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O questioner about composed poetry

يا سائلي عن الكلام المنتظم

1. O questioner about composed poetry
That is the poetry of one I adore endlessly

١. يا سائلي عن الكلام المنتظمْ
ذاكَ كلامُ مَنْ هويتُ لا عُدِمْ

2. So whatever the critic says about it
Is objectionable, O man

٢. فكلُّ ما يقولُ فيهِ العذّل
فإنَّهُ منكَّرٌ يا رجلُ

3. On his cheeks are signs of beauty that are engraved
And some said it is just the letter Lām

٣. في صدغِهِ للحسْنِ آياتٌ تُخَطّ
وقال قومٌ إنها اللامُ فقطْ

4. His eyelashes are so lush they prevent him from seeing clearly
When the conjunction of union comes, it falls short

٤. رمَّانُهُ غضٌّ فلا يمشي فرطْ
إذْ ألفُ الوصلِ متى يدرجْ سقطْ

5. With the sword of his eyelids I killed myself
For it is resolute without any doubt

٥. بسيفِ جفنيهِ قتلتُ نفسي
فإنَّهُ ماضٍ بغيرِ لبْسِ

6. Among us is a gazelle, if you desire not to transgress
Then omit the last letter forever

٦. فينا غزالٌ إنْ أبيت ما اعتدى
فأسقطِ الحرفَ الأخيرَ أبدا

7. Say to the masculine trustee be gentle and pious
And turn to virtues, you will attain righteousness

٧. قلْ لمذكرٍ لحا خلِّ الفندْ
واسعَ إلى الخيراتِ لُقِّيتَ الرشدْ

8. And if your critic is feminine
Then say to her beware of the frivolous men

٨. وإنْ يكنْ عذلُكَ منْ مؤنثِ
فقلْ لها خافي رجالَ العبثِ

9. O waist slimmer than his hips move with grace
And do not mind whether it is lighter or heavier

٩. يا خصرَهُ مِنْ ردفِهِ فزْ بالمنحْ
ولا تُبَلْ أخفَّ وزناً أمْ رجحْ

10. His stature is most similar to the letter Alif
Like what you write without difference

١٠. قوامُهُ أشبهُ شيءٍ بالألفْ
كمثلِ ما تكتبُهُ لا يختلفْ

11. When I complained of his aloofness, he elegized me
And the boy approached like a gazelle

١١. لما شكوتُ صدَّهُ رثى لي
وأقبلَ الغلامُ كالغزالِ

12. His teeth are like glistening pearls
To strengthen the weak constitution

١٢. أسنانُهُ كاللؤلؤِ المفتنِّ
منَ المفاريدِ لجبرِ الوهنِ

13. Before the increase of his LA, I endured him
Then after fully knowing him, his additional LA came

١٣. قبلَ ازديادِ لامِهِ أكابدُهْ
ثمَّ أتى بعدَ التناهي زائدُهْ

14. None like him in beauty and intelligence
Among all the eloquent Arabs

١٤. ما مثلُهُ في الحسنِ والذكاءِ
عندَ جميعِ العربِ العرباءِ

15. Marvel at the Nūn of his eyebrows that helps
While the Nūn is broken in each dual

١٥. اعجبْ لنونِ حاجبيهِ تنصرُ
والنونُ في كلِّ مثنى تكسرُ

16. When you see his face then exalt
Honoring his worth, magnifying

١٦. إذا رأيتَ وجههُ فكبِّرا
معظماً لقدرِهِ مكبِّرا

17. The unjust critic frightened me about the prince
But reconciliation is best and the prince is just

١٧. خوَّفَ فيه بالأميرِ العاذلُ
والصلحُ خيرٌ والأميرُ عادلُ

18. His asking about me is a life-saving remedy
And the likes of him, how can the spurned patient be?

١٨. سؤالُهُ عني حياةٌ تسعفُ
ومثلُهُ كيفَ المريضُ المدنفُ

19. The cheek and stature are active in his manner
Flowing like water and working like a doer

١٩. الخدُّ والقوامُ منهُ فاعلُ
نحو جرى الماءُ وجارَ العاملُ

20. And judge with an irresistible judgment
That whoever loves a youth will befriend him

٢٠. واقضِ قضاءً لا يُرَدُّ قائلُهُ
بأنَّ منْ يهوى فتى يواصلُهْ

21. His actions break me, what a wonder!
And every transitive verb makes the object accusative

٢١. أفعالُهُ تكسرني ذا عجبُ
وكلُّ فعلٍ متعدٍّ ينصبُ

22. O you who saw a clear chin from him
You would say the crescent moon appeared radiant

٢٢. يا منْ رأى منهُ جيناً واضحاً
تقولُ قدْ خلتُ الهلالَ لائحا

23. So avert your gaze and escape triumphant
For I found the advisor to be caring

٢٣. فغضَّ مِنْ طرفِكَ وانجُ رابحاً
وقدْ وجدتُ المستشارَ ناصحاً

24. Begin by mentioning his beautiful eyebrows
And if you mention the agent, make it indefinite

٢٤. ابدأ بذكرِ حاجبينِ حُسِّنا
وإنْ ذكرتَ فاعلاً منونا

25. For the glance is a sword that hinted at killing us
So it is as if it were an evident verb

٢٥. فالطرفُ سيفٌ قتْلَنا تضمَّنا
فهْوَ كما لو كانَ فعلاً بيِّنا

26. Be of supreme chastity with him
And strongly chastise whoever suspicion covers

٢٦. كنْ فيهِ بالعفافِ مرفوعَ الرتبْ
واضربْ أشدَّ الضربِ مَنْ يغشى الريبْ

27. My excuser, serve him water and pasture
And my critic, rebuke him firmly

٢٧. فعاذري سقياً لهُ ورعياً
وعاذلي جدعاً لهُ وكيّا

28. I deluded him with the nectar of his mouth's kiss
And I dived in the sea seeking pearls

٢٨. أوهمتُهُ برشْفِ ريقِ الثغرِ
وغصتُ في البحر ابتغاءَ الدرِّ

29. If you establish the Wāw in speech
It grew from his cheek like the sprout of Lām

٢٩. وإنْ أقمتَ الواوَ في الكلامِ
مِنْ صدغهِ نابتْ منابَ اللاّمِ

30. In his stature is what is in branches
Despite differing positions and structures

٣٠. في قدِّه ما هوَ في الأغصانِ
على اختلافِ الوضعِ والمباني

31. If you touch his cheek and breasts
You would say I have supplies of butter

٣١. إذا لمستَ خدَّهُ والنهدا
تقولُ عندي مَنَوانِ زُبدا

32. If you see him among his folk in ardour
Then put in the accusative and say how many stars the sky contains

٣٢. إنْ ترهُ بينَ ذويهِ في الحمى
فانصبْ وقلْ كمْ كوكباً تحوي السما

33. I woke up from him in anticipation of union
And the plants face the freely-flowing rain

٣٣. أصبحتُ منهُ في ارتقابِ الوصلِ
والزرع تلقاءَ الحيا المنهلِّ

34. What is youth O body of that boy?
And the silver's value is less than gold

٣٤. ما للصبا يا جسمَ ذياكَ الصبي
وقيمةُ الفضَّةِ دونَ الذهب

35. Whoever takes him to other than me is foolish
So interpret it as substitution in grammar

٣٥. مَنْ تلقَهُ إلى سواهُ صابي
فأوِّلْهُ الإبدالَ في الإعرابِ

36. The loving heart does not hate
Even if a contradiction appears between them

٣٦. قلبُ الذي يحبُّ ليسَ يبغضُ
وإنْ بدا بينها معترضُ

37. When you see his long neck
And his hair hanging loose atop it

٣٧. إذا رأيتَ عنقَهُ الطويلا
وشعرَهُ مِنْ فوقهِ محلولا

38. You say how purely white is the ivory
And how intensely dark is the blackness of night

٣٨. تقولُ ما أنقى بياضَ العاجِ
وما أشدَّ ظلمةَ الدّياجي

39. With his glance he has power over lovers
And how sharp is his sword when it is drawn

٣٩. بطرفِهِ في العاشقينَ سُلِّطا
وما أحدَّ سيفِهِ حينَ سطا

40. He is far above any blemish or inadequacy
Or affliction that affects bodies

٤٠. حاشاهُ مِنْ عيبٍ ومِنْ نقصانِ
أو عاهةٍ تحدثُ في الأبدانِ

41. Do not seek his beauty's match
God God God's servants

٤١. لا تطلبوا لحسنِهِ مضاهي
اللّهَ اللّهَ عبادَ اللَّهِ

42. My critic's match is not
Save with the genitive and the circumstantials

٤٢. ليسَ قفاءُ عاذلي العسوفِ
إلاّ معَ المجرورِ والظّروفِ

43. O you who said he was beautiful but parted
He was and the lad never parted nor ceased to be

٤٣. يا قائلاً كانَ مليحاً وانفصلْ
كانَ وما انفكَّ الفتى ولمْ يزلْ

44. He showed them his reddened cheek
As they recited "oh regret for what has passed"

٤٤. أبدتْ لهمْ وجنتُهُ ضِراما
كما تَلَوا يا حسرةً على ما

45. His delicate mouth is a cave for his sweet kisses
So do not change what remains of his mannerism

٤٥. عذارهُ الرقيمُ كهفُ لثمِهِ
فلا تغيِّرْ ما بقي عن رسمِهِ

46. You say about him some greenness slight
As you say his fire has brightness

٤٦. تقولُ فيهِ خضرةٌ يسيرهْ
كما تقولُ نارُهُ منيرَهْ

47. The dinar of his face with which I was stingy
And how many dirhams with which I was generous

٤٧. دينارُ وجههِ بهِ شححتُ
وكمْ دُنَينيرٍ بهِ سمحتُ

48. I am truly disgusted by him from indecency
And every worldly vanity is condemned

٤٨. إني إلى العفافِ منهُ شيِّق
وكلُّ لهوٍ دنيويٍّ موبقُ

49. If he smiles at me pilgrims descend to us
And all the pilgrims gather around us

٤٩. إنْ يبتسمْ لي ضوَّأ الحجونا
وأقبلَ الحجاجُ أجمعونا

50. Oh how I wish he would show affection
And showing affection can enter into verbs

٥٠. يا ليتهُ يعطفُ بالوصالِ
والعطفُ قدْ يدخلُ في الأفعالِ

51. No permission was granted to me in his love, the criticizer
For resembling the arduous verb

٥١. لا ما حلا لي في هواهُ العذّلُ
لشبهِهِ الفعلَ الذي يستثقلُ

52. My heart and eye do not refuse his quality
When has anyone seen their declension ever?

٥٢. قلبي وعيني عن سناهُ لا يردْ
إذْ ما رأى صرفَهما قطُّ أحدْ

53. His words are strung pearls selected
And if you speak of strings in counting

٥٣. ألفاظهُ عقودُ درٍّ منتقدْ
وإن نطقتَ بالعقودِ في العددْ

54. O friend do not hurt the heart with blood
And avoid the causes of love to be safe

٥٤. يا صاحِ لا تدمِ الفؤادَ بالدما
وعاصِ أسبابَ الهوى لتسلَما

55. And do not blame a lover so you both weary
And you need not reproach so you are blamed

٥٥. ولا تمارِ عاشقاً فتتعبا
وما عليكَ عَتبُهُ فتُعْتَبا

56. And do not increase my pain and harm
And do not argue and spoil the gathering

٥٦. ولا تزدني بالملامِ ضررا
ولا تحاضرْ وتسيءَ المحضرا

57. If you say the saliva of his mouth isn't permitted
Then speak without knowledge and don't perceive mistakes

٥٧. إنْ قلتَ رشفُ ريقهِ ما حُلِّلا
تقلْ بلا علمٍ ولا تحسُ الطلا

58. I swear I blame no one in love
And whoever loves may befriend whom he loves

٥٨. أقسمتُ لا ألومُ في العشقِ أحدْ
ومنْ يودَّ فليواصلْ مَنْ يوَدْ

59. Take the instruments of his beauty listening
And remember all the instruments O youth

٥٩. خذْ أدواتِ الحسنِ عنهُ منصتا
واحفظ جميعَ الأدواتِ يا فتى

60. His eyes have seduced most of the lovers
And this is what you do with the rest

٦٠. عيناهُ أفنتْ أكثرَ العشاقِ
وهكذا تصنعُ في البواقي

61. In his mouth are priceless jewels
I collected them into a necklace of pearls

٦١. في ثغرِهِ جواهرٌ غوالي
جلوتُها منظومةَ اللآلي

62. My heart that settles for distance
Was like yesterday in breaking and building

٦٢. قلبي الذي يسكنُ للتنائي
كأمسِ في الكسرِ والبناءِ

63. His eternal first part of the name in my mind
So it has no changer in any state

٦٣. بلبالُهُ مخلَّدٌ في بالي
فما لهُ مغيِّرٌ بحالِ

64. His voice is like the full moon atop a branch
So look at it with the eye of one who approves

٦٤. صوتُهُ كالبدرِ فوقَ الغصنِ
فانظرْ إليها نظرَ المستحسنِ

65. And rid me O critic of criticism
And if you find a fault then correct it

٦٥. وخلِّ عني يا عذولُ العذلا
وإنْ تجدْ عيباً فسدَّ الخللا

66. For he elegized me and softened his words
And praise be to Allah for what He ordained

٦٦. فقد رثى لي وألانَ القولا
والحمدُ للهِ على ما أولى

67. I ransom the complexion of his cheek over mine
It was silken so it turned rosy

٦٧. فديتُ لونَ خدِّهِ من خدِّ
كان حريرياً فصارَ وردي