لمن الآنساتُ وهْيَ ظِباءُ

لمن الآنساتُ وهْيَ ظِباءُ

واليعافيرُ حُجْبُها السِّيَرَاءُ

واليعافيرُ حُجْبُها السِّيَرَاءُ

Whose are the charming maidens, who are gazelles,

For whom are the gazelles while they are lively deer?

And the fawns, whose veils are striped silk,

And their ostrich-like shyness is total modesty.

والشموسُ التي لويْنَ غصوناً

والشموسُ التي لويْنَ غصوناً

لَمْ تُرَنِّحْ خصورَها صَهباءُ

لَمْ تُرَنِّحْ خصورَها صَهباءُ

And the suns who have bent their branchlike forms,

And the suns that if they bent twigs,

Though no tawny wine has made their waists sway?

Would not groan in their pure-white bodies.

فاختفَى في القُدودِ أَرْيٌ ورَاحٌ

فاختفَى في القُدودِ أَرْيٌ ورَاحٌ

وبدا في الخدود نارٌ وماء

وبدا في الخدود نارٌ وماء

So honey and wine lay hidden in their figures,

So secrets disappeared into fragrances and spirit,

And fire and water appeared in their cheeks.

And in the cheeks appeared fire and water.

تنثني قامةً وتَجْرَحُ طَرْفاً

تنثني قامةً وتَجْرَحُ طَرْفاً

فهْيَ للسَّمْهَرِيَّةِ السَّمْراءُ

فهْيَ للسَّمْهَرِيَّةِ السَّمْراءُ

She bends in stature and wounds with her glance;

It stoops in stature and wounds an eye,

Thus she is the dusky counterpart of the Samharī lance.

For it belongs to the dark-complexioned.

طَرَقَتْ والكَبَاءُ والمندلُ الرطبُ

طَرَقَتْ والكَبَاءُ والمندلُ الرطبُ

عليها وحَلْيها رُقَبَاء

عليها وحَلْيها رُقَبَاء

She came by night; the incense and fresh fragrant wood

The stars and the wet dewdrops and the moist clouds

Upon her, and her jewels, stood as watchmen.

Rained down on it and its necklaces sway.

ودُوَيْنَ الفتاةِ أبيضُ رقرا

ودُوَيْنَ الفتاةِ أبيضُ رقرا

قُ الحواشي ولأْمَةٌ خَضْرَاء

قُ الحواشي ولأْمَةٌ خَضْرَاء

And just before the maiden, a white blade, shimmering

And the bracelets of the damsel are white pearls

Along its edges, and a green coat of mail.

And an emerald anklet and dark red ear-rings.

وفتى لاحَ فوق أدهمَ نهدٍ

وفتى لاحَ فوق أدهمَ نهدٍ

قمراً في عنانه ظلماءُ

قمراً في عنانه ظلماءُ

And a youth shone above a powerfully built black steed,

And a youth whose brightness shone over a tawny breast

A moon, with a dark night at his reins.

Like a moon in the darkness of its rein.

وكماةٌ تجلو الأسنَّةَ شُهْباً

وكماةٌ تجلو الأسنَّةَ شُهْباً

ودُجَاهَا العَجَاجَةُ الشَّهْبَاءُ

ودُجَاهَا العَجَاجَةُ الشَّهْبَاءُ

And armored warriors make the spearheads shine like shooting stars,

And a censor whose teeth make the branches shine

And their darkness is the ash-gray dust-cloud.

When her severe face frowns.

تصدُرُ المرهفاتُ عن مورد الها

تصدُرُ المرهفاتُ عن مورد الها

مِ كما ضرَّجَ الخدودَ حَيَاءُ

مِ كما ضرَّجَ الخدودَ حَيَاءُ

The keen blades return from their watering-place in heads,

The shy maidens expose their wristbands

As red as cheeks flushed by modesty.

As the modesty reddened their cheeks.

يا لحى اللّهُ ريبَ دهرٍ خؤونٍ

يا لحى اللّهُ ريبَ دهرٍ خؤونٍ

سادَ فيه كرامَهُ اللؤماء

سادَ فيه كرامَهُ اللؤماء

Ah, may God curse the vicissitudes of a treacherous age,

Oh how I wish Allah would heal the woes

In which the base have ruled over its noble men,

Of a time whose generosity is controlled by the vile!

وزماناً نحبُّه فكأنا

وزماناً نحبُّه فكأنا

حِين يَسْطُو بنا له أعداء

حِين يَسْطُو بنا له أعداء

And a time we love, though we seem,

And a time we love, so it is as though

When it assails us, to be its enemies.

When its enemies flow freely around us.

بالعلا يُعْرَفُ الكرام ولكنْ

بالعلا يُعْرَفُ الكرام ولكنْ

عُرِفَتْ بالمُوَفَّقِ العلياءُ

عُرِفَتْ بالمُوَفَّقِ العلياءُ

The noble are known by eminence, yet

With glory, the generous are recognized, but

Eminence became known through al-Muwaffaq.

The Glorious Ones were recognized by their supporter.

ماجدٌ لو عَرَا اللّيَاليَ داءٌ

ماجدٌ لو عَرَا اللّيَاليَ داءٌ

كان في رأيه لهنَّ شفاء

كان في رأيه لهنَّ شفاء

A noble man—if illness befell the nights,

Majid, if the nights have harmed him,

In his judgment there would be a cure for them.

In his view they have healing.

راحةٌ لا تُرَاحُ من هَدْمِ جُودٍ

راحةٌ لا تُرَاحُ من هَدْمِ جُودٍ

ببنانٍ لها المعالي بناء

ببنانٍ لها المعالي بناء

A palm never at rest from the demolition wrought by bounty,

A rest not rested from the destruction of generosity

With fingers that build the edifice of glory.

With its castles generosity builds.

فهو والدهرُ حِنْدِسيٌّ بهيمٌ

فهو والدهرُ حِنْدِسيٌّ بهيمٌ

غُرَّة في جبينه زَهْرَاء

غُرَّة في جبينه زَهْرَاء

Thus he, while time is pitch-dark, utterly black,

So he and time are violent, raging,

Is a radiant white blaze upon its brow.

Naive, with a rosy spot on their foreheads,

ولو ان الصّبَا لها منه عَزْمٌ

ولو ان الصّبَا لها منه عَزْمٌ

نَهضَتْ بالجبال وهْيَ رُخَاء

نَهضَتْ بالجبال وهْيَ رُخَاء

And if the east wind had some of his resolve,

And if the zephyr had resolve against it,

It would lift the mountains, though a gentle breeze.

It would rise with the mountains while they are still at peace.

طَوْدُ حِلْمٍ رَسَتْ به الأرضُ لمَّا

طَوْدُ حِلْمٍ رَسَتْ به الأرضُ لمَّا

شمخت منه ذِرْوَة شَمَّاءُ

شمخت منه ذِرْوَة شَمَّاءُ

A mountain of forbearance: the earth stood firm through him when

A towering patience the land rested upon

A lofty summit of his towered high.

When its lofty summit stuck up.

ذكرُكَ الراحُ والمُذَكِّرُ ساقٍ

ذكرُكَ الراحُ والمُذَكِّرُ ساقٍ

وكأنَّ المسامعَ النُّدَمَاءُ

وكأنَّ المسامعَ النُّدَمَاءُ

Mention of you is wine, and he who brings you to mind is a cupbearer,

Your mention is the consoling friend and the reminder,

And the ears seem to be the drinking companions.

As if the regretful ears heard you.

فإذا ما أُديرَ حمدُك صِرْفاً

فإذا ما أُديرَ حمدُك صِرْفاً

هزَّ أَعطافنا عليك الثناء

هزَّ أَعطافنا عليك الثناء

So when praise of you is passed around unmixed,

So when your praise is sung distinctly,

Praise of you sets our frames swaying.

Congratulations sway us to you.