بدْرُ لَيْلٍ أَوْلا فَشَمْسُ نهارِ
طَلَعتْ منْ سَحائبِ الأَزْرارِ
The moon of a night or the sun of a day
Rose from the clouds of buds,
فَوقَ غُصْنٍ تُميلُهُ نَشَواتُ الدَّل
لِ سُكْراً من غيرِ شُرْبِ عُقارِ
Above a branch leaning with the swaying of a tender twig,
Intoxicated without drinking wine.
يَفْعَلُ الرِّيقُ مِنْهُ ما تفعلُ الخَم
رُ ولكنْ بلا تأَذّي خُمارِ
Its saliva does what wine does to the mind,
But without hurting sobriety.
قَيْصَرِيٌّ يَكادُ يَلْعَبُ بِالأَر
واحِ مِنَّا في مَلْعَبِ الزُّنارِ
A conqueror who almost plays
With our souls in the playground of youth.
رَشَأٌ كُلَّما سَرى اللحْظُ فيهِ
جَرَحَتْهُ خَناجِرُ الأَبْصارِ
A gazelle, whenever a glance flowed in it
The daggers of sight wounded it.
كُلَّما كَرَّ ناظِري فيهِ أَبْدى
لُؤْلُؤاً مُطْبِقاً عَلَى جُلَّنارِ
Whenever my eyes rolled back to it, it showed
Pearls pressed on a smooth cheek.
قَدْ تَناهى إِلى مُنافَسَةِ الحُسْ
نِ بِخَدٍّ كالماءِ منْ تَحْتِ نارِ
It has reached the point of competing with beauty
With a cheek like water from under fire.
بِعذارٍ يَقُومُ فيهِ بِعُذري
عندَ مَنْ لامَني بغيرِ اعْتِذارِ
With an excuse standing with my excuse
Before one who blamed me without apologizing.
جاءَني زائِراً بِطُرَّةِ لَيْلٍ
أُسْدِلَت فَوْقَ غُرَّةٍ مِن نَهارِ
It came to visit me at nightfall
Spread over a noon from daybreak,
إِذْ رأَى الوَصْلَ مُولَعاً مِنْهُ بِالهَجْ
رِ وحُكْمَ الهَوى عَلَى الجَوْرِ جارِ
When it saw my attachment to separation and the rule of love over injustice prevailing,
Saying to me while dawn was in night's fist
قائِلاً لي والفَجْرُ في قَبضَةِ اللَّيْ
لِ وَجِسْمُ الدُّجى مِن الصُّبْحِ عارِ
And the body of darkness borrowed morning's defects:
"Rise, fulfill dawn's right for the morning star
قُمْ نُقَضِّ حَقَّ الصّبُوحِ فقد أَذّ
ذَنَ بِالصُّبحِ طائِرُ الأَسْحارِ
Has crowed with the dawn, the bird of dusk,
And stars like coins stared
ونُجومٌ مِثْلُ الدَّراهِمِ أَحْدَقْ
نَ ببَدرٍ في الجَوِّ كالدّينارِ
At a full moon in the air like a golden dinar,
Dim as if they are eyes
باهِتاتٌ كأَنَّهُنَّ عُيونٌ
ناظِراتٌ مِنها بِلا أَشْفارِ
Looking without eyelids,
Like mirrors of creatures to Abul Qasim among us
كَمَزَايا خَلائِقٍ لأَبي القا
سِمِ فينا مُنِيرَةِ الأَنْوارِ
Enlightening lights,
Jobless, I adorned them with necklaces,
عَاطِلاتٍ حَلَّيْتُها بِسَجَايا
هُ الَّتي ذِكْرُها بِلا اسْتِغْفارِ
Mentioning them without seeking forgiveness,
A tender branch, soft in swaying, fertile in blooming, fruitful in fruition,
غُصنٌ لَيِّنُ المَهزَّةِ لَدْنٌ
زاهِرُ الزَّهْرِ مُثمِرُ الإِثْمارِ
Winds of wishes whisked around it
And elevated aspirations watered it without rain,
عَصَفَتْ حَوْلَهُ رِياحُ الأَماني
وَسَقَتْهُ العُلا بِلا أَمطارِ
Like the north wind at the end of short nights
When it blows in the brief darknesses,
كنَسيمِ الشَّمالِ في آخرِ اللي
لِ إِذا هَبَّ في الليالي القِصارِ
A highborn of a household that transcended
Their destinies over destinies,
عَلَوِيٌّ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ تَعالَوا
دُونَ أَقدارِهِمْ عَلَى الأَقْدارِ
Its palm built for it in the sand of glory
A colonnade lined with pottery,
ضَرَبَتْ كَفُّهُ لَهُ في رُبى المَجْ
دِ رُواقاً مُطنّباً بِالفَخارِ
Killer of the people whenever the battle darkened
He faced it with white sharp swords,
قَاتِلُ القَومِ كُلَّما أَظلمَ النَّقْ
عُ جَلاهُ بالأَبْيَضِ البَتَّارِ
With courage you do not see him knowing in war,
Fleeing with swift brown steeds,
خاطراً لا تراهُ يَعْرِفُ في الكر
رِ فِراراً بِالأَسمرِ الخَطارِ
Leaving the iron dress of armor on him
In a dress of dust,
تارِكاً حُلَّةَ الحَديدِ من النَّقْ
عِ عليهِ في حُلَّةٍ مِن غُبارِ
Not slow to stand in the orbit of war,
But swift in rotation,
لا بطيءُ الوُقوفِ في فَلَكِ الحَرْ
بِ ولكنَّهُ سَريعُ المدارِ
Skipping to the path of glories
With glories full of dangers,
يَتَخَطَّى إِلى طَرِيقِ المَعالي
بِمَعالٍ خَطِيرَةِ الأَخْطارِ
Trailing the train of excellence while bare-backed,
On it no garb of shame,
سَاحِباً ذَيْلَ فاضِلٍ وهوَ عاري الظ
ظَهْرِ فيهِ من لُبْسِ ثَوْبِ العَارِ
Favors that have no favors over him
In which the predestined came with predestination,
مِنَنٌ ما لها عَليهِ امْتِنانٌ
جاءَ فيها المَقْدُورُ بالمِقْدارِ
Good deeds not connected with equalities
That fulfill equalities,
حَسَناتٌ لم تَتَّصلْ بِمَسَاوٍ
تَتَقَضَّى تَقَضِّيَ الأَوطارِ
This virtues contained only
By His power over might,
ما حَوَتْ هذِهِ المناقبَ إِلا
باقتِدارٍ مِنها عَلَى الإِقتِدارِ
My protector from time, if I do not
Seek from its afflictions a neighbor,
يا مُجيري مِنَ الزَّمانِ إِذا لَمْ
أَسْتَجِرْ منْ خُطُوبِهِ لي بِجارِ
Need from poetry,
If the fingers saw it while mute
هاكَ شِعْراً إِلَيْهِ يَفْتَقِرُ المُو
سِرُ في دَهْرِهِ مِنَ الأَشْعارِ
They would secretly speak to it without strings,
The palm of meanings has sprinkled upon it
لَوْ رَأَتْهُ العِيدانُ وَهْيَ سَكُوتٌ
كَلَّمَتْهُ سِرّاً بِلا أَوْتارِ
Jewels from the jewelry of ideas."
نَثَرَتْ راحَةُ المَعاني عَلَيْهِ
جَوهَراً مِنْ جَواهِرِ الأَفكارِ
