أعيداً حديثَ الأنسِ عنْ ساكِنِ السَّفْحِ

عَسَى تُبرِداَما بِالجَوانِحِ من لَفحِ

I repeat the sweet talk of the one who dwells on the hillside

Perhaps it will cool the ardour caused by the burning wind

وإيَّاكُما ذِكرَ العُذَيبِ فإنَّهُ

على غَيرَتِي عَنْهُ غَنِيٌّ عنِ الشَّرحِ

Beware mentioning my darling, for he

Is sufficient for my jealousy, needing no explanation

خَليلَيَّ لا أنْسَى وقَدْ جِئتُ حَيَّهَا

وحِيداً أسِرُّ الخَطوَ فِي غَيهَبِ الجُنحِ

My two boon companions, I do not forget when I came to her abode

Alone, stealing steps into the thickets of the wings

تُطالِعُنِي الجَوزَاءُ شزراً وَيَنطَوي

عَلَى حَنَقِ قَلبُ السِّمَاكِ مَعَ النَّطحِ

The little bird peeps out at me angrily and the heart of the stately one

Bristles with rage along with the butting

وَما وَطِئَتْ رِجلِي عَلَى غَيرِ شَائِكٍ

ولاَ قَبَضَتْ كَفَّايَ إلاَّ عَلَى رُمْحِ

My feet have not trodden on anything but thorns

And my palms have not grasped anything but a spear

أحَاولُ مِنهَا لَفتَةً لا لِريبَةٍ

وأطْلُبُ مِنهَا نَعْمَةً لا على قَدحِ

I try to gain her glance, not out of doubt

And seek her favor, not by bribery

وَلولا انتِشارُ النَّشرِ من طَيّ رُدْنِهَا

وبَرق ثَناياها ضَلَلتُ إلى الصُّبْحِ

And were it not for the spreading of the publishing from the folds of her mantle

And the shining of her sides, I would have wandered till dawn

فأيقَظَهَا مِلبُعدِ خَفْقُ حُشاشَتي

وقَدْ عادَ حَربُ الدَّهرِ فِيهَا إلى الصُّلحِ

So the fluttering of my startled heart awakened her

And the war of fate turned in her into peace

فَوافَتْ وَيَا لَلُّهِ كَابنِ مُحمَّدٍ

وقَد قَامَ لِلتَّعيِيدِ في سَاحَةِ الصَّرحِ

She came to me - how amazing - like the daughter of Muhammad

When the feast of Breaking the Fast was held in the field of the tower

ألاَ إنَّهُ البَاشَا الذِي اعتَرفَتْ لَهُ

مُلوكُ الوَرَى بِالخَلقِ والخُلُقِِ السَّمحِ

Behold! He is the pasha whom the kings of the world have acknowledged

For his nature and noble manners

هُمَّامٌ إذا عَايَنتَهُ قُلتَ إنَّ مَن

سِواهُ مِنَ الأملاكِ مِنْ جُملَةٍ السَّرحِ

When you look at him you would say that compared to him

The rest of the rulers are just riffraff

طَوى لاكتِسابِ الحَمدِ كُلَّ تنوفةٍ

يُغَنِّي بِهَا طَيرُ الفَخَارِ عَلَى دَوحِ

He has endured every hardship to gain praise

Which the birds in the air sing of on the sand dunes

وأظهرَ في ذا الملكِ كلَّ عجيبةٍ

يغني بها طير الفخارِ على دوحِ

And he brought out in this reign every wonder

Which the birds in the air sing of on the sand dunes

رَأيناهُ لَمَّا وَدَّعَ الصَّومَ رَاجِعاً

وأقْبَلَ عِيدُ الفِطرِ في مَعرِضِ الفَرحِ

We saw him, when he bade farewell to fasting, returning

While the feast of Breaking the Fast was approaching joyfully

تَطَلَّعَ من بينِ الأسَاطِينِ مِثَلمَا

تَطَلَّعَ وجْهُ الرُّشْدِ من خِلَلِ النُّصحِ

He looked out from between the pillars as

The face of righteousness looks out from behind good advice

وَقَامَ لإعطَاءِ التَّحيَّةِ مُقبِلاً

كما انتَصَبَ الرُّكنُ اليَمَانِيُّ لِلمْسْحِ

And he stood to give greetings, approaching

As the Yemeni Pillar stood up to be touched

وأبْرَزَ لِلتَّقبِيلِ كَفّاًلَو أنَّهَا

تَمُرُّ بِمَقرُوحٍ لَصَحَّ منَ القَرحِ

And he held out his palm for kissing, and had it

Passed over a wounded man, it would have healed his wound

ولا شَكَّ أنَّا إذْ لَمَسْنَا يَمِينَهُ

ظَفِرنَا بِكَنزِ اليُمنِ من مَعدِنِ الرّبْحِ

Without doubt, when we touched his right hand

We won the treasure of good fortune from the essence of profit

فَيا أيُّها الغَيثُ الذِي جُودُ كَفِّهِ

من الدَّرّ والإبرِيزِ مُنتَشِرُ السَّحّ

So O clouds whose palm sheds

Pearls and hail, spreading rainwater

ويا أيُهّا السَّيفُ الذي انقَطَعَتْ بِهِ

رِقَابُ بَني البُهتَانِ مِن غَيرِ ما جُرْحِ

And O sword with which

The necks of the treasonous were cut without wounds

فَذاكَ مِنَ الأسوَاءِ كُلُّ مُمَلَكٍ

سَجِيَّتُهُ وَقفٌ على الجُبْنِ وَالشحّ

Such are the traits of every weak-spirited ruler

Whose nature stops at cowardice and meanness

وَهُنِّيتَ بِالعِيدِ الذي كُلُّ مَوسِمٍ

عَلَى إثرِهِ أزكَى وَأعظَمُ بِالنُّجحِ

While you were blessed with this feast where each season

After it is purer and greater in success

تَحَاشا وأيْم اللهِ عَن كُلُّ وصمَةٍ

سِوى أنَهُ قَد جَاءَ في أثَرِ الفَتحِ

I take refuge in God that there be any stigma

Apart from it having come after the conquest

فَلاقَاهُ من وَالاكَ كَالزَّهرِ بَاسِماً

وَواجَهَ مَنْ عَاداكَ في غايَةِ القُبْحِ

So it faced from your supporters smiling like a flower

And met those who opposed you in utter ugliness

وأنعِم بِهَذا القَصرِ دَهرَكَ بَادياً

لَكَ البِشرُ مِن أرجَائِهِ عالِي القَدْحِ

And make long your days in this palace which makes

Joy for you rise high from its corners

سَوَاريهِ مثلُ الغيدِ أرخَتْ ذَوَائِباً

ولَولا الحَيا مالَت حَوالَيكَ لِلشَّطحِ

Its bracelets like twisted vines let down tresses

And were it not for bashfulness they would lean towards you in madness

تَرى كُلَّ بَيضَاءِ الأدِيمِ تَوكَّأتْ

عَلى مِثلِهَا سَمرَاءُ في جَودَةِ السَّطحِ

You see every white leather cushion leaned

Upon its like in the courtyard vying in generosity

شَدَدنَ عَلى الأوسَاطِ حُزماً كَأنَّمَا

يُرَجَّينَ أنْ تَدعُو الجَمِيعَ إلى الكَدحِ

They have fastened the waists tightly like

They wanted them all to call people to work

وَنَمَّقنَ أعلى الوَجهِ نَقشاً كَأنَّهُ

شَظَايا فَتِيلِ اللَّيلِ في غُرَّةِ الصُّبحِ

And they have carved on the surface a design like

Fragments of the wick of night at first dawn

وَقُمنَ على دَستِ النَّضَارِ كَأنَّهَ

مِن الثَّلجِ إلاَّ أنَّهُ فَاقِدُ الرَّشحِ

And they stand on the platform of brilliance as though

It were made of ice but it lacks coldness

بَدَائِعُ أزرَتْ بِالبَديِعِ وأغْمَدَتْ

مَصَانِعَ ذِي غَمدَانَ في حَيِّزِ الطَّرْحِ

Marvels have appeared in marvelous ways and are sheathed

Works of the one with sheaths lie in the rubbish heap

وَرَامَ يُحاكِيها السَّدْيِرُ بِحالِهِ

وَأينَ مِنَ السَّعَدانِ نَابِتَةُ الطَّلحِ

While the enclosure aspires to rival them in its state

And how far is the acacia with sweet-smelling flowers!

وكَمْ لَكَ في نَشرِ المَفَاخِرِ مِثلُهَِا

إذا بَلِغَتْ شَانِيكَ أيقَنَ بِالذَّبحِ

And how many like them do you have in spreading wonders

When they reach your position he who contends despairs of life

أما يَتَوقَّى مَنْ يُبارِيكَ عَزمَةً

تُمَيِّزُ بَعْدَ المَزجِ عَذباً منَ المِلْحِ

Does he who aspires to rival you in resolution not fear

That the test will distinguish the fresh from the salt?

بَعَثْتَ بها للغربِ والشَّرقِ خُطَّةً

تَخُطُّ بِهَا الأقلاَمُ مَجدَكَ في لَوحٍ

You have sent it (the poem) as a plan to East and West

With which pens will write your glory on tablets

فَلاَ زِلْتَ تُبْدي كُلَّ حِينٍ غَرِيبَةً

تَروقُ النُّهَى بَدْءاً وَتَخْتِمُ بِالمَدحِ

So you continuously display each time a wondrous thing

Which pleases minds at the start and ends in praise