أما الخيال فما يغيب طروقا — Al Tohami

أَمّا الخَيال فَما يَغيب طُروقاً

يَدنو بِوَصلك شائِقاً وَمشوقا

As for your phantom, it never fails to visit by night.

It draws near in union with you, stirring longing and longed for.

وَآفٍ يُحقِقُ لِلوَفاء وَلَم يَزَل

خدن الصَبابة لِلوَفاءِ خَليقا

And faithful, it does fidelity justice, and has always been

a companion to ardent love, worthy of fidelity.

وَمَضى وَقَد مَنَعَ الجُفونَ خفوقها

قَلبٌ لذكرك لا يَزالُ خَفوقا

And it departed, while the eyelids were denied their flutter

by a heart that never stops throbbing at the thought of you.

هَل عهدنا بِلوى الشَقيقة راجِعٌ

فَيَعود لي فيهِ الوِصالُ شَقيقا

Will our days at the sandbend of al-Shaqiqa return,

so that union there may again be a brother to me?

أَيام تسلك بي الصَبابَة مجهلاً

لا يَعرِف السلوان فيهِ طَريقا

Days when ardent love led me into a trackless wilderness,

where solace knew no path.

أَهوى أَنيق الحُسنِ مُقتَبِل الصبا

وَأَزور مختصر الشَباب أَنيقا

I love one exquisite in beauty, in early youth,

and visit the graceful epitome of youth.

لا أَلحظ الأَيام لحظةَ وامِقٍ

حَتّى يَعود زَماننا مَرموقا

I will not look upon the days with a lover's gaze

until our time is once more held in admiration.

وَرَكائِبٍ يخرجنَ من غَلس الدُجى

مثل السِهام مرقن فيهِ مُروقا

And riding camels, emerging from night's predawn gloom,

shot through it like arrows, piercing clean through.

وَالفَجر مَصقول الرِداء كَأَنَّهُ

جِلبابُ خَودٍ أَشربته خَلوقا

And dawn, its robe polished bright, seemed to be

a young beauty's mantle she had steeped in saffron perfume.

نَحوَ الهُمام القائِد القرم الَّذي

قرن الإِلَه بِعَزمِهِ التَوفيقا

Toward the valiant commander, the noble chief whose

resolve God has joined with success.

ملك يَروقك منظراً وَمَقالَةً

أَبَداً وَيوسع بِالصَوارِم ضيقا

A king who delights you in appearance and speech

always, and makes what is narrow broad with keen swords.

يَلقى النَدى بِرَقيقِ وَجهٍ مُسفِرٍ

وَإِذا التَقى الجَمعانِ عادَ صَفيقا

He meets generosity with a gentle, beaming face,

but when the two armies meet, his face turns stern.

رحبُ المَجالِسِ ما أَقامَ فإِن سَرى

في جَحفَل ترك الفَضاء مَضيقا

Spacious in his assemblies while he stays, yet if he marches by night

in a mighty host, he leaves the open expanse cramped.

وَإِذا طَما بَحرُ الكَريهة خاضَهُ

وَأَماتَ مَن عاداهُ فيهِ غَريقا

And when the sea of battle swells, he wades into it

and drowns to death whoever opposes him within it.

حُجِبَت بِهِ شَمس النَهارِ وَأَشرَقت

شَمس الحَديد بِجانبيه شُروقا

The sun of day was veiled by him, while there shone

the sun of iron, rising bright on either side of him.

أَضحى أَبو الفَضل السَميدع في الوَرى

فَرداً وَأَمسى في الذُرى مَرموقا

Abu al-Fadl, the noble lord, has become among mankind

peerless, and has come to be admired upon the heights.

وَحسامه أَبَداً بوار عِداتِهِ

وَتواله في العالمين مُحيقا

And his sword is forever the ruin of his foes,

and his bounty [reading uncertain] encompasses all peoples.

اللَهَ صوَّرَهُ جَواداً خلقه

أَعلى بِهِ نور الزَمانِ أَنيقا

God fashioned him generous in character;

through him He exalted the exquisite light of the age.

أَضحى السَخاء بِجَعفَرٍ مُتَخَيِّماً

فَغَدا بِهِ عقد الزَمانِ وَثيقا

Generosity has pitched its tent with Ja'far,

so through him the bond of the age has grown firm.

يَختالُ في حُلَلِ الرَجاءِ وَيَمتَطي

هِمَماً أَقامَت لِلمَكارِمِ سوقا

He strides proudly in the robes of hope, and mounts

high resolves that have set up a market for noble deeds.

فَلَضاعَ أَمر لا تَبيت تديره

وَلَظَلَّ ركب ما انتَحاكَ طَريقا

Surely lost would be any affair you do not spend the night directing,

and a caravan not taking you as its road would linger.

فَهَناكَ يَوم العيد يَومٌ عائِد

أَبَداً عَلَيكَ موفقاً تَوفيقا

So may Eid gladden you, a day returning

forever to you, blessed with full success.

ببقا أَمير المؤمِنينَ وَظلُّهُ

تَرجو النَجاة وَتأمن التَعويقا

Through the continued life of the Commander of the Faithful and his shade,

you hope for deliverance and feel safe from hindrance.

فاسلم لِدَهرٍ أَنتَ دُرَّة تاجِهِ

لا زِلتَ رَبّاً للفَخارِ حَقيقا

So live unharmed for an age—you are the pearl in its crown;

may you ever remain a lord truly worthy of glory.

واسلم لمكرمة شَغَلتَ بِحُبِّها

قَلباً بِحُبِّ المكرمات عَلوقا

And live unharmed for a noble deed, with whose love you have filled

a heart ardently devoted to the love of noble deeds.

وَبَديع شعرٍ يانِعٍ حَبَّرتُهُ

فنظمتُ منه لؤلؤاً وَعَقيقا

And wondrous, ripened verse I have embellished,

then strung from it pearls and agate.

شَعشَعتُ مِنهُ اللَفظ ثم نظمته

فَكَأَنَّما شَعشَعتُ منه رَحيقا

I lightened its diction, then strung it into verse,

so it is as though I had diluted pure wine from it.