1. هبّ النسيم على الرياض مع السَحَرْ

    فاستيقظت في الدوح أجفان الزَهَرْ

    The breeze rose over the gardens at daybreak,

    and the flowers' eyelids awoke among the trees.

  2. ورمى القضيب دراهماً من نوْرِهِ

    فاعتاض من طل الغمام بها دُرَرْ

    The twig scattered dirhams from its blossoms,

    and received pearls of cloud-dew in exchange.

  3. نشر الأزاهر بعدما نظم الندى

    يا حسن ما نظم النسيم وما نَثَرْ

    It scattered the blossoms after stringing the dew:

    how lovely what the breeze has strung and scattered!

  4. قُمْ هاتها والجو أزهرُ باسمٌ

    شمساً تحلُ من الزجاجة في قَمَرْ

    Rise, bring it, while the air is radiant and smiling:

    a sun alighting from the bottle into a moon.

  5. إن شجها بالماء كفُّ مديرها

    ترمي من شُهب الحباب بها شَرَرْ

    If its pourer's hand dilutes it with water,

    it casts sparks into it from the meteors of the bubbles.

  6. ناريةً نوريةً من ضوئها

    يقدح السراج لنا إذا الليل اعتكرْ

    Fiery and radiant—from its light

    the lamp kindles fire for us when night grows dark.

  7. لم يُبقِ منها الدهرُ إلا صبغة

    قد أرعشت في الكأس من ضعف الكِبَرْ

    Time has left nothing of it but a tint,

    trembling in the cup with the frailty of old age.

  8. من عهد كسرى لم يُفضَّ ختامُها

    إذ كان يدخر كنزها في ما دَخَرْ

    Its seal has not been broken since the age of Kisra,

    when he stored its treasure among what he hoarded.

  9. كانت مذاب التُبْر فيما قد مضى

    فأحالها ذوبَ اللجين لمن نظرْ

    It was molten gold in days gone by,

    but time made it molten silver to the beholder.

  10. جدّدْ بها عرس الصبوح فإنها

    بكر تحييها الكرام مع البُكرُ

    Renew with it the wedding-feast of the morning draught, for it is

    a virgin whom the noble greet at dawn.

  11. وابلُلّ بها رمق الأصيل عشيةً

    والشمس من وعد الغروب على خطَرْ

    And moisten with it the last breath of late afternoon at dusk,

    while the sun is imperiled by sunset's promise,

  12. محمرة مصفرة قد أظهرتْ

    خجلَ المريب يشوبه وَجَلُ الحَذِرْ

    reddening and yellowing, displaying

    the suspect's blush, mingled with the wary one's dread.

  13. في كف شفَاف تجسّد نوره

    من جوهرِ لألاءُ بهجته بَهَرْ

    In the hand of a translucent youth, whose light took bodily form

    from a jewel whose beauty's brilliance dazzles.

  14. تهوى البدور كماله وتودُّ أن

    لو أوتيت منه المحاسن والغررْ

    The full moons desire his perfection and wish

    they had been granted his beauties and bright glories.

  15. قد خَطّ نونَ عذاره في خده

    قلمان من آس هناك ومن شعر

    The nūn of his cheek-down has been traced on his cheek

    by two pens there, one of myrtle and one of hair.

  16. وإلى عليك بها الكؤوس وربما

    يسقيك من كأس الفتور إذا فَتَرْ

    And he plies you with cups of it, and sometimes

    gives you drink from languor's cup when he grows languid.

  17. سُكْرُ النّدامى من يديه ولحظه

    متعاقب مهما سقى وإذا نظَرْ

    The boon companions' intoxication, from his hands and his glance,

    comes in turn, whenever he pours and whenever he looks.

  18. حيث الهديلُ مع الهدير تناغيا

    فالطير تنشد في الغصون بلا وترْ

    Where cooing and rumbling join in harmony,

    the birds sing among the branches without a string.

  19. والقضبُ مالتْ للعناق كأنها

    وفد الأحبة قادمين من السَفَرْ

    And the branches lean to embrace, as though they were

    a party of loved ones arriving from a journey,

  20. متلاعبات في الحلي ينوب في

    وجناتهنَّ الوردُ حسناً عن خَفَرْ

    frolicking in their ornaments, while on

    their cheeks roses supply beauty in place of bashfulness.

  21. والنرجس المطلول يرنو نحوها

    بلواحظ دمعُ الندى منها انهمَرْ

    And the dew-drenched narcissus gazes toward them

    with eyes from which the tears of dew stream.

  22. والنهر مصقول الحُسام متى تَرِدْ

    درعُ الغدير مصفقاً فيها صَدَرْ

    The river is a burnished blade: whenever it is met by

    the pool's coat of mail, it comes forth splashing within it.

  23. يجري على الحصباء وهي جواهرٌ

    متكسِّراً من فوقها مهما عَثَرْ

    It runs over pebbles that are jewels,

    breaking over them whenever it stumbles.

  24. هل هذه أم روضة البشرى التي

    فيها لأرباب البصائر مُعتَبَرْ

    Is it this, or the garden of glad tidings, which

    holds a lesson for those endowed with insight?

  25. لم أدرِ من شغفٍ بها وبهذه

    من منهما فَتَن القلوب ومن كَسَرْ

    In my ardor for it and for this, I cannot tell

    which of the two enchanted hearts, and which broke them.

  26. جاءت بها الأجفان مِلْءَ ضلوعها

    مِلْءَ الخواطر والمسامع والبصَرْ

    The ships brought it, filling their ribs,

    filling thoughts and hearing and sight.

  27. ومسافرٍ في البحر مِلْء عنانه

    وافى مع الفتح المبين على قَدَرْ

    And a traveler at sea, running at full rein,

    arrived with the manifest victory, as fate ordained.

  28. قادته نحوَك بالخِطام كأنه

    جَمَلٌ يساقُ إلى القياد وقد نفَرْ

    It led him toward you by the halter, as though he were

    a camel led into obedience after bolting.

  29. وأراه دينُ الله عزّةَ أهله

    بك يا أعفَّ القادرين إذا قدرْ

    God's religion showed him the might of its people

    through you, O most restrained of the mighty when they wield power!

  30. يا فخر أندلس وعصمة أهلها

    للناس سرُّ في اختصاصك قد ظهرْ

    O pride of al-Andalus and safeguard of its people,

    a secret in your being singled out has become clear to the people.

  31. كم معضل من دائها عالجتَه

    فشفيتَ منه بالبدار وبالبدِرْ

    How many grave disorders of its ailment you have treated,

    and cured with swift action and purses of money!

  32. ماذا عسى يصف البليغ خليفة

    واللهِ ما أيامه إِلاَّ غرَرْ

    How could an eloquent man describe a caliph

    whose days, by God, are nothing but radiant glories?

  33. وُرَّثتَ هذا الفخرَ يا ملك الهدى

    من كلِّ من آوى النَّبِيَّ ومن نَصَرْ

    You were bequeathed this glory, O king of guidance,

    by all who sheltered the Prophet and all who aided him.

  34. من شاء يعرفُ فخرهم وكمالهم

    فليتلُ وحي الله فيهم والسَّيَرْ

    Whoever wishes to know their glory and perfection,

    let him recite God's revelation about them and their histories.

  35. أبناؤهم أبناء نصر بعدهم

    بسيوفهم دين الإله قد انتصرْ

    Their descendants are the sons of Nasr who followed them;

    through their swords the religion of God has triumphed.

  36. مولاي سعدُك والصباح تشابها

    وكلاهما في الخافقين قد اشتهرْ

    My lord, your good fortune and the morning are alike,

    and both have become renowned in east and west.

  37. هذا وزير الغرب عبد آبق

    لم يُلفِ غيرَك في الشدائد من وَزَرْ

    This vizier of the West is a runaway slave,

    who found no refuge but you in adversity.

  38. كفر الذي أوليته من نعمة

    واللهُ قد حتم العذابَ لمن كفرْ

    He was ungrateful for the favor you bestowed upon him,

    and God has decreed punishment for the ungrateful.

  39. إن لم يمت بالسيف مات بغيظه

    وصَلّى سعيراً للتأسّف والفِكرْ

    If he does not die by the sword, he will die of his rage

    and burn in a blaze of regret and brooding.

  40. ركب الفِرارَ مطيَةً ينجو بها

    فجرتْ به حتى استقر على سَقَرْ

    He rode flight as a mount by which to escape,

    and it carried him until he settled in Saqar.

  41. وكذا أبوه وكان منه حِمامُهُ

    قد حُمَّ وهُوَ من الحياة على غَرَرْ

    And likewise his father: his death through him

    had been decreed while his life hung in the balance.

  42. بلّغتَهُ واللهُ أكبرُ شاهدٍ

    ما شاء من وطن يعزّ ومن وَطرْ

    You brought him—and God is the greatest witness—to

    all he wished: a cherished homeland and fulfilled desire.

  43. حتى إذا جحد الذي أَوْلَيْته

    لم تُبق منه الحادثات ولم تذَرْ

    Until, when he denied what you bestowed on him,

    calamities left nothing of him and spared nothing.

  44. في حاله واللهِ أعظم عِبرةٍ

    لله عَبدٌ في القضاء قد اعتبرْ

    In his fate, by God, lies the greatest lesson.

    What a servant of God, who has taken heed of His decree!

  45. فاصبرْ تنلْ أمثالها في مثله

    إن العواقب في الأمور لمن صبَرْ

    So be patient: you will gain the like of it with the like of him;

    for the final outcomes of affairs belong to the patient.

  46. رِدْ حيث شئت مسوَغاً وِرد المنى

    فالله حسبك في الورود وفي الصَّدَرْ

    Approach the watering-place of wishes wherever you will, freely admitted;

    God suffices you in coming to water and departing.

  47. لا زلتَ محروساً بعين كلاءةٍ

    ما دام عين الشمس تعشي من نَظَرْ

    May you ever be guarded by a watchful eye,

    as long as the sun's eye dazzles whoever looks.