تبدت لنا يا حسنها غادة عذرا — عبد اللطيف بن إبراهيم آ…

تَبَدَّت لنا يا حُسنَها غادَةً عَذرا

وأَبدَت مُحَيّا يَفضَحُ الشَمسَ والبَدرا

She appeared to us—how lovely!—a graceful virgin maiden.

And revealed a face that puts the sun and full moon to shame.

وَوَافَت فأَوفَت حينَ أوفَت بِوَعدِها

فأَلفَت حَزِيناً ساهِراً يَرقُبُ النَسرا

She came and proved true when she kept her promise,

And found a sorrowful, sleepless man watching the Eagle star.

فَتاةٌ عَرُوبٌ ذاتُ قَدٍّ مُهَفهَفٍ

وَطَرفٍ كَحِيلٍ أَبطَلَ السَيفَ والسِحرا

An affectionate maiden with a slender figure,

And a kohl-dark gaze that rendered sword and sorcery powerless;

وَشَعرٍ أَثِيثٍ يُشبِهُ اللَيلَ وارِدٍ

إِذا نَشرَتهُ كادَ أَن يَستُرَ الفَجرا

And thick, flowing hair resembling night,

Which, when she loosened it, nearly veiled the dawn.

كَعابٌ تُعِيرُ الشَمسَ من نورِ وَجهِها

غدا الصَونُ مِن دونِ السُتُورِ لَها سِترا

A full-breasted maiden lends the sun some of her face's light;

Chastity became her veil instead of curtains.

فَدَتها الغَواني إِذ أَتَتنِيَ مَوهِناً

كَشَمسِ الضُحَى تَختَالُ في حُلَّةٍ خَضرا

May the beauties be her ransom, when she came to me late at night,

Like the forenoon sun, stepping proudly in a green robe.

فَما راعَني إِلّا رَقيقُ كَلامِها

تَقُولُ لَكَ البُشرى بِوَصلي لَكَ البُشرى

Nothing startled me but the gentleness of her speech:

She says, ‘Glad tidings to you of union with me—glad tidings to you!’

فَقلتُ لها أَهلاً لِمَن لم أَكُن له

بأهلٍ فَشكراً للذي زارَني شُكرا

So I said to her, ‘Welcome to one for whom I was not

Worthy; thanks to the one who visited me—thanks!’

فَبِتُّ أُدِيرُ الكأسَ بَيني وَبينَها

حَديثاً فَما أَحلاهُ عِندِي وَما أَمرا

I spent the night passing the cup between me and her:

Conversation—how sweet it was to me, and how bitter!

وَظَلَّيتُ أَجني وَردَ وَجنَةِ خَدِّها

وَأَرشُفُ ثَغراً قَد حَكى رِيقُهُ خَمرا

And I kept plucking the rose upon her cheek,

And sipping at a mouth whose saliva resembled wine.

فَلِلَّهِ خَدٌّ شابَهُ الوَردَ لَونُهُ

وَلِلَّهِ ثَغرٌ قَد حَوى الخَمرَ والدُرّا

God be praised for a cheek whose color resembled the rose,

And God be praised for a mouth that held wine and pearls!

فلمّا رأيتُ الليلَ قُوِّضَ وانطَوى

وَأَقبَلَ ضَوءُ الصُبحِ حَتَّى بِنا أَغرَى

So when I saw the night dismantled and folded away,

And dawn's light approached, until it set others upon us,

نَهَضتُ وَوَدَّعتُ الحَبيبَ بِأَنَّةٍ

فَظَلَّ يَفِيضُ الدَمعُ مِن مُقلَتي العَبرَى

I rose and bade my beloved farewell with a groan;

And tears kept pouring from my tearful eye.

فَراحَت بِرُوحِي وَانثَنَيتُ بِحَسرَةٍ

عَلَيها فَذابَت مِن أَسىً كبِدِي الحَرّى

She departed with my soul, and I turned back in regret

For her; my burning liver melted with sorrow.

وَقَد زَعَمَ الواشُونَ بَيني وبَينَها

بِشَيءٍ يَشِينُ العِرضَ بَل يَزدَرِي الحُرّا

And the slanderers had alleged between me and her

Something that stains honor, indeed demeans a freeborn man.

فَلا وَهَواها وَهوَ حَقُّ أَلِيَّتي

لَما عَبَرَت بي فَرحَةٌ تُوجِبُ الوِزرا

No, by my love for her—and true is my oath—

No pleasure that entails sin ever passed through me.

وَلا حَدَّثَتني بِالذي يَزعُمُونَهُ

سِماتِي وَتَأبَى وَالذي أَنزلَ القَطرا

Nor have I been prompted toward what they allege

By my character, which refuses it—by Him who sent down the rain!

سَلُوا الخِدرَ عَنّا إِن جَهِلتُم فإِنَّهُ

يُخَبِّركُمُ عَنّا سَلُوا الشُهبَ والبَدرا

Ask the curtained chamber about us if you do not know, for it

Will tell you about us; ask the bright stars and the full moon.

سَلُوا وَجهَها الوَضّاحَ يُخبركُمُ بِما

جَرى بَيننا عَنه سَلوا النَهدَ والخَصرا

Ask her radiant face: it will tell you what

Passed between us; about it, ask her breast and waist.

فَإِنّي بِلا فَخرٍ عَفِيفُ زَمانِهِ

وَفائِقُ أَربابِ الهَوى بِالتُقى طُرّا

For I, without boasting, am the chaste man of my age,

And surpass all devotees of love in piety,

كَما فاقَ أَربابَ المَعالي ماجِدٌ

فَصارَ لَهُم إذ فاقَهُم بالعُلا فَخرا

Just as a noble man surpassed the masters of high honors,

And became their pride when he surpassed them in eminence.

وَشَيَّدَ بَيتَ المَجدِ حَتَّى سَما بِهِ

فأَضحَى لُه دونَ الوَرى باسِماً ثَغرا

And built the house of glory until he raised it high,

So it turned a smiling mouth to him alone among mankind.

خَليلِيَ ذا عَبدُ العَزيزِ وَسَيِّدي

وَشَيخِيَ مَن حازَ النَدى وَزَكا ذِكرا

This is my close friend Abd al-Aziz, and my master,

And my sheikh, who possesses bounty and flourishes in renown.

وَنَالَ بِحَمدِ اللَهِ في العِلمِ رُتبَةً

بِها صارَ شَمساً لِلهُدى وَعَلا قَدرا

And attained, praise be to God, a rank in learning

Through which he became a sun of guidance and rose in esteem.

كَريمٌ تَرَدّى بِالمَكارِمِ مُذ نَشا

وَسادَ بِسَيفِ الفَخرِ البَدوَ وَالحَضرا

A generous man, cloaked in noble virtues since he grew up,

And with pride's sword became lord of nomads and townsfolk.

كَريمٌ مَتى داعٍ دَعاهُ لِشِدَّةٍ

أجابَ وَلَبّاهُ وَوَاسَعَهُ البِشرا

A generous man: whenever a caller appeals to him in hardship,

He answers, heeds his call, and lavishes good cheer upon him.

مَهِيبٌ إِذا ما خالَهُ الصِيدُ في الوَغى

تَذَلُّ لَه من عِظمِ هَيبَتِهِ ذُعرا

Awe-inspiring: when proud nobles picture him in battle,

They bow to him in terror at his immense majesty.

أَيا سَيِّدي قَد جارَ ذا الدَهرُ واعتَدَى

وَفَرَّقَ مِنّا الشَملَ تَبّاً لهُ دَهرا

O my master, this age has acted unjustly and transgressed,

And scattered our fellowship—perdition to it forever!

فَغَادَرَنِي إِلفَ السُهادِ مُوَلَّعاً

وَأَودَعَ قَلبي بعدَ فُرقَتِكُم جَمرا

It left me sleeplessness's companion, consumed with longing,

And lodged embers in my heart after parting from you.

وَصِرتُ بهِ صَبَّ الفُؤادِ مُتَيَّماً

وَأَضحَى لَذِيذُ العَيشِ من بَعدكم مُرّا

Through it I became lovesick at heart, enslaved by love,

And life's sweetness became bitter after you were gone.

فَمُذ غِبتُمُ لَم أَنسَ واللَهِ ذِكرَكم

وَلَم أعرِفِ السُلوانَ عَنكم وَلا الصَبرا

Since you went away, I have not, by God, forgotten your memory,

Nor have I learned to forget you, or to be patient.

فَأهلاً بِأَيامِ الوِصالِ لَعلَّها

تعودُ وَوَاهاً لَيتَها بَقِيَت عَشرا

Welcome, then, to the days of reunion! Perhaps they

Will return—ah, if only they had lasted ten!

فَأَرجو إِلهَ العَرشِ يَجمَعُ شَملَنا

سَريعاً وَيطوي فَضلُ إِحسانِهِ الهَجرا

So I hope the God of the Throne will reunite us

Soon, and the bounty of His kindness will fold away estrangement.

فَيا سَيِّدي خُذ هاكَ مِنِّي قَصيدَةً

وَأَسبِل عَلَيها مِن مَكارِمِكَ السِترا

O my master, take—here it is—a poem from me,

And draw over it the veil of your noble generosity.

فلا زلت نَجماً لِلهُدى يُهتَدى بهِ

ولا زِلتَ للعافِينَ تُولِيهُمُ بِرّا

May you ever remain a star of guidance by which people are guided,

And ever bestow kindness on those who seek your bounty.

عَليكَ سَلامي ما تَغَنَّت حَمامةٌ

مَدى الدَهرِ لا يَنفَكُّ عَن سَاعةٍ يَترَى

My peace be upon you as long as a dove sings,

Through all time, flowing without a single hour's pause,

يَحُفُّكَ مَصحوباً بِأَلفَي تَحِيَّةٍ

رَوائِحُهُ لِلمِسكِ تَهدي له نَشرا

Surrounding you, accompanied by two thousand salutations;

Its fragrances bestow a spreading scent upon musk.

وأَزكَى صَلاةِ اللَهِ ثمَّ سلامُهُ

عَلى سَيِّدِ الكَونَينَ مَن دَمَّرَ الكُفرا

And God's purest blessings, then His peace,

Upon the master of the two worlds, who destroyed unbelief,

وَأَصحابه وَالتَابِعينَ جَميعِهِم

وَمَن قَد غَدا في الدينِ يَقفُو لَهم أَثرا

And his companions and all the Successors,

And whoever has come to follow their footsteps in the faith.