أقبلت تنثني بأعدل قامه

أقبلت تنثني بأعدل قامه

فأهاجت من الفؤاد غرامه

فأهاجت من الفؤاد غرامه

She approached, swaying with the most well-proportioned figure,

She came swaying with a slender figure

And stirred the heart's passion.

And stirred up love from my heart

وتجلت لصبها ثم أجلت

وتجلت لصبها ثم أجلت

ذا ابتسامٍ أفدي بروحي التثامه

ذا ابتسامٍ أفدي بروحي التثامه

And she revealed herself to her lovesick lover, then unveiled

She smiled at me and then put it off

A smiling mouth, whose kiss I would ransom with my soul.

With a smile I'd sacrifice my soul to preserve

وارتني جواهراً تحت قفلٍ

وارتني جواهراً تحت قفلٍ

من عقيق لما أزاحت لثامه

من عقيق لما أزاحت لثامه

And she showed me jewels beneath a lock

And she showed me gems beneath a lock

Of agate, when she drew aside its veil.

Of carnelian when she removed her veil

عنّ لي ذكر بارق بالثنايا

عنّ لي ذكر بارق بالثنايا

وعذيبٍ لما رأيت ابتسامه

وعذيبٍ لما رأيت ابتسامه

Her front teeth brought Bariq to mind,

Mention to me a shining memory

And Udhayb, when I saw her smile.

And torment when I saw her smile

وأدارت من الرضاب رحيقاً

وأدارت من الرضاب رحيقاً

قد هجرنا بهِ رحيق المدامه

قد هجرنا بهِ رحيق المدامه

And she passed round nectar from her saliva,

And she diffused from acceptance an aroma

For which we have forsaken the nectar of wine.

We were deprived of it, the aroma of wine

غادةٌ تفتن الظباء بجيدٍ

غادةٌ تفتن الظباء بجيدٍ

وتعير البدر المنير تمامه

وتعير البدر المنير تمامه

A graceful maiden who enchants gazelles with her neck,

Gada who seduces gazelles with her neck

And lends the radiant full moon its perfection.

And shames the bright full moon in its perfection

اطلعت كوكب الصباح جبيناً

اطلعت كوكب الصباح جبيناً

قد محا من دحى الأثيث ظلامه

قد محا من دحى الأثيث ظلامه

She raised the morning star as a brow,

She rose like the morning star, a forehead

That erased the darkness of her luxuriant hair.

That erased the darkness of night's gloom

راق ماءُ الجمال في الخد منها

راق ماءُ الجمال في الخد منها

فأراني انسان عينيَ شامه

فأراني انسان عينيَ شامه

Beauty's water shone clear upon her cheek,

The water of beauty pleased me in her cheek

And showed me my eye's pupil as a beauty mark.

So it showed me a thirsty man its springs

رنّحت بالدلال خَطِّيَّ قدٍّ

رنّحت بالدلال خَطِّيَّ قدٍّ

فأقامت على الغصون القيامه

فأقامت على الغصون القيامه

With coquetry she swayed her Khatti-spear figure,

She swayed with coquetry, straight posture

And brought the Day of Resurrection upon the boughs.

And established over the branches propriety

ملكت حسنها قلوب بني العش

ملكت حسنها قلوب بني العش

قِ بجفنٍ وانفذت أحكامه

قِ بجفنٍ وانفذت أحكامه

She made her beauty sovereign over the hearts of love's children,

Her beauty captured the hearts of humankind

With an eyelid, and enforced its judgments.

With a glance, executing its judgments

وأراشت سحراً من اللحظ يحكي

وأراشت سحراً من اللحظ يحكي

نثر ذي الفضل صالحِ ونظامه

نثر ذي الفضل صالحِ ونظامه

And she gave wings to magic from her glance, resembling

And she scattered magic from the eyes that tells

The prose and verse of the virtuous Salih.

Of Saalih's generosity and composition

فاضل اطلع النجوم بنظمٍ

فاضل اطلع النجوم بنظمٍ

تحت ذيل الألفاظ ترعى ذمامه

تحت ذيل الألفاظ ترعى ذمامه

A man of virtue who made the stars rise through verse,

Superior, the stars appeared with compositions

Beneath the hem of his words, they keep faith with him.

Under which the train of words graze

وتسامى بروضة الأدب الغ

وتسامى بروضة الأدب الغ

نّا فاضحى بديعه وإمامه

نّا فاضحى بديعه وإمامه

And he rose high in literature's luxuriant garden,

And it rose, the garden of literature's peak

And became its marvel and its leader.

So its elegance and imam shone

بارع تخدم الرقاق المعاني

بارع تخدم الرقاق المعاني

في مباني عقودهِ أقلامه

في مباني عقودهِ أقلامه

A master: delicate meanings are served

Skillful serving the delicacies of meaning

In his necklaces' structures by his pens.

In the structures of his lines, his pens

قد حباني بسمط نظمٍ كريمٍ

قد حباني بسمط نظمٍ كريمٍ

يحسد الدر والدراري انتظامه

يحسد الدر والدراري انتظامه

He has bestowed on me a necklace of noble verse,

He gifted me with the fruits of generous verse

Pearls and shining stars envy its arrangement.

That makes pearls and corals envy its arrangement

خير شعرٍ قد زانه بقوافٍ

خير شعرٍ قد زانه بقوافٍ

وقفت عن مثالها عرب رامه

وقفت عن مثالها عرب رامه

The finest poetry, which he adorned with rhymes

The best poetry adorned with rhythmic feet

That the Arabs of Ramah could not equal.

Arabs stood from its example, leaders restrained

ان فيه من البيان لسحراً

ان فيه من البيان لسحراً

وبديعاً أمات ذكر قدامه

وبديعاً أمات ذكر قدامه

Indeed, there is magic in its eloquence,

In it there is magic of rhetoric

And artistry that killed the memory of Qudamah.

And wonders that erased those before it

عمرك اللَه أنت أولى به

عمرك اللَه أنت أولى به

ذا المدح يا صالحاً لكل كرامه

ذا المدح يا صالحاً لكل كرامه

May God prolong your life! You are most worthy of

May God grant you long life, you are most deserving

This praise, O Salih, worthy of every honor.

Of this praise, O Saalih, of all nobility

دم سليماً وخذ بُنيّة فكر

دم سليماً وخذ بُنيّة فكر

عوضتكم عن الهلال قلامه

عوضتكم عن الهلال قلامه

Remain well, and accept a little daughter of thought,

Live well and take the intent of thought

She has repaid you for the crescent moon with a nail-paring.

You have replaced for them the new moon's crescent

فاشملنها بالعفو حين تبدت

فاشملنها بالعفو حين تبدت

من محبٍّ أذاع فيك هيامه

من محبٍّ أذاع فيك هيامه

So enfold her in pardon as she appears

So forgive her when she appeared

From a lover who proclaimed his passion for you.

From a lover who declared to you his passion