إِلى اللّه أَشكو ما لقيتُ منَ الجَوى
غداةَ اِستقلّت بِالحدوجِ الأباعرُ
I complain to God of what I have suffered from love's pain
Since the day she departed, riding her camel litter,
وَإِذ نحنُ لَم نُحسِن وداعاً منَ البكا
سِوى نظرٍ تَقضيه عنّا النواظرُ
While we could not properly say farewell through tears
Except by gazing, which was done for us by eyes.
إِذا اِفترقت أَجسادُنا في وَداعنا
تَلاقت قلوبٌ بَيننا وخواطرُ
When our bodies parted in our farewell
Our hearts conversed between us, and thoughts.
أَيا مُخبري عَن أرسمِ الحيِّ هل عفت
وَهَل جادَ هانئٌ من الغيث ماطرُ
O you who inform about the traces of my dear one, are her abodes desolate?
Has a downpour of rain come copiously watering?
وَهل ألبست أَطلالها حلّة البلا
أَصائلها في مرِّها والبواكرُ
Has it clothed her ruins in a garment of affliction
With long trailing skirts that cover it?
مَعاهد حيٍّ طالَ ما شرقت بها
شموسٌ كأمثالِ الشموسِ سوافرُ
Dwellings of a beloved, the suns have risen on for long
Suns like the eyes of antelope.
إِذا ما حوتهنّ الخبايا كأنّما
خلالَ الخبايا غزلة وجآذرُ
When they contain them it is as if,
Among the enclosures, there were does and fawns.
وَإِن هنّ ألبسن الأساورَ أشرقت
وَزانَت على أعطافهنّ الأساورُ
And if they don glistening bracelets their arms shine
And gleam upon their upper arms the bracelets.
أَلا ما لسعدى ليسَ تَغفر زلَّتي
وَلَو ألقيت منّي إليها المعاذرُ
Alas! Why does not Sa'di pardon my sinning since
Even if I advanced excuses, she would show forbearance to me.
وَما الذنبُ إلّا أنّني مولعٌ بها
أُبالغ في حبّي لها وأكابرُ
The offence was only loving her excessively,
Exaggerating in my passion for her and being all importunity.
تَملّكني حبّاً هواها وَلَم يزل
أَوائلُه تقتادُني والأواخرُ
Love of her, desire for her, took possession of me, and has not ceased;
Its beginnings lead me on, and its endings.
إِذا أَمَرتني بالتسلّي عَزيمتي
عَصاها فؤادٌ بالكآبةِ آمرُ
When she commands me to show fortitude, my will
Disobeys her, while my heart is given to grief.
وَلَولا هَواها ما عرفتُ الهوى ولا
شَجَتني الرسومُ الدارسات الدوائرُ
Had it not been for love of her, I would not have known love,
Nor would the turning wheel of events have kept me turning.
تُريك ضياءَ الصبحِ غرّةُ وجهها
وَتشبهُ جنحَ الليلِ منها الغدائرُ
The light of dawn shows you the radiance of her face,
And her tresses resemble the wing of night.
تثنّت بِغصنٍ فوقَ دعصٍ منَ النقا
يَميلُ بهِ بدرٌ منَ الحسنِ بادرُ
She bent supple as a branch above a delicate trunk of spearmint,
Over which inclines a full moon of beauty beaming.
إِذا نظرت سلّت منَ اللَحظِ باتراً
مَضاربه تعنو لهنَّ البواترُ
When she glances, she enraptures all hearts with one dart:
For their sides her glances prepare spear−thrusts.
وَمَجهولةُ الأرحاءِ خبّت يناطها
بِحرف أمون لوّحتها الهواجرُ
The stranger, whose family are unknown, has veiled her tent−pegs
With a rope of twisted cowhide the "Banat Nahar" wove.
أَقولُ لِصَحبي والمَطايا رواكعٌ
بِنا سجّداً واليوم عنهنّ نافرُ
I said to my companions "Let us kneel in prayer while the camels kneel.
Today I abstain with them from departure."
وَإِذ نحنُ نَطوي في الدجى كلّ سملق
تُسايرنا فيها النجوم الزواهرُ
While we turn aside into the gloaming, wrapping ourselves
In its folds, the brilliant stars accompany us.
سَلوا ناصراً يا جملةَ الوفدِ إنّما
لَكم ناصرٌ فيما تريدون ناصرُ
Ask for help, O people of the deputation! Only for you
Is he a helper, in what you desire, a helper.
فَتىً جودهُ للحادثات الخطب كاسرٌ
وَلِلمعدم العافي منَ الكسر جابرُ
A hero whose munificence, when events wax serious, smashes them,
And who to the afflicted suppliant gives, repairing his loss.
فَما في الحجا والحلم يذكر أكثم
لَديهِ وَلا في العلمِ يذكرُ باقرُ
None, in intelligence and wisdom, can be mentioned along with him
Nor in knowledge can any erudite be coupled.
همامٌ لهُ في رتبةِ المجدِ والعلا
منارٌ وفي سمك المعالي منابرُ
He is perfect in the ranks of glory and loftiness;
A guiding minaret, on the pillars of nobility firmly established.
إِذا السائلُ العافي رَأى حسنَ وجههِ
تَلقّته منه بالسرورِ بشائرُ
When the wretched exile sees his cheerful face
Good news meets him, in welcome, from it.
وَدونك يا فرد الزمان غريبةً
بِها مِن غميرات المعاني جواهرُ
Next to you, O singular one of the age, are marvels
In them, of meanings, are jewels of literature;
تُشارك في ذاتِ البديهةِ باطنٌ
لِتسهيلها في النظمِ منّي وظاهرُ
An inward part accompanies, in your original disposition,
To facilitate, in poetry, me and my outward part.
فَلَم يهدِها هادٍ إلى مستحقّها
سِواي ولم يسبق بها قطّ شاعرُ
None has rightly guided it to its proper objects but I;
No poet has preceded me in treading its courses.
