مَنْ مُنْقِذي مَنْ مُنصفي
مِنَ القِوامِ الأهيفِ
Who will save me, who will do me justice
From the oppressive tyrants?
غُصْنُ نَقَا تَيَمني
بِقَدِّهِ المَهفْهَفِ
A slender, gentle branch
Bending with the breeze.
يا واوَ صَدْغيهِ ألا
على المحبِّ تعطفي
Oh beautiful mole on his cheek! Have mercy
On this lover, show him kindness
فقد رجوت الوَصَل من
هذا القوم الألفي
For I hoped to be united with
This gentle, kind folk
أسَفَ قَلبي طائراَ
منَ الأسى والأسَفِ
My heart flew off in sorrow
And sadness and longing
قالوا أختفى قُلتْ لَهم
بدرُ الدُّجى ما يَختفي
They said he has disappeared, I said to them
The full moon does not disappear
لكنْ بدا ذابَهْجَةٍ
كالشّمسِ عندَ الشّرَفِ
But then he appeared smiling
Like the sun at dawn
أقسَمْتُ منْ ريقتهِ
باردٍ كالقَرْقَف
I swear by his cool saliva
And his ambergris scented cheek
وَعَنْبَرُ الخالِ الذي
في خَدِّهِ قد عامَ فِي
By the beauty spot that has lingered
On his cheek for so long
ودُرّ ثغْرٍ في عَقيقٍ
مطبقٍ كالصّدَف
By his juicy lips like rose quartz
Pressed together like a clam
وَوَرْدَة في خَدِّهِ
بِناشري لم تُقْطَفِ
By the rose on his cheek
That has not been plucked
كم بِتُّ من عِشقي لَهُ
بَجَمرةٍ لم تُقْطَفِ
How I have suffered for love of him
With unquenched flames
رَشا مِنَ التُّركِ لَهُ
لَحظُ غَزالٍ أوطَفِ
He shot me with the arrows of his eyes
And my heart became the target
رَمى بِنَبْلِ جفنهِ
قَلباً غدا كالهَدَفِ
He has burdened me while the full moon
Must fulfill its obligation
واكَلَفي والبدرُ لا
بُدَّ لَهُ مِن كلَفِ
Suddenly Satan died
And his beloved quarter was devastated
ماتَ يا قومُ فجأةً إبليسُ
وَخَلا منهُ رَبعُه المأنوسُ
My intuition tells me he passed away
By God his death is unfortunate
وَنَعاني حَدسي بهِ إذْ تُوُفّي
وَلَعَمري مماتُهُ مَحدوسُ
If he were not dead as I said
His laws would not have changed
هَوَ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ كما قلتُ مَيْتاً
لم يُغَيّرْ لُحكمِه ناموسُ
Where are his eyes that used to look upon wine, when
His decanters and vessels were stilled?
أينَ عيناهُ تنظُرُ الخمرَ إذ عُطّلَ
منهُ الرَّاووقُ والمجريسُ
The wine jars were shattered, and the wineskins
Imprisoned after their breaking
والبواطي بها تَكَسّرْنَ والخمّا
رُ مِن بَعْدِ كَسْرِها محبوسُ
Those with bumpers are confused, and the wine
Mixed with dust as it trickled forth
وذَوو القَصفِ ذاهلونَ وقد كا
دَتْ على سَلها تسيلُ النّفوسُ
How many rogues say “Today is a day
The likes of grim-faced Qimri”
كم خَليعٍ يقولُ ذا اليومُ يومٌ
مِثَلَما قيلَ قمطريرٌ عبوسُ
And a lad says “After this, getting drunk
Seems trivial to me”
وفتى قائلٍ لقد هانَ عندي
بعدَ هذا في شُربِها التَجريسْ
Where are his eyes when the taverns
Were emptied of the hired servers and pimps?
أينّ عيناهُ ينظُرُ المزرَ إذا أو
حشَ منهُ المأجورُ والقادوسُ
The chickpeas were scattered, their dough
Mixed with dirt as it stuck together
وَعجينُ البقولِ قد بَدَّدوهُ
وَهوَ بالتُّربِ خَلْطُهُ مَبسوس
The pastries are smashed up just as
The jugs were shattered in the mills
واللفاتي مكسّرات كما قَدْ
كُسّرَتْ في رَحَى البدورِ الكؤوسُ
You see Zanqlun screaming at Zaynun
While Nato cries “O buffalo!”
وَتَرى زَنَكلونَ يزعَقُ زينو
نُ وناتو يَصيحُ يا جاموسُ
They have plundered everything, partridges and quails,
My map and money have disappeared
نَهَبوا الكَلَّ والطّراطيرَ والطا
رَ وضاعَتْ خَريطتي والفلوسُ
Where is Sanquli, the frying pan, and al-Saffar,
God be pleased with him, and where are al-Mazraqi and al-Dabbous?
أينَ سَنكولي وطاجنة والسفا
رضي الله عنه وأينَ المزراقث والدَّبّوسُ
Where are you Nimshi, cousin, while Zaynun
My brother, is imprisoned because of me?
أينَ نَمشي يا بنتَ عَمٍّ وزينو
نُ أخي من قَضيّتي محبوسُ
Where are his eyes as the grasses
Burn in a fire that terrifies the Magi?
أينَ عَيناهُ والحشائشُ يُحْرَق
نَ بنارٍ تُراعُ منها المجوسُ
They uprooted the seedlings while still
Small, green, and tender sprouts
قَلَعوهخا منَ البساتينِ إذ ذا
كَ صغاراً خُضْراً وَهُنَّ غروسُ
The locusts weep over them
With tears that extinguish the flames
والحرافيشُ حولهَا يَتَباكو
نَ دموعاً يُطفَى بهنَّ الوطيسُ
One calls to his friend “O Anaykir”
While another shouts “Mahlous!”
ذا يُنادي رفيقَهُ يا عنيكير
وهذا يصيحُ ما محلوس
Dark-skinned one, kneel among the reeds
Striving while you are rough and filthy
أسمُرا لَرْكزَكَّ بينَ الأكواشِيْ
بسعي وهو كَرْ لَكَلْ خَشنى يموسُ
None can withstand the torrents except
A hill of solid rock or a steadfast man
لَيْسَ تُصمي كَشَّ المَزِيةِ إلاَّ
مِنْ مَها الرَّصفِ أو فَتىً سالوسُ
Begone, this is a land of chastity
While the debauched are inauspicious here
ارحلوا هذهِ بِلادُ عَفاف
وَسعُودُ الخلاَعِ فيها نُحوسُ
Where are his eyes, looking as the tavern
Was demolished by the axes?
أينَ عَيناه تَنْظُرُ والحا
نةَ قَدْ هَدَّمَتْ ذَراها الفؤوس
Qadib, Zaynab, and Kahar
Weep bitterly, as do Nuza and Arus
وَقَضيبٌ وَزَينَبٌ وَكهارٌ
باكياتٌ وَنُزْهَةٌ وَعَروسُ
One calls to her companion bidding farewell
No embrace, no hug, no kiss
ذي تُنادي حريفَها لِوَداع
لا عناقٌ لا ضَمُّ لا تَبويسُ
All that has ended, and the time of separation
Remains, with no companion left for me
انقضى كل ذاكَ والعهدُ في حل
قيَ لم يَبْقِ بعدَها لي أنيسُ
Where is the flute, the tambourine and reed pipe
To play for me, and the singing girls, O peacock?
أينَ زامَرْ دازَ عقّي لي بَرَامَزْ
دَ والأحمَدونَ يا طاووسُ
So Shah Alain calls out:
The star Sati has been reversed by misfortune
فَيُنادي شُهْ عَلَينا
نجمُ سِتي قد عَكَسَتْهُ النحوسُ
May God reverse the star Sati, for in the seventh house
Of its sands it was weakened
عَكَسَ اللهُ نجمَ ستي ففي سا
بعِ ضربِ رَملها أَنكيس
Where are you Nimshi? The time has changed and become
Rotten, with no pleasure or musician left
أينَ نَمشي حُزناً خُراخِتْ زَمانِ
لا فيهِ ولا خَنْدَريس
Who is left for us after that shaykh, no
Khidn, Samir, companion, or friend?
مَنْ لنا بعدَ ذلكَ الشيخِ خِدْنٌ
وسميرٌ ومؤنسٌ وَجَليس
Who, after his death, will make the lovesick one
Laugh if he frowns?
مَنْ تُرى بعدَ موتهِ يُضحكُ المع
شوقَ لي إنْ بدا بهِ تعبيسُ
I will cry for him until tears
Run from my eyes so Galen lives on in my misery
فأبكيهِ أرمدَ العينِ حتى
لِشقائي يَعيشُ جالينوس
And I will wail all my life and misguide
Whoever owns a purse after him
وسأعوي لهُ حَياتي وأغوي
مَنْ لَهُ الكيشُ بعدَهُ والكيسُ
And I said, when he who denied denied my words,
The day Iblis passed away
وَلَقَدْ قلت يومَ أنكرَ من أن
كر قَولي لمّا تَوى إبليسُ
He would not have died, nor would his body
Have been shrouded, had it not been for the justice of the minister
هُوَ لولا عدلُ الوزيرِ لما ما
تَ ولا ضَمَّ جِسمَهُ ناووسُ
How could he live in an age nothing
Remains hidden from, neither guile nor deceit?
كيفَ يحيي في عصرِ من ليس يخَفى
عنهُ مَينٌ كلا ولا تلبيسُ
May God purify religion by the purifier
Taj al-Din, so no impurity remains
طَهرَ اللهُ بالمطهرِ تاجِ الدينِ
دينَ الورى فلا تدنيسُ
May his body rise in glory, for the glorious ones
Were brought to him like a bride
وعلا جَسدهُ بجَدٍّ لهُ العلياءَ
زُفّتْ كما تُزَف العروس
They are a clan whose gifts are bountiful
And upon them all honor rests captive
عتْرَةٌ منهُم العطاءُ طليقٌ
وَعَليهم كل الفخارِ حَبيسُ
For if darkness falls, they are houses
And if daylight comes, they are suns
فَهُمُ إنْ دَجى الظلامُ بدورٌ
وَهُمُ إنْ بدا النهارُ شموسُ
Their crown is their crown, and I make no pretense:
All of them are the highest of the high
تاجُهُمْ تاجُهم ولستُ أباهي
كلهم في ذرى المعالي رُؤوسُ
O you generous one, when a generous one like you
Gallops off, it is as if you were a peacock
يا جواداً إذا سرى بجواد
ذي شياةٍ كأنّهُ الطاووس
The people before said “We have never known
A sea contained in a goblet”
قالتِ الناسُ قَبلها ما بلغنا
أنّ بحراً يحوزهُ قَربوسُ
And the envious say “None before or
After him can be called chief”
ويقول الحسّادُ ما قبل هذا
لا ولا بعدَهُ يُعَدُّ رئيسُ
The star of this one is a verse from the stars, and why
Did not Ptolemy tell people about him?
نجمُ هذا آيُ النجومِ وَلمْ لا
أخبرَ الناسَ عنْهُ بطليموسُ
The new moon his forehead, his beauty spot his charm, his palms his bounty,
And the gardens his place of amusement
الهلالُ الجبينُ والديمةُ الوط
فاءُ كفّاهُ والرياضُ الطروسُ
O eyes of the envious, avert yourselves,
For his honor is protected
يا عيونَ الحسّادِ عنه تَوَلّيْ
وأخسأى إنَّ عزَّهُ مَحروس
Last, O minister hoped for,
And if you last, sorrow will leave us
دُمتَ يا أيّها الوزيرُ المرجَى
وإذا دُمْتَ زالَ عنا البوس
Greetings from one who loves your joy, Saad,
And from one who does not, bad luck
سالماً من يُحب سَعْدَك مسعو
دٌ ومن لا يُحبُّهُ مَنحوسُ
God has protected the house where you are
For happiness has blossomed there
وحمى الله منزلاً أنتَ فيهِ
فلقد طابَ عندهُ التعريسُ
I compared it to the Gardens of Eden
And guarded it beyond any comparison
وَلَقّد قسْتهُ بَجنةِ عَدْنٍ
وحماهُ بغَيْرهِ لا أقيس
In my eyes the beloved is not just one branch
To me, the beloved is in every branch when it sways
ليس عندي المعشوقَ بل كل غُصنٍ
فيهِ عندي المعشوقُ حينَ تميس
May God cheer his quarter through you for an age
For it is a blessed, delightful harvest
آنَسَ الله رَبْعَهُ بكَ دهراً
فهوَ رَيعٌ مباركٌ وأنيس
