Sol 6.1

  1. عَذيرِيَ مِن واشٍ بِها لَم أُوالِهِ

    عَلَيها وَلَم أُخطِر قِلاها بِبالِهِ

    Who will defend me from a talebearer about her—I never sided with him

    against her, nor put hatred of her into his mind—

  2. وَمِن كَمَدٍ أَسرَرتُهُ فَأَذاعَهُ

    تَرادُفُ دَمعٍ مُسهِبٍ في اِنهِمالِهِ

    and from grief I concealed, but which was revealed by

    a succession of tears, profuse in their flow?

  3. جَوىً مُستَطيرٌ في ضُلوعٍ إِذا اِنحَنَت

    عَلَيهِ تَجافَت عَن حَرقِ اِشتِعالِهِ

    A burning heartache spreading through ribs that, whenever they bend

    over it, recoil from the scorching of its blaze.

  4. تَحَمَّلَ أُلّافُ الخَليطِ وَأَسرَعَت

    حَزائِقُهُم مِن عالِجٍ وَرِمالِهِ

    The encampment's dear companions departed, and away sped

    their bands from ʿAlij and its sands.

  5. وَقَد بانَ فيهِم غُصنُ بانٍ إِذا بَدا

    ثَوى مُخبِرٌ عَن شَكلِهِ وَمِثالِهِ

    And among them departed a bough of a bān-tree; when he appeared,

    a describer of his form and likeness lingered.

  6. يَسوؤُكَ أَلّا عَطفَ عِندَ اِنعِطافِهِ

    وَيُشجيكَ أَلّا عَدلَ عِندَ اِعتِدالِهِ

    It pains you that there is no tenderness when he bends,

    and saddens you that there is no fairness when he stands upright.

  7. فَما حيلَةُ المُشتاقِ فيمَن يَشوقُهُ

    إِذا حالَ هَذا الهَجرُ دونَ اِحتِيالِهِ

    So what recourse has the longing lover with the one who makes him yearn,

    when this estrangement blocks his stratagems?

  8. حَبيبٌ نَأى إِلّا تَعَرُّضَ ذُكرَةٍ

    لَهُ أَو مُلِمّاً طائِفاً مِن خَيالِهِ

    A beloved gone far away, save for an intruding remembrance

    of him, or a passing visitation of his phantom.

  9. أَأُمنَعُ في هِجرانِهِ مِن صَبابَةٍ

    وَقَد كُنتُ صَبّاً مُغرَماً في وِصالِهِ

    Am I to be denied ardent longing in separation from him,

    though I was lovesick and enthralled in union with him?

  10. وَيَأمُرُني بِالصَبرِ مَن لَيسَ وَجدُهُ

    كَوَجدي وَلا إِعلانُ حالي كَحالِهِ

    And I am told to be patient by one whose passion is not

    like mine, nor is my openly shown plight like his.

  11. فَإِن أَفقِدِ العَيشَ الَّذي فاتَ بِاللَوى

    فَقِدماً فَقَدتُ الظِلَّ عِندَ انتِقالِهِ

    So if I lose the life that passed at al-Liwa,

    long ago I lost the shade when it moved away.

  12. تَرَكتُ مُلاحاةَ اللَئيمِ وَإِنَّما

    نَصيبِيَ في جاهِ الكَريمِ وَمالِهِ

    I left off wrangling with the base man; only

    in the generous man's standing and wealth lies my share.

  13. وَلَم أَرضَ في رَنقِ الصَرى لِيَ مَورِداً

    فَحاوَلتُ وِردَ النيلِ عِندَ اِحتِفالِهِ

    Nor was I content with a watering-place in stagnant water's murk,

    so I sought to drink from the Nile when it ran full.

  14. حَلَفتُ بِما يَتلو المُصَلّونَ في مِنىً

    وَما اعتَقَدوهُ لِلنَبِيِّ وَآلِهِ

    I swore by what the worshippers recite at Mina,

    and by the devotion they profess to the Prophet and his family:

  15. لَيَعتَسِفَنَّ العيسَ هَمُّ مُشَيَّعٍ

    عَنوفٍ بِها في حَلِّهِ وَارتِحالِهِ

    the resolve of a stout-hearted man shall surely drive the pale camels hard,

    one harsh with them when he halts and when he journeys,

  16. إِلى اِبنِ نَهيكٍ إِنَّهُ اِنتَسَبَ النَدى

    إِلى عَمِّهِ عَمِّ الكِرامِ وَخالِهِ

    toward Ibn Nahik: indeed, generosity has traced its lineage

    to his paternal uncle, uncle of the noble, and his maternal uncle.

  17. إِلى فارِغٍ مِن كُلِّ شَأنٍ يَشينُهُ

    وَإِن يَشتَغِل فَالمَجدُ عُظمُ اِشتِغالِهِ

    To one free of every affair that would disgrace him;

    and if he is occupied, glory is his chief occupation.

  18. عَلِيُّ بنُ يَحيى إِنَّهُ اِنتَسَبَ النَدى

    إِلى عَمِّهِ عَمِّ الكِرامِ وَخالِهِ

    Ali ibn Yahya: indeed, generosity has traced its lineage

    to his paternal uncle, uncle of the noble, and his maternal uncle.

  19. غَريبُ السَجايا ماتَزالُ عُقولُنا

    مُدَلَّهَةً في خَلَةٍ مِن خِلالِهِ

    He is singular in character; our minds remain

    bewildered by a single trait among his traits.

  20. إِذا مَعشَرٌ صانوا التِلادَ تَعَسَّفَت

    بِهِ هِمَّةٌ مَجنونَةٌ في اِبتِذالِهِ

    When others guard their inherited wealth, he is driven

    by a mad ambition to spend it freely.

  21. أَقامَ بِهِ في مُنتَهى كُلِّ سُؤدُدٍ

    فَعالٌ أَقامَ الناسَ دونَ اِمتِثالِهِ

    He was set at the summit of all nobility

    by noble conduct that left others unable to emulate it.

  22. فَإِن قَصَّرَت أَكفاؤُهُ عَن مَحَلِّهِ

    فَإِنَّ يَمينَ المَرءِ فَوقَ شِمالِهِ

    So if his peers fall short of his station,

    then indeed a man's right hand is above his left.

  23. عَناهُ الحِجى في عُنفُوانِ شَبابِهِ

    فَأَقبَلَ كَهلاً قَبلَ حينِ اِكتِهالِهِ

    Wisdom occupied him in the prime of his youth,

    so he came forth a mature man before reaching middle age.

  24. كَأَنَّ الجِبالَ الراسِياتِ تَعَلَّمَت

    رَواجِحُها مِن حِلمِهِ وَجَلالِهِ

    As though the firmly rooted mountains had learned—

    the weightiest of them—from his forbearance and majesty.

  25. وَثِقتُ بِنُعماهُ وَلَم تَجتَمِع بِها

    يَدي وَرَأَيتُ النُجحَ قَبلَ سُؤالِهِ

    I trusted in his bounty, though it had not yet reached

    my hand, and saw success before asking him.

  26. وَتَعلَمُ أَنَّ السَيفَ يَكفيكَ حَدُّهُ

    مُكاثَرَةَ الأَقرانِ قَبلَ اِستِلالِهِ

    And you know that the sword's edge spares you

    the need to vie in numbers with rivals, before it is drawn.

  27. أَبا حَسَنٍ أَنشَأتَ في أُفُقِ النَدى

    لَنا كَرَماً آمالُنا في ظِلالِهِ

    O Abu Hasan, you have brought forth on generosity's horizon

    a bounty for us, beneath whose shade our hopes abide.

  28. مَضى مِنكَ وَسمِيٌّ فَجُد بِوَلِيِّهِ

    وَعَوَّدتَ مِن نُعماكَ فَضلاً فَوالِهِ

    Your first autumn shower has passed; grant the rain that follows it,

    and you have accustomed us to favor from your bounty; keep it coming.

  29. وَإِنَّ خَراجي لَلخَفيفُ وَلَو غَدا

    ثَقيلاً لَما استَحسَنتَ غَيرَ احتِمالِهِ

    And my levy is surely light; even if it became

    heavy, you would approve of nothing but bearing it.