لَم يسقطِ اللوى والمحنا طلل
كأنّه وشم رندٍ لاح أو خللُ
The passion and afflictions did not subside,
As if it were a tattoo that shone brightly or stood out
وَقفتُ أنشدُ مغناه وأسألهُ
عن الأحبّة يوم البين ما فعلوا
I stood reciting its melody and asked it
About my loved ones, what did they do on the day we parted
ربعٌ جآذرهُ فيه وعزلته
مِن عزلةِ الإنس فيها والمها بدلُ
A quarter of it lingered within along with its isolation
From the isolation of mankind in it and the replacements changed
كَم ظلت فيه على حكمِ الهوى كلفاً
أقضي الفرائضَ عن وجدٍ وأنتقلُ
How long did it remain under the rule of passion, burdened
I perform obligations of fervor and move on
يا صاحِبي هل تَرى ظعن الخليط وقد
شفّت بنور الحسانِ الجرّد الكللُ
My friend, do you see the radiance of the valley's mixture when
Its bare ruggedness is healed by the light of beauty
وَفي الحدوجِ فتور اللحظ ِبهكنة
يكادُ يُقعدها إن قامت الكفلُ
And in the valleys the gazes are weary with somberness
That nearly makes the eyelids droop if they were to rise
ما جالَ في وجهها لحظٌ يُخالسها
إلّا وضرّجه التوريد والخجلُ
No glance flashed through her face
Except it was stained by shyness and bashfulness
مَعسولةُ الثغرِ يشفي ريقُ مبسمها
ما أثرت في الحشا ألحاظها النجلُ
Her sweet lipped smile's saliva heals
What her glances stirred in hearts, did the fleeting eyes
لم يدرِ راشف مزج الريقِ من فمها
أَريقُها عنده أحلى أمِ العسلُ
He who sipped the mingling of saliva from her mouth does not know
Whether her saliva or honey is sweeter
ما الناسُ مِن وصلِها يوماً مجى طمعى
إلّا وجدّده من دلّها عملُ
People have never from joining with her a day my hopes were realized
Except it was renewed by her coquettishness
لَم يَنقضي أجلا منها بما وعدت
إلّا أتى بعده من وعدها أجلُ
Never has a term from her passed in what she promised
Except another came after it of her pledges
وربّما رقرق التوديعُ عبرتها
في الخدِّ يوم النوى والركبُ مرتحلُ
And sometimes the farewells make her teary eyes flow
On the day of departure while the caravan gets ready to leave
فقمتُ أَلثمها حبّاً يكاد له
نار الجوى بيننا والوجد يشتعلُ
So I stood kissing her lovingly, almost
Making the fires of passion between us blaze and fervor ignite
وكادَ من حرّ وجدي في طراوتها
يذيبُ وجنتها الأنفاس والقبلُ
And from the heat of my fervor in her freshness
It almost melted her cheeks and the kisses
يا عاذِلي في الهوى رفقاً بمكتئبٍ
واِصرف ملامكَ إنّي عنك مشتغلُ
Oh you who blame me for passion, be gentle with a grieved one
And turn your blame away, I am preoccupied with you
فَي حوض أهلِ الهوى قيس وعروة بل
غيلان ميّة كم علّوا وكم نهلوا
In the basin of those who love are Qais and Urwa
And how many languished and how many drew
إنّي العليلُ ولكنّي اِمرؤٌ عذبت
له وساغت في قلبه العللُ
I am the sick one, but I am a man who
Was tempted by it and in his heart sickness was palatable
وَما مذاهبُ صبٍّ في هواه مضى
وَلا له فيه أديانٌ ولا مللُ
The pursuits of a passionate lover in his love are endless
He has no creeds or religions in it
وَفي صحيفةِ قلبي أسطرٌ كُتِبت
منَ الهوى ليس يمحو شرحها عذلُ
On the page of my heart are lines written
Of passion no time will erase the composition
ما لي وللناسِ اِستَسمحتهم أبداً
فيما أؤمّله إلّا وقد بخلوا
I have never asked people's permission
In what I hope for, except they were stingy
لا يفقَهونَ لها فوّقت من حكمٍ
في الشعر والناسُ أعداءٌ لما جهلوا
They do not understand it, so I rose above a judgment
About poetry and people are enemies of what they do not know
يا نفس لا تحسديهم يسرهم فهمُ
قومٌ لما ملكت أيمانهم خولُ
Oh self, do not envy them their ease, they are
A people who when they owned it lost glory
فغرّة الشمسِ لم تحسن لدى رمدٍ
ورائقُ الوردِ لم يأنس به الجعلُ
The shining of sun was not beautiful to bleary eyes
And the fragrance of roses was not endearing to a wound
وليسَ مِن عجبٍ إن عشت بينهم
فرداً ولم تسع لي من عندهم سبلُ
It is no wonder I lived among them
Alone and no paths to me were wide enough for them
إِن خابَ لي أملٌ في الأرذلينَ فما
عند المظفّر يوماً خاب لي أملُ
If my hopes in the lowly failed, never
With the victorious did my hopes fail
كَم نلتُ من رتبةٍ منه وموهبة
منه وكم غفرت لي عنده الزللُ
How much position and gift I got from him
And how much he forgave my mistakes
في كلِّ يومٍ له في بيت طارفه
وَفي جيوش الأعادي حادثٌ جللُ
Every day for him in the house of its forelock
And in the armies of enemies events majestic
تَلقاه مُقتبلاً في زيّ مكتهلٍ
فالزِيُّ مكتهلٌ والسنُّ مقتبلُ
You meet him advancing in adorned attire
While the attire adorned and the years are advancing
كأنّهُ الشمسُ في الإقبال باسطة
نورها في المظفر وهو كالزحل
As if he were the sun rising spreading
Its light in triumph and he like Saturn
كأنّه الشمسُ في الأفلاك طالعة
كأنَّه البدر بالأنوار مكتحلُ
As if he were the sun ascending the orbits
As if he were the full moon adorned with lights
مكارمٌ وأيادٍ ما توازنها الد
دُنيا قد اِجتمعت يسعى بها رجلُ
Virtues and generosity that cannot be matched
By the world gathered, sought by a man
يا عارضاً هطلاً بالجود منبجساً
إِليه دانَ وذلّ الفارسُ البطلُ
Oh you who pour heavy rain of generosity
To him yielded and humbled the brave knight
وَمَن إِذا خاض بحرَ الحربِ منغمساً
إِليهِ دانَ وذلّ الفارسُ البطلُ
And who if he plunged into the sea of war submerged
To him yielded and humbled the brave knight
يا عارضاً هطلاً بالجودِ منبجساً
من دونهِ في الغياثِ العارض الهطلُ
Oh you who pour heavy rain of generosity
Without him in saving the pouring rain
كَم وقعةٍ لكَ في أعداك شافية
مِن دونها أحداً في الناس والجملُ
How many decisive battles you have
Without equal among people and camels
أَنتَ الخطيبُ لدى أهلِ العلوم وفي
شَوامخِ المجدِ أنت الحاذق الوقلُ
You are the eloquent among people of knowledge and in
The summits of glory, you are the guide of guides
وهاكها مِن بديع الشعرِ مُحكمة
درّية راقَ منها المدح والغزلُ
And here it is—of the masterpieces of poetry composed
Precious, from it flowed panegyric and lyricism
