حَشا قلبهُ مِن لاعجِ الشوقِ ما حشا
غداةَ غَدت أظعان طاوية الحشا
His heart was filled with intense longing when it parted,
On the morning when the camel litters departed and bid farewell -
غَداةَ غَدت في الظاعنينَ وودّعت
وَداعاً أطاشَ القلبَ منّي وأَدهشا
A farewell that made my heart quiver and astonished it.
A farewell over pretending to be stoic and sorrowful -
وَداعاً على كونِ التجلُّد والأسى
أَلانَ قلوباً بِالغرامِ وهشّشا
It made hearts tender with love and softened them.
It was nothing but a grief that had taken control,
وَما هيَ إلّا لوعةٌ قَد تحكّمت
وسرٌّ عظيمٌ بعدَ كتمانهِ فشا
And a great secret after its concealment had spread.
Our shadows went around the glance and the distance ruled it,
ظَلَلنا نديرُ اللحظَ والبين حكمه
يرينَ الضُحى جنحاً من الليلِ مُغطشا
The morning showed a wing of night covering it.
So I wish I knew - did my love for her make the journey easier
فَيا ليتَ شِعري كان هَل وَجدي بها
تسهّل في المسرى بِها أم تنعّشا
Or did it give more life when the veils were lifted from her face?
Life clothed her with the luster of its water when the eggs departed from her face.
منَ البيض إن زايلت عن وجهِها الغشا
كَساها الحَيا مِن ماءِ رونقهِ عشا
Fluttering, she throws hearts when she moans
With an arrow shot from the bow of my gaze scattered.
مُهفهفة تَرمي القلوبَ إِذا رَنَت
بِسهمٍ رمى عن قوسِ ناظرتي رشا
She shows you daytime with night falling on it
And a branch on a palm trunk that grew tall.
تُريك نهاراً فوقه الليل دامساً
وَغصناً عَلى دعصٍ منَ الرملِ قد نشا
The love for her dwelt nurturing the meadow of my heart
And nested in the blackness of my heart and built a nest.
رَعى روض قلبي حبّها متوطّناً
وَأفرخَ في سوداءِ قلبي وعشّشا
I hunger for her, then thirst - and love
Overcomes me so I hunger and thirst.
أَجوعُ إِليها ثمّ أعطشُ والهوى
يُغالبُني كيما أجوعَ وأعطشا
The moaning of doves at dawn troubles me
When they coo - so compose for the palm branches.
وَيُطرِبُني نوحُ الحمائم بالضُحى
إِذا سجعت فاِشدوا على سعف الأشا
And the best of thoughts came with the inspiration
Showing you an increase in its wording and fine embroidery.
وَبكر منَ الأفكارِ جاءَ بها الحجا
يريكَ زياداً لفظها والمرقّشا
With it I set out seeking my aim, heading
To the best one who walked upon the ground with shoes.
قَصدتُ بِها في مَطلبي متوجّهاً
إِلى خيرِ مَن بالنعلِ فَوق الثرى مشى
To the most glorious, brilliant youth - to a young man
Whose ranks are higher than branch and feather.
إِلى الأمجدِ الزاكي فلاح إلى فتىً
مَراتبهُ تعلو على الفرعِ والرشا
A king - if you seek his aid in time of peril,
He answers and gives you joy and revives you.
مَليكٌ إِذا اِستَسعَيته في ملمّةٍ
أَجابَ وَأولاك السرورَ وأنعشا
He manages the affairs of kingship, managing his rule,
And does among them what he wills and desires.
يدبِّر في الأملاكِ تَدبيرَ حكمه
وَيفعلُ فيهم ما يريدُ وَما يشا
He established the limits of justice among the people of his kingdom,
And befriended and sheltered in God, not fearing.
أَقام حدودَ العدلِ في أهلِ ملكهِ
وَعادى وأَولى في الإله وما اِختشى
And he surpassed in battle Kisra and Caesar,
As well as Amr ibn Hisham, Al-Jalinda and Mar'ash.
وَعقّب في الميدانِ كسرى وقيصرا
وَعمرو بن هند والجلندا ومرعشا
Were it not for the generosity of his hands, the bier
Would be carried to the belly of the tomb alive.
وَلَولا أيادي جودهِ أصبحَ الندا
حميلاً إِلى بطنِ الضريحِ منعّشا
For that one, apart from all people, I count him
My refuge - in him I do not meet refusal.
فَذاكَ الّذي دون الأنامِ أعدُّه
مَلاذي وفيه لم أكُن أقبلُ الرشا
My refuge, when fate shows me its fangs
To tear the flesh of my body and gnaw it.
مَلاذي إِذا أَبدى ليَ الدهر نابهُ
لِيعرق لحم العضو منّي وَيَنهَشا
When my eye is overcast, I see nothing for it
Except the dust of his shoes, a cure for anguish.
إِذا غَشيت عيني فلستُ أرى لها
سِوى تربِ نعليهِ دواءً من العشا
And here is a reproach, O Ibn Nabhan, that has come
To uncover the hidden of the conscience and search it out.
وَهاك عتاباً يا اِبن نبهان قد أَتى
لِيكشفَ عَن خافي الضميرِ ويَنبشا
A gentle reproach, crafted by an understanding one,
Who poised well the arrow of perception and feathered it.
عِتابٌ لطيفٌ صاغهُ متفقّهٌ
وفوَّقَ سهمَ الرأيِ منه وريّشا
It came from a loving, loyal one whose affection for you
Sees even the slightest thing that could be and the most shameful.
أَتَى مِن محبٍّ مخلصٍ لك ودَّهُ
يَرى أقلى ما لا يكون وأَفحشا
He counts you, apart from all creation, a stronghold -
If fate becomes hostile and turbulent against it.
يعدّكَ مِن دونِ البريّة معقلاً
إِذا ما عليهِ الدهرُ ذالَ وجيّشا
So if you are one who keeps his own vow to himself,
Then do not listen to a whisperer whispering about his person.
فَإِن كنتَ ممّن يلزم العهدَ نفسه
فَلا تَسمعن في ذاتهِ واشياً وشى
The people did not envy him except that
He gained your bounty and enjoyed luxury.
وَما حسدتهُ الناس إلّا لأنّه
تلحَّف مِن نعماكمُ وتفرّشا
And when I drew gently from your sea with complaint,
I cast aside the bucket of the pool and pardon and feather.
وَلمّا اِغترفتُ ألان بحرك بالإنا
نبذتُ عناجَ الدلو والعفو والرشا
And the life of people is not gloomy while your suns
Cover the world, nor is the land desolate.
وَعش سايساً للناسِ لا اِنكسَفَت لكم
شموسٌ مَدى الدُنيا ولا الربع أوحشا
