يا حبّذا أهيفُ خط

ط حسنهِ حلوُ النَّمَط

O how excellent are the lines of his beautiful handwriting,

Sweet in composition, pleasant in style,

حلوُ الصبِّا عذبُ اللَّمى

حلوُ الرِضا مرُّ السَّخط

Sweet is youth, delicious is vitality,

Sweet is contentment, bitter is rage,

كأنَّ برقَ ثغرهِ ال

واضحِ سيفٌ مُختَرط

As if the light of his bright smile is an unsheathed sword,

As if the pearls of his lips are a necklace in a casket,

كأنّ دُرَّ ثغرهِ

عِقدُ لآلٍ في سَفَط

Beauty has let down his hair with locks of curls and a comb,

And God has molded him from beauty a person and fully formed.

سرّحَه الحُسنُ بأم

شاطِ التَّصابي ومَشَط

I yearn for a life now past, a lost opportunity,

So now my star has returned, nay it has descended, burning.

وصاغَهُ اللهُ من ال

جمالِ شَخصا وخَرطَ

Bestow on me the grace of excuses, for you are most qualified to extend grace,

And oblige me promptly with funds, for my merit has despaired.

لهفي على عَيشٍ مَضى

على اقتراح وفَرَط

Among rotten carcasses whose morals are blemishes,

You see the literary man among them like a thief among cops.

فالآن نجمي راجعٌ

محترِقٌ بل قد هَبَط

أنعِم ببَسطِ العُذرِ لي

فأنت أولى مَن بَسَط

وامنُن برسَمي عاجلا

نقداً ففَضلي قد قَنَط

بين كِلابٍ جِيَفٍ

أعراضُهم ذانت نُقَط

ترى الأديبَ بينَهُم

كاللصِّ ما بينَ الشُّرَط