يا من أبحت حمى قلبي مودته

يا من أبحت حمى قلبي مودته

ومن جعلت له أحشاي أوطانا

ومن جعلت له أحشاي أوطانا

O you to whose love I opened my heart's sanctuary,

O you who set ablaze the zeal of my heart with your affection,

and for whom I made my innermost depths a homeland,

And made its veins a homeland for it,

أرسلت نحوي أبياتاً طربت بها

أرسلت نحوي أبياتاً طربت بها

والفضل للمبتدي بالفضل إحسانا

والفضل للمبتدي بالفضل إحسانا

you sent me verse that filled me with delight,

You sent me verses that delighted me,

and the credit belongs to the first to show generous kindness.

And to begin with kindness is the best favor.

فرحت أختال عجباً من محاسنها

فرحت أختال عجباً من محاسنها

كشارب ظل بالصهباء نشوانا

كشارب ظل بالصهباء نشوانا

So I went strutting, marvelling at its beauties,

I strutted around in wonder at their beauty,

like a drinker who stayed drunk on tawny wine.

Like one quenching thirst with clear wine.

رقت وراقت فجاءت وهي لابسة

رقت وراقت فجاءت وهي لابسة

من اللاغة والترصيع ألوانا

من اللاغة والترصيع ألوانا

Delicate and delightful, it arrived clothed

They were gentle and graceful, adorned

in hues of eloquence and ornament.

With eloquence and embroidered metaphors.

حكت بمنثورها والنظم إذ جمعا

حكت بمنثورها والنظم إذ جمعا

بأحرف حسنت روضاً وبستانا

بأحرف حسنت روضاً وبستانا

With its prose and verse joined together, it resembled,

With their prose and verse they related a tale,

in beautiful letters, a meadow and a garden.

With letters that adorned a meadow and garden.

جرت على جرول أثواب زينتها

جرت على جرول أثواب زينتها

إذ أصبحت وهي تكسو الحسن حسانا

إذ أصبحت وهي تكسو الحسن حسانا

It trailed its robes of adornment over Jarwal,

They flowed on the train of robes that adorned them,

as it came to clothe Hassan in beauty.

Having adorned beauty itself with more beauty.

أضحت تغبر وجه العنبري فما

أضحت تغبر وجه العنبري فما

بنو اللقيطة من ذهل بن شيبانا

بنو اللقيطة من ذهل بن شيبانا

It covered al-Anbari's face with dust—what, then, of

They appeared, veiling the face of amber,

Banu al-Laqitah, of Dhuhl ibn Shayban?

Leaving the sons of Luqayt stunned.

يمسي لها ابن هلال حين ينظرها

يمسي لها ابن هلال حين ينظرها

يحكي أباه بما عاناه نقصانا

يحكي أباه بما عاناه نقصانا

Before it, Ibn Hilal, when he beholds it, finds himself

Ibn Hilal looks upon them by evening,

resembling his father in the diminution he has suffered.

Telling his father of the flaws he endured.

كذاك أيضاً لها عبد الحميد غدا

كذاك أيضاً لها عبد الحميد غدا

عبداً يجر من التقصير أردانا

عبداً يجر من التقصير أردانا

Likewise, before it, Abd al-Hamid too became

So too does Abdel Hamid, who by morning

a slave, trailing the sleeves of his inadequacy.

Became a slave, dragging the rags of laziness.

أتت وعبدك مغمور بعلته

أتت وعبدك مغمور بعلته

فغادرته صحيحاً خير ما كانا

فغادرته صحيحاً خير ما كانا

It arrived while your servant was overwhelmed by his illness,

They came while your slave was immersed in his ailment,

so it left him healthy, better than he had ever been.

Yet they left him healed, in the best of states.

وكيف لا تدفع الأسقام عن جسدي

وكيف لا تدفع الأسقام عن جسدي

وهي الصبا حملت روحاً وريحانا

وهي الصبا حملت روحاً وريحانا

And how could it not drive ailments from my body,

How could they not banish illness from my body,

when it is the east wind, bearing refreshment and sweet basil?

When they carried the spirit and basil in youth?

فما على طيفها لو عاد يطرقنا

فما على طيفها لو عاد يطرقنا

فربما زار أحياناً وأحيانا

فربما زار أحياناً وأحيانا

So what would it cost its phantom to return and visit us by night?

If their specter were to return and visit us,

For it may visit now and then and bring us back to life.

Perhaps it would come by now and then.

فاسلم وأنت أمين الدين أحسن من

فاسلم وأنت أمين الدين أحسن من

وشى الطروس بمنظوم ومن زانا

وشى الطروس بمنظوم ومن زانا

So be safe, Amin al-Din, you best of those who

So be at peace, O trustee of the faith, excelling

embroider pages with verse, and of those who adorn them.

The slander of poets and the fornicator.

ولا تخطت إليك الحادثات ولا

ولا تخطت إليك الحادثات ولا

حلت بربعك يا أعلى الورى شانا

حلت بربعك يا أعلى الورى شانا

And may misfortunes never make their way to you, nor

Let not events pass you by, nor befall

settle in your abode, O highest of humankind in standing.

The land you inhabit, O highest of humanity.