أتَحسبُ من حُمْر الشَّقيقِ خُدُودُها

أتَحسبُ من حُمْر الشَّقيقِ خُدُودُها

ومن بعضِ رُمَّان الجِنانِ نُهودُها

ومن بعضِ رُمَّان الجِنانِ نُهودُها

Do you think her cheeks are made of red anemones,

Do you think her rosy cheeks are made of poppy flowers?

and her breasts of some pomegranates from the gardens?

Or that her breasts are pomegranates from the gardens of Paradise?

دَهِشْتَ لما شاهدتَ منها مُوَلَّهاً

دَهِشْتَ لما شاهدتَ منها مُوَلَّهاً

فأنقَصتها من حيثُ جئتَ تَزِيدُها

فأنقَصتها من حيثُ جئتَ تَزِيدُها

You were bewildered, love-struck by what you saw of her,

You were amazed when you saw her lover,

so you diminished her where you sought to exalt her.

So you diminished her, though you had come to praise her more.

فَتاةٌ لِعينَيها جُفونٌ مَرِيضةٌ

فَتاةٌ لِعينَيها جُفونٌ مَرِيضةٌ

لِكَثرةِ ما تَغزُو وهُنَّ جُنودُها

لِكَثرةِ ما تَغزُو وهُنَّ جُنودُها

A maiden whose eyes have languishing lids,

A girl whose eyelids are sick from the armies

because she raids so often, and they are her troops.

That attack so often when her eyes call them to battle.

سَمِعتُ بأنَّ الخالَ يُحسَبُ عَبدَها

سَمِعتُ بأنَّ الخالَ يُحسَبُ عَبدَها

فأمّلْتُ أنْ تَدنْو كذاكَ عبيدُها

فأمّلْتُ أنْ تَدنْو كذاكَ عبيدُها

I heard that the mole is reckoned her slave,

I heard that moles on cheeks are considered her slaves,

so I hoped her slaves might likewise draw near.

So I wished that her slaves would multiply in this way.

أرى كلَّ حربٍ فيهِ للقومِ هُدنةٌ

أرى كلَّ حربٍ فيهِ للقومِ هُدنةٌ

سِوَى حربِ مَن تسطو عليهِ البيضِ سُودُها

سِوَى حربِ مَن تسطو عليهِ البيضِ سُودُها

I see in every war a truce for the people,

Every war brings truce for the people

save the war of one assailed by fair women's dark eyes.

Except the war of those whose white skins are conquered by her black braids.

وكلُّ مرِيضٍ يتَّقِي اللهَ نائباً

وكلُّ مرِيضٍ يتَّقِي اللهَ نائباً

سِوىَ جَفنها الطَّاغي بما لا يُفيدها

سِوىَ جَفنها الطَّاغي بما لا يُفيدها

Every sick person fears God, repentant,

And every sick man prays to God for relief

save her eyelid, tyrannical in what brings her no benefit.

Except her rebellious eyelid that brings her no benefit.

نَحيلةُ خَصرٍ مثلَ جسمي من الضَّنَى

نَحيلةُ خَصرٍ مثلَ جسمي من الضَّنَى

تَرِفُّ عليهِ مثلَ قلبي بُنودُها

تَرِفُّ عليهِ مثلَ قلبي بُنودُها

Slender of waist, like my body wasted by illness,

A slender waist like my weary body

her banners flutter over it, like my heart.

Her breasts rain upon it like her necklaces.

رأيتُ قَضيبَ الخَيزُرانةِ ذابلاً

رأيتُ قَضيبَ الخَيزُرانةِ ذابلاً

فأيقَنتُ أن الخَيزُرانَ حَسوُدُها

فأيقَنتُ أن الخَيزُرانَ حَسوُدُها

I saw a withered bamboo stalk,

I saw the penis of a cucumber withered,

so I knew for certain that bamboo envies her.

So I knew the cause was the cucumber's jealousy of her.

هَوِيتُ التي كم عِندَها من دمٍ لنا

هَوِيتُ التي كم عِندَها من دمٍ لنا

تحَلَّى بهِ مثلَ القَلائدِ جِيدُها

تحَلَّى بهِ مثلَ القَلائدِ جِيدُها

I loved the one who holds so much of our blood,

I desired she who has so much of our blood on her

with which her neck was adorned as with necklaces.

Adorning her neck like a necklace.

ومالَتْ بِعطِفي صَبْوةٌ لو تَلاعَبتْ

ومالَتْ بِعطِفي صَبْوةٌ لو تَلاعَبتْ

بِخَيمْتِها الشَّمَّاء مالَ عَمُودُها

بِخَيمْتِها الشَّمَّاء مالَ عَمُودُها

And passion bent my frame; had it toyed

A beauty leaned against me - if she had played

with her lofty tent, its pole would have bent.

With her tent, its pillar would bend when the north wind blew.

ولكننَّي ممَّن أعَدَّ لدَهرِهِ

ولكننَّي ممَّن أعَدَّ لدَهرِهِ

كتائبَ صَبرٍ ليسَ يُحصَى عَدِيدُها

كتائبَ صَبرٍ ليسَ يُحصَى عَدِيدُها

But I am among those who have mustered against time

But I am one who has prepared for his fate

battalions of patience whose numbers cannot be counted.

Battalions of patience beyond counting.

وعِندي وقارٌ من خلائقِ أحمَدٍ

وعِندي وقارٌ من خلائقِ أحمَدٍ

فَجُزْتُ ولم تُمطِر عَلَيَّ رُعودُها

فَجُزْتُ ولم تُمطِر عَلَيَّ رُعودُها

And I have dignity drawn from Ahmad's virtues,

And I have dignity from the manners of Ahmad

so I passed through, and her thunders did not rain upon me.

So I avoided her though she sent no lightning against me.

خَلائِقُ تَزدانُ السَّجايا بِحُسنِها

خَلائِقُ تَزدانُ السَّجايا بِحُسنِها

كما زَيَّنتْ بيضَ النُّحورِ عُقودُها

كما زَيَّنتْ بيضَ النُّحورِ عُقودُها

Virtues whose beauty adorns character,

Manners that adorn virtues with their beauty

as white throats are adorned by their necklaces.

As necklaces adorn the whiteness of throats.

إذا كانتِ الأفلاكَ فَهْيَ نُجومُها

إذا كانتِ الأفلاكَ فَهْيَ نُجومُها

وإن كانتِ الأقمارَ فهْيَ سُعُودُها

وإن كانتِ الأقمارَ فهْيَ سُعُودُها

If those traits were celestial spheres, his virtues would be their stars;

If the spheres are stars, then she is their moons.

and if they were moons, his virtues would be their auspicious stars.

A generous one whose old virtues still shine when heard.

كريمُ صفاتٍ لا يَمُرُّ قَدِيمُها

كريمُ صفاتٍ لا يَمُرُّ قَدِيمُها

على مِسمَعٍ حتى يَلُوحَ جَديدُها

على مِسمَعٍ حتى يَلُوحَ جَديدُها

A man of noble qualities: no old one reaches

If affairs look gloomy in the morning,

a listener's ear before a new one shines forth.

He heals them, by God's permission, when he returns to them.

إذا أصبحَتْ دُهْمُ الأمورِ مريضةً

إذا أصبحَتْ دُهْمُ الأمورِ مريضةً

شَفاها بإذنِ اللهِ حينَ يَعودُها

شَفاها بإذنِ اللهِ حينَ يَعودُها

When dark affairs fall ill,

He has ambition for distant events,

he heals them, by God's leave, when he visits them.

Drawing near those whose deeds have earned it.

لهُ هِمَّةٌ في الحادثاتِ بعيدةٌ

لهُ هِمَّةٌ في الحادثاتِ بعيدةٌ

إذا راضَتِ الأعمالَ يدنو بَعيدُها

إذا راضَتِ الأعمالَ يدنو بَعيدُها

He has far-reaching resolve amid calamities;

The beauty of his character and manners are joined in him -

when it tames undertakings, their distant reaches draw near.

Rare, precious qualities, exalted in their existence.

تألَّفَ حُسنُ الخَلْقِ والخُلقِ عِندَهُ

تألَّفَ حُسنُ الخَلْقِ والخُلقِ عِندَهُ

وتِلكَ اخِتصاصاتٌ عزيزةٌ وُجودُها

وتِلكَ اخِتصاصاتٌ عزيزةٌ وُجودُها

Beauty of form and character unite in him,

The light of beauty adorns his face,

and such distinctions are rarely found.

Fluent greetings pouring forth benefit those who hear them.

على وَجهِهِ نُورُ الجمالِ يزِينُهُ

على وَجهِهِ نُورُ الجمالِ يزِينُهُ

طَلاقةُ بِشرٍ فوقَهُ يَستَفيدُها

طَلاقةُ بِشرٍ فوقَهُ يَستَفيدُها

Upon his face is beauty's light, adorned

From his mind come the sharpness of swords and their cutting edge,

by the radiant cheerfulness he gains besides.

And from his resolve in tribulations, their steel.

ومن ذِهنهِ ماءُ السُّيوفِ وحَدُّها

ومن ذِهنهِ ماءُ السُّيوفِ وحَدُّها

ومِن عَزمِهِ في النَّائبات حَديدُها

ومِن عَزمِهِ في النَّائبات حَديدُها

And from his mind come the swords' sheen and edge,

Indeed the son of the righteous one is suited for sincere praise,

and from his resolve amid calamities comes their iron.

So he became a prince leading rhymes.

لَقد صَلَحَ ابنُ الصُّلحِ لِلمَدْح صادقاً

لَقد صَلَحَ ابنُ الصُّلحِ لِلمَدْح صادقاً

فكانَ أميراً للقَوافي يَقودُها

فكانَ أميراً للقَوافي يَقودُها

Indeed, Ibn al-Sulh has proved worthy of truthful praise,

Before him, the generous have situations

so he became a prince of rhymes, leading them.

Whose claims are valid, whose witnesses are honest.

لها بينَ أيدِيهِ الكِرامِ مَواقِفٌ

لها بينَ أيدِيهِ الكِرامِ مَواقِفٌ

صِحاحٌ دَعاويها عُدولٌ شُهوُدُها

صِحاحٌ دَعاويها عُدولٌ شُهوُدُها

Before his generous hands they take their stands,

Composing poetry has become difficult for me because

their claims sound, their witnesses upright.

Its frustration grieves my patient heart.

وقد شَقَّ نَظْمُ الشِّعرِ عندي لِعلَّةٍ

وقد شَقَّ نَظْمُ الشِّعرِ عندي لِعلَّةٍ

يِشُقُّ على قلبي الصَّبورِ جُحودُها

يِشُقُّ على قلبي الصَّبورِ جُحودُها

And composing verse has grown hard for me, for a reason

Of poetry there is praise - few deserve it,

that my patient heart finds hard to deny.

And satire I do not aim to produce.

منَ الشِّعرِ مَدْحٌ قَلَّ مَنْ يَستَحِقُّهُ

منَ الشِّعرِ مَدْحٌ قَلَّ مَنْ يَستَحِقُّهُ

وصَنعةُ هَجْوٍ لَسْتُ ممَّن يُرِيدُها

وصَنعةُ هَجْوٍ لَسْتُ ممَّن يُرِيدُها

Poetry includes praise, which few deserve,

and the craft of satire, which I am not one to desire.