لا والعيون التي حلت لنا السهرا

لا والعيون التي حلت لنا السهرا

ولم تدع للكرى عيناً ولا أثرا

ولم تدع للكرى عيناً ولا أثرا

No, by the eyes that made sleeplessness sweet for us,

No, by the eyes that kept us awake,

And left slumber neither vestige nor trace,

And left no tear or trace for worries,

وراحِ فيك التي لو لم تكن رسمت

وراحِ فيك التي لو لم تكن رسمت

في الكاس صورتها للصبِّ ما سكرا

في الكاس صورتها للصبِّ ما سكرا

And by the wine of your mouth, which, had it not painted

And the one whose image, had it not been depicted

Its image in the cup for the lovesick man, he would not have grown drunk:

In the cup, wine would not have intoxicated,

ما شمت مثلك في الشام التي نسبوا

ما شمت مثلك في الشام التي نسبوا

لها الجمال غزالاً يفضح القمرا

لها الجمال غزالاً يفضح القمرا

I have never beheld your like in al-Sham, to which they ascribe

I have never smelled anything like you in Damascus,

Beauty—a gazelle that puts the moon to shame.

To which beauty has been attributed like a gazelle outshining the moon,

يورِّد الكاس والصهباء ناصعة

يورِّد الكاس والصهباء ناصعة

إذا أراق عليها وجهه الخفرا

إذا أراق عليها وجهه الخفرا

He makes the cup rosy, though the amber wine is clear,

It makes the cup and the blonde radiant,

When he pours his bashful face upon it.

When he spills his luminous face over it,

متى فرى فرقُه ريحانَ طرته

متى فرى فرقُه ريحانَ طرته

تنفس الصبح وانشق الدجى وسرى

تنفس الصبح وانشق الدجى وسرى

Whenever his hair's parting cleaves the basil of his forelock,

Whenever its hair is blown by the wind and gives off the scent of basil,

Dawn breathes, and the darkness splits and steals away.

It breathes the morning and the darkness splits and flows,

هات اسقنيها على الخد الذي اختمرت

هات اسقنيها على الخد الذي اختمرت

به فأصبح بالياقوت مختمرا

به فأصبح بالياقوت مختمرا

Bring it; let me drink it to the cheek where it fermented,

Give it to me over the cheek that was fermented

And so the cheek became veiled in ruby.

With it, so the ruby became fermented,

في جنة كلما بش الوزير بها

في جنة كلما بش الوزير بها

وزارها شاركت في بشرها البشرا

وزارها شاركت في بشرها البشرا

In a garden where, whenever the vizier beams

In a garden, whenever good news is brought,

And visits it, it shares its joy with humankind.

And it is visited, people share in its good news,

والٍ سخٍ تجتني من كفه منحٌ

والٍ سخٍ تجتني من كفه منحٌ

ما رامها طامح إلّا بها ظفرا

ما رامها طامح إلّا بها ظفرا

A generous governor, from whose palm gifts are harvested:

A generous man who picks up favors from his palm

No aspirant ever sought them without obtaining them.

That no ambitious person sought except to succeed through it,

حلو الحديث رقيق الطبع لو قطرت

حلو الحديث رقيق الطبع لو قطرت

على ثرى الميت منه قطرةٌ نشرا

على ثرى الميت منه قطرةٌ نشرا

Sweet in speech, gentle by nature—if there fell

Sweet talk, gentle nature, if a drop

Upon a dead man's dust a drop from him, he would rise again.

Fell from it on the soil of the dead, it would grow,

أحلى الكرام ندىً أسخى الكرام يداً

أحلى الكرام ندىً أسخى الكرام يداً

أتقى الكرام رداً أعلى الكرام ذرى

أتقى الكرام رداً أعلى الكرام ذرى

Sweetest of the noble in bounty, most open-handed of the noble,

The most delicious generosity, the most generous generosity of hand

Most pious of the noble in raiment, highest of the noble in summits.

The most pious generosity in response, the highest generosity in offspring

لا نعرف السحر إلا من يراعته

لا نعرف السحر إلا من يراعته

ولا فتى بسوى ألفاظه سحرا

ولا فتى بسوى ألفاظه سحرا

We know magic only from his reed pen,

We know no magic but in its customs,

Nor a youth who cast a spell with anything but his words.

No young man has magic but in his words,

ولا نرى الليلة الليلاء داجيةً

ولا نرى الليلة الليلاء داجيةً

ما دام رونقه من وجهها سحرا

ما دام رونقه من وجهها سحرا

Nor do we see the pitch-black night as gloomy,

And we see no beautiful night, as long as

So long as his radiance is dawn emerging from its face.

Its splendor from its face is magical,

يا شائم الخير من خير الملوك ومن

يا شائم الخير من خير الملوك ومن

خير الولاة الذين اختارهم سُفَرا

خير الولاة الذين اختارهم سُفَرا

O you who look for good from the best of kings, and from

O critic of the best of kings and the

The best of governors, whom he chose as envoys,

Best of governors whom destiny has chosen

قل للوشاة بنو عثمان أعدل من

قل للوشاة بنو عثمان أعدل من

كسرى وأرفق من عثمان بالفُقَرا

كسرى وأرفق من عثمان بالفُقَرا

Tell the slanderers: the sons of Uthman are more just than

Tell the slanderers, O sons of Uthman, more just than

Kisra, and kinder than Uthman to the poor.

Khosrow and more gentle with the poor than Uthman

ما استخدمونا عبيداً في ممالكهم

ما استخدمونا عبيداً في ممالكهم

لكنهم أخدمونا الفوز والظفرا

لكنهم أخدمونا الفوز والظفرا

They did not employ us as slaves in their kingdoms;

They did not employ us as servants in their kingdoms

Rather, they made success and victory serve us.

Rather they served us good fortune and success

ها نحن في ليلة لو تظفرون بها

ها نحن في ليلة لو تظفرون بها

يوماً لفاخرتم البيضاء والقمرا

يوماً لفاخرتم البيضاء والقمرا

Here we are in a night that, if you attained it

One day, you would boast to the white and the moon

One day, you would rival the sun and moon in glory.

We frolic and smile, and the strings croon, and the

نلهو ونبسم والأوتار تبغم وال

نلهو ونبسم والأوتار تبغم وال

أقمار تفعم كاسات الطلا دررا

أقمار تفعم كاسات الطلا دررا

We revel and smile; the strings croon, and the

Moons inspire the cups with pearls

moons fill winecups with pearls.

Among us are men of God, an elite

وبيننا من رجال اللَه طائفةٌ

وبيننا من رجال اللَه طائفةٌ

يضاعف الخبر في تمداحها الخبرا

يضاعف الخبر في تمداحها الخبرا

And among us is a company of men of God:

That multiplies news in praising it with more news

Firsthand knowledge doubles what is reported in their praise.

They do not deny the dhimmi his conduct

لا ينكرون على الذميِّ سيرتَه

لا ينكرون على الذميِّ سيرتَه

ولا يحامون عن عادٍ به غدرا

ولا يحامون عن عادٍ به غدرا

They do not censure the dhimmi for his way of life,

Nor defend a transgressor against him out of betrayal

Nor defend an aggressor who betrays him.

So where are we and where is injustice, O camels of

فأين نحن وأين الظلم يا بقر ال

فأين نحن وأين الظلم يا بقر ال

غربِ التي بقرت أعراضَها الشُعَرا

غربِ التي بقرت أعراضَها الشُعَرا

So where are we, and where is oppression, O cattle of the

The non-Arab West whose honors have been hamstrung

West, whose honor the poets have torn open?

The justice of the Commander of the Faithful remains

لا زال عدل أمير المؤمنين لنا

لا زال عدل أمير المؤمنين لنا

ظلّاً ظليلاً يعم البدو والحضرا

ظلّاً ظليلاً يعم البدو والحضرا

May the justice of the Commander of the Faithful never cease to be for us

For us a shady, shaded shelter encompassing nomad and settled

A sheltering shade embracing nomads and townsfolk.

And Rashid remains a light that illuminates the

ودام راشد نوراً تستنير به ال

ودام راشد نوراً تستنير به ال

دنيا وتجري على آثاره الوزرا

دنيا وتجري على آثاره الوزرا

And may Rashid remain a light by which the

World and ministers flow in his footsteps

world is illumined, and the ministers follow in his footsteps.