غدا تبدي مدامعنا الخفايا — Al Sari Al Raffa

Tomorrow our tears will reveal what is hidden,

When the mounts are bridled for their destination.

We stood praising tears when

We saw that separation was vile in character.

Their cheeks, when they depart, are like

Red anemones still bearing remnants of dew.

And they have nocked arrows with their glances;

The hearts of lovers are their targets.

We wished for a meeting, and it proved fatal;

And how many a wish has brought death!

I see the horizons filled with joy

Through victory granted to the emir Abu al-Saraya,

Through a newborn whom God sees as a lion,

And as rain pouring upon all creation.

A noble son born of noble people,

He came resembling them in resolve and judgment.

My praise of them, as long as I live,

Is a lovesick lover's praise of front teeth.

I picture the emir, having put him to the test,

Dispelling calamities from him ever more,

And he has torn the souls of the envious apart with rage

Through his eminence, scattering them into splinters.

And armor has become tender toward him,

Fluttering, while saddles are cushions for him.

If ever he races his equals one day

Toward the finish, he leaves them ruined.

He wrongs his ancestral wealth when bounty is sought

From his fingers, yet he is just in judgments.

Glory lives through his life and the destruction of

His enemies by events and calamities.

So tell Abu al-Muzaffar: we have obtained

The gifts we hope for from you.

You excelled: you were a sea when they were

Scant waters drawn from wells.

Without excellence, we would not perceive deficiency,

And without devotion, sins would not be cleared away.

And whoever bestows rain on gardens of praise

Wins from them delightful gifts,

Just as generous clouds lavished rain upon a land

And brought its hidden beauties to light.

Our praises have arrived as ready cash;

So do not make their rewards deferred payments.