دَعهُ يحنُّ لشجوهِ وشجونهِ
وَيسحُّ قطراً من غيوم عيونهِ
Let him yearn in his passion and sorrows,
And let him wipe a teardrop from his clouded eyes.
كلفٌ تواصلَ في الغرامِ حنينهُ
بِأنينهِ وأنينه بحنينهِ
The longing in love has burdened him with its longing,
With his moaning and his moaning for his longing.
يَبكي ويندبُ معلناً ببكائهِ
رَبعاً عفا مَغناه بعد قطينهِ
He weeps and laments loudly with his crying,
A quarter he lived in after its dormancy.
وَرِثَ الهوى والعشق عن غيلانهِ
وَعنِ ابن عجلان وعن ميمونهِ
He inherited passion and love from his poets,
And from Ibn ‘Ajlān and from Maymūnah.
تَتردّد الزفرات بينَ ضلوعهِ
وَيجلجل العبرات بين جفونهِ
Sighs echo between his ribs,
And tears flow between his eyelids.
وَالصبّ لا يُدعى بصبٍّ في الهوى
حتّى تخالط عقله بجنونهِ
Passion is not called passion in love,
Until it mixes his mind with madness.
دنفٌ تحكّم فيه ما لم يشتفى
بقراط وأفلاطونهِ
A sick person whom neither Buqrat nor Aflatoon could cure,
And a lovesick one if a branch of his slim waist bent in the cold,
وَمهفهفٌ إِن ماسَ غصن قوامهِ
في البرد أخجل مائسات غصونهِ
It would shame the bending branches.
His beauty robbed me of my reason with its splendor,
سلبَ الحجى منّي ببهجةِ حسنهِ
وَالحسن يستلبُ الحجى بفنونهِ
For beauty can steal reason with its arts.
Its diffusion in its spreading and fragrance,
نَفحاتهُ في نشرِها وأريجها
تُهدي ذكيَّ المسك من دارينهِ
Gives the scent of pure musk from its bowls.
It contains opposites in winter and summer,
يحوي الطبائعَ في الشتا في آبهِ
حرّاً وفي الوقدات من كانونهِ
Hot in flames and in the coldest months.
It sways in the north wind’s cold, wavering
وَيميسُ في بردِ الصبا متهزّعاً
كالخَيزرانِ إِذا اِنثنى في لينهِ
Like a palm tree bending in its softness.
Do not tell of his cheeks and eyes,
لا تحكينَّ بجيدهِ وعيونه
أجياد غزلان وأعين عينهِ
The steeds of gazelles and eyes of springs.
No sooner did he glance at me secretly,
ما إِن رَنا باللحظِ منه مخالساً
إِلّا سبى عَقلي بسحرِ عيونهِ
Except he captured my mind with the magic of his eyes.
No sooner did I seize his rosy cheek,
ما إِن أخذت بجلّنارة خدّهِ
إلّا اِتّقى عن وجهه برونهِ
Except he guarded his face with its veil.
Be with time however it may be,
كُن للزَمانِ كَما تكون فإنّه
متقلّبُ الحالاتِ في تكوينهِ
For it changes states in its course.
And from fools keep your secret, struggling,
وَاِحفَظ عنِ الحَمقى سرّك جاهداً
فالسرُّ لم يحفظهُ غير أمينهِ
For none keeps a secret but the trusted.
And beware those of grudges wherever you find them,
وَاِحذر ذوي الأضغانِ حيثُ وَجدتهم
فلسان ربّ الضغن غير مبينهِ
For the tongue of the resentful is not eloquent.
Hatred hearts conceal like the ashes
وَالحقدُ تُخفيه القلوب كمثل ما
يُخفي الرمادُ الجمرَ تحت كمينهِ
That hide the embers in waiting.
How much malice has buried for you a latent sickness,
كَم دافن لك ضغن داءٍ كامنٍ
وَيريكَ منه البشر غير دفينهِ
Yet people show you nothing of its burial.
I am a man who beautifies my words,
إنّي اِمرؤٌ فعلي يزيّن منطقي
وَالقولُ يَسعى الحرُّ في تزيينهِ
And speech runs free in its adornment.
And I have composed poetry, selecting it
وَلَقد نظمتُ الشعرَ مُنتخباً له
وَنَسخت منهُ هزيله بسمينهِ
And copied from it its lean with its fat.
And I have become confident in the crowned king,
وَغدوتُ بالملك المتوّج واثقاً
بِقويّ ركنِ المكرُمات مكينهِ
By the firm pillar of the honored deeds.
By the success of the son of the benefactor king
بِفلاح نجل المحسنِ الملكِ الّذي
جَعلَ السماحةَ سنّةً في دينهِ
Who made benevolence a tradition in his faith.
He favoured all people, rich and poor,
عمَّ الآنامَ غنيّهم وفقيرهم
بِملثّ نائلهِ وصوبِ هتونهِ
With the abundance of his clouds and the direction of his downpours.
Like rainfall, if it pours on plateaus and its showers beat down,
كالمزنِ إِن هَطلت عزالى ودقهِ
عمّت جميعَ سهوله وحزونهِ
It covers all its plains and valleys.
And struggling for what he desires,
وَمُجاهداً فيما يحاولُ راغباً
في عدلِ موسى لا غنى قارونهِ
For the justice of Moses, not the wealth of Qarun.
A lion, but he has no ferocity,
أسدٌ وَلكن ما له من لبدةٍ
إلّا دلاص السردِ من موضونهِ
Except the friendliness of narrative in its placement.
And the white of some claws he has,
وَالبيض مِن بعضِ المخالبِ عنده
وقنا وشيج الخطّ بعض عرينهِ
Pecking and tearing the line is some of its burrowing.
And you see majesty surrounding him from behind,
وَتَرى الجلالَ يحوطه من خلفهِ
وأمامه ويساره ويمينهِ
Before and to his left and his right.
Look with your eyes toward him, you look upon
اِنظر بعينيك نحوهُ تنظر إلى
طلق المحيّا صلته ميمونهِ
The shining full moon, continuous, auspicious.
He sought great deeds among great deeds his passion,
رامَ المكارمَ في المكارمِ شاؤه
فَكبوا حساراً كلّهم من دونهِ
So they yielded, all of them, to him.
People differ in their circumstances,
وَالناسُ مُختلفونَ في أحوالهم
كالدهرِ يخلف حينه عن حينهِ
As time changes a time with a time.
Have you not seen the rain in its July,
أَفَما رأيت الغيثَ في تمّوزهِ
في الجودِ دون الغيث في تشرينهِ
In generosity unlike the rain in October?
O turbulent sea whose waves
يا أيّها اللجّ الّذي أمواجهُ
تطمى على سيحون بل جيحونهِ
Surge upon Sihun, nay, Jaihun.
Aspire, with the best people, for the best,
طاوِل بقومِك خيرَ قومٍ واِختبر
إنّ الجوادَ معقّب لحزونهِ
For the generous is requited for his bereavement.
They supported the Messenger of God when
نَصروا رسولَ اللّه لما خصّه
بالوحيِ منه على يدى جبرينهِ
He was specified by Him for revelation through Gabriel’s hands.
If an enemy's plot has exposed you,
وَلَئن عرتك منَ العدوّ مكيدة
لا تَبتَئس فاللّه غير معينهِ
Do not grieve, for God is not a supporter.
Pharaoh of the pegs, his plot failed,
فرعون ذا الأوتاد أبطل كيدهُ
فاللّه ينصر عبدهُ ويعينه
For God supports His servant and aids him.
Pharaoh of the pegs, his plot failed,
فرعون ذا الأوتاد أبطلَ كيدهُ
ذو العرشِ عَن موسى وعن هارونهِ
The Lord of the Throne against Moses and Aaron.
By the right of Him who had brought out Jonah
فوحقّ مَن قَد كانَ أخرج يونساً
بِمشيئة قدريّة من نونهِ
By predetermined will from the whale.
And returned him alive and grew over him
وَأَعاده حيّاً وأنبتَ فوقه
شَجراً يظلّ عليه من يقطينهِ
A plant that shaded him from the heat.
And ransomed the son of Abraham the day of his slaughter,
وَفدى اِبن إبراهيم يومَ ذباحه
من بعد أن تلّهُ لجبينهِ
After he turned his forehead toward Him.
I have praised you out of affection, not for
إنّي مدحتُكَ عن ودادٍ لم يكن
مَدحي لما ضاعفت من تثمينهِ
Increasing the price of my praise.
