هاج القرامُ وهيَّجا بلبالي
بَرْقٌ يمانيٌّ وريحُ شمال
My cares were disturbed and stirred up by my anxieties,
Yemeni lightning and northern wind,
وترنم الورقاء في أفنانها
ما زاد هذا الصب غير خبال
And the leafy trees sing in their branches,
This morning has only increased my sorrows.
وأُشيمُ من برقِ الغُوَير لوامعاً
فإخاله تبسام ذات الخال
And I see flashes of lightning in Ghuwair, shining,
As its smile is the smile of the moled one.
زعم المفنِّد أنْ سلوت غرامها
زوراً وما خطر السلوّ ببالي
The skeptic claimed that her affection
Was false, though such thought never crossed my mind.
ما بال أحداق المها من يعرب
فتكت بغير صوارم ونصال
Why do the glances of the gazelle not express
Except with swords and spears?
يرمين في المهج الهوى فتظنها
ترمي القلوب بنافذات نبال
They cast love in the hearts, so you'd think
They shoot hearts with arrows.
هيف من الغيد الحسان سوانح
من كل داء يا أميم عضال
The thick clouds of beauty rain
Cures for every malady, O friend of calamities.
لله ما فعل الغرام بأهله
والحب في أهليه ذو أفعال
What love has done to its people,
And passion has strange effects on lovers.
ولقد أقول لأبلج لا أهتدي
إلاَّ بصبح جبينه لضلال
I say, to find my way, I cannot see
Except the morning of his shining forehead.
أبلى هواك حشاشتي وأذابها
لولاك ما أصبحت بالي البال
Your love melted my fortresses and destroyed them,
Were it not for you, my mind would not be so confused.
بالله يا مؤذي الفؤاد بلومه
جَدّ الغرام فلا تمل لجدالي
By God, O tormentor of my heart with blame,
Love is serious, so cease your arguing.
حمّلتني ما لا أُطيق وإنَّما
حُمّلتُ أثقالاً على أثقالي
You burdened me with more than I can bear,
When loads upon loads weigh down on me.
كيف احتيالك في سلوّ متيّم
أعْيَتْ عليه حيلة المحتال
How can you betray a loving admirer?
The crafty one's tricks leave me exhausted.
إنّي أحِنُّ إلى مراشف ألعسٍ
تغني مذاقتها عن الجريال
I yearn for the pillows of a fawn,
Whose taste makes me forget carpets.
ويشوقني زمن غصبت سروره
رغماً على الأنكاد والأنكال
And I long for the time when joy was seized
Defiantly from Ankad and Ankal.
أيام نتّخذ المَسرَّة مغنماً
فنبيت نرفل في برود وصال
When we took pleasure as booty,
And spent the night indulged in union.
ومليكة الأفراح تبرز بيننا
قد كُلِّلَت تيجانها بلال
The queen of joys appeared between us,
Crowned with a diadem of vines.
يسعى بها أحوى أغنُّ مهفهفٌ
فترى الغزالة في يمين غزال
The most passionate lover rushed to her,
And you'd see a gazelle to the right of a gazelle.
ويحضّنا داعي السرور على طلاً
زفت على الندمان بالأرطال
The one who invites joy hugged us tightly,
Lavishing us with raindrops in buckets.
ألهو فيطرب مسمعي من غادة
نغم الحليّ ورنة الخلخال
Flirting, the voice of the flirt arouses my hearing,
The sound of anklets and the tinkling of bangles.
وألذّ ما يلقى الخليع سويعة
خفيت عن الرقباء والعذال
The best a debauchee can experience
Is to hide from the guards and punishment.
أيامها مرّت ولا ندري بها
فكأنها مرّت مرور خيال
Those days have passed, and we don't know of them,
As if they passed like a mirage.
أين الأحبّة بعد أسنمة اللّوى
قد حال من بعد الأحبّة حالي
Where are the loved ones after the joining of passion?
Circumstances have come between me and my loved ones.
سارتْ ظُعونهم وما أدَّت لنا
حقًّا على الأَزماع والترحال
Their tracks went away, and they didn't give us
What is right of them because of departure and travel.
أَقمار أَفلاك الجمال تغيَّبت
بعد الطلوع على حدوج جمال
The moons of the orbits of beauty disappeared
After rising over the cheeks of a crescent.
وما كنت أدري لا دريت بأنَّه
هول الوداع نهاية الأَهوال
I did not know - had I not learned -
That the horror of farewell is the greatest horror.
وجهلت يا لمياء قتل ذوي الهوى
حتَّى بليت بحبِّكِ القتَّال
And I was ignorant, O Mayya, that the killing of lovers
Would make me experience fighting.
سكان وجرة والعذيب وبارق
تحريمكم للوصل غير حلال
Dwellers of Wajra, Udhayb and Barq,
Your banning of union is not lawful.
أنتم أسرتم قلب كلّ متيّم
بلحاظ أحوى مائل لملال
You have captured the heart of every admirer
With the glance of a passionate, flirtatious eye.
أو يطلقون من الأسار عصابة
غلّتهم الأَشواق في أَغلال
Or they release a group from captivity,
Whose passion has bound them in shackles.
ما جرّدت فينا صوارمها النوى
إلاَّ لقطع حبالهم وحبالي
Their swords are only drawn against us
To cut off our ropes and our ties.
أسفي على عمرٍ تقضَّى شطره
في خيبة المسعى إلى الآمال
I regret a lifetime whose first half
Was spent disappointed, seeking hopes.
وبنات أفكار لنا عربيَّة
رخصت لدى الأَعاجم وهي غوالي
And noble ideas we had as Arabs
I made cheap to foreigners, and they are my assets.
يا هذه أينَ الذين عهدتهم
آساد معترك وغيث نوال
O this one! Where are those I knew?
Lions of battle and rain of giving.
عجباً لمثلي أنْ يقيم بمواطنٍ
متشابهِ الأَشراف بالأَنذال
How strange it is for my like to live in places
Where the nobility are equal to the lowly!
تقذى نواظره بأوجه معشر
لا يعثرون بصالح الأَعمال
My eyes are annoyed by seeing a people
Who do not happen upon good deeds.
وَلِعَت بهم أيامهم من دوننا
ما أولعَ الأيامَ بالجهَّال
And days have played with them without us,
As days play with the ignorant.
لولا خبال الدهر ما نال الفنى
في الناس ذو بَلَهٍ به وخبال
Were it not for the conceit of fate, an ephemeral one
Would not attain distinction and conceit among people.
هم كالبحور الزاخرات وإنَّني
لم أنتفع من وردهم ببلال
They are like roaring seas, and yet
I have not benefited from their flowers with a bucket.
ذهب الملوك الباذلات أكفّهم
بذل الغمام بعارض هطال
The generous kings who lavished their palms
Giving like the clouds pouring hail.
حتَّى عفت أطلال كلّ فضيلة
فليبك من يبكي على الأَطلال
Until the ruins of every virtue were deserted,
So let those who weep, weep over ruins.
وأرى النقيصة شأن كلّ مبجلٍ
فكمال فضل المرء غير كمال
And I see fault as the state of every dignified one,
For the perfection of a man’s merit is not perfect.
وكأنَّما الأيام آلت حلفة
أن لا أرى في الدهر غير نكال
It is as if the days have agreed
That I will not see in this life but misfortune.
وأنا الَّذي حَلَّيْتُ أجياد العُلى
بعقود ألفاظي ودُرّ مقالي
And I who adorned the noble steeds
With the necklaces of my words and the pearls of my speech,
إنْ كنت من حلل الفضائل ناسجاً
أبرادها فانسج على منوالي
If I was one who wove the fabrics of virtues,
Then weave upon my pattern!
ما فضل أبناء الزَّمان فضيلتي
كلاّ ولا أمثالهم أمثالي
The merits of the people of this time do not exceed my merit,
No! Nor do their likes reach my like.
إنَّا لنسمع بالكرام فأين هم
هيهات ما هم غير لمع الآلِ
We hear of nobles, so where are they?
Alas! They are nothing but the flash of tinsel.
لولا وجود ابن الجميل وجوده
قلت الزَّمان من الأكارم خالي
Were it not for the existence of Ibn Al-Jamil and his existence,
I would say this time is devoid of noblemen.
قرم لراحته وشدَّة عزمه
جود السحاب وصولة الرئبال
Hardship is comfortable for him due to his composure and resolve,
Unlike the clouds' rain or the flood of downpours.
يعطي ولم يُسأل نداه وهكذا
يعطي الكريم ولو بغير سؤال
He gives without being asked, such is his munificence,
So the generous one gives even without asking.
وأحق خلق الله بالمدح امرؤ
كثرت عطاياه من الإِقلال
The most deserving of creatures to be praised is a man
Whose abundant gifts decrease his wealth.
خوَّاض ملحمة الأُمور بهمَّةٍ
جالت سوابقها بكلِّ مجال
He plunges into battle with determination
Whose precedents have triumphed in every field.
ضربت به الأَمثال في عزماتها
حتَّى غدا مثلاً من الأَمثال
Parables were struck for his resolves
Until he became a parable of parables.
لا زالَ يُطلِعُ في سموات العُلى
أقمار مجدٍ أو نجوم خلال
He continues to make moons of glory rise
In the highest heavens, or stars appear.
خُلُقٌ يمازجه الندى فطلاهما
كالرَّاح مازجها غير زلال
His nature mixes with dew, so the two appear
Like the wind blending with pure water.
يفتر عن وبل المكارم مثلما
يفتر عن وطفاء برق الخال
He rests from the toil of generosity
Just as lightning rests from flashing.
وعن المروءة وهي شيمة ذاته
ما حال عند تقلّب الأَحوال
And from chivalry, which is his innermost quality,
Regardless of the changing conditions.
يحمي النزيل بنفسه وبماله
يسخو بها كسخائه بالمال
He protects the guest with himself and his money,
Lavishing it like his lavishing of wealth.
والخوف يوم الطعن من وشك الردى
كالخوف يوم البذل من إقلال
And fear on the day of spears from impending doom
Is like fear on the day of spending from decrease.
إنَّ الشجاعة والسَّماحة حلَّتا
منه بأفضل سيِّد مفصال
Courage and generosity have fully settled in him
From the best master, intricately created.
يرتاح للمعروف إذ هو أهله
فيهش للإِنعام والإِفضال
He feels comfort in kindness, for it is his family,
So his face beams at favor and grace.
مثل الجبال الرَّاسيات حلومه
أمنَ الأنام به من الزلزال
He has always kept his promise to the helpless,
So his good hands hasten before requests.
عوّل عليه في الشدائد كلّها
واسأل فثَمَّ محل كلّ سؤال
And he extends them white, pouring heavy rain,
And flows abundantly, its floods streaming.
حيث المحاسن قُسِّمت أشطارها
فيه على الأَقوال والأَفعال
He gives without condescension and rewards with what
Is deserved, and everyone attains their wishes.
ومهذب سبق المقال بفعله
حيث الفعال نتيجة الأَقوال
When harsh misfortunes test others,
He is firm like towering mountains.
ولطالما وعد العفاة فبادرت
يمناه الحسنى على استعجال
It is said his status is like bedrock
Such is the status of noble chiefs.
ويمدّها بيضاءَ يهطلُ وبلها
ويسيل شامل برها السيال
His fatherhood became dear and his own self revered,
Reverence in honor has both fatherhood and majesty.
يعطي ولا منٌّ ويجزي بالذي
هو أهله وينيل كلّ منال
Turn to Abd Al-Ghani, for he
Is a haven of glory or destination of travels.
سامٍ إذا ما قست فيه غيره
قست الهضاب بشامخات جبال
The house of Al-Jamil, his family and home,
Excelled the land in beautiful traits.
قيل تعاظم كالرَّواسي شأنه
وكذاك شأن السَّادة الأَقيال
They who protect from calamities, their home
And give the finest of wealth.
عزّت أبوَّته وجلَّ فنفسه
في العزِّ ذات أُبوَّة وجلال
Thus their souls overflowed with generosity to guests
Making everything expensive become cheap.
يمّم ذرى عبد الغنيّ فإنَّه
لمناخ مجد أو محطّ رحال
So over the length of time, their days are
A day of dew, a day of fighting.
آل الجميل وأهله ومحلّه
سادوا البريَّة في جميل خصال
O you whose precedents of praise flowed away from him
Wandering between protrusions and sands.
الصائنون من الخطوب نزيلهم
والباذلون نفايس الأَموال
They flowed like its breezes blow, the morning
Diffusing the scent of meadows and plants.
فغلت نفوسهم ببذل مكارم
للوفد ترخص كلّ شيء غال
From a garden, its prime brought to life,
Gushing with dripping rainwater.
فترى على طول المدى أيَّامهم
يومين يوم ندى ويوم نزال
Your proximity to the heights brought me near
To the healthy through connection.
يا من سرت عنه سباق محامد
تجتاب بين دكادك ورمال
So I distanced myself from the proximity of baseness in life
The generosity is far from the hands of evildoers.
فَسَرَت كما تسري نسايمها الصبا
عبقت بطيب نوافج وغوالي
And I ascended through you with high integrity
That would not be satisfied but with the highest place.
عن روضة غنَّاء باكرها الحيا
فوهت بقطر الصيّب المنهال
The generous of early times were preceded, so we say:
This sequel has preceded the early ones.
ولقد قربت من المعالي قربك ال
داني من العافين بالإِيصال
Those whose severe misfortunes are humiliated before him
With might, and the deceit of backstabbers fails.
فبعدت عن قرب الدنيَّة في الدنى
بعد المكارم من يد الأَرذال
As if the sharpness of his determination is his sword
Decisive, and the anger of his punishment separative.
وترفَّعت بك شيمة علويَّة
لم ترضَ إلاَّ بالمحلِّ العالي
Seekers of the pride of glory among all people
In glory, among swords and loftiness.
سبق الكرام الأَوَّلين فقولنا
سبق الأُلى هذا المجلّي التالي
And glory is sought in the neigh of a swift
Strong, brown steed.
ممَّن يذلّ لديه صعب خطوبها
بأساً ويبطل غيلة المغتال
And pride is in the merit and perfection of a young man,
And honor the lead mare of a reddish-brown steed.
فكأنَّ حدَّة عزمه صمصامه ال
ماضي وفيصل عضبه الفصَّال
You have speech that heals hearts as if it were
A cure from illnesses and disability.
طلاّب شأو الفخر بين الورى
في المجد بين صوارمٍ وعوالي
And virtues that dressed verses in a cloak
Beautifully, in ultimate finery.
والمجد يطلب في شفير مهنَّد
ماضي الغرار وأسمرٍ عسَّال
The one who praises you melodiously chirps now
Not in carnelian nor in the lost one.
والفخر في فضل الفتى وكماله
والعزّ صهوة أشقرٍ صهَّال
So accept from the praiser a poem of his poetry
For I have prepared it as good tidings.
لك منطقٌ يشفي القلوب كأَنَّه
بُرْءٌ من الأَسقام والإِعلال
For in you, O pride of existence, lies my hope,
And to you alone of all people is my destination.
ومناقب كست القوافي بردة
في الحسن ترفل أيّما إرفال
Were it not for our association in praising you, my master,
Our hopes would be set on the impossible.
أضحى يغرِّد فيك مطرب مدحها
لا بالعقيق ولا بذات الضال
So take advantage of the reward of fasting, and you have continued
To celebrate the excuse of Shawwal.
فاقبل من الدَّاعي قصيدة شعره
لأعدها من جملة الإِقبال
فعليك يا فخر الوجود معوَّلي
وإليك من دون الأنام مآلي
لولا علاقتنا بمدحك سيِّدي
لتعلَّقت آمالنا بمحال
فاغنم إذَنْ أجر الصّيام ولم تزلْ
تهنا بعَوْرِ العيد من شوال
