Sol 6.1

  1. ما تَمَّ وَشْكُ البَيْنِ حتّى تَيَّما

    وأعادَ عِرفانَ السُّلُوِّ تَوَهُّما

    Parting had scarcely drawn near before it enslaved me with love,

    and turned the certainty of forgetting into delusion.

  2. فعَلامَ يَعْصِي الشَّوقَ مُشتاقٌ غَدا

    طَوْعَ الصَّبابَةِ أو يُطيعَ اللُّوَّما

    Why, then, should a yearning lover defy longing, having become

    subject to passion—or obey his reproachers?

  3. يا دارُ لو تَرَكوا الفؤادَ مُسَلَّماً

    من حُبِّهِم ما عُجْتُ فيكِ مُسلِّما

    O dwelling, had they left my heart unharmed

    by their love, I would not have stopped within you, offering greetings.

  4. بل لو أطاعَ اللَّومَ فيكِ مُتَيَّمٌ

    ما كانَ فيكِ على الهَوى مُتَلَوِّما

    Nay, had a love-enslaved man heeded reproach concerning you,

    he would not have lingered in you for love.

  5. لم يَبْكِ من حَذَرِ الوُشاةِ وطالما

    وَشَّى بأَدْمُعِه رُباكِ ونَمنَما

    He did not weep, for fear of slanderers, though often

    he had embroidered and patterned your hills with his tears.

  6. أيامَ يَنأى القلبُ من حُرَقِ الهَوى

    فإذا دَنَتْ منه خِيامُكِ خَيَّما

    In days when the heart withdrew from love's burning pains,

    whenever your tents drew near it, it pitched camp.

  7. ما شيَّعَتْهُ بدَمْعِها مُقَلُ الدُّمَى

    إلا وقد أبكَيْنَ مُقلَتَه دَما

    Never did those statue-like beauties' eyes see him off with tears

    without making his own eye weep blood.

  8. قُضْبٌ تَميلُ فتستَميلُ متَيَّماً

    ونواظِرٌ تَسجُو فتَشجُو مُغرَما

    Boughs that sway and captivate one enslaved by love,

    and eyes that grow still and sadden a lover.

  9. ومَهاً تُريكَ اللَّيلَ صُبْحاً مُشْرِقاً

    بجمالِها والصُّبحَ ليلاً مُظْلِما

    And oryx-does that show you night as radiant dawn,

    through their beauty, and dawn as darkened night.

  10. لمّا بَدا وجدي وكان مُكتَّماً

    أَبْدَيْنَ وَجْداً كان فيَّ مُكَتَّما

    When my longing showed, though it had been concealed,

    they revealed a longing that had lain hidden within me.

  11. ونَشَرْنَ مَطْوِيَّ المحاسنِ للنَّوى

    فَأرَيْننا عُرْساً بذاك ومَأتَما

    And at parting they unfolded their hidden charms,

    thus showing us both a wedding and a funeral.

  12. شرفاً بني فَهْدِ بنِ أحمَدَ إنَّكم

    أوفى الملوكِ سماحةً وتكرُّما

    Honor to you, sons of Fahd ibn Ahmad! You are

    foremost among kings in liberality and generosity.

  13. حَكَّمْتُمُ المعروفَ في أموالِكُمْ

    والخوفَ في أعدائِكُم فَتَحَكَّما

    You gave benevolence dominion over your wealth,

    and fear over your enemies, so both held sway.

  14. وعَلِمْتُمُ أنَّ المَكارِمَ رُتبَةٌ

    مَن نالَها كانَ الكريمَ المُعلَما

    And you knew that noble virtues are a rank:

    whoever attains it becomes a distinguished nobleman.

  15. فحذَتْ بها صِيدُ المُلوكِ وفاخَرتْ

    بأبي الفوارسِ فانتَمَتْ حيثُ انتَمَى

    Thus proud kings followed that example and boasted

    of Abu al-Fawaris, claiming the lineage he claimed:

  16. بمُشَهَّرٍ في الجُودِ يَظْلِمُ مالَه

    بنَوالِه فلو استطاعَ تَظَلَّما

    of one famed for generosity, who wrongs his wealth

    with his largesse—could it do so, it would complain.

  17. ومُقَدَّمٍ جارَى الملوكَ إلى العُلى

    فتأخَّرُوا عن شأوِهِ وتقدَّما

    And of a foremost man who raced kings toward the heights,

    so they lagged behind his pace while he advanced.

  18. بأسٌ كَصَرْفِ الدَّهرِ أشرفَ فاعتدَى

    وندىً كَصَوْبِ المُزْنِ صُوِّبَ فانهمَى

    Might like time's calamities, looming and assailing;

    and bounty like cloud-rain, sent down and streaming in torrents.

  19. وإذا ارتدى بالسَّيفِ خَفَّ مَضاؤُه

    وإذا ارتدى بالحِلمِ كان يَرَمْرَما

    When he girds on the sword, his onset is swift;

    and when he robes himself in forbearance, he is a mighty mountain.

  20. وإذا وَعى مدحاً تَبَسَّمَ ضاحِكاً

    واهتزَّ كالرّمحِ انثَنى وتَقَوَّما

    And when he hears praise, he smiles with laughter,

    and sways like a spear, bending and straightening.

  21. أَعدى الزَّمانَ صَنيعةً فأعادَه

    جَذلانَ بعدَ عُبوسِه مُتَبَسِّما

    He infected Time with kindness and made it

    joyous and smiling after its frown.

  22. وغدا أحقَّ بلُبْسِ أثوابِ العُلَى

    والمَجدُ قد تركَ المُهنَّدَ مُحْرِما

    And he became most worthy to wear the robes of eminence,

    while Glory has left the Indian blade bare as a pilgrim.

  23. فَلْيَهْنَه البُرْءُ الذي أبرى النَّدى

    من دائِه وأراه سَعْداً مُنْجِما

    May he rejoice in the recovery that cured Generosity

    of its illness, and showed it a rising star of fortune.

  24. وقَصائدٍ يُهدْي إليكَ بِقَصْدِها

    فَرَحاً يَكونُ إلى السَّلامَةِ سُلَّما

    And poems whose composition brings you

    a joy that becomes a stairway to well-being.

  25. يا أيها الملكُ الذي حازَ العُلى

    لمّا تَقَسَّمَها الملوكُ تَقَسُّما

    O king who won the heights

    when kings divided them up among themselves,

  26. ألحقْتَ بي في الشِّعْرِ خِدْنَيْ لُكْنَةٍ

    بَكَرا ورَاحا في البَلادَةِ تَوأَما

    you have set beside me in verse two companions of halting speech,

    who go out at dawn and return at dusk, twins in dullness.

  27. وأنا الذي دَبَّجْتُ لمّا ثَبَّجَا

    وعُرِفْتُ بالإفْصاحِ لمّا استعجَما

    Yet I am the one who embroidered verse when they scrawled,

    and was known for eloquence when they were tongue-tied.

  28. أثريتُ في الشّرفِ القديمِ وأَعدَما

    ونَطَقْتُ بالمَدْحِ الرَّصينِ وأُفْحِما

    I grew rich in ancient honor while they were destitute,

    and voiced well-wrought praise while they were struck dumb.

  29. هذا ومَنْ أخَّرْتَ كان مُؤخَّراً

    منا ومَنْ قدَّمْتَ كان مُقَدَّما

    This being so, whoever you hold back is held back

    among us, and whoever you advance is advanced.

  30. ما الناسُ إلا شاكراً لكَ نِعْمةً

    جادَتْ يداك بها فجادَ وأنعَما

    Everyone is either a man thanking you for a boon

    your hands freely gave—so he gave freely and bestowed favors;

  31. أو مادحاً وجدَ المديحَ مُسَيَّراً

    ورأى الكلامَ مُصَدَّقاً فتكلَّما

    or a man praising, who found praise carried far and wide

    and saw the words borne out, and therefore spoke.