مَن دلَّ ربّاتِ العيونِ النُّجُلِ

مَن دلَّ ربّاتِ العيونِ النُّجُلِ

أنّ القلوب غرضٌ للمقلِ

أنّ القلوب غرضٌ للمقلِ

Who taught the ladies with wide eyes

The one who guided the mistresses of eyes, that hearts are a target for arrows,

that hearts are targets for eyes?

So the black-eyed one did not aim at a black man except that he was wounded, if not killed,

فما رَمتْ سوداءُ منها أسوداً

فما رَمتْ سوداءُ منها أسوداً

فغير أن يُجرحَ إن لم يُقتَلِ

فغير أن يُجرحَ إن لم يُقتَلِ

No black pupil of theirs ever shot at a black heart

Sold his passion cheaply the day desires overwhelmed him,

without its being wounded, if not slain.

Entrusting his innards to piercings,

باع رخيصا لبَّه يومَ اللوى

باع رخيصا لبَّه يومَ اللوى

موكّلٌ أحشاءَه بالكِللِ

موكّلٌ أحشاءَه بالكِللِ

Cheaply he sold his reason that day at al-Liwa,

An unjust ruler's judgment, if he wrongs, does not apologize even if he rules he does not act justly,

the one who entrusted his heart's depths to curtained bowers.

My blood, unlawful to shed except for blood,

حكمُ سِوى مسلَّطٍ إذا جنى

حكمُ سِوى مسلَّطٍ إذا جنى

لم يعتذِرْ وإن قضى لم يَعدلِ

لم يعتذِرْ وإن قضى لم يَعدلِ

Whose rule but a tyrant's? When he wrongs,

For passion why was it made lawful, O you of adornment,

he never apologizes, and when he judges, he is unjust.

You were brought to test me, O creator of magic and temptation,

دَمِي وقد حُرِّم إلا بدمٍ

دَمِي وقد حُرِّم إلا بدمٍ

على اللوى لِمْ حُلَّ يا ذاتَ الحُلي

على اللوى لِمْ حُلَّ يا ذاتَ الحُلي

My blood, forbidden except in requital for blood—

You claimed your love does not decay my body,

at al-Liwa, why was it made lawful, O wearer of jewels?

Yes, by your love it decayed, it truly decayed,

سيقتْ لبلبالِك بابليَّة

سيقتْ لبلبالِك بابليَّة

مالكِ يا خالقةَ السحرِ ولي

مالكِ يا خالقةَ السحرِ ولي

A Babylonian woman was brought to torment you;

Your abode knows that if not for passion,

what have you to do with me, O creator of magic?

My eyelids would not have lingered upon your ruins,

زعمتِ لا يُبلِي هواك جسدي

زعمتِ لا يُبلِي هواك جسدي

بَلَى وحبِّيك بلَى لقد بَلِي

بَلَى وحبِّيك بلَى لقد بَلِي

You claimed that loving you would not wear out my body.

We hurried the camel drivers there, the camels quick of pace,

Yes—by my love for you, yes—it has indeed worn away.

Yearning for you, leaning in their walking,

دارُك تدرِي أنه لولا الهوى

دارُك تدرِي أنه لولا الهوى

ما طُلَّ يوم مقلتي في طلَلِ

ما طُلَّ يوم مقلتي في طلَلِ

Your dwelling knows that, were it not for love,

Between us there is love, not that we stopped,

not once would my eye have bled in vain amid ruins.

When the camel caravan stopped, and the lord of camels,

عجنا بها العيسَ سريعاتِ الخُطَى

عجنا بها العيسَ سريعاتِ الخُطَى

شوقاً إليها مائلاتِ الأرجلِ

شوقاً إليها مائلاتِ الأرجلِ

We turned the pale camels aside there, swift of stride,

I honored the waterskins and journeyed on,

longing for it, with slanting legs.

So they rested their burdens gratefully,

بنا غرامٌ ما بنا أن وقفتْ

بنا غرامٌ ما بنا أن وقفتْ

سيّارةُ الإبْل وربُّ الإبِلِ

سيّارةُ الإبْل وربُّ الإبِلِ

Passion afflicts us; what troubles us is the halt

The blamer in his censure did not know,

of the camel caravan and the camels' master.

That the arrow of blame, my hearing is my death,

أوقرت المزنُ العيابَ وسرت

أوقرت المزنُ العيابَ وسرت

فوضعتْ حُمولَها بحَوْمَلِ

فوضعتْ حُمولَها بحَوْمَلِ

The rain clouds loaded their baggage sacks and journeyed,

Take what you want, the more difficult, even if,

then set down their burdens at Hawmal.

Your lot falls short, so extend it and make it longer,

ما علم العاذلُ في إنباضه

ما علم العاذلُ في إنباضه

سهمَ الملام أنّ سمعي مقتلي

سهمَ الملام أنّ سمعي مقتلي

The reproacher did not know, in loosing

Who knows his soul's honor will be honored, and who,

the arrow of blame, that my hearing is my fatal spot.

Honors the judgment of time will be debased,

خذ بالأشدِّ كلَّ ما تبغي وإن

خذ بالأشدِّ كلَّ ما تبغي وإن

قصّر حظٌ فانبسط وطوّلِ

قصّر حظٌ فانبسط وطوّلِ

Take with utmost resolve all you desire; and if

Moderation is the harvest of the sun at its zenith,

fortune falls short, stretch out and extend your reach.

And in infinity there is salvation for the planets,

من يَعلُ عزُّ نفسه يَعلُ ومن

من يَعلُ عزُّ نفسه يَعلُ ومن

يَعلُ على حكم الزمان يسفُلِ

يَعلُ على حكم الزمان يسفُلِ

He whose self-respect rises will rise; and he who

And how would matters not come from a high place,

rises above Time's decree will sink.

When he clings to al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali’s rope,

توسُّطُ الشمس جنى كسوفَها

توسُّطُ الشمس جنى كسوفَها

وفي التناهي نجوةٌ لزُحَلِ

وفي التناهي نجوةٌ لزُحَلِ

The sun's middle station brought on its eclipse,

He has blamed me for my hopes, and if the eternal,

and at the utmost height lies safety for Saturn.

Were tied for me, it would not be undone,

وكيف لا يأتي الأمورَ من علٍ

وكيف لا يأتي الأمورَ من علٍ

معتلقٌ حبلَ الحسين بنِ علي

معتلقٌ حبلَ الحسين بنِ علي

And how could one not approach affairs from on high,

I elucidate what is under the tongue, and it is clear,

when clinging to the rope of al-Husayn ibn Ali?

With his right hand in every ambiguous speech,

أذَمَّ لي على الأماني ماجدٌ

أذَمَّ لي على الأماني ماجدٌ

لو عَقدَ الخلودَ لي لم يُحلَلِ

لو عَقدَ الخلودَ لي لم يُحلَلِ

A noble man gave me his pledge for my hopes;

The doer of what he says by his high character,

were he to bind immortality to me, it would not be unbound.

When the clouds speak what they have not done,

أبلجُ ما تحت اللسان واضحٌ

أبلجُ ما تحت اللسان واضحٌ

بيمنه في كلّ خطبٍ مشكلِ

بيمنه في كلّ خطبٍ مشكلِ

Bright is what lies beneath his tongue; he stands out

He is openhanded, giving more than asked,

through his auspiciousness in every perplexing crisis.

A pleasure, giving what was not requested,

فاعلُ ما قال على عِلّاتِه

فاعلُ ما قال على عِلّاتِه

إذا السحابُ قال ما لم يفعلِ

إذا السحابُ قال ما لم يفعلِ

He fulfills his word, despite its difficulties,

I called him while fate had ripened for me,

when clouds promise what they do not deliver.

Fruit not guarded against by any arrows,

جذلانُ ما سألتَه وزاده

جذلانُ ما سألتَه وزاده

مسرَّةً إعطاءُ ما لم يُسأَلِ

مسرَّةً إعطاءُ ما لم يُسأَلِ

He delights in what you ask him, and is made still more

While my strategies against him were lost,

joyful by giving what he was not asked to give.

As the sands had multiplied against my strategies,

دعوتهُ والدهر قد أنبلَ لي

دعوتهُ والدهر قد أنبلَ لي

طريرةً لا تُتَّقَى بنَبلِ

طريرةً لا تُتَّقَى بنَبلِ

I called upon him when Time had readied for me

An honorable soul enlightened me about him,

a keen blade that arrows could not ward off.

Youth disdained it, its taste like colocynth,

وحِيَلي ضائعةٌ في كيده

وحِيَلي ضائعةٌ في كيده

والرملُ قد كاثرته بحيلي

والرملُ قد كاثرته بحيلي

And my stratagems were futile against its scheming,

Until I rose against it lion-like,

though I had rivaled the sand in number with my stratagems.

The seats of indolence and decay turned away from me,

فبصَّرتْني منه نفسٌ حرّةٌ

فبصَّرتْني منه نفسٌ حرّةٌ

شاب الإباءُ شهدَها بحنظلِ

شاب الإباءُ شهدَها بحنظلِ

Then a noble soul within him opened my eyes,

My namesake taught me until I surpassed him,

whose honey proud refusal had mixed with colocynth,

That passion is a mount for poetry,

حتى نهضتُ نابها نابيةً

حتى نهضتُ نابها نابيةً

عنّي مقاعدُ الخمول المُرِملِ

عنّي مقاعدُ الخمول المُرِملِ

until I rose renowned, and there receded

And his generosity facilitated praise for me,

from me the seats of penniless obscurity.

As generosity is the key to the locked tongue,

علمني النسيبَ حتى خلتُه

علمني النسيبَ حتى خلتُه

أنّ الهوى مطيّةٌ للغزلِ

أنّ الهوى مطيّةٌ للغزلِ

He taught me love poetry until I imagined

Ask the Banū ʿAbd al-Raḥīm about their traits,

that passion was a mount for amorous verse.

What qualities set out or was likened to their house,

وذلّل المديحَ لي نوالُه

وذلّل المديحَ لي نوالُه

والجودُ مفتاحُ اللسان المقفَلِ

والجودُ مفتاحُ اللسان المقفَلِ

And his bounty tamed praise poetry for me,

They trod the wars under their pens,

and generosity is the key to the locked tongue.

Stabbing with them the first squadrons,

سل ببني عبد الرحيم وصفَهم

سل ببني عبد الرحيم وصفَهم

ما سار في بيتٍ لهم أو مثَلِ

ما سار في بيتٍ لهم أو مثَلِ

Ask how Banu Abd al-Rahim are described

How the insignificant attacked while mounted,

in a verse or proverb that has spread about them.

Upon a horse of theirs but did not dismount,

داسوا الحروب من قنا أقلامهم

داسوا الحروب من قنا أقلامهم

بالطاعنات في الرعيلِ الأوّلِ

بالطاعنات في الرعيلِ الأوّلِ

They trampled wars with the lance shafts of their pens,

And he dragged along in his books,

thrusting into the foremost ranks.

An army that marched with him but he did not depart,

كم نازلَ الكميَّ وهو راكبٌ

كم نازلَ الكميَّ وهو راكبٌ

راكبُ دَستٍ منهمُ لم ينزِلِ

راكبُ دَستٍ منهمُ لم ينزِلِ

How often has an armored warrior, still mounted, been challenged

So no occasion undermined your position,

by one of them mounted on a dais, who never dismounted!

No stumbling of my legs in the legs,

وجرَّ من كتيبةٍ في كتبهِ

وجرَّ من كتيبةٍ في كتبهِ

سرَتْ به وشخصُه لم يرحلِ

سرَتْ به وشخصُه لم يرحلِ

And how many a battalion he drew along through his letters,

And the day comes bringing you noble festival,

marching with him, though he himself never traveled.

Conveying to you the covenant of a thousand coming festivals,

فلا أخلَّ بالعلاء موقفٌ

فلا أخلَّ بالعلاء موقفٌ

لقدميك زَلقٌ بالأرجلِ

لقدميك زَلقٌ بالأرجلِ

May no station of yours fall short of high honor,

A day that narrated your nobility and joy,

a place for your feet, slippery for other feet.

And surpassed what one reasonable comprehends or does not comprehend,

وأقبل الأضحى عليك مُوصِلاً

وأقبل الأضحى عليك مُوصِلاً

إليك عهدَ ألفِ عيدٍ مقبلِ

إليك عهدَ ألفِ عيدٍ مقبلِ

And Eid al-Adha has come to you, conveying

The superiority of people and time is due to you both,

to you the pledge of a thousand feasts to come.

In the onlookers’ eyes and in imagining,

يومٌ حكاك شرفا وبهجةً

يومٌ حكاك شرفا وبهجةً

وفاق من يعقِلُ ما لم يعقِلِ

وفاق من يعقِلُ ما لم يعقِلِ

A day that mirrored you in honor and splendor,

As if the days in that single day,

yet he who has reason surpassed what has none.

And all the people from you in that single man,

فضلُ الأنام والزمان لكما

فضلُ الأنام والزمان لكما

في نظر العين وفي التخيّلِ

في نظر العين وفي التخيّلِ

The excellence of humankind and Time belongs to you both,

in the eye's view and in imagination.

كأنما الأيّام في يوم به

كأنما الأيّام في يوم به

والناس منك كلُّهم في رجلِ

والناس منك كلُّهم في رجلِ

As though, through it, all days were gathered in one day,

and all people, in you, were gathered in one man.