عَهدَ السُرورِ وَرَيعانَ الهَوى النَضِر
سَقاكَ عَهدُ الحَيا رَقراقَ مُنحَدرِ
The days of joy and blossoming passions,
Youth has given you to drink, fresh and cascading.
وَجادَ رَبعَك وَسميٌّ تُكَركِرُهُ
رِيحُ الصَبا بَينَ مُنهلٍّ وَمُنهَمِرِ
Your spring was generous, fragrant and murmuring,
The morning breeze between a watering hole and rain shower.
وَغَرَّدت في رباكَ الوُرقُ وَاِبتَكَرَت
بِلَحنِ مَعبدَ تَتلُو أَطيبَ الخَبَرِ
The leaves sang joyously around you, celebrating
In tunes echoing the most beautiful news.
وَلا بَرحتَ مُعانا لِلحِسانِ وَلا
رَمتكَ أَيدي النَوى بِالحادث الغَررِ
You have not ceased delighting in beauty,
Nor have the hands of fate cast you with hateful events.
وَلا أَغبَتكَ أَرواحُ النَسيمِ وَلا
عَدت مَغانيك أَخلافٌ مِنَ المَطرِ
Neither have the spirits of the breeze made you nonexistent,
Nor have your singing meadows turned into past showers.
كَم لي بِها وَشَبابي الغَضّ مُقتَبِلٌ
مِن مَنزلٍ آهلٍ بِالشَوقِ وَالذِكرِ
How much delight they gave me, while my blossoming youth
Moved from an abode filled with longing and remembrance.
كَمِ اِجتَلَيتُ بُدوراً مِن مَطالِعِها
كَم نيل تَحتَ سَناها مِن سَنا قَمرِ
How often I glimpsed horizons at their rising,
How much I attained at their beauty as if plucking a radiant moon.
مِن كُلِّ رُعبُوبةٍ تَهفو بِمُصطَبري
قَد زانَها الحُسنُ بَينَ الدَلِّ وَالحوَرِ
Each gazelle glancing with languor,
Adorned with beauty between gracefulness and wide-eyed charm.
رُودٌ كَسَتها يَدُ الأَيّام ثَوبَ صبا
وَصَيّرتها اللَيالي فِتنةَ البَشَرِ
Time's hand clothes their forms in the garb of youth,
And the nights make them the temptation of mortals.
هَيفاءَ صَبَّ الصِبا ماءَ الشَباب عَلى
أَعطافِها وَكَساها حُلّة الخَفَرِ
Smooth are those upon whom morning poured the water of youth,
And clothed them in the raiment of brilliance.
قامَت تُعانِقُني يَومَ الوَداع وَقَد
قَلَّدتُها مِن دُموعي رائقَ الوُرَرِ
She stood embracing me the day we parted,
And I garlanded her with the finest pearls of my tears.
تَقولُ وَالبينُ تَغشاها رَكائِبه
وَالدَمع يَقطر فَوقَ الخَدِّ مِن حَذَرِ
She speaks while distance shrouds her,
With tears flowing down her cheek in caution:
لا تَعتَبِ الدَهرَ إِن حالَت خَلائِقُهُ
فَصَفو رَونَقه لَم يَخلُ مِن كَدَرِ
"Do not blame fate if the smoothness of its aspects
Were not devoid of bitterness and distress.
وَإِن تُرِد تَتَّقي مِن صَرفهِ نُوَباً
فَالجأ لِظل عِمادِ الدينِ تَستَترِ
And if you seek to avoid its sudden hardships,
Take refuge in the shadow of the pillar of faith."
مَولىً حِماهُ غَدا أَمن المَرُوعِ كَذا
جَنابُهُ الرَحبُ مَأوى الخائِفِ الحَذرِ
A master whom tomorrow's security was indebted,
His open arms being sanctuary for the wary and cautious.
لا زالَ يَسمو إِلى العَلياءِ مُرتَقِياً
بِسُؤددٍ مَجدهُ سامٍ عَلى الزُهرِ
He kept rising to the heights,
With glory elevating him high above the flowers.
حَتّى اِمتَطى صَهواتِ المَجدِ سامِيَةً
يَختالُ في حُلل الأَوضاع وَالغُرَرِ
Until he reached the most exalted summits of glory,
Strutting in the garments of horizons and meadows.
بِهِمّةٍ تُجتلى كَاللَيثِ ذي أَشَرٍ
وَعَزمةٍ كَمضاءِ الصارم الذَكَرِ
With the resolve of a fierce lion,
And the determination of a polished sword.
ما فاضلٌ قَطُّ جاراه إِلى أَمَدٍ
في البَحثِ إِلّا اِنثَنى بِالعِيِّ وَالحَصَرِ
No eminent person ever surpassed him,
Except he bent with shame and frustration.
أَقلامُهُ السُمر في بيضِ الطُروس إِذا
مَشَت أَرتكَ فِعال البيضِ السُمرِ
His brilliant pens upon the white paper
Left lines like the spreading of a flowery meadow.
لَهُ سَجايا كَنَشرِ الرَوضِ ذي الزَهَرِ
وَقَد تَوَشَّحَ بِالأَنهارِ وَالغُدُرِ
He is adorned with rivers and basins,
Meeting you cheerful and smiling,
يَلقاكَ طَلق المُحَيّا وَهوَ مُبتَسِمٌ
بِمَنطقٍ وِردُهُ أَحلى مِن الصَدَرِ
With speech whose flowers are sweeter than nectar.
The meadow never yielded its blossoms at dawn,
ما الرَوضُ جادَت لَهُ الأَنواء بِالبُكر
وَكَلَّلت دَوحَهُ المُخَضَلّ بِالزَهرِ
Or crowned its plains with intertwined flowers,
Except it poured out its secrets in showers for him,
جادَ الغَمامُ لَهُ سِرّاً بِوابِلهِ
وَأَكسَبَتهُ الصَبا مِن رِقّةِ السَحَرِ
And morning gifted him the most tender magic.
He shone with light despite being far from home,
فَاِزدانَ بِالنورِ غِبَّ القَطر فَهوَ على
نَهرِ الأُبُلَّةِ حُسناً راقَ لِلنَظَرِ
Like the Aboolis river, beautiful to behold.
You'd think the flowers of his nooks were
تَخالُ زَهرَ الأَقاحي في خَمائِلِهِ
زَهرَ المَجَرَّة صِينَت عَن يَدِ الغِيَرِ
Blossoms carefully protected from other hands.
The doves sing at his branches in enchantment,
تَشدُو الحَمامُ عَلى أَغصانِهِ سَحَراً
فَتَبعَثُ الشَوقَ في أَحشاءِ مُستَعِرِ
Igniting yearning in ardent hearts.
One day presenting the best vision,
يَوماً بِأَحسَن مَرأىً مِن شَمائِلِهِ
وَلا بَأذكى شَذاً مِن نَشرِها العَطِرِ
With the sweetest fragrance spreading from him.
O eminent one, how novel were the first fruits of your thoughts,
يا فاضِلاً كَم جَلَت أَبكارُ فِكرَتِهِ
غُرَّ المَعاني لَنا في أَحسَنِ الصُورِ
Which charmed us with most excellent forms.
And O son of nobles, who strengthened with their resolve
وَاِبنَ الكِرام وَمَن شادوا بِعَزمِهم
رُكنَ العُلا سامِياً في سالِفِ العُصُرِ
The pillar of sublimity in ages past.
O pillar of the house of excellence, lifting it
وَيا عِماداً لِبَيتِ الفَضلِ يَرفَعُهُ
وَكانَ مِن ضَعفِهِ يلفى عَلى خَطرِ
From its weakness, so it avoids peril.
To you this poem came, so welcome it
إِلى ذُراك أَتَت فَاِقبل عَلى دَخَلٍ
نَسيجَها يا رَئيس البَدوِ وَالحَضَرِ
As a creation woven for you, chief of nomad and city dweller.
You remain in bounties still rising
لا زِلتَ في نِعَمٍ تَسمُو بِسُؤددِها
هامَ السِماكَين حَيثُ النَسرُ لَم يَطرِ
Beyond the two seas, where eagles have not flown.
My voice never lamented with "Alas!" over you,
ما ناحَ بِالأَيك قُمري وَما سَجعت
وُرقُ الحَمائم بالآصالِ وَالبُكرِ
Nor have the doves' branches rustled with separation and dawn.
Neither has the darkness of night been illuminated by lightning,
وَما وَشى الطِرسَ تَنميقُ اليَراع بِما
يُزري بِوَشي الرُبا بِسّامة الزَهرِ
With brilliance rivaling the beauty of flowers.
