بنفسي مكحول الجفون رماني — Al Staley

My soul be ransom for the kohl-lidded one who shot me

With two arrows that hold sway over minds.

And they made a young gazelle's two eyes shimmer for me in sickness;

From them come two ailments, in my heart and body.

And they made a full moon shine beneath a night of tresses,

Of six nights followed by eight more.

And they unveiled two cheeks that won my worship,

As though they were two idols for me in love.

And they showed me, amid the gleam of side teeth,

The mouth's two palates, their saliva cool.

And he swayed a bough in robes he held aloft

With two mounds of fine sand, adorned by two feet.

He struts in his loveliness; despite his surpassing beauty,

He stalls over love's debt and offers vain promises.

And a long night I spent in yearning,

And thought that kept me from sweet sleep,

And two eyes that grew sick because of him, then welled

With two tears flowing down my cheeks.

I see night and day, within it, conspiring

Against me with prolonged grief, dividing me between them.

From my day's anguish over him and the length of my night,

Two flames blaze in my entrails.

Nor have I found among my two friends a helper in love

In any part of what I suffer; both have wronged me.

They reproach me in love's assembly; yet if I

Confided love's secret to them, they would keep me in the dark.

I hid my two afflictions, which, whenever there appear

Wasting and tears, cannot remain hidden.

Just as we do not hide the excellence of Dhuhl and Ya'rub,

And those are the two glories, the two paragons of generosity.

Two generous men renowned for excellence and wisdom,

As though they were two landmarks among mankind.

In the radiance of their faces you see, from their cheer,

Added splendor when they smile.

Earnest in winning noble virtues and high rank,

Resolute in the nobility of their character.

As though, on every day of battle,

Amid terror, they were two forest lions hungry for flesh.

And the frightened man has found safety in their courtyards,

As though their protective might made them two sanctuaries.

And they are accustomed to extending their hands, as though

They were appointed guarantors of humankind's sustenance.

Within their two souls, in doing every virtuous deed,

Are two faithful intentions beyond suspicion.

Their two palms receive kisses from every speaker,

As though they were two sacred corners ritually touched.

And two swords that one day pour forth blood,

And another day, two pens that gush generosity.

With these, at times, they bestow favors; and at other times

With those, they take vengeance on their enemies.

Through the two excellences of Dhuhl and Ya'rub has risen

The excellence of Oman's land above every land.

And an age in which Dhuhl and Ya'rub

Are the two lords of its people is the best of ages.

They have seated themselves in the glory of 'Amr ibn 'Amir,

In two houses of eminence that cannot fall.

An oath by Dhuhl, together with an oath by Ya'rub—

And these, from one who swears, are two oaths:

They have made love binding upon me, and endeared

To me every Yemeni among the lords.

They have relieved my hardship and guaranteed

Security for my livelihood against scarcity.

And how often I turned my soul toward them in hope,

Yet they neither diminished my share nor deprived me.

And I multiplied my lapses, but they paid them no heed;

I brought my needs in succession, but they never tired of me.

They are my two lords; may I never lose their favor,

And I please them if I say: may they never lose me.

For I am the one who extols their lofty excellence,

And they are two prized subjects for praise.

So may you, two lords, live long and flourish,

And may both your households remain united in honor.

And may you always remain in happiness and safety,

With fair fortunes and wishes fulfilled.

And take this, you two, as a necklace for noble achievements,

Set with gold and pearls.

You see each pair of hemistichs, their first and second endings,

As though they were two necklaces, neatly strung.