لَكِ الخَيرُ هَل أَنساك شَحطُ النَوى عَهدا

فَيُولِيكِ هَجراً مِثلَ هَجرِكِ أَو بُعدا

For you all the good, have I forgotten our distant youth?

So time will repay you with estrangement like your estrangement, or with distance.

أَمِ الوُدُّ باقٍ لَم يَحُل فَنَزِيدَكُم

عَلى ما عَهِدتُم مِن مَوَدَّتِنا وُدّا

Or does love still remain, unchanging? We will increase for you,

Beyond what you were accustomed to, our affection and love.

رَمى اللَهُ تَفرِيقَ الأَحِبَّةِ باسمِهِ

وَعَذَّبَ بِالبُعدِ القَطِيعَةَ وَالبُعدا

God has aimed at separating lovers through His name,

And tormented through separation the estrangement and distance.

أُحِبُّ اللَواتي حُبُّهُنَّ بَلِيَّتي

فَما أَصدَقَ الحُبَّ الشَهِيَّ وَما أَعدا

I love those whose love has been my affliction,

So how truthful was that impassioned love and how much it gave.

يَمُرُّ تَجَنِّيهِ وَيَحلُو عَذابُهُ

فَيا لَيتَنِي ما ذُقتُ صاباً وَلا شَهدا

Its anguish is pleasurable as it passes me by,

Oh, would that I never had tasted agony or bliss.

وَيا لَيتَنِي خِلوٌ مِنَ الوَجدِ لَم أَهِم

بِجُملٍ وَلَم أَعرِفِ سُعاداً وَلا هِندا

Would that I were free of passion, never having been possessed,

By beauty, nor known happiness or love.

عَفائِفُ أَوصَلنَ الشَبِيبَةَ بِالمُنى

إلى الشِيبِ لا دَيناً قَضَينَ وَلا وَعدا

Whims carried youth to old age,

Without fulfilling a religion or keeping a promise.

يُمَلُّ الهَوى ما جادَ بِالوَصلِ أَهلُهُ

وَيَحلُو إِذا ما كانَ مُمتَنِعاً جِدّا

Passion is satiated when its people are denied reunion,

And is sweetest when it is most unattainable.

أَحِنُّ إِلى دَعدٍ وَقَد شَطَّتِ النَوى

بِدَعدٍ فَمَالِي لَستُ مُطَّرِحاً دَعدا

I yearn for the past, though the days have carried it far,

Why am I not casting it away like the past?

عَلاقَةُ نَفسٍ مَكَّنَتها يَدُ الهَوى

وَوَجداً دَخيلا لا أَرى مِثلَهُ وَجدا

A soul's relationship that the passion of love enabled,

And a strange, unparalleled agony that I see no equal to.

أُحِبُّ الفَتى السَمحَ الَّذي طَلَبَ الغِنى

فلَّما رَأى وَجهَ الغِنى طَلَبَ الحَمدا

I love the generous youth who sought wealth,

But when he saw the face of wealth, he sought praise.

وَأَمقُتُ مَن لا تَطلُبُ الحَمدَ نَفسُهُ

وَلا يُضمِرُ الوُدَّ الصَحِيحَ وَلا وَدّا

And I hate those whose souls do not seek praise,

Nor harbor true affection or love.

صَدِيقُكَ ما دامَ الرَخاءُ وَناهِشٌ

بِنابَيهِ في الخَطبِ المُلِمِّ إِذا اِشتَدّا

Your friend who remains as long as fortunes abound,

But bites with his fangs in time of dire straits.

لَحى اللَه مَن يَبدِي لِخِلِّ مَوَدَّةً

وَيُضمِرُ في حَيزَومِهِ ضِدَّ ما أَبدَا

May God disfigure whoever shows affection to a villain,

Yet harbors in his gullet the opposite of what he has shown.

دَعِ الرَجُلَ المُغتابَ يَشفى بِغِيبَتي

فَما غِيبَةُ المُغتابِ إِلّا ثَناً يُهدى

Leave the resentful man to heal through my absence,

For the absent one's absence is nothing but a gift bestowed.

أَبا اللَهُ لِي إِلّا الكَرامَةَ كُلَّما

رَجا حاسِدِي أَن أَنزِلَ المَنزَلَ الوَهدا

Would that God never grants me but nobility whenever

My envious enemies hope I'll be laid low.

وَما عاشَ لي هَذا الَّذي أَنا ناظِرٌ

إِلى وَجهِهِ المَسعُودِ لَم أَعدَمِ السَعدا

As long as this one, whose blissful face I behold, lives for me,

I will never lack in fortune or happiness.

وَيا رُبَّ يَومٍ لِلحُمَيديِّ صالِحٍ

رَأَيتُ بِهِ نُعمى أَبى صالِحٍ تُسدى

Oh Lord, one day for the virtuous Hamidi

I saw - through him - the bounty of my father given freely.

غَداةَ رَأَيتَ العِزّ تُبنى قِبابُهُ

لَهُ وَالعُلى تَمتَدُّ أَعناقُها مَدّا

One morning, I saw glory being built, its pavilions

Erected for him, and the heights stretch out their necks.

وَأَطلَسَ مِدلاجٍ إلى الرِزقِ ساغِبٍ

يُراحُ إِلى ضَنكِ المَعِيشَةِ أَو يُغدى

And an exalted nobleman seeking livelihood anxiously,

Whether to the hardship of living or venturing out in the morn.

أَسَنَّ وَما يَزدادُ إِلّا جَهالَةً

وَخُرقاً وَلا يَنفَكُّ مُستَرِقاً وَغدا

He has aged, only increasing in ignorance,

Rags, unable to cease being a beggar wandering all day.

غَدا مُعرِضاً لِلجَيشٍ يَقصُدُ جَنبَهُ

وَما كانَ أَمّاً لِلرِجالِ وَلا قَصدا

Turning aside from the army, yet heading toward its flank,

Never a leader of men, nor having aimed for glory.

فَلَمّا رَأى خَيلَ المَنايا مُغِذَّةً

إِلَيهِ تَمَطّى كَالشَراكَينِ وَامتَدّا

So when he saw the horses of death galloping

Toward him, he crawled away like snakes and crawled on.

فَحِينَ تَحَرّى لِلنَجاةِ وَأَيقَنَت

لَهُ نَفسُهُ بِالخَيرِ وَاستَأنَسَت رُشدا

But when he strove for survival, and his soul

Was certain of good, reassured and guided aright.

سَما نَحوَهُ طَرفُ امرِئٍ لَو سَما بِهِ

إِلى جَبَلٍ لَانهَدَّ مِن خَوفِهِ هَدّا

The glance of a man glanced his way - had it glanced

Toward a mountain, it would have crumbled in fright.

عَلى ظَهرِ مَدمُوجِ المَرافِقِ سابِحٍ

عَلى أَربَعِ مُلدٍ تَطُولُ القَنا المُلدا

Upon the back of a sturdy steed, swimming

On four extended forelegs, its neck upright.

تَعَوَّدَ أَن يُرمى بِهِ كُلَّ مَطلَبٍ

قَصِيٍّ وَيَكتَدُّ النَجاحُ بِهِ كَدّا

He was accustomed to being mounted for every lofty goal,

And determined success would always butt through.

فَأَوجَرَهُ سَمراءَ لَو مَدَّ باعَهُ

بِها طاعِناً لِلسُدِّ أَنفَذَتِ السُدّا

So he hired him out to Samarra - had he extended his reigns

Charging the barricade, it would have penetrated the dam.

فَخَرَّ مُكِبّاً لِلجِرانِ وَنَفسُهُ

تُسِرُّ لِمُردِيهِ الضَغِينَةَ وَالحِقدا

Yet he fell sideways to the ground, while his soul

Rejoiced at his vanquisher's rancor and hatred.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ يا ذِئبُ لا تَخشَ سُبَة

فَمُردِيكَ أَردى قَبلَكَ الأَسَدَ الوَردا

So I said to him: "O wolf, fear no harm,

For your vanquisher has felled the rose-colored lion before you."

وَما هِيَ إِلّا مِيتَةٌ قَلَّ عارُها

إِذا أَرغَمَ السِيدانَ مَن أَرغَمَ الأُسدا

"It is but a carcass whose shame is little

When the master subdues the one who subdued lions."

وَأَحسَنُ ما عايَنتَ بَحراً مُجاوِراً

لِبَحرٍ حَمَدنا وَردَ هَذا وَذا وِردا

The best thing you saw was a sea bordering

Another sea - we praised one and the other returned praise.

أَلا نَبِّنِي ناشَدتُكَ اللَهَ صادِقاً

أذا البَحرُ أَم كَفّا أَبِي صالحٍ أَندى

Please, tell me truthfully - by God - which was the sea?

Or the palm of my father Salih's hand that was more plentiful?

لَقَد أُسدَتِ السُحبُ الغِزارُ إِلى الثَرى

جَمِيلاً وَما أَسدَت إِلَيها كَما أَسدى

The abundant clouds pour beautifully to the land,

But they did not pour to it as he poured.

مَشى فَوقَها خَيرُ البَرِيَّةِ كُلِّها

فَطَيَّبَها حَتّى غَدا تُربُها نَدّا

The best of all creation walked upon it,

Sweetening it until its soil turned to musk.

وَخَيَّمَ بِالحاوِي فَتىً باتَ حاوِياً

مَناقِب غُرّا مَن حَواها حَوى المَجدا

And he sheltered the elite youth who sheltered

The glorious virtues of the one he sheltered.

إِذا النَورُ أَهدى نَفحَةً مِن نَسِيمِهِ

فَمِن عِرضِهِ أَهدى النَسِيمُ الَّذي أَهدى

When the light gifts a breeze from its gentle wind,

Then from his honor the breeze he gifted blows.

تَأَمَّل بِعَينَيكَ الفِجاجَ كَأَنَّها

مُكَلَّلَةٌ وَشياً مُجَلَّلَةٌ بُردا

Contemplate the rivulets as if they are

Adorned with bracelets, adorned with pearls.

غِنِينا بِرَيّاها عَنِ المِسكِ كُلَّما

تَهادى وَأَنسَتنا شَقائِقُها الوَردا

Their flowing has enriched us over musk whenever

It undulates, and its meadows make us forget roses.

رِياضٌ كَأَخلاقِ الأَمِيرِ أَنِيقَةٌ

تَمُجُّ شِفاهُ الأَرضِ مِن رِيقِها بَردا

Gardens graceful as the prince's nature,

The earth's lips moistened by its freshness and coolness.

كَأَنَّ الحِسانَ الغِيدَ جُزنَ بِأَرضِها

فَأَلقَت عَلَيها كُلُّ غانِيَةٍ عِقدا

As if singing nightingales were set free in its land,

So every singing girl cast down her necklace upon it.

أَبا صالِحٍ رُوحي فِداكَ مِن الرَدى

وَإِن قَلَّ ما يُفدِي وَجَلَّ الَّذي يُفدى

O my father Salih, my soul is your ransom from harm,

Though little can ransom, and great is the one ransomed.

تَمَتَّع بِدُنياكَ الَّتي قَد مَلأتَها

مِنَ الأَمنِ حَتّى أَصبَحَت حَرَماً مَهدا

Enjoy your world which you have filled

With such security, it has become a protected sanctuary.

وَدُونَكَ هَذا المَدحَ فَرداً نَظَمتُهُ

لِأَبلَجَ أَمسى واحِداً في النَدى فَردا

Beyond this praise, I composed this response

To gleam, peerless in brilliance, under the dew.

زَها زَهو هَذا السَفحِ بِالنَورِ فَاِكتَسى

بِوَجهِكَ حُسناً لا قَليلاً وَلا ثَمدا

It has taken on the radiance of this plain's splendor,

Adorning itself with your beauty, no less and no more.