لِمَن المنازلُ بالصحيفةِ تعرفُ

قفراً كأنّ رسومهنَّ الأحرفُ

For whom are the houses recognized on the scroll

Desolate, as if their forms are letters

عوجوا عَلى الأطلالِ منها ساعةً

واِمضوا على نهجِ السلامةِ أو قفوا

They leaned on the ruins for a while

And went on the path of safety or stood still

وَصفوا مقاسات الغرامِ وكيّفوا

مِن مستجدِّ الوجدِ ما يتكيّفُ

They described the measures of passion and adapted

What suits the new passion

وَلَقد شَجا قَلبي بكاءُ حمامةٍ

وَرقاء في فننٍ تنوحُ وتهتفُ

My heart was torn by the crying of a tender

And delicate dove in distress, screaming and clamoring

بِجمال سعدى وهيَ تلك أليّة

يخشى مآثم حنثِها لا يحلفُ

For Sa’dy’s beauty, that smooth

Lips, whose breach of oath is feared, does not swear

إنّي عَلى عهدٍ لديدنة الهَوى

لا أَستحيلُ إذاً ولا أتخلّفُ

I am true to the creed of passion

I cannot change then or lag behind

وَلَقد كلفتُ بها ولا عجباً لمن

أَضحى بِها أبداً يهيمُ ويكلفُ

And I was charged with it, no wonder for he who

Has become enchanted with it forever

جِسمي وناحلُ خصرها في وشحها

لَم يدرِ أيُّهما عَذولي أنحفُ

My body and her delicate waist in her chemise

Did not know which of us is leaner

قَد صرتُ أعجز مُذ أضرّ بيَ الهوى

وَالوجد عَن حملِ القميصِ وأضعفُ

I have become powerless since love hurt me

And ecstasy made me unable to bear the shirt and weakened me

غنجا تبلّغ في القلوبِ لِحاظها

ما ليسَ يبلغهُ الحسامُ المرهفُ

Alluring, her glances convey to hearts

What no sharp sword can convey

فَالورد منها ليسَ يذبلُ زهرهُ

أبداً ولا التفّاحُ منها يقطفُ

The roses from her do not wither

Nor do the apples from her get picked

وَإِذا رشفت مجاجةً مِن ريقها

أَيقنت مِنها أنَّ ريق القرقفُ

And if I took a sip from her saliva

I'd know her saliva is sweet wine

يا حبّها يومَ الوداعِ وحبّذا

ذاكَ الوداع وحبّذاك الموقفُ

Oh, loving her on the day of farewell and how good

That farewell was and that stand

إِذ صافَحت خدّي بِصفحةِ خدّها

وَدَنا إليّ قوامُها المتعطّفُ

When she put her cheek on my cheek

And her bending figure approached me

مِن حيثُ لَم نحسن هناكَ منَ البكا

نُطقاً وأَدمُعنا تسحُّ وتذرفُ

From where we did not do well there with crying

Speaking, and our tears pouring and scattering

وَعرندسٍ جرفٍ يُخالط عزمها

بينَ الرواحلِ شدّةً وتعجرفُ

And a docile, deep-rooted resolve intermingled with her determination

Firmly and arrogantly between the traveling women

تنفي اللغامَ إِذا جَدت فكأنّما

في هامِها زبد اللغام الكرسفُ

It removes sorrows when serious as if

There is foam of sorrows in her worries

كلّفتها قطعَ القفارِ ولَم أزَل

في البيدِ أُلزِمها السرى وأكلّفُ

I tasked her with crossing the deserts, and I kept

Urging her to travel night and day

حتّى اِنتهيت بِها إلى سمدٍ وقد

أمنت هنالكَ كلّما تَتخوّفُ

Until I ended with her in Samad, and felt

Safe there, from all her fears

بلدٌ أعزُّ مكانةً بِمَليكها

وَأَجلّ أرضٍ في البلادِ وأشرفُ

A country most honorable in status because of its king

And the most glorious land of countries and most noble

فكأنّما مصر مدينةُ يوسفٍ

وَكأنّما كهلان فيها يوسفُ

So it is as if Egypt is Yusuf’s city

And it is as if Yusuf is its elder

ملكٌ يسيدُ المكرُمات وإنّه

أَبداً ليتلفُ حيث شاء ويخلفُ

A king who is the master of favors and he

Surely spends wherever he wants and compensates

أَعلى وأعدلُ في تخوتِ الملكِ من

كِسرى وقيصر حيث كان وأنصفُ

Higher and more just in kingship than

Khosrow and Caesar wherever they were and more fair

مُزِجت قساوتهُ على تَصريفها

خلقٌ ألذُّ منَ النسيمِ وألطفُ

His harshness mixed in its management

A nature more delicious than the breeze and kinder

صَمدٌ يظلّ عَلى أعاديهِ له

بطشٌ يُزيل الراسياتِ وينسفُ

Firm, he remains above his enemies

With might that demolishes strongholds and blows them up

فَعلى مُسالمه رخاء سجسجٌ

أَخلاقهُ وعلى المُعادي جرجفُ

In his peace is prosperous calm

His morals, and against the enemy is fury

كَم زلزلت صولاتهُ لعداتهِ

حصناً فَأمسى وهي قاعٌ صفصفُ

How many times did his raids shake the strongholds

Of his enemies, so it became a barren plain

يا مَن لهُ الشرفُ الرفيعُ ومن له

يَنمو تليدُ المجدِ والمستطرفُ

O you who has the high honor and who has

The growth of eternal glory and elevation

اِسمع لمَن هو عَن سواكَ منَ الورى

مُترفّعٌ مُتنزّهٌ متعفّفُ

Listen to one who is above others in the world

Aloof, detached, and righteous

آمالهُ تَقوى وتسمنُ والمطا

معُ منه تهزلُ في المسيرِ وتعجفُ

His hopes grow and fatten, and disasters

From him stagger in travel and get disturbed

يَتَجشّمُ المَسرى ولَم يَنظر إلى

ما قالهُ المتطيّر المتعيفُ

He undertakes hardships and did not look

At what the criticizer and slanderer said

مُستقبلاً لفحَ الرياح بوجههِ

وَالشمس فهو لذاكَ أشعث أكلفُ

Receiving the winds in his face

So he is disheveled and unkempt for that

وَفّاكَ بالأشعارِ ذاك مؤسّس

مِنها عَلى جهةٍ وذلك مردفُ

And that founder adorned you with poetry

Placing some here and some there