1. فَتَنَتهُ مَحاسِنُ الحُرِّيَّه

    لا سُلَيمى وَلا جَمالُ سُمَيَّه

    Freedom's charms enthralled him,

    not Sulayma, nor the beauty of Sumayya.

  2. هِيَ أُمنِيَةُ الجَميعِ وَلَكِن

    أَرهَقَتهُ الطَبيعَةُ البَشَرِيَّه

    She is everyone's desire, yet

    human nature has burdened him.

  3. وَعَجيبٌ أَن يُخلَقَ المَرءُ حُرّاً

    ثُمَّ يَأبى لِنَفسِهِ الحُرِيَّه

    And strange it is that a man should be created free,

    then refuse freedom for himself.

  4. غادَةٌ ما عَرَفَت قَلباً خَلِيّاً

    مِن هَواها حَتّى القُلوبُ الخَلِيَّه

    A maiden who has known no heart free

    of love for her—not even carefree hearts.

  5. غَرَسَت في فُؤادِهِ الحُبَّ طِفلاً

    فَنَما الحُبُّ وَالفُؤادُ سَوِيَّه

    She planted love in his heart when he was a child,

    and love and heart grew together.

  6. ثُمَّ لَما فَشى الغَرامُ وَذاعَت

    عَنهُما في الوَرى أُمورٌ خَفِيَّه

    Then, when their passion spread and there came to light

    among people secret matters concerning them both,

  7. حَجَبوها عَساهُ يَسلو وَلَكِن

    كانَ قَيساً وَكانَتِ العامِرِيَّه

    they hid her away, hoping he would forget her, but

    he was Qays, and she was al-Amiriyya.

  8. باتَ يَشكو النَوى الشَقِيُّ وَتَشكو

    مانِعيها مِن أَن تَراهُ الشَقِيَّه

    The wretched man spent the night lamenting separation, and she lamented

    those who kept her from seeing him—the wretched woman.

  9. مُستَهامٌ قَضى زَماناً طَويلاً

    في عَناءٍ مِنَ القُيودِ القَوِيَّه

    Love-stricken, he spent a long time

    in anguish under unyielding chains.

  10. وَعَلَيهِ مِنَ الزَمانِ رَقيبٌ

    عاشِقٌ لِلسِيادَةِ الوَهمِيَّه

    And over him Time had set a watcher,

    in love with illusory sovereignty.

  11. وَلِكُلٍّ مَطامِعٍ وَأَماني

    يَبذُلُ النَفسَ دونَها لِلمَنِيَّه

    And everyone has ambitions and wishes

    for which he offers his life to death.

  12. وَيَراها لَدَيهِ أَشرَفَ شَيءٍ

    وَهيَ أَدنى مِنَ الأُمورِ الدَنِيَّه

    And in his eyes they are the noblest thing,

    yet they are baser than base things.

  13. زَعَموا أَنَّهُ المَليكُ المُفَدّى

    بِالرَعايا مِن شَرِّ كُلِّ بَلِيَّه

    They claimed he was the king to be ransomed

    by his subjects from the harm of every calamity.

  14. إِنَّما تَفتَدي الرَعِيَّةُ مَلكاً

    باذِلاً نَفسَهُ فِدىً لِلرَعِيَّه

    The subjects ransom only a king

    who offers his life as ransom for his subjects.

  15. ظَلَمَ القَومَ تَوَهَّمَهُ القَومُ

    نَصيراً لِلأُمَّةِ الروسِيَّه

    He oppressed the people; the people had imagined him

    a champion of the Russian nation.

  16. وَإِذا أَحرَجَ الضِعافَ قَوِيٌّ

    نَسِيَت ضَعفَها النُفوسُ الأَبِيَّه

    And when a strong man drives the weak to desperation,

    proud souls forget their weakness.