قال العذول فزاد قلباً شيّقا

قال العذول فزاد قلباً شيّقا

ما ضرَّ يا مسحور دمعك لو رقى

ما ضرَّ يا مسحور دمعك لو رقى

The reprover spoke, stirring a yearning heart still more:

The love-lorn said, and made my heart more ardent

“What harm, bewitched one, if your tears should cease?”

No harm, O enchanted one, if your tears were to flow

هيهات مع نأي الأحبَّة والضنا

هيهات مع نأي الأحبَّة والضنا

ترقى دموع العين أو تجدي الرّقى

ترقى دموع العين أو تجدي الرّقى

Impossible, with loved ones distant and wasting sickness,

Alas! With the remoteness of loved ones and disdain

that the eye’s tears should cease, or charms avail!

Neither do the eyes' tears flow, nor comfort found

ما زاد قلبي في الدموع تبحراً

ما زاد قلبي في الدموع تبحراً

إلا وزادني العذول تملُّقا

إلا وزادني العذول تملُّقا

My heart never plunged deeper into tears

My heart has not increased in tears like an ocean

without the reprover giving me still more cajolery.

Except that the love-lorn made me more fawning

أبكي الصبا بدموع عينٍ كادَ في

أبكي الصبا بدموع عينٍ كادَ في

شكوى الجفا إنسانها أن ينطقا

شكوى الجفا إنسانها أن ينطقا

I mourn youth with an eye’s tears; almost, in

I weep for my youth with the tears of eyes that nearly

its complaint of estrangement, its pupil began to speak.

In complaining of estrangement, gained speech

آهاً لعهد صباً وعهد صبابةٍ

آهاً لعهد صباً وعهد صبابةٍ

شبَّ ادِّكارهما فشيب مفرقا

شبَّ ادِّكارهما فشيب مفرقا

Ah, for the days of youth and the days of ardent love!

Alas for the era of youth and the time of youthfulness

Their memory flared, turning my hair’s parting gray.

Whose remembrance turned my hair white and parted

يا من رمى هذا الرماد بمفرقي

يا من رمى هذا الرماد بمفرقي

ما ذا رمى قلبي الشجيّ فأحرقا

ما ذا رمى قلبي الشجيّ فأحرقا

O you who cast this ash upon my hair’s parting,

O you who cast ashes upon my parting

what struck my sorrowful heart and set it ablaze?

What did you cast upon my burning heart and kindled?

وتفرقت جفناي عن دمعٍ به

وتفرقت جفناي عن دمعٍ به

أشرت وعن ميسور نوم أملقا

أشرت وعن ميسور نوم أملقا

And my eyelids parted to reveal tears in which

My eyelids parted from tears, whereby

I reveled, while both were beggared of easy sleep.

I was sleepless, and from restful sleep recoiled

إن يغن جفنيَّ البكاء فقد قلى

إن يغن جفنيَّ البكاء فقد قلى

عدمُ الكرى فيها وأن يتفرَّقا

عدمُ الكرى فيها وأن يتفرَّقا

If weeping enriches my eyelids, they have been scorched

If weeping suffices my eyelids, then the lack

by sleeplessness within them and by their staying apart.

Of loved ones in them, and that they should part, has seared

أفديك راشقة اللحاظ رشيقة

أفديك راشقة اللحاظ رشيقة

يا لحظها وقوامها ما أرشقا

يا لحظها وقوامها ما أرشقا

I would ransom you, slender one with darting glances!

I ransom you,glance-darting, graceful one

Ah, her glance and her figure—how graceful!

O her glance, and her stature, how radiant!

عربيةٌ أروِي لباسمِ ثغرها

عربيةٌ أروِي لباسمِ ثغرها

نظماً لأكباد الحواسد مقلقا

نظماً لأكباد الحواسد مقلقا

An Arab woman—for her smiling lips I recite

An Arab lady, I narrate to her mouth’s beauty

verse that troubles the livers of the envious.

Compositions to trouble the envious hearts

تجفو ولو أني قبرت وسلمت

تجفو ولو أني قبرت وسلمت

سلمتُ تسليم البشاشة أوزقا

سلمتُ تسليم البشاشة أوزقا

She shuns me; yet if I were buried and she greeted me,

She is disdainful, even if I were to be buried and resigned

I would greet her cheerfully—or mouth to mouth.

Resigned with the friendliness of cremation or burial

ولربَّما عطفت وغصن قوامها

ولربَّما عطفت وغصن قوامها

بالحلي أثمر والذوائب أورقا

بالحلي أثمر والذوائب أورقا

And sometimes she inclined toward me, the branch of her figure

And perhaps she would show tenderness, and the branch of her stature

fruiting with jewels and leafing with tresses.

Would bear fruit, and her tresses burgeon

وضممتها في الحيِّ أرشف ثغرها

وضممتها في الحيِّ أرشف ثغرها

ثمَّ انتبهت فلا العذيب ولا النقا

ثمَّ انتبهت فلا العذيب ولا النقا

And I embraced her in the encampment, sipping her lips;

And I would embrace her alive—the most noble of her mouth—

then I awoke—no al-ʿUdhayb and no al-Naqa.

Then regain consciousness, neither reproached nor blamed

طيفاً ألمَّ وما يظن بشاعر

طيفاً ألمَّ وما يظن بشاعر

قاضي القضاة سميعه إلا التقا

قاضي القضاة سميعه إلا التقا

It was a visiting dream-vision; nothing is presumed of a poet

An apparition that saddened, and what poet would think

whose listener is the chief judge, save piety.

Except meeting the Hearing Judge (God)

أمَّا الزمان فقد كساهُ نضارةً

أمَّا الزمان فقد كساهُ نضارةً

قاضي القضاة ابن العلوم أبو البقا

قاضي القضاة ابن العلوم أبو البقا

As for the age, it has been clothed in freshness by

As for time, it has clothed him in brilliance

the chief judge, Ibn al-ʿUlum, Abu al-Baqa.

The Judge of Judges, son of sciences, Abu Bakr

قاضي القضاة تهنها علياء ما

قاضي القضاة تهنها علياء ما

برحت ببيتكم الممدّح أليقا

برحت ببيتكم الممدّح أليقا

Chief judge, may you enjoy a high rank that has

The Judge of Judges—may it be pleasant for the lofty what

ever been most fitting for your much-praised house.

Has not ceased to be your praised house, most fitting

من ذا لذا إرثاً وملكاً عن رضاً

من ذا لذا إرثاً وملكاً عن رضاً

لكمُ بهِ النعمى وللأعدا الشقا

لكمُ بهِ النعمى وللأعدا الشقا

Who holds this by inheritance and possession, with willing assent?

Who else has inheritance and property of consent

Through it, bliss is yours, and misery your enemies’.

For you blessings, and for enemies misery?

ولنا بكم هذا الهناء المجتلى

ولنا بكم هذا الهناء المجتلى

ولكم بنا هذا الثناء المنتقى

ولكم بنا هذا الثناء المنتقى

And ours through you is this happiness we behold,

For us, through you, is this attained glory

and yours through us this choicest praise.

And for you through us this chosen praise

لا تعدم المدح الحسان بهاءه

لا تعدم المدح الحسان بهاءه

وثناه مملا مغرباً أو مشرقاً

وثناه مملا مغرباً أو مشرقاً

May beautiful panegyrics never lack his splendor

Do not lack excellent praise in its splendor

and his praise, proclaimed westward or eastward.

And its sparkle, filling west and east

ذو السؤدد الموروث والكسب الذي

ذو السؤدد الموروث والكسب الذي

أثرى فنفق ما رجاه ونطقا

أثرى فنفق ما رجاه ونطقا

Possessor of inherited nobility and acquired merit, who

Of inherited nobility and gains which

grew wealthy, so what he hoped for and voiced gained currency.

Enriched him, so he spent what he hoped and uttered

عرقت جباه السائدين حياله

عرقت جباه السائدين حياله

وكذا يكون ابن السيادة معرقا

وكذا يكون ابن السيادة معرقا

The foreheads of the eminent sweated before him;

The foreheads of commanders sweat before him

thus is a son of nobility deeply rooted.

Thus is the son of nobles distinguished

أبناء خزرجها وعيبة نصرها

أبناء خزرجها وعيبة نصرها

هنئتُم الشرف التقي ثمَّ ارتقى

هنئتُم الشرف التقي ثمَّ ارتقى

Sons of its Khazraj and storehouse of its aid,

Children of its defenders and the excellence of its victory

congratulations on pious honor, which then rose higher!

You gained the devout nobility, then ascended

إن يشبه الأسلاف أخلاق لقد

إن يشبه الأسلاف أخلاق لقد

رضع الرجا منها الغمام المغدقا

رضع الرجا منها الغمام المغدقا

If he resembles his forebears in character, indeed

If he resembles the morals of the ancestors—for he

hope has suckled from those virtues the lavishly pouring cloud.

Suckled glory from it, clouds pouring

أكرم به متحلّياً من مصره

أكرم به متحلّياً من مصره

حتى أقام لسعدها متدمشقا

حتى أقام لسعدها متدمشقا

How noble he is, adorned by his Egypt,

Honor him, displaying from his Egypt,

until he settled as a Damascene, to its good fortune!

Until for his fortune made resident in Damascus

يا وارث الأنصار فضل سيادةٍ

يا وارث الأنصار فضل سيادةٍ

أخذت على عهد المعالي موتقا

أخذت على عهد المعالي موتقا

O inheritor of the Ansar’s excellence in nobility,

O heir of the supporters, excellence of nobility

you took a binding pledge upon the covenant of lofty honors.

Which took during the era of glories, tied

يا من سجعت بمدحِه إذ لم أزل

يا من سجعت بمدحِه إذ لم أزل

بنداه ثمَّ ندى ذويه مطوَّقا

بنداه ثمَّ ندى ذويه مطوَّقا

O you whose praise I cooed, for I have always been

O you, whose praise I dedicated, when I did not

collared by his bounty, then by the bounty of his kin.

Cease his call, then his people's call adorned

عذراً على تأخير عبدٍ عنكمُ

عذراً على تأخير عبدٍ عنكمُ

أضحى بترسيم الهموم معوّقا

أضحى بترسيم الهموم معوّقا

Pardon a servant’s delay in reaching you,

Excuse a servant from you, who spent

who has come to be held under arrest by cares.

His time composing sorrows, impeded

عرفَ الزمان بأنني أشكو إلى

عرفَ الزمان بأنني أشكو إلى

رحماكَ عدّته فعاق عن اللقا

رحماكَ عدّته فعاق عن اللقا

Time knew that I would complain to

Time recognized that I complain to

your mercy of its arsenal, so it kept me from meeting you

Your mercy—so refrain from meeting

بأليمهِ يا سيدي وأليمه

بأليمهِ يا سيدي وأليمه

لا أستطيع بشكوها أن أنطقا

لا أستطيع بشكوها أن أنطقا

with its torments, my lord—and its torments

With his pains, O my master, and his pains

I cannot give voice to a complaint of them.

I cannot speak of complaining thereof

ومع اهْتمام الهمّ بي فاسْتجلها

ومع اهْتمام الهمّ بي فاسْتجلها

عذراء قالَ ثناؤها ما أصدقا

عذراء قالَ ثناؤها ما أصدقا

And though care busies itself with me, behold her unveiled:

And with the preoccupation of worries upon me, so petition them,

a virgin whose praise declares, “How true!”

Innocent, whose praise is most truthful

جاءتك في شفق الحياء وإنما

جاءتك في شفق الحياء وإنما

مجدتك في الحسنى أبرُّ وأشفقا

مجدتك في الحسنى أبرُّ وأشفقا

She came to you in modesty’s twilight blush; yet

She came to you in the twilight of shyness, and but

your nobility is kinder and more compassionate in doing good.

Glorified you in goodness, more righteous and merciful

يا من على جدواه أن يهمى الحيا

يا من على جدواه أن يهمى الحيا

وعلى نبات مدائحِي أن تعبقا

وعلى نبات مدائحِي أن تعبقا

O you by whose bounty the rain is bound to pour,

O you, above whose bounty life should worry,

and the plants of my panegyrics to breathe fragrance!

And above the growth of my praises, flourish

أن يغد مدحِي عن ثناك مقصراً

أن يغد مدحِي عن ثناك مقصراً

فلقد يرى فوق النجوم محلّقا

فلقد يرى فوق النجوم محلّقا

Should my praise fall short of praising you,

That my praise of you should tomorrow be deficient

it is surely seen soaring above the stars.

For indeed it sees itself above the stars, soaring