1. حبّي لَكُم كالنّورِ سارَ أَمامي

    يا قِبلَة البلَغا لِكلّ إمامِ

    My love for you, like light, has gone before me,

    O qibla of the eloquent, the focus of every master.

  2. إِن كانَ شَوقك لي يُوازِن دِرهماً

    شَوقي إِلَيك موازن الأَعلامِ

    If your longing for me weighs a dirham,

    my longing for you weighs as much as mountains.

  3. وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ أَنّني أَشتاقُكم

    وَتَزيدُ فيكَ صَبابتي وَهيامي

    And among the wonders is that I yearn for you,

    and my ardor and love-madness for you grow,

  4. وَخَيالُكم في أَعيُني وَجَمالكم

    ضِمنَ الفُؤادِ بِيَقظَتي وَمَنامي

    while your image is in my eyes, and your beauty

    within my heart, in my waking and my sleep.

  5. وَتَذكّري في الذُّكرِ حُسن خِصالَكم

    مَع مَدحِها بدل المدام مَرامي

    And recalling, in remembrance, your fine qualities,

    with praise of them, instead of wine, is my aim.

  6. وَإِذا ذَكرت كَمالكم يَهتاجُني

    هَيَجان ذي ودٍّ حليف غَرامي

    And when I recall your perfection, there stirs in me

    the tumult of a loving soul allied to my passion.

  7. أَحكَمت إِبرامَ الوِدادِ بحبّكم

    لا نَقضَ يَعرو مُحكَمَ الإِبرامِ

    I have bound affection firmly through my love for you;

    no undoing befalls a bond so firmly bound.

  8. وُدّي المُوطّد وَالمُؤكّد في الهَوى

    وَهوَ القَديم بِغايَةِ الإِحكامِ

    My affection is firmly rooted and confirmed in love,

    and it is longstanding, secured with utmost firmness.

  9. وَمَحبّتي لَكُمُ عَصايَ تَوكُّئي

    يَبدو عَلَيها عِندَ كلِّ مَقامِ

    And my love for you is my staff; my leaning

    upon it is evident at every station.

  10. وَبِها لِقائي لِلأَحبَّة مَأرب

    أَرعى بِها عَهدي لَهم وَذِمامي

    And through it, meeting my loved ones is an aim;

    with it I tend my pledge to them and my bonds of honor.

  11. إِن أُلقِ عَنها بِالحَديث تَلَقّفت

    لا شَكّ مِن غَيري الوداد النّامي

    If I cast forth words about it, it swallows up

    without doubt, the growing affection of others.

  12. ما كانَ لي يا ذا الفطانَةِ حاجِب

    عَن كَسبِ جَوهرِ ثَغرك البسّامِ

    I have had, O discerning one, no barrier

    to gaining the jewels of your smiling mouth.

  13. حاشا المَودّة أَن تُريكَ تَحجّباً

    هَل كانَ ذا في سابِقِ الأيّامِ

    Far be it from affection to show you withdrawal;

    did that ever happen in days gone by?

  14. ما كانَ لي الإِعراضُ عَنكُم شيمَةٌ

    بَل شيمَتي الإِقبالُ مَع إعظامِ

    Turning away from you has never been my habit;

    rather, my habit is to turn toward you with reverence.

  15. إِنّي أَرى الإِعراض إِذ لا باعِث

    عيبَ الكرامِ وَمِن صِفاتِ لِئامِ

    I regard turning away, when there is no cause,

    as a blemish on the noble and a trait of the ignoble.

  16. لَكِنَّما بِك الاِجتِماعُ مُقدّرٌ

    عِندَ القَديرِ الواحِد العَلّامِ

    But meeting with you is ordained

    by the All-Powerful, the One, the All-Knowing.

  17. وَرَدَت عَليَّ قَصيدةٌ مِن نَظمِكُم

    لِلدرِّ فاقَت في بَديعِ نظامِ

    A poem of your composition reached me,

    surpassing pearls in its exquisite stringing.

  18. بِنتُ البَلاغَةِ إِذ أَبوها صالحٌ

    وَلَها البديعُ غَدا من الخُدّامِ

    A daughter of eloquence, her father being Salih,

    and rhetorical embellishment has become one of her servants.

  19. فيها المَحاسِنُ قَد غَدَت مَخلوطَة

    مَمزوجة في لَحمِها وَعظامِ

    Within her, beauties have become mingled,

    blended into her flesh and bones.

  20. يَجري البيانُ عَلى مَفاصلِ لَفظِها

    فَيَسيلُ سِحراً خاطف الأَفهامِ

    Eloquence flows over the joints of her diction,

    so it streams forth as magic that snatches minds away.

  21. وَبِالاِنسِجامِ قَدِ اِكتَست وَتَلثَّمت

    يا حسنهُ مِن كسوة وَلِثامِ

    And she has clothed and veiled herself in harmony;

    oh, how lovely it is as a garment and veil!

  22. غَيداء بِكر غادَة رعبوبة

    في حُسنِ وَجهٍ في بَديعِ قوامِ

    A supple virgin, a tender maiden, soft and fair,

    with a lovely face and an exquisite figure.

  23. مَولودة في الفِكرِ منهُ رَضيعَةٌ

    لَبنُ اللّطافَةِ قبل وَقتِ فطامِ

    Born in thought, suckling from it

    the milk of grace before the time of weaning.

  24. أَمّا مَعانيها فَبَحرٌ كامِل

    لا بدع ناظمها فَبَحر طامي

    As for her meanings, they are a perfect sea;

    no wonder, for her composer is an overflowing sea.

  25. تَحوي العِتاب وَإِنّها لَمُصيبة

    عِندي إِذا عتبت وَلَو بملامِ

    She contains reproach, and she is surely right

    in my eyes when she reproaches, even with blame.

  26. وَمُحقّة فيهِ عليّ وَلَو غَدا

    مِنها بِمَحضِ الظنِّ وَالأوهامِ

    And she is right to reproach me, even if it comes

    from her out of mere suspicion and imaginings.

  27. إِنّ العِتابَ مِنَ الأَحبّةِ منهل

    عَذبُ المَذاقِ ومبرءُ الأسقامِ

    Reproach from loved ones is a watering place,

    sweet to the taste, and a cure for ailments.

  28. أَنا ذو القُصورِ وَأَنتَ مِن غيرِ اِمتِرا

    مُستَوجب التّبجيلِ والإِكرامِ

    I am the one who falls short, and you, without doubt,

    deserve reverence and honor.

  29. وَالعذر ما أَبديتهُ لِجَنابكم

    وَبِهِ اِعتَذرت أَخا المَقام السامي

    And my excuse is what I have offered to your honored self;

    and with it I have apologized, O possessor of lofty station.

  30. وَأَرى اِعتَذاري عِندَكم دونَ اِمتِرا

    يحبى القبولَ وَذاكَ عينُ مَرامي

    And I see my apology, with you, without doubt,

    being granted acceptance—and that is my very aim.

  31. وَاِسلَم وَدُم بِالحفظِ مِن ربِّ السّما

    في رَغدِ عَيشٍ مدّة الأيّامِ

    And stay safe, and remain in the care of the Lord of heaven,

    in a life of ease throughout your days,

  32. مُتَهنِّئاً طولَ الزّمانِ بِراحةٍ

    وَعَليك مِنّي الدّهرَ دامَ سَلامي

    happily enjoying comfort throughout time;

    and may my greeting of peace to you endure forever,

  33. ما دارَ في الأَحبابِ كأسُ عِتابِهم

    ما أَطربَ الأَسماعَ صدح حمامِ

    as long as the cup of their reproach goes round among loved ones,

    as long as the song of doves delights the ears,

  34. ما الفَتحُ أَحسنَ في مَديحِك بَدأهُ

    وَأَجادَ فيهِ الدّهرَ حسنَ خِتامِ

    as long as al-Fath makes a fine beginning in praising you,

    and forever perfects its fine conclusion.