Sol 6.1

  1. نسيمُ رَبْعِك أَفْدِيه بأَنْفَاسِي

    وصوتُ حَلْيِك أَحْكيه بِوَسْوَاسِ

    The breeze of your dwelling—I would ransom it with my breaths.

    And the sound of your jewelry I echo with whispers.

  2. يا حاجبيةُ مِنْ قوسٍ بِحاجبها

    رَدَّت سهامُك ما قَالَتْه أَقْوَاسي

    O Hajibiyya, from a bow within her brow,

    your arrows answered what my bows had said.

  3. أُسْمَى بِضَحَّاك فَوْزي فيكِ من كربٍ

    وفوزُ غيري يسمِّيه بعبَّاسِ

    I call my deliverance through you from anguish Dahhak, the laugher;

    another's success calls it Abbas, the frowner.

  4. حبسٌ عليكِ قلوبُ الخلقِ قاطبةً

    فحسنُ وجهِك ديوانٌ لأَحْباس

    The hearts of all creation are an endowment to you;

    your face's beauty is a register of endowments.

  5. إِن غابَ قدُّك في مخضَرِّ بُرْدَتِه

    غالطتُ قلبي بأَغصانٍ من الآس

    If your figure disappears within its green mantle,

    I beguile my heart with branches of myrtle.

  6. وقلتُ والنَّفْسُ غَرْقى في كَرى وَلهي

    أَفْدِي فماً لكِ أَضْحَى طَيفُه كاسي

    And I said, my soul drowning in the slumber of longing:

    I would ransom your mouth, whose phantom has become my cup.

  7. لو لنتِ لي مِتُّ من عشقٍ ومن كَلِف

    فلستُ أَشكرُ إِلاَّ قَلْبَكَ القاسِي

    Had you softened toward me, I would have died of love and passion;

    so I thank only your cruel heart.

  8. ينسى ادكاريَ والنسيانُ يذكره

    يا حرَّ قَلْباه مِن ذا الذَّاكِر النَّاسِي

    It forgets my remembrance, yet forgetfulness remembers it.

    Ah, my heart burns for this forgetful rememberer!

  9. قلْ للعواذِلِ ما في العشقِ مِنْ حَرج

    وللَّوائِم ما في الْحُبِّ مِنْ باس

    Tell the reproaching women: there is no sin in passion,

    and the blaming women: there is no harm in love.

  10. فهل تعشَّقْتُ شمساً غيرَ نيِّرةٍ

    وهل تعلَّقْتُ غُصْناً غيرَ ميَّاسِ

    So have I loved any sun that was not radiant?

    And have I clung to any bough that did not sway?

  11. وإِن بَدَا بِيَ كَلْمٌ في الحَشا فَنَدي

    عبد الرَّحيمِ لذِاكَ الْكَلْم كْالآسِي

    And if a wound appears within my breast, the bounty of

    Abd al-Rahim is like a healer for that wound.

  12. في جُودِه لي مَسلاةٌ ونائلُه

    أَحْلَى بِقلْبيَ مِنْ أَيَّامِ إِحْلاسي

    In his generosity I find solace, and his bounty

    is sweeter to my heart than the days of my destitution.

  13. أَغْنَى يديَّ بأَوطَانِي نداه فما

    أَنْضَيْتُ إِبْلي ولا أَتْعَبْتُ أَفْرَاسي

    His bounty enriched my hands in my own lands, so I never

    wore out my camels or exhausted my horses.

  14. ولم أَقُلْ لَيْت قَوْمِي يعلمُون بِما

    أَضْحَى عَليه ثَرائِي بَعْدَ إِفْلاَسِي

    Nor did I say, 'If only my people knew

    what my wealth has become after my poverty.'

  15. لكنَّني قُلتُ قَدْ أَحْسَنتَ بي كَرَماً

    ألَّفْتَ كِسيَ بل أَلَّفْتَ أَكْياسِي

    Instead I said, 'You have treated me generously and well:

    you filled my purse with a thousand—indeed, all my purses with thousands.'

  16. وافَى الصفيُّ إِذا رقَّت أَمانَتُه

    إِنَّ الصَّفيَّ له فضلٌ على النَّاس

    Al-Safi came when his trust grew fragile;

    truly, al-Safi has merit above all people.

  17. كم اقْتَضَى وارْتَضَى شُكْري ومَحْمَدتي

    لمَّا تَلَطَّف في بِرِّي وإِيْنَاس

    How often he has earned and accepted my thanks and praise,

    when he graciously showed me kindness and companionship.

  18. فالدَّهرُ منه مَعَ الأَيَّام في خَدمِي

    الدَّهرُ حِصنيَ والأَيَّامُ حُرَّاسي

    Through him, Time and the days are in my service;

    Time is my fortress, and the days my guards.

  19. وكنتُ قِدْماً مَعَ الأَيَّام في فِتَنٍ

    وكُلُّ ساعةِ يومٍ يومُ أَوطاسِ

    And long ago I lived amid strife with the days,

    and every hour of every day was a day of Awtas.

  20. عَلاَ عَلى النَّاس قَدْراً وارتفاعَ سَناً

    حتَّى لقد قِيلَ مَا هَذَا مِنَ النَّاسِ

    He rose above mankind in rank and soaring radiance,

    until it was truly said, 'This is no mortal.'

  21. وفاقَ تدبيرُه الدُّنيا بأَربعةٍ

    لينٍ وشدٍّ وإِيضاحٍ وإِلباسِ

    His governance surpassed the world through four things:

    gentleness, firmness, clarification, and concealment.

  22. نَأْتي بأَنواعِ مَدْح فيه مبتكرٍ

    لكن مَعاليه تَأْتِينا بأَجْنَاس

    We bring fresh varieties of praise for him,

    but his lofty deeds bring us entire classes.

  23. نلقَى تُرابَ مَواطِيه بأَعيُنِنَا

    وتَحسُد الرِّجلَ فيه قمةُ الراس

    We greet the dust of his footsteps with our eyes,

    and for his sake the crown of the head envies the foot.

  24. ترى البشاشَةَ في وجهٍ له لبقٍ

    ليس الرشيدُ إِذا حَيَّا بعَبَّاسِ

    You see cheerfulness in his gracious face;

    the wise Rashid is no frowning Abbas when he greets.

  25. كأَنما الكَفُّ منه مثلُ مُصْحَفِه

    واللثمُ فيها كأَعشارِ وأَخْمَاس

    His palm is as though it were his copy of the Quran,

    and kisses upon it are like tenth- and fifth-verse markings.

  26. إِذا أَرَدْتَ ترى الأَقْدَارَ جَاريَةً

    فانظر له قَلَماً مِنْ فَوقِ قِرْطَاس

    If you wish to see destinies unfolding,

    then look at a pen of his above a sheet of paper.

  27. يُسَامِر الفكرَ معنى ما يخُظُ به

    يا حسنَه سمراً في ليل أَنْفاس

    The meaning of what he writes with it converses by night with thought:

    how lovely its night-talk, in a night of breaths!

  28. نجومُ تِلك المعالي ضِدُّها ذَكر ال

    كنْدِيُّ سَارَت فَلَمْ تُشْدَدُ بِأَمْراس

    The stars of those glories—their opposite was mentioned by al-

    Kindi—have traveled without being bound by ropes.

  29. يا فَاضِلَ الْخَلْقِ يا من فضلُ نَائِله

    في الخلق سَار وفي أَوْطانهم رَاسِي

    O best of creation, you whose abundant bounty

    has spread among people and stands rooted in their homelands,

  30. تَهنَّ بالعشرِ يا من خَمسُ راحته

    لشاهقاتِ المعالي خيرُ آسَاسِ

    rejoice in the ten days, you whose palm's five fingers

    are the best foundations for towering glories.

  31. فما برحتَ لأَجلِ الأَجْر مجتهداً

    تصومُه وسِواك الطَّاعِمُ الْكَاسِي

    For you have never ceased striving for the reward,

    fasting through them while others eat and are clothed.

  32. وليهن خلقا بك الدُّنيا عروسُهمُ

    فكُلُّ أَيامِهم أَيَّامُ أَعْراس

    And may the people rejoice through you: the world is their bride,

    for all their days are wedding days.

  33. قد قلتُ إِنَّك خيرُ العالمين فما

    أَخطأتُ ظَنيِّ ولا أَبْعدتُ مِقْياسي

    I have said you are the best of all creation, and so

    I have not erred in my judgment or stretched my measure too far.