جادَ الغَمامُ رُبَى نجْدٍ وحيّاها

فالرّكْبُ لا يهْتَدي إلا بريّاها

The clouds rained down on the pastures of Najd and gave it life

So the caravans are guided only by its downpour

ما ضلّ حاديهمُ إلا هدَتْهُ لَها

نَواسِمٌ عطّر الأرْجاءَ مسْراها

None of their guides went astray but it guided them to it

Breezes perfumed the surroundings with its fragrance

هبّتْ صَباها بلقْياها مُبَشِّرةً

فكُلُّ قلْبٍ صَبا وجْداً لذِكْراها

Its youth blew with its first rain, bringing good news

So every heart was filled with passion at the mention of it

ذِكْرى لها انْعَطَفوا فوقَ الرّحالِ فما

مالَتْ بأعْطافِهِمْ إلا مُحيّاها

It was a memory they turned aside for atop their mounts, so

None turned aside with them but its greetings

للهِ أفئِدة في القُرْبِ راحَتُها

للوَجْدِ طاعَتُها بالبُعْدِ شَكْواها

Hearts find peace in its proximity and obey

Its passion from afar is their complaint

ورُبَّ ساحِرةِ الألْحاظِ فاتِنةٍ

ما كُنتْ أعرِفُ معْنى الحُبّ لوْلاها

Many a charmer has seduced me with her glances

I'd not have known the meaning of love were it not for her

لمّا انْثَنَتْ وثَنَتْ عنّا محاسِنَها

ما كان أعْدَلَها قَدّاً وأعْداها

When she smiles and flashes her beauty

Nothing is more just than her stature and slimness

مَنْ هامَ فيها بعيْنِ الفِكْرِ أبْصَرَها

وفي الكَرى زارَها والوهْم ناجاها

Whoever contemplates her with discerning eyes will see her

And in his dreams will speak to her imaginatively

هَذي معاهِدُ مَنْ هامَ الفؤادُ بِها

للهِ فيها عُهودٌ قد ألِفْناها

These are the covenants of those whose hearts are consumed by her

By God, we have covenants with her that we've grown used to

إنّا لنُلْقي حَديثاً من صَبابَتِنا

فَيا نسيمَ الصَّبا بلِّغْهُ إيّاها

We speak as youths, so O breeze of youth convey to her

But do not respond, for the breezes only brought what we recognized

ولا تُجِبْ بكلامٍ فالنّواسِمُ ما

هبّتْ على ربْعِها إلا عرَفْناها

The dawn was delightful only from its horizons

And its breezes delicate only from its greetings

ما راقَ إلا بمرْآها الصّباحُ ولا

رقّتْ نواسِمُهُ إلا برَيّاها

For flowers is its splendor, for flowers its fragrance

For the moon its rising, for sorcery its illusion

للزُّهْرِ بهْجَتُها للزَّهْرِ نفْحَتُها

للبَدْرِ طَلعَتُها للسِّحْرِ مرْآها

For pearls its words, for lightning its smile

For branches its inclination, for gazelles her eyes

للدُرِّ ألفاظُها للبرقِ مَبْسِمُها

للغُصْنِ معطِفُها للظّبيِ عيْناها

The full moon rose only from its horizon

And dawn was known only from its greetings

لمْ يُرْقبِ البدْرُ إلا من مطالِعِها

لمْ يُعْرَفِ الفجْرُ إلا من مُحيّاها

If only, when it reveals the dawn of its charm,

It would guide its youths, for they are lost in the night of passion,

فَليْتَها حينَ تُبْدي صُبْحَ غُرَّتِها

تهْدي فتاها فَفي ليْلِ الهَوى تاها

A critic blames me for spending the night anxious,

Questioning the meteors about Layla and her gathering

وعاذِلٍ راعَني أنْ بتُّ ذا قلَقٍ

أُسائِلُ الشُهْبَ عن ليْلى وأرْعاها

He said "What business have you with the meteors you watch for?"

I said "In them I see a semblance of her likeness"

فقال ما لَكَ والشُهْبانَ ترْقُبُها

فقلتُ فيهنَّ منها خِلتُ أشباها

He said "You've been ruined by the sorrow of parting from her"

I said "If it ruined me, then such is its abode"

فقال قد أتلَفَتْ منكَ الفؤادَ أسىً

فقلتُ إن أتْلَفَتْهُ فهْو مثْواها

He said "What business have you with ruins you lament?"

I said "I intended by their tunes to give meaning to them"

فقال ما لَكَ والأطْلالَ تَنْشُدُها

فقلتُ هِمتُ بمغْناها لمَعْناها

He said "You've been tempted after long avoidance of her"

I said "Only her ways tempted me"

فقال قد هِمْتَ منْ بعْد السُلوّ بها

فقلت لمْ تَثْنِني إلا ثَناياها

He said "Do you have no sweeter bliss and tryst?"

I said "Let be, you have removed its furthest aim"

فقال هلْ لكَ في أحْلى سنىً وحُلاً

فقلتُ دعْ غايَةً أبْعَدتَ مَرْماها

He said "A maiden will make you forget her rapture"

I said "Wait, I'll not forget her"

فقال لي غادةٌ تُنْسيكَ بهجَتَها

فقلتُ مهلاً فإني لستُ أنساها

He said "Another beauty has come of age"

I said "How much the thirsty need her drink!"

فقال غاديةٌ للفِكْرِ قد نشأتْ

فقلتُ ما أحْوجَ الظّامي لسُقْياها

He said "She was gifted to you by one whose likeness is mighty"

I said "God is the guide through whom she was guided"

فقال أهْداكَها مَن عزَّ مُشْبِهُهُ

فقلتُ للهِ هادٍ منْهُ أهْداها

He said "From his sea he cast to her pearls"

I said "He perfected her construction and manifested her"

فقال منْ بحْرِهِ ألْقى بها دُرَراً

فقلْتُ أبْدَعَها نظْماً وأبْداها

He said "My covenant with refinement is worn out"

I said "The son of Hatim is her intimate friend"

فقال عهْديَ بالآدابِ قد تلِفَتْ

قُلْتُ ابْنُ حاتِمٍ الأرْضَى تَلافاها

He said "Refinement had been suspended"

I said "He is the one whose sorcery adorned it"

فقالَ قدْ كانتِ الآدابُ عاطِلَةً

فقلْتُ هذا الذي بالسّحْرِ حَلّاها

Just so, how many treasures are in the wing of night!

And Ibn Jala came not but to prepare it

كذاك جِنْحُ الدُجَى كمْ فيهِ من سُدَفٍ

وما أتى ابْنُ جَلا إلا وجَلّاها

These are rhymed prose for the ear of nobility

Leading to the speech of Ulya that I constructed

هَذي قوافٍ على أسِّ النّسيبِ إلى

خِطاب عُلْياك قد شيّدْتُ مَبْناها

I say: O rider of the saddled camel, where will you hide

Seeking from hopes their furthest extent?

أقول يا راكِبَ الوجْناءِ أينَ بِها

تَخُبُّ تبغي من الآمالِ أقصاها

If you love the highest refinement

In rank, state, and companions

إنْ كنتَ تهْوى منَ الآدابِ أرْفَعَها

قدْراً وأحْفَلَها حالاً وأحْفاها

Aim for the abode of Ibn Hatim's love

You will attain its sweetest rose and sweet basil

يمّمْ على ظمأٍ مَثْوى ابْن حاتِمِها

تفُزْ بأعْذَبِها ورْداً وأحْلاها

Those who live for its blossoms when it blooms

Will find Zuhair's rhymes and pleasures

مَنْ يعْشُ للزُّهْرِ منْها حينَ يُطْلِعُها

يجِدْ زُهَيْرَ قَوافيها وأعْشاها

Ask its heights and you will attain its ready pools

Surely gallantry is but some of its traits

واسْألْ عُلاها تُنِلْ كفّيْكَ نائِلها

إنّ المكارِمَ بعضٌ مَن سَجاياها

These caravans come for its rhymes, the sweetest

In eloquence, loveliness, and clarity

هَذي القوافلُ تأتيها لتَظْفرَ منْ

تلك القَوافي بأحْلاها وأجْلاها

Their riders set out from it, and it came

To pastures of its gifts, mounts of its gifts

ركابُهُمْ صدرَتْ عنْها وقد وردَتْ

مَوارِداً منْ عَطاياها مَطاياها

Revealing beauty and granting us beauty, so none

More deserving of sublime truth and loftiness

تُبْدي الجَمالَ وتُولينا الجَميلَ فما

أحقَّها بالعُلَى حقّاً وأوْلاها

Take it, Abu Qasim, a beauty matchless

But one whose palm her beauty made worthy

خُذْها أبا قاسِمٍ حَسْناءَ ليس لَها

كُفْؤٌ سِوى مَن أرَتْ كفّاهُ حُسْناها

Revealing an answer, though we're melting with love

Were it not for the wellspring of courtesy that sustained us

تُبْدي الجوابَ وقد كِدنا نَذوبُ جَوىً

لوْلا مَوارِدُ آدابٍ ورَدْناها

Overlook generously, for the excuse is clearer than

The fire of tent poles the companions follow for their rapture

ولْتَصْفَحَن كَرماً فالعُذْرُ أوضحُ منْ

نارِ القرَى يهْتدي السّاري لمغْناها

Praise is but words, and none reached the hearing

Unless you were their meaning

إنّ المحامِدَ ألْفاظٌ وما ورَدتْ

على المَسامِعِ إلا كُنتَ مَعْناها

And praising our lord and serving him

Could preoccupy thought, unless you undertake it

وإنّ أمْداحَ مَولانا وخدْمتَهُ

قد تشْغل الفِكْرَ إلا إن تَعاطاها

How could each moment not undertake

What earns the loyal money and status?

وكيفَ لا يتعاطَى كُلَّ آوِنةٍ

ما يُكْسِبُ المُنْجِدَيْنِ المالَ والجاها

The defender of the faith, his virtues are probed,

And none surpasses his rank in highness

فناصِرُ الدّين تُسْتجْلَى مناقِبُه

وليسَ يُفْرَعُ في العَلياءِ مرْقاها

The sweetest guiding king, the most generous

In dew, the highest in rank and loftiness

أحْلى مُلوكِ الوَرى هدْياً وأكْثَرُها

ندىً وأرْفَعُها قَدْراً وأعْلاها

Thus I fell short of answering the poetry

Whose excellence the excellent poet adorned with his splendor

لِذاك قصّرتُ عن ردّ الجوابِ على

شِعْرٍ سَناهُ سنَى الشّعْرَى بهِ باهَى

For his beauty and kindness, how much

Fine favor its intent the most noble!

للحُسْنِ منهُ وللإحسانِ كمْ مِنَحٍ

مُسْتَحْسَنٍ قصْدُها الأرضَى ومَنْحاها

May its composer continue to attain

The highest ranks, their marks and qualities

لازالَ ناظِمُهُ حتّى يُبَلَّغَ مِن

مراتِبِ العِزِّ أسماها وأسْناها

And remain guiding people with his guidance, so

Long life, we beseech God for him

ودامَ يَهدِي بما يُهْدي الأنامَ فَفي

طولِ البَقاءِ لهُ نسْتَوْهِبُ اللّهَ