1. لَيت أنّا لمّا فقدنا الهجوعا

    وهو إِلْفٌ لنا فقدنا الدّموعا

    Would that, when we lost slumber,

    our familiar companion, we had lost our tears as well.

  2. حاشَ للّه أنْ أكون وقد فا

    رقتُ أهلَ الخيام يوماً قَنوعا

    God forbid that, having parted

    from the people of the tents, I should ever be content.

  3. مَنْ يَغِبْ عنه ساكنُ الدارِ لا يَس

    ألُ إلّا طُلولَها والرّبوعا

    Whoever is bereft of the dwelling's inhabitant questions

    only its ruins and encampments.

  4. لو علمنا أنّ الفراق طويلٌ

    لأَطَلْنا يومَ النّوى التّوديعا

    Had we known that the separation would be long,

    we would have prolonged our farewells on the day of parting.

  5. لا رَعى اللّهُ للوُشاةِ ولا نا

    دَوْا مجيباً في النّائباتِ سميعا

    May God never protect the talebearers, nor may they summon

    one who hears and answers amid calamities.

  6. قَد أضاعَ الّذين كانوا على العَهْ

    دِ عهودي وما رأَوْني مُضيعا

    Those who once held to the covenant have betrayed

    my covenants, though they never saw me faithless.

  7. وَبلونا منَ الغرامِ بما لَوْ

    كان من غيرهمْ لكان وجيعا

    And they have tried us in love with what, had it

    come from others, would have been painful.

  8. قُل لِطَيفِ الخيالِ ليلة هَوَّمْ

    نا بِنجدٍ ألّا طَرَقْتَ هزيعا

    Tell the dream-phantom: on the night we dozed

    in Najd, why did you not visit during a watch of the night?

  9. وَالمَطايا منَ الكلالِ على رَمْ

    لٍ زَرودٍ قدِ اِفتَرشْنَ الضّلوعا

    And the mounts, from weariness, on the sands

    of Zarud, had spread their ribs as bedding.

  10. ما على من يَحُلُّ بالغَوْرِ لو با

    تَ لنا طيفُهُ بنجدٍ ضَجيعا

    What would it cost one dwelling in al-Ghawr if

    his phantom spent the night as our bedfellow in Najd?

  11. خادِعونا بالزُّور منكم عن الحق

    قِ فما زال ذو الهوى مخدوعا

    Beguile us away from truth with your falsehood,

    for the lover has always been beguiled.

  12. وكِلونا إلى النُّزُوعِ عن الحب

    بِ وهيهات أنْ نريد النُّزوعا

    And leave us to renounce love—

    yet far be it from us to wish to renounce it.

  13. واِطلُبوا إِنْ وجدتُمُ كاتماً للس

    سرِّ فيكْم فقد وجدنا المُذيعا

    And seek a keeper of secrets, if you can find one

    among you; for we have found the divulger.

  14. أيّها النَّاخلُ الرّجال يُرجِّي

    رجلاً واحداً لخلٍّ مطيعا

    O you who sift through men, hoping for

    one man who will heed a close friend:

  15. كُنْ أَخا نفسِكَ الَّتي أَنت منها

    آمنٌ واِحذَرِ الأنامَ جميعا

    Be a brother to your own self, whom you can

    trust; and beware of all mankind.

  16. لا تُصخْ نَحوهْم بسمعٍ فكم لا

    موا وَقوراً منهم وَأعفَوا خليعا

    Do not lend them your ear: how often they have censured

    a dignified man among them, yet spared a libertine.

  17. ومتى ما يَضمك ريبٌ فلا تُب

    دِ خضوعاً ولا تُطأطئ خُشوعا

    Whenever adversity enfolds you, do not show

    submission, nor lower your head in meekness.

  18. ما يضرّ الفتى إذا صحَّ عِرْضاً

    أن يرى النَّاسُ ثوبَهُ مَرقوعا

    What harm can it do a young man, if his honor is sound,

    for people to see his garment patched?

  19. إنَّ فخرَ الملوكِ أودَعَ عندي

    نِعَماً أخفتِ النَّهارَ طُلوعا

    Indeed, Fakhr al-Muluk has placed in my keeping

    blessings whose rising eclipsed the day.

  20. كُلّ يَومٍ أُثنِي بِفعلٍ كَريمٍ

    جاءني منه أو أعدُّ صنيعا

    Every day I give praise for a noble deed

    that came to me from him, or recount a favor.

  21. مأثُرَاتٌ ما نلتُها بوسيلٍ

    لِيَ منه ولا دعوتُ شفيعا

    Benefactions I gained through no influence

    of mine with him, nor did I call on an intercessor.

  22. وإذا ما مضتْ عليها اللّيالي

    زدتُ فيها نضارةً ونصوعا

    And whenever the nights pass over them,

    I add to their freshness and brilliance.

  23. ورجالٌ راموا مداه وقد فا

    ت فراموا ما يُعجزُ المستطيعا

    And men sought his reach, though he had outstripped them,

    so they sought what defeats even the capable.

  24. قد رأَوْهُ بالأمسِ يحمي عن المُلْ

    كِ عِداهُ فما رأَوْه جَزوعا

    They saw him yesterday defending the kingdom

    against his enemies; they did not see him panic.

  25. ورأوْا في يديه بِيضَ المواضي

    في ذُرا الهامِ سُجَّداً ورُكوعا

    And in his hands they saw gleaming, keen-edged swords

    prostrating and bowing upon the crowns of heads.

  26. وَإِذا صِينَ بالدُّروعِ جسومٌ

    جعلَ الطّعنَ للجسومِ دُروعا

    And when bodies are protected by armor,

    he makes spear-thrusts armor for bodies.

  27. قَد رَكِبتمْ فَما رَكِبتمْ عَظيماً

    وَبنيتُم فَما بنيتُمْ رفيعا

    You have ventured, but ventured upon nothing mighty,

    and you have built, but built nothing lofty.

  28. وجَهدتُمْ أن تُدركوا سَوْرَة العز

    زِ فكانتْ منكمْ سَراباً لَموعا

    And you strove to attain the height of glory,

    but for you it proved a gleaming mirage.

  29. وسُئِلْتمْ فما بذلْتُمْ وما سا

    وى بَذولٌ في المكرماتِ مَنوعا

    And you were asked but gave nothing; never has

    a lavish giver in noble deeds equaled a miser.

  30. لا يَملُّ الإرمامَ إنْ وادعوه

    وأخو طَيْشةٍ إذا هو رِيعا

    He never tires of silence if they leave him in peace,

    but is impetuous when he is alarmed.

  31. يا إِلهَ الوَرى الّذي مَلأ الأرْ

    ضَ به رأفةً وأمْناً وسيعا

    O God of all creatures, who filled the earth

    through him with compassion and far-reaching safety,

  32. كنْ له جانباً حَريزاً من الخَوْ

    فِ وحِصْناً من الخطوبِ منيعا

    be for him a secure refuge from fear,

    and a fortress impregnable against calamities.

  33. وأَقِلْهُ صَرْعَ الزَّمانِ فكمْ أنْ

    قَذَ من نَبْوَةِ الزَّمانِ صريعا

    And raise him when Time casts him down: how many has he rescued

    from Time's harshness, lying fallen!