بَريقٌ بِأعلى الأبرقينِ تألّقا
فَهاجَ الجَوى بالقلب منّي وأغلقا
A flash gleamed at the top of the lightning bolts
So my heart was stirred with passion and closed
أضاءَ لنا وهنا فَأسعرَ ومضهُ
ضرامَ جوىً بين الأضالعِ مُحرقا
It illuminated for us and here its glare kindled
A burning passion in my ribs, scorching
فآهاً لهُ من ضاحك متبسّمٍ
أطارَ الكرى من جفِن عيني وأرّقا
Alas for him, the smiling and cheerful laugher
Who made worries fly from my eyes and deprived me of sleep
يجدّد لي شوقاً قديماً وهكذا ال
مَسوقُ إِذا شامَ البروق تشوّقا
He renews an old longing for me, and so never
When lightning flashes is a shepherd unstirred with yearning
أراني وأَسما كلّما اِزددتُ لوعةً
تقطّع منّي وصلها وتمزّقا
He makes me see her whenever my torment grows
And severs my bond with her and tears it apart
دَعاني إِلَيها حُسنُها وجمالُها
فَكنتُ مجيباً بِالمسامعِ مُطرقا
Her beauty and grace called me to her
And I was a respondent with attentive ears, head bowed
أَبا القلب لمّا عجته لِودادها
إلى الصبرِ إِلّا أَن يودّ ويعشقا
My heart refused, what with its passion for her,
To show patience, unless it should love and desire
تَعلّقها حبّاً وشوقاً ولَم يزل
معَ الوصلِ والفرقا بها مُتعلّقا
Clinging to her in love, longing, and ceaselessly
Whether joined or parted, clinging to her
فَما غرّبت إلّا وغرّبَ عندها
وَلا شرّقت إلّا وكانَ المشرِّقا
I have never sunset but with sunset he was at her side
Nor sunrise but with sunrise he was there
منَ البيضِ ما لاثت بفضلِ إزارها
على ردفها المركوم إلّا تَفتّقا
Of her wrapper, nothing gleamed white on her hips
Except what her anklet, held in place, had rubbed off
تحكّم في خلخالها كعبُ ساقِها
وَجادَت بِها تحتَ الإزارِ المنطّقا
Her anklet controls the stirring of her leg
And she walked gracefully beneath her belted robe
دجىً مدلهمٌّ تحتهُ البدرُ بازغٌ
عَلى غصنِ بانٍ فوقَ دعصٍ من النقا
A dark night whose moon is rising
On a lofty branch above a cluster of gum trees
حَكى ريقها في الطعمِ ماء غمامةٍ
يُمازجُ كافوراً وخمراً مُعتّقا
Her saliva described the taste of a raincloud’s water
Mixed with camphor and aged wine
وَأورق تَشدو غدوةً وَمَدامعي
تَظلّ منَ الأطلال يوماً وأورقا
She was verdant and caroled at dawn while my tears
Remained by the ruins one day and were verdant
تَنوحُ ومرّ الريح يَجري فكلّما
تَعلّا بهِ الغصنُ القويم تخفّقا
She laments while the zephyr blows, and whenever
The waving branch rose up, it would flap
بَكى فَأسال الدمعَ مِن مَدمعي فما
كَففت مسيلَ الدمعِ إلّا تدفّقا
He wept, so I poured tears from my tear ducts without
Restraining the outpouring of my tears at all
أَرى غيمَ آمالي دنَت وتَرَاكمت
أراعيله واِنفضّ عنّي وما سقى
I see the cloud of my hopes approach and gather
Over me, then burst and not water me
فَكم عارضٍ مِن غيثهِ أنت خائب
وَإِن شمته لي مرعد المزنِ مُبرقا
How often its showers have disappointed me
And though its lightning flashed around me, forked
فَما رمت يوماً فتحَ باب مطالبٍ
وَعالجته للفتحِ إلّا تغلّقا
I have never sought to open any door of requests
And worked to open it except that it remained shut
ندمتُ عَلى الغيّ الّذي في اِرتكابهِ
وصبّحته قد كنت للعمرِ مُنفقا
I regretted the sin whose committing
I stayed up nights for, squandering my life
وأصبحتُ مذ ولّى الشبابُ وشرخه
لبكر الملاهي واِتّصالي مُطلّقا
Since youth turned its back and parted from me
Releasing me to revels and freeing my bonds
حَباني بما أمّلته من رغائبٍ
وَأسمن آمالي إِليهِ وأصدقا
It indulged me with all the wishes I harbored
And fattened my hopes toward it and poured them out sincerely
وَلولا الفَتى الزاكي فلاح لما غَدا
وَلا راح يوسي شمله متفرّقا
And were it not for the noble youth who succeeded
Yusuf would not have been brought together after separation
وَأَعلى محلّي في الأنامِ ورَاشَني
بِنائلهِ مِن بعد ما كنت كاللّقا
It elevated my status among all people and sprinkled me
With its attainments after I was destitute as beggars
فَذاك الّذي دون البريّة أَلتجي
إليهِ إِذا فحلُ النوائبِ شقشقا
It is the one I seek refuge with in the wide wilderness
Whenever the claws of tribulation tear violently
مليكٌ بحكمِ العدلِ منه على الورى
تُدارُ بكفّيه السعادة والشقا
A king ruling justly, so that through his hands
Good fortune and calamity are dealt out in the land
فَما حلّ مِن رتبِ المراتبِ رتبةً
وَأَشهر مِن شمسِ النهارِ وأشرقا
No rank of all ranks has been reached
More famous than the sun at noon and more brilliant
وَلا رامَ مِن صعبِ المطالبِ مطلباً
وَحاوله إلّا وكانَ الموفّقا
No difficult goal of goals has it sought
And attempted without being the successful one
يدينُ له عمرو بن هند وتبّع
وَقَيصر في العليا وكسرى بن أرتقا
‘Amr ibn HInd and Tubba‘ submit to it
As do Caesars in their grandeur and the Kasras of royal lineage
تراهُ من المرّيخ أرفع رتبةً
وَأشهرُ مِن شمسِ النهار وأشرقا
You see it from Mars loftier in rank
Than the sun at noon, more brilliant and luminous
كفيلٌ برزقِ اللَّه مِن بيتِ مالهِ
ليسألهُ من جاءهُ مترزّقا
A guarantor of God’s provision from its public treasury
So that whoever comes to it seeking sustenance will be provided for
حسامٌ سداد الحادثاتِ ذبابهُ
أقامَ لهُ التهذيب حدّاً وَأطلقا
A sword whose edge makes straight the slanting blows of events
Has set for it a limit, rectifying and loosening
إِذا ما القضا أرمى بهِ في ملمّةٍ
سَطا في صدورِ المُشكلاتِ وأطبقا
Whenever fate casts it into perilous straits
It unsheathes itself in the breasts of knotty problems and cuts through
فَلا تحكين يوماً إِليه اِمرءاً وهل
مسفٌّ يُباري في العلوِّ المحلّقا
So never count as its equal a worthless man, but is there
A fly to contend with the towering falcon?
أأشرف مَن فاهت بهِ السنّ ومن
بهِ قطّعت قبل المرافقِ سملقا
Is one ennobled whom old age has struck down or one
Whose bonds were cut by death before his prime?
أمنّا بكَ الأيّام حتّى كأنّنا
أَخذنا منَ الأيّام عهداً وموثقا
Or did the days swear to you until it was as if
We had taken a binding oath from the days?
وَإنّي لأثني حيثُ سارَت ركائبي
عليك وإن لامَ الحسودُ ولقلقا
When my mounts have sped forth I praise you
Even if the envious blame me and babble
وَأشكرُ نُعماك الّتي كادَ حاسدي
على نيلها بالريقِ أن يتشرّقا
I thank you for your blessings which my enviers
Nearly burned up with jealousy at my attaining them
وَدُم دام ما ملّكته من ممالكٍ
وَدامت لك الدُنيا ودامَ لكَ البقا
May what you possess of kingdoms endure
May the world endure for you and eternal survival endure for you
