مبلبل الأصداغ والطّره

مبلبل الأصداغ والطّره

ومرسل اللحظ على فتره

ومرسل اللحظ على فتره

He of the tousled sidelocks and forelock,

His temple-locks and forelock are tousled,

casting his glances languidly,

and he lets his gaze drift languidly.

أرخى على أعطافه شعرة

أرخى على أعطافه شعرة

قد جذبتني فيه للحسره

قد جذبتني فيه للحسره

let a lock of hair fall over his shoulders

He let a strand of hair fall over his shoulders;

that drew me toward sorrow for him.

it has drawn me to anguish over him.

فأعجب لمن جار عليه الضنى

فأعجب لمن جار عليه الضنى

حتى غدا تجذبه شعره

حتى غدا تجذبه شعره

How I marvel at one whom wasting passion has wronged,

Marvel, then, at one oppressed by wasting sickness,

until a mere hair came to draw him!

until a single hair can draw him along.

وأحرباً من رشاءٍ خاذِلٍ

وأحرباً من رشاءٍ خاذِلٍ

مالي على عشقته نصره

مالي على عشقته نصره

Alas for a forsaking gazelle-fawn—

And alas for a faithless young gazelle!

I have no champion against loving him.

I have no help against my love for him.

مهفهف تعرف من جفنه

مهفهف تعرف من جفنه

علامةَ التأنيثِ بالكسره

علامةَ التأنيثِ بالكسره

Slender-waisted—from his eyelid you discern

Slender-waisted, from his eyelid you recognize

the feminine marker in the kasra.

the feminine marker in its kasra.

ذو طلعةٍ تعلو على المشتري

ذو طلعةٍ تعلو على المشتري

وغرّةٍ تزهو على الزّهره

وغرّةٍ تزهو على الزّهره

He has a countenance that rises above Jupiter,

With a countenance that rises above Jupiter,

and a radiant brow that outshines Venus,

and a radiant brow that outshines Venus,

ومقلة دعجاء ضاقت فما

ومقلة دعجاء ضاقت فما

تشبعُ من يقنع بالنظره

تشبعُ من يقنع بالنظره

and a dark, wide eye, narrowed so that

and a large, dark-pupilled eye, narrowed so that it does not

it cannot sate one content with a single glance.

sate one content with a glance.

عشقته حلواً على مثله

عشقته حلواً على مثله

يطاعُ في الغيّ أبو مرَّه

يطاعُ في الغيّ أبو مرَّه

I loved him, sweet—for the likes of him

I loved him in his sweetness; for one like him

Abū Murra is obeyed in error.

Abu Murra is obeyed in error.

لولا دجى طرته لم أبتْ

لولا دجى طرته لم أبتْ

سهرانَ لا أجرٌ ولا أجرَه

سهرانَ لا أجرٌ ولا أجرَه

Were it not for his forelock’s darkness, I would not have passed the night

But for his forelock's darkness, I would not have spent the night

sleepless, with neither reward nor wage.

sleepless, with neither reward nor wage.

يبدو كتاب الحسنِ في وجهه

يبدو كتاب الحسنِ في وجهه

فأقرأ العشقَ من الطره

فأقرأ العشقَ من الطره

The book of beauty appears upon his face,

The book of beauty appears upon his face,

and from the forelock I read of love.

so I read love from his forelock.

يا ابن أمير الحرب يوم الوغى

يا ابن أمير الحرب يوم الوغى

كم لك في العشاق من إمره

كم لك في العشاق من إمره

O son of the commander of war on the day of battle,

O son of the commander of war on the day of battle,

how much command you wield among lovers!

how much dominion you wield among lovers!

إليك يشكو المرءُ أشجانُه

إليك يشكو المرءُ أشجانُه

ولابن شادٍ يشتكي دهره

ولابن شادٍ يشتكي دهره

To you a man complains of his sorrows,

To you a man complains of his sorrows,

while to Ibn Shād he complains of his age.

and to Ibn Shadi he complains of his fate.

الملك العالم والضيغم ال

الملك العالم والضيغم ال

باسل والمفرد والندره

باسل والمفرد والندره

The king, the learned one, the lion, the—

The learned king, the lion—

valiant, the peerless, the rarity;

valiant, peerless, a rarity;

ربّ العطايا عن غنًى قاصرٍ

ربّ العطايا عن غنًى قاصرٍ

والحلم كلّ الحلم عن قدره

والحلم كلّ الحلم عن قدره

lord of gifts, though wealth itself falls short,

lord of gifts drawn from limited wealth,

and of forbearance—all forbearance—despite his power.

and of forbearance—complete forbearance—born of power.

سبحان من صوَّرَهُ خالصاً

سبحان من صوَّرَهُ خالصاً

ما شيبَ من أخلاقه ذرّه

ما شيبَ من أخلاقه ذرّه

Glory be to Him who fashioned him wholly pure:

Glory to Him who fashioned him pure!

not a speck of his character was alloyed.

Not a mote of his character was tainted.

من آل مروانَ ويمناه في

من آل مروانَ ويمناه في

حبِّ العطايا من بني عذرَه

حبِّ العطايا من بني عذرَه

Of Marwān’s house; and his right hand, in

Of the house of Marwan; and his right hand, in

its love of giving, belongs to Banū ʿUdhra.

its love of gifts, is of Banu Udhra.

لو لم تكن يمناه غيثاً لما

لو لم تكن يمناه غيثاً لما

أضحت رُبى الطرس بها نضره

أضحت رُبى الطرس بها نضره

Had his right hand not been rain, then

Had his right hand not been rain, never

the page’s hills would not have grown verdant beneath it.

would the parchment's hills have grown verdant through it.

حروفها تعطف يسر الفتى

حروفها تعطف يسر الفتى

فهي حروفُ العطف لليسره

فهي حروفُ العطف لليسره

Its letters turn ease toward the young man,

Its letters draw prosperity to a young man;

being conjunctions that lead to ease.

thus they are conjunctions joining him to ease.

وسيفها ممتزجٌ بالدما

وسيفها ممتزجٌ بالدما

مزجَ بياضِ الخدّ بالحمرَه

مزجَ بياضِ الخدّ بالحمرَه

And his sword is mingled with blood,

And its sword is mingled with blood,

as the cheek’s white is mingled with red.

as the cheek's whiteness is mingled with redness.

إذا مضى في الدرعِ إفرنده

إذا مضى في الدرعِ إفرنده

عجبت للمرِّيخ في النثره

عجبت للمرِّيخ في النثره

When its watered blade passes through armor,

When its blade's watered sheen passes through armor,

I marvel at Mars among al-Nathra’s stars.

I marvel at Mars within al-Nathra.

أكرِمْ بإسماعيلَ من شائد

أكرِمْ بإسماعيلَ من شائد

أركان بيت الملك عن خبره

أركان بيت الملك عن خبره

How noble is Ismāʿīl, builder of

How noble is Ismail as a builder

the pillars of the royal house through experience;

of the royal house's pillars, with expertise!

ذي السلم لا تعبأ له ديمةٌ

ذي السلم لا تعبأ له ديمةٌ

والحرب لا يصلى له جمره

والحرب لا يصلى له جمره

in peace, no raincloud can rival him,

Master of peace: no steady rain can compare with him;

and in war, none can endure his embers.

and of war: no one can endure an ember of his.

معطي جواد الخيل للمعتفي

معطي جواد الخيل للمعتفي

وخلفه الصرّة كالمهره

وخلفه الصرّة كالمهره

He gives noble steeds to the petitioner,

Giver of a noble steed to the seeker of bounty,

with the purse behind them, like another filly.

and behind it a purse, like a filly.

دع حاتماً يفخر في قومه

دع حاتماً يفخر في قومه

بنحره البكرة لا البدره

بنحره البكرة لا البدره

Let Ḥātim boast among his people

Let Hatim boast among his people

of slaughtering a young camel—not of the money-purse.

of slaughtering a young she-camel, not a purse of coins.

ليسوا سواء المجد إلا إذا

ليسوا سواء المجد إلا إذا

تساوت الخزفةُ والدّرّه

تساوت الخزفةُ والدّرّه

They are not equal in glory—unless

They are not equals in glory, unless

a potsherd and a pearl are equal.

the potsherd and the pearl become equal.

هو الذي يروي حديث الثنا

هو الذي يروي حديث الثنا

عن شخصه الباهرَ عن قرّه

عن شخصه الباهرَ عن قرّه

He is the one who transmits the report of praise

He is the one who transmits the tale of praise

from his radiant person, on the authority of delight.

from his radiant person, from Qurra.

للخَلق والخُلق على وجهه

للخَلق والخُلق على وجهه

نوران ردا ناظر الأمرَه

نوران ردا ناظر الأمرَه

Upon his face, creation and character have

His outward form and inward character have, upon his face,

two lights that dazzle the eye of sovereignty.

two lights that turn back anyone eyeing power.

إن كان ذا النورين فضلاً فكم

إن كان ذا النورين فضلاً فكم

جهزَ من جيش ذوي العسره

جهزَ من جيش ذوي العسره

If the Possessor of Two Lights excelled in virtue, how many

If in merit he is the Possessor of Two Lights, how many

armies of the hard-pressed has this man equipped!

armies of those in hardship has he equipped!

يا ملكاً يلقى المنى والعدى

يا ملكاً يلقى المنى والعدى

بضعف ما ترضى وما تكره

بضعف ما ترضى وما تكره

O king who meets hopes and enemies

O king who meets hopes and enemies

with twice what you desire—and what you hate:

with twice what you favor and what you hate,

وقَّرتني عن أهل ودِّي فلا

وقَّرتني عن أهل ودِّي فلا

والله مالي فيهمُ فكره

والله مالي فيهمُ فكره

you have raised me in dignity above my beloved friends; no—

you have so honored me that I need not turn to my dear friends—

by God, I have no thought of them.

by God, I give them not a thought.

إلى أياديك انتهى مطلبي

إلى أياديك انتهى مطلبي

فيا لها فيحاء مخضرّه

فيا لها فيحاء مخضرّه

My utmost quest has ended at your favors—

My quest has reached your beneficent hands;

how spacious and verdant they are!

and oh, what a spacious, verdant expanse!

كذا مدي الأيام في نعمةٍ

كذا مدي الأيام في نعمةٍ

باسمة الإخوان مفتره

باسمة الإخوان مفتره

Thus may the span of days continue in bounty,

Thus may you remain through all the days in bliss,

with brothers smiling, broadly beaming,

with friends smiling, their lips parted in joy.

في كلّ وجهٍ قد تيممته

في كلّ وجهٍ قد تيممته

سعادةٌ واضحةُ الغرَّه

سعادةٌ واضحةُ الغرَّه

and in every direction I turn,

In every direction you have turned,

happiness bright and open-browed.

there is good fortune with a radiant brow.