إلمام طيف شنيب الثغر ألماه — Alshaghouri

إِلمامُ طَيفٍ شَنيبِ الثَغرِ أَلماهُ

أَحيا قَتيلَ هَواهُ حينَ حَيّاهُ

A visit from a phantom, bright-toothed and dusky-lipped,

Revived the victim of his love when it greeted him.

طَيفٌ أَلَمَّ وَلَمّا يَدرِ صاحِبُهُ

أَحسِن بِهِ وَبِمُهديهِ وَمُهداهُ

A phantom visited, its owner still unaware;

How lovely it is, its sender and its recipient!

سَرى إِلى الشامِ مِن بَغدادَ مُعتَسِفاً

وَاللَيلُ مُعتَكِرٌ بُعداً لِمَسراهُ

It traveled by night to al-Sham from Baghdad, crossing trackless ground,

While night was thick and murky—cursed be its journey!

داسَ الأَفاحيصَ وَالأُدحِيَّ مُبتَسِماً

لَم يَشكُ أَيناً وَلَم يَسهَم مُحَيّاهُ

It trod on ground-birds' nests and ostrich nests, smiling;

It complained of no fatigue, nor did its face grow haggard.

صافَحتهُ وَلَثَمتُ الثَغرَ مُرتَشِفاً

فَفي يَدي وَفَمي كَالمِسكِ رَيّاهُ

I clasped its hand and kissed its mouth, sipping;

So its musk-like fragrance was in my hand and mouth.

مُذ سارَ أَسأَرَ ما بَينَ الضُلوعِ أَسىً

وَأَودَعَ القَلبَ بِالتَوديعِ بَلواهُ

Since it departed, it left sorrow beneath my ribs,

And lodged its torment in my heart at parting.

وَأَحمَرُ الخَدِّ مَعسولُ المَراشِفِ مَع

شوقُ المَعاطِفِ لَم يَنبُت عِذاراهُ

And a rosy-cheeked youth, honey-lipped and be-

loved for his supple frame, whose cheek-down had not yet grown,

حَيّا بِراحٍ وَما الناجودُ غَيرَ فَمٍ

مِنهُ وَعاصِرُ تِلكَ الراحِ خَدّاهُ

Greeted me with wine; its flagon was only a mouth

Of his, and the pressers of that wine were his cheeks.

وَماجَ كالغُصنِ فَوقَ الدعصِ قامَتُهُ

ولاحَ نَورُ أَقاحٍ من ثَناياهُ

His figure swayed like a branch above a dune,

And daisy blossoms shone from his front teeth.

مجَرَّحُ الخَدِّ بِاللَحظِ الخَفِيِّ فَما

يوسى وَأَنّى وَوَحيُ اللَحظِ أَدماهُ

His cheek, wounded by a furtive glance, cannot

Be healed—how could it, when a glance's secret signal drew its blood?

تَكادُ تَنهَبُهُ الأَلحاظُ لَو قَدَرَت

لَكِن لِهَيبَةِ مَرآهُ تَحاماهُ

Gazes would all but plunder him, if they could,

But awe at the sight of him makes them draw back.

كَذَلِكَ الشَمسُ تُعشي عَينَ ناظِرِها

وَالطَرفُ مُغضٍ وَفي الإِغضاءِ إِكراهُ

Likewise, the sun dazzles the eye of its beholder;

The eye is lowered, but only under compulsion.

لِلغُصنِ هزَّتُهُ وَالشَمسِ طَلعَتُهُ

وَالمِسكِ نَكهَتُهُ وَالريمِ عَيناهُ

The branch has his sway, the sun his countenance,

And musk his breath, the gazelle his eyes.

كَذاكَ لَم يُلفَ مَولىً سَيِّدٌ يَقِظٌ

إِلّا وَمَولايَ مُحيي الدينِ مَولاهُ

Likewise, no discerning chief is found to be a lord

But my lord Muhyi al-Din is lord over him.

فَتىً رَقى مِنبَرَ العَلياءِ مُنذُ نَشا

فَأَدرَكَ المَجدَ أَدناهُ وَأَقصاهُ

A youth who climbed high rank's pulpit from childhood,

And attained glory, its nearest reaches and its farthest.

وَلَم يَغِض ماءُ بِشرٍ مِن أَسِرَّتِهِ

وَكَم خِطابِ اِمرِئٍ أَبداهُ فَحواهُ

The freshness of good cheer never ebbed from his brow;

And how often the import of a man's speech has revealed him!

فَلِلمُعادينَ وَالحُسّادِ بُؤساهُ

وَلِلمُوالينَ وَالقُصّادِ نُعماهُ

For enemies and enviers is his harshness;

For loyal friends and those who seek him, his blessings.

لَم يَشكُ عُدوانَ صَرفِ الدَهرِ مِن أَحَدٍ

إِلّا إِلَيهِ وَأَشكاهُ وَأَعداهُ

No one complained of the assaults of fortune

Except to him, and he relieved his grievance and granted him redress.

وَلَم يَلُذ خامِلٌ إِلّا بِعَقوَتِهِ

إِلّا وَعافاهُ مِمّا كانَ عَفّاهُ

No obscure man sought shelter except within his courtyard,

But he freed him from whatever had eclipsed him.

وَلا دَعاهُ أَخو حاجٍ يُؤَمِّلُهُ

إِلّا بِما يَرتَجيهِ مِنهُ لَبّاهُ

No man in need called to him, setting hope in him,

But he answered him with what he hoped to gain from him.

لَولاهُ لَم تَكُنِ الآدابُ نافِقَةً

وَلا أَتى أَهلَها مالٌ وَلا جاهُ

Without him, letters would find no market,

Nor would their practitioners gain wealth or rank.

غَذاهُ ثَديُ العُلى طِفلاً لِبانَ نَدىً

فَصارَ طَبعاً وَحَجرُ المُلكِ رَبّاهُ

Grandeur's breast fed him, a child, the milk of generosity;

So it became his nature, and kingship's lap reared him.

يا مُحييَ الدينِ وَالآدابِ لا جَرَتِ ال

أَفلاكُ إِلّا بِما تَهوى وَتَرضاهُ

O Muhyi al-Din, reviver of letters, may the

Spheres move only as you desire and approve.

إِنَّ الرَحيلَ الَّذي أَصبَحتَ تُزمِعُهُ

هُوَ الَّذي كُنتُ عِندَ القُربِ أَخشاهُ

The departure you have now resolved upon

Is what I feared even when you were near.

وَكُلُّ مَن سَرَّهُ ذاكَ القُدومُ عَلى

شَوقٍ إِلَيكَ فَذا التَوديعُ أَبكاهُ

And everyone whom that arrival gladdened, full of

Longing for you—this farewell has made him weep.

وَهَكَذا الدَهرُ ما أَصفى مَشارِبَهُ

إِلّا وَكَدَّرَ ما قَد كانَ أَصفاهُ

Such is time: never does it clear its drinking pools

Without muddying what it had made clear.

أَنتَ الحَيا فَمَتى ما حَلَّ في بَلَدٍ

أَماتَهُ الجَدبُ أَحياهُ بِجَدواهُ

You are the rain: whenever it settles in a land

That drought has killed, it revives it with its bounty.

لا تَأمَنُ العُلَماءُ الخَوضَ في خَطَأٍ

إِلّا إِذا ما تَوَخَّوا ما تَوَخّاهُ

Scholars are never safe from wading into error

Unless they pursue what he has pursued.

وَلا يُطيقونَ أَن يَأتوا بِنادِرَةٍ

بَديعَةِ الوَصفِ إِلّا وَهيَ إِنشاهُ

Nor can they produce a rare gem

Of exquisite expression unless it is his composition.

فَلا مَحامِدَ إِلّا مِن مَكارِمِهِ

ولا مَحاسِنَ إِلّا عَن سَجاياهُ

No praise comes save from his noble deeds;

Nor beauty save from his innate virtues;

وَلا فَرائِدَ إِلّا مِن عِبارَتِهِ

وَلا فَوائِدَ إِلّا مِن عَطاياهُ

Nor peerless gems save from his phrasing;

Nor benefits save from his gifts;

وَلا جَدى المُزنِ إِلّا فَيضُ نائِلِهِ

وَلا شَذا المِسكِ إِلّا طيبُ رَيّاهُ

Nor bounty of rainclouds save the overflow of his largesse;

Nor musk's fragrance save the sweetness of his scent.

لا زالَ نَيلُ أَمانيهِ مُحالِفُ يُم

ناهُ وَكالِئُهُ أَنّى ثَوى اللَهُ

May the fulfillment of his wishes ever attend his right

hand, and may God be his guardian wherever he dwells.