أَعَنِ الأَهِلَّةِ في الدَّياجِرِ

سفَرَت لنا والبَينُ سَافِرْ

Was it of crescents in the pitch-dark nights—

that shone unveiled to us, while separation stood revealed?

أم عن محاجرِ رَبرَبٍ

كشَفَتْ لنا تلك المَعاجِر

Or of the eyes of a herd of wild does—

that those veils disclosed to us?

أَظِباءُ وَجْرَةَ أَقصَدَتْ

كَ بسِحرِ أجفانٍ فَواتِر

Were they gazelles of Wajra that struck—

you down with the magic of languid eyelids?

جنَتِ الهَوى وتنصَّلَت

باللَّحظِ من تِلكَ الجَرائر

They committed love’s offense, then disowned it,

absolving themselves by a glance from those crimes.

حتَّى أخذْنَ من المنا

طقِ للذي تحوي المآزر

Until they took from the girdles—

a pledge for what the waistcloths conceal.

لأُخاطِرَنَّ وما المُنى

في الحُبِّ إلا للمُخاطر

I shall surely hazard myself; for hopes—

in love belong only to the one who dares.

فَلأُوضِحَنَّ صَبابتي

بالدَّمعِ في الدِّمَنِ الدَّواثِر

I shall surely make my passion plain—

with tears upon the worn-away traces of encampments.

تاللهِ أغدُرُ بالهَوى

ما دمتُ مُسوَدَّ الغَدائِرْ

By God, shall I betray love—

while my sidelocks remain black?

ولَكَم هصرتُ غُصونَ عَي

شٍ مُورِقِ الأفنانِ ناضِر

How often I have bent the branches of a life—

leafy in its boughs, fresh and green;

ووجدتُ عَدْلَ الدَّهْرِ حُك

مَ مُسفَّهٍ ووفاءَ غادِر

and found the justice of Time to be the judgment—

of a fool, and its fidelity the faithfulness of a traitor.

وعلى الأميرِ أبي المظْفَ

رِ في النَّدى تُثْنَى الخَناصِر

Yet to the emir Abu al-Muzaffar—

in munificence, all fingers bend in the reckoning.

وعليه تَزدَحِمُ العُلى

دونَ البريَّةِ والمآثر

Upon him the heights of glory press and throng—

apart from all mankind, as do noble deeds.

مَلِكٌ إلى أفعالِه

تُنمَى المَناقِبُ والمَفاخِر

A king to whose actions—

all virtues and glories trace their line.

كَثُرَتْ مواهبُه وقلْ

لَتْ عند طالبِها المَعاذِر

His gifts have multiplied, while—

before their seekers, excuses have grown few.

وتغايرَتْ فيه العُلى

حتى حَسِبناها ضَرائِر

The heights of glory grew jealous over him,

until we thought them rival wives.

ذَخَرَ الثَّناءَ وفرَّقَتْ

يُمناه مُجتمَعَ الذَّخائر

He hoarded praise, while his right hand scattered—

the gathered stores of treasure.

وأقامَ يُعمِلُ في العَدوْ

وِ ظُبا العواسلِ والبَواتر

He rose to ply against the foe—

the blades of supple spears and cleaving swords,

متقَيِّلاً شرَفَ الأرا

قِمِ كابراً منهم فكابر

inheriting the honor of the Arāqim—

one great man after another.

أقمارُ مَجْدٍ تَنجلي

بضيائِها ظُلَمُ الدَّياجِر

Moons of glory, whose radiance dispels—

the darkness of the pitch-black nights;

وجبالُ أحلامٍ تَقِلْ

لُهُمُ الأسِرَّةُ والمَنابِر

mountains of forbearance, before whom—

couches and pulpits seem slight;

آسادُ كلِّ كريهةٍ

فتكَتْ بآسادٍ خَوادِر

lions in every dire ordeal,

who have torn into lurking lions,

تَدمى شَبا أظفارِها

والموتُ محمَرُّ الأَظافِر

the points of their talons dripping blood,

while death itself is red of claw.

وتَرى السَّوابغَ والقَنا

مثلَ الغَلائلِ والمَخاصِر

You see full coats of mail and lances—

like fine tunics and waist-wraps.

كم حاولوا قسْرَ العدو

وِ بصولةِ الأُسْدِ القَساوِر

How often they sought to subdue the enemy—

with the onslaught of fierce lions,

وكتائبٍ تُزجي الرَّدى

ما بينَ مُدَّرِعٍ وَحاسِر

and battalions driving death onward,

between armored men and bare ones.

وتَرَكْنَ وَسْمَ أَهِلَّةٍ

في الصَّخرِ من وَقْعِ الحَوافِر

They left the marks of crescents—

in the rock from the striking of hoofs.

فَبَكَرْنَ يَحجُبنَ الصبَّ

حَ بقَسطَلٍ في الجوِّ ثائِر

At dawn they rode, veiling the morn—

with a dust-cloud raging in the air.

وغَدَوا وطيبُ ثَنائِهِمْ

يُنْبيكَ عن طيبِ العَناصِر

They returned, while the sweetness of their praise—

tells you the goodness of their stock.

يا ناصرَ الكَرمِ الذي

لولاه كانَ بغَيرِ نَاصِر

O champion of generosity, which—

without you would have no champion!

مَنْ كانَ مِثلَكَ لم تَنَلْ

معشارَ سُؤدُدِهِ العَشائِر

Whoever is like you—the clans could not attain—

a tenth part of his eminence.

شِيَمٌ إذا ما شِمْتَها

أغَنتْ عنِ الدِّيَمِ الهَوامِر

Qualities which, once you glimpse them,

spare you the need for streaming rainclouds;

مثلُ الأصائلِ في السَّما

حِ فإنْ أَبى عادَتْ هَواجِر

in generosity they are like the late afternoons—

and if it withholds, they return as blazing noons.

وشمائلٌ هُنَّ الشُّمو

سُ لباطنٍ منها وظَاهِر

Traits that are suns—

to his inward self and outward face;

فكأنَّما هي رَوْضَةٌ

منظومَةٌ فيها الأَزاهِر

as though they were a meadow—

where blossoms have been strung in ordered rows.

يَهني المَكارِمَ أَنها

أَمِنَتْ بِبُرئِكَ ما تُحاذِر

Glad tidings to noble deeds: they now—

through your recovery, are safe from what they feared,

من بعدِ ما أنحَتْ علي

كَ نوائبٌ خُزْرُ النَّواظِر

after calamities assailed—

you, glaring with cross-eyed malice.

فاهتزَّ جِسمُكَ مثلَما

يَهتَزُّ ماضي الحدِّ باتِر

Then your body quivered as—

a keen, sharp-edged sword quivers.

لا زالَ لُطفُ اللهِ يَدْ

رَأُ عنكَ مكروهَ الدَّوائِر

May God’s grace never cease—

to ward from you the malice of reversals,

وسرَتْ إلى أعدائِكَ ال

أَحْدَاثُ بالأَجَلِ المُسافِر

while events hasten toward your enemies—

bearing the journeying term of death.

لاحَظْتُ رَبعَكَ فاكتَحَلْ

تُ بمُخصِبِ الجَنَباتِ زَاهِر

I gazed upon your dwelling and lined my eyes—

with its fertile, blossoming precincts.

وَوَرَدْتُ بحراً منك مح

مودَ المَواردِ والمَصادِر

I came to a sea from you, praised—

at its watering-places and points of departure.

وتركْتُ مدحَكَ سائراً

في الناسِ من بادٍ وحاضِر

And I left your praise traveling—

among all people, nomad and settled.

فتحلَّ منه مُحَبَّر ال

أَبْرَاد مَنظومَ الجَواهِر

With it, the embroidered robe was adorned—

with jewels strung in order.

لم يُعْزَ دُرُّ عقودِه

إلا إلى بحرِ الخَواطِر

No pearl in its necklace proved beyond reach—

except from the sea of thought.