ضَحِكَ البرقُ فأبكاني دَما
وجرى دمعي له وانسجَما
The lightning laughed, so it made me weep blood,
And my tears flowed to it and blended.
وأهاجَ الوجد في إيماضه
كَبِداً حرّى وقلباً مغرما
Passion was stirred in its flashing,
A burning liver and an enamored heart.
ما أرى دائيَ إلاَّ لَوعَةً
من حشاً تُورى ومن دمعٍ همى
I see my illness only as a heartache
From longing that is hidden and from streaming tears,
من سناً لاح ومن برق أضا
ما بكى الوامق إلاَّ ابتسما
From a brilliance that shone and from lightning that smiled.
The cheerful lightning only frowned.
فكأنَّ البرقَ في جنح الدجى
ألْبَسَ الظلماء بُرداً مُعْلما
So it was as if the lightning in the wings of night
Dressed the darkness in a figured cloak.
باح في الحبّ بأسرار الهوى
وأبى سرُّ الهوى أنْ يكتما
It sneered about love and the secrets of passion,
Yet the secret of passion refused to be concealed.
يا أخلاّئي وهل من وقفةٍ
بعدكم بالجزع من ذاك الحمى
O my boon companions! Is there any pause
After you from that fever's distress?
أنشدُ الدار الَّتي كنتم بها
ناشداً أطلالها والأرسما
I recite a poem about the house where you dwelt,
Appealing to its ruins and its pillars.
يا دياراً بالغضا أعهدها
مَرْبَضَ الأسْدِ ومحراب الدمى
O abodes of verdure I was familiar with,
The lion's den and shrine of the blood-price!
سَوَّلَتْ للدمع أن يجري بها
وقضت للوجد أنْ يضطرما
You made my tears flow in it
And decreed that passion should flame up.
أينَ سكانُك لا كانَ النوى
أعْرَقَ البين بهم أم أشأما
Where are your inhabitants? Did the vipers
Moisten their abode with them or did they protect it?
كانَ عهدي بظباء المنحنى
تصرَعُ الظبيةُ فيه الضيغما
My pact with the sand grouse of the valley
Was that the young bird took fright at the crow.
وبنفسي بين أسراب المها
ظالمٌ لم يَعْفُ عمَّن ظلما
And myself among flocks of ostriches
Was a wronged man who did not pardon one who wronged him.
إنَّ في أحداق هاتيك الظبا
صحةً تورث جسمي سقما
Truly in the glances of those sand grouse
Is a sickness that gives my body pain.
ومليح بابليٍّ طرفه
ساحرِ المقلة معسول اللمى
And a fair Babylonian whose glance
Is magic and whose coquetry is sweet.
حرَّم الله دمي وهو يرى
أنَّه حلَّ له ما حرما
God forbade my blood, though He saw
That He made lawful for him what He forbade.
كم أراشت أسهماً ألحاظُه
يا له في الحبّ من رامٍ رمى
How his glances shot arrows!
Oh what an excellent archer and sure shot!
أشتهي عَذْبَ ثناياه الَّتي
جَرَّعَتْني في هواه العلقما
I desire the sweetness of his lips
That made me drink in his love the bitter aloes.
وصلت أيامه وانقَرضَت
أفكانت ليت شعري حلما
His days have gone and vanished.
Were they, I wonder, a dream?
علِّلاني بعسى أو ربَّما
فعسى تغني عسى أو ربَّما
Excuse me with "perhaps" or "maybe,"
For "perhaps" will substitute for "perhaps" or "maybe."
حار حكم الحبّ في الحبّ فما
أنْصَفَ المظلومَ ممن ظلما
Love was perplexed about love, so it was not
Equitable to the wronged against the wronger.
ليتَه يعدل في الحكم بنا
عدل داود إذا ما حكما
Would that it might judge justly between us
With the justice of David, when he gave judgment!
أيَّد الله به الدِّين امرؤ
كانَ للدين به مُستَعْصَما
God supported religion by him, commander
Whose religion by him had a protector.
ذو مزايا ترتضى أطلعها
منه في أفق المعالي أنجما
He has praiseworthy qualities; may he display them
As stars in the horizon of glory!
بلغ الرشد كمالاً وحجى
قبل أن يبلغ فيها الحلما
He attained maturity perfection and proof
Before attaining it in years.
ومباني المجد في أفعاله
قد بناهنّ البناءَ المحكما
And the structures of glory in his deeds-
He built them, constructing firmly.
ناشئ في طاعة الله فتىً
لم يزل برًّا رؤوفاً منعما
A youth brought up obeying God, a lad
Who never ceased to be righteous, merciful and generous.
قد علا بالفضل فيمن قد علا
وسما بالعلم فيمن قد سما
He excelled in merit those who excel
And attained in knowledge those who attain.
كم وكم فيمن تولّى أمْرَه
أعيَنٍ قَرَّتْ وأنفٍ أرغما
How many, of those he took charge of,
Eyes grew cheerless and noses were chafed!
رجل لو ملك الدنيا لما
تركت أيديه شخصاً معدما
A man, if he possessed the world, would not
Leave his hands devoid of a pauper.
فإذا جاد فما وبل الحيا
وذا جادل خصماً أفحما
When he is generous, water reaches the rain clouds,
And when he argues with an adversary, he refutes him.
بُسِطَتْ أيديه بالجود فما
تركت مما اقتناه درهما
His hands are spread in munificence, and never
Leave of what he acquires a single dirham.
أظهرَ الحقَّ بياناً وجلا
من ظلام الشك ليلاً مظلما
He shows the truth lucidly and removes
From the darkness of doubt a gloomy night.
سيّد من هاشم إذ ينتمي
لرسول الله أعلى منتمى
The chief of Hāshim, for he traces
His lineage to God's Messenger, the highest lineage.
واعظٌ إنْ وعظ الناس اهتدت
لسبيل الرشد من بعد العمى
A preacher - if he preaches to men they are guided
To the path of righteousness after blindness.
كلّما ألقى إلينا كلِماً
لفظت من فيه كانت حِكما
Whenever he utters a word to us
We utter pearls from his mouth as wisdom.
تكشف الران عن القلب وما
تركت في الدِّين أمراً مبهما
He strips the cloak from the heart, and leaves
No obscure matter in religion.
قوله الفصل وفي أحكامه
ما يريك الحكم أمراً مبرما
His word is conclusive, and in his judgments
You see the judgment an absolute decree.
إن قضى بالدين أمراً ومضى
أذعَنَ الآبي له واستسلما
If he decides a religious matter and it is done,
The obdurate yields to it and submits.
يحسم الداء من الجهل وكم
حًسِم الجهل به فانحسما
He removes the malady of ignorance, and how
Ignorance by him was removed and vanished!
نجم العلم به إذ نجما
ونمى الفضل به منذ نمى
The star of knowledge rose by him when stars rose,
And merit throve by him since it throve.
وبدين الله في أقرانِه
لم أجدُ أثْبَتَ منه قدما
In religion among his peers
I did not find anyone firmer of foot than he.
يدفع الباطل بالحق الَّذي
يُفلقُ الهامَ ويبري القمما
He repels falsehood by the truth that
Rends mountains and makes highlands a plain.
واكتفى بالسمر عن بيض الظبا
أغْمدَ السيف وأجرى القلما
He was content to be silent about the sand grouse
And sheathed the sword and let the pen flow.
وُجدَ الفضلُ به مفتتحاً
لا أرى في فقده مختتما
Merit was found inaugurated by him;
I do not see it concluded by his loss.
علماء الدّين أعلام الهدى
كلُّ فرد كانَ منهم علما
The learned in religion, the guiding stars -
Each individual of them was a star.
إنَّما أنتَ لعمري واحد
ما رأينا لك فينا توأما
You, by my life, are peerless;
We did not see you to have a peer.
أنتَ أندى الناس إنْ تثرى ندى
يا غماماً سحَّ يا بحراً طمى
You are the most dewy of men when dew is shed.
O pouring rain, O swelling sea!
إنَّ أيامَك أعيادُ المنى
حيث كانت للأماني موسما
Your days are the festivals of desires,
Where they had for wishes a season.
سيّدي أنتَ وها أنت لنا ال
عروة الوثقى الَّتي لن تفصما
My master, you are for us the firmest
Handhold that will never be severed.
نظم الشعر لكم داعيكمُ
فتَقبَّلْ فيك ما قد نظما
I compose poetry for you, your suppliant,
So accept in yourself what I have composed,
ذاكراً من أنْعَم الله لكم
نِعَماً تُسدي إلينا النعما
Mentioning the favors God has given you,
Favors that bring favors to us.
