جَزِعتَ فَجَزع دَمعَ عَينِكَ بالدَّمِ

وَلا تَبكِ طَرزَ الحُسنِ إِلا بِمُعلَمِ

You were distressed, so your eyes shed tears of blood,

And do not cry except with kohl of beauty,

فَلستَ مُطاعاً إِن تُعدَّ مُتَيَّماً

إِذا كُنتَ لا تَأتي بِفِعل المُتَيَّمِ

You will not be obeyed if you pretend to be sleepless,

Unless you act like those who are sleepless,

وإِلا فَسَل إِنسانَ عَينكَ ما له

إِلى كلِّ إِنسانٍ بقَلبِكَ يَرتَمي

Or else ask the person of your eye what is wrong with him,

To every person your heart rushes.

وعَينٍ تَركتُ النَّومَ كاللَّومِ عِندَها

فَسِيَّانَ في البَغضاءِ نَومي ولُوَّمي

An eye for which I neglected sleep like blame upon it,

So my sleep and my blame are equal in hatred.

دخَلتُ لَها لمَّا جَنَت تَحتَ ما جَنَت

وما استَحسَنَت ظُلمي وقلتُ لَها اكتُمي

I entered upon her when she took shelter under her shelter,

And she did not appreciate my injustice and I said to her "Conceal,"

ولم تَدرِ ما كِتمانُه وتَلَجلَجَت

فقُلتُ فإِن لَم تُحسِني فتَعَلَّمي

And she did not know what to conceal and became confused,

So I said "If you do not do good, then learn."

إِذا غصَّ جَفنٌ منك بالماءِ فاستُري

مَحاجِرَهُ عَن أعينِ الناسِ واسجُمي

When an eyelid of yours is narrowed with water, then conceal

Its contours from the eyes of people and be silent.

وأغيدَ يأبَى حُسنُه أن يُقالَ لي

كَما قيلَ إِن الحُبَّ ربَّتَما عَمي

The most beautiful one refused that it be said to me

As it was said "Love made me blind."

لُه نَظَرٌ لَم يُبقِ منِّي سِوى الهَوى

ولَو كانَ منِّي لَم يَزَل فيهِ مَقسمي

He has a glance that left nothing of me but passion,

And had it been up to me, it would always remain my oath.

ولَيلَةَ باتَ المالِكونَ جَوارِحي

سِوى مُقلَةٍ بقَّيتُها للتَّظَلُّمِ

And a night when my limbs slept,

Except for an eyelid that I kept for seeing in the dark.

ركبتُ وكانَ البَحرُ في البرِّ جارِياً

عَلى الشَّمسِ في داجٍ من اللَّيلِ مُظلِمِ

I rode while the sea was flowing on land,

Over the sun in a darkness from the night, obscure.

وصَيَّرتُ أخفافَ المَطايا بُطونَها

لَها فَوقَ وَجهِ الماءِ مِشيَةَ أرقَمِ

And I made the toes of the horses their bellies

Above the surface of the water, walking like dots.

ولَم يعلَموا ما جادَهُ الدَّمعُ فيهمُ

بل اتَّهَموا جَدوى عليِّ بنِ مُلهَمِ

And they did not know what the tears yielded in them,

Rather they suspected the generosity of Ali son of Mulham.

فتىً لا يَرى يَومَ الوَغى كلَّ ضَيغَمٍ

إِذا رامَهُ إلا فَريسَةَ ضَيغَمِ

A young man who, on the day of battle, does not see

Every frowning face that attacks him but as prey for frowning.

لَهُ راحَتا جُودٍ إِذا ما أَغارَتا

عَلى العُدم لم تَسمَع زَماناً بمُعدَمِ

He has two hands of generosity that when they raid

Destruction, time never heard of something destroyed.

ويَوم لِقاءٍ ثلَّمَ الضَّربُ سَيفَهُ

ليَومِ ثَناءٍ ليسَ بالمُتَثَلّمِ

And a day of meeting when the strokes split his sword

For a day of praise that has no pretender.

فكَم مِن كميٍّ قالَ لمَّا استَحارَهُ

عَليهِ العِدى قَولاً إِلى الصِّدقِ يَنتَمي

So how many archers whose help was sought

When the enemies overwhelmed him, said words tending to truth:

ألَم يكُ فيما خاطَبَتكُم سُيوفُهُ

بهِ قبلَ هَذا حُجَّةٌ للمُسَلِّمِ

"Did not his swords addressing you before this

Contain enough proof for one who surrenders?"

ذَروني وَأوقاتَ السَّلامَةِ إنَّها

قلائِلُ من يَطلُب بِها السّلم يَسلَمِ

"Leave me and the times of safety, they are

Few, the one who seeks peace through them will have safety."

فَما كُنتُ ممَّن يُطعِمُ الطَّيرَ لَحمَه

بسَيفِ فَتىً مِن طَعمِه كانَ مَطعَمي

For I was not one who feeds the birds his flesh

With the sword of a young man whose taste was my taste.

وكَم فَلكٍ للجودِ دارَ فلَم يَزَل

يُديرُ لِسانِي بالمَدائِحِ في فَمي

And how many orbits of generosity revolved and did not cease

To turn my tongue with praise in my mouth.

قَطعتُ إليكَ المُستَجيبينَ أنفُساً

عليهِ ولَم يُسرِع لَها في التَّقَدُّمِ

I have cut off to you those who respond with themselves

Upon it, and they did not hasten to precede in sacrifice.

أبا حَسنٍ فارفِق عَليهِم لِيُدرِكوا

فَليسَ الكَريمُ الطَّبعِ كالمُتَكرِّمِ

O Abul Hasan, so be gentle with them to let them attain

For the generous is not like the pretender.