شَرَعَ الحبُّ لَهُ ما شَرَعا
فَبَكى خوفَ النوى واِفتَجعا
Love granted him all it granted,
So he wept fearing the pain and grieved.
وَدَعاهُ الحبُّ جَهراً فَاِنثنى
بِالإِجاباتِ له حينَ دَعا
Love called him loudly so he leaned
Toward its calls whene’er it called.
كَلفٌ رامَ الهوى في مصرع ال
حبِّ منه مصرعه فَاِنصرعا
A camel yearning for love collapsed
At love’s collapse, collapsing itself.
لَم يَكن منه هواهُ بالّذي
نالهُ مِن سقمهِ مُقتنعا
He did not crave of it but what
Sufficed him of his sickness, pleased.
جَزعته فرقة الحيِّ من ال
وجدِ لمّا أَن تولّوا جزعا
Parting from friends made him grieve when
They turned away, grieving themselves.
كلّما كفّ لَدى أصحابهِ
دمعهُ مِن مَدمعيهِ اِندَفَعا
Whene’er he stopped his tears before his friends
They streamed from his tear ducts anyway.
ما روي من شربِ كاساتِ الهوى
لا ولا في الطعمِ منهُ شَبِعا
That which is told of drinking cups of love,
None quenched their thirst or tasted full.
أيُّها العاذلُ يبغي سلوةً
مِن فتىً ثوب التسلّي خَلَعا
O critic, seeking solace
From a lad who cast off his cloak of comfort!
لا تَلُمه في هواهُ إنّه
في هواهُ لَم يكُن مُبتدعا
Do not blame him for his love, he
Was no pioneer in his passion.
ما لِذاتِ الخالِ منها قطعت
مِن وِصالي حبلَها فَاِنقطعا
For my separation from the cheek’s moles
Severed our bond, so it was severed.
ما لها مِن عادةٍ ما اِستَصحبت
عَن محبٍّ قطّ إلّا خَضعا
Never had she a habit, when she accompanied
A lover, except to submit to him.
مَلَكَت سرّي وجهري وفؤا
دي وَعَقلي وَحشاشاتي معا
She possessed my secrets and my acts,
My reason, madness, and my passions too.
غادَرت يوم تولّت ونأَت
في الحَشا لَها ربعاً مُرتبعا
The day she turned away, she sheltered
In the wilderness, squatting in a corner.
ما رَماني طرفُها إلّا وقد
غَصب الروحَ إذاً واِنتَسبا
She glanced at me but to snatch
My soul away, instantly claiming it.
ما لسقمي مِن طبيبٍ غيرها
لا ولا لي مِن شفيعٍ شَفعا
I have no healer but her,
No intercessor to intercede for me.
يا غزالاً راتعاً لكنّهُ
في رياضِ القلبِ منّي رَتَعا
O gazelle, calm yet
Grazing in the meadows of my heart!
إنّما حبّك أورى في الحَشا
نارَ وجدٍ حرّها قد لذعا
Your love has sparked within my soul
A fiery ache that stings me to the core.
أيُّها الناسُ وريبُ الدهر عن
ثديهِ يعظم مَن قَد رَضعا
O people! Time betrays
Those it nursed - magnify those who nursed it back!
مَن لقلبٍ خامَرَته همّةٌ
طَأطَأ النجمُ لها وَاِتّضعا
When an ambition stirs in a heart,
The stars bow down submitting before it.
ما رَأى ما قَد رأى راءٍ وَما
سمعَ السامعُ ما قَد سَمِعا
None has seen what he saw,
No listener heard what he has heard.
مارَسَ الأيّامَ تجريباً وفي
سرّها المحجوبِ غيباً وقعا
He experienced days flowing by,
Their hidden mysteries a secret fate within.
كَم لَهُ مِن همّة تخطر لو
يَذبل حملها لاِنصَدعا
He has ambitions that would wither if
Their burden was shouldered, crumbling from the strain.
وأُمور رحمةٍ لو شَرحُها
خُطَّ في وجهِ السما ما وَسِعا
And matters of mercy - were they revealed -
Script on the face of heaven would not contain them.
يا مُجدّاً في اِكتسابِ الرزقِ عُج
نَحوَ بهلا ما قد دَنا ما شسعا
O Glory, in gaining wealth, draw near
To the ruin - do not hesitate to spread wide!
وَاِخلَعن مِن حللِ المدحِ على
سائسِ الملكِ فلاحاً خلعا
And take off garments of praise upon
The horsemen of the king - cast off finery!
ملكٌ فَرّق في نيلِ العُلا
وَالثنا مِن مالهِ ما اِجتَمعا
A king who shared in attaining heights
And brought together wealth as it dispersed.
زَرَع الحمد قمليه وقد
يحصدُ الإنسانُ ما قَد زَرَعا
He planted seeds of praise, his orchards grew,
For man reaps what he sows.
صِل إِليهِ تلقهُ بدرَ هدىً
في البرايا نورهُ قَد سَطَعا
Reach out to him, meet him with a full moon’s light
Shining in the wild - its light has radiated!
نافعٌ بالصبرِ في الناسِ على
أنّهُ بالضرّ فيهم نَفعا
Beneficial in people’s patience but
Harmful to them in affliction.
ردعَ الدهر إِلى طاعاتهِ
فَاِرعوى الدهرُ لهُ وَاِرتَدعا
He disciplined fate in obediences,
So fate yielded to him and withdrew.
لَو جبالُ الطورِ يوماً نالَها
بَطشهُ زَعزَعها واِقتَلَعا
If the mountains of Mount Sinai one day
Faced his might, he would shake and uproot them!
جلّ مِن ملكٍ عظيمٍ قدرهُ
في مَعاليهِ عَلا واِرتَفعا
Exalted king, his worth so great,
High in sublimities, ascendant and towering.
يا أعزَّ الناسِ نفعاً هل ترى
شاعراً غيري إِذا قلت وعا
O most honored of men in benefaction! Do you see
A poet but me when I speak and lament?
شاعرٌ أَهدى لكَ المدح وقد
حَفظَ الودّ لَكُم وَرعا
A poet who gifted you praise and
Preserved affection for you and took care?
ما رَنا بِالطرفِ إلّا ورأى
منكَ برقاً بالعَطايا لَمَعا
My eyes spied only lightning flashes of
Your gifts gleaming with bounties.
لَم يشم غيث ندىً مِن جودِكم
مُسبلاً إلّا أَتى مُنتَجعا
None smelled the dripping cloud of your generosity
Raining down except he came consoled.
رَفعت نعماكَ لي ما حادث الد
دهر وَالأيّام منّي شنعا
Your favors raised me high when
Time and days treated me harshly.
بكَ نَحسي صارَ سعداً وغَدت
بكَ أيّامي جميعاً جُمَعا
Through you my luck turned to joy, and
My days altogether prospered through you.
وَاِبقَ محمودَ الأيادي منعماً
ما تغنّى طائرٌ أَو سَجَعا
May the Praiseworthy Hands remain bountiful
As long as birds sing or turtledoves moan.
