Sol 5.6

  1. ألا قَد وَفَى بِالوَعدِ مَن شأنُهُ الغَدرُ

    وزارَ مُحِبّاً بعد ما ضامَهُ الهَجرُ

    Behold, the one whose nature is treachery has kept the promise.

    And visited a lover after desertion had wronged him.

  2. وَوَفّى يَجُرُّ الذَيلَ وَهناً فأَسفَرَت

    لطلعتهِ الظَلماءُ واحتَجَبَ البَدرُ

    He arrived, trailing his train languidly; then it grew bright—

    At his appearance, the darkness lifted and the full moon withdrew.

  3. يَميلُ بِقَدٍّ يُشبِهُ الغُصنَ أَهيفٍ

    ويَرنو بطرفٍ دونَهُ السَيفُ والسِحرُ

    Slender-waisted, he sways with a figure resembling a branch.

    He gazes with an eye before which sword and sorcery pale.

  4. ويسحَبُ ذيلَ الفَخرِ بالحُسنِ تائِهاً

    ومَن مثلُهُ فيهِ يَحِقُّ لَهُ الفَخرُ

    Vaunting his beauty, he trails the train of pride;

    And who, being his equal in beauty, would have a better right to pride?

  5. ويَهتزُّ من سُكرِ الشَبيبةِ إِذ مَشى

    عَلَيه مِنَ الدِيباجِ أَقمِصةٌ خُضرُ

    He sways from the intoxication of youth whenever he walks,

    Clad in green tunics of brocade.

  6. ويفترُّ عَن مثلِ الجُمانِ بثغرِهِ

    نضيداً فما زَهرُ الأَقاحِ وما الدُرُّ

    His lips part within his mouth upon what resembles pearls,

    Arrayed in rows—what worth have chamomile blooms or pearls beside them?

  7. مَليحٌ لَهُ خَدٌّ حَكى الوَردَ لَونُهُ

    ورِدفٌ ثقيلٌ قَد شَكى ثِقلَهُ الخَصرُ

    A beauty whose cheek in color resembles the rose,

    With heavy haunches whose weight makes the waist complain.

  8. وشَعرٌ أَثِيثٌ وَارِدٌ مُتَعَثكِلٌ

    أَدِيمٌ مَتى يَنشُرهُ يَنسَتِرُ الفَجرُ

    And thick, flowing hair gathered in clusters—

    A mantle which, whenever he spreads it, hides the dawn.

  9. فَتَفديهِ نَفسي مِن رَشاً حينَ زارَني

    وأَيدي اللقا مِن كلِّ واشٍ لَنا صِفرُ

    May my soul ransom that gazelle when he visited me,

    While the hands of our meeting were empty of every talebearer.

  10. فَبِتنا نُديرُ الأُنسَ في أكؤُسِ الهَوى

    يُرَنِّحُنا من خَمرةٍ لِلهَوى سُكرُ

    We spent the night circulating intimacy in the cups of passion;

    An intoxication from passion's wine made us sway.

  11. وَنشربُ راحَ اللهوِ من حانةِ الصِّبا

    كِلانا كَما شِئناهُ قَد حفَّنا البِشرُ

    We drank the wine of delight from youth's tavern,

    Both of us as we wished, encompassed by joy.

  12. ونقطفُ زَهرَ الوَصلِ من رَوضةِ الهَنا

    ورَبعُ الهَنا مِما نُحاذِرُهُ قَفرُ

    We plucked the blossom of union from the garden of happiness,

    While happiness's abode was empty of all we feared.

  13. فَيا لائِمي كُفَّ الملام فإِنَّهُ

    وَحقِّ الهَوى في شَرعِ أَربابِهِ نُكرُ

    O you who blame me, cease your reproach, for it is—

    By love's right—an outrage in the law of its devotees.

  14. فَلم يُصغِ للعُذّالِ في الحُبِّ ذو هوىً

    ولَم يعذِلِ المُشتاقَ إِلا فتىً غُمرُ

    No lover ever listens to the censurers in matters of love,

    And none but an inexperienced youth rebukes the yearning lover.

  15. فَما العشقُ إِلا خَلَّةٌ أَيُّ خَلَّةٍ

    بِها تُدرَكُ العَليا ويُكتَسَبُ الفَخرُ

    Love is nothing but a virtue—and what a virtue!

    Through it the heights are reached and glory is won.

  16. وَلَيسَ التَصابي غَيرَ فضلٍ لمن غَدا

    تَقِيّاً عَفيفاً ليسَ من شَأنِهِ الغَدرُ

    Youthful ardor is nothing but merit for one who becomes

    Devout and chaste, with no treachery in his nature.

  17. وَقَد كُنتُ مَن زانَ الهَوى بِعَفافِهِ

    وأَضحَى عَلَيه مِن صِيانتِهِ سِترُ

    I have been one who adorned love with his chastity,

    Until his safeguarding became a veil over it.

  18. وإِنِّيَ من قومٍ كِرامٍ أَماجدٍ

    لَهم بيتُ مَجدٍ باذِخٍ دونَهُ النَسرُ

    Indeed, I come from noble, illustrious people.

    They possess a house of glory so lofty that the eagle is beneath it.

  19. هُمُ الشُهبُ قدراً والبحورُ سَماحةً

    وأخلاقُهُم كالرَوضِ باكَرَهُ القَطرُ

    In rank they are shooting stars, and in generosity seas;

    Their character is like a meadow visited early by rain.

  20. فمِنهم فتَى الفِتيانِ عمِّيَ راشِدٌ

    كَريمٌ لَه في كلِّ حالاتِهِ الصَدرُ

    Among them is the foremost of young men, my uncle Rashid:

    A noble man whose every state accords him first place.

  21. كَريمٌ زكا فِعلاً وقَولاً ومَنشَأً

    وَحازَ عُلاً ما حازَهُ في الوَرى حُرُّ

    Noble, pure in deed, speech, and origin,

    He attained an eminence no freeborn man among mortals attained.

  22. كَريمٌ مَتَى استَودَعته السِرَّ صانَهُ

    وَحاشا عُلاهُ أن يُذاعَ له سِرُّ

    Noble: whenever you entrust him with a secret, he preserves it;

    His high honor forbids that a secret entrusted to him be divulged.

  23. مُنِيبٌ مَتى استَنصرتَهُ لِمُلِمَّةٍ

    دَهَتكَ أَتاكَ الغَوثُ يَقدُمُهُ النَصرُ

    Devout: whenever you seek his aid in a calamity

    That strikes you, relief comes to you, preceded by victory.

  24. إمامٌ هُمامٌ زاهِدٌ مُتورِّعٌ

    أَدِيبٌ مُنِيبٌ ليسَ شِيمتُهُ الخَترُ

    A leader, valiant, ascetic, and scrupulous;

    A man of letters, penitent—perfidy is not his trait.

  25. هُوَ العلَمُ الهادي إلى سُبُلِ الهُدى

    تنَزَّهَ قدراً أن يُقالَ بهِ كِبرُ

    He is the guiding beacon toward the paths of right guidance,

    Too exalted in rank for arrogance to be attributed to him.

  26. تردَّى بأثوابِ المكارِمِ مُذ نَشا

    وسادَ بني الدُنيا جَميعاً ولا فَخرُ

    He clothed himself in the robes of noble virtues from his youth,

    And became master of all the world's people—and this is no boast.

  27. له هِمَّةٌ تعلو على كل همةٍ

    كذا شرفٌ ما إن يُطاوِلُهُ الغفرُ

    He has an aspiration that rises above every aspiration,

    And honor that even the Ghafr stars can never rival.

  28. يجودُ بما في كفِّهِ وهوَ باسِمٌ

    فبحرُ النَدى من فيضِهِ ما لَهُ جَزرُ

    He gives what is in his hand while smiling;

    The sea of generosity flowing from him knows no ebb.

  29. أيا سيِّدي جارَ الزمانُ كَما تَرى

    عَلَينا وما ينفكُّ شِيمَتُهُ المكرُ

    O my lord, time has treated us unjustly, as you see,

    And guile never ceases to be its habit toward us.

  30. وَفرَّقَ منّا الشَملَ بعدَ اجتِماعِهِ

    وهيَّج أشجاناً يَضيقُ بِها الصَدرُ

    It scattered our company after it had been united,

    And stirred sorrows by which the breast is constricted.

  31. فَأضحَى لذيذُ العَيشِ بعد فراقِكُم

    مَريراً وثوبُ الأُنسِ ليسَ له نَشرُ

    After your departure, the sweetness of life became

    Bitter, and the robe of fellowship lost its fragrance.

  32. فجُد وتَفضَّل بالوِصالِ تعطُّفاً

    عَلينا فَطعمُ البَينِ يا سيِّدي مُرُّ

    Be generous and graciously grant us reunion out of kindness,

    For separation's taste, my lord, is bitter to us.

  33. وعجِّل بهِ منك امتِناناً فإِنَّني

    أَرى أنَّ داراً لستَ من أهلِها قَفرُ

    Hasten it as a favor from you, for indeed I

    See that any dwelling whose people do not include you is desolate.

  34. وأبلغ سَلامي سيِّدي خيرَ سيِّدٍ

    نَمتهُ إِلى العليا جَهابذَةٌ زُهرُ

    And convey my greeting, my lord, to the best of lords,

    Whom illustrious masters raised toward the heights.

  35. فَذاكَ سليمانُ الهِزَبرُ لدَى الوَغى

    متَى صالَ في الأَبطالِ جلَّلها الذُعرُ

    That is Sulayman, the lion amid battle;

    Whenever he charges among heroes, terror envelops them.

  36. فَلا زِلتَ يا ابنَ الأكرَمينَ موفَّقاً

    وقدرُكَ بَين الناسِ ما فوقَهُ قَدرُ

    May you ever remain successful, son of the noblest men,

    And may your rank among the people have no rank above it.