Sol 6.1

  1. عَجِبتُ للطيفِ يا لَمياءُ حينَ سَرى

    نَحوي وَما جالَ في عَيني لَذيذُ كَرى

    I marveled at the apparition, O Lamya, when it came by night

    Toward me, though no sweet slumber had passed through my eye.

  2. وَكَيفَ تَرقدُ عَينٌ طولَ لَيلَتِها

    تُدافِعُ المُقلِقَينِ الدَمعَ وَالسَهَرا

    And how could an eye sleep through its whole night

    While fending off the two tormentors, tears and sleeplessness?

  3. باتَت وَساوِسُ فِكري فيكِ تَخدَعُني

    أَطماعُها وَتُريني آلَهُ غُدُرا

    My restless thoughts of you kept deceiving me all night

    With their hopes, showing me their mirage as pools.

  4. أَحبابَنا ما لِدَمعي كُلَّما اِضطَرَمَت

    نارُ الجَوى بَينَ أَحناءِ الضُلوعِ جَرى

    Our loved ones, why do my tears, whenever it blazes—

    The fire of passion within my curving ribs—flow?

  5. وَما لِصَبري الَّذي قَد كُنتُ أَذخُرُه

    عَلى النَوى ناصِراً يَومَ النَوى غَدرا

    And why did the patience I had kept in store

    As a helper against separation betray me on separation's day?

  6. وَما لِدَهري إِذا اِستَسقَيتُ أَشرَقَني

    عَلى الظما وَسَقاني آجِناً كَدِرا

    And why does my fate, when I ask for water, choke me

    Despite my thirst, and give me stagnant, murky water to drink?

  7. يَصفي لِغَيري عَلى رَيٍّ مَوارِدَهُ

    ظُلماً وَيورِدُني المُستَوبَلَ المَقِرا

    It clears its watering places for others whose thirst is already quenched,

    Unjustly, and brings me to unwholesome, bitter water.

  8. أَشكو إِلَيهِ سَقاماً قَد بَرى جَسَدي

    أَعيا الأُساةَ وَلَو واصَلتُمُ لَبَرا

    I complain to it of a sickness that has wasted my body,

    Baffling physicians; yet, had you rejoined me, I would have healed.

  9. وَلَيلَةٍ مِثل مَوجِ البَحرِ بِتُّ بِها

    أُكابِدُ المُزعِجينَ الخَوفَ وَالخَطَرا

    And many a night like the sea's waves I spent

    Wrestling with the two tormentors, fear and danger,

  10. حَتّى وَرَدتُ بِآمالي إِلى مَلِكٍ

    لَو رامَ رَدّاً لِماضي أَمسِهِ قَدَرا

    Until I brought my hopes to a king

    Who, if he wished to restore his bygone yesterday, could.

  11. فَأَصبَحَ الدَهرُ مِمّا كانَ أَسلَفَهُ

    إِلَيَّ في سالِفِ الأَيّامِ مُعتَذِرا

    Then Time became—for what it had dealt

    To me in bygone days—apologetic.

  12. وَذادَ عَنّي الرَزايا حينَ أَبصَرَني

    بِعِزَّةِ الأَمجَدِ السُلطانِ مُنتَصِرا

    And warded calamities away from me when it saw me

    Triumphant through the might of Sultan al-Amjad.

  13. مَلكٌ أَرانا عَلِيّاً في شَجاعَتِهِ

    وَعِلمِهِ وَأَرانا عَدلُهُ عُمرا

    A king who showed us Ali in his courage

    And knowledge, and whose justice showed us Umar.

  14. أَغَرُّ ما نَزَعَت عَنهُ تَمائِمُهُ

    حَتّى تَرَدّى رِداءَ المُلكِ وَاِتَّزَرا

    Radiant, his childhood amulets were not removed

    Until he cloaked and girded himself in the robe of kingship.

  15. مِن آلِ أَيّوبَ أَغنَتنا عَوارِفُهُ

    في كالِحِ الجَدبِ أَن نَستَنزِلَ المَطَرا

    Of the house of Ayyub, whose gifts have spared us,

    In grim drought, the need to call down rain.

  16. ثَبتُ الجَنانِ لَهُ حلمٌ يُوَقِّرُهُ

    إِن خامَرَ الطَيشُ رُكني يَذبُلٍ وِحرا

    Steadfast of heart, with a forbearance that keeps him composed,

    Even if recklessness seized the pillars of Yadhbul and Hira.

  17. الفارِجُ الهَبَواتِ السودَ يوردُ في

    مَواقِعِ الراشِقاتِ الأَبيَضَ الذَكَرا

    He cleaves the black clouds of dust, sending into

    The places where arrows fall his bright, hard-tempered sword.

  18. وَمُقدمُ الخَيلِ في لَبّاتِها قِصَدٌ

    وَعاقِرُ البُدنِ في يَومي وَغىً وَقِرى

    He advances the horses, broken spear-shafts in their chests,

    And slaughters great camels on days of battle and hospitality.

  19. وَخائِضُ الهَولِ وَالأَبطالُ مُحجِمَةٌ

    لا تَستَطيعُ بِهِ ورداً وَلا صَدَرا

    He plunges into terror while champions shrink back,

    Unable there either to enter or to withdraw.

  20. وَثابِتُ الرَأيِ أَغنَت أَلمَعِيَّتُهُ

    عَن أَن يُشارِكَهُ في رَأيِهِ الوُزَرا

    Firm in judgement, his keen insight spares him

    The need for ministers to share in his deliberations.

  21. لا يَتَّقي في الوَغى وَقعَ الأَسِنَّةِ بِا

    لزَغفِ الدلاصِ كَفاهُ سَيفُهُ وَزَرا

    He does not ward off spearpoints' blows in battle with

    Fine, smooth mail; his sword suffices him as a refuge.

  22. عارٍ مِنَ العارِ كاسٍ مِن مَفاخِرِهِ

    تَكادُ عِزَّتُهُ تَستَوقِفُ القَدَرا

    Bare of disgrace, clothed in his glorious deeds,

    His might could almost halt destiny.

  23. تَمضي المَنايا بِما شاءَت أَسِنَّتُهُ

    إِذا القَنا بَينَ فُرسانِ الوَغى اِشتَجَرا

    Deaths move as his spearpoints will

    When lances clash among the horsemen of battle.

  24. تَكادُ تَخفي النُجومُ الزَهرُ أَنفُسَها

    خَوفاً وَيُشرِقُ بَهرامٌ إِذا ذُكِرا

    The bright stars almost hide themselves

    In fear, and Bahram chokes at his mention.

  25. يَدعو العُفاةَ إِلى أَموالِهِ الجَفَلى

    إِذا دَعا غَيرُهُ في الأَزمَةِ النَقَرى

    He invites the needy to his wealth with an open summons,

    When others, in hardship, invite only a chosen few.

  26. مِن دَوحَةٍ شَرُفَت أَعراقُها وَزَكت

    مِنها الفُروعُ وَطابَت مغرِساً وَثَرى

    From a great tree whose roots are noble, and pure

    Are the branches it bears; good are its planting-place and soil.

  27. لَمّا تَخَيَّرَني أَروي قَصائِدَهُ

    مَضيتُ قُدماً وَخَلَّفتُ الرُواةَ وَرا

    When he chose me to recite his poems,

    I strode ahead and left the other reciters behind.

  28. فَاعجَب لِبَحرٍ غَدا في رَأسِ شاهِقَةٍ

    مِنَ العَواصِمِ طامٍ يَقذِفُ الدُرَرا

    So marvel at a sea that has risen atop a lofty height

    Among the strongholds, swelling and casting pearls.

  29. شِعرٌ سَمَت بِاِسمِهِ الشِعرى لِشِركَتِها

    فيهِ فَقامَت تُباهي الشَمسَ وَالقَمَرا

    Poetry whose name exalted Sirius, since she shares

    In that name; so she rose to vaunt herself against the sun and moon.

  30. لَو قامَ بَعضُ رُواةِ الشِعرِ يُنشِدُهُ

    يَوماً بِأَرضِ أَزالٍ أخجلَ الحِبَرا

    Were any reciter of poetry to rise and declaim it

    One day in the land of Azal, he would shame the striped fabrics.

  31. سِحرٌ وَلكِنَّ هاروتاً وَصاحِبَهُ

    ماروتَ ما نَهيا فيهِ وَلا أَمرا

    Magic—yet Harut and his companion

    Marut neither forbade it nor commanded it.

  32. كَم قُمتُ في مَجلِسِ الساداتِ أُنشِدُهُ

    فَلَم يَكُن لِحَسودٍ في عُلاهُ مرا

    How often I stood in the assembly of lords reciting it,

    And no envious man could dispute its eminence.

  33. عَجِبتُ مِن مَعشَرٍ كَيفَ اِدَّعَوا سفهاً

    مِن بَعدِ ما سَمعوهُ أَنَّهُم شُعَرا

    I marveled at a company: how could they foolishly claim,

    After they had heard it, that they were poets?

  34. لَولا التُقى قُلتُ لا شَيءٌ يُعادِلُهُ

    أَستَغفِرُ اللَهَ إِلّا النَملُ وَالشُعَرا

    Were it not for piety, I would say: nothing equals it—

    I ask God's forgiveness—save al-Naml and al-Shuʿara.

  35. أنا الَّذي سارَ في الدُنيا لَهُ مثلٌ

    أَهديتُ مِن سُفهٍ تَمراً إِلى هَجَرا

    I am the one about whom a proverb has spread through the world:

    Out of folly, I sent dates as a gift to Hajar.

  36. جَرَيتُ في شَأوِهِ أَبغي اللَحاقَ بِهِ

    فَما تَعَلَّقتُ إِلا أَن ظَفرت بَرى

    I ran along his course, seeking to catch him,

    But gained no hold on him; all I won was dust.

  37. وَالشِعرُ صَيدٌ فَهذا جُلُّ طاقَتِهِ

    حَرشُ الضِبابِ وَهذا صائِدٌ بَقَرا

    Poetry is hunting: one man's utmost power is

    Luring out lizards, while another hunts wild cattle.

  38. وَلَيسَ مُستَنزِلُ الأَوعالِ من يَفَعٍ

    كَمَن أَتى نَفَقَ اليَربوعِ فَاِحتَفَرا

    And one who brings down ibex from a mountain height is not

    Like one who comes to a jerboa's burrow and digs it out.

  39. وَإِنَّ مَن شارَفَ التِسعينَ في شُغُل

    عَنِ القَوافي جَديرٌ أَن يَقولَ هُرا

    And surely one nearing ninety is too preoccupied

    For rhymes, and is apt to utter nonsense.