1. يُورِّقُهُ إذا البرقُ استنارا

    هوىً يقتادُ عَبْرتَه اقتسَارا

    When lightning shines, he is kept wakeful

    by love that forcibly draws forth his tears.

  2. بَدا مِشْقاً تَرودُ العينُ فيه

    فتَقرَأُ من لوامِعِه ادِّكارا

    It appeared as flowing script through which the eye roams,

    reading remembrance in its gleams;

  3. ونَمنمةً تُضئُ له وتَخبُو

    كما طَيَّرْتَ عن زَندٍ شَرارا

    and as fine tracery that shines for him and fades,

    as when you send sparks flying from a fire-stick;

  4. وإيماضاً يَشُقُّ الجوَّ شَقّاً

    كما اقْتَبَسَتْ إماءُ الحيِّ نارا

    and as a flash that cleaves the sky apart,

    as when the clan's maidservants borrow fire.

  5. فرُحْتُ أُسائِلُ الرُّكبانَ عنه

    بأيِّ جَنوبِ كاظمةَ استطارا

    So I set out to question the riders about it:

    in which southern quarter of Kazimah had it flashed forth?

  6. لأَذكرَني أعزَّ الناسِ جاراً

    وأحلى الأرضِ في عينيَّ دَارا

    It surely recalled to me the dearest of neighbors,

    and the sweetest land to dwell in, to my eyes;

  7. وعِدْلَ الحبِّ من قومٍ تَعدَّى

    عليَّ الشَّوقُ بعدَهُمُ فَجارا

    and love's counterpart among a people; I was assailed

    by longing after they left, and it dealt unjustly;

  8. وناعمةَ الصِّبا تسجُو فتشجُو

    قلوباً من صبابَتِها مِرارا

    and a tender young woman who rests serenely, yet saddens

    hearts repeatedly with yearning for her.

  9. أقولُ لها إذا سفرَتْ ومارَتْ

    أَغُصْنُ البانِ أثمَرَ جُلَّنارا

    I say to her, when she unveils and sways:

    Has a ban-tree bough borne pomegranate blossoms?

  10. أصابَهمُ وإن بَعُدُوا منالاً

    على العُشَّاقِ أو بَعُدُوا مَزارا

    May there reach them, though they be hard to attain

    for lovers, or distant to visit,

  11. نسيمُ الرِّيحِ ما راحَتْ جَنوباً

    وصوبُ المُزْنِ ما ابتكرَتْ عِشارا

    the wind's breeze whenever it blows from the south,

    and the clouds' downpour, when they come at dawn like pregnant she-camels.

  12. سأُعفي الدهرَ من تكديرِ عَذلي

    فأَعذِرُهُ وإنْ خلعَ العِذارا

    I shall spare Time the vexation of my reproach,

    and excuse it even if it casts off the bridle.

  13. لَقِينا من حوادثِهِ جيوشاً

    وخُضْنا من نَوائِبهِ غِمارا

    We have faced armies of its calamities,

    and plunged into the depths of its disasters;

  14. فلم نُظْهِرْ له إلا قِراعاً

    ولم نَلْبَسْ له إلا وَقارا

    yet we have shown it nothing but clashing swords,

    and faced it clad in dignity alone.

  15. ومَنْ يكُنِ الأميرُ له مُجيراً

    يكُنْ للكَوكبِ العَلويِّ جَارا

    Whoever has the emir as his protector

    becomes a neighbor to the star on high.

  16. هو الجبلُ الأشمُّ حِمىً وعِزّاً

    ترَفَّعْ أن تَرى جبلاً مُغارا

    He is the lofty mountain, a refuge and a source of might;

    disdain to see a mountain raided.

  17. فرَرْتُ إليه من صَرْفِ اللَّيالي

    فنكَّبَ جَورُها عني فِرارا

    I fled to him from the reversals of the nights,

    and their tyranny veered away from me in flight.

  18. ولمَّا اختَرتُهُ ليَفُلَّ عني

    شَباةَ الدَّهْرِ لم آلُ اختِيارا

    And when I chose him to blunt for me

    Time's sharp edge, I did not fall short in my choice.

  19. وكانَ القُربُ منه جمالَ دنيا

    ترى أيامَها حُسناً قِصارا

    Nearness to him was the beauty of a world

    whose days you find brief for their loveliness,

  20. وعيشاً ناضرَ الأفنانِ غَضّاً

    يَرِفُّ إذا اهتصرناهُ اهتِصارا

    and a life of flourishing boughs, tender and green,

    that quivers when we bend it down.

  21. فَما بَرِحَ العِدا حتَّى أَعادوا

    حلاوةَ نَشوَتي منه خُمارا

    But the foes did not relent until they turned

    the sweet intoxication he gave me into a hangover.

  22. فعوَّضَني من الأُنسِ انحرافاً

    وبدَّلَني من البِشْرِ ازوِرارا

    So he gave me aloofness in place of fellowship,

    and aversion instead of a smiling welcome.

  23. فصِرْتُ أرى نهاري منه ليلاً

    وكنتُ أرى به ليلي نَهارا

    So I came to see my day with him as night,

    though through him I had seen my night as day.

  24. أَبِيتُ ومُقلتي تُذري نجيعاً

    وقد أفنَت مدامعَها الغِزارا

    I pass the night with my eye shedding fresh blood,

    having already exhausted its abundant tears.

  25. تَرى الأشفارَ منه مُعَصْفَراتٍ

    فتحسَبُ أنها لاقَتْ شِفارا

    You see the lashes dyed safflower-red by it,

    and think they have encountered blades.

  26. أبا الهيجاءِ أصبحَتِ القوافي

    تَخُبُّ إليكَ حجّاً واعتِمارا

    Abu al-Hayja, the rhymes have come

    trotting toward you on pilgrimage and lesser pilgrimage;

  27. عِتاباً كالنَّسيمِ جرَى لعَتْبٍ

    يُضَرِّمُ في الحَشا مني استِعارا

    a breeze-like reproach, flowing from a grievance

    that kindles a raging fire within my breast.

  28. أُشَعشِعُه لأُطِربَ سامعيه

    كما شَعشَعْتُ بالماءِ العُقارا

    I temper it to delight its hearers,

    as I diluted wine with water.

  29. أَيجمُلُ أن أرى منك انحرافاً

    ولا عاراً أتيتُ ولا شَنارا

    Is it fitting that I should see you turn away,

    though I have done nothing shameful or disgraceful?

  30. ولم أَجحَدْ صنائعَ مِنْكَ جلَّتْ

    ولم أسلُبْكَ مدحاً فيك سارا

    I have not denied your mighty benefactions,

    nor stripped you of praise that circulated about you.

  31. ولكنِّي كَسَوْتُكَ حَلْيَ قَوْمٍ

    رأيتُكَ منهم أزكَى نجارا

    But I clothed you in the ornaments of a people

    I deemed you of nobler stock than they.

  32. وأيُّ غريبَةٍ للشِّعرِ لاقَتْ

    عُلاكَ فحاولَتْ عنها اصطِبارا

    And what rare marvel of poetry has encountered

    your eminence, then tried to endure without it?

  33. تَحِنُّ إليكَ أبكارُ القوافي

    إذا اجتُليَت رَواحاً وابتكِارا

    The virgin rhymes yearn for you

    when unveiled at evening and at dawn;

  34. فتقرَبُ منك أُنساً بالمعالي

    وتبعُدُ من بُعولتِها نِفارا

    they draw near to you, at home with lofty virtues,

    and recoil from their husbands in aversion.

  35. ويُؤثرْكَ الثَّناءُ على مُلوكٍ

    تَعُدُّ مقامَها فيهم خَسارا

    And praise favors you over kings,

    among whom the rhymes deem their stay a loss.

  36. وكيفَ تُلامُ خَيِّرَةُ القَوافي

    إذا اختارتْ من القومِ الخِيارا

    And how can the choicest rhymes be blamed

    when they choose the finest among the people?

  37. تبيَّنَ زهوُها في العيدِ لمَّا

    رأتْ مولىً يُتوِّجُها فَخارا

    Their pride became clear at the festival, when

    they saw a patron who crowned them with glory;

  38. فهزَّتْ عِطْفَها طَرَباً إليه

    وأَلقَتْ عن مَحاسِنها الخِمارا

    they swayed their flanks toward him in delight,

    and cast the veil from their charms.

  39. فإنْ تَكُ هفوةٌ عرَضَتْ سِراراً

    فقد أَصْحَبْتُها عُذراً جِهارا

    And if a slip occurred in secret,

    I have openly supplied it with an excuse.

  40. وممَّا شيَّدَ الشَّرَفَ المُعَلَّى

    ذُنُوبٌ صادَفَتْ منك اغتِفارا

    And among the things that built exalted honor

    are offenses that met with forgiveness from you.

  41. فَضَلْتَ الناسَ فضلاً واقتصاداً

    وإشراقاً من الجَدوى ابتدِارا

    You surpassed all people in excellence and moderation,

    and in radiant beneficence, hastening to give.

  42. ولولا أن أَعوذَكَ من عدوِّي

    حَسِبناهُ لنَضرَتِه نُضارا

    And were I not seeking your refuge from my foe,

    we would take him for pure gold, so radiant is he.