Sol 6.1

  1. سَجَا لَيْلُ همِّي بالعِذار الَّذي سَجا

    وعرَّج قَلْبي نَحْوهُ حِينَ عرَّجا

    My sorrow's night grew dark with the down that shaded his cheek.

    My heart turned toward it when it curved.

  2. يقولون فَوْقَ الخدِّ منه بنفسجٌ

    لَعَلَّهمُ لا يعرِفُون البَنَفْسَجا

    They say there are violets upon his cheek;

    perhaps they do not know violets.

  3. تذَهَّبَ خدٌّ فيه خطٌّ مُنمنمٌ

    فهل أَبصَرَت عيناكَ ثوباً مُمَزَّجا

    His cheek was gilded, bearing a finely patterned line;

    have your eyes ever seen a fabric of mingled hues?

  4. ودينارُ وجهٍ للحبيب معلَّقٌ

    فلو قُرِّب الدينارُ منه تَبَهْرَجا

    A dinar of a face hangs upon the beloved;

    were a dinar brought beside it, it would prove counterfeit.

  5. فلا يعجَب الدينارُ من أَمر نَفْسه

    فلو جُعِلَ الياقوت منه تَسبَّجَا

    So let the dinar not marvel at its own plight;

    for if a ruby were placed beside it, it would turn to jet.

  6. دعا القلبُ أَنْصَاراً على الهمِّ والأَسى

    فصادَف أَوْساً من دُموعي وخَزْرَجا

    The heart called for helpers against sorrow and grief;

    and found Aws and Khazraj among my tears.

  7. وشبَّ لهيبُ القلبِ إِذ فاض مَدْمَعِي

    فَنَوْرَزَ طرفي إِذ رأَى القلبَ مَهْرجا

    The heart's blaze flared when my tears overflowed;

    my eye kept Nowruz when it saw my heart keeping Mihrijan.

  8. بنفسِيَ من لا تعشق النفسُ غيرَه

    ولو كانَ إِسْما كان في العين أَسْمَجا

    My life for him—the soul loves none but him;

    even were he a name, he would be most unsightly to the eye.

  9. على أَنَّ مَنْ أَهواه ما زالَ وجْهُه

    من البدْرِ أَبُهى بل من الشَّمْس أَبْهَجَا

    Yet the face of the one I love has always been

    fairer than the full moon—more radiant even than the sun.

  10. أَتاني فوافَانِي السرورُ وقد أَتى

    إِليَّ ومرَّ الهمُّ عَنِّي حينَ جَا

    He came to me, and joy met me as he came

    to me; sorrow left me the moment he arrived.

  11. وظِلْتُ أَضُمُّ الغُصنَ منه مُهفْهَفاً

    وأَلْثُم منه الأُقحوانَ مفلَّجَا

    I kept embracing his slender bough of a body,

    and kissing his daisy-white teeth, spaced apart.

  12. وأَبصرت في خدَّيه روْضاً مُوَشَّعاً

    وللهدبِ ظِلاًّ فوق خدَّيه سَجْسَجا

    I saw on his cheeks an embroidered garden,

    and the gentle shade his lashes cast upon his cheeks.

  13. وقَبَّلتُ بين الحاجبين صبابَةً

    وقد كان مقْروناً فأَصبح أَبْلَجا

    In longing, I kissed between his brows;

    his brows had been joined; now a clear space lay between.

  14. وقلتُ اسْقِياني من يديه مُدامةً

    تُناسيه في قَطْعها حُجَّة الحِجَا

    I said, “You two, give me wine from his hands,

    that makes him forget reason's case for abandoning it.

  15. ولا تَمزجَاها في الكُؤوس بِريقه

    ولكنْ بمدح العادِل المْلكِ فامْزجا

    Do not mix it in the cups with his saliva,

    but mix it with praise of al-Adil, the king.”

  16. مدائحُه تُسلي المُحِبُّ عن الهوى

    ويَسْري بها ركبُ الظَّلامِ مَعَ الرَّجا

    His praises distract the lover from passion,

    and night's caravan travels with them, accompanied by hope.

  17. ودولَتُه أَيامُها سِحْريَّةٌ

    فقد أَصبحت أَيّامُه الغُرُّ مَنْبِجَا

    The days of his reign are magical;

    for his radiant days have become Manbij.

  18. فَمادِحُها بِالحُسنِ والطِّيب ما افْتَرى الـ

    ـحَديثَ وراوِي فَضْلِها ما تَلَجْلَجَا

    Whoever praises its beauty and fragrance has not fabricated the

    account, nor has the teller of its excellence faltered.

  19. أَخو عَزْمةِ لا يَنْثَني عن مُرادِه

    وقَدْ قيل قِدْماً كُلُّ مَنْ لجَّ لَجْلَجا

    A man of firm resolve, he never swerves from his purpose,

    though it was said of old, “Whoever persists will falter.”

  20. فلو رامَ بُرجاً في السماءِ لما عَصى

    عليه وقِرْناً في السَّحاب لمَا نَجا

    Were he to seek a tower in the sky, it would not defy

    him; nor would an adversary in the clouds escape.

  21. أَجارَ فلو أَعْطى النهارَ ذِمَامه

    لما كان يَخْشَى بعده هَجْمة الدُّجى

    He grants protection: if he pledged his safeguard to the day,

    it would never afterward fear the onslaught of darkness.

  22. كذا فليكن من رام أَن يَملكَ الورى

    ومن شاءَ فيهم أَن يكون مُتَوَّجا

    Let whoever would rule mankind be like this,

    and whoever would wear a crown among them.

  23. علا طرفُ سعدٍ ظلَّ بالعزم مُلْجَما

    كما أَنَّه قد بَاتَ بالحزْمِ مُسْرَجَا

    Fortune's steed rose high, remaining bridled with resolve,

    just as it had spent the night saddled with prudence.

  24. يَجُرُّ جيوشاً يركد النَّقْعُ بينها

    فلم يلق من بين الأَسنَّةِ مَخْرَجا

    He draws armies after him; dust hangs motionless among them,

    finding no way out between the spearheads.

  25. وإن أَظلَمَت من نَقْعه جَنَباتُه

    فكَمْ صُبحِ سيفٍ بَيْنَه قد تَبلَّجا

    Though its flanks are darkened by its dust,

    how many a sword's dawn has broken in its midst!

  26. وما هُوَ جَيْشٌ مثلُ ما يزعُم العِدى

    ولكنه بَحْرُ الحديدِ تموَّجا

    It is no army, as the foes suppose,

    but a sea of iron, surging in waves.

  27. وما ذَاك لمعٌ للدُّروع ولا الظُّبى

    ولكنَّه جَمْرُ العزائِمِ أُجِّجَا

    That is no gleam of mail or sword-edges,

    but embers of resolve, kindled to a blaze.

  28. غدا سيفُ سيف الدين خدّاً مورَّدا

    وإِن كان ثغراً بالفلول مفلَّجا

    Sayf al-Din's sword has become a rose-red cheek,

    though it is a mouth, gap-toothed with nicks.

  29. يكفُّ كما أَوْصاه عَنْ كُلِّ حاسرٍ

    فما يَبْتَغي إِلا الكميَّ المدَجَّجا

    It holds back, as he commanded it, from every unarmored man;

    it seeks only the warrior clad in full armor.

  30. فيعجِلُه بالضَّربِ عَنْ شُربِ رِيقه

    لقد غصَّ مَنْ كان الحُسام له شَجا

    Its blows give him no time even to swallow his saliva;

    he surely chokes who has the sword lodged in his throat.

  31. هنيئاً لك الملْكُ الَّذِي أَنتَ رَبُّه

    وغوثٌ لمن أَسْرى إِليكَ وأَدْلَجا

    May you enjoy your realm—you are its master,

    and succor to all who set out and travel to you by night.

  32. وكَمْ شاسعٍ لَمْ يلْق جودَك شَاسِعاً

    وكم مرتج لم يلق بأبك مرتجا

    Many a far-off man has not found your bounty far away;

    and many a hopeful man has not found your door shut.

  33. ولم تر إلا شرعة الجود شرعة

    ولم تر إِلاَّ مَنْهَج الجُودِ مَنْهَجَا

    You have recognized no law but the law of generosity,

    and no path but the path of generosity.

  34. وَسِعْت الوَرى بذْلاً وعَدْلاً فصادفوا الرّ

    جَاءَ عزيزاً منكَ والحقَّ أَبْلَجا

    You embraced mankind with bounty and justice; they found their

    hope made strong by you, and truth shining clear.

  35. فعدلُك فيهم زادَ منهم على المُنَى

    وبَذْلُك فيهم شَفَّ منهم على الرَّجا

    For your justice among them surpassed their wishes,

    and your bounty among them exceeded their hopes.

  36. فعلتَ من الأَفعالِ ما سار ذِكْرُه

    فلم يَبْقَ قُطْرٌ منه إِلاَّ تَأَرَّجا

    You did deeds whose renown traveled far,

    and no region remained unperfumed by it.

  37. فمُلِّيت ملكاً عطرَّ الدَّهرَ ذكرُه

    ووُسّع صدرٌ منه قد كان مُحْرَجاً

    So may you long enjoy a reign whose renown perfumed the ages,

    and time's once-constricted breast was opened.

  38. وهنئتَ عاماً أَنْتَ أَقْصى مراده

    لقصْدِك أَسْرَى بل إِلى ظِلك الْتَجا

    And may you be blessed with a year whose dearest wish is you;

    it journeyed by night to seek you—rather, sought refuge in your shade.

  39. أَرى مَدْح مَوْلانا عَليَّ فريضةً

    سأَشْدُو بها شَدْوَ الحَمامِ مهُرِّجا

    I deem praise of our lord a duty laid upon me;

    I shall sing it like the doves, cooing aloud.

  40. رأَيتُ من الإِنْعامِ روضاً مدبَّجا

    فلا عجَباً إِنْ جاءَ مَدْحي مُدبَّجا

    I saw in your favors a richly brocaded garden;

    so no wonder if my praise comes richly brocaded.