من الودّ أني لا أحول عن الوفا

من الودّ أني لا أحول عن الوفا

ولو رق جسمي في هواه ولو جفا

ولو رق جسمي في هواه ولو جفا

It is out of love that I never turn aside from fidelity,

A mark of love is that I never turn from faithfulness,

Though my body waste away in passion for him, though he be cruel.

though my body wastes away in love for him, and though he is cruel.

واقسم ما شوقي عليه بباطل

واقسم ما شوقي عليه بباطل

ولا كلفي والله فيه تكلفا

ولا كلفي والله فيه تكلفا

I swear that my longing for him is no false thing,

I swear my longing for him is not false,

Nor, by God, is any of my passion feigned.

nor, by God, is my passion for him mere affectation.

علقت به كالغصن يخلف وعده

علقت به كالغصن يخلف وعده

ولا عجب ان مال عني واخلفا

ولا عجب ان مال عني واخلفا

I clung to him—a bough that breaks its promise;

I fell in love with him: like a branch, he breaks his promise;

And therefore it is a wonder that he bent away from me and turned aside.

no wonder if he bends away from me and fails his word.

من السمر لي قد هز لدنا قوامه

من السمر لي قد هز لدنا قوامه

وقد سل من الحاظه لي مرهفا

وقد سل من الحاظه لي مرهفا

One of the tawny lances, whose supple stature sways before me,

A dusky beauty has swayed his supple figure for me,

Who has drawn against me a keen blade from his glances.

and drawn from his glances a keen blade against me.

ومن نطفة قد صاغة الله جوهراً

ومن نطفة قد صاغة الله جوهراً

فلله ما ابهاه شكلا والطفا

فلله ما ابهاه شكلا والطفا

From a mere drop God fashioned him into a jewel—

From a drop God has fashioned him into a jewel:

By God, how splendid his form, how exquisite!

by God, how splendid his form, how delicate!

وما روضة بالنبت وشعها الندى

وما روضة بالنبت وشعها الندى

وحاكت لها الانواء ثوبا مفوفا

وحاكت لها الانواء ثوبا مفوفا

No garden whose plants the dew has embroidered,

And no garden the dew has embroidered with plants,

For which the rain clouds have woven a figured robe—

and for which the rain-bearing stars have woven a striped robe,

يا حسن مما دبجته خدوده

يا حسن مما دبجته خدوده

وقد زاد فيه الحسن خطا مطرفا

وقد زاد فيه الحسن خطا مطرفا

How lovely is what his cheeks have embroidered!

O Beauty, can rival what his cheeks have embroidered,

Beauty has added there a downy, richly bordered script.

and beauty has added there an ornamented line.

ايبغي عذولي نسخ آية حسنه

ايبغي عذولي نسخ آية حسنه

وياقوت بالريحان قد خط احرفا

وياقوت بالريحان قد خط احرفا

Do you, my reproacher, seek to efface the sign of his beauty—

Does my reproacher seek to abrogate the verse of his beauty,

Ruby upon which basil-down has traced its letters?

while Yaqut has traced letters in rayhan ('basil') script?

يقولون لي كم ذا ترق وقلبه

يقولون لي كم ذا ترق وقلبه

من الصخر اقسى قلت هذا من الصفا

من الصخر اقسى قلت هذا من الصفا

They say to me, “How long this tenderness, when his heart

They say to me, 'How long will you soften, when his heart

Is harder than rock?” I say, “That comes from ṣafā—pure stone.”

is harder than rock?' I say, 'It is of smooth, hard stone.'

اقول لعذالي عليه اطلتم

اقول لعذالي عليه اطلتم

واكثرتم فيه الحديث المزخرفا

واكثرتم فيه الحديث المزخرفا

I tell my reproachers concerning him, “You have gone on too long,

I tell my reproachers about him, 'You have gone on too long

And multiplied your gaudily embellished talk of him.”

and said too much embellished talk about him.

وقلتم حكاه البدر معنى وصورة

وقلتم حكاه البدر معنى وصورة

صدقتم حكاه البدر لكن تكلفا

صدقتم حكاه البدر لكن تكلفا

You said the full moon resembles him in meaning and in form;

You said the full moon resembled him in essence and form:

You spoke truly: the moon imitates him, but laboriously.

you spoke truly—the full moon resembled him, but only with effort.'

فيا قمرا لو قابل البدر وجهه

فيا قمرا لو قابل البدر وجهه

ولاح لولى البدر في الافق واختفى

ولاح لولى البدر في الافق واختفى

O moon—if the full moon were to confront his face,

O moon, were his face to confront the full moon

And he appeared, the full moon would hide upon the horizon.

and shine, the full moon would turn away on the horizon and vanish.

لنحوك عن حالي اتيتك معربا

لنحوك عن حالي اتيتك معربا

لعل بوصل ان تجود وتعطفا

لعل بوصل ان تجود وتعطفا

Toward you I have come, making my condition plain;

I have come toward you, speaking plainly of my plight,

Perhaps you will generously grant union and incline in kindness.

in hope that you might grant union and show compassion.

وما لي ذنب في هواك وان يكن

وما لي ذنب في هواك وان يكن

فعفواً فان الصبر مني قد عفى

فعفواً فان الصبر مني قد عفى

I have no fault in loving you—and if I do,

I have no fault in loving you; and if there is one,

Then pardon me, for all my patience has worn away.

then pardon me, for my patience has worn away.

واني وان ضاقت وعز تخلصي

واني وان ضاقت وعز تخلصي

حمدت القوافي وامتدحت ابن يوسفا

حمدت القوافي وامتدحت ابن يوسفا

Though hardship closes around me and deliverance is difficult,

And though I am hard-pressed and escape is difficult,

I have sworn by the rhymes and praised Ibn Yusuf:

I have praised the rhymes and extolled Ibn Yusuf.

اخو ثقة يعطي الالوف تكرما

اخو ثقة يعطي الالوف تكرما

وكم بالعطا مغنى لراجيه الفا

وكم بالعطا مغنى لراجيه الفا

A trustworthy man who gives thousands out of generosity;

A man of trust who gives thousands out of generosity,

How many a thousand hopeful supplicants his gifts have enriched!

how often his gifts have enriched a hopeful petitioner with a thousand!

وكم لي انسى من حبيب ومنزل

وكم لي انسى من حبيب ومنزل

بجدواه حتى لم اقل بعدها قفا

بجدواه حتى لم اقل بعدها قفا

How often his bounty has made me forget beloved and dwelling alike,

How often he has made me forget a beloved and a dwelling

Until afterward I never again cried, “Stop, you two!”

through his bounty, until I no longer said afterward, 'Halt, you two!'

فقل للذي يرجو وفا وعد غيره

فقل للذي يرجو وفا وعد غيره

تعال اليه تلق بحرا من الوفا

تعال اليه تلق بحرا من الوفا

Tell whoever hopes another man will fulfill his promise:

Tell whoever hopes another man's promise will be fulfilled,

Come to him, and you will encounter an ocean of fidelity.

'Come to him: you will find a sea of faithfulness.'

وقف مستمدا من عطاياه تلقه

وقف مستمدا من عطاياه تلقه

جوادا سريع البذل لن يتوقفا

جوادا سريع البذل لن يتوقفا

Stand seeking sustenance from his gifts, and you will find him

Stand seeking aid from his gifts, and you will find him

Generous and swift to give, never hesitating.

generous and swift to give, never holding back

عن الجود لا يليه قول مفند

عن الجود لا يليه قول مفند

ولو لام فيه كل لاح وعنفا

ولو لام فيه كل لاح وعنفا

No gainsayer’s words can turn him away from generosity,

from generosity; no faultfinder's words sway him,

Nor any reproacher’s blame, however harshly he rails.

even if every reproacher blames him for it and rebukes him harshly.

يرى كفه صرف الدنانير قبل ان

يرى كفه صرف الدنانير قبل ان

يضاف الى الممنوع منها فتصرفا

يضاف الى الممنوع منها فتصرفا

His palm sends the dinars forth to be spent before any

His hand sees that dinars should be spent before

Can be ascribed to the praised man—and so away they go.

they are counted among the withheld, and so it spends them.

واني لأعرى حق واجب شكره

واني لأعرى حق واجب شكره

بما لي اولى من جميل واسلفا

بما لي اولى من جميل واسلفا

I shall uphold the binding duty of thanking him

And I surely honor the obligation of thanking him

For the kindness he first bestowed and advanced to me.

for the kindness he has bestowed on me and granted before.

فيا حرما من حله كان آمنا

فيا حرما من حله كان آمنا

ومن جاءه يسعى لقد فاز بالصفا

ومن جاءه يسعى لقد فاز بالصفا

Here is a sanctuary—whoever enters it is safe,

O sanctuary, whoever dwells within it is safe,

And whoever comes to him striving has attained purity.

and whoever comes hastening to it has truly won purity.

لدائي شفاك الله داو فانني

لدائي شفاك الله داو فانني

من الفقر قد امسى فؤادي على شفا

من الفقر قد امسى فؤادي على شفا

Treat my illness—may God heal you—for I,

Heal my illness—may God heal you—for I

Through poverty, have brought my heart to the very brink.

have, through poverty, a heart now on the brink.

وجد لي بانصفا من الزمن الذي

وجد لي بانصفا من الزمن الذي

على الموت قد اشفيت ومنه ما اشتفى

على الموت قد اشفيت ومنه ما اشتفى

Grant me justice against Time, which

And grant me redress against the age under which

Has brought me near death, though none has found healing from it.

I have neared death, yet it has not slaked its spite with that.

وجد لي سقيت السلسبيل مبرداً

وجد لي سقيت السلسبيل مبرداً

فلي جسدٌ من برده قد تقرقفا

فلي جسدٌ من برده قد تقرقفا

Be generous to me—may you be given cool Salsabil to drink—

And give generously to me—may you be given cool Salsabil to drink—

For my body has shivered from its chill.

for my body has shivered from the cold it feels.

وصل بالوعد في وعدي وحاشاك انني

وصل بالوعد في وعدي وحاشاك انني

اراك اذا ما فهت بالوعد مخلفا

اراك اذا ما فهت بالوعد مخلفا

Join your promise, in my case, to fulfillment—far be it from me

And fulfill the promise made to me—far be it from you that I

Ever to see you break a promise once you have uttered it.

should see you break your word whenever you utter a promise.

ويكفيك من حالي باني امرؤٌ اخو

ويكفيك من حالي باني امرؤٌ اخو

كفاف واحلى العيش ما بعضه كفى

كفاف واحلى العيش ما بعضه كفى

It is enough that you know my state: I am a man living on

Enough of my plight is told by this: I am a man with

Bare sufficiency—and sweetest is the life content with its little share.

bare sufficiency; the sweetest life is one where a little suffices.

فدونكها بكرا تنظم درها

فدونكها بكرا تنظم درها

وقد زادت الاسماع منه تشنفا

وقد زادت الاسماع منه تشنفا

Here, then, take her: a maiden whose pearls are strung in order;

Take it, then, a virgin poem that strings its pearls,

She has made listening ears adorn themselves with pendants.

and ears have gained still more adornment from them.

تغار بنو الآداب من حسن نظمها

تغار بنو الآداب من حسن نظمها

وتحسد ذو العليا عليها المصنفا

وتحسد ذو العليا عليها المصنفا

The sons of letters envy the beauty of her composition,

The sons of letters envy the beauty of its composition,

And the high-born envy her author because of her.

and a man of high station envies its author for it.

تهنيك بالعام المبارك عشره

تهنيك بالعام المبارك عشره

تهنّ به عاما وعشراً مشرّفا

تهنّ به عاما وعشراً مشرّفا

She congratulates you tenfold upon the blessed year;

It congratulates you on the blessed year, the tenth;

May you rejoice in it for a year and ten, ennobled.

enjoy it for a year and a decade, held in honor.

فلا زلت لي في الدهر عونا ومسعداً

فلا زلت لي في الدهر عونا ومسعداً

وغوثاً على جور الزمان ومسعفا

وغوثاً على جور الزمان ومسعفا

May you never cease to be my aid and helper through time,

So may you never cease to be my help and comfort through time,

And my rescuer from the tyranny of fate.

my refuge against time's injustice, and my rescuer.

ودمت قرير العين ما لاح بارقٌ

ودمت قرير العين ما لاح بارقٌ

وما غردّت ورق على البان هتّفا

وما غردّت ورق على البان هتّفا

May you remain content whenever lightning gleams,

And may your eyes remain content as long as lightning flashes,

And whenever a ring-dove coos among the bān trees.

and gray doves warble their loud calls on the ben trees.