أتَتْني بلا وَعدٍ وقد نَضَتِ الحُجْبا

فهاتيكَ أحلَى زَورةٍ تَنعَشُ الصَّبا

She came to me without promise, the veils already lifted,

So here is the sweetest flower refreshing the morning;

بَذَلتُ لها عَيني وقَلبي كَرامةً

فصارَتْ لها عيناً وصارَتْ لهُ قَلْبا

I gave her my eyes and heart as a gift,

And my eyes became hers while my heart became his.

مضمَّخةٌ بالمِسكِ مَعسولةُ اللَمَى

مُنعّمةُ الخَديَّنِ تُصبي ولا تُصبَى

Drenched in musk, sweet lipped,

Smooth cheeked, she pours but is not poured on.

أقولُ لها عِندَ الزِّيارةِ مَرْحباً

ويا حَبَّذا لو صادَفَتْ منزِلاً رَحْبا

When she visits I say "welcome!"

How nice if she found a spacious house!

حَبانا بها عَذاراءَ مُتْرَفةَ الصِّبَى

فتىً نالَ حِلمَ الشَيخِ من قبلِ أنْ شَبَّا

We were brought together by a flirtatious damsel-

A lad who gained the wisdom of age before his youth.

أتَتْنا بمدحٍ لم تَكُنْ صَدَقَتْ بهِ

وتَغضَبُ إنْ قُلنا لقد نَطَقَتْ كِذْبا

She praised us with praise she did not mean sincerely

And is angered if we say "you have spoken lies!"

لَقد سَبَقَ القَومَ الطِراديُّ أسَعدٌ

إلى قَصَبِ السَبْقِ الذي حازَهُ غَصْبا

Al-Tiradi has outdone the clan - more fortunate is As'ad

In winning the race to the finish he seized by force.

تَلَقَّفَ فَنَّ الشِّعرِ من قبلِ دَرسِهِ

وخاضَ المعاني قبلَ أنْ يَقرأ الكُتْبا

He took up the art of poetry before studying it

And tackled meanings before reading books.

يُطارِحُني الشِّعرَ الذي فَرَّ من يدي

وقد سَلَّ شَيْبي فوقَ مَفْرِقِهِ عَضْبا

He defeats me with poetry which escaped from my hand

As my greys have flowed over my temple.

إذا شابَ رأسُ المَرْءِ فالشَّيبُ لاحقٌ

بِهِمَّتِهِ حَتَّى يُوسِّدَها التُرْبا

When a man's head turns white, greyness inevitably

Pursues his resolve until it is pillowed by dust.

رَعَى اللهُ أيَّامَ الصَباءِ فإنَّها

منَ العَيشِ غُصنٌ كانَ مُعتَدِلاً رَطْبا

May God preserve the days of youth, for they

Are a branch of life which was moist and upright.

وما كلُّ ذي رُوحٍ بحَيٍّ حقيقةً

فَمنْ عاشَ في نَحْبٍ كَمنْ قد قَضَى نَحْبا

Not everyone with a soul is truly alive,

So one who lives in sorrow is as one already dead.

سَقَى ابنَ أبي الخَيرِ السَّحابُ فإنَّهُ

هُوَ الخيرُ نَستَسقِي بطَلْعتِهِ السُّحْبا

The clouds watered the son of Abu Khayr, for he

Is the bounty whose rising we beseech for rain.

إذا ما تأمَّلْنا جمالَ صِفاتِهِ

نَرَى عَجَباً فيهِ وليسَ نَرَى عُجْبا

When we contemplate the beauty of his qualities

We see wonders in him but no conceit.

لَقد كَثُرَتْ في النَّاسِ حُسَّادُ فضلِهِ

ولكنْ لَعَمري ما حَسِبنا لَهُمْ ذَنْبا

Among the people there were many envious of his superiority

But by my life, we never blamed them for sin!

على مِثلِ ما قد نالَهُ يُحسَدُ الفَتَى

وماذا يَضُرُّ الحاسدُونَ فلا عَتْبا

It is right that the youth be envied for what he attained

And what do the envious ones matter? No reproach!

إذا أوجَبَ اللهُ الكريمُ لعبدِهِ

عَطاءً فمَنْ ذا يَستطيعُ لهُ سَلْبا

When the Bountiful God obliges blessings on His slave

Who then has the power to wrest it from him?