أعْيا على العُوَّدْ

أعْيا على العُوَّدْ

رهينُ بلبالِ مُؤَرَّق

رهينُ بلبالِ مُؤَرَّق

Those who visit the sick are baffled by my case—

He has baffled his sickbed visitors,

a prisoner of anguish, robbed of sleep.

a sleepless captive of anguish.

أذلَّهُ الحبُّ

أذلَّهُ الحبُّ

لا ينكر الذلّهْ مَنْ يَعْشَقْ

لا ينكر الذلّهْ مَنْ يَعْشَقْ

Love has brought him low;

Love has humbled him;

whoever loves does not deny abasement.

whoever loves does not deny abasement.

مَنْ لي به يرنو

مَنْ لي به يرنو

بمقلتيْ ساحرْ إلى العبادْ

بمقلتيْ ساحرْ إلى العبادْ

Who will bring me the one who gazes

Who will win him for me, as he gazes

upon humankind with an enchanter’s eyes?

with a sorcerer's two eyes upon mankind?

ينأى به الحسنُ

ينأى به الحسنُ

فينثني نافرْ صعبَ القيادْ

فينثني نافرْ صعبَ القيادْ

Beauty keeps him aloof,

Beauty keeps him aloof,

so he turns away, skittish and hard to lead;

so he turns away, skittish and hard to lead.

وتارةً يدنو

وتارةً يدنو

كما احتسى الطائر ماءَ الثماد

كما احتسى الطائر ماءَ الثماد

yet at times he draws near,

And at times he draws near,

as a bird sips water from a shallow pool.

as a bird sips the water of shallow pools.

فجيدُهُ أغْيَدْ

فجيدُهُ أغْيَدْ

والخدُّ بالخالِ منمَّقْ

والخدُّ بالخالِ منمَّقْ

His neck is gracefully supple,

And his neck is supple,

his cheek adorned with a beauty mark.

and his cheek is adorned with a beauty spot.

تَكْنُفُه الحُجْبُ

تَكْنُفُه الحُجْبُ

فلي إلى الكلّهْ تَشَوُّقْ

فلي إلى الكلّهْ تَشَوُّقْ

Veils enfold him,

Curtains surround him,

while I yearn for the curtained canopy.

so I long for the bed-canopy.

عَطَا بليتيهِ

عَطَا بليتيهِ

وَمَرَّ كالظبيِ لبيدهْ

وَمَرَّ كالظبيِ لبيدهْ

He stretched out both sides of his neck

He stretched his neck upward,

and passed like a gazelle into its wild.

and passed like a gazelle toward his desert wastes.

فدلَّ عليه

فدلَّ عليه

تكسُّرُ الحَلْي بجيدِهْ

تكسُّرُ الحَلْي بجيدِهْ

What led me to him was

Then he was revealed

the fitful chiming of jewelry at his neck,

by the swaying ornaments at his neck.

تفتيرُ عينيه

تفتيرُ عينيه

يُسْرِعُ في بَرْيِ عميدِه

يُسْرِعُ في بَرْيِ عميدِه

and the languid half-closing of his eyes,

The languor of his eyes

which swiftly slays the innocent one made love-sick by him.

hastens the wasting of his lovesick victim.

فإن أكُنْ أُقْصَدْ

فإن أكُنْ أُقْصَدْ

منهُ فأَوْلَى لي إذ يَرْمُقْ

منهُ فأَوْلَى لي إذ يَرْمُقْ

And if I should be struck dead

And if I am fatally struck

by him, so much the better for me when he glances.

by him, then woe to me when he gazes!

هل يسلمُ القلبُ

هل يسلمُ القلبُ

وأسهمُ المقله لا تَرْفُقْ

وأسهمُ المقله لا تَرْفُقْ

Can the heart escape unscathed

Can the heart escape unharmed

when the eye’s arrows show no mercy?

when the eye's arrows show no mercy?

وددتُ من خلّي

وددتُ من خلّي

ومثلُ نشرِ الكاسْ في شَعْرِهْ

ومثلُ نشرِ الكاسْ في شَعْرِهْ

I wished that my beloved—

I wished that my beloved—

whose hair holds a fragrance like wine’s bouquet—

with a scent like the winecup's in his hair—

لو جادَ بالوصلِ

لو جادَ بالوصلِ

جودَ أبي العباس بوفره

جودَ أبي العباس بوفره

would but grant union as lavishly

would lavish union upon me,

as Abu al-Abbas gives from his abundance:

as Abu al-Abbas lavishes his wealth,

في الجودِ والنُّبلِ

في الجودِ والنُّبلِ

وقلْ أجلُّ الناس في قدره

وقلْ أجلُّ الناس في قدره

in generosity and nobility,

in generosity and nobility;

the greatest of men seems small beside his stature.

and call him the greatest of men in rank.

يا كعبة السُّؤْدَدْ

يا كعبة السُّؤْدَدْ

تحتّى على المال لا تُشْفِقْ

تحتّى على المال لا تُشْفِقْ

O Kaaba of lordly glory,

O Kaaba of glory,

you scatter wealth by handfuls without hesitation!

spend freely; do not spare your wealth.

فمثلكُ الندبُ

فمثلكُ الندبُ

يسابِقُ الجِلّة فَيَسْبِق

يسابِقُ الجِلّة فَيَسْبِق

For a champion such as you

For a magnanimous man like you

races the eminent and leaves them behind.

races the eminent and outstrips them.

يا أيها الحائمْ

يا أيها الحائمْ

هل لكَ في عذب ملءِ الدِّلا

هل لكَ في عذب ملءِ الدِّلا

O wanderer circling the water,

O you who circle thirstily,

would you have fresh water that has filled the buckets?

would you have sweet water by the bucketful?

يمّمْ بني القاسمْ

يمّمْ بني القاسمْ

واقصدْ من الغرب إلى سَلاَ

واقصدْ من الغرب إلى سَلاَ

Make for the sons of al-Qasim,

Make for the sons of al-Qasim,

and set your course from the West toward Salé.

and head from the West to Salā.

واستمطَ رَوَاسم

واستمطَ رَوَاسم

تُخال بالركب وسْطَ الفلا

تُخال بالركب وسْطَ الفلا

Mount swift, hard-striding camels;

And mount swift-striding camels

you would imagine the caravan amid the open waste

that, bearing the riders amid the wastes, seem

سفائناً تَجْهَدْ

سفائناً تَجْهَدْ

في أبْحُرِ الآل ما تَغْرَقْ

في أبْحُرِ الآل ما تَغْرَقْ

to be ships straining onward,

ships laboring hard

through seas of mirage, yet never sinking.

in seas of mirage, yet never sinking.

يستبشرُ الركبُ

يستبشرُ الركبُ

وتشتكي الرحلة أَلأيْنُقْ

وتشتكي الرحلة أَلأيْنُقْ

The caravan rejoices,

The riders rejoice,

while the she-camels complain of the journey.

while the she-camels complain of the journey.

أدعوهُ بالقاضي

أدعوهُ بالقاضي

وأمرهُ يَقْضي عليَّ لي

وأمرهُ يَقْضي عليَّ لي

I call him “the Judge,”

I call him 'the judge,'

and his command judges against me and for me.

and his decree rules against me, yet in my favor.

أنا به راضِ

أنا به راضِ

لأنه يُرْضي لأَملي

لأنه يُرْضي لأَملي

I am content with him,

I am content with him,

for he fulfills my hopes.

because he fulfills my hope.

قلْ غيرَ معتاضِ

قلْ غيرَ معتاضِ

بمنْ على الأرض منهُ قُلِ

بمنْ على الأرض منهُ قُلِ

Say: I will take no substitute

Say, accepting no substitute

for one whose like is scarce upon the earth.

for him among those on earth—say:

أما ترى أَحْمَد

أما ترى أَحْمَد

في مَجْدِه العالي لا يُلْحَقْ

في مَجْدِه العالي لا يُلْحَقْ

Do you not behold Ahmad,

Do you not see Ahmad,

unmatched in his exalted glory?

unmatched in his lofty glory?

أطلعهُ الغربُ

أطلعهُ الغربُ

فأَرنا مثلَه يا مَشْرِقْ

فأَرنا مثلَه يا مَشْرِقْ

The West brought him forth;

The West has made him rise;

now show us his peer, O East!

so show us his like, O East!