Sol 6.1

  1. نَعَشت قَوماً وَكانوا قَبلُ قَد دَثَروا

    لَولا عُلاكَ فَطابَ الوِردُ وَالصَدرُ

    You revived a people who would long since have vanished

    But for your eminence; sweet are the coming to water and the return.

  2. أَحيَيتَ شِعرَهُمُ مِن بَعدِ ميتَتِهِ

    قِدماً وَقَد شَعَروا قِدماً وَما شَعَروا

    You revived their verse after it had died

    Long ago; they made verse of old, yet were unaware.

  3. أَقسَمتُ ما رَوضَةٌ مُخضَرَّةٌ أُنُفٌ

    باتَت تَسُحُّ عَلى أَقطارِها القُطُرُ

    I swear, no verdant, untouched meadow—

    With rain pouring all night across its reaches,

  4. ذُبابُها هَزِجٌ نُوّارُها أَرِجٌ

    نَباتُها بَهِجٌ مُستَحسَنٌ عَطِرُ

    Its flies humming, its blossoms fragrant,

    Its plants lovely, pleasing, and sweet-scented;

  5. كَأَنَّ فارات مِسكٍ وَسطَها فُرِيَت

    فَنَشرُها بِأَماني النَفسِ مُنتَشِرُ

    As though musk pods had been split open in its midst,

    So its scent spreads through the soul’s desires;

  6. شَقَّ النَسيمُ عَلى رِفقٍ شَقائِقَها

    فَضُرِّجَت بِدَمٍ لَكِنَّهُ هَدَرُ

    The breeze gently split its anemones,

    So they were stained with blood—but blood unavenged;

  7. قُضبُ الزَّبَرجَدِ مِنها حُمِّلَت صَدَف ال

    ياقوتِ فيها فُتَيتُ المِسكِ لا دُرَرُ

    Its chrysolite stalks are laden with shells of

    Ruby, holding musk-crumbs, not pearls;

  8. أَحداقُ نَرجِسِها تَرنو فَأَدمُعُها

    فيها تَرَقرَقُ أَحياناً وَتَنحَدِرُ

    Its narcissus-eyes gaze, and their tears

    Sometimes shimmer within them and run down;

  9. وَلِلأَقاحي ثُغورُ الغِيدِ باسِمَةٌ

    سيكَت بِأَسحِلَةٍ أَنيابُها الأُشُرُ

    Its daisies have the smiling mouths of graceful maidens,

    Their serrated teeth brushed with isḥil twigs;

  10. تُريكَ حُسنَ سَماءٍ وَهيَ مُصحِيَةٌ

    وَالأَنجُمُ الزُهرُ فيها ذَلِكَ الزَهَرُ

    It shows you the beauty of a clear sky,

    Whose bright stars are those flowers;

  11. تَبدو بِها طُرَرٌ مِن تَحتِها غُرَرٌ

    يا حَبَّذا طُرَرُ الأَزهارِ وَالغُرَرُ

    Forelocks appear there, with white blazes beneath them;

    How lovely the flowers’ forelocks and white blazes!—

  12. يَوماً بِأَحسَنَ مِن خَطِّ العِمادِ إِذا

    أَقلامُهُ نُشِرَت عَن حبرِها الحِبَرُ

    Is ever fairer than al-ʿImād’s script, when

    Brocades are unfurled from the ink of his pens.

  13. وَلا العُقودُ بِأَجيادِ العَقائِلِ كَال

    دُمى فَمُنتَظِمٌ مِنها وَمُنتَثِرُ

    Nor necklaces on the necks of noble ladies like

    Statues, with pearls strung and scattered

  14. عَلى تَرائِبِ كافور تُزَيِّنُها

    حِقاقُ عاجٍ عَلَيها عاجَتِ الفِكرُ

    Upon camphor-white chests, adorned

    By ivory caskets on which thoughts linger—

  15. تِلكَ اللآلي تَروقُ الناظِرينَ فَما

    يَسومُها مَلَلاً مِن حُسنِها النَظَرُ

    Those pearls delight beholders; never

    Does gazing on their beauty bring weariness—

  16. يَوماً بِأَحسَنَ مِن نَظمِ العِمادِ وَلا

    مِن نَثرِهِ فَبِهِ ذا الدَهرِ يَفتَخِرُ

    Are ever fairer than al-ʿImād’s verse, nor

    Than his prose; in him this age takes pride.

  17. أَضحَت صِعابُ المَعالي عِندَهُ ذُلُلاً

    تَحوي دَقائِقَها مِن لَفظِهِ الدُرَرُ

    Glory’s hardships have grown tame before him;

    The pearls of his speech contain their subtleties.

  18. كَأَنَّما لَفظُهُ السِحرُ الحَلالُ أَو ال

    ماءُ الزُلالُ النُقاخُ الطيبُ الخَصرُ

    His speech seems lawful magic, or

    Water, limpid, pure, sweet, and cool,

  19. شيبَت بِهِ قَهوَةٌ حَمراء صافِيَةٌ

    عصارُها غَبَرت مِن دونِهِ العُصُرُ

    With which a clear red wine is mingled,

    Whose vintage reaches back beyond the ages.

  20. وَلا السَحائِبُ بِالأَنداءِ صائِبَةً

    فَجودُها غَدِقُ الشُؤبوبِ مُنهَمِرُ

    Nor clouds pouring down moisture,

    Their bounty streaming in copious showers,

  21. حَتّى إِذا اِنقَشَعَت مِن بَعدِ ما هَمَعَت

    أَثنى عَلَيها نَباتُ الأَرضِ وَالشَجَرُ

    Till, when they disperse after pouring,

    Earth’s plants and trees sing their praise,

  22. يَوماً بِأَغزَرَ مِن كَفِّ العِمادِ نَدىً

    فَكُلُّ أَنمُلَةٍ مِن كَفِّهِ نَهَرُ

    Are ever more lavish in bounty than al-ʿImād’s palm;

    For every fingertip of his hand is a river.

  23. فَللغَمائِمِ تَقطيبٌ إِذا اِنبَجَسَت

    وَبِشرُهُ دونَهُ عِند النَدى القَمَرُ

    For clouds wear a frown when they burst into rain,

    Yet when he gives, the moon falls short of his bright smile.

  24. ما اِبنُ العَميدِ وَلا عَبدُ الحَميدِ وَلا ال

    صابي بِأَحسَنَ ذِكراً مِنهُ إِن ذُكِروا

    Neither Ibn al-ʿAmīd nor ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, nor

    Al-Ṣābī has a fairer name than he, if they are recalled.

  25. وَلَو يُناظِرُهُ في الفِقهِ أَسعَدُ لَم

    يَسعَد وَأَحصَرَهُ عَن نُطقِهِ الحَصَرُ

    Even if Asʿad debated him in jurisprudence, he would not

    Succeed; speechlessness would halt his tongue.

  26. هَذا وَمحتدُهُ ما إِن يُساجِلُهُ

    خَلقٌ إِذا القَومُ في نادي العُلى اِفتَخَروا

    All this—and his lineage is matched by no

    Mortal, when men boast in glory’s assembly.

  27. أَصِخ مُحَمَّدُ إِنّي جِدُّ مُعتَذِرٍ

    إِنَّ المُقَصِّرَ فيما قالَ يَعتَذِرُ

    Listen closely, Muḥammad: I most earnestly apologize;

    Indeed, one who falls short in his words offers an apology.

  28. يا اِبنَ الكِرامِ الأُلى سارَت مَكارِمُهُم

    حَتّى تَعَجَّبَ مِنها البَدوُ وَالحَضَرُ

    O son of the noble, whose generous deeds have spread

    Till nomads and townsfolk marveled at them.

  29. رَاووقُ حِلمكَ فيما أَنتَ تَسمَعُهُ

    يُبدي الجَميلَ وَفيهِ العَيبُ يَستَتِرُ

    The strainer of your forbearance, in what you hear,

    Reveals what is fair, while flaws lie hidden within it.