Sol 6.1

  1. هَوَيناكَ مِن لَومٍ عَلى حُبِّ تُكتَما

    وَقَصرَكَ نَستَخبِر رُبوعاً وَأَرسُما

    Be gentle with your blame for loving Tuktam;

    and hold back; let us question dwellings and traces.

  2. تَحَمَّلَ عَنها مُنجِدٌ مِن خَليطِهِم

    أَطاعَ الهَوى حَتّى تَحَوَّلَ مُتهِما

    A Najd-bound man of their company departed from them;

    he obeyed desire until he turned toward Tihama.

  3. وَما في سُؤالِ الدارِ إِدراكُ حاجَةٍ

    إِذا اِستَعجَمَت آياتُها أَن تَكَلَّما

    Questioning the dwelling cannot fulfill a need

    when its traces are too mute to speak.

  4. نَصَرتُ لَها الشَوقَ اللَجوجَ بِأَدمُعٍ

    تَلاحَقنَ في أَعقابِ وَصلٍ تَصَرَّما

    I aided my stubborn longing for her with tears

    that followed one another after a union was severed.

  5. وَتَيَّمَني أَنَّ الجَوى غَيرُ مُقصِرٍ

    وَأَنَّ الحِمى وَصفٌ لِمَن حَلَّ بِالحِمى

    And it enslaved me that love's anguish never abates,

    and that the protected pasture describes those who dwell within it.

  6. وَكَم رُمتُ أَن أَسلو الصَبابَةَ نازِعاً

    وَكَيفَ اِرتِجاعي فائِتاً قَد تَقَدَّما

    How often I sought to forget passion and withdraw—

    but how can I reclaim what is lost and has gone before?

  7. أُؤَلِّفُ نَفساً قَد أُعيدَت عَلى الجَوى

    شَعاعاً وَقَلباً في الغَواني مُقَسَّما

    I piece together a soul reduced by love's anguish

    to fragments, and a heart divided among fair women.

  8. لَقَد أَخَذَ الرُكبانُ أَمسِ وَغادَروا

    حَديثَينِ مِنّا ظاهِراً وَمُكَتَّما

    Yesterday the riders carried away, and left behind,

    two tales of us: one open, the other concealed.

  9. وَما كانَ بادي الحُبِّ مِنّا وَمِنكُمُ

    لِيَخفى وَلا سِرُّ التَلاقي لِيُعلَما

    The love displayed between us and you

    could not be hidden, nor the secret of our meetings known.

  10. أَلا رُبَّما يَومٍ مِنَ الراحِ رَدَّ لي

    شَبابِيَ مَوفوراً وَغَيِّ مُذَمَّما

    Ah, many a day of wine has given me back

    my youth intact, my waywardness shielded from reproach,

  11. لَدُن غُدوَةٍ حَتّى أَرى الأُفقَ ناشِراً

    عَلى شَرقِهِ عُرفاً مِنَ اللَيلِ أَسحَما

    from early morning until I see the horizon spread

    over its east a pitch-black mane of night.

  12. وَما لَيلَتي في باتُرُنجى ذَميمَةً

    إِذا كانَ بَعضُ العَيشِ رَنقاً مُذَمَّما

    Nor was my night in Baturunja blameworthy,

    even when some of life is turbid and reviled.

  13. طَلَعتُ عَلى بَغدادَ أَخلَقَ طالِبٍ

    بِنُجحٍ وَأَحرى وافِدٍ أَن يُكَرَّما

    I arrived in Baghdad, the seeker most likely

    to succeed, and the visitor most deserving of honor.

  14. شَفيعي أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ وَعُمدَتي

    سُلَيمانُ أَحبوهُ القَريضَ المُنَمنَما

    My intercessor is the Commander of the Faithful; my mainstay

    is Sulayman, whom I present with finely embroidered verse.

  15. قَصائِدُ مَن لَم يَستَعِر مِن حُلِيِّها

    تُخَلِّفهُ مَحروماً مِنَ الحَمدِ مُحرِما

    Poems—whoever borrows none of their adornments,

    they leave him deprived of praise, empty-handed.

  16. خَوالِدُ في الأَقوامِ يُبعَثنَ مُثَّلاً

    فَما نَدرُسُ الأَيّامُ مِنهُنَّ مُعلَما

    Immortal among peoples, sent forth as exemplars,

    so through the days we efface no mark of them.

  17. وَجَدنَ أَبا أَيُّوبَ حَيثُ عَهِدنَهُ

    مِنَ الأُنسِ لا جَهماً وَلا مُتَجَهِّما

    They found Abu Ayyub as they had known him,

    full of warmth, neither grim nor scowling.

  18. فَتىً لا يُحِبُّ الجودَ إِلّا تَعَجرُفاً

    وَلا يَتَعاطى الأَمرَ إِلّا تَهَجُّما

    A young man who loves giving only with reckless boldness,

    and tackles affairs only by charging headlong.

  19. ثِقافُ اللَيالي في يَدَيهِ فَإِن تَمِل

    صُروفُ اللَيالي رَدَّ مِنها فَقَوَّما

    The nights' straightening-tool is in his hands; should they swerve—

    the nights' vicissitudes—he checks and straightens them.

  20. مَلِيٌّ بِأَلّا يَغلِبَ الهَزلُ جِدَّهُ

    وَلَو راحَ طَلقاً لِلنَدى مُتَبَسِّما

    Well able to keep levity from mastering his earnestness,

    though he goes forth open-faced, smiling in generosity.

  21. مُؤَدٍّ إِلى السُلطانِ جُهدَ كِفايَةٍ

    يَعُدُّ بِها فَرضاً عَلَيهِ مُقَدَّما

    He renders the sovereign the utmost of his capable service,

    counting it his foremost obligation.

  22. زَعيمٌ لَهُم بِالعُظمِ مِمّا عَناهُمُ

    وَلَو جَشَّموهُ ثِقلَ رَضوى تَجَشَّما

    He undertakes for them the gravest of their concerns;

    were they to load him with Radwa's weight, he would shoulder it.

  23. أُطيعَ وَأَضحى وَهوَ طَوعُ خَلائِقٍ

    كَرائِمَ يَتبَعنَ النَدى حَيثُ يَمَّما

    He is obeyed, yet is himself obedient to traits

    of nobility, which follow generosity wherever it turns.

  24. فَلا هُوَ مُرضٍ عاتِباً في سَماحَةٍ

    وَلا مُنصِفٌ وَفراً إِذا ما تَظَلَّما

    He will not placate anyone who reproaches his generosity,

    nor give his wealth redress when it complains.

  25. وَلَم أَرَ مُعطاً كَالمُخَرِّمِ تَمَّمَت

    يَداهُ عَلى بَذلٍ فَأَعطى المُخَرِّما

    I have seen no gift like al-Mukharrim; his hands crowned

    their generosity by bestowing al-Mukharrim.

  26. رِباعٌ نَشَت فيها الخِلافَةُ غَضَّةً

    وَخُيِّمَ فيها المُلكُ طَلقاً فَخَيَّما

    Dwellings where the caliphate grew up tender,

    and sovereignty was lodged there freely, and made its camp.

  27. أَلومُ أَجَلَّ الناسِ قَدراً وَهِمَّةً

    إِذا هُوَ لَم يَشرَه إِلَيها تَغَنُّما

    I blame the highest of men in standing and ambition

    if he does not covet them as a prize.

  28. وَأَحسُدُ فيها آخَرينَ أَلومُهُم

    وَما كُنتُ لِلحُسّادِ مِن قَبلِها ابنَما

    For them I envy others whom I reproach,

    though before them I was no son of the envious.

  29. ذَراكَ وَمَن يَحلُل ذَراكَ يَجِد بِهِ

    مُجيراً عَلى الأَيّامِ أَن يَتَهَضَّما

    I seek your shelter; whoever lodges in your shelter finds there

    a protector against being wronged by the days.

  30. بِحَسبِكَ أَنَّ الشوسَ مِن آلِ مُصعَبٍ

    رَضوكَ عَلى تِلكَ المَكارِمِ قَيِّما

    It suffices you that the proud warriors of Mus'ab's house

    have chosen you as guardian of those noble deeds.

  31. رَدَدتَ عَلَيهِم ذا اليَمينَينِ نَجدَةَ

    تَحَرَّقُ في أَعدائِهِم وَتَكَرُّما

    You brought Dhu al-Yaminayn back to them, in valor

    that blazes against their enemies, and in generosity.

  32. وَكَم لَبِسَت مِنكَ العِراقُ صَنيعَةً

    يُشارِفُ مِنها الأُفقُ أَن يَتَغَيَّما

    How many a favor of yours has Iraq put on,

    from which the horizon almost clouds over!

  33. ثَلَثتَ فُراتَيها بِجودِ سَجِيَّةٍ

    وَجَدناكَ أَولى بِالتَدَفُّقِ مِنهُما

    You joined its two Euphrates as a third, with inborn bounty;

    we found you more worthy of overflowing than either.

  34. وَمَكرُمَةٍ لَم يَبتَدِ القَومُ صَوغُها

    وَلَم يَتَلافَوا مُبتَناها تَعَلُّما

    And many a noble deed whose shaping the people had not begun,

    nor learned to grasp its foundations,

  35. هُديتَ لَها إِنَّ التَكَرُّمَ فِطنَةٌ

    وَقَد يَغفُلُ الشَهمُ الأَريبُ لِيَلأُما

    you were guided to: generosity is insight,

    and even the noble, discerning man may lapse into meanness.

  36. وَلَيسَ يَنالُ المَرءُ فارِعَةَ العُلا

    إِذا لَم يَكُن بِالمَغرَمِ الئِدِّ مُغرَما

    No man attains the towering summit of eminence

    unless he is enamored of crushing expense.

  37. وَدِدتُ لَوَ انَّ الطَيفَ مِن أُمِّ مالِكٍ

    عَلى قُربِ عَهدَينا أَلَمَّ فَسَلَّما

    I wished a dream-vision from Umm Malik,

    despite our recent meeting, might visit and greet me.

  38. لَسَرعانَ ما تاقَت إِلَيكِ جَوانِحي

    وَما وَلِهَت نَفسي إِلَيكِ تَنَدُّما

    How swiftly my breast has yearned for you!

    My soul has not pined for you out of regret.

  39. ذَكَرتُكِ ذِكرى طامِعٍ في تَجَمُّعٍ

    رَأى اليَأسَ فَاِرفَضَّت مَدامِعُهُ دَما

    I remembered you as one hoping for reunion

    who saw despair, and whose eyes streamed blood.

  40. وَمِثلُكِ قَد أَعطى سُلَيمانُ بُلغَةً

    إِلى المَجدِ لَو أَعطى سُلَيمانُ مُنعِما

    One like you would give Sulayman a means

    to glory, if Sulayman gave generously.