تطاول لَيلي بعد لَيلى بثهمد

واحرق طول الهجر قَلبي وا كبدي

My night prolonged after Layla out of grief,

And the length of separation burnt my heart and liver.

وَلما اِنتَهى صَبري وَعز تجلدي

سرى طيف لَيلى واطمأن بمرقدي

When my patience ended and the strength of my composure,

The specter of Layla came and calmed in my bed.

لتجديد عَهدٍ لَم يَكُن بِمُجَدَدِ

فَما بك يا طيف الخيال لك الهنا

To renew a covenant that was not to be renewed,

So why, O specter of fantasy, happiness to you.

واسرك وَهنا من هناك إِلى هنا

يذكرني عهدا تقادم بيننا

Keep your secret and tenderness from there to here,

Reminding me of a covenant that passed between us.

فبت بليل طيب مثمر الجنى

وَأَصبَحَت في يَوم نَغيص منكد

So I spent a night of good clustered fruits,

And morning came on a day of bitterness and sorrow.

لَقَد فرق الهجران شملا تجمعا

وَهيج اشجان النفوس واوجعا

Indeed separation dispersed a group that gathered,

And awakened passions of souls and pained them.

وَفتت اكباد القلوب وَقطعا

رعى اللَه أَيامالوصال وَلا رعى

And fragmented livers of hearts and severed them.

May God protect the days of union and no protected

زَماناً عَلى الأَحباب بِالهَجر مُعتدى

أَما وَالهَوى العذرى ان بعدوا فَما

A time for lovers with separation transgressing.

But passionately loving, if they are far I have not

تغيرت عَن حفظ الواداد وانما

بليت بمن انجدت فيه واتهما

Changed from keeping the ties of affection, but

I have been tested by those I complained to and accused.

يَقولون لي سلوا وَصَبرا عن الحمى

وَما كانَ صَبري عَن أَولاك بِمسعدي

They tell me, ask and be patient over passion,

While my patience for those was not blissful.

لعمري ضاقت بي الجهات واظلمت

وَلَم أَدرِ عَن ذات اللمى اين يممت

By my life, directions narrowed and darkened for me,

And I did not know where to direct this longing.

واني اذا ورق الحمام ترنمت

ذكرت خياه بالاباطح قسمت

And if doves cooed I reminisced

And divided my heart over the distant encampments.

فُؤادي عَلى أَهل الطراف المُمَدَدِ

تَرى تجمع الايام بعد شتاتها

You see days gathering after their dispersion,

Young gazelles of passion and their keepers.

مطافل غزلان الحمى وَحماتها

وَتضرب خدر الحسن في عرصاتها

And striking the cheeks of beauty in their meadows,

And in the meadows a girl of ten in her glances,

وَفي الخدر بنت العشر في لحظاتها

مَلامح تَرمي الصَب في كُل معمد

Features that cast the admirers into every deep place.

A girl whom separation made inaccessible,

بِنَفسي فَتاة اغلق البين رهنا

يذكرني غصن الشَبيبة غصنها

Reminding me of the branch of youth, its branch.

And I did not know what to attribute to her, because she

وَلَم ادر ما اثنىعليها لانها

كلؤلؤة الغوّاص يجمع حسنها

Is like the diver’s pearl gathering her beauty,

Precious jewels under the resting canal.

زرود النَقى تَحتَ القَنا المُتَأوّد

خَليلي دَع نَفسي تَموت بحزنها

My friend, let my soul die in its sadness,

And repeat the conversations of separation and chant them.

وَردد احاديث الفَريق وَثنها

وان خطرت في الشعب لَيلى فغنها

And if Layla occurred in the valleys, then sing her,

For she excelled all the beautiful with her beauty,

لَقَد فضلت كل الحسان بحسنها

كَما فَضل السادات يحيى بِن أَحمَدِ

As the masters excelled, Yahya ibn Ahmad.

Generous, good mannered, excellent praise,

كَريم السَجايا ما جد طيب الثَنا

اذا سئل الاحسان جاد فأحسنا

If asked for kindness, he gives generously.

And if he did not find abundance from the clouds, our land

وان لم تجد مزن الغَمامة ارضنا

يَيَحيى غمام الخير يمطر بالغنى

Yahya, cloud of good, rains with wealth

And green blessings on each seeking youth.

وَبِالنعمة الخَضرا عَلى كُل مجتدى

حسا الراح من خمر المكارم واِنتَشى

He felt joy from the wine of virtues and cheered up,

And built a house for the gnostics when he grew up

وَشيد بيتا للعَوارِف مذ نشا

يصرفه فعل المروأة حيث شا

That his manly deeds lead wherever he wished.

And who is like Yahya while he is superior to whoever

وَمن مثل يحيى وَهو افضل من مشى

عَلى الأَرض قَطعا مِن مغير وَمُمَجَدِ

Walked the earth, portions from Mughira and Mujaddid.

A youth whose affections encompassed the world

فَتى عمت الدنيا عواطف عطفه

وامطر من فيها غَمائم لطفه

And rained upon those in it clouds of his kindness,

And perfumed the horizon of earth where his fragrance is known,

وَعطر افق الارض من عرف عرفه

وان عماد الدين في بطن كفه

And the pillar of religion is in the palm of his hand,

Endless benefits like a sea frothing with virtues.

فَوائد بَحر بِالمَكارم مزبَدِ

فَلِلَّه من دين السَماحَة دين

What a faith is this faith of generosity,

Giving when the rain is miserly in its pouring.

يَجود اذا ما القطر ضن ضَنينه

وَيَلقاك ملء العين طلقا جبينه

And meets you with bright, unworried eyes,

You know the livelihood of the poor is in his hand,

تدر بارزاق العفاة يمينه

يَفيض الأَيادي البيض وَالكَرم النَدي

Overflowing white hands and flattering generosity.

So O thirsty of hopes, your night and traveling,

فَيا ظامىء الآمال ليلك وَالسرى

وَزر بحر جود مخصب السوح مخضرا

And visit the sea of his generosity, lush and green.

Shelter, as Yahya ibn Ahmad is in the earth,

أتظما وَذا يحيى بن أَحمد في الذرى

شَريف منيف طال مجدا وَمفخرا

Noble, eminent, his glory is long, and proud,

With Ahmad and the two grandsons from the best of Muhammad.

بِأَحمَد وَالسَبطين مِن خَير مُحَمَدِ

يسرك ان اوما لي لخط كاتِبا

Would you allow that I sometimes compose poetry

And read the Quran innovating wonders,

وان قرأ القرآن ابداعجائبا

يغادر أَكباد القلوب ذوائبا

Leaving the livers of hearts fascinated,

And astonishing with powerful voice standing as an orator,

وَيصدع بالنبر يزان قام خاطِبا

وَيُنسيك تَطريب الحَمامِ المُغَرِدِ

And making you forget the warbling of singing doves.

A youth whose grandfather is the trusted, pure moon,

فَتى جده البدر الامين المطهر

وأَعلى مَعاليه البتول وَحيدر

And the highest of his glories are Fatima and Haydar,

And he is only mentioned with praise,

وَما هو الا بالمحامد يذكر

أديب أَريب فيصل متبحر

A literate, eloquent, sailing intellectual,

Articulate, lucid - his tongue is not sluggish.

فَصيحٌ صَبيح زَندَهُ غَير مُصلَدِ

قطعت حبال الفقر حين وصلته

I have cut the ropes of poverty when I reached him,

And from him attained all I wished.

وأَدركت منه كل شيء أملته

فَلِلَّه من يعلو عَلى الشعر نعته

What virtues rise above his poetic description!

My praise in him is delightful however I praise him,

يلذ مَديحي فيه مَهما مدحته

وَيَسكَر مِن غَير السَلافَةِ مُفتَدي

And intoxicates without drinking alcohol.

I gathered the meanings of praise permitted for him

جمعت مَعاني المدح تاح لاجله

وَنظمته عقدا يَليق بمثله

And stringed them into a necklace befitting of him,

And housed it in his abode and dwellings.

وأنزلته في داره وَمحله

وَما من يقول الشعر في غير أَهله

And none who says poetry undeservedly

Is like one praising a people ennobled by Muhammad.

كَمادِح قَوم شُرِفوا بِمُحَمَدِ

أَمَولايَ صنى عَن زَمان تبدلا

My Master, protector from a time of changing

And the burden of sins weighed me down and burdened me,

وَضعضعني حمل الذنوب وأثقلا

وَلَم أَلق غوثا أَستَغيث به بَلى

And I did not find a savior I cried out to, but

Your connection, O unique of virtues and most high,

وَصلتك يا فرد المَكارم وَالعلى

لَعَلَ يَداً بَيضاءَ تَمُدُ بِها يَدي

Perhaps a white hand extends with which you aid me.

I made rhymes inclining toward your generosity,

جعلت القَوافي نحو جودك منهجا

لعلي أَلقى من أَذى الدهر مخرجا

Perhaps I find relief from the harms of time.

And I have the best hopes in you, O full moon of night,

وَلي فيك يا بدر الدجى أحسن الرجا

فأَنتَ ثمال الخير وَالخَير يرتَجى

For you are the essence of good, and good is hoped for

With you, and the face of good is your face, my Master.

لَدَيكَ وَوَجهُ الخَير وَجهُكَ سَيدي

مدحتك يا ذا الفضل وَالمفخر السني

I praise you, O possessor of virtue and pride,

With whom other than you do I seek refuge if harm touched me?

بمن غيركم أَلجا اذا الضرّ مسني

وَهَل يطلب الاحسان من غير محسن

And does one ask for kindness from other than the benevolent?

I laid out my good assumptions of the excellent, and suffice me,

فرش حسن ظني بالعَوارِق واكنى

وَقَضَّ لَباناتِي وَوَدَّع وَزَوَّدِ

And fulfilled my needs, bade farewell, and equipped me.

For your right, O my Master Ali - may God protect him -

بحقك يا مَولى عليّ له الولا

أَجرني وَزدني رحمة وَتَفضيلا

Save me and increase me in mercy and preference.

Your affection, O you whose generosity filled the world,

حَنانيك يا من جوده ملأ المَلا

بقيت لاهل الارض قصدا وَموئلا

Remained for the people of earth a purpose and refuge.

And your door, O unique of the lofty, is not barred.

وَبابُكَ يا فَرد العُلى غَيرُ مُؤصَدِ

وَمدت بك النَعما غمائم جودها

Through you blessings, clouds of generosity, spread out,

Shading in their depths and munificence.

مظللة في غورها وَنجودها

وَمدت لاهل الفضل شمس سعودها

And they extended for the people of virtue the sun of their fortune,

And you remain in the world an abundant torrent.

وَلا زلت في الدنيا مناغ وَفودها

وَغَيمُ غِناها المُستَفيض بِعَسجَدِ

And the cloud of its wealth pours forth abundantly.