أَبى قَلبُهُ مِن لَوعَةِ الحُبِّ أَن يَخلُو

فَلا تَعذِلُوا مَن لَيسَ يَردَعُهُ العَذلُ

His heart refused to be devoid of the agony of love,

So reproach not him whom reproach cannot restrain,

وَلا تَطلُبُوا مِنّي مَدى الدَهرِ سَلوَةً

فَما يَرعوِي عَنكُم فُؤادي وَلا يَسلُو

Ask me not for serenity forever,

For my heart cannot be serene, nor can it attain tranquility.

ضَنِيتُ فَلَو أَنّي عَلى رَأسِ شَعرَةٍ

حُمِلتُ وَمالَت لا يَنُوءُ بِها الحَملُ

I became thin that if I were on the tip of a hair,

I would be carried and it would bend, not breaking the load.

كَأَنَّ اللَيالي طالَبَتني لِقُربِكُم

بِتَبلٍ فَلَمّا بِنتُمُ ذَهَبَ التَبلُ

As if the nights sought me out, to be near you,

With yearning - then when you built, the yearning was gone.

خَلِيليَّ ما لِلرَّبعِ يَخلُو وَلَيسَ لي

فُؤادٌ مِنَ التَبريحِ يَخلُو كَما يَخلُو

O my friend, the encampment is never devoid, yet I have no heart,

Devoid of becoming detached as it becomes detached.

وَمالي إِذا ما لاحَ إِيماضُ بارِقٍ

مِنَ العَلَمِ النَجدِيِّ داخَلَني الخَبلُ

What is wrong with me when the flashing

Of the Najdi banners makes confusion enter me.

لَئِن كانَ جَهلاً ما بِقَلبي مَنَ الجَوى

فَمَن لِي بِقَلبٍ لا يُفارِقُهُ الجَهلُ

If ignorance is what is in my heart, not longing,

Who can I get a heart from that ignorance does not accompany?

وَمَن لي بِوَصلٍ مِن أُمامَةَ بَعدَما

تَقَطَّعَ مِنها اليَأسُ أَن مُنِعَ الوَصل

And who can I have a union with from Ummah, after

Despair has severed from it - that the union is forbidden?

أَيا قَلبُ كَم لا تَستَفيقُ مِنَ الجَوى

وَكَم أَنتَ ما يَخلو غَرامُكَ ما يَخلو

Oh heart! How often you do not awaken from passion!

And how much your love never becomes devoid as it becomes devoid!

تَحِنُّ إِلى نُعمٍ وَجُملٍ كِلَيهِما

وَما أَنعَمَت نُعمٌ وَلا أَجمَلَت جُملُ

You yearn for bounties and beauties - both

Have neither granted bounties nor made beauties.

فَأُقسِمُ لَولا أَنتِ لَم يُخلَقِ الجَوى

وَلَولا أَبُو العُلوانِ ما خُلِقَ الفَضلُ

I swear - if not for you, passion would not have been created,

And if not for the father of Alwan, excellence would not have been created.

فَتىً أَتعَبَ البِيضَ الصَوارِمَ في العُلى

وَجَرَّبَ فيها ما يَمُرُّ وَما يَحلُو

A young man who tired the cutting swords in high spirit,

And in it tried what passes easily and what is most pleasing.

فَلا تَحسَبُوا أَنَّ المَعالي رَخيصَةٌ

وَلا أَنَّ إِدراكَ العُلى هَيِّنٌ سَهلُ

So think not that glories are cheap,

Nor that reaching heights is easy or simple.

فَما كُلُّ مَن يَسعى إِلى المَجدِ مُدرِكاً

وَلا كُلُّ مَن يَهوى العُلى نَفسُهُ تَعلُو

Not everyone who aspires for glory attains it,

Nor everyone who desires height - his soul ascends.

وَفوقَ سَريرِ المُلكِ مِن آلِ صالِحٍ

فَتىً مالَهُ عَن شُغلِهِ بِالعُلى شُغلُ

Above the throne of the Kings from the family of Saalih,

A young man whose cares do not distract him from the heights.

حَليمٌ إِذا وازَنتَ بِالهَضبِ عَقلَهُ

هَفا الهَضبُ مِن ميزانِهِ وَرَسا العَقلُ

Wise, if you weighed his mind against good judgement,

Good judgement would tilt on the scale and the mind proved weighty.

لَهُ نَصلُ سَيفٍ يَقطَعُ الهامَ حَدُّهُ

وَأَقطَعُ مِنهُ حامِلُ النَصلِ لا النَصلُ

He has a sword blade that cuts ambitions - its edge acute,

And sharper than it is the bearer of the blade - not the blade.

إِذا سَلَّهُ سَلَّ العَزيمَةَ قَبلَهُ

فَلَم يُدرَ أَيُّ الضارِبَينِ لَهُ الفِعلُ

If you asked him, he asked decisiveness before it,

So one does not know which of the two strikers did the action.

فَتىً خَلقُهُ خُلقُ الغَمامِ فَعِندَهُ

لِطالِبِهِ إِمّا الوَبالُ أَوِ الوَبلُ

A young man whose nature is like the cloud's - with him

For the seeker is either affliction or bountiful rain.

أَبا صالِحٍ حَمَّلتَني كُلَّ مِنَّةٍ

فَرِفقاً بِما تُسدي فَقَد أُثقِلَ الحِملُ

O Abu Saalih you have burdened me with every favour,

So be gentle with what you give me, for the load has become heavy.

نَظمتُ لَكَ الدُرَّ الَّذي لَيسَ مِثلُهُ

وَأَنتَ الَّذي ما في المُلوكِ لَهُ مِثلُ

I have composed pearls for you the like of which does not exist,

Yet you are the one among kings who has no like.

بَلَوتَ القَوافي عِندَ مَن لَو بَلَوتَهُ

بِغَيرِ القَوافي لابتَهَجن بِما تَبلُو

You have tested rhymes with one whom if you had tested,

Without rhymes he would have rejoiced in what you test.

وَلَمّا تَخَيَّرتُ المَديحَ أَوِ الكَرى

حَلا في فَمي مِثلَ الرُقادِ الَّذي يَحلُو

And when I chose praise or dispraise

Both stuck in my mouth like the sweetness of dates that sticks.

وَكادَت قَوافي الشِعرِ لَمّا دَعَوتُها

إِلَيكَ تُوافي قَبلَ أَن وافَتِ الرُسلُ

And the rhymes of poetry when I called them to you,

Almost arrived before the messengers arrived.

لَكَ الفَضلُ لا لِلغَيثِ أَنَّكَ دائِمٌ

وَلا دامَ سَحٌّ لِلغُيوثِ وَلا هَطلُ

The merit is yours not the rain's - for you are eternal

And no shower lasted for rain, nor pouring.

وَهَبتَ لِغالي الحَمدِ مالَكَ كُلَّهُ

كَأَنَّكَ لا يَغلو عَلَيكَ الَّذي يَغلُو

You have granted your dear praiser all your wealth,

As if what he overstates does not become too much for you.

وَأَنتَ الَّذي لَولاكَ لَم يُعرَفِ النَدى

وَأَنتَ الَّذي لَولاكَ لَم يَظهَرِ العَدلُ

You are the one without whom grace would not be known

You are the one without whom justice would not appear.