هُو الحبُّ يَصنعُ ما يَصنعُ

فهَل لكَ في سَلوةٍ مَطمَعُ

Love makes what it makes

So do you desire a bucket to draw from?

وما بخلَت مقلةٌ شاقَها

تجودُ عليكَ ولا تمنَعُ

No flinty-eyed one denied him her bounty

She gives freely, does not refuse

وأحسنُ ما مَلكَت سقمَها

وأنتَ لذلكَ مُستَودَعُ

The finest she possessed was her sickness

And you were the repository for that

أوجدٌ عليهم ولا سَلوَةٌ

ولَومٌ عَليكَ ولا مسمَعُ

Reproach for them, while you have none

Blame on you, while you hear none

وسُقمٌ يُقامُ له في الأَنا

مِ من كلِّ ذي سقمٍ إصبَعُ

A sickness lodged in the self

From every sick person's finger

ومُستَمتِعٍ بالكَرى طرفُهُ

غلطتُ بِه اليومَ مُستَمتِعُ

One who delights in disasters, his eye

I wrongly called him ‘delighted’ today

لَه مِن سَوادِ قُلوب الرِّجا

لِ وأعيُنِها في الهَوى مَوضِعُ

The hearts of men have a place for him

And their eyes in passion a refuge

فللخَمر من ريقهِ مَشرَبٌ

ولِلبدرِ مِن وجهِهِ مطلعُ

So from his spittle wine has a drink

And from his face the moon a rising place

وكلٌّ وإن كرِهَ الحاسِدو

نَ منَّا لصاحِبه أطوَعُ

Though the envious amongst us dislike it

Each of us complies with his companion

تفلَّلَ سيفُ النوى بَينَنا

لطولِ الضرابِ فَما يَقطَعُ

The sword of passion between us

Is not blunted by the length of the blows

وإن رامَها ملكٌ قبلَهُ

سعَت لي إلى قَلبهِ تَشفَعُ

And if a king desired her before him

She pleads with me to intercede for him

يَلجُّ المحبُّونَ في ذَمِّها

وإني بحبِّ الهَوى مولَعُ

They attack her good name

Yet I am infatuated with love

أرحتُ القَوافي إلى مَدحِها

لما باتَ يَعشَقُها يوشَعُ

I have set the rhymes to praising her

For Yusha`u fell in love with her

يحمِّلُها وُسعَ أَخلاقِه

وما لَم يُطق حمله أوسَعُ

It bears the burden of his character

What was beyond enduring is more enduring

فتىً وجَدَ الحمدَ سُبلاً لَه

فأَصبَحَ في نَهجِها يشرَعُ

A youth the praise found ways open for him

So he freely walked its path

يضيِّعُ ما حفِظَ الباخِلو

نَ ويَحفظُ للحمدِ ما ضَيَّعوا

He forfeits what the miserly have preserved

And preserves for praise what they forfeited

ويُدركُ شأوَهُم واقِفاً

ويَهجَعُ من حيثُ لَم يَهجَعوا

He reaches their highest aspiration

While resting where they did not rest

وكيفَ تُزعزِعُه النائِبا

تُ وفي صَدرِه جَبلٌ أفرَعُ

How can misfortunes shake him

When in his breast is an ever-branching mountain

وفي راحتَيهِ وفي مُقلَتي

وإن لَم يسَع ماءَها مشرَعُ

In his palms and in his buckets

Even if what they drew does not fill a pond

أبا فرجٍ والعُلى حرَّةٌ

وبالجودِ بينَ الوَرى تخدَعُ

Abu Faraj and high moral traits

With generosity in the world are deceptive

هوَ الدَّهرُ وهيَ تصاريفُه

وما في سِواكَ لها مَدفَعُ

It is fate and its vagaries

And none other than you can drive it back

رأيتُكَ ذا شَغفٍ بالعُلى

وفي دونِ ما نلتَه مقنَعُ

I saw you passionate for the lofty

While content with what you could not obtain

إلى كَم تلامُ فَلا تَرعَوي

وحتَّامَ تُلحَى فَما تسمَعُ

How long will you be blamed and not accept

And continuously roasted but not listen?

ألَيسَ المفرَّقُ بينَ الوَرى

من المجدِ عندكَ مُستَجمَعُ

Is not the glory dispersed among men

Collected in full with you?