مَعي كَلماتٌ ما يُطاقُ احتِمالُها
أوَدُّ إِذا ما قُلتُها لو أُقالُها
I have words that cannot be borne
I wish I could say them and then take them back
وتسأل غرَّاءُ احتِيالاً لِسرِّها
وَلو وَجدَت وَجدي لقلَّ احتِيالُها
The sly one asks trickily about their secret
And if my love was found, her trickery would diminish
إذا ما سألنا مُستطاعاً تمنَّعَت
وتأتي بما لا يُستَطاعُ سُؤالُها
When we ask for something possible, she refuses
And she does what cannot be asked of her
وَقالوا أما في فِعلها بكَ سَلوةٌ
فكَم سَلوةٍ لو كان قَلبي يَنالُها
And they said, “Is there not charm in her actions toward you?”
How much charm would there be if my heart could attain it
وأَنسى بِه فيما أراهُ وإنَّها
لَجِنيَّة الأفعالِ فيما إخالُها
And I forget, in what I see, that she
Is a devil in her actions, by what she implies
يوَسوِسُ في صَدري إذا خَطرَت بِه
كذا الجنُّ وَسواسِ الصُّدورِ فِعالُها
She whispers in my chest when she comes to mind
Thus are devils and their chest-whispering deeds
إذا وصلَت منَّت وملَّت كأنَّما
يواصِلُ عنها منُّها ومَلالُها
When she is affectionate she is weary and bored
As if her affection and boredom persist
وإن هَجرَت أمسى يُحبِّبُ هَجرَها
إليَّ بلا منٍّ عليَّ خيالُها
And if she is distant, her distance makes me love
Her absence without blame, its fantasy still in my mind
وَدائرةٍ في الكأسِ لَولا مُديرُها
ووَجنَته أَمسى عَزيزاً مِثالُها
A cycle in the wine cup without its Turner
Its fermentation has become a rare example
وكِلتاهُما نارٌ تُشَبُّ وإنَّني
لأَعرِفُ أخرَى لا يَبينُ اشتِعالُها
Both are a fire that flames, but I
Know another whose kindling is not seen
إذا ما فؤادٌ حازَها بِاشتِمالِه
علَيها فقَد أمسَى علَيهِ اشتِمالُها
When a heart possesses it in its embrace
Its embrace of it has become an embrace
على أعيُنِ العُشاقِ أن تَجلب الهَوى
لهُم ولها تَسهيدُها وانهِمالُها
It is for lovers’ eyes to attract passion for them
And for it to lull and enrapture them
وهنَّ الليالي إِن طمِعنَ من الفَتى
بطولِ سُهادٍ جاوَدَته طِوالُها
The nights, if they hope for length
Of pillow-talk with the beloved, its duration rewards them
نوائبُ إن لَم يَقطَعِ اللَّهُ بينَها
بجودٍ من الأُستاذِ طال اتِّصالُها
Afflictions, if God does not cut them off
With the beloved’s generosity, their connection lasts
بجودِ فتىً كم ساجَلَته سَحائِبٌ
فأعجَلَها عَن أَن يُذَمَّ سِجالُها
With the generosity of a youth at whom clouds hurled reproaches,
He hurried them, lest their reproach continue
فَما طلَعت واستَوسَقَت وانبَرى لها
بجَدواهُ حتَّى قيلَ خفَّ ثقالُها
It did not rise up and ask for rain but
He hastened to it with exertion until it was said its heaviness lessened
فيا غيثُ لا تَعرِض ليُمناهُ بَعدَما
بدا لكَ عندَ الجودِ والبأسِ حالُها
O raincloud, do not ignore his right
Now that your state of generosity and valor has appeared to you
فَما فِعلُها إِلا الغناءُ كما تَرى
فأعداؤُها فيها سَواءٌ ومالُها
Her situation is but singing, as you see
Her friends and foes within it are equal
وخَيلٍ تَلقَّاها بخَيلٍ فَلم تَزل
تقاربُ حتَّى ضاقَ عنها مَجالُها
And horses that met horses and did not stop
Approaching until the space around them narrowed
وألقَت عَصاها وهيَ عزل من القنا
يسَربِلها ذلّ الحياةِ اعتِزالُها
And it threw down its staff, isolated from the reed-pipes
That clothe it in the humiliation of reclusion
فيا لِدماءٍ قد تَساوى حَرامُها
على كلِّ عَضبٍ باترٍ وحَلالُها
Oh for blood whose unlawfulness
Is equal for every enraged and calm soul
وقَد صُبغَت بيضُ الظُّبى بِدَمِ الطُّلى
وغُيِّرَ مِنها حُسنُها وصِقالُها
The pure white has been dyed with red blood
Its beauty and polish thereby changed
وقَد ظلَّلتها للغُبارِ غَمامَةٌ
يَزيدُ عَلى حرِّ الشموسِ ظِلالُها
A cloud has shaded it from dust
Whose shade exceeds the heat of suns
فلما انجَلَت كانَت لأَروَعَ ماجِدٍ
يَروعُ فتَرتاعُ الوَغى ورِجالُها
When it cleared away it revealed the most glorious conqueror
Frightening chaos and its men
لِضاربِ هاماتٍ يَعزُّ منالُها
مُغيِّرِ حالات يَبينُ اختِلالُها
Changer of conditions whose disorder is evident
Who finds it difficult yet yearns for it intensely
أبا الحَسنِ الآمالُ جاءَت تَقودُني
أوامرُ مِنها يُستَحبُّ امتِثالُها
Abul Hasan hopes have led me
To obey commands from it I should hasten to fulfill
وما جَسَرَت لولاكَ أن تَضمن الغِنى
ولَكن علَى جَدوى يَديكَ اتِّكالُها
And I would not have dared, were it not for you, to imply richness
Rather, it relies on the usefulness of your hands
مكارمُ أن فازَ الكرامُ بِفعلِها
وتاهُو بِه عُجباً فَفيهِ كَمالُها
Generosities - for the generous have won it by their deed
And they were amazed by it, therein lies its perfection
تكادُ القوافي أن تنوءَ بحَملِها
ويظهر مِنها ضَعفُها وكَلالُها
Rhymes almost bend under its weight
And through it their weakness and feebleness show
