Sol 6.1

  1. دَعوا القَولَ فيمَن جادَ مِنّا وَمَن ضَنّا

    فَلَيسَ بِبِدعٍ أَن أَسَأتُم وَأَحسَنّا

    Leave off talk of who among us was generous and who was stingy.

    It is nothing new that you did ill while we did good.

  2. بَلى عَجَبٌ في الحالَتَينِ رَجاؤُنا

    لَكُم لَيتَهُ يَأسٌ وَيَأسُكُمُ مِنّا

    Indeed, what is strange in both cases is our hope

    in you—would it were despair—and your despair of us.

  3. فَكُلٌّ رَأى طُرقَ الهَوى غَيرَ أَنَّكُم

    تَأَخَّرتُمُ عَن قَصدِها وَتَقَدَّمنا

    Each saw the paths of love, except that you

    held back from pursuing them, while we advanced.

  4. وَقَد عَلِمَ التَوديعُ أَنَّ أَشَحَّنا

    بِصاحِبِهِ إِذ جَدَّ أَسمَحُنا جَفنا

    Farewell knew that the most reluctant of us

    to part with his companion, when parting grew earnest, had the most generous eyelids.

  5. وَكانَت دُموعُ العَينِ بيضاً كَغَيرِها

    فَلَمّا تَلَوَّنتُم عَلَينا تَلَوَنّا

    The eyes' tears were white, like others of their kind;

    but when you changed your colors toward us, we changed ours.

  6. فَلا تُلزِمونا مَينَ واشٍ وَشى بِنا

    خُذوا الحَقَّ مِنّا في المَوَدَّةِ إِن مِنّا

    Do not saddle us with the falsehood of a slanderer who spoke against us;

    take the truth from us concerning affection, if we have lied.

  7. لَئِن كُنتُ في الحُبِّ المُضِرِّ بِمُهجَتي

    بِلا جَسَدٍ مُضنىً فَلي حَسَدٌ مُضنا

    Though, in love that harms my heart's blood,

    my body is not wasted, my envy is.

  8. كَذاكَ إِذا يَمَّمتُ بِالرَكبِ مَنزِلاً

    أَجابَت دُموعي قَبلَ أَن أَسأَلَ المَغنا

    Thus, when I head with the caravan toward a dwelling,

    my tears answer before I question the abode.

  9. فَحَيّا وَدَنّا اللَهُ حَيّاً عَلى اللِوى

    بِحُبِّ كَحيلِ الطَرفِ مِن سِربِهِ دِنّا

    May God greet and draw near a clan at al-Liwa;

    we made love of a kohl-eyed one from its herd our creed.

  10. لَهُ نَظَرٌ يَثني العِدى عَن فَريقِهِ

    وَلا مُنكَرٌ لِلطَعنِ أَن يَمنَعَ الطَعنا

    His glance turns enemies away from his company;

    it is no wonder that a thrust should ward off a thrust.

  11. وَرُبَّ جَمالٍ فِتنَتي في اِفتِتانِهِ

    فَلا زِلتُ مَفتوناً وَلا زالَ مُفتَنّا

    Many a beauty: my fascination lies in his allure;

    may I remain fascinated, and may he remain enchanting.

  12. تَحَقَّقتُ أَنَّ الوَردَ يُجنى بِخَدِّهِ

    وَلَم أَدرِ أَنَّ المَوتَ مِن صَدِّهِ يُجنا

    I knew for certain that roses are gathered upon his cheek,

    but did not know that death is gathered from his rejection.

  13. تَباعَدَ هَجراً وَالدِيارُ قَريبَةٌ

    فَيا طولَ أَشواقي إِلى الأَبعَدِ الأَدنا

    He withdrew in estrangement, though the dwellings were near:

    how long my yearning for the farthest, nearest one!

  14. وَنَفسي عَلى العِلّاتِ في القُربِ وَالنَوى

    فِداءُ الَّذي مَنّى زَماناً وَما مَنّا

    My soul, despite all afflictions, in nearness and in separation,

    is ransom for the one who long held out hopes but bestowed no favor.

  15. فَأَلّا اِقتَفى أَفعالَ زَيدِ بنِ أَحمَدٍ

    مُكَمِّلِ ما فيهِ مِنَ الحُسنِ وَالحُسنا

    Why did he not follow the deeds of Zayd ibn Ahmad,

    who brings his beauty and goodness to perfection?

  16. فَكَم سُنَّةٍ مَأثورَةٍ سَنَّ في النَدى

    وَكَم غارَةٍ شَعواءَ في مالِهِ شَنّا

    How many a celebrated custom he established in generosity,

    and how many a sweeping raid he launched against his wealth!

  17. رَأى الدَهرَ وَثّاباً عَلى كُلِّ ما رَأى

    وَأَخنى عَلى ما حازَ وَالدَهرُ ما أَخنا

    He saw Time leap upon everything it saw,

    and laid waste to what he possessed, while Time had not.

  18. فَلَو سيلَ عَن أَمجادِهِم مَن أَعَفُّهُم

    لِما في يَدَيهِ قالَ زَيدٌ وَما اِستَثنا

    Were Time asked which of their nobles was least attached

    to what lay in his hands, it would say, 'Zayd,' without exception.

  19. إِذا عَنَّ مَجدٌ كانَ أَطوَلَهُم يَداً

    وَإِن عَزَّ قَولٌ كانَ أَحضَرَهُم ذِهنا

    Whenever glory appeared, his reach was the longest;

    when words proved elusive, his mind was the readiest.

  20. يَروقُكَ مَرأىً ثُمَّ يَستُرُ حُسنَهُ

    فَتَلقى مِنَ الإِحسانِ ما يَفضُلُ الحُسنا

    He delights you in appearance, then veils his beauty:

    you find in his beneficence what surpasses beauty.

  21. ضَميرٌ عَلى غَيرِ السَلامَةِ ما اِنطَوى

    وَقَلبٌ إِلى غَيرِ الفَضائِلِ ما حَنّا

    A conscience that never harbored anything but integrity,

    and a heart that never longed for anything but virtues;

  22. جَديرٌ بِإِذلالِ الخُطوبِ إِذا سَطا

    عَليمٌ بِإِضمارِ الغُيوبِ إِذا ظَنّا

    fit to humble calamities when he strikes,

    knowing hidden mysteries when he surmises.

  23. إِذا هُزَّ مَن يُرجى لُهاهُ فَعِندَهُ

    غُصونُ اِرتِياحٍ لا تُهَزُّ وَلا تُحنا

    When a man whose gifts are sought must be shaken, he has

    boughs of eager generosity that need neither shaking nor bending.

  24. أَيا مُبدِلَ العافينَ مِن فَقرِهِم غِنىً

    وَمِن ذِلِّهِم عِزّاً وَمِن خَوفِهِم أَمنا

    O you who turn supplicants' poverty into wealth,

    their abasement into honor, and their fear into safety;

  25. وَياذا العَطايا تَستَقِلُّ جَزيلَها

    فَما تُتبِعُ المَنَّ اِعتِداداً وَلا مَنّا

    O possessor of gifts, who deem their abundance slight,

    you never follow bounty with a tally or reminders of favors.

  26. كَفى الناسَ مِن عُلياكَ قَومٌ غِناهُمُ

    فَقَرّوا وَعَنّى كاذِبُ الظَنِّ مَن عَنّا

    Through your eminence, certain men's wealth met the people's needs;

    so they settled content, while false expectation wearied whoever came forward.

  27. هُمُ حاوَلوا الحَمدَ الَّذي أَنتَ أَهلُهُ

    بِكُلِّ فِعالٍ يوجِبُ الذَمَّ وَاللَعنا

    They sought the praise of which you are worthy

    with every deed that deserves censure and curses.

  28. فَفازوا مِنَ البَحرِ الَّذي جُبتِ لُجَّهُ

    إِلى الحَمدِ بِالمَوجِ الَّذي أَغرَقَ السُفنا

    From the sea whose depths you crossed

    toward praise, they gained the waves that drowned the ships.

  29. قَضى اللَهُ في الدُنيا لَهُم ذَمَّ أَهلِها

    وَيَومَ الحِسابِ لا يُقيمُ لَهُم وَزنا

    God decreed for them in this world its people's censure,

    and on the Day of Reckoning He will give them no weight.

  30. لِأَعضائِنا شُغلٌ لِمَجدِكَ شاغِلٌ

    عَنِ الدينِ وَالدُنيا إِذا ذِكرُهُ عَنّا

    Our limbs have an absorbing occupation devoted to your glory,

    turning them from religion and this world whenever its mention arises:

  31. فَمِن ناظِرٍ يَرنو وَمِن مِسمَعٍ يَعي

    وَمِن مِقوَلٍ يُثني وَمِن خِنصَرٍ تُثنا

    an eye gazing, an ear taking in,

    a tongue praising, and a little finger bent.

  32. وَلَو لَم يَضِح مَعنى النَدى بِكَ لِلوَرى

    لَكانَ عَلى عاداتِهِ اِسماً بِلا مَعنا

    Had generosity's meaning not become clear to mankind through you,

    it would, as usual, have been a name without a meaning.

  33. فَلا سَقَتِ الأَنواءُ رائِدَ نُجعَةٍ

    رَأى الغَيثَ في كَفَّيكَ وَاِنتَجَعَ المُزنا

    May the rain-bearing stars never water a seeker of pasture

    who saw rain in your two palms, yet sought pasture from the clouds.

  34. وَإِنّا لَمَفضولونَ وَالفَضلُ بَيِّنٌ

    إِذا نَحنُ قِسنا ما تَقولُ بِما قُلنا

    We are indeed surpassed, and the superiority is clear,

    when we compare what you say with what we have said.

  35. غَرائِبُ فِكرٍ لَم يَجُل قَطُّ مِثلُها

    بِفِكرٍ وَلَم يُتحِف لِسانٌ بِها أُذنا

    Wonders of thought whose like has never passed

    through a mind, nor has a tongue gifted them to an ear.

  36. يَرى حَزنَها سَهلاً وَأَفضَلُ مَن يَرى

    وَإِن لَجَّ في الدَعوى يَرى سَهلَها حَزنا

    He finds their rugged ground smooth, while the finest judge,

    however persistent in his claims, finds their smooth ground rugged.

  37. بَدائِعُ لا تَدري أَزَيدٌ أَفادَها ال

    مَلاحَةَ أَم صاغَ القَريضُ لَها لَحنا

    Marvels—you cannot tell whether Zayd gave them the

    charm, or poetry fashioned a melody for them.

  38. تُهَيِّجُ لي الأَطرابَ عِندَ سَماعِها

    إِلى أَن نَظُنَّ أَنَّ مُنشِدَها غَنّا

    On hearing them, they stir transports of joy in me,

    until we think their reciter has sung.

  39. وَكَم أَخَذَت بي في فُنونٍ كَثيرَةٍ

    مَساعيكَ لَمّا رُمتُ مِن وَصفِها فَنّا

    How often have they carried me through many arts—

    your achievements—when I sought one art to describe them.

  40. فَيا مَن حَباني الفَضلَ في بَعضِ ما حَبا

    فَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّ الوَفرَ أَيسَرُ ما أَقنا

    O you whose gifts to me included distinction,

    I became certain that wealth was the least of what you bestowed.

  41. تَجاوَز إِذا أَخَّرتُ مَدحَكَ حِشمَةً

    لِتَقصيرِهِ عَن كُنهِ قَدرِكَ لا ضَنّا

    Forgive me if I delay praising you out of bashfulness,

    because it falls short of your true worth, not from stinginess.

  42. وَزَعتُ رَجائي عَن نَدى كُلِّ باخِلٍ

    يُنَوِّلُ بِاليُسرى وَيَسلُبُ بِاليُمنا

    I restrained my hopes from the bounty of every miser

    who gives with his left hand and takes away with his right.

  43. وَوَفَّرتُ قِسمي مِن صَفاءٍ مَوَدَّةٍ

    مَكاني بِها الأَعلى وَحَظّي بِها الأَسنا

    I secured my full share of pure affection;

    my place in it is highest, and my portion most radiant.

  44. إِذا خِفتُ كانَت لي مَجَنّاً مِنَ الرَدى

    وَإِن رُمتُ أَثمارَ الغِنى فَهيَ لي مَجنا

    When I fear, it is a shield for me against death;

    when I seek wealth's fruits, it is my harvest-ground.

  45. وَإِنّي مَتى حاوَلتُ سَيبَكَ ظالِمٌ

    وَفي بَعضِ ما نَوَّلتَني مِنهُ ما أَغنا

    Whenever I seek your bounty, I am unjust,

    for part of what you have given me from it suffices to enrich me.

  46. فَجُد بِالعَطايا عَن أَمانِيَّ عَمَّها

    جَميلُكَ لا أَنّي أَسَأتُ بِكَ الظَنّا

    So give gifts in answer to my wishes, already embraced

    by your kindness—not because I have thought ill of you.

  47. وَلَكِن أَرى غَبناً لِمالِكَ أَخذَهُ

    بِما فُقتَني فيهِ وَما أَشتَهي الغَبنا

    But I deem it a loss to your wealth to take it

    for what you surpass me in, and I have no wish for an unfair bargain.

  48. كَفاكَ الإِلَهُ في أَجَلِّ هِباتِهِ

    صُروفَ الرَدى ما أَطلَعَت دَوحَةٌ غُصنا

    May God protect you, in the noblest of His gifts,

    from death's vicissitudes as long as a great tree puts forth a branch.

  49. فَتىً يَمَّمَت أَفعالُهُ المَجدَ ناشِئاً

    إِلى أَن عَلا في كَسبِهِ مَن عَلا سِنّا

    A youth whose deeds sought glory while he was still growing,

    until in winning it he surpassed those advanced in years;

  50. هُوَ الأَبيَضُ الصَمصامُ عَزماً وَهِزَّةً

    وَإِن كانَ يَحكي لَونُهُ الأَسمَرَ اللَدنا

    he is the white, keen sword in resolve and motion,

    though his hue resembles the supple brown spear.

  51. سَمَت رُتبَةُ الأَيّامِ مُنذُ أَتَت بِهِ

    وَقَدرُ المَعالي مُنذُ صارَ بِها يُكنا

    The rank of the days has risen since they brought him,

    and the standing of lofty honors since they became his byname.

  52. أَمِنّا بِكَ الدَهرَ المَخوفَ فَكُلَّما

    دَعا لَكَ داعِ بِالسَلامَةِ أَمَّنّا

    Through you we are safe from dreaded Time; whenever

    someone prays for your safety, we say 'Amen.'

  53. وَرُعنا بِكَ الأَحداثَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

    حَطَطنا عَلى الأَحداثِ مِن يَذبُلٍ رُكنا

    Through you we frightened calamities, as though

    we brought down a pillar of Yadhbul upon them.

  54. بَقيتَ بِرَغمِ الحاسِدينَ مُؤَهَّلاً

    لِإِعدادِ ما يَبقى وَإِنفادِ ما يَفنا

    May you endure, despite the envious, fitted

    to prepare what endures and expend what perishes,

  55. مُطِلّاً عَلى الدَهرِ الَّذي أَنتَ عَينُهُ

    وَمُستَخدِماً فيهِ السَعادَةَ وَاليُمنا

    towering over Time, whose very eye you are,

    and making happiness and good fortune serve you within it.