1. دَعِ النَّوْحَ خَلْفَ حُدوجِ الرَّكائِبْ

    وَسَلِّ فُؤادَكَ عَنْ كُلِّ ذاهِبْ

    Give up lamenting behind the riding camels' litters,

    and console your heart for everyone who has gone,

  2. بِبِيضِ السَّوالِفِ حُمْرِ المَراشِ

    فِ صُفْرِ التَّرائِبِ سُودِ الذَّوائِبْ

    with women of white necks and red lips,

    golden upper chests and black tresses.

  3. فَما الْعَيْشُ إلاّ إِذْا ما نَظَمْتَ

    بِثَغْرِ الحَبابِ ثَنايا الحَبائِبْ

    For life is only life when you string

    beloveds' front teeth together with the mouth of the bubbles.

  4. أُحاشيكَ مِن وَقْفَةٍ بِالطُّلولِ

    تَبُلُّ الصَّدى بِصَداها الْمُجاوِبْ

    I would spare you a halt among the ruins,

    where you slake thirst with their answering echo.

  5. تُكَلَّفُ صُمَّ الحِجارِ الكَلامَ

    وَكَمْ فِي جُنونِ الهَوى مِن عَجائِبْ

    You demand speech from deaf stones—

    how many marvels there are in love's madness!

  6. وَلَوْ كُنْتَ تَشْكو هَوىً صادِقاً

    لَما عَلَّلَتْكَ الأَمانِي الكَوإِذْبْ

    And if you were suffering from true love,

    false hopes would not have soothed you.

  7. تَأَمَّلْ حَريقَ كُؤُوسِ الرَّحيقِ

    تَرَ الماءَ يَجْمُدُ وَالخَمْرَ ذائِبء

    Contemplate the blaze of cups of pure wine;

    you will see water freezing, while wine is molten.

  8. لَها فِي الزُّجاجَةِ رَقْصُ الشَّبابِ

    وَمَفْرِقُها أَشْمَطُ النَّبْتِ شائِبْ

    Within the glass it dances youth's dance,

    yet the hair at its parting is grizzled and gray.

  9. وَتزْبِدُ غَيْظاً إِذْا أُبْرِزَتْ

    مِنَ الدَّنَّ كالْمُحْصَناتِ الكَواعِب

    And it foams with anger when brought out

    of the wine jar, like chaste, full-breasted maidens.

  10. كَأَنَّ الحَبابَ عَلى رَأسِها

    جَواهِرُ قَدْ كُلِّلَتْ فِي عَصائِبْ

    As though the bubbles upon its head

    were jewels set in headbands.

  11. بِحُمْرَتِها صَحَّ عِنْدَ الْمَجوسِ

    أَنَّ السُّجودَ إلى النَّارِ واجِبْ

    Its redness made it certain for the Magi

    that prostration before fire is obligatory.

  12. شَهِدْنا وَمُطْرِبُنا خاطِبٌ

    زَواجَ ابْنَةِ الكَرْمِ بِابْنِ السَّحائِبْ

    We witnessed, with our singer giving the address,

    the vine's daughter's marriage to the son of clouds.

  13. فَمِنْ قَطَراتِ الرَّذإِذْ النِّثارُ

    وُمِن وَشْيِ زَهْرِ الرَّبِيعِ المراتِبْ

    So the wedding scatter was made of drizzle drops,

    and the cushions of embroidered spring blossoms.

  14. رِياضٌ كَخُضْرَةِ زَهْرِ السَّماءِ

    وَأَزْهارُها مِثْلُ زُهْرِ الْكَواكِبْ

    Gardens green as the sky's blossoms,

    and their flowers like the radiant stars.

  15. وَلِلْوَحْشِ سِرْبٌ بِقيعانِها

    وَلِلطَّيْرِ فِي جَوِّها سَطْرُ كاتِبْ

    And wild beasts have a herd in their plains,

    and birds, in their air, form a scribe's line.

  16. بَرَزْنا إلى الرَّمْيِ فِي حَلْبَةٍ

    حِسانِ الوُجوهِ خِفافِ المَضارِبْ

    We went out to shoot among a company

    fair of face and nimble in striking.

  17. بَنادِقُهُمْ فِي عُيونِ القِسِيِّ

    كَأَحْداقِهِمْ تَحْتَ قِسْيِ الحَواجِبْ

    Their pellets in the eyes of the bows

    are like their pupils beneath their eyebrows' bows.

  18. فَتِلْكَ لَها طائِرٌ فِي السَّماء

    وَهذِي لَها طائِرُ القَلْبِ واجِبْ

    Those have their bird in the sky;

    these have the heart's bird, fallen.

  19. وَحَلَّتْ سَوابِقُ شُهْبٍ خَواطِفَ

    حُجْنُ الْمَناسِرِ حُوُّ المَحالِبْ

    And swift gray snatchers alighted,

    hooked of beak and dusky of talon.

  20. بُزاةٌ لَها حَدَقُ الأَفْعُوانِ

    وَأَظْفارُها كحُماتِ الْعَقارِبْ

    Hawks with a serpent's pupils,

    and their talons like scorpions' stings.

  21. فَلِلأُفَقِ نَسْرانِ ذا واقِعٌ

    وَذا طائِرٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ هارِبْ

    So the horizon has two eagles: this one fallen,

    and that one flying, fleeing for fear of death.

  22. وَأطْلَقَ كَلْباً لَهُ ضَارِياً

    يُباري هُبُوبَ الصَّبا وَالجَنائِبْ

    And he loosed a hunting hound of his,

    rivaling the rush of the east wind and the southerlies.

  23. تَطيرُ بِهِ أَرْبَعٌ كالرِّياحِ

    وَيَفْتَرُّ عَنْ مُرْهَفاتٍ قَوَاضِبْ

    Four legs carry it flying like winds,

    and it grins, baring keen, cleaving blades.

  24. وَتُضْرَمُ فِي لَيْلِ جِلْبابِهِ

    شُعاعُ شِهابٍ مِنَ الْعَيْنِ ثاقِبْ

    And within the night of its cloak is kindled

    a piercing meteor's ray from its eye.

  25. وَعُدْنا نَجُرُّ ذُيولَ السُّرورِ

    وَالطَّيْرُ وَالْوَحْشُ مِلءْ الحَقائِبْ

    And we returned trailing the skirts of joy,

    with birds and beasts filling the bags.

  26. كَما ابْتَهَجَتْ مِنْ سُرُورٍ خِلاطُ

    وَقَدْ جاءَ مُوسى يَجُرُّ الْمَواكِبْ

    Just as Khilat rejoiced in delight

    when Musa came, trailing processions.

  27. مَليكٌ إِذْا سارَ بَيْنَ السُّيوفِ

    تَرَى الْبَدْرَ بَيْنَ اشْتِباكِ الْكَواكبْ

    A king: when he marches amid swords,

    you see the full moon amid interlacing stars.

  28. وَتَزْأَرُ مِنْ تَحْتِ ذاكَ الرِّكابِ

    أُسُودٌ لَها مِنْ ظُباها مَخالِبْ

    And from beneath that stirrup roar

    lions with claws made from their sword-edges.

  29. فَتِلْكَ اللَّهإِذْمُ زُهْرُ النُّجومِ

    وَمُعْتَكِرُ النَّقْعِ جِنْحُ الْغَياهِبْ

    So those sharp blades are the radiant stars,

    and the swirling dust is the wing of deep darkness.

  30. بَدا فَهَوَتْ فِي التُّرابِ الثُّغورُ

    كَما انْتَظَمَ الدُّرُّ فَوْقَ التَّرائِبْ

    He appeared, and mouths fell to the dust,

    as pearls are strung across upper chests.

  31. يُنادونَهْ بِاخْتِلاَفِ اللُّغاتِ

    كَتَلْبِيَةِ الْحَجِّ مِنْ كُلِّ جانِب

    They call to him in different tongues,

    like the pilgrimage chant from every side.

  32. يُخيفُهُمُ بَأْسُ بَرْقِ الْحِديدِ

    وَيُطْمِعُهُمْ سَحُّ سُحْبِ الْمَواهِبْ

    The might of iron's lightning frightens them,

    and the downpour from clouds of gifts gives them hope.

  33. تَؤُمُّ الْجَوارِحُ أَعْلامَهُ

    تَروحُ بِطاناً وَتَغْدُو سَواغِبْ

    Birds of prey make for his banners;

    they return full-bellied at dusk and set out hungry at dawn.

  34. كأنَّ السَّناجِقَ أَوْكارُها

    فَكَمْ عُصَبٍ فَوْقَ تِلْكَ الْعَصائِبْ

    As though the standards were their nests—

    how many flocks are above those banners!

  35. أَيَا مَلِكَ الأرْضِ حَقّاً إِلَيْكَ

    مَآلُ مَشارِقِها وَالمَغارِبْ

    O true king of the earth, to you

    its eastern and western reaches are destined.

  36. سَتَمْلِكُ أرضَ قُسَنْطينَةٍ

    ومَا كانَ لِلرُّومِ مِنْها يُقارِبْ

    You shall rule the land of Qusantina,

    and the Romans' lands that lie near it.

  37. كَأَنِّي بِأبْراجِها قَدْ هَوَتْ

    وَصَخْرِ الْمِجانِيقِ فِيها ضَوارِبْ

    It is as though I see its towers already fallen,

    and catapult stones striking within it.

  38. وَقَدْ زَحَفَ الْبُرْجُ زَحْفَ العَروسِ

    إلَيْها يَجُرُّ ذُيولَ الكَتائِبْ

    And the siege tower has advanced with a bride's slow gait

    toward it, trailing the skirts of battalions.

  39. فَما لُبْسُهُ غَيْرَ نَسْجِ الْحديدِ

    ومَا حَلْيُهُ غَيْرَ بِيضِ القواضِبْ

    For its clothing is nothing but woven iron,

    and its adornment nothing but gleaming, cleaving swords.

  40. وَأضْرِمَتِ النَّارُ حَشْوَ النُّقوبِ

    وَثارَ الدُّخانُ كَجِنْحِ الغياهِبْ

    And fire was kindled within the tunnels,

    and smoke rose like the wing of deep darkness.

  41. وَلَيْسَ الْكَهانَةُ مِنْ شِيمَتِي

    وَلكِنَّ حِزْبَكَ بِاللَّهِ غالِبْ

    Divination is not my way,

    yet your host prevails with God's help.

  42. لَكَ اللَّهُ مِنْ قائِلٍ قاتٍلٍ

    يُجادِلُ بِالكُتْبِ أو بِالكَتائِبْ

    God bless you, speaker and slayer,

    who contends with books or with battalions.

  43. فَما مَجْلِسُ العَدْلِ يَوْمَ القَضاءِ

    بِأَوْلَى بِهِ مِنْ سُرُوجِ السَّلاهِبْ

    For the court of justice on the day of adjudication

    is no more fitting for him than the saddles of tall steeds.

  44. فَدُمْ سَنَداً لِلْعُفاةِ الكُفاةِ

    تُريِهمْ غَرائِبَ بَذْلِ الرَّغائِبْ

    So remain a support for worthy seekers of gifts,

    showing them marvels of bestowing coveted gifts.