1. شُغلي عَنِ الدارِ أَبكيها وَأَرثيها

    إِذا خَلَت مِن حَبيبٍ لي مَغانيها

    My concerns lie elsewhere than weeping for the dwelling and mourning it,

    when its haunts are empty of a beloved of mine.

  2. دَعِ الرَوامِسَ تَسفى كُلَّما دَرَجَت

    تُرابَها وَدَعِ الأَمطارَ تُبليها

    Let the dust-burying winds, whenever they pass,

    scatter its dust, and let the rains wear it away.

  3. إِن كانَ فيها الَّذي أَهوى أَقَمتُ بِها

    وَإِن عَداها فَما لي لا أُعَدّيها

    If the one I love is there, I stay there;

    and if he passes beyond it, why should I not pass it by?

  4. أَحَقُّ مَنزِلَةٍ بِالتَركِ مَنزِلَةٌ

    تَعَطَّلَت مِن هَوى نَفسي نَواديها

    The dwelling most deserving of abandonment is one

    whose gathering places lack my soul's beloved.

  5. أَمكَنتُ عاذِلَتي في الخَمرِ مِن أُذُنٍ

    صَمّاءَ يُعيِ صَداها مَن يُناديها

    I gave the woman reproaching me for wine an ear

    deaf, whose echo wearies whoever calls to it.

  6. وَقُلتُ حينَ أَدارَ الكَأسَ لي قَمَرٌ

    الآنَ حينَ تَعاطى القَوسَ باريها

    And I said, when a moon passed me the cup:

    Now is the time when the bow's maker takes it up!

  7. يا أَملَحَ الناسِ كَفّاً حينَ يَمزُجُها

    وَحينَ يَأخُذُها صِرفاً وَيُعطيها

    O loveliest of people in hand, when you mix it,

    and when you take it unmixed and offer it!

  8. قَد قُمتَ مِنها عَلى حَدٍّ يُلائِمُها

    فَهَكَذا فَأَدِرها بَينَنا إِيها

    You have settled on the measure that suits it;

    so keep it thus, and pass it among us—go on!

  9. إِن كانَتِ الخَمرُ لِلأَلبابِ سالِبَةً

    فَإِنَّ عَينَيكَ تَجري في مَجاريها

    If wine is a robber of minds,

    then your eyes flow in its very channels.

  10. سِيانَ كَأسٌ مِنَ الصَهباءِ أَشرَبُها

    وَنَظرَةٌ مِنكَ عِندي حينَ تُصبيها

    A cup of tawny wine I drink is no different,

    to me, from a glance from you when you make it beguiling.

  11. في مُقلَتَيكَ صِفاتُ السِحرِ ناطِقَةٌ

    بِلَفظِ واحِدَةٍ شَتّى مَعانيها

    The qualities of magic speak in your two eyes,

    one in utterance, yet manifold in their meanings.

  12. فَاِشرَب لَعَلَّكَ أَن تَحظى بِسَكرَتِها

    فَتَصدُقَ الكَأسُ نَفَساً ما تُمَنّيها

    Drink, then, that you may enjoy its intoxication,

    and the cup may, for a breath, fulfill the hopes you give it.

  13. وَمُخطَفِ الخَصرِ في أَردافِهِ عَمَمٌ

    يَميسُ في خامَةٍ رَقَّت حَواشيها

    And a slender-waisted one, with ample hips,

    sways in a tender stalk with delicate contours.

  14. إِذا نَظَرتُ إِلَيهِ تاهَ عَن نَظَري

    وَإِن شَكَوتُ إِلَيهِ زادَني تيها

    When I look at him, he turns haughtily from my gaze;

    and if I complain to him, he shows me still more haughtiness.

  15. لَولا الأَمينُ الَّذي في الأَرضِ ما اِختَلَسَت

    بَناتُ لَهوي إِذا عَنَّت غَواشيها

    Were it not for al-Amin on earth, I could not snatch

    the daughters of my delight when their veils appear.

  16. خَليفَةُ اللَهِ قَد ذَلَّت بِطاعَتِهِ

    صُعرُ الخُدودِ بِرَغمٍ مِن مَراقيها

    God's caliph—through obedience to him have been humbled

    the haughty cheeks, despite their lofty stations.

  17. أَحيَت يَداهُ النَدى وَالجودَ فَاِنتَشَرا

    في الأَرضِ طُرّاً وَجالا في نَواحيها

    His two hands revived largesse and generosity, and both spread

    throughout the earth and ranged through its regions.

  18. عَمَّت مَكارِمُهُ الدُنيا فَأَوَّلُها

    تُهدى نَداهُ إِلى أُخرى أَقاصيها

    His noble deeds encompassed the world, so its near end

    carries his bounty to its farthest reaches.

  19. كَم مِن يَدٍ لِأَمينِ اللَهِ لَو شُكِرَت

    لَقَصَّرَ النَفسُ عَن أَدنى أَدانيها

    How many favors from God's al-Amin—were they thanked,

    the soul would fall short of even the very least of them!

  20. فَتىً تُهينُ رِقابَ المالِ راحَتُهُ

    إِذا أَتاها مُريدُ المالِ يَبغيها

    A youth whose palm humbles the necks of wealth,

    when a seeker of wealth comes to it, seeking its favor.

  21. يُمنى يَدَيكَ لَنا جَدوى مُطَبَّقَةٍ

    هَذا السَحابُ بِأَعلى الأُفقِ يَحكيها

    Your right hand is all-encompassing bounty for us;

    this cloud high on the horizon imitates it.

  22. حَلَّت قُرَيشُ العُلا مِن كُلِّ مَكرُمَةٍ

    وَحَلَّ بَيتُكَ في أَعلى أَعاليها

    Quraysh occupies the heights of every noble virtue,

    and your house occupies the highest of those heights.

  23. فُقتَ البَرِيَّةَ مِن كَهلٍ وَمِن حَدَثٍ

    وَفاقَ أَباؤُكَ الماضونَ ماضيها

    You surpassed mankind, both mature and young,

    and your departed forefathers surpassed its men of old.

  24. شَيَّدتَ بَيتَكَ في عَلياءِ مَكرُمَةٍ

    يُقَصِّرُ النَجمُ عَن أَدنى مَراقيها

    You raised your house in the lofty heights of nobility,

    whose lowest steps the star falls short of reaching.

  25. ما يَسبِقُ الناسُ في غاياتِ مَكرُمَةٍ

    إِلّا وَكَفُّكَ دونَ الخَلقِ تَحويها

    People never race toward the goals of nobility

    without your hand, ahead of all others, already holding them.

  26. خَليفَةُ اللَهِ لَو عُدَّت فَضائِلُهُ

    إِذاً لَقَلَّ مِن الحُسّابِ مُحصيها

    God's caliph—if his virtues were counted,

    few among the reckoners could enumerate them.

  27. جارى الأَمينُ مُلوكَ الناسِ كُلَّهُمُ

    فَما تُقُدِّمَ سَبقاً في مَباديها

    Al-Amin raced every king of mankind,

    and no one outstripped him at the race's beginning.

  28. نالَت مَكارِمُكَ العَيّوقَ فَاِتَّصَلَت

    بِهِ وَقَصَّرَ عَنها مَن يُساميها

    Your noble deeds reached al-Ayyuq and joined

    with it, while anyone striving to rival them fell short.

  29. يا أَكرَمَ الناسِ إِذ تُرجى لِنائِبَةٍ

    جاءَت بِها حادِثاتُ الدَهرِ تَهديها

    O most generous of men, when you are looked to in a calamity

    that the happenings of time bring forth and deliver!

  30. لَسنا نَخافُ صُروفَ الدَهرِ ما عَلِقَت

    أَكُفُّنا بِحِبالٍ مِنكَ تَمريها

    We do not fear the reversals of time, as long as

    our hands cling to cords from you, milking their bounty.

  31. كافى الإِمامُ الوَرى طُرّاً بِأَجمَعِها

    وَفاقَهُم بِبُيوتِ المَجدِ يَبنيها

    The Imam matched all mankind, taken together,

    and surpassed them with the houses of glory he builds.

  32. رَآكَ رَبُّكَ أَهلاً إِذ حَباكَ بِها

    فَاِبقَ وَدُم بِسُرورٍ ناعِماً فيها

    Your Lord deemed you worthy when He bestowed them on you;

    so live on and remain in joy, at ease within them.

  33. أَحيا المَكارِمَ هارونٌ وَأَثبَتَها

    وَأَنتَ في الناسِ يا اِبنَ الغُرِّ تُمضيها

    Harun revived the noble virtues and established them,

    and you, among men, O son of the bright-browed, carry them forward.

  34. يا مُثبِتَ المُلكِ إِذا زالَت دَعائِمُهُ

    وَثارَ بِالفِتنَةِ العَمياءِ باغيها

    O you who steady the kingdom when its pillars give way,

    and the instigator of blind sedition rises up!

  35. كَم طَعنَةٍ لَكَ في الأَعداءِ مُهلِكَةٍ

    نَجلاءَ تُعجِلُهُم عَن نَفثِ راقيها

    How many a deadly thrust you have dealt the enemies,

    wide-gaping, killing them before its healer can breathe a charm!

  36. لَمّا غَدَوتَ إِلى الأَعداءِ مُطَّلِعاً

    غَيرَ الجَبانِ عَلَيها لا تُباليها

    When you went forth toward the enemies, coming into view,

    no coward before them, paying them no heed,

  37. قَسَمتَ فيها مَنايا غَيرَ مُبقِيَةٍ

    وَقُمتَ عِندَ نُفوسِ الحَقِّ تُحيِيها

    you apportioned among them deaths that spared no one,

    and stood beside the souls of truth, giving them life.

  38. أَخَمَدتَ بِالشَرقِ نيراناً مُؤَجَّجَةً

    قَد كانَ عَزَّ عَلى الإِسلامِ مُخبيها

    You quenched blazing fires in the East,

    whose quencher had proved hard for Islam to find,

  39. حَتّى بُعِثتَ عَلَيها رَحمَةً فَخَبَت

    نيرانُها بِكَ فَاِنفَتَّت أَفاعيها

    until you were sent against them as a mercy; then out went

    their fires through you, and their vipers crumbled.

  40. ما ضَيَّعَ اللَهُ قَوماً صِرتَ تَملِكُهُم

    وَلا أَضاعَ بِلاداً أَنتَ واليها

    God has not forsaken a people whom you have come to rule,

    nor abandoned lands whose governor you are.