واحَرَّ قَلباهُ مِمَّن قَلبُهُ شَبِمُ = وَمَن بِجِسمي وَحالي عِندَهُ سَقَمُ

My heart is aflame, burning with love for you

While your heart is frigid-cold toward me

You think so lightly of me, treating me with such indifference

My soul is sickened, my body debilitated

مالي أُكَتِّمُ حُبّاً قَد بَرى جَسَدي = وَتَدَّعي حُبَّ سَيفِ الدَولَةِ الأُمَمُ

Why should I conceal a love that has consumed my body

When pretenders fake the love of Saif-Al-Dawlah

إِن كانَ يَجمَعُنا حُبٌّ لِغُرَّتِهِ = فَلَيتَ أَنّا بِقَدرِ الحُبِّ نَقتَسِمُ

If what brings us together is our common love for you

I wish we would meritoriously share your bounties

Each according to the love he harbors for you

قَد زُرتُهُ وَسُيوفُ الهِندِ مُغمَدَةٌ = وَقَد نَظَرتُ إِلَيهِ وَالسُيوفُ دَمُ

I have been in your presence while rapiers sheathed

And gazed at you when swords blood-stained

فَكانَ أَحسَنَ خَلقِ اللَهِ كُلِّهِمِ = وَكانَ أَحسَنَ ما في الأَحسَنِ الشِيَمُ

And found you to be the handsomest of God’s creation

Superb in manners, incomparable in character

فَوتُ العَدُوِّ الَّذي يَمَّمتَهُ ظَفَرٌ = في طَيِّهِ أَسَفٌ في طَيِّهِ نِعَمُ

When you charge an enemy and he escapes

You are the winner just the same

Albeit disappointing, such escape is yet a blessing

قَد نابَ عَنكَ شَديدُ الخَوفِ وَاِصطَنَعَتْ = لَكَ المَهابَةُ مالا تَصنَعُ البُهَمُ

You have stricken great fear in the enemy’s heart

A fear representing you, even in your absence

You have made your presence awe-inspiring

Far more than the combined power and prowess

Of your valorous knights

أَلزَمتَ نَفسَكَ شَيئاً لَيسَ يَلزَمُها = أَن لا يُوارِيَهُم أَرضٌ وَلا عَلَمُ

You make it a point to run after your enemies in hot pursuit

Depriving them of shelter; they run, but cannot hide

أَكُلَّما رُمتَ جَيشاً فَاِنثَنى هَرَباً = تَصَرَّفَت بِكَ في آثارِهِ الهِمَمُ

Whenever you target an army, before you it flees

You make after it with relentless chase

عَلَيكَ هَزمُهُمُ في كُلِّ مُعتَرَكٍ= وَما عَلَيكَ بِهِم عارٌ إِذا اِنهَزَموا

It is incumbent upon you to defeat the opponents in every battle

Nor should you feel ashamed if they run away

Rendering you incapable of subduing them

أَما تَرى ظَفَراً حُلواً سِوى ظَفَرٍ = تَصافَحَت فيهِ بيضُ الهِندِ وَاللِمَمُ

Victory is made sweet to you

Only when claymores and heads join in greeting

يا أَعدَلَ الناسِ إِلّا في مُعامَلَتي = فيكَ الخِصامُ وَأَنتَ الخَصمُ وَالحَكَمُ

You are the fairest of all people, except in my case

You are the controversy, the opponent, and the judge combined

أُعيذُها نَظَراتٍ مِنكَ صادِقَةً = أَن تَحسَبَ الشَحمَ فيمَن شَحمُهُ وَرَمُ

Your intuitive perception is accurate, you correctly read

So differentiate well between well-built bodies and those swelling with dropsy

وَما اِنتِفاعُ أَخي الدُنيا بِناظِرِهِ = إِذا اِستَوَت عِندَهُ الأَنوارُ وَالظُلَمُ

If a seeing person cannot tell the difference

Between light and darkness

What use is his eyesight

سيعلُم الجمعُ ممن ضمَّ مجلسُنا = بأنني خيرُ من تسعى به قَدَمُ

Let all present in this assembly know

That I am the greatest, treading the face of this earth

أَنا الَّذي نَظَرَ الأَعمى إِلى أَدَبي = وَأَسمَعَتْ كَلِماتي مَن بِهِ صَمَمُ

Even the blind man was able to see my verses

Even the deaf man was able to hear my words

أَنامُ مِلءَ جُفوني عَن شَوارِدِها = وَيَسهَرُ الخَلقُ جَرّاها وَيَختَصِمُ

I enjoy my sweet repose, not concerning myself with poetry

Whereas others burn the midnight oil, in endless literary disputes

وَجاهِلٍ مَدَّهُ في جَهلِهِ ضَحِكي = حَتّى أَتَتهُ يَدٌ فَرّاسَةٌ وَفَمُ

Behold an ignorant man, deceived by my jovial manner

Unaware of my intentions

Until I unexpectedly pounce, hand and word, incapacitating him

إِذا رأيتَ نُيوبَ اللَيثِ بارِزَةً = فَلا تَظُنَّنَّ أَنَّ اللَيثَ يبتَسِمُ

When you see a lion bearing his canines

Never fancy him to be smiling

وَمُهجَةٍ مُهجَتي مِن هَمِّ صاحِبِها = أَدرَكتُها بِجَوادٍ ظَهرُهُ حَرَمُ

When a knight contrives to snuff out my life

I take away his own instead

Mounting a noble steed, its back inviolable

رِجلاهُ في الرَكضِ رِجلٌ وَاليَدانِ يَدٌ = وَفِعلُهُ ما تُريدُ الكَفُّ وَالقَدَمُ

He runs with a rapid ambling gait

His hind legs moving as one leg, so do his front legs

He works in harmony with his rider’s wishes

In a manner best suited for hand and foot

وَمُرهَفٍ سِرتُ بَينَ الجَحفَلَينِ بِهِ = حَتّى ضَرَبتُ وَمَوجُ المَوتِ يَلتَطِمُ

How often I strutted between two mighty armies

Smiting with a thin blade claymore

While the billows of death surged in full brawling roar

الخَيلُ وَاللَيلُ وَالبَيداءُ تَعرِفُني = وَالسَيفُ وَالرُمحُ وَالقِرطاسُ وَالقَلَمُ

Swift steeds, dreary nights, and the desolate wasteland, all know me full well

As do the sword, the spear, the writing paper and the pen

صَحِبتُ في الفَلَواتِ الوَحشَ مُنفَرِداً = حَتّى تَعَجَّبَ مِنّي القورُ وَالأَكَمُ

I kept lonely company with beasts of the wilderness

Amazing thereby mounts and mounds

يا مَن يَعِزُّ عَلَينا أَن نُفارِقَهُم = وِجدانُنا كُلَّ شَيءٍ بَعدَكُم عَدَمُ

Parting company with you is excruciatingly heartrending

My heart, soul, and all are nothing without you

ما كانَ أَخلَقَنا مِنكُم بِتَكرُمَةٍ = لَو أَنَّ أَمرَكُمُ مِن أَمرِنا أَمَمُ

O how I wish you have given me

The same affection and honor I accord you

Surely, I would have received that from you

Had I a place in your heart

إِن كانَ سَرَّكُمُ ما قالَ حاسِدُنا = فَما لِجُرحٍ إِذا أَرضاكُمُ أَلَمُ

If what my envious opponents said about me pleases you

With fortitude I will carry my pain

What matters a wound if you are pleased

وَبَينَنا لَو رَعَيتُم ذاكَ مَعرِفَةٌ = إِنَّ المَعارِفَ في أَهلِ النُهى ذِمَمُ

There is a long-standing friendship between us

Wish you gave it what it deserves

Abiding loyalty is a sacred trust

For those who honor a pledge

كَم تَطلُبونَ لَنا عَيباً فَيُعجِزُكُم = وَيَكرَهُ اللَهُ ما تَأتونَ وَالكَرَمُ

How often you try to find fault with me, yet to no avail

Your attempts are unbecoming

In the eyes of both God and the noble-hearted

ما أَبعَدَ العَيبَ وَالنُقصانَ عَن شَرَفي = أَنا الثُرَيّا وَذانِ الشَيبُ وَالهَرَمُ

My character is far removed from blemishes and imperfections

Untouched by them

As the Pleiades is ever by old age untouched

لَيتَ الغَمامَ الَّذي عِندي صَواعِقُهُ = يُزيلُهُنَّ إِلى مَن عِندَهُ الدِيَمُ

I wish the storms breaking over my head change into benign clouds

I wish all barriers to your bountiful showers

Be permanently removed

أَرى النَوى تَقتَضيني كُلَّ مَرحَلَةٍ = لا تَستَقِلُّ بِها الوَخّادَةُ الرُسُمُ

My separation from you causes me to ceaselessly travel

Exhausting the most energetic camels, the swiftest steeds

لَئِن تَرَكنا ضُمَيراً عَن مَيامِنِنا = لَيَحدُثَنَّ لِمَن وَدَّعتُهُم نَدَمُ

Should I leave the Dhumair Mountain, to the right, and press on

You would surely regret my departure, once I am gone

إِذا تَرَحَّلتَ عَن قَومٍ وَقَد قَدَروا = أَن لا تُفارِقَهُم فَالراحِلونَ هُمُ

Should you be forced to walk away from those

Capable of dissuading you from leaving them

They are the departed ones, not you

شَرُّ البِلادِ مَكانٌ لا صَديقَ بِهِ = وَشَرُّ ما يَكسِبُ الإِنسانُ ما يَصِمُ

The worst of regions is where no true friends are found

The worst of gain is that which besmears one’s honor

وَشَرُّ ما قَنَصَتهُ راحَتي قَنَصٌ = شُهبُ البُزاةِ سَواءٌ فيهِ وَالرَخَمُ

And the worst of birds my hand could ever catch

Is one not dissimilar from either falcon or vulture

بِأَيِّ لَفظٍ تَقولُ الشِعرَ زِعنِفَةٌ = تَجوزُ عِندَكَ لا عُربٌ وَلا عَجَمُ

How can ignorant and ignoble ones recite poetry in your presence

When they possess no articulate eloquence of the Arabs

هَذا عِتابُكَ إلاّ أَنَّهُ مِقَةٌ = قَد ضُمِّنَ الدرّ إلاّ أَنَّهُ كَلِمُ

This is my gentle rebuke to you, yet prompted by love,

Full of precious gems

In the form of soulful words conveyed