Sol 6.1

  1. ليلُ وصلٍ منيرةٌ أَقمارُه

    شابَ مِنْ قَبْل أَنْ يُخَطَّ عِذارُه

    A night of union, its moons luminous,

    grew gray before its cheek-down could be traced.

  2. زارَني مَنْ جَلاَهُ لَمَّا تَجَلَّى

    كيفَ يَبْقَى ليلٌ وفيه نَهارُه

    The one who dispelled it visited me when he appeared;

    how can night remain with its daylight within it?

  3. بأَبِي الزَّائرُ الجديدُ وقِدْماً

    شطَّ عني مَزَرُّه ومَزَارُه

    My father be ransom for this new visitor! Long ago,

    his collar and his visiting-place had grown remote from me.

  4. جاءَ مُستَعذِراً فلم يُر أَحْلى

    من رُضابٍ بِفيه إِلاَّ اعْتِذَارُه

    He came apologizing; nothing was seen sweeter

    than the nectar in his mouth, except his apology.

  5. شهد الشَّهدُ أَنَّه ريقُه الحلـ

    ـو فمَن مُشترِيه أَوْ مُشْتَارُه

    Honey testified that it was his sweet saliva—

    who, then, will buy it or harvest it?

  6. ثمِلُ العطفِ وهو لم يشرب الخمـ

    ـرَ ولكن في نَاظِريه خُمَارُه

    Drunk in his swaying form, though he has drunk no

    wine; yet its drunken languor lies in his eyes.

  7. قَرَّبَ الخدَّ من فؤادي لتحريـ

    ـقِ فُؤادي فَأَطْفَأَ النَّارَ نارُه

    He brought his cheek near my heart to burn

    my heart; yet his fire extinguished the fire.

  8. فجعلتُ الشَّعار منه الثُّريَّا مَعَ البد

    رِ فَذي قُرطُه وهَذا سِوارُه

    So I made his raiment the Pleiades beside the full

    moon: the former his earring, the latter his bracelet.

  9. إِن بَدا وجهُه فأَبْعَدُ شَيءٍ

    من مُعَنَّاه غفلُه واختِيارُه

    If his face appears, nothing is farther

    from his tormented lover than heedlessness and free choice.

  10. أَكْمَلُ الخلق في الشمائِل وَزْناً

    وبذَوقِ صَحَّ اعْتِبَارُه

    Most perfect of beings in character, when weighed;

    and taste has confirmed his worth.

  11. بسكن القلبَ يقتلُ الصَّب بالهـ

    ـجرانِ ذَا دَارُه وذِي أَخْبَارُه

    By inhabiting the heart, he kills the ardent lover through

    estrangement: this is his home, and these are his tidings.

  12. كان هَذا من قبل أَنْ يُزهِر الشعـ

    ـرُ وتَذْوي من الصِّبا أَزْهَارُه

    All this was before hair blossomed

    and the flowers of youth withered.

  13. قبلَ أَنْ غَاض ماؤُه قبل أَن تعـ

    ـلُو عَلَى صَفْوِ عَيْشِه أَكْدَارهُ

    Before its water ebbed, before

    his troubles rose over the clear calm of his life.

  14. فعفا اللَّهْوُ حِين عَفَّ المُعَنَّى

    لاَ صبَابَاتُه ولاَ أَوْطَارُه

    Pleasure faded when the tormented lover became chaste,

    but not his longings, nor his desires.

  15. ولَعَمْري مَن ينتظر بَعد خمسيـ

    ـنَ رجوعَ الأَوْطارِ طَالَ انْتِظَارُه

    By my life, whoever waits, after fifty,

    for desires to return will wait long.

  16. ونهم إِنَّها تعودُ إِذا عا

    دَ نوالُ الوزير لي وادِّكَارُه

    And yes [text uncertain], they will return if

    the vizier's bounty and remembrance of me return.

  17. إِن يَعد رأيُه الجميلُ يَعُدْ ليـ

    ـكلُّ ما أَشتهي وما أَخْتَارُه

    If his gracious regard returns, there will return to me

    all I desire and all I choose.

  18. كيفَ لا يُجْتَلَى بعينيَ مَرْ

    آه ويُجْتَنى بِراحتيّ ثِمارُه

    How could my eyes fail to behold

    his visage, and my two palms to gather his fruits?

  19. كَيْفَ يَظْما قلبي إِلى جُوده الغمـ

    ـرِ وَغيْري قَد غَرَّقَتْه بِحَارُه

    How can my heart thirst for his overflowing bounty,

    while his seas have already drowned another?

  20. سوف أَرْوي من بَحْرِ نائله الجمِّ

    ويَعْلو أَغمارَ هَمِّي غِمَارُه

    I shall drink my fill from the sea of his copious gifts,

    and his deep waters will overtop the depths of my grief.

  21. الوزيرُ الَّذي به نهضَ المُلْـ

    ـكُ وحُطَّت عن ظهرِه أَوْزَارهُ

    The vizier through whom the realm rose,

    and its burdens were lifted from its back,

  22. وبآرائِه احْتَمَى فهْو إِمَّا

    سُورٌ عَوَّذَتْه أَوْ أَسْوارُه

    and through whose counsels it found shelter: he is either

    Qur'anic chapters warding it, or its ramparts.

  23. فبمعروفِه أَقرَّ وقرَّتْ

    عينُه واستَقَرَّ مِنْه قَرارُه

    Thus it acknowledged his favors, and its eye

    was gladdened; through him its stability was secured.

  24. جاورته الملوكُ تلتمسُ العِزِّ

    ةَ لَمَّا رَأَوْه قَدْ عزَّ جَارُه

    Kings dwelt beside him, seeking glory,

    when they saw that his neighbor had grown mighty.

  25. وتَحامىَ الأَذْمَارُ جانبه الأَشـ

    ـوسَ لما رَأَوْهُ يُحمَى ذِمَارُه

    Brave warriors shunned his fearsome side

    when they saw his honor defended.

  26. صادَ صِيدَ الملوكِ طَوعاً وكرهاً

    وحبالاتُ صَيدِهمْ أَفْكَارُه

    He caught proud kings, willing or unwilling,

    his thoughts the snares that caught them.

  27. كل مَلكٍ منهم فِمِنه غِنَاهُ

    وإِليْه في المُعْضِلاتِ انْتِصَارُه

    Each king among them draws his wealth from him,

    and turns to him for help in grave difficulties.

  28. هُو أَعْلَى الوَرَى مَكاناً وقدْراً

    قَدْ عَلا مَنْ عُلا الدَّرَارِي ديارُه

    He is highest among humankind in rank and worth;

    he has surpassed those whose homes are the heights of the brilliant stars.

  29. شقَّ حتَّى ارْتَقَى بِقَاعَ المعالِي

    طُرْقاً لا يُشق فيها غُباره

    To ascend the expanses of greatness, he blazed

    paths where none can cut through his dust.

  30. لابساً حُلَّةَ العُلا ساحب الذَّيـ

    ـلِ على قِمَّة السُّها جَرَّارُه

    Clad in the robe of exaltation, trailing its

    hem, his train sweeps the summit of al-Suha.

  31. أنظر الأُقْقَ مِنْه فهْو مَنْزِلُه الأَ

    قربُ والشَّمسُ فيه مَنَارُه

    Look at the horizon: in relation to him, it is his

    nearest dwelling, and the sun there is his beacon.

  32. أَثَّرتْ رِجْلُه على وجنةِ الْبَدْ

    رِ فَذاكَ الَّذِي بِها آثَارُه

    His foot left a mark upon the cheek of the full

    moon: those marks upon it are his footprints.

  33. بأْسُه وابْتِسامه وسُطاه

    ونَداه وعَفْوه واقْتِدَارُه

    His might and his smile and his onslaughts,

    his bounty and his pardon and his power.

  34. لَيْس يَنْجُو العدوُّ مِنه إِذا فرَّ

    سوى أَنْ يُرى إِليه قَرَارُه

    The enemy does not escape him when he flees,

    unless his refuge is found to lie with him.

  35. فَمُوالِيه لا يَخِيبُ مُنَاه

    ومُعاديه لاَ يُقَالُ عِثَارُه

    His ally's hopes never fail,

    and his enemy's stumbling is never pardoned.

  36. أَكرَمُ الخلقِ لا يُرى قطُّ أَنْدى

    من يمين الغمامِ إِلاَّ يَسارُه

    Most generous of beings: nothing is ever seen more bountiful

    than the cloud's right hand, except his left.

  37. مِدْحَتي أَطيبُ المدائِح لمَّا

    أَنبتت روضَ مَدْحِه أَمْطَارُه

    My praise is the sweetest of praises, since

    his rains brought forth the garden of his praise.

  38. لا عُلاً في الأَنَامِ إِلاَّ عُلاَه

    لا فخارٌ في الخلقِ إِلاَّ فَخَارُه

    No eminence among humankind but his eminence;

    no glory among beings but his glory.

  39. أَيُّها الصاحِبُ الذي مَلَكَ الدهـ

    ـرَ وأَجنادُ ملكِه أَقْدَارُه

    O minister, you who have mastered

    time, with its fates the armies of your dominion,

  40. قد زَفَفْتُ العروسَ من مصْر للشـ

    ـامِ إِلى كُفْوِها الكريمِ نِجارُه

    I have escorted the bride from Egypt toward

    al-Sham, to her worthy match of noble lineage.

  41. وحقيقٌ لها بأَنْ تُصبِحَ الشُّهـ

    ـبُ إِلَيها يَوْم الزِّفَافِ نثَارُه

    And she deserves that the shooting

    stars be his largesse scattered toward her on the wedding day.