleaving sword,

    that sweeps it aside like grit from the eye-corner,

  28. ضَرباً أَخاديدَ وَطَعناً شَهّاق

    نائي القَراراتِ بَعيدَ الأَعماق

    with blows that carve furrows and deep-gaping thrusts,

    with bottoms far below and far-reaching depths.

  29. يُذكِرُنا وابِلَ طَعنٍ دَفّاق

    يَومَ الزُوَيرَينِ وَيَومَ التَحلاق

    It reminds us of a gushing downpour of thrusts

    on the day of al-Zuwayrayn and the day of al-Tahlaq:

  30. جَماجِماً مِنَ العَريبِ أَقلاق

    أَنذَرتَهُم وَثبَ هَريتِ الأَشداق

    restless heads from among the Arabs.

    You warned them of the spring of the wide-jawed one,

  31. طُوي مِنَ الإِدماجِ طَيَّ المِخراق

    صِلٌّ عَلى حَتفِ العَدُوِّ مِطراق

    coiled tight and compact like a rolled cloth-whip,

    a viper, head bowed, intent on the enemy's death,

  32. مُحاذِرُ اللَحظِ مُرَجّى الإِطلاق

    سَحائِبٌ تُشئِمُ بَعدَ إِعراق

    wary in its gaze, its release eagerly hoped for.

    Clouds that turn toward al-Sham after entering Iraq:

  33. لَنا حَياها وَالزُلالُ الغَيداق

    وَلِلعِدى إِرعادُها وَالإِبراق

    for us, their rain and abundant clear water,

    and for the foes, their thunder and lightning.

  34. في كُلِّ يَومٍ ذو الجَلالِ الخَلّاق

    يَبري لِقَوسِ المَجدِ مِنكُم أَفواق

    Each day, the Lord of Majesty, the Creator,

    carves from you nocked arrows for the bow of glory.

  35. أَرَّقَني طَولُكَ بَعدَ الإِعتاق

    أَساغَ ريقي وَالخِناقُ قَد ضاق

    Your bounty kept me sleepless after my release;

    it let me swallow my saliva when the noose had tightened.

  36. فَاِنعَم بِنَيروزٍ إِلَيكَ مُشتاق

    وَاِلقَ بِهِ مِن خَيرِ ما يَلقى اللاق

    So enjoy a Nowruz that longs for you,

    and meet in it the best that anyone may meet.

  37. فَما وُقيتَ فَالعِدى بِلا واق

    عَهدٌ عَلى الأَيّامِ باقي الميثاق

    So long as you are protected, the foes have no protector.

    A pledge binding upon the days, its covenant enduring:

  38. أَن لا يُرى غُصنَكَ ذاوي الأَوراق

    ضَوى مِنَ الإِثمارِ بَعدَ الإيراق

    that your bough never be seen with withered leaves,

    grown thin from bearing fruit after coming into leaf.

  39. [CENTER]ما أَهوَنَ الفاني إِذا كُنتَ الباق[/CENTER]

    How little the one who perishes matters, when you are the one who remains!