دنَت فَرأَتني عاتِباً مُتَطرِّفا

فكفَّت حَواشي سِربِها أن تُخطفا

She came close and saw me complaining bitterly

So she folded the edges of her cloak lest they be snatched away

وأَرسلَتِ اللَّحظَ الضَّعيفَ مع الهَوى

لِيَقوى فَأرسَلتُ القَويَّ لأضعُفا

And she sent a timid glance along with desire

That it may grow stronger, so I sent a stronger one to weaken it

وعَينٍ أَقامَ الدَّمعُ فيها فَكُلَّما

ألمَّ بِها طَيفٌ عَلى غِرَّةٍ طَفا

And eyes where tears had settled in them, so whenever

A specter grazed them suddenly, they brimmed over

جَفا صاحِبي ثمَّ استَقلَّ انفِرادَه

بِفِعلٍ فألقَى بينَ أَجفانِه الجَفا

My companion was cold then became content with his loneliness

With an act, so he cast coldness between his eyelids

إِليكَ فَإني إِنَّما كُنتُ مَرَّةً

أحسُّ لَهيباً في الحَشا وقَد انطَفا

To you, for I was once

Feeling a flame in the bushes that now died down

وصارَ الهَوى في الحُسنِ كالحُسنِ رِقَّةً

وأَصبَحَ حتَّى كلُّ أَهيَف أهيَفا

And desire became as delicate in beauty

As beauty itself, and every creek became a creek

وحرَّمتُ ما كانَ الشَّبابُ استَحلَّهُ

وأَنشَأتُ أَقضي عَنه ما كانَ أَسلَفا

And I forbade what youth had deemed lawful

And I spend what I owed from it what had been granted respite before

وكُنتُ وإِلا فَاسأَلِ الراحَ جالِباً

لَها وعَلَيها مُستَحثاً مُؤلِّفا

And I would have been, unless you ask the gentle breeze

Bearing to and from her, urging and composing

يرقُّ لَها قَولي وفِعلي كَأَنَّني

إِذا ما سَقَوني قَرقَفاً خِلتُ قَرقَفا

My words and deeds become as tender to her

As if when they give me a drink of araq, I become araq

وأُعدو عَلَى العادي بِغَيرِ جَريرةٍ

وأُغضي عَلَى ذُلٍّ إِذا أَهيَفٌ هَفا

And I race the racer without over-exertion

And I overlook lowliness when an ignoramus babbles

وأَمشي إِلى الحَسناءِ أسبقُ وَعدها

فَأعجلُها عَن أَن تَقولَ فتُخلِفا

And I walk to the beautiful lady, preceding her promised time

So I spare her from saying "too late"

فَما أبقَت الأَيامُ منِّي وقَد جَرى

حَديثُ الصِّبا إِلا الأَسى والتَّلهُّفا

Yet the days left in me nothing of the talk of youth

Except sorrow and anguished sighing

وأنظرُ مِن سَجفِ المَشيبِ إِلى الهَوى

فَأخشَى مِن المَصروفِ أَن يَتَصَرَّفا

And I look from the temples of old age to desire

Fearing that the turns of fate make them turn away

وأركبُ بعدَ العُدم والشَّيب تالِياً

يَقودُهما خَلفي ويَمشي تَعسُّفا

And I mount after death and gray hair

With them behind me and walk arrogantly

إِلى أَن قَسمتُ الحربَ والشيبَ للهَوى

وللعُدم من جودِ ابنِ باروخَ ما كَفى

Until I divided war and gray hair between desire

And to nonexistence from the generosity of Ibn Baroukh what sufficed

هُو المَجدُ يَحمي مَن ألمَّ بِبَيتِه

ويَمنعُ ممَّن جاءهُ متَخوفا

He is glory protecting whoever touched his house

And preventing whoever came to him fearful

فَلا تُنكِروا أَنَّ الشَّواهِدَ أشكلَت

بِأَمثالِها حتَّى تَبينَ وتُعرَفا

So do not deny that the examples have become complex

With the likes of them until they become clear and recognized

أَتى باتِّفاقِ المُلكِ والحُسنِ واسمِه

بِمصرَ فَظنَّ الناسُ يوسُفَ يوسُفا

He came, by the coincidence of possession and beauty and his name,

To Egypt, so people thought Joseph was Joseph

فتىً فَتنَ الأيامَ حتَّى رأيتها

تقلبُ مِن تَحتِ اللَّيالي تَشَوُّفا

A youth who seduced the days until I saw them

Turning over underneath the nights expectantly

ويَستَبشِر اليومُ الجَديدُ بقُربِه

فيُلقي عَليه نفسَه مُتَرشِّفا

And the new day rejoices at his nearness

Casting itself upon him eagerly

نشَا بَينَ أَقلامِ الوزارة ناشِئاً

وما بَينَ أَسيافِ الإمارة مُرهَفا

He grew between the pens of ministry

And between the swords of emirate sharpened

ومرَّ عَلى البانينَ في المَجدِ بِالنَّدى

ولمَّا رآهُم حينَ أَشرَفَ أَشرَفا

And he passed the builders in glory with dew

And when he saw them as he looked down, he looked down

ولَم يَقتصِر مِنهم عَلى مثلِ فعلِهِم

فتحسَبُه استَملى من القَوم واقتَفا

And he did not limit himself to the likes of their deeds

So that you would think he had learned from the people and followed

ويَوم وغىً كالسَّمهَريِّ لطوله

وإن لَم يَكن كالسَّمهَريِّ مُثقَّفا

And a day of fighting like Samhari in its length

Though not like Samhari in his education

تقدَّمت تُلقي خلفَ ظَهركَ أرضَه

كأنَّ عَليه العَهدَ بالزَّحفِ والوَفا

They went forth to meet you, throwing behind your back their land

As if they were accustomed to advance and loyalty to you

وتجرَعُ ماءَ الصَّبرِ فيه مُكدَّراً

ومن ذلكَ التَّكدير يُلتَمسُ الصَّفا

And they drank the water of patience therein muddled

And from that muddying, purity is sought

إِذا أَنا قلتُ الشِّعرَ خفَّفتُ سَعيَه

فسارَ وسمَّتهُ الرواةُ المخفَّفا

When I recited poetry, I lightened its effort

So it flowed and the transmitters marked it as light

وإِن حَمَّلته المكرماتُ فأَثقَلَت

فأجدرُ أن لا يَستَطيعَ التوقُّفا

And if glories loaded it and weighed it down

It is more fitting that it cannot stand still

يَسيرُ مَسيرَ النَّجمِ إِذ كانَ مثلَهُ

علوّاً وتَأثيراً وليسَ بِه خَفا

It moves like the star when it was like it

Lofty and influential and not light in it

هُو المادحُ المَمدوحُ حُسناً وإنَّما

وصَفتُ بِه مجدَ الرِّجالِ ليوصَفا

He is the praiser, the praised, beautiful in himself

And I only described through him the glory of men to be described