أَبُرُوقٌ يلوح منها وَميضُ

أَبُرُوقٌ يلوح منها وَميضُ

أم ثغورٌ كأنها الإِغريضُ

أم ثغورٌ كأنها الإِغريضُ

Are these lightning flashes, whose gleam shines forth,

Beams of light flash from her, or are they glimpses

or mouths like fresh white palm blossoms?

Of mouths that seem ready to sip?

شامَ طَرفي من المباسم بَرقاً

شامَ طَرفي من المباسم بَرقاً

عَلِمَ الدمعُ منه كيف يَفيضُ

عَلِمَ الدمعُ منه كيف يَفيضُ

My gaze caught a lightning flash from the smiling mouths;

My eyelids flashed from her smile lightning

from it, tears learned how to overflow.

And so learned how tears can drip.

بأبي من به شفائي وإن أَم

بأبي من به شفائي وإن أَم

رَض منه الفؤادَ جَفنٌ مريضُ

رَض منه الفؤادَ جَفنٌ مريضُ

May my father be ransom for him who heals me, though

By my father! He from whom comes my healing, though if

his languid eyelid has sickened my heart.

My heart is content, an ailing eyelid it still grips.

فَمُهُ كأسُهُ وريقَتُهُ الخم

فَمُهُ كأسُهُ وريقَتُهُ الخم

رُ ومن وجنَتَيهِ رَوضٌ أريضُ

رُ ومن وجنَتَيهِ رَوضٌ أريضُ

His mouth is his cup; his saliva is the wine,

His mouth is his cup, his cheek the wine,

and from his two cheeks springs a lush garden.

And his dimples, a garden where flowers uncurl their lips.

راق طرفي من خدِّه الأحمر والأبيَ

راق طرفي من خدِّه الأحمر والأبيَ

ضِ ذاك التذهيبُ والتَّفضيضُ

ضِ ذاك التذهيبُ والتَّفضيضُ

His cheek's red and white delighted my gaze—

My eyes shone when gazing on his red cheek and white,

that gilding and silvering.

That gilding and whitening and tinting of hues eclipse.

يا عذولي دعني من العَذلِ إن النُّ

يا عذولي دعني من العَذلِ إن النُّ

صحَ في مذهب الهوى تحريضُ

صحَ في مذهب الهوى تحريضُ

O my reproacher, spare me reproach, for counsel

Leave me be, loveliness, from this torment! For good advice

in the creed of love is incitement.

In love’s creed is but devilish whispers.

مِتُّ لما نأَى فها أنا مندو

مِتُّ لما نأَى فها أنا مندو

بُ فراقٍ وحبُّه مَفرُوضُ

بُ فراقٍ وحبُّه مَفرُوضُ

I died when he went away; here I am, a mourned victim

I’m dying from parting, when he went far,

of separation, while love for him is obligatory.

And his love on me remains e’er imposed.

يا رسولَ الحبيب باللضه عَرِّض

يا رسولَ الحبيب باللضه عَرِّض

بحديثي إِن أمكنَ التَّعريضُ

بحديثي إِن أمكنَ التَّعريضُ

O messenger of the beloved, by God, allude

O messenger of my beloved, make clear by my words, if

to my story, if allusion is possible.

By hints my meaning can be disclosed.

بانَ مثلَ الصِّبَا وإنَّ كلا الإِل

بانَ مثلَ الصِّبَا وإنَّ كلا الإِل

فَينِ لا يُرتَجَى له تَعويضُ

فَينِ لا يُرتَجَى له تَعويضُ

He departed like youth; indeed, each of the two dear companions

But the two moons have waned, though neither

has no replacement to be hoped for.

Can hope to be full again from new eclipse.

ولقد كنتُ بالشباب جَمُوحاً

ولقد كنتُ بالشباب جَمُوحاً

غير أن المَشِيبَ ممَّا يَرُوضُ

غير أن المَشِيبَ ممَّا يَرُوضُ

In youth I was indeed headstrong,

In my youth I was impetuous, uncouth,

but gray hair is among the things that tame.

But age is that which disciplines.

أَقعَدتني الأيامُ عن لذَّة العَي

أَقعَدتني الأيامُ عن لذَّة العَي

ش بشَيب له بفودى نُهُوضُ

ش بشَيب له بفودى نُهُوضُ

The days have kept me from the delight of living,

The days have made me abandon the joy of living,

with gray hair rising at my temples.

With hair white at my temples that now uprises.

وتعجبتُ إذ رأيتُ الثلاثي

وتعجبتُ إذ رأيتُ الثلاثي

ن وخَتمُ الصبِّا بها مَفضُوضُ

ن وخَتمُ الصبِّا بها مَفضُوضُ

And I marveled when I reached thirty,

I wondered, when thirty I spied, and youth

with youth's seal broken by that age.

Sealed up at that limit collapsed.

شَيَّبتني بالهمِّ أحداث دهرٍ

شَيَّبتني بالهمِّ أحداث دهرٍ

ضعتُ في أهلها وضاع القريض

ضعتُ في أهلها وضاع القريض

An age's troubles have grayed me with worry;

The days turned my hair white with worries and cares,

I was neglected among its people, and poetry went to waste.

And I failed my people; gone are rhymes precise.

صيرَ الدهرُ شعرَ رأسي شَعراً

صيرَ الدهرُ شعرَ رأسي شَعراً

يضعتريهِ التَّسويدُ والتبييضُ

يضعتريهِ التَّسويدُ والتبييضُ

Time has turned the hair of my head into poetry,

Time made the hair of my head into threads

subject to blackening and whitening.

Tinted by blackness and by whiteness spliced.

فلهذا سمعي يُصيخ إلى العذ

فلهذا سمعي يُصيخ إلى العذ

ل وطَرفي عن كل حُسنٍ غَضيضُ

ل وطَرفي عن كل حُسنٍ غَضيضُ

So my hearing listens closely to reproach,

And so my hearing yells for torment, and my eye

and my gaze is averted from every beauty.

From all loveliness averts, lacking entice.

ولقد قلتُ للزمان وإن كا

ولقد قلتُ للزمان وإن كا

ن إليهِ في أمري التَّفويضُ

ن إليهِ في أمري التَّفويضُ

And I have said to Time, even though

And I said to time, though submitting was my lot,

my affairs are entrusted to its charge:

“I'm not one who fears when fortunes darken and gloam.

لستُ ممن يَخشيى إذا اسودَّ خَطبٌ

لستُ ممن يَخشيى إذا اسودَّ خَطبٌ

ولموسى عندي أيادٍ بيضُ

ولموسى عندي أيادٍ بيضُ

I am not one to fear when trouble turns black,

For me Moses has hands that brighten and light,”

and Musa's favors to me are white.

Does God not exalt, with Ibn Ghawth’s praise, heights unknown?

رَفعَ اللَه لي بمدح ابن يَغمُو

رَفعَ اللَه لي بمدح ابن يَغمُو

رٍ عُلاً قَدرُ غَيرها مَخفوضُ

رٍ عُلاً قَدرُ غَيرها مَخفوضُ

God has raised me, through praise of Ibn Yaghmur,

A lord whose fire’s might—what structure

to heights beside which all other heights rank low.

Of glory to the lowly does not increase and foam?

رَبُّ بأس لنارِهِ أيُّ إضرا

رَبُّ بأس لنارِهِ أيُّ إضرا

مٍ وجودٍ على العُفاة يَفيضُ

مٍ وجودٍ على العُفاة يَفيضُ

A lord of valor—how fiercely his fire is kindled!—

Steady of valor—named is the battlefield’s blade—

and of bounty overflowing upon those seeking gifts.

And the heroes in blood sport thrash and roam.

ثابتُ الجأشِ باسمُ الثَّغرِ

ثابتُ الجأشِ باسمُ الثَّغرِ

والأبطالُ في لُجَّةِ الدماءِ تَخُوضُ

والأبطالُ في لُجَّةِ الدماءِ تَخُوضُ

Steadfast of heart, his mouth smiling,

Perfect in merit, swift of fate,

while champions wade in a sea of blood.

He clothes himself in verse from which rhymes come.

كاملُ الفضل ذو نوالٍ سريعٍ

كاملُ الفضل ذو نوالٍ سريعٍ

يَتَحَلَّى بالوصف منه العَرُوضُ

يَتَحَلَّى بالوصف منه العَرُوضُ

Complete in merit, endowed with swift bounty,

No error defiled his house, no injustice

the art of meter is adorned by describing him.

Clutched his hands the day hopes were tomb.

لم يَشِن بَيتَهُ زحافٌ ولا بَس

لم يَشِن بَيتَهُ زحافٌ ولا بَس

طُ يديهِ يومَ النَّدى مَقبُوضُ

طُ يديهِ يومَ النَّدى مَقبُوضُ

No faltering has marred his house, nor is the outstretching

of his hands on the day of giving held back.