دعاه يعجّ في حبّه لمعاجه
وَيركب إِلى الأهواء رأس محاجهِ
He called upon him, passionate in his love for his darling
And rode the winds with his head held high
فَإن أَنتما تفقتماه عناقه
تزايدَ وجداً واِنثنى في اِعوجاجهِ
If you both understand me, embrace her neck
Increase in passion and bend in yearning
فعلّته لو أَنّ عيسى ابن مريم
يُعالجها لَم يشفها بعلاجهِ
I made her sickness incurable, that if Jesus Son of Mary
Tried to cure her, he could not heal her with his remedies
كئيب دعاهُ الحبُّ حتّى أجابهُ
سريعاً وفي أتباعه لم يلاجهِ
A gloomy one whom love called until it answered him
Swiftly, though he did not urge it
يَنوحُ على الدنيا ويُبدي تَأسّفاً
على أَنّه لم تَنقضي بعض حاجهِ
He laments over this world and shows regret
That some of his needs were not fulfilled
تَمادى لجاجاً في الغرامِ وَما صَحى
وَما ملّ في الأشواقِ طول لجاجهِ
Insistent in love, not sobering up
Nor tiring of fervent longing
وأَدلى إِلى ماءِ الأحبّةِ دلوهُ
فَجاءته من سيلِ الرجا بحداجهِ
He let down his bucket into the water of loved ones
And it came back to him brimming with hope
أَعاذله مهلاً لَقد شارفه الرّدى
وَفاجأه منَ الأسقامِ ما لم يفاجهِ
I warned him, wait, destruction was near him
And unexpected diseases befell him that did not surprise him
وَسرب نعاجٍ خصّني منه العسى
بِأَسهمه في الرمي دون نعاجهِ
And a flock of sheep from which fate
Saved me with its arrows without my sheep
تَناجَت قلوبٌ بيننا وخواطرٌ
بِأهوائنا سرّاً وإِن لم أُناجهِ
Our hearts confided secretly between us and thoughts
With our passions secretly even if I did not confide in him
حَكى الغصنَ غصنَ البان هزّ قوامه
نسيمُ الصبا في مَرّهِ واِندراجهِ
The myrtle branch related to the myrtle branch, shaking its straightness
With the east wind in its bending and inclination
يقلّ قضيباً في كثيبٍ أَقامهُ
منَ الساقِ ما لم تقتصر في اِندماجهِ
Brandishing a rod in the dunes he established
What did not diminish in its merging
وَيسفر عَن وجهٍ يبرقعه الحيا
حَكى الصبحَ في إِسفارِه واِنبلاجهِ
And revealing a face veiled by shyness
Narrating the dawn in its emergence and brightness
يشابهُ في ثديه حقّ عاجهِ
بَياضاً ويحكي كفّه مشط عاجهِ
Resembling genuine ivory in his breasts
In whiteness and depicting his palm like an ivory comb
دَخلت عليه بعد ما اِستعذب الكرى
وأريج هدوا بينه برياجهِ
I entered upon him after he sweetened seclusion
And the fragrance of gifts diffused their aroma
فَضاء لنا نوران نورٌ لوجهه
مُضيءٌ ونورٌ من ضياءِ سراجهِ
A double light illuminated for us, a light from his face
Radiant and a light from the glow of his lantern
وَأَقبل نحوي وَالسرور يهزّه
لِفرحته عندَ اللقا واِبتهاجهِ
He approached me, happiness shaking him
In his joy upon meeting and rejoicing
فَعاطيته مسترقصَ الروح صافياً
إِذا شحّ أبدى نوره باِنشجاجهِ
I gave him my pure soul imperceptibly
Which gives off its light dimly when withheld
إِذا صبّ منه في الزجاج مشعشعٌ
تَشعشعَ نوراً مِن وراءِ زجاجهِ
When he pours it into a goblet it shines
Shining through the glass from behind it
يمازج كأسَ الخمرِ لي برضابهِ
فَيعذُب لي في خلطه واِمتزاجهِ
He mixes the wine cup evenly, sweetening it for me
In its blending and fusion
إِذا اِلتعج التبريح قبّلتُ خدّهُ
فَأطفأتُ بالتقبيل حرّ اِلتعاجهِ
When sneezing irritated him, I kissed his cheek
Extinguishing the heat of his irritation with a kiss
وَلمّا بَدا وجهُ الصباح لنا وقد
تقضّى دجاه مُسرعاً في اِنزعاجهِ
And when the face of dawn appeared to us and
Its glare quickly passed in displeasure
أَخذت بصدغي رأسهِ متودّعاً
بِلثمِ ثناياه ورشف مجاجهِ
I took his cheek farewell
With a kiss of its dimples and sips of his departure drink
فَأنهلني من ثغرِه بقرانه
وَأمطرته من مدمعي بأجاجهِ
He quenched me from his mouth with his farewell
And I rained him with my tears as hail
لعمر أَبي لولا عرار وسعيه
لَما اِنسدَّ سدُّ المجدِ بعد اِنفراجهِ
By my father’s life, were it not for Erar and his effort
The dam of glory would not have opened after closing
مَليكٌ إِذا ما حطّ عنه لثامه
تلثّم من نسجِ الوغا بعجاجهِ
A king whose veil falters from him
Murmurs many praises for himself
له مِن معاليه لواءٌ وحُجّةٌ
تؤيّده في قوله واِحتجاجهِ
For him, a banner, evidence and authority
Support him in his words and argument
سَرى في أقاليمِ البلادِ مواصلاً
لأعدائهِ تهجيره باِندلاجهِ
Traveling the regions of countries, isolating
His enemies, expelling them forcefully
وَقادَ لَهم من كلّ جيشٍ عرمرمٍ
بهيمٍ به ضاقت بطونُ فجاجهِ
He led to them from every loud rumbling army
That gorged until their intestines tightened
وَقد ضجّ نصلُ السيفِ في جبهاتهم
فَلجّوا ضجاجاً من ملجّ ضجاجهِ
The sword blades clamored in their foreheads
So they clamored painfully from pain’s pain
وَكادت نجومُ الجوّ تَسبق بيضهُ
عَليهم إِذا أَومى لها بحجاجهِ
The stars of heaven almost raced him
When he signaled them with his arguments
أملبس ثوبَ الذلِّ أعداءَه ومن
غدا العزّ منصوباً بدرّة تاجهِ
He dressed his enemies in the garb of disgrace, so he
Who was glorified now dethroned by his crown
يستخجل من جدواك من مزنة الحيا
تبعّج واِنهلّ الحيا بانبعاجهِ
Is embarrassed by your presence which makes one who enjoys life
Recoil while life springs from its recoil
وَهاك نتاجَ الفكر من ذهن حاذقٍ
فَصيحٍ فَخُذ ما قد أَتى من نتاجهِ
And here is the progeny of thought from a perspicacious mind
Eloquent, so take what has come from its progeny
بصيرٌ بعنوانِ القريض ونهجه
يخلّص منه محضَه من شجاجهِ
Insightful of the title of poetry and its approach
Extracting its essence from its bran
حَليم ولو هاجاه من رسب حلمهِ
مهاج له في عصرهِ لم يهاجهِ
Clement, and if the ignoble angers him from his clemency
No one angers him in his time who did not anger him
رَأى منك بحراً مُزبداً فاِكتفى به
بتيّارهِ عن قعرهِ وعناجهِ
He saw in you a frothy sea, so he was satisfied with
Its currents from its depths and surface
