زُر للأحبّةِ أربعاً ومعالما
واِلثِم بهنّ لهند رسماً راسما
Visit the loved ones four times and their landmarks,
And kiss them as a painter paints a graceful image.
إنَّ الزيارة للديارِ فريضةٌ
أَضحَت عليك فكُن بفرضك قائما
Visiting one's homeland is an obligation
That has become binding, so stand by your duty.
دمنٌ إِذا لاحَت لَنا عَرصاتها
جرتِ الدموعُ من الشؤونِ سَواجما
Whenever its open plains appear to us,
Tears flow copiously from yearning.
عفتِ الرياح رسومها فتنكّرت
إلّا ثلاثاً في الرسومِ جَواثما
The winds have erased its traces and altered them,
Except for three that remain in the traces.
وَلَقد عهدت منَ الخليطِ بسوحها
بيضاً كأمثالِ الشموسِ نواعما
And I knew its meadows with their open spaces
Were white like images of gentle suns.
يفضحنَ أغصانَ الأراكِ معاطفاً
لدناً وأسماط الجمان مباسما
Exposing the sleeves of the meadows as cloaks,
Gentle and with smiling chamomile flowers.
سقيت أبارقها البروق وسفحها
ودقَ السوافحِ والغميم غمائما
Its lightning watered it and its plain,
And the dripping of the plains and clouds overflowed.
وَكَست يدَ الغيثِ المجلجل قطرهُ
بِرُسومها الروض البهيج كمائما
Until when the heavy rain rested its pouring drops,
The lovely garden became adorned like bracelets.
حتّى إِذا باتَ الحيا يَبكي بها
أَضحى بها النوّار يضحكُ باسما
Until when the snakes cried in it,
The streams laughed in it with delight.
وَسَرى النسيمُ بها وفضّ المسك في
تلكَ الرياض المعجبات لطائما
The breeze wandered through it and the musk diffused
In those amazing gardens and scattered spices.
وأغنّ يَرشُقني بأسهم لحظهِ
فَأظلّ للتعذيبِ منه لازما
Its glance showers me with arrows,
So I remain subjected to its torment.
حكّمته في مُهجتي حتّى غدا
منهُ عليها بالكآبةِ حاكما
I surrendered to it in my soul until
It ruled over it with sadness.
وَأجزت فيما يَرتَضي قتلي له
فغدوت في نفسي بذلكَ آثِما
And I allowed it to kill me as it wished,
Thus becoming a sinner against myself.
قمرٌ أطعتُ هواهُ مذ هاويتهُ
متبرّعاً وعصيتُ فيه اللائما
A moon whose love I obeyed when I fell for it,
Volunteering, while disobeying the blamer.
سكنَ الفؤاد ولم يَزل متصعّداً
كالصخرِ فتّت في الديارِ مآكما
It settled in my heart and did not cease ascending
Like a boulder that crushed the homelands.
سَكَنَ الفؤاد ولم يزل متصعّداً
لي شخصهُ مُتيقّظاً أو نائما
It settled in my heart and did not cease to ascend,
Whether I envisioned it awake or sleeping.
وَحكت ثَنايا ثغرهِ في كشرهِ
أسماط لؤلؤة وفوه الخاتما
And the curves of its mouth against its cheek
Were like strands of pearls and the seal ring.
وعشيّة ودّعته ودموعه
تذكي منَ الأشواقِ جمراً جاحما
And the evening I bid it farewell, its tears
Kindled the burning embers of yearning.
أَشكو ويَشكو ما لقيت وما لقي
وَأذيعُ ما قد كنت قدماً كاتما
I complain and it complains of what I faced and what it faced,
And I divulge what I had kept secret before.
نار الجوى والوجد لا أنا سالمٌ
منها ولا هو قطّ منها سالما
The fire of love and passion does not leave me unharmed,
Nor does it ever leave it unharmed.
حتّى إِذا أزفَ الفراق وصارَ حل
و وَداعنا عند الفراقِ علاقما
Until when separation drew near and the time of farewell came,
And our farewell was heated at the separation.
صافَحته خدّي بصفحةِ خدّهِ
وَلثمتُ منه واجباً وبراجما
I pressed my cheek to its cheek,
And kissed it out of duty and desire.
رَعى الشباب فَما ألذّ مشارباً
فينا وأعذب للنفوسِ مَطاعما
Youth was quenched, nothing is sweeter than our drinking places,
And nothing more delicious for the soul than our food.
وَأَرى بني الأيّام ذاك محارباً
فيما أحاوِله وذاكَ مُسالما
And I see the days where once was that warrior
In what I attempt, and that peacemaker.
يا مَن أراه لفكره مُستنتجاً
أَبكارَ لفظٍ كالجمانِ كرائما
O you whom I see deducing the virgin utterances
Like fine pearls from his speech.
لا تقصدن إلّا المظفّر مادحاً
إِن أنتَ قرّضت البديهةَ ناظما
Seek only praise if you compose poetry,
For a king who strove for favors and whose hands
ملكٌ سَعى في المَكرُماتِ ولم تمط
أَيدي الولايد بعد عنهُ تمائما
Never detached from benevolence or amulets.
No cheek of his blushed except that he brought pride
ما اِخضرّ عارض خدِّه إلّا وقد
سادَ الأنامَ أعارباً وأعاجما
To both Arabs and non-Arabs.
His voice never insulted a blamer
ما شامَ مزن نداهُ يوماً شائم
إلّا بواكفه أسرّ الشائما
Except that his hands imprisoned the blamer.
His treasures of munificence and generosity were exhausted,
نَفَدت خزائنه ندىً وسماحةً
منه وما لثمت يداه درهما
Yet his hands never touched a single coin.
He gives and is lavish in giving, and he was never
يُعطي ويُسرفُ في العطاء ولم يكن
أبداً على فرطِ السماحةِ نادما
Regretful of excessive generosity.
And whenever hardships struck him, you would find him
وَمَتى ضربت به الخطوب وجدتهُ
في قَطعِها عضبَ المضارب صارما
Breaking through them, sword of the attakers firm.
O you who is unmatched in your glories, and who
يا مَن تفرّد في مفاخرهِ ومن
يرجوك حتّى صرن فيه سوائما
Can hope for you until they become your equal?
You unleashed in the garden of munificence hopes that
أطلقت في روضِ الندى آمال من
مَلأ الزمانَ محامداً ومكارما
Filled time with praise and nobility.
And you granted in the drought of time spoils,
وَوهبت في جدبِ الزمان مغانماً
وحملت في هدن الزمانِ مَغارما
And undertook in the truce of time treasures.
You called after renown beyond renown for favor
وَدعيت كعباً بعد كعبٍ للندى
وَالمكرمات وبعد حاتم حاتما
And generosity, and after Hatim, Hatim.
