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It is no fault of yours if we have done well,

ما على أحسنكم لو أحسنا

1. It is no fault of yours if we have done well,
We only ask for something easy.

١. ما عَلى أَحسَنكُم لَو أَحسَنا
إِنَّما نَسأَلُ شَيئاً هَيِّنا

2. Despair has torn us apart after you,
So we engaged in hopeless conversations.

٢. قَد شَجانا اليَأسُ مِن بَعدِكُمُ
فَغَدَونا بِأَحاديثِ المُنى

3. With the promise of reunion from your apparitions,
A lovelorn one who knew no enmity among you.

٣. وَعَدوا بِالوَصلِ مِن طَيفِكُمُ
مُقلَةٌ لَم تَدرِ فيكُم وَسَنا

4. Not sorcery between your eyelids,
With which love tempted the tempted one.

٤. لا وَسِحرٌ بَينَ أَجفانِكُم
فَتَنَ الحُبُّ بِهِ مَن فَتَنا

5. And talk of your promises,
The ear envies the eye for it.

٥. وَحَديثٍ مِن مَواعيدِكُم
تَحسُدُ العَينُ عَلَيهِ الأذُنا

6. The eyes did not see anything beautiful,
Since the caravan left your land.

٦. ما رَحَلت العيسَ عَن أَرضِكُم
فَرَأَت عَينايَ شَيئاً حَسَنا

7. O sons of Udhra, if we visited you,
The blood of the slain one is with us from you.

٧. يا بَني عُذرَةَ إِن ضِفناكُم
فَدَم الهِرماسِ مِنكُم عِندَنا

8. Your spears took revenge with it,
I do not mean your spears of cane.

٨. أَخَذَت سُمرُكُمُ الثّأرَ بِهِ
لَستُ أَعني لَكُمُ سُمرَ القَنا

9. And you slid your glances in it,
So we recognized the Yemeni swords.

٩. وَسَلَلتُم فيهِ أَلحاظَكُم
فَعَرَفنا بِالسُّيوفِ اليَمَنا

10. Is there any return to you from us?
My question, "Is there any return for us?" is an excuse.

١٠. هَل لَنا نَحوَكُم مِن عَودَةٍ
وَمِنَ التَّعليلِ قَولي هَل لَنا

11. How I distract the soul from loving you,
And it only increases in sorrow.

١١. كَم أُسَلّي النَّفسَ عَن حُبِّكُم
وَهيَ لا تَزدادُ إِلّا حَزَنا

12. And by my life if we found solace,
From your love we would seek anguish.

١٢. وَلَعَمري لَو وَجَدنا راحَةً
مِن هَواكُم لَطَلَبنا شَجَنا

13. O my drinking companion, let's remember them,
The talk of longing has intoxicated us.

١٣. يا نَديميَّ عَلى ذِكرِهِم
وَحَديثُ الشَّوقِ قَد أَسكَرَنا

14. Between Basra and the heart of the Arabs,
The fearful are safe among them from what he harvested.

١٤. بَينَ بصرَى وَضُمَير عَرَب
يَأمَنُ الخائِفُ فيهِم ما جَنى

15. Whenever a raid was launched against them,
They sheathed the swords and pardoned the eyes.

١٥. كُلَّما شُنَّت عَلَيهم غارَة
أَغمَدوا البيضَ وَسَلوا الأَعيُنا

16. For their beauty, luck sprouted among them,
Growing branches in every cheekbone.

١٦. طَلَعَت لِلحُسنِ فيهِم مُزنَةٌ
أَنبَتَت في كُلِّ حِقفٍ غُصنا

17. What is wrong with my heart that its disease does not heal?
Whenever a sorrow passes, sorrow returns.

١٧. ما لِقَلبي لَيسَ يَشفى داؤهُ
كُلَّما زالَ ضَنىً عادَ ضَنا

18. Every day there are partridges from Udhra
Meeting together due to love of you.

١٨. كُلُّ يَوم صَبوَة عُذرِيَّةٌ
مِن هَواكُم تَتَلاقى الدِّمَنا

19. If we were safe from the wounds of passion,
We would remember all our matter.

١٩. لَو سَلِمنا مِن تَباريحِ الهَوى
لَذَكَرنا جُملَةً مِن أَمرِنا

20. And thank Ibn Nasr for his favor,
Which loosed tongues in praising him.

٢٠. وَشَكَرنا لابنِ نَصرٍ مِنَّةً
أَنطَقَت بِالمَدحِ فيهِ الأَلسُنا

21. Infatuated with generosity, whatever poverty,
Imposes upon the love of wealth.

٢١. مُغرَمٌ بِالجودِ ما يَحمِلُهُ
نَصَبُ الفَقرِ عَلى حُبِّ الغِنى

22. Whenever praise was presented to him,
He increased the price and made it more expensive.

٢٢. كُلَّما عَرَّضَ بِالحَمدِ لَهُ
أَكثَرَ السَّومَ وَأَغلى الثَّمَنا

23. You do not see him, no matter how the days,
Inclined with him, except as a benefactor.

٢٣. ما تَراهُ كَيفَ ما مالَت بِهِ
عِقَبُ الأَيّام إِلّا مُحسِنا

24. And though his ambition was distant,
Many things come near that were remote.

٢٤. وَقَريبٌ بَعُدَت هِمَّتُه
رُبَّ أَمرٍ ما نأَى حَتّى دَنا

25. And when the heavy rains advanced gently,
Like the line of script, supple and smooth.

٢٥. وَإِذا ما أَقبَلَت غائِرَة
كَقَنا الخَطِّ خِفافاً لَدُنا

26. Mahmoud shouted at its horses,
"None shall turn it back except me!"

٢٦. صاحَ مَحمودٌ عَلى فُرّاطِها
لا فَتىً يَعطِفُها إِلّا أَنا

27. Ease was created in generosity for him,
It taught us to suppress sorrow.

٢٧. خُلِقَت لِلجودِ مِنهُ راحَةٌ
عَلَّمتنا أَن نَذُمَّ المُزنا

28. O pillar of wisdom, a true description,
And from the titles grace and nicknames.

٢٨. يا عِمادَ الحَزم نَعتاً صادِقاً
وَمِنَ الأَلقابِ مَينٌ وَالكُنى

29. I see no fault in you except apparent,
The best lover's complaint is one made public.

٢٩. لا أَرى عَتبكَ إِلّا ظاهِراً
خَيرُ شَكوى عاشِقٍ ما أَعلَنا

30. You used to aim your time below me, so now,
I fear the time has become like me.

٣٠. كُنتَ تَرمي زَمَني دوني فَقَد
صِرتُ أَخشى أَن يَكونَ الزَّمَنا

31. We have not dealt with thanks to God in,
A cause that necessitates clear betrayal.

٣١. ما تَعامَلنا بِحَمدِ اللَّهِ في
سَبَبٍ يُوجِبُ خُلفاً بَيِّنا

32. Except poetry I may have gifted you,
When an occasion presented itself.

٣٢. غَيرَ شِعرٍ رُبَّما أَهدَيتُهُ
لَكَ إِذ صادَفَ وَقتاً مُمكِنا

33. None among the enemies understands it,
To say, “How good it was!”

٣٣. لَيسَ في الأَعداءِ مَن يَفهَمُه
فَيَقولوا إِنَّهُ ما أَحسَنا

34. And by my life in their love,
Only the compliant see comfort.

٣٤. وَلَعَمري إِنَّ في حُبِّهِمُ
ما يرى سَحبانُ إِلّا أَلكَنا

35. Every day I have an episode with them,
Leaving the free man tried through them.

٣٥. كُلَّ يَوم لِيَ مِنهُم نَوبَةٌ
تَذَرُ الحُرَّ بِهِم مُمتَحَنا

36. And despite the flaws, I remain with what
I dislike to state plainly, out of tact.

٣٦. وَعَلى العِلات لا زِلتُ بِما
أَكرَهُ التَّصريحَ فيهِ فَطِنا

37. They denied my eagerness for peace, and I do not,
Claim to love discord.

٣٧. أَنكَروا حِرصي عَلى السّلمِ وَما
أَدَّعي أَنّي أُحِبُّ الفِتَنا

38. How can one who loves war love you,
When if you win, we do not have secure refuge?

٣٨. كَيفَ يَهوى الحَرب مَن إِن فُزتُمُ
لَم يَكُن بِالخَيرِ مِنكُم قَمِنا

39. And if the strategy narrows upon you,
Neither wealth nor homeland in it.

٣٩. وَإِذا ضاقَت عَلَيكُم خُطَّةٌ
عَدِمَ المال بِها وَالوَطَنا

40. It is not reasonable to prefer it,
Unless out of fear in it I would be safe.

٤٠. لَيسَ في المَعقولِ أَن يؤثِرَها
غَيرَ مَن إِن خِفتُ فيها أَمِنا

41. So beware of their deceits,
We did not know this declining vigor from you.

٤١. فَتَنَبَّه لِمَخارِيقِهِمُ
ما عَهِدنا مِنكَ هَذا الوَسَنا

42. And carry the people in their love,
It is not the religion of exaltation to deprive us.

٤٢. وَاحمِلِ النّاسَ عَلى حُبِّهِمُ
لَيسَ مِن دينِ العُلى أَن تُغبَنا

43. Indeed, whoever adopts a doctrine,
Other than yours, the world entirely is dunya to him.

٤٣. إِنَّ مَن أَحرَزَ عَنكُم مَذهَباً
غَيرَ مَن أَنتُم لَهُ كُلُّ الدُّنا

44. One who worships one God is not,
Like one who associates idols with Him.

٤٤. لَيسَ مَن يَعبُدُ رَبّاً واحِداً
مِثلَ مَن يُشرِكُ فيهِ الوَثَنا