وَفَت إِذ لَوَت بِالوَعدِ يَوم لِوى الرَمل
وَمِن عَهدِها لي المَواعيد بِالمَطلِ
When she promised with beauty on a day of twisted sands,
Her covenants left me only with delay.
مَها مِن بُروج البَدرِ لاحَت وَدارُها
عَلى المُنحَنى مِن ذي الأَراكة فَالأَثلِ
Her tents shone from the full moons and circled
Above the bending [horizon] from the brightest stars.
عِذابُ الثَنايا مِن كَواعبِ غادَةٍ
حِسانُ التَثَنّي قَد ثَمِلنَ مِن الدَلِّ
The pain of her eyelashes from the glances of a beauty -
The charm of her glances filled with languor.
كَواعِبُ إِلّا أَنَّهنَّ كَواكِبٌ
سَمَت في سَماء الحُسنِ عَن سِمَةِ المِثلِ
Her glances are like stars
That took aim in the sky of beauty beyond any peer.
كَسَت حِبرَ الوَشيِ البَديعِ مَعاطِفاً
سَقاها الشَبابُ الرُوق سَجلاً عَلى سَجلِ
She donned the fine writing of poetry as cloaks -
Youth quenched them in vintage poured on parchment.
وَقَلَّدَت الأَجيادُ ما في ثُغورِها
تَقَلُّدَ أَجيادِ الرُبا لُؤلُؤَ الطَلِّ
The stallions were adorned with what was in her cheeks -
The adornment of steeds with strung pearls.
وَباتَت عَلى الجَرعاء مِن أَيمَنِ الحِمى
حِمى القَلبِ تَرعى لا حِمى البانِ وَالرَملِ
She spent the night watching over the wounded of love -
The sanctuary of the heart, not the refuge of pasture and sand.
أَلا رَبعَت في دارِها أَربَعِيَّةً
سماكيَّة الأَنواءِ دائِمَة الهَطلِ
Indeed, in her abode gathered a foursome
Of dark clouds, ever rains pouring.
مِنَ الضَحِكِ اللاتي يُضاحِكُ وَدقُها
ثُغورَ الأَقاحي في الرِياض بِمُنهَلِّ
With laughter that elicits smiles in the gardens at watering places
From cheeks that entice the meadows’ bushes.
فَتَعطِفُ لِيتَ الرَندِ نَحوَ عُرارِهِ
وَيَرنو لَها الحَوذان عَن أَعيُنٍ شُهلِ
She sways the slender twigs toward the gazelle,
As the young oryx glance at her from sleepy eyes.
تُجدِّدُ مِن تِلكَ الرُسومِ مَعاهِداً
عَهدتُ بِها حُسّانَةَ الجيدِ وَالشَكلِ
She renews from those features covenants
I promised regarding the beauty of her face and form.
وَأَحوَرَ وَسنانَ الجُفون إِذا رَنا
أَدارَ كُؤوس الراحِ بِالحَدَقِ النُجلِ
She captivates and the teeth of her eyelids when she is amorous
Turn the cups of comfort with a languorous gaze.
خَليلي أَقِم بي في الديارِ لَعَلَّنا
نُسائِلُ مَغناها عَنِ الرَشَأ الطفلِ
My friend, stay with me in the dwellings so we may
Inquire of their singer about the youthful foal.
أَقم عَلّها أَن تُرجع القَولَ أَو عَسى
أُخلِّفُ فيها بَعضَ ما بي مِنَ الخبلِ
Stay so she may return the word, or perhaps
I will leave with her some of the madness that is within me.
فَإِن تَقِفَن مِن أَجلِ نَفسِكَ ساعَةً
فَقِفها عَلى تِلكَ المَعالِمِ مِن أَجلي
If she pauses for your sake an hour,
Then pause by those landmarks for my sake.
فرُبَّ فَتاةٍ مِن مَهاةٍ بُدورُها
تَجَلَّت بِداجي لَيلِ فَرعٍ لَها جَثلِ
For many a beauty from the tents, their new moons
Shone for us in the darkness of flowering nights.
وَأَجلَت لَنا عَن أُقحُوان مُفلّجٍ
يَرودُ بَعلِّ المسك في واضح رَتلِ
They revealed to us from the brink of a paralyzed love
That returns at dawn in a clear caravan.
مِنَ الغيدِ بَيضاءُ التَرائِبِ طفلَة
وَقالَت قَتيلي في الغَرامِ بِلا ذَحلِ
Of the antelopes, a white-thighed doe
Said, “I am slain by love without reserve.”
وِصالي بِبَذلِ النَفسِ إِن كُنتَ طامِعاً
وَإِلّا الثُّريّا مِنكَ أَقرَبُ مِن وَصلي
“My union is in sacrificing myself, if you desire it,
Else, parting is nearer to me than union.”
فَقُلتُ لَها وَالعَينُ شكرى بِمائِها
وَفي القَلبِ نارٌ حَرّا بَردُها يَغلي
So I said to her, while my eyes overflowed in gratitude,
And in my heart was a burning fire, its coolness boiling:
فَدَيتُكِ يا نَفسي بِملكي وَإِنَّما
تَمَلَّكَها سَعدُ البَريّة مِن قَبلي
“I ransom you, O my soul, with my kingdom, but
Sa’d of the wilderness gained it before me.”
إِمامُ الهُدى بَحرُ النَدى قامِعُ العِدا
حَليفُ النَدى لا يَفترُ الدَهرَ عَن بَذلِ
The Imam of guidance, ocean of dew, vanquisher of enemies,
Ally of dew ceaselessly bestowing.
هُوَ العالِمُ الطُهرُ الَّذي بِيَمينهِ
تَقَسَّم ما في العالمين مِن الفَضلِ
He is the pure scholar whose right hand
Apportions what bounty lies in both worlds.
هُوَ المُجتَلي سِرّ الخَليقَة وَالَّذي
رَوِيَّتُه رَمزَ الحَقيقَةِ تَستَجلي
He is the revealer of the secret of creation, whom
I quenched my thirst from the symbol of truth that he manifests.
هُوَ المُظهِرُ النورَ الَّذي ظَهَرت بِهِ
حَقائِقُ ما يَلقى مِنَ الجنسِ وَالفَصلِ
He is the displayer of the light whereby
The realities of genus and categories appeared.
هُوَ المُصدر الأَحكامَ وَالحِكمَةَ الَّتي
تُرينا طَريقَ الحَقِّ وَاضِحَة السُبلِ
He is the source of rulings and the wisdom
That shows us the clear path of truth.
هُوَ الفائِض الأَنوار وَالعَلَمُ الَّذي
بِذكرِ اسمهِ يُستَنزل الغَيثُ في مَحلِ
He is the overflowing of light, the banner that,
By mentioning his name, rain is summoned in place.
مُلَقِّن ظِلِّ اللَهِ أَسرارَ غَيبِهِ
كَما هِيَ في أُمّ الكِتابِ مِن الأَصلِ
He whispers to the shadow of God the secrets
As they are in the Mother of the Book in origin.
مُرادٌ مريدُ الحَقِّ لا زالَ مُلكُهُ
يُرى بِقِران السَعدِ مُجتَمعَ الشَملِ
The desired, the desire of truth, his kingdom remains unceasing,
Seen by the conjunction of fortune collected whole.
فَوجدانُ سَعدِ الدينِ في مِثلِ عَصرِهِ
شَهيدٌ بِوحدانيّةِ اللَهِ وَالعَدلِ
Thus the felicity of Sa’d al-Din in an age like his
Is a martyr of God’s oneness and justice.
تَبارَكَ مَن أَولاهُ رَأياً مُسَدَّداً
يَلوحُ عَلَيهِ كَالفِرند مِنَ النَصلِ
Blessed is he who granted him a rightly guided view
Upon which the sword flashes like a cutting blade.
وَلَولاكَ يا سَعدَ البَرايا لَما غَدا
مَعاقِدُ هَذا المُلك مُستَصحدُ الفَتلِ
Without you, O felicitous Sa’d, the knots of this kingdom would not
Have been undone, with slaughtered necks bleeding.
وَهَذا يَراعٌ في يَمينك دُونَهُ
يَقومُ مَقامَ البيض وَالأَسَلِ الذبلِ
And this attendant is in your right, beneath him
Taking the place of the white land and the withered grasses.
وَما المُلكُ إِلّا غادَةٌ بِكَ شَكلُها
وَإِلّا فَما فَضلُ الغَواني بِلا شَكلِ
The kingdom is but a beauty by you made,
Else what is the merit of antelopes without beauty?
أَلا أَيُّها السَعدُ الِّذي سارَ ذِكرُهُ
مَسير الصبا في الخافقينِ بِما يُولي
O Sa’d whose mention traveled
Like the morning breeze between the two orbits of day and night!
وَمَن دارَتِ الأَفلاك طَوعَ مُرادِهِ
وَمَن كادَتِ الأَفلاكُ تَكتُبُ ما يُملي
One whom the spheres obey his desires
And one whom the spheres almost record what he dictates!
لِبابِكَ جاءَت بِالمَديح كَأَنَّما
رَمتها عيونُ الوَحشِ حَدَق قُبلِ
To your door the eulogies came as if
Cast by the eyes of beasts, concentrating their gaze.
إِلى الشِعر لا تُعزى بِوَصفِكَ بَل غَدَت
على فلك الشِعرى بِمَدحِكَ تَستَعلي
Poetry cannot be consoled by your description, but
It has risen in the celestial sphere, eulogizing you on high.
تَحامى فحولُ الشِعرِ وزن عروضِها
كَما تَتحامي مُهجَةٌ نَظرَةَ الصِلِّ
The poets’ strengths rise up and the meter of their verse
Vies as dignified she-camels vie the looks of overlords.
لَها نِسبَة في طَيِّئٍ غَيرَ أَنَّها
نَشَت بَينَ رَوضِ الشام في ذارِف الطَلِّ
It has lineage in Tai [tribe] but it grew
Between the gardens of Damascus in torrents of generosity.
رَقيقَة صَفو الطَبعِ إِن هِيَ لُويِنَت
وَإِن خوشِنَت فَالحَدّ مِن نابِها يُفلي
Delicate, pure of nature - if she is soft,
The limit of her bite makes swords slick.
وَكَم مِثلها بِالرومِ لي خِلتُ أَنَّها
وَحاشاكَ مِثلَ القَطرِ في البَلَد المَحلِ
And how many like her I have among the Romans, but
God forbid you are like drops in a foreign land.
دَعاها إِلَيكَ العِلمُ وَالحلمُ وَالحِجى
وَما تَرتَجي مِن صَوب نائِلك الجَزلِ
Knowledge, wisdom and argument summoned her to you
And she hopes for nothing but your abundant bestowal.
أَتَت تَمتَري مِن جودِ راحَتِكَ الغنى
وَتستَنزلُ النعمى لَدَيكَ بِلا مَهلِ
She came to glean from the plenty of your ease,
And obtain blessing in your presence without delay.
وَلَم يُبقِ مِنها صَبرُها غَيرَ مُهجَةٍ
مُعَلَّقة بَينَ المَواعيدِ وَالمَطلِ
Nothing remained of her patience but an antelope
Suspended between promises and procrastination.
فَمالَكَ لا تَختَصُّها بِشَفاعَةٍ
وَأَمرُكَ كَالمِقدار يَنفذُ في الكُلِّ
So why do you not grant her special intercession?
For your command is like fate, prevailing over all.
فَوَاللَّهِ لَيسَت دونَ ما حاكَ وَشيهُ
صَريعُ الغَواني مُسلم مِن حلى الفَضلِ
By God, she is no less than the slain of love,
A Muslim in surrender to your nobility.
وَأَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ مِن فَضلِكَ الفَضلُ وَالَّذي
يَشُكُّ كَمَن قَد شَكّ في اللَّهِ وَالرُسلِ
You are the nobility whose nobility is bounty, and one who
Doubts is like one who doubts God and His messengers.
