مَزج البلاغَةَ بالجزالةِ مُوجِزا

وأتَى بهِ في الحُسْنِ بِدْعاً مُعجزا

He combined eloquence with conciseness, summarizing,

And came with it in beauty an extraordinary plea,

يَنْسابُ بين حَلاوةٍ وطلاوةٍ

جمع البديع بها البديعَ فأوْجَزا

It flows between sweetness and softness,

Bringing together the wonderful with the wonderful and summarizing.

وافَى يُجاذِبُني الحَدِيثَ وإنَّما

وافى يُجَشَّم بَذْلَ نَيْلٍ مُعْوِزا

And it competes with me in conversation but rather

It competes with the generous outpouring of a lean palm tree.

هَلّا ومَلْعَبُ خَيْلِيَ الآدابُ إذْ

أسْمو لَها من قَبْلِ أن تُتَنَجَّزا

Why not, and the playing ground of my horses are literature when

They soar high before they can be reined back.

تَهْفُو بِعِطْفي نَحْوَها خُلُق الصِّبا

مَيْلاً لِحَيِّز حُسْنِها وتَحَيُّزا

The nature of youth inclines gently towards it

Leaning towards the sphere of its beauty and bias.

أمّا وقَد جَذَبَتْ عِنانَ عِنايَتي

أيْدِي الحَقائِقِ فانْتَبَذْتُ تَجَوُّزا

But it has seized the reins of my attention

So I set out to roam through the hands of realities.

هَمِّي تَلَقِّي عِلْمٍ اَوْ إلقاؤُهُ

مما يُؤَمَّلُ نَفْعُهُ يومَ الجَزا

My concern is to receive knowledge or impart it

Of what is hoped its benefits will be on Judgement Day.

وعَقائل الآدابِ ما لَمْ تُصْطَنَع

بعد التَّثَنِّي أوشكَتْ أن تَنْشزا

And the high parts of literature that have not been fabricated

After the duplicity have almost recoiled.

وعَزيزة الأبياتِ أودعَ نَظْمَها

مِن واضحِ الآياتِ ما قَدْ أعْجَزا

And the dear verses in whose composition he placed

Some clear verses that have perplexed.

أو واصِل بن عطاء أُعطيَ وَصْلَها

لم يَعْتزلْ عن حُسْنها ولها اعْتَزى

Or Wasil bin Ata was given his connection

He did not abandon its beauty and for it he withdrew.

ولأَصبحَتْ فيما أتاهُ أُسوةً

يَعْتادُها مَنْ جَدَّ قَوْلاً أو هَزا

And it has become for what he came with an example

Imitated by one who utters excellent speech or weak.

حَيَّا بها كالاحى بل أحْيا بِها

ماضِي البَديهةِ مُسْهباً أو مُوجِزا

It has revived the spontaneity of the past, or rather revived

What passes of spontaneity, summarizing or prolonging.

قَسَماً بما خَطَّت عَوالي نَفْسهِ

في وَجْهِ صَفحَتِها الَّذي لا يُوْتزا

I swear by what its sublime ambitions have inscribed

On its smooth cheek that cannot be erased.

ما جنّة بالحَزْنِ دَبَّج وَشْيَها

وَكّاف مُزْنٍ لَمْ يَبِتْ مُسْتَوفِزا

No garden embroidered with sorrow its foliage

And ample full moons that have not arisen provoking.

قد عَمَّها وَجْهُ الزَّمانِ مَحاسِناً

تَسْتَوْقفُ الأحْداقَ أنْ تَتَجَوَّزا

The face of time has filled it with beauties

That eyes stop to gaze at as they pass by.

لِغناءِ ساجِعها افْتِنانُ مُساجِلٍ

يُثني عَلَيْها مُفْصِحاً أو مُلْغِزا

For the lament of its departing, the fascination of one bidding farewell

Who eulogizes it, eloquently or mumbling.

سَحبَ النَّسيمُ بِها فُضولَ ذُيولِهِ

فتضوَّعت طِيْباً ولانَتْ مَغْمَزا

The breeze has pulled along its trailing hems

And it has given off perfume and bent pliant.

بأتَمَّ أنفاساً وأعْذَبَ نَغْمةً

مِنْهُ لِذي سَمْعٍ وآنقَ حَيِّزا

With the most perfect breath and sweetest melody

From it for one with hearing and a refined sphere.

إيْهٍ مُهَيِّجةَ الجوى لِجَوانحي

شَوْقاً لمنْ بِحُلى عُلاهُ تَمَيَّزا

Oh rouser of passions in my soul

With yearning for the one distinguished by its jewels.

بحياة وُدِّي في امْتدادِ حَياتِهِ

ووَفاءِ عَهْدٍ صُنتُه أنْ يُغْمَزا

With the life of my love in the course of its life

And the loyalty of a pact too solid to be shaken.

قولي وزِيْدي وابْسُطي لي حالَهُ

لا تُوجِزي ما حَقُّه أنْ يُوجزا

Speak and augment and relate its state to me

Do not summarize what deserves to be told in full.

وَصِفي فَفي أوْصافِهِ ما يُجْتَلى

صَدْعاً بها فَبِوَحْيِها لا يُجْتزا

Describe, for in its descriptions lies what can be gleaned

To crack it open, and through its expressions it cannot be restrained.

لمحمدِ بنِ جُزَيِّ آيةُ سُؤددٍ

قد ظَلَّ في العَليا بِها مُتَمَيِّزا

For Muhammad ibn Juzayy, a verse of Sudd

Who has remained lofty through it, distinguished.

نَدْبٌ إذا ما المجدُ نِيْلَ بِمِهْنَةٍ

لم يأْلُ أنْ يَحْظى بهِ مُتَعَزّزا

A calling when glory is attained through effort

That does not stop striving to be honored.

أضْحى ذكاء بَني جُزَيٍّ غدوةً

شُهب العَلاءِ بِكُلِّ أُفقٍ حَيِّزا

The intellect of the Juzayy clan has become one morning

The shooting stars of enlightenment in every horizon and sphere.

وغدا الزَّمانُ به اعتدالَ مَحاسِنٍ

والآنَ آنَ لِوَعْدِهِ أنْ يُنْجَزا

And time through it has attained the balance of beauties

And now is the time for its promise to be fulfilled.

وإليكَها مِنِّي تَعِلَّةَ مُعْوِزٍ

فلَقَدْ سَموت إليه سَهْلاً مُعْوزا

And to you from me the excuse of one lean

For I have soared to it smooth and lean.

جانَبْتُ ما جانَبْتَ فيه تَشَيُّعاً

فَمَنِ انْتَبَذْتَ فَنَبْذُهُ عِندي الجَزا

I have avoided what you avoided therein courteously

So whom you have cast off, his rejection is justified to me.