قف قليلاً يا حادي الركب

وسل الظاعنين عن قلبي

Stop a little while, O driver of the caravan,

and ask the departing travelers about my heart.

وإذا جئت رحب حيهم

حيهم بالسلام والرحب

And when you reach the open grounds of their camp,

greet them with peace and welcome.

وقال الصب صب ادمعه

على ان يعطفوا على الصب

And he said: 'The lover has poured out his tears,

hoping they will take pity on the lover.'

واذا ما سئلت قل دنف

شغلته عوائق الحب

And whenever you are asked, say: 'He is sick with love,

preoccupied by love's hindrances.'

اوقعته الاهواء في شرك

فغدا وهو طائر القلب

Passions have cast him into a snare,

so he is left with a fluttering heart.

يا لعمري لقد مضى عمري

وتقضى وما انقضى عتبي

Ah, by my life, my lifetime has indeed passed,

and ended, yet my reproach has not ended.

ونعم قد قضيت يوم نأوا

فيه لكن من الهوى يخبي

Yes, I perished on the day they departed;

on that day—yet who can quench passion?

فمتى لي تلوح نارهم

بالأثيلات من ورا الهضب

So when will their fire gleam for me

among the little tamarisks, beyond the hills,

وارى النفس قد قضت وطرا

من عريب العذيب والشعب

and will I see my soul's desire fulfilled

by the little Arab band of al-ʿUdhayb and al-Shiʿb?

يا رعى الله منهم رشأ

جلّ في الحسن عن ظبا السرب

Ah, may God guard a young gazelle among them,

whose beauty outshines the gazelles of the herd.

اول الانبياء خاتمهم

اكرم الرسل اشرف العرب

The first of the prophets, their seal,

the most generous of messengers, the noblest of Arabs.

وهو من اشرف الورى نسبا

من بني هاشم ومن كعب

And he is of humankind's noblest lineage,

from the sons of Hashim and from Kaʿb.

من له الحوض من يرده غدا

فهو عنه يجلو صدا الكرب

He has the Pool; whoever comes to it tomorrow

is cleansed by him of the rust of anguish.

من يداه بالجود مغرقة

ونداه اندى من السحب

He whose hands are steeped in generosity,

and whose bounty is more abundant than the clouds'.

وله الجزع حنّ معجزة

وكلام الغزال والضبّ

For him the tree trunk moaned—a miracle—

and the speech of the gazelle and the lizard.

ومحا الشرك بالهدى وحمى

شرعه بالمهند العضب

He erased idolatry with guidance and defended

his law with the keen Indian-forged sword.

وجرى الماء من اصابعه

طيب الطعم سائغ الشرب

Water flowed from his fingers,

pleasant to taste and easy to drink.

من الى العرش قد سما كرما

وترقى إلى سما الحجب

He who rose in honor to the Throne,

and ascended to the heaven of the veils,

والى حضرة الكمال دنا

ومن الله فاز بالقرب

drew near to the presence of perfection,

and was granted nearness by God.

وله الصحب لا عد منهم

عند وقع السهام من صحب

He has companions—let none be counted among them,

when arrows strike, who has merely kept company.

فتية قسطل الوغى اتخذوا

لهم منبهلا من العذب

Young men who made the dust of battle

a watering place of sweet water for themselves.

لا يهابون من يصول ولا

عند سلم يخشون من حرب

They do not fear anyone who charges, nor,

in peace, do they fear any war.

خطباء على الجياد إذا

فرّ ليث الوغى من الخطب

Orators upon their steeds, when

the lion of battle flees from calamity.

كم هزيم من حد غرتهم

ليس بدري شرقا من الغرب

How many a man, routed by their cutting brilliance,

cannot tell east from west!

وغناءٌ ترى لبيضهم

في عروض الوغى على الضرب

And you see their bright swords singing

in battle's meter, to the beat of blows.

اطلعت انجما انتهم

مذ دجا النقع في سما الحرب

Their spearheads brought forth stars,

since dust darkened the sky of war.

وهو فيهم كأنه قمر

وهم في النجوم كالشهب

And among them he is like a moon,

and they are like meteors among the stars.

حسبه مدح ربه شرفا

ومديحي وحبه حسبي

His Lord's praise is honor enough for him,

and my praise of him and love for him are enough for me.

اترى الدهر لي يجود ومن

لاعج البين يشتفي قلبي

Will time, I wonder, be generous to me, and from

separation's burning pain will my heart be healed?

وارى طيبة وارتع في

ظل مأوى جنابه الخصب

And will I see Tayba and roam at ease in

the shade of his verdant, honored abode?

فعليه الصلاة دائمة

وعلى آله مع الصحب

May blessings be upon him forever,

and upon his family, along with his companions,

ما تثنى في الروض غصن نقا

وتغنى الحمام في القضب

as long as a dune-grown bough sways in the garden,

and doves sing among the branches.