رَسْمٌ عليَّ لذلك الرَّسم

أَنِّي أُقاسمُهُ ضَنَى الجسمِ

A mark is upon me, so for that mark,

I share the body's grief.

دارٌ على حَرْبِ الزَّمانِ لنا

جَنَحَتْ بها سَلْمَى إلى سَلمي

A house turned by the war of time to us,

In it, my peace reached my peace.

ما للهوى أَباً يُلازِمُني

فيها فهل كُتِبَ الهوى باسمي

Passion has no father who stays with me

In it, so was passion written in my name?

يا صاحِ تعذِلُني على شَعَفٍ

ما زالَ يَعْذرُني له خَصْمي

O companion, you blame me for a weakness,

My adversary continues to excuse me to it.

إنّي رَضَعْتُ لبانَ حُبِّهمُ

ويعزُّ عنه وإنْ جَفَوا فَطْمي

I suckled the milk of their love,

And it’s hard to be weaned even if they wean me.

كَلْمٌ فِراقُهُم ولومُكَ لي

في حُبِّهم كَلْمٌ على كَلْمِ

Their separation is painful, and your blame is pain

In loving them, pain upon pain.

بَخِلوا عليَّ بوَصْلِ طيفهمُ

ما كان بُخْلُ الطَّيفِ في زَعْمي

They were stingy to grant me their apparition.

The apparition’s stinginess was not in my doctrine.

أَنّى يَطيبُ ويستطيبُ كرىً

قَلْبٌ يَهيمُ وناظرٌ يَهْمي

How can a heart that raves and a gazing eye that desires

Feel good and desire good things?

أَو ما سِوَى هَجْري عِقَابهُمُ

أَم ليس غَيْرَ هواهمُ جُرْمي

Or is there anything but their estrangement that punishes me?

Or is there any crime but my love for them?

أَمّا الغرامُ فأَدمعي أَبداً

يُعرِبْنَ عنه بأَلسنٍ عُجْمِ

As for passion, my tears will forever

Express it in inarticulate tongues.

والقلبُ مَسْكنُهمْ فكيف رَضُوا

أَنْ يجعلوه مسكنَ الهَمِّ

And the heart is their dwelling, so how can they accept

To make it the dwelling of worries?

والسُّقمُ في جسمِ المحبِّ فلمْ

وُصفَتْ عيونُ البيضِ بالسَّقَمِ

And sickness in the lover's body, so

Were the white eyes described as sick?

أُدْمٌ سَفَكْنَ دمي بأَعينها

يا لَلْرِجالِ من الدُّمى الأُدْمِ

Blood they spilled, they spilled my blood with their eyes

What excellent bloody idols!

بيْضُ الظُّبَى تَنْبو وترشقنا

بيْضُ الظِّباءِ بأَعينٍ تُدْمي

The whiteness of the gazelles rises and shines upon us

The gazelles’ whiteness with eyes that bloody me.

ما كنتُ أَعلمُ قبلَ رؤيتها

أَنَّ النّواظر أَسْهمٌ تُصْمي

I did not know before seeing them

That sights are arrows that deafen me.

أَقمارُ خَمْرٍ إنْ سَفرنَ لنا

وإن انتقبنَ أَهلّةُ اللّثْمِ

Moons of wine, if they travel to us,

And if they wink, those who deserve a kiss.

يَضْعُفنَ عن حملِ الإزارِ فلم

يحملنَ أَوزاراً منَ الإثم

They are too weak to carry a loincloth, so they

Did not carry any burdens of sin.

لظباءِ كاظمةٍ مقابلتي

غيظي من الرُّقباءِ بالكظم

For matching a silent gazelle, my anger

From the stiff-necked ones with restraint.

وأَغنَّ بالكَشْحِ الهضيمِ له

يا كاشحي أًغناكَ عن هَضْمي

And it sang with melodious trilling to it,

"O you who trill, your trilling has made me forget."

أَحمي بجُهْدي في الهَوَى جلدِي

واللّحظُ منه يُبِيحُ ما أَحْمي

I protect my skin with effort in passion,

And a glance from it permits what I protect.

مَنْ مُنْصفي مِنْ جَورِ حاجبهِ

ولحاظُهُ عن قوسهِ تَرْمي

Who can justify me from the injustice of their frown?

Their amorous glance shoots from their bow.

وَحَلا ومرَّ وتجنِّياً وجنىً

يا شهدَهُ لِمْ شِيْبَ بالسُّمِّ

They visited while dressed beautifully and picked

O, their visit! Why did it turn white from poison?

الخمرُ رِيْقتُهُ وقد عَذُبَتْ

ما كلُّ خمرٍ مُزَّةُ الطَّعْمِ

The saliva is sweet and it has become delicious.

Not all wines have the flavor of taste.

وإذا شَفَتْ شَفَةٌ غليلَ صَدٍ

فالظُّلمُ صدُّكهُ عن الظَّلْمِ

And if a lip heals the anguish of a breast,

Then your prevention of injustice is injustice.

أَقَنعْتَ من بَرْقِ الحِمَى سَحَراً

ونسيمهِ بالشّيمِ والشمِّ

You sufficed from the lightning of passion for a while,

And its breeze with tolerable and smell.

ورضيتَ من نُعمٍ وإنْ مَطَلَتْ

بنَعَمْ ونُعمى تلكَ من نعمِ

And you were satisfied with blessings even if they were late,

With blessings and prosperity. That is of blessings.

وَبَلغْتَ من عظمِ الشُّكاة مَدىً

فيه المُى بَلَغَتْ إلى العَظْمِ

And you have reached in the greatness of complaining a point,

In which the inclined reached the bone.

فإلامَ تشكو الظُّلْمَ من زَمَنٍ

يتهضّمُ الأَحرارَ بالظُّلمِ

So why do you complain of the injustice of a time,

That oppresses the free with injustice?

تأْتي نوائبُهُ مُنبِّهةً

وتمرُّ كالمرئيِّ في الحلمِ

Its disasters come warning,

And pass like the seen in a dream.

لا تَخْفضِ اسمَكَ وارتفعْ حذراً

فعْلاً تصرِّفُهُ يَدُ الحزمِ

Do not lower your name, and rise cautiously

With an act that the hand of wisdom steers.

سُمْ نَفْسَكَ العلياءَ واسمُ بها

في بغيةِ الدُّنيا عن الوسمِ

Name yourself the most high, and call it,

In the quest of the world, away from branding.

حَتى مَتى تَظْما إلى ثمدٍ

أَيقنْتَ أَنَّ ورودَهُ يُظْمي

Until when will you be thirsty for dried up water

You were certain that its arriving will make you thirsty?

فَدَعِ التيمُّمَ بالصّعيدِ ففي

كَنَفِ الإمامِ شريعةُ اليمِّ

So leave wiping with soil, for in

The Caliph's caress is the law of ablution.

مَلِكٌ ليالي النائباتِ بهِ

تُجلَى وتخضب أَزمنُ الأَزمِ

A king of the nights of disasters through him

Becomes clear and the times of crises become bloody.

وَرأى الوَرَى الوجدانَ من عدمٍ

في عصرهِ والوَجْدَ منْ عُدْمِ

And he saw well-being from nothingness

In his time, and ecstasy from non-existence.

أوصافُهُ بالوحي نعرفُها

فصفاتُهُ جلّتْ عن الوَهْمِ

His descriptions through revelation we know,

So his traits have been too high for perception.

تَسْمو بلثمِ تُرابِ موكبهِ

فلقد سَمَتْ يَدُهُ عن اللّثمِ

It rises to kiss the dust of his procession

For his hand has certainly risen above kissing.

ما كنتَ تبصرُ نَفْعَ موكبهِ

لولا تواضُعُه من العظم

You would not see the benefit of his procession,

Had it not been for his humility against greatness.

النّجمُ منزلُهُ ومنزلُه

للوحي منزلُ سورة النَّجمِ

The star is his house, and his house

For revelation is the house of Surat An-Najm.

مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ آساسُ ملكهمُ

صينْنَتْ قواعدُهُا عن الهَدْمِ

From a people whose kingdom's foundations

Were protected from destruction.

مِن كلِّ سامي الأصلِ سامِقِهِ

زاكي الخليقةِ طاهرِ الجذمِ

From every highest of origin and its highest

Of pure creature and clean body.

شمُ المعاطسِ عزُّهُمْ أَبداً

قمنٌ بذلِّ معاطسِ الشّمِّ

Protection from contagion is their honor forever

An epidemic with the submission of contagion.

المنهبونَ الوفدَ وفرهمُ

والمشترونَ الشُّكرَ بالشُّكمِ

They who give generously and their delegation bought

And those who bought gratitude with gratitude.

قَومٌ يرونَ إذا هُمُ اجتمعوا

تفريقَ ما غَنِمُوا من الغنمِ

A people who - if assembled - see

The distribution of what they collected from the booty.

خَفُّوا إلى فعلِ الجميلِ فما

يستثقلونَ تَحمُّلَ الغُرمِ

They rushed to doing good, so they

Do not find bearing liability heavy.

حُمْرُ النِّصالِ جَلوا ببيضهمُ

ظلماتِ ظُلْمِ الأَزمُنِ الدُّهمِ

The red swords - their whiteness defeated

The darkness of the gloomy times' injustice.

وخطابُهمْ في كل داهيةٍ

يَقْتادُ أَنفَ الخطبِ بالخُطمِ

And their discourse in every calamity

Leads the eloquence of speeches with the muzzle.

إرثُ النُّبوَّةِ بل خلافتُها

في يوسفَ المستنجدِ القَرْمِ

The inheritance - rather the caliphate - of prophethood

In Joseph the victorious one of firm determination.

كالبدرِ نوراً والهزَبْرِ سطاً

يومَ الهِياجِن وليلةَ التمِّ

Like the full moon in light and the plain earth

On the day of storms and night of complete darkness.

لا بالجَهَام ولا الكَهَام إذا

نُوَبُ الزَّمانِ عَرَتْ ولا الجهم

Not with ignorance or blind anger when

The time's calamities are exposed or blind rage.

لو للسيوفِ مَضاءُ عَزْمتهِ

ويراعِهِ أَمنتْ مِنَ الثَّلمِ

Had the swords had his determination’s illumination

And his observation, it would have been safe from imperfections.

وإذا المُنى عَقُمْتَ فنائِلُهُ

شافي العقامِ وناتجُ العُقمِ

And if wishes are fruitless, then its obtainers

Are curing frigidity and producing infertility.

الدِّينُ مرتبطٌ بدولتهِ

والدَّهرُ تابعُ أَمرهِ الحزمِ

The religion is tied to his state,

And fate is subject to his firm command.

لوليهِ من فَيْضِ نائله

فَيْضُ الوليِّ ونائلُ الوسمي

For his successor from the abundance of his obtainer

Is the obtainer’s abundance and the marker’s obtainer.

قسماً نصيبُ من الوفاء به

أَوفى النصيبِ وأَوفرَ القسمِ

A share, a portion of faithfulness it deserves,

Has fulfilled the portion and abundant portion.

للحقِّ ما يرضيكَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ

والحكم ما تُمضيهِ من حُكْمِ

For truth whatever satisfies you of deed,

And rule whatever judgment you pass.

أَمّا الطُّغاةُ فقد وسَمتَهمُ

ووصَمتهمْ بالذُّلِّ والرُّغمِ

As for the tyrants, you have branded them

And stigmatized them with humiliation and stuffed mouths.

بينَ الزِّجاجِ تصدَّعوا شُعَبا

صَدْعَ الزُّجاجِ لوقعةِ الصَّمِ

Between glass they cracked into pieces

The glass' cracking from the deafening shock.

للوقدِ أَنفُسُهمْ وسمعُهمُ

للوَقْرِ والأَعناقُ للوَقمِ

Their souls are for burning and their hearing

For gravity, and the necks for retardation.

إغمدْ حُسامَكَ في رقابهمُ

فالَّاءُ مفتقرٌ إلى الحَسْمِ

Sheathe your sword in their necks

For the separation is needy for decisiveness.

آزرْتَ ملككَ بالوزيرِ فَمنْ

شَروا كما في العَزْمِ والحزمِ

You have supported your kingdom with the minister, so who

Bought like in determination and wisdom?

يحيى الذي أَضحى بسيرتهِ

حيَّ المحامدِ ميِّتَ الذَّمِّ

Yahya who sacrificed with his conduct

The living praise and the dead blame.

كبرتْ وجلَّتْ فيكَ همتُهُ

فله بنصحكَ أَكبرُ الهمِّ

Your ambition has grown and risen through you

So for counseling you the greatest interest is his.

هو حاتميُّ الجودِ ليس يرى

إسْداءَ نائلهِ سوى حَتْمِ

He is the seal of generosity, he does not see

Except bestowing his obtainer openly.

فليهننا أَنّا لملككَ في

زمنٍ يردُّ شبيبةَ الهمِّ

So allow us to congratulate that we are - through you - in

A time that restores the ambition of worry.

وهناكَ أَنَّلتَ بينَ أَظهرِنا

خَلَفُ النَّبيِّ ووارثُ العلمِ

And you have bestowed upon our backs

The caliph after the prophet and the heir of knowledge.

وكما وزَنتَ عِيارَ فضلكَ بال

إِفضالِ زِنْتَ العلمَ بالحِلْمِ

And as you have weighed the merit of your grace without

Grace, you have weighed knowledge with forbearance.

بمكارمٍ لكَ عَرْفُها أَبداً

فينا يَنُمُّ وعُرفها يُنْمي

With virtues that their customs are eternally known to you in us

Flourishing and their custom cultivating.

ما روضةٌ غَنّاءُ حَاليةٌ

وَشْياً تُحلِّيه يَدُ الرَّقمِ

No flourishing garden, no delightful

Meadow adorned by the hand of pruning.

فعرائسُ الأغصانِ قد جُلِيَتْ

في زهرِها بالوشي والوسمِ

So the blossoms of the branches have been thinned out

In their flowers with thinning out and marking.

وتمايلتْ أَزهارُها سَحَراً

بنسيمهِ المتمارِضِ النَّسمِ

And their flowers swayed at dawn

With its flirting breeze and soft blow.

فلكلِّ نَوْرٍ نُورُ ثاقبةٍ

ولكلِّ ناجمةٍ سَنَا نَجْمِ

For every light there is a penetrating light,

And for every star there is an elevated star.

دُرّانِ من طَلٍّ على زَهَرٍ

يا حُسنَهُ نَثْراً عملى نَظْمِ

Two pearls from dew over a flower

How beautiful its scattering over my stringing!

إذ كل هاتفةٍ وهاتنةٍ

مَشْغولةٌ بالسَّجعِ والسَّجْمِ

For every caller and caller

Is busy with rhyming and framing.

فالوُرقُ في نوح وفي طربٍ

والوَجْدُ في بَوْحٍ وفي كَتْمِ

So the leaves - in lament and delight -

And the passion - in confessing and concealing.

بأتمَّ حُسْناً من صدائحَ لي

فيكم مُنزَّهة عن الوصمِ

With the most beautiful voice of my melodies for you

Purified from blemish among you.

دُريّةُ الإشراقِ مشرفةُ ال

دُرّيّ بل مسكِيّةُ الخَتْمِ

A glistening pearl of illumination, honor of

Not a pearl but a musky seal.

تجري وتفتحُ من سلاستِها

صُمَّ الصّفا ومسامعَ الصُّمِّ

It flows and opens from its smoothness

The deafness of clarity and the hearing of the deaf.

يغني الطروبُ عن الغناءِ بها

وابنُ الكريمِ عن ابنةِ الكَرْمِ

The turtledoves suffice from singing through it,

And the son of the generous from the daughter of generosity.

لطُفَتْ وطالتْ فهي جامعةٌ

عظمَ الحِجا ولطافَةَ الحَجمِ

It has gentled and lengthened, so it is inclusive

Of the hajj's greatness and the hajj's gentleness.

ولكم سحبْتُ الذَّيلَ مبتهجاً

حيثُ الرَّجاءُ مطرَّزُ الكُمِّ

And for you I have trailed the train joyfully

Where hope is embroidered with perfection.

مستنزرٌ جمُّ الثّنهاءِ إذا

قابلتَهُ بعطائِكَ الجمِّ

Seeking aid, I am collecting all praise when

You meet it with your perfect gift.

لم يُخطِ منذ أَصببتُ خِدْمتكم

أَغراضَ أَغراضي بكم سَهْمي

Since I poured out serving you

My purposes have not missed their mark through you.

ولرُبَّ مجدٍ قد أَضفتُ إلى

ما نِلْتُ منْ خالٍ ومن عمِّ

And for plenty of glory I have added unto

What I received from maternal and paternal uncles.

فالدَّهرُ يصرفُ صَرْفَهُ بكم

ويكُفُّ كفَّ البسطِ عن غَشْمِ

So fate turns its course through you

And restrains the palm from clenching.

وَلئِنْ نطقتُ بكم فوصفكُمُ

مُحيي الجمادِ ومُنطِقُ البُكمِ

And if I speak of you, then your description

Revives the inanimate and enables the mute to speak.