1. يا سَيِّدي وَإِمامي

    وَيا أَديبَ الزَمانِ

    O my master and my leader,

    And O man of letters of the age,

  2. قَد عاقَني سوءُ حَظّي

    عَن حَفلَةِ المِهرَجانِ

    My ill luck has indeed kept me

    From the festival celebration.

  3. وَكُنتُ أَوَّلَ ساعٍ

    إِلى رِحابِ اِبنِ هاني

    And I was the first to hasten

    To the spacious courts of Ibn Hani;

  4. لَكِن مَرِضتُ لِنَحسي

    في يَومِ ذاكَ القِرانِ

    But, to my misfortune, I fell ill

    On the day of that wedding.

  5. وَقَد كَفاني عِقاباً

    ما كانَ مِن حِرماني

    And sufficient punishment for me

    Was the deprivation I suffered:

  6. حُرِمتُ رُؤيَةَ شَوقي

    وَلَثمَ تِلكَ البَنانِ

    I was denied the sight of Shawqi

    And the kissing of those fingertips.

  7. فَاِصفَح فَأَنتَ خَليقٌ

    بِالصَفحِ عَن كُلِّ جاني

    So pardon me, for it befits you

    To pardon every offender.

  8. وَعِش لِعَرشِ المَعاني

    وَدُم لِتاجِ البَيانِ

    And live on for the throne of meanings,

    And endure for the crown of eloquence.

  9. إِن فاتَني أَن أُوَفّي

    بِالأَمسِ حَقَّ التَهاني

    If I failed to render in full

    Yesterday the congratulations due,

  10. فَاِقبَلهُ مِنّي قَضاءً

    وَكُن كَريمَ الجَنانِ

    Then accept it from me in arrears,

    And be generous of heart.

  11. وَاللَهُ يَقبَلُ مِنّا ال

    صَلاةَ بَعدَ الأَوانِ

    And God accepts from us the

    prayer after its appointed time.