بأبي وبي من زار سحرة

بأبي وبي من زار سحرة

فضمته ولثمت سحره

فضمته ولثمت سحره

May my father and I be ransom for the one who visited before dawn.

By my father and me, he who visited the enchantresses,

I embraced him and kissed his throat.

So I embraced him and kissed his magic,

كالبدر وجها والديا

كالبدر وجها والديا

جي طرة والصبح غرة

جي طرة والصبح غرة

Moonlike in face, with night-dark

Like the full moon is his face and light,

locks and a dawn-bright brow.

He came suddenly and the dawn shone,

ذو ناظر خنث الجفو

ذو ناظر خنث الجفو

ن وقامة هيفاء نضرة

ن وقامة هيفاء نضرة

With languid-lidded eyes

With a soft, languid glance,

and a slender, blooming figure.

And a tall, graceful stature,

متغيب ما أن تزا

متغيب ما أن تزا

ل إلى الهجر ان هجره

ل إلى الهجر ان هجره

Ever absent, with no end

Absent though he remains,

to his withdrawal toward estrangement [wording uncertain].

Inclined to separation if you separate from him,

يا ليته ألف الوصا

يا ليته ألف الوصا

ل ومن جفوته وهجره

ل ومن جفوته وهجره

If only he cherished union

Oh how I wish he would befriend reunion,

and ended his coldness and desertion!

And cease his aloofness and separation,

خصر لماه يخالني

خصر لماه يخالني

من دقة ناحلت خصرةه

من دقة ناحلت خصرةه

Cool are his dark lips; he fancies that I

A waist as delicate as if

have rivaled his waist in slenderness.

Molded by the most skilled sculptor's hands,

يا من حملت له الهوى

يا من حملت له الهوى

طوعا وفيه العدل مكره

طوعا وفيه العدل مكره

O you for whom I have borne love

O you who bears love for him willingly,

willingly, though fairness in it is forced.

While justice in it is forced,

أفدي فتور لواحظ

أفدي فتور لواحظ

لك أعدت العضاء فتره

لك أعدت العضاء فتره

I would ransom the languor of glances

I ransom the indifference of your glances,

of yours that spread languor through the limbs,

For which I prepared the bones to kindle,

وشعاع حمرة وجنة

وشعاع حمرة وجنة

لك تحتها ماء وجمره

لك تحتها ماء وجمره

and the radiance of a blushing cheek

And red embers and cheeks,

of yours, beneath which lie water and an ember.

Under which is water and coal,

يا رب ليل غاب عن

يا رب ليل غاب عن

ني بدره فخلفت بدره

ني بدره فخلفت بدره

How many a night whose moon was absent from

O Lord the full moon has vanished from me,

me—you took the place of its moon.

So replace it with another full moon,

ومزجت خمر الكأس لي

ومزجت خمر الكأس لي

من ريقكَ الصافي بخمرة

من ريقكَ الصافي بخمرة

And you mingled the wine in my cup

And I mixed the wine of the cup for me,

with wine drawn from your clear saliva.

With your pure saliva and wine,

فمتى أفيف ولي بكف

فمتى أفيف ولي بكف

فكَ سكرة وبقيك سكرة

فكَ سكرة وبقيك سكرة

Then when shall I sober, when from your hand I have

So when will I regain consciousness and hands

one intoxication, and from your mouth another?

Of your intoxication and your sweetness intoxication?

وإذا طمى بحر الهمو

وإذا طمى بحر الهمو

م جعلت فيه الجسر جسرة

م جعلت فيه الجسر جسرة

And when the sea of cares overflowed,

And if the sea of worries is turbulent,

I made a sturdy she-camel a bridge across it.

I made in it a bridge a passage,

ووصلت كلّ عشيّة

ووصلت كلّ عشيّة

خبببا وتقريبا ببكرة

خبببا وتقريبا ببكرة

And I joined each evening,

And connected every night,

trotting and cantering, to the morning.

Gladly and soon in the morning,

أرجو وزيرا لم يزل

أرجو وزيرا لم يزل

برا بمن يمتاح بره

برا بمن يمتاح بره

I seek a vizier who has always been

I hope for a minister who never

generous to whoever draws upon his bounty.

Ceased being righteous to whom he owes righteousness,

ذو راحة هطالة

ذو راحة هطالة

راحت لغر السحب ضره

راحت لغر السحب ضره

He has a palm that pours like rain,

Of restful disposition,

now a rival co-wife to the bright clouds,

His tranquility calmed the ferocity of the clouds,

وشجاعة تنسيك زي

وشجاعة تنسيك زي

دا في الوغى وتريك عمره

دا في الوغى وتريك عمره

and courage that makes you forget Zayd

And courage that makes you forget Ziyad,

in battle, and shows you his ʿAmr.

In the fray, and shows you his life,

ليث ندى كفيه غي

ليث ندى كفيه غي

ث يحمد الوراد أثره

ث يحمد الوراد أثره

A lion; the bounty of his palms is rain

A lion whose hands' might,

whose effects the water-seekers praise.

The roses praise their effect,

ملك يجرر ذيل هم

ملك يجرر ذيل هم

ته على هام المجره

ته على هام المجره

A king who drags his ambition's train

A king who drags the train of his gown,

over the crowns of the Milky Way.

On the neck of the careful,

لا يعتريه سوا

لا يعتريه سوا

لك لا وإن الححت ضجرة

لك لا وإن الححت ضجرة

Your requests do not bring upon him—

Nothing preoccupies him but you, no but

no, even if you persist—any annoyance.

Even if the passionate were calm,

يقري السديف بسدفة

يقري السديف بسدفة

ضيفانه والريح قره

ضيفانه والريح قره

He serves camel-hump fat at twilight

Who satisfies the guests with his hospitality,

to his guests while the wind is bitterly cold.

And the winds with sustenance,

بشرت طالب رفده

بشرت طالب رفده

بالنجح حين رأيت بشره

بالنجح حين رأيت بشره

I gave the seeker of his bounty glad tidings

I give good tidings to the seeker of his support,

of success when I saw his cheerful face.

When I saw the cheer of his face,

مولاي عون الدين أن

مولاي عون الدين أن

ت لعين من يرجوك قره

ت لعين من يرجوك قره

My lord, ʿAwn al-Din, you are

My master, the defender of the faith, you

a delight to the eye of whoever hopes in you.

Are a source of tranquility for the eye of those who hope in you,

لله كم ثغر فتح

لله كم ثغر فتح

ت رتاجه بعطفان ثغره

ت رتاجه بعطفان ثغره

By God, how many a frontier stronghold you opened—

By God, how many mouths has

its barred gate, with two flanks of its opening [wording unclear].

His crown opened with his smiling mouths,

ولرب جيش كالكوا

ولرب جيش كالكوا

كب والحص عددا وكثره

كب والحص عددا وكثره

And many an army, like the stars

And for how many armies like stars,

and pebbles in number and abundance,

In number and abundance is his multitude,

ناهدته بالمشرفي

ناهدته بالمشرفي

ي وسابق نهد ونشره

ي وسابق نهد ونشره

you confronted with a Mashrafi sword,

I warned him at al-Mushrifiyya,

a swift, stout steed, and a coat of mail [probable reading],

My breasts preceded and announced him,

وصدعته صدع الزجا

وصدعته صدع الزجا

جة لا يرجي المرء جبره

جة لا يرجي المرء جبره

and shattered it as one shatters glass,

And I split him with the splitting of the armor,

which no man hopes to mend.

A person does not hope to mend it,

فغدا يكرر منشدا

فغدا يكرر منشدا

من صنته وضمنت نصره

من صنته وضمنت نصره

Then he went about repeating in verse—

So he repeated reciting poems,

the man you protected and whose victory you assured:

That you composed and guaranteed him victory,

ما يكشف الغماء خا

ما يكشف الغماء خا

ئض غمرة إلا ابن حره

ئض غمرة إلا ابن حره

No one can dispel calamity by plunging

Nothing reveals the darkness of the overwhelming gloom,

into peril, save a free woman's son.

Except the son of his father,

يا أيها الصدر الذي

يا أيها الصدر الذي

لاملأ الأهوال صدره

لاملأ الأهوال صدره

O chief whose

O you whose chest fills,

breast no terrors can fill,

The terrors a chest,

يا من حلت أخلاقه

يا من حلت أخلاقه

وغدت على الأعداء مرة

وغدت على الأعداء مرة

O you whose character is sweet

O you whose character settled,

and has become bitter to enemies,

And you have become bitter to the enemies,

يا أحسن الكرما اح

يا أحسن الكرما اح

سانا وأسرى الناس أسره

سانا وأسرى الناس أسره

O best of the generous in beneficence,

O best of noble deeds, most captive of people captivated,

and noblest of men in family,

How you have removed affliction with your palms,

كم قد أزلت بشر كف

كم قد أزلت بشر كف

فك عن بني الآمال عسره

فك عن بني الآمال عسره

how often, by your palm's good cheer, have you removed

From the sons of hopes their hardship,

hardship from the sons of hope!

And flooded them with known fingers,

وغمرتهم بأنامل

وغمرتهم بأنامل

معروفة بالعرف ثرة

معروفة بالعرف ثرة

And you have overwhelmed them with fingers

With the honorable gift of generosity,

known for beneficence, pouring abundantly.

So precede, you are poetry itself, O sagacious one, you know,

فاستجل شعرا أنت تع

فاستجل شعرا أنت تع

رف يا نبيه القدر قدرهخ

رف يا نبيه القدر قدرهخ

So behold a poem; you know—

Poetry Hejazi, that has

O man of lofty rank—its worth.

Passion that makes up for its passion,

شعرا حجازيا له

شعرا حجازيا له

غزل يقوم بعذر عذره

غزل يقوم بعذر عذره

A Hijazi poem, with

Easy and strong, it is water

love-verse that pleads ʿUdhra's excuse.

In its flow and rock in its firmness,

سهلا وجزلا فهوما

سهلا وجزلا فهوما

ء في تسلسله وصخره

ء في تسلسله وصخره

Smooth and robust: it is water

Be gentle with the noble Eid,

in its flowing, yet a rock.

So it honored its tenth,

وتهن بالعيد الشر

وتهن بالعيد الشر

يف فقبله شرفت عشره

يف فقبله شرفت عشره

And rejoice in the noble feast—

And defeat your enemy wherever he is,

for the ten days before it were honored.

For religion has made his likes forbidden.

وانحر عدوَك حيث حل

وانحر عدوَك حيث حل

ل فقد أحلّ الدين نحوه

ل فقد أحلّ الدين نحوه

And slaughter your enemy wherever he settles,

for the faith has made his slaughter lawful [probable reading].