هُمُو ضَمِنُوا الوَفاءَ فَحينَ بانُوا

يَئِسنا أَن يَصِحَّ لَهُم ضَمانُ

They promised loyalty, but when they showed their true colors,

We despaired that their pledge would prove true.

وَهُم سَنُّوا خِيانَةَ كُلِّ حِبٍّ

فَكَيفَ عَجِبتَ مِنهُم حينَ خانُوا

They made treachery their way with every love,

Why then did you wonder when they betrayed?

طَلَبنا مِنهُمُ نَيلاً وَفَضلاً

وَغَيرُ النَيلِ يُحسِنُهُ الحِسانُ

We sought from them favor and grace,

But the fair-minded excel in graciousness.

فَما ضَرَّ الأَحِبَّةَ لَو أَعانُوا

مُحِبَّهُمُ وَمَنزِلُهُم معانُ

It would not harm those loved ones to support

Their admirer and frequent his dwellings.

ذَكَرنا الشِعبَ فَاِنشَعَبُوا فَلَمّا

تَفاءَلنا بِذِكرِ البانِ بانُوا

We mentioned the pleiades and they broke ranks, but when

We tried our luck with the appearance of the full moon, it appeared.

لَقَد ظَفِرُوا فَما أَبقَوا عَلَينا

وَهَل يُبقي إِذا ظَفِرَ الجَبانُ

They indeed gained the advantage and left us nothing,

Does the coward leave anything when he gains advantage?

هُوِيناهُم فَقَد هُنّا عَلَيهِم

وَمُذ خُلِقَ الهَوى خُلِقَ الهَوانُ

We loved them and so disgraced ourselves before them,

Since the beginning of love, disgrace has existed along with it,

رَعى اللَهُ الأَحِبَّةَ كَيفَ كُنّا

عَلى ما يَفعَلونَ وَكَيفَ كانُوا

May God watch over those loved ones and see

What they do and how they were.

إِذا نَزَلُوا رِعانَ البِشرِ قُلنا

سُقيتِ الغَيثَ أَيَّتُها الرِعانُ

When they descended to the flowery meadows, we said:

"You have been watered, O meadows!"

وَجادَ ثَراكِ مُنهَمِرُ العَزَالي

كَأَنَّ البَرقَ في طَرَفَيهِ جانُ

And your thick rain poured down,

As if lightning flashed in its edges.

تَكَشَّفَتِ الغَمامَةُ عَن سَناهُ

كَما كَشَفَت عَنِ الراحِ الدِنانُ

The clouds uncovered his brilliance,

As the perfume uncovered the teeth of the grinning beauty.

وَرُدَّ الجَوُّ مَصبوغَ النَواحي

كَما صَبَغَ الإِهابَ الزَعفَرانُ

And the air returned, its horizons dyed,

As saffron dyes garments.

يَقومُ لَهُ وَجُنحُ اللَيلِ داجٍ

خَطيبٌ ما لِمَنطِقِهِ بَيانُ

He stands, and the wings of night hover around him,

An orator whose eloquence has no clarity.

يُهَدهِدُ وَالنُجومُ مُغَوِّراتٌ

كَما ضَرَبَت مَزاهِرَها القِيانُ

He moans, and the setting stars grow dim,

As the flowers folded their petals.

إِذا ما ضَجَّ ثَجَّ الماءُ حَتّى

تَدَبَّجَ بِالرِياضِ الصَحصَحانُ

Whenever its water was disturbed and roiled,

The ponds were adorned in the gardens.

كَأَنَّ الحَيّ فارَقَه فَشابَت

لِفُرقَتِهُ مِنَ النورِ القُنانُ

It was as if animation had left it, so it grew gray

At parting from the light of the oil lamps.

وَأَصبَحَ كُلَّما بَكتِ الغَوادي

تَبَسَّمَ في رُباه الأُقحَوانُ

And whenever the valleys wept,

The slender branch smiles in its groves.

تَرى النُوّارُ يَرشَحُ ما سَقاهُ

كَما رَشَحَت وَدائِعَها الشِنانُ

You see the run-off dripping what it was watered with,

As its hidden stores dripped.

إِذا هَبَّت بِمَنبِتِهِ النَعامى

تَأَرَّجَتِ الأَباطِحُ وَالمِتانُ

Whenever the ostriches swung on its vegetation,

The dunes and hillocks flourished.

تَظَلُّ الحُقبُ عاكِفَةً عَلَيهِ

إِذا أَلوى لَهُنَّ الصِلِيانُ

The eras remain devoted to it

When the wolves howl to them.

وَطارَ مَعَ الصِفارِ بِكُلِّ فَجٍّ

بَقِيَّةُ ما اِكتَساهُ الأَيهَقانُ

Along with the voice of every wilderness

Flies what the sand grouse had gained.

وَمَرتٍ تَكذِبُ الأَبصارُ فيهِ

وَيَصدقُ ما يُحَدِّثُكَ الجَنانُ

And a sight wherein eyes would deny

Yet what the gardens relate is true.

تَبيتُ بِهِ الصِلالُ مُلفّفاتٍ

كَأَنَّ مُتونَهُنَّ الخَيزُرانُ

The formations bivouac wrapped around it,

As if their insides were silk.

إِذا الحِرباءُ تَركَبُ مِنبَرَيهِ

كَما رَكِبَ اليَفاعَ الدَيدَبان

Whenever the zebras mount its pulpits,

As the humpbacked camels rode the tree-lined roads.

قَطَعتُ وَمِثلُ بَطنِ العَودِ فيهِ

مِنَ السِبتِ النَسائعُ وَالبِطانُ

I passed through it and its stomach held

Fine pearls and chrysolite stones.

بِعَودٍ لا يَزالُ يُهانُ حَتّى

يُناخَ بِمُدرِكِيٍّ لا يُهانُ

With a branch forever disgraced

Until supported by one never disgraced.

تَدينُ لَهُ المُلوكُ بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ

وَيَأبى أَن يَدينَ فَلا يُدانُ

Kings in every land are indebted to it

Yet it refuses debt so it is not indebted.

سَقَت يَدُهُ العَنانَ فَكادَ يُجنى

وَيَحيي مِن نَدى يَدِهِ العِنانُ

Its hand held the reins so it nearly complained,

And it gives life from the dew of its hand to the bridle.

تُنَحَّرُ في وَقائِعِهِ الأَعادي

وَتُنحَرُ في مَكارِمِهِ الهِجانُ

The enemies are torn apart in its battles,

And the cowards are torn apart by its nobleness.

فَسَفكُ دَمٍ يَثورُ لَهُ عَجاجٌ

وَسَفكُ دَمٍ يَثورُ لَهُ دُخانُ

So blood surges for it, seething in rage

As blood surges for it, turning to smoke.

نَرى مِنهُ وَنَسمَعُ عَن سِواهُ

فَيُغنِينا عَنِ الخَبَرِ العِيانُ

We see it and hear of it through others

So we have no need for eyewitness accounts.

ثَقيلُ الحِلم يَحمِلُ كُلَّ ثِقلٍ

فَنَعجَبُ كَيفَ يَحملُهُ الحِصانُ

Heavy is its forbearance bearing every weight—

We marvel at how the steed carries it.

يَكادُ الطِرفُ يَشكو ما عَلَيهِ

إِلَيهِ لَو يُطاوِعُهُ اللِسانُ

An eye would nearly complain to it

Of what burdened it, if a tongue would obey it.

إِذا شَهِدَ الطِعانَ بِهِ ثَناهُ

وَقَد أَدمى ضَلِيَعيهِ الطِعانُ

Whenever censure wounds it with its arrows,

The censurer’s quivers are red with blood.

بِحَيثُ تَرى الرِماحَ مُحَكَّماتٍ

كَأَنَّ خِطامَهُنَّ الأُرجُوانُ

Such that you see the spears fixed

As if their reins were made of red coral.

إِذا طَعَنَ المُدَجَّجُ في قِراه

قرا ما في ضَمائِرِهِ السِنانُ

Whenever the armed warrior stabs his enemy,

He stabs one whose soul knows no rancor.

كَأَنَّ الرُمحَ حينَ يُسَلُّ مِنهُ

وِجارٌ سُلّ مِنهُ الأُفعُوانُ

It's as if when the spear is unleashed from it

A slithering snake is unleashed.

لَقَد أَنسَيتَنا كِسرى وَأَنسى

حَديثَ إِوانِهِ هَذا الإِوانُ

You made us forget Chosroes, and forget

The tale of his reign, with yours, O Time!

إِذا ما حَلَّ شَخصُكَ في مَكامٍ

تَهَلَّلَ مِن تَهَلُّلكَ المَكانُ

Whenever your person lodges at an abode,

The place glitters from your glittering presence.

وَلَمّا زادَ شَأَنُكَ في المَعالي

غَدا لِلشِعرِ وَالشُعَراءِ شانُ

And when your status rose into the heights,

The poets and poetry itself gained prestige.

لَئِن رُفِعوا لَقَد نَفَعوا وَلَولا

سُلوكُ العِقدِ ما اِنتَظَمَ الجُمانُ

If they are raising up, they have benefited, but had it not been

For threading the pearls, the necklace would not be strung.

إِذا صاغُوا مَديحاً فيكَ بَرّوا

وَإِن مالوا بِمَدحٍ عَنكَ مالوا

When they crafted a poem in praise of you

They excelled, but if they inclined in praise away from you, they inclined away.

لَقَد لَيَّنتَ لي عودَ اللَيالي

فَأَبكَتني مِن العَيشِ الليانُ

You softened for me the nights' firewood

So the nights' bending made me weep.

وَأَغناني نَداكَ عَنِ البَرايا

فَوَجهي عَن سُؤالِهِمُ يُصانُ

And your help sufficed me instead of open spaces,

So my face was spared from having to ask.

إِذا ما جَلّ قَدرُكَ جَلَّ قَدري

وَلَولا الكَفُّ ما شَرُفَ البَنانُ

Whenever your worth shone radiant, my worth shone radiant,

And were it not for palms, branches would not rise high.

يَرُدُّ القائِلونَ إِلَيكَ قَولِي

كَما رَدَّ الكَلامَ التُرجُمانُ

Those who convey my words will convey them back to you

As the translator conveys speech.

وَلَو أَنّي شَكَرتُكَ كُلَّ شُكرٍ

لَما اِستَقصَيتُ ما ضَمِن الجَنانُ

And even if I thanked you with all thankfulness,

I would not exhaust what the heavens implicate.

وَلَو حَمّلتَني رُكنَي أَبانٍ

لَأَثقَلَني جَميلُكَ لا أَبانُ

And if you loaded me with the two corners of the litter,

Your bounty, not the litter, would weigh heaviest on me.

هَناكَ العيدُ يا مَن كُلُّ عِيدٍ

بِهِ وَبِحُسنِ دَولَتِهِ يُزانُ

There, O distinguishing aspect of all feasts, is the feast,

By which and by its prosperous fate, time is measured.

وَعِشتَ مِنَ الحَوادِثِ في أَمانٍ

فَأَنتَ منَ الحَوادِثِ لي أَمانُ

And you have lived free from affliction,

So for me, you are safety from afflictions.

لَقَد حَسُنَ الزَمانُ وَأَنتَ فيهِ

وَلَولا أَنتَ ما حَسُنَ الزَمانُ

Fine became the days with you existing in them,

Without you, days would not be fine.