أَلَمْ تَرَ وَجْهَ الحُسْنِ أَوْضَحَ وَاضِحِ
بَدَا فَهْوَ لِلأَنْوار أَفْضَحُ فَاضِحِ
Did you not see the face of beauty shine bright and clear?
It appeared, outshining the lights, most luminous and radiant.
وَلاَ عَاتِقٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ غَيْرُ ذَاتِهِ
وَمَا دُونَهُ مِنْ مَانِعٍ غَيْرُ مَانِحِ
None can match it save its own essence,
Nor veil it save its own bounty.
إِذَا أَنْتَ أَعْطَتَّكَ العُيونُ عُيوُنَهَا
سَبَتْكَ مَرِيْضَاتُ العُيُونِ الصَّحَائِحِ
When eyes gaze upon you, their eyes commit to you,
Making the glancing eyes of the waking sick.
وَإِنْ أَنْتَ أَفْنَتْكَ المَعَاني وَكُنْتَهَا
شَهِدْتَ المَغَانِي آهِلاَتِ الجَوَانِحِ
And if meanings themselves were to gaze upon you,
Witnessing the passions, the souls of the enraptured would swoon.
فَشَاهِدْ كَثِيفَ الكَوْنِ لاَ مُتَنَقصاً
تَجِدْ وَجْهَ حُسْنٍ لِلكَمَالاَتِ لاَئِحِ
So witness the teeming universe, find no shortcoming,
And you will find a beautiful face manifesting perfections.
فَمَا الدَّوْحُ تَثْنيِهِ صَباً سَحَرَيَّةٌ
بَكَتْ بِالنَّدَا خَوْفَ الجَنُوبِ المُنَاوِحِ
The bending branches of the willow tree wept at dawn
Fearing the approaching south wind.
وَرَدَّدَ فِيهَا لَحْنَهُ كُلُّ مُعْرِبٍ
مِنَ الوُرْقِ مِنْ مَعْنىً مُغَنٍّ وَنَائِحِ
And every eloquent voice echoed its melody there,
With meaning, chanting, and lamenting.
وَأَوْقَدَ فِيهَا وَامِضَ البَرْقِ ضَوْؤُهُ
فَلاَقَى الدُّجَى مِنْ زَهْرِهِ بِالمَصَابِحِ
And the fading lightning lit up its blossoms in the gloom
As the clouds were set aglow by the lanterns.
فَيَا حُسْنَ وَجْهٍ مِنْ كَنِيفَاتِ مَركَزٍ
هَجَاهَا غَمٍ لَكِنْ بِعَيْنِ المدَائحِ
O exquisite beauty centralized in abundant forms!
Sorrow advanced, yet through eyes of praise.
تَطَوَّرَ في أَشْكَالِهَا ذَلِكَ الذَّي
لَهُ القَيْدُ وَالإِطْلاقُ رُتْبَةُ لاَمِحِ
He who has mastery and release took shape through them,
Of an incomparable and sublime rank.
فَإِنْ غَلِطَتْ عَيْنُ الجَهُولِ فَشَاهَدَتْ
خِلاَفاً فَفي عَيْنِ الوِفَاقِ المُنَاصِحِ
If the eye of the ignorant sees the contrary
The eye of harmony and good counsel sees the truth.
ومَا غَلِطَتْ عَيْنُ الجَهُولِ وَإِنَّها
لَصَادِقَةٌ فِي كُلِّ كِذْبٍ فَسَامِحِ
The eye of the ignorant sees no untruth,
It is honest in every falsehood, so forgive it!
فَإِنَّ الوُجودَ المَحْضَ لَمْ يَأْتِ بِدْعةً
وَمَا غَيْرُهُ يَأْتِي بِبَدْعٍ وَصَالحِ
For pure being came not innovating,
While all else innovates, yet proper and good.
هُوَ البَحْرُ لاَ سَطْحٌ ولاَ سَاحِلٌ لَهُ
فَمِنْ طَائِرٍ فِيهِ ومَاشٍ وسَابحِ
It is the ocean - no surface nor coast to it -
Soaring above it, walking upon it, and swimming in it.
شَجَتْ مَاءَهُ واسْتَوْقَفَتْ مِنْهُ فُلْكَهُ
سَرَائِرُ يُبْدِي صَوْنَهَا كُلُّ بَائِحِ
Its waters stirred and its ships were anchored,
As every weeping soul reveals its hidden pain.
عَذارىَ أَبُوهَا كَانَ مَفْعُولَ أُمِّهَا
لِذَا لَمْ يَجيِ فِيهَا القَيِاسُ بِوَاضِحِ
Virgins whose father was their mother’s doing -
Reason cannot fathom this clear enough.
أَيا طَارِحاُ تِلْكَ الحَبَائِلَ صَائِداً
هِيَ الصَّيْدُ فَاطْرَحْ طَرْحُهَا غَيْرُ طَارِحِ
O you who cast those ropes hunting game!
The game itself does the casting, none other.
وَلاَ تَشْكُ هَجْراً مِنْ حَبِيبٍ مُوَاصِلٍ
تَنَكَّرَ إِذْ سَمَّيْتَهُ باسْمِ كَاشِحِ
Do not doubt the love of an affectionate beloved
If you named him “one who withdraws” in anger.
وَإِنْ كُنْتَ مَزْكُوماً فَلَيْسَ بِلاَئقٍ
مَقَالُكَ إِنَّ المِسْكَ لَيْسَ بِفَائِحَ
And if you are considered of little worth, it is not fitting
To say: “Musk itself has no scent.”
