Sol 6.1

  1. أَأَطلالَ هِندٍ ساءَ ما اِعتَضتِ مِن هِندِ

    أَقايَضتِ حورَ العينِ بِالعونِ وَالرُبدِ

    O ruins of Hind, wretched is what you have taken in exchange for Hind!

    Did you trade dark-eyed beauties for wild asses and dusky ostriches?

  2. إِذا شِئنَ بِالأَلوانِ كُنَّ عِصابَةً

    مِنَ الهِندِ وَالآذانِ كُنَّ مِنَ الصُغدِ

    If they wished, by their colors they could be a band

    of Indians, but by their ears they would be Sogdians.

  3. لَعُجنا عَلَيكِ العيسَ بَعدَ مَعاجِها

    عَلى البيضِ أَتراباً عَلى النُؤيِ وَالوَدِّ

    We turned the pale camels toward you, after their halts

    among fair women, all of an age—now beside the trench and tent-peg.

  4. فَلا دَمعَ ما لَم يَجرِ في إِثرِهِ دَمٌ

    وَلا وَجدَ ما لَم تَعيَ عَن صِفَةِ الوَجدِ

    No tears are true tears unless blood flows in their wake;

    nor is passion true passion unless you fail to describe it.

  5. وَمَقدودَةٍ رُؤدٍ تَكادُ تَقُدُّها

    إِصابَتُها بِالعَينِ مِن حَسَنِ القَدِّ

    And a tender, shapely woman, almost cleft apart

    by the evil eye that strikes her for the beauty of her form.

  6. تُعَصفِرُ خَدَّيها العُيونُ بِحُمرَةٍ

    إِذا وَرَدَت كانَت وَبالاً عَلى الوَردِ

    Gazing eyes dye her cheeks with safflower redness

    which, when it appears, brings ruin upon roses.

  7. إِذا زَهَّدَتني في الهَوى خيفَةُ الرَدى

    جَلَت لِيَ عَن وَجهٍ يُزَهِّدُ في الزُهدِ

    When fear of death makes me renounce love,

    she unveils to me a face that makes me renounce renunciation.

  8. وَقَفتُ بِها اللَذّاتِ في مُتَنَفَّسٍ

    مِنَ الغَيثِ يَسقي رَوضَةً في ثَرىً جَعدِ

    With her I made pleasures linger in an open expanse,

    where rain waters a meadow in rich, clumped earth.

  9. وَصَفراءَ أَحدَقنا بِها في حَدائِقٍ

    تَجودُ مِنَ الأَثمارِ بِالثَعدِ وَالمَعدِ

    And golden wine—we gathered around it in gardens

    lavish with soft, succulent fruits.

  10. بِقاعِيَّةٍ تَجري عَلَينا كُؤوسُها

    فَنُبدي الَّذي تُخفي وَنُخفي الَّذي تُبدي

    Wine of Biqaʿ, whose cups circulate among us:

    we reveal what it conceals, and conceal what it reveals.

  11. بِنَصرِ بنِ مَنصورِ بنِ بَسّامٍ اِنفَرى

    لَنا شَظَفُ الأَيّامِ عَن عيشَةٍ رَغدِ

    Through Nasr ibn Mansur ibn Bassam was rent

    the hardship of our days, revealing a life of ease.

  12. أَلا لا يَمُدَّ الدَهرُ كَفّاً بِسَيِّئٍ

    إِلى مُجتَدي نَصرٍ فَتُقطَع مِنَ الزَندِ

    Beware: let Time not stretch a hand bearing harm

    toward Nasr's petitioner, lest it be severed at the wrist.

  13. بِسَيبِ أَبي العَبّاسِ بُدِّلَ أَزلُنا

    بِخَفضٍ وَصِرنا بَعدَ جَزرٍ إِلى مَدِّ

    Through Abu al-ʿAbbas's bounty our hardship was exchanged

    for ease, and after ebb we came to flood tide.

  14. غَنيتُ بِهِ عَمَّن سِواهُ وَحُوِّلَت

    عِجافُ رِكابي عَن سُعَيدٍ إِلى سَعدِ

    Through him I needed no one else; redirected

    were my lean riding-camels from Suʿayd to Saʿd.

  15. لَهُ خُلُقٌ سَهلٌ وَنَفسٌ طِباعُها

    لَيانٌ وَلَكِن عِرضُهُ مِن صَفاً صَلدِ

    His temper is easy, and his soul's nature

    is gentleness; yet his honor is of smooth, unyielding rock.

  16. رَأَيتُ اللَيالي قَد تَغَيَّرَ عَهدُها

    فَلَمّا تَراءى لي رَجَعنَ إِلى العَهدِ

    I saw the nights had altered their old covenant;

    but when he appeared before me, they returned to that covenant.

  17. أَسائِلَ نَصرٍ لا تَسَلهُ فَإِنَّهُ

    أَحَنُّ إِلى الإِرفادِ مِنكَ إِلى الرَفدِ

    O petitioner of Nasr, do not ask him, for he

    longs more to give than you long to receive.

  18. فَتىً لا يُبالي حينَ تَجتَمِعُ العُلى

    لَهُ أَن يَكونَ المالُ في السُحقِ وَالبُعدِ

    A young man who cares not, when lofty honors gather

    around him, that wealth lies far, far away.

  19. فَتىً جودُهُ طَبعٌ فَلَيسَ بِحافِلٍ

    أَفي الجَورِ كانَ الجودُ مِنهُ أَمِ القَصدِ

    A young man whose generosity is instinct: he cares not

    whether his giving is extravagant or measured.

  20. إِذا طَرَقَتهُ الحادِثاتُ بِنَكبَةٍ

    مَخَضنَ سِقاءً مِنهُ لَيسَ بِذي زُبدِ

    When misfortunes assail him with disaster,

    they churn in him a milk-skin that yields no butter,

  21. وَنَبَّهنَ مِثلَ السَيفِ لَو لَم تَسُلَّهُ

    يَدانِ لَسَلَّتهُ ظَباهُ مِنَ الغِمدِ

    and rouse one like a sword: were it not drawn

    by two hands, its own edges would draw it from the sheath.

  22. سَأَحمَدُ نَصراً ما حَيِيتُ وَإِنَّني

    لَأَعلَمُ أَن قَد جَلَّ نَصرٌ عَنِ الحَمدِ

    I shall praise Nasr as long as I live, although I

    know full well that Nasr has risen beyond praise.

  23. تَجَلّى بِهِ رُشدي وَأَثرَت بِهِ يَدي

    وَفاضَ بِهِ ثَمدي وَأَورى بِهِ زَندي

    Through him my judgment shone, and through him my hand grew rich;

    through him my scant spring overflowed, and through him my fire-stick struck flame.

  24. فَإِن يَكُ أَربى عَفوُ شُكري عَلى نَدى

    أُناسٍ فَقَد أَربى نَداهُ عَلى جُهدي

    So if my spontaneous thanks have surpassed the bounty

    of some men, his bounty has surpassed my utmost effort.

  25. وَمازالَ مَنشوراً عَلَيَّ نَوالُهُ

    وَعِندي حَتّى قَد بَقيتُ بِلا عِندي

    His bounty has ever been spread over me

    and in my possession, until I had no 'mine' left.

  26. وَقَصَّرَ قَولي مِن بَعدِ ما أَرى

    أَقولُ فَأُشجي أُمَّةً وَأَنا وَحدي

    My words fall short after what I behold—

    I, who speak and move a multitude to grief, though alone.

  27. بَغَيتُ بِشِعري فَاِعتَلاهُ بِبَذلِهِ

    فَلا يَبغِ في شِعرٍ لَهُ أَحَدٌ بَعدي

    I boasted through my verse, but he surpassed it with his giving;

    so let no one after me boast of verse in his praise.