راحٌ تكاد لها القلوب تطيرُ

راحٌ تكاد لها القلوب تطيرُ

حيا بها حيُّ اللثام غريرُ

حيا بها حيُّ اللثام غريرُ

Wine for which hearts almost take flight—

The one whose hearts almost fly for her sake,

A guileless youth, fresh beneath his veil, offered it in greeting.

The alive, the one with the charming veil.

لم تدر والصهباء تصبغ خده

لم تدر والصهباء تصبغ خده

أهو الإناء لها أم الإكسير

أهو الإناء لها أم الإكسير

You could not tell, as the tawny wine stained his cheek,

She doesn't know and the blond girl colors her cheek,

Whether he was its vessel or the elixir.

Is it the vessel or is it the elixir?

حث الكؤوس فأثرت بمن ادعى

حث الكؤوس فأثرت بمن ادعى

أن الكواكب ما لها تأثير

أن الكواكب ما لها تأثير

He hurried the cups along; they affected one who claimed

She blamed the cups so they affected who claimed,

That the stars exert no influence.

That the planets have no influence.

ورنا فماثل ظبيةً ستر الدجى

ورنا فماثل ظبيةً ستر الدجى

عنها الكناس وفاتها اليعفور

عنها الكناس وفاتها اليعفور

And he gazed, resembling a doe: night's darkness hid

She crooned, so she looked like a doe, the darkness covered her.

Her covert from her, and her fawn had eluded her.

The anklets and the bracelets missed her.

فانهض لساقٍ لو حباك بريقه

فانهض لساقٍ لو حباك بريقه

أغناك عما يحمل البلور

أغناك عما يحمل البلور

So rise for a cupbearer who, if he gave you his saliva,

So get up for a leg whose shine,

Would spare you any need for what the crystal holds.

If it loved you, would make you needless of what crystal carries.

واشرب على الخد الأسيل من الطلا

واشرب على الخد الأسيل من الطلا

خدّاً عليه من الحباب ثغور

خدّاً عليه من الحباب ثغور

And drink to the smooth cheek, from the wine,

And drink on the soft cheek some freshness from the dew,

A cheek upon which bubbles form mouths.

A cheek that has from the loved one wounds.

ترغو وتزبد في الكؤوس كأنها

ترغو وتزبد في الكؤوس كأنها

نارٌ تساقط فوقها كافور

نارٌ تساقط فوقها كافور

It foams and froths in the cups, as though it were

They foam and froth in the cups as if

Fire over which camphor showered down.

It is fire that camphor falls on.

وتلوح في تاج الحباب كغادةٍ

وتلوح في تاج الحباب كغادةٍ

سفرت فمد لها الغطاء غيور

سفرت فمد لها الغطاء غيور

And it gleams in a crown of bubbles, like a maiden

And the loved one’s crown glows like a bride

Who unveiled herself, then a jealous man spread a covering over her.

Who has traveled and the jealous one stretches the cover.

لا تطلب اللذات قبل حضورها

لا تطلب اللذات قبل حضورها

وتعف حين يسوقها المقدور

وتعف حين يسوقها المقدور

Do not seek pleasures before they arrive,

Do not seek pleasures before they come,

Nor abstain when fate brings them.

And decline when the inevitable brings them.

إن الزمان إذا أطاعك ساعةً

إن الزمان إذا أطاعك ساعةً

يعصيك عاماً فالزمان غدور

يعصيك عاماً فالزمان غدور

Indeed, if time obeys you for an hour,

If time obeys you for an hour,

It defies you for a year, for time is treacherous.

It disobeys you a year, so time is treacherous.

إني لأعجب كيف ينهاك النهى

إني لأعجب كيف ينهاك النهى

عنها وباريك الكريم غفور

عنها وباريك الكريم غفور

I truly marvel how reason restrains you

I'm amazed how prohibition prevents you

From it, while your gracious Creator is forgiving.

From it while your Creator is generous and forgiving,

ويصدك الذنب الصغير عن الصفا

ويصدك الذنب الصغير عن الصفا

وكبيره عند الإله صغير

وكبيره عند الإله صغير

And a small sin bars you from serenity,

And a small sin blocks you from passion

Though even a great sin is small before God.

While a big sin to God is small.

حسب الطلا شرفاً يكون مديرها

حسب الطلا شرفاً يكون مديرها

جم الرماد يجود وهو فقير

جم الرماد يجود وهو فقير

It is honor enough for wine that its server

It is enough for the dew an honor that its supervisor,

Has heaps of ashes, giving freely even when poor.

Is the one whose ashes are generous even if he is poor.

وكأن صفحة خده وعذاره

وكأن صفحة خده وعذاره

بيد النقيب كتابه المسطور

بيد النقيب كتابه المسطور

And his cheek's surface and his sideburns seem

And it is as if his cheek and mole

The Naqib's inscribed book, held in his hand.

Are in the writer’s hand like his written book.

الآمر الناهي المطاع البارع ال

الآمر الناهي المطاع البارع ال

عبل الذراع الباتع المشكور

عبل الذراع الباتع المشكور

The one who commands and forbids, obeyed, eminent,

The commander, the prohibiter, the obeyed, the skillful,

Stout-armed, mighty, praised;

The strong armed, the cutting, the thanked.

المستقل هباته لعفاته

المستقل هباته لعفاته

وقليلهن مواطرٌ وبحور

وقليلهن مواطرٌ وبحور

Who deems his gifts to his petitioners scant,

Independent in his gifts for his chastities,

Though even their least are rainclouds and seas.

And few of them are risks and oceans.

برٌّ تنام عيونه وفؤاده

برٌّ تنام عيونه وفؤاده

يقظٌ لحاجات العباد سهور

يقظٌ لحاجات العباد سهور

A benevolent man: his eyes sleep, while his heart

Good, his eyes and heart sleep,

Is alert to people's needs, ever wakeful.

And he is awake for the needs of the servants.

ومحيط مجدٍ مالُه متبدرقٌ

ومحيط مجدٍ مالُه متبدرقٌ

لمن ابتغاه وعرضُه موفور

لمن ابتغاه وعرضُه موفور

And an ocean of glory: his wealth serves as escort

And a great glory whose rising

For whoever seeks it, while his honor stays intact.

Comes to whoever seeks it and its presentation is plenty.

وإذا سطا فالفارس المخبور

وإذا سطا فالفارس المخبور

وإذا قضى فالعالم النحرير

وإذا قضى فالعالم النحرير

And when he attacks, he is the proven horseman;

So if he travels, then the experienced knight,

And when he judges, the consummate scholar.

And if he judges, then the elite writer.

هو قطب دائرة السياسة لم تدر

هو قطب دائرة السياسة لم تدر

بسواه أحكامٌ بها وأمور

بسواه أحكامٌ بها وأمور

He is the axis of the circle of statecraft; never have

He is the axis of the cycle of politics not knowing,

Its rulings and affairs revolved around another.

With him judgments and affairs revolve.

سبحان فاطره أمام هدىً على

سبحان فاطره أمام هدىً على

حب السماحة والتقى مفطور

حب السماحة والتقى مفطور

Glory to his Maker! A guiding leader, by nature

Glory be to the Creator, in front of guidance on,

Fashioned to love generosity and piety.

The love of leniency and piety implanted.

لو يدعي ما جاء فيه نبيه

لو يدعي ما جاء فيه نبيه

ما صد عن تصديقه شرير

ما صد عن تصديقه شرير

Were he to claim what his prophet came to proclaim,

If his prophet claimed what was revealed in him,

No wicked man would turn from believing him.

No wicked would deny believing him.

لا زلت يا ابن الباز باز مفاخرٍ

لا زلت يا ابن الباز باز مفاخرٍ

نسر السماء ببعضها مفخور

نسر السماء ببعضها مفخور

May you remain, O Ibn al-Baz, a hawk of glories,

You still, oh Ibn Al-Baz, are a falcon of prides,

By some of which the eagle of heaven is outshone.

The eagle of the sky, part of it is stuffed.

ما غردت كمؤمليك حمائمٌ

ما غردت كمؤمليك حمائمٌ

وجرى كجودك في الرياض غدير

وجرى كجودك في الرياض غدير

As long as doves sing like your hopeful petitioners,

My doves did not sing like your afflicted ones,

And a brook runs through the gardens like your bounty.

And no generosity flowed in the gardens like yours.