يا وجهَ أحسنِ من يمشي على قدمِ

يا وجهَ أحسنِ من يمشي على قدمِ

بحُرمةِ الحُسنِ قُل لي كيفَ حلَّ دَمي

بحُرمةِ الحُسنِ قُل لي كيفَ حلَّ دَمي

O face of the fairest one ever to walk on foot,

O face of the fairest who walks on foot,

By beauty’s sanctity, tell me: how was my blood made lawful?

by beauty's sanctity, tell me how shedding my blood became lawful.

أما وخدَّينِ يسقي الوردَ ماؤُهما

أما وخدَّينِ يسقي الوردَ ماؤُهما

في نسبةٍ تمنعُ الدنيا من الظلمِ

في نسبةٍ تمنعُ الدنيا من الظلمِ

Nay, by your cheeks, whose water gives the roses drink,

Indeed, by two cheeks whose moisture waters the rose,

Through a kinship that shields the world from injustice;

in a kinship that shields the world from injustice,

ومُقلةٍ كلما دارَت رأيتُ بها

ومُقلةٍ كلما دارَت رأيتُ بها

من جَوهرِ اللحظِ أسقاماً بِلا ألمِ

من جَوهرِ اللحظِ أسقاماً بِلا ألمِ

And by your eyes—whenever they turned, I saw within them

and by an eye: whenever it turned, I saw in it

Kinds of the very essence of glances, free of pain:

maladies without pain, from the essence of its glance.

مريضةِ الجفنِ تعدي وهي مصبيةُ

مريضةِ الجفنِ تعدي وهي مصبيةُ

اللحظِ الذي ناءَ بالأوصابِ والسقمِ

اللحظِ الذي ناءَ بالأوصابِ والسقمِ

Languid of lid, infecting others while themselves afflicted—

Languid-lidded, it infects, and is bewitching in its

That gaze, laden with maladies and sickness.

glance, which is laden with afflictions and disease.

ما إن دعوتُكَ إلا حينَ أسلمني

ما إن دعوتُكَ إلا حينَ أسلمني

صبري ولم أبكِ إلا حينَ لم أنَمِ

صبري ولم أبكِ إلا حينَ لم أنَمِ

Never did I call upon you except when it surrendered me—

I called upon you only when I was forsaken by

My patience; nor did I weep except when I did not sleep.

my patience; I wept only when I could not sleep.

وما لحسنِكَ أنصارٌ رُميتَ بها

وما لحسنِكَ أنصارٌ رُميتَ بها

في الشبهِ حسناً عن التمثيلِ والصنمِ

في الشبهِ حسناً عن التمثيلِ والصنمِ

Your beauty has no champions with whom I might challenge

And your beauty has no champions; you were cast with them [wording unclear],

A beauty like it—beyond all image or idol.

in likeness and beauty, beyond portrayal and idol.

وماجدٍ من بني وهبٍ له خُلُقٌ

وماجدٍ من بني وهبٍ له خُلُقٌ

سمحٌ ينوءُ بغيرِ الفَضلِ والكرمِ

سمحٌ ينوءُ بغيرِ الفَضلِ والكرمِ

And a nobleman of Banū Wahb, possessed of character,

And a noble man of Banu Wahb, whose character is

Generous, burdened by nothing but excellence and munificence;

generous, finding anything but virtue and bounty burdensome.

مذهبٌ في لبابِ الملكِ أسرتهُ

مذهبٌ في لبابِ الملكِ أسرتهُ

أهلُ الكِتابة والألبابِ والحلمِ

أهلُ الكِتابة والألبابِ والحلمِ

Gilded at the very heart of kingship is his lineage,

Gilded in the very heart of kingship; his family

Masters of writing, intellect, and forbearance;

are masters of writing, intellect, and forbearance.

من بيتِ دَهقنةِ الأشرافِ في شرفٍ

من بيتِ دَهقنةِ الأشرافِ في شرفٍ

أوفى على مَطلع العيُّوقِ في الشممِ

أوفى على مَطلع العيُّوقِ في الشممِ

From a house of the noble magnates, eminent in honor,

From a house of landed nobility, in an eminence

Towering in loftiness above the rising-place of Capella;

towering above al-Ayyuq's rising-place in proud loftiness.

في ذروةٍ من بناء العزِّ باذخةٍ

في ذروةٍ من بناء العزِّ باذخةٍ

علياءَ طالت عن الأوعالِ والعُصُمِ

علياءَ طالت عن الأوعالِ والعُصُمِ

Upon a soaring summit of the edifice of glory,

On a towering summit of glory's edifice,

A height beyond the reach of ibex and white-footed mountain goats.

lofty, too high for ibex and white-legged mountain goats.

أمضَى البريةِ في خطبٍ وأصوبُها

أمضَى البريةِ في خطبٍ وأصوبُها

عُرفاً وأكتبُ من أملى على قلمِ

عُرفاً وأكتبُ من أملى على قلمِ

The most resolute of humankind in crisis, and the soundest

The most decisive of mankind in crisis, the soundest of them

In judgment; a finer writer than any who dictated to a pen.

in doing good, and the finest writer ever to dictate to a pen.

كأنهُ صارمٌ عدنٌ صريمَتُهُ

كأنهُ صارمٌ عدنٌ صريمَتُهُ

لم يؤتَ من طَبعٍ فيه ولا ثلَمِ

لم يؤتَ من طَبعٍ فيه ولا ثلَمِ

At the moment of his resolve, he is like a keen-edged sword,

He is like a keen sword, steadfast in his resolve,

Untouched by any flaw in its temper, or any notch.

never vulnerable through any rust or notch in it.

فتىً تحلَّت به الآدابُ وانصرفَت

فتىً تحلَّت به الآدابُ وانصرفَت

منه العلومُ إلى ذي هِمَّةٍ فهمِ

منه العلومُ إلى ذي هِمَّةٍ فهمِ

A youth through whom cultivated graces were adorned, and from whom

A youth with whom letters adorned themselves; there passed

The sciences went forth to every person of aspiration and understanding.

from him the sciences to one of aspiration and discernment.

نعمَ أخُو المرءِ في أحوالِ عيشتهِ

نعمَ أخُو المرءِ في أحوالِ عيشتهِ

في الأمنِ والبأسِ والإيراء والعَدَمِ

في الأمنِ والبأسِ والإيراء والعَدَمِ

How excellent a brother to a man in every condition of his life:

What a fine brother to a man in every state of his life,

In peace and hardship, in wealth and in want.

in safety and battle, in kindling fires and in want.

فتىً معاني اسمه تأتيكَ واضحةً

فتىً معاني اسمه تأتيكَ واضحةً

في الفِعل من كثرةِ الآلاء والنعمِ

في الفِعل من كثرةِ الآلاء والنعمِ

A youth whose name’s meanings come before you plainly

A youth whose name's meanings come to you plainly

In deed, through the abundance of benefactions, boons, and blessings;

in his deeds, through his many favors and blessings.

مبذلُ المالِ محمودٌ شمائلُهُ

مبذلُ المالِ محمودٌ شمائلُهُ

صافي الوَفاء بِعَقدِ الوَعدِ والذِّمَمِ

صافي الوَفاء بِعَقدِ الوَعدِ والذِّمَمِ

A lavish giver of wealth, his qualities praised,

Lavish with wealth, praiseworthy in his character,

Pure in fidelity to covenanted promise and obligations;

pure in fidelity to the bonds of promises and obligations.

من اسمُهُ حسنٌ وفعلُهُ حَسَنٌ

من اسمُهُ حسنٌ وفعلُهُ حَسَنٌ

به استقلَّ بحُسن الذكرِ والكلمِ

به استقلَّ بحُسن الذكرِ والكلمِ

One whose name is Ḥasan and whose deed is fair;

One whose name is Hasan and whose deeds are good,

Through this he stands alone in fair renown and eloquent speech.

through this he rose to fair renown and praise.

لمَّا وقفتُ على حُسنِ الظنونِ بهِ

لمَّا وقفتُ على حُسنِ الظنونِ بهِ

نَفسي تيقَّنتُ أنِّي لم تمُت هِمَمي

نَفسي تيقَّنتُ أنِّي لم تمُت هِمَمي

When I learned of the favorable hopes concerning him,

When, upon good hopes of him, I fixed

My soul became certain that my aspirations had not died.

my soul, I knew that my aspirations had not died.

وفاضَحتني من الأنواءِ صائفةٌ

وفاضَحتني من الأنواءِ صائفةٌ

تجري بمنسَجمٍ في إثرِ منسجمِ

تجري بمنسَجمٍ في إثرِ منسجمِ

And a summer rain-cloud among the rain-stars put me to shame,

And a summer storm from the rain-stars strove to shame me,

Streaming with one steady downpour after another.

pouring torrent after torrent.

فضَحكت بابتسامِ المُزنِ عن زَهَرٍ

فضَحكت بابتسامِ المُزنِ عن زَهَرٍ

وإنما اجتُلِبت من أعيُنِ الدِّيَمِ

وإنما اجتُلِبت من أعيُنِ الدِّيَمِ

It laughed with the rain-clouds’ smile, revealing blossoms,

So I laughed at the rainclouds' smile revealing blossoms,

Though it had only drawn them from the eyes of lasting rains.

though these were drawn only from the eyes of steady rains.

يا واسِع الباعِ بالمعروفِ شاهدُهُ

يا واسِع الباعِ بالمعروفِ شاهدُهُ

عتقُ البحارِ ومحمودٌ من الشيمِ

عتقُ البحارِ ومحمودٌ من الشيمِ

O you whose reach in beneficence is vast—as witness to it stand

O far-reaching in kindness, witnessed by

The seas’ noble bounty and every praiseworthy trait—

the nobility of seas and praiseworthy traits,

إن ترعَ ودِّي تخلصني بمن قسَمت

إن ترعَ ودِّي تخلصني بمن قسَمت

بالودِّ منكَ له المتليُّ بالقسمِ

بالودِّ منكَ له المتليُّ بالقسمِ

If you cherish my love, then deliver me through the one to whom you allotted

if you cherish my love, you will save me—by the one you swore by,

Love from yourself—I, the one who adjures you by oath.

by your love for him, you who invoke an oath [wording uncertain].

أليس كلكَ حمداً لا كفاءَ له

أليس كلكَ حمداً لا كفاءَ له

سامٍ على الدهرِ من سلمى ومن إضَمِ

سامٍ على الدهرِ من سلمى ومن إضَمِ

Are you not wholly praiseworthy, with no equal—

Is not your whole being praise, with nothing to match it,

Exalted through all time, from Salmā and from Iḍam?

soaring above time, from Salma and from Idam?