زَمَنٌ مثلُ زورة الأَحبابِ
بعد يأْسٍ من مُغْرَمٍ باجتنابِ
A time like the visit of loved ones,
After despairing of an infatuated one’s withdrawal.
فَاسْقني يا غلامُ عاش ليَ العَي
شُ مُداماً تُجْلى بحَلْي الحَبابِ
So serve me, O youth who lived for me,
Some wine to wash away the sorrows of passion.
ما تَرى النَّايَ نبَّهَ العُودَ يَا صَا
حِ فَذا نادِبٌ وَذَا في انْتِحابِ
Do you not see the flute has awakened the lute, O friend?
And singing that nearly quiets the water
وَغناءٌ يكادُ أَنْ يَسْكُنَ الما
ء لتغريدِهِ عنِ الاضْطِرابِ
With its warbling, free of disturbance,
Of a girl whose union with me is denied,
من فَتاةٍ وِصالُها لي صُدُودٌ
وَمواعيدُها كَلَمْعِ السَّرَابِ
And whose promises are like a mirage.
They carried her far away when
نَزعوها مساويَ البُعْدِ لمَّا
أَلْبَسْوهَا مَحاسنَ الاقْتِرابِ
They adorned her with the graces of proximity.
When she let down tresses like waving branches,
حينَ أَلقتْ ذَوائِباً مِثْلَ نَايَا
تٍ زُنامِيَّةٍ بِلا أَثْقابِ
Unbraided, and turned back like the sun after setting
In gardens, as if she is not content
وَتَلَوّت ملطومَة الخَدِّ بالْوَرْ
دِ وَعادَتْ كالشَّمْسِ بَعْدَ الذّهَابِ
For me to busy myself with aught but her.
Her talebearer whispered to my heart’s disquiet
في رِياضٍ كَأَنَّهَا لَيسَ تَرْضى
بِاشتغالي بها عنِ الأَحْبابِ
That it believes in punishment from her.
If her breeze blew on white hair,
نمَّ نَمَّامُها إِلى رُوعِ قَلبي
أَنَّهُ مُؤْمِنٌ له مِنْ عِقَابِ
It would return to the days of youth.
The rain embroidered her garden since it began
لَوْ تَصدَّى نَسيمُها لِمَشيبٍ
عَادَ مِنْهُ إلَى أَوَانِ الشَّبابِ
To flow down upon it from the trains of clouds.
The jonquils opened in it
دَبَّجَ الغَيْثُ رَوْضَها مُذْ بَدا يَسْ
حَبُ مِنْ فَوْقِها ذُيولَ السَّحابِ
Like eyes peering out from a veil,
And anemones that you see lighting up the garden
وَغَدا النَّرْجِسُ المُفَتِّحُ فيها
كَعُيونٍ تَطَلعَتْ مِنْ نِقابِ
When they bloom without flames.
Like arrows of emerald
وَشَقيقٍ تَرَاهُ يسرج فِي الرَّوْ
ضِ إِذَا مَا بدا بغير شِهابِ
Embedded there, buds of the lily.
A pansy gleans it in mourning,
كَسِهَامٍ مِن الزَّبَرْجَدِ قَدْ رُك
كِبَ فِيهَا أَزِجَّةُ العُنَّابِ
And sweet basil in the guise of one in doubt.
Her features traced for me how I might
يَجْتَليها بَنَفْسَجٌ فِي حِدَادٍ
وَبَهارٌ فِي صُورةِ المُرْتابِ
Approach her in my coming and going.
A lover whose hue changes if absence
رسمتْ لي رسومُها كَيْفَ أَشْتا
قُ إِلَيْهَا فِي جَيْئَتي وذَهابي
Takes them from visiting at the time of visiting.
His drink is the breeze of aloeswood,
عاشقٌ لونَ عاشقيه إِذا ما
راعَهمْ مِن ذهابِهِ بِالذَّهابِ
His food the scent of earth’s musk.
In pages between a line of her garden, and a line
شُرْبُهُ مِن نسيمِ كافورِ طَلٍّ
وَغِذَاهُ مِنْ زَهرِ مِسْكِ التُّرابِ
To be read without inflection.
I will be content with none but Ahmed
فِي طُرُوسٍ مَا بين سَطْرٍ مِنَ الرَّوْ
ضِ وَسَطْرٍ يُقْرا بِلا إِعْرابِ
Who originated the causes of my time,
Whom I have not seen since he has been
سَوْفَ أُكفى بِأَحْمَدٍ لا سواهُ
من زَماني تَسبُّبَ الأَسْبَابِ
Standing between attainer and seeker;
His palm scattered favors when
الَّذي لا تَراهُ مُذْ كَان إِلاَّ
وَاقِفاً بَيْنَ نَائلٍ وَعِقابِ
His exaltedness compiled them for students.
A giver of gifts on high with openhanded ease
نَثرتْ كَفُّهُ المَواهِبَ لَمَّا
نظمتْها عُلاهُ لِلطُّلابِ
Whose treasury doors are without guards.
For me therein are schools of doctrine,
رائِحٌ في العُلى بِراحَةِ جُودٍ
بابُ أَمْوالِهَا بِلا بَوَّابِ
The ways of fortune at the time of departure.
She derived from the subtlety of beauty a nature
لِيَ فيه مذاهبٌ مُذْهباتٌ
مقبلاتُ الإِقْبالِ عِندَ الذّهابِ
She mingled with the beauty of the wine.
O Abul Qasim, your gifts removed
أَخَذتْ من لطافةِ الحُسنِ طبعاً
مَزَجَتْهُ بِحُسنِ طَبْعِ الشَّرابِ
Hardships from formidable hardships.
No! And who has turned back the fruits of sorrows
يَا أَبا قاسمٍ أَزَالتْ عَطايا
كَ صِعَاباً مِنَ الخُطوبِ الصِّعابِ
With gifts from them upon their heels?
I care not if you count me among your servants
لاَ وَمَنْ رَدَّ عَاقِباتِ الرّزَايا
بِعَطايا مِنها عَلَى الأَعْقابِ
For what has dropped out from my reckoning.
The misers begrudged us, and you poured down
ما أُبالي إِذا حَسبتُك مِنْ دَه
ري بِما كان ساقطاً من حِسابي
On us as an attainer without clouds.
My state requires you, not my requiring you,
بَخِلَ الباخِلون عنَّا فَأَمْطَرْ
تَ لَنا نائِلاً بِغَير سحابِ
For reward to be beneath clothing.
Whenever a wicked one blames me with reproach,
حالَتِي تقتضيكَ دون اقتِضائي
أَنْ يكون الثَّوابُ دَسْتَ الثِّيابِ
My attire takes his place in answering him.
So the title page shows the state I’m in,
كُلَّما لامَني خَبيثٌ بِعَتْبٍ
قَام لِبْسي لَه مقامَ الجَوابِ
For the title makes plain all that’s in the book.
I feared the ruin of my time, but you stood
فتبيَّنْ عُنْوانَ حالِيَ فَالْعُنْ
وانُ يُنْبي بكلِّ ما في الكِتابِ
For the settlement of the ruin of all time.
Rarely does the scholar spend, and he will not
كنتُ أَخْشَى خرابَ دَهْري وقَدْ قُم
تَ لِعُمرانِ كلِّ دَهْرٍ خَرابِ
Spend except on people of learning.
My shame before eyes when they
قَلَّما ينْفقُ الأَديبُ وَلن ينْ
فقَ إِلاَّ عَلَى ذَوي الآدابِ
Behold me in these clothes!
The young branch is severed if it grows a little,
وَا حَيائي مِنَ العُيونِ إِذا ما
عايَنَتْني في هذهِ الأَسْلابِ
And the crescent returns after disappearing.
يَقْطَعُ العَضْبُ إِنْ نَبا عَنْ قَليلٍ
وَيعودُ الْهِلالُ بَعْدَ الغِيابِ
