زارَهُ الطَيفُ زَورَةً في مَنامِه
غَرَّمَتهُ ما فاتَهُ مِن غَرامِه
The phantom visited him in a dream
And blamed him for what he missed of his love
كانَ خِلواً مِنَ السَقامِ فَلَمّا
زارَهُ الطَيفُ عادَ حِلفَ سَقامِه
He was free of sickness, but when
The phantom visited him, he swore by the return of his illness
لَم يَزُرهُ طَيفُ المَنامِ وَلَكن
زارَهُ مَن نَفى لَذيذَ مَنامِه
The phantom of the dream did not visit him, rather
The one who denied the sweetness of his sleep visited him
عَجَباً أَن يُلِمَّ طَيفٌ لِأَسما
ءَ عَلى غَيرِ مَوعِدٍ مِن لِمامِه
Strangely a phantom visits names
Without an appointment from his turban
زائِراً مِن لِوى الشَآمِ وَرَيّا
هُ كَرَيّا عَرارِهِ وَبَشامِه
A visitor from the folds of Syria, and its views
Like its views and its plains and mountains
طَرَقَ الرَكبَ وَالدُجا مِثلُ فَودَيْ
هِ وَوَلّى وَالصُبحُ مِثلُ اِبتِسامِه
The caravan marched and the darkness like its affection
And the dawn like its smile
وَتَخَطّى وادي الأَراكِ فَما لا
نَت غُصونُ الأَراكِ لِينَ قَوامِه
And he crossed the valley of Al Arak, so the branches
Of Al Arak did not bend to his body
كُلَّما مَرَّ مَوهِناً هَيَّجَت لِي
لَوعَةً بِالهَديلِ وُرقُ حَمامِه
Whenever it passed by something soft, the leaves
Of the doves stirred sorrow with the dew
وَتَذَكَّرتُ ساكِناً بِرِجامِ النْ
نَبْرِ سَقياً لِساكِنٍ بِرِجامِه
And I remembered residing in the poles of Naber
Watering a resident in his poles
يُضرِمُ النارَ بِاليَفاع وَقَلبي
فيهِ ما في يَفاعِهِ مِن ضِرامِه
Kindling the fire with twigs, and my heart
Contains what the twigs contain from its inflammation
جُؤذَرٌ مِن جَآذِرِ الحَيِّ لا يُو
في بِمِيعادِهِ وَلا بِذِمامِه
A knight of the alive knights, neither fulfilling
His promise nor his word
فَضَحَ البَدرَ وَالدُجى فَسَناهُ
كَسَناهُ وَفَرعُهُ كَظَلامِه
The full moon exposed the darkness and it
Was like its exposure and its spout like its darkness
يا خَلِيلَيَّ سَقِّياني حَرامَ الر
راحِ صِرفاً وَاستَغفِرا مِن حَرامِه
Oh my friend, serve me the unlawful drink
Turning away, and ask forgiveness from its unlawfulness
بِنتَ كَرمٍ تَفُضُّ هَمَّ أَخي الهَم
مِ إِذا فُضَّ دَنُّها مِن خِتامِه
The daughter of a generous vine whose worry overflows
When its seal is opened by my worried brother
سَلَكَت مَسلَكَ الحَياةِ وَدَبَّت
بَينَ لَحمِ الفَتى وَبَينَ عِظامِه
It took the path of life and crept
Between the flesh of the youth and his bones
مِثلَ حُبِّ المُعِزِّ تَشرَبُهُ الأَنْ
فُس شُربَ الثَرى لِدَرِّ غَمامِه
Like the love of the beloved it is sipped by the
Souls like the drinking of the earth for its cloudburst
مَلِكٌ واضِحُ الجَبينِ كَأَنَّ الشْ
شَمسَ ما بَينَ تاجِهِ وَلِثامِه
A king with a clear forehead, as if the
Sun is between his crown and turban
مُحسِنٌ نَستَفيدُ مِن يَدِهِ الثَر
وَةَ فَضلاً وَحِكمَةً مِن كَلامِه
A benefactor from whom we gain generosity and
Wisdom from his speech
ذَهَبَ الدَهرُ بِالكِرامِ وَقَد رُدْ
دَ بِهِ كُلُّ ذاهِبٍ مِن كِرامِه
Time took the generous and returned
With it all who depart from his generosity
مُتلِفٌ مُخلِفٌ وَسَهلٌ إِذا سُو
لِمَ أَهلٌ وَأَيِّدٌ في خِصامِه
Reconciling, succeeding, easy when asked
A family and supported in his dispute
لَم يَحُز قَيصَرٌ مَداهُ وَلا قا
مَ اليَمانِيُّ تُبَّعٌ في مَقامِه
Neither Caesar reached his extent nor Yemen's Tubba`
In his position
عارِضٌ مُسبِلٌ إِذا تُمحِلُ الأَر
ضُ كَفى القَطرَ قَطرَةٌ مِن رِهامِه
Bestowing, spending, when the earth complains
A drop of his shower suffices
مُلهَجٌ بِالنَدى تَراهُ يَرى السا
ئِلَ مِن حُبِّهِ لَهُ في مَنامِه
Passionate with dew, you see him see the
Questioner in his love for him in a dream
قامَ بِالمُلكِ بَعدَ أَن هَبَطَ المُل
كُ إِلى أَن أَقامَهُ بِقِيامِه
He maintained the kingdom after the kingdom
Declined until he established it with his determination
وَهَوَت ذُروَةُ العُلى فَبَناها
بِالصَقِيلَينِ عَزمِهِ وَحُسامِه
And the peak of loftiness collapsed, so he built it
With his strong resolve and sword
فَرَّغَت كَفُّهُ الكُنوزَ وَأَفنى
بِعَطا الطارِقِينَ بُزلَ سَوامِه
His palm emptied the treasures and wasted
The striking of the visitants the jars of his vigil
يَتَّقي اللَهَ مِثلَ ما يَتَّقي الذَم
م وَيُمسي وَالحَمدُ جُلُّ اغتِنامِه
He fears God as he fears blame and ends the day while
All his gain is thanks
مَلِكٌ يَغرَقُ المُلوكُ ذَوو التِي
جانِ في فَضلِهِ وَفي إِنعامِه
A king in whose favor the crowned kings
Drown in superiority and grace
يَطلُعُ البَدرُ في السَماءِ فَيَلقا
هُ بِوَجهٍ وَسامُهُ كَوَسامِه
The full moon rises in the sky, so it meets
Him with a face, while he equals its beauty
يُشرِقُ اللَيلُ مِن سَناهُ كَما تُش
رِقُ ظَلماؤُهُ بِبَدرِ تَمامِه
The night shines from his brilliance as
Its darkness shines with the fullness of its moon
وَتَفوحُ الصَبا بِرائِحَةِ العَن
بَرِ مِن نَحوِ قَصرِهِ وَخِيامِه
And the morning breeze wafts with the scent
Of amber from his palace and tents
مُفلِحٌ مُنجِحٌ يَسيرُ وَلِلإِق
بالِ جَيشٌ مِن خَلفِهِ وَأَمامِه
Successful, enabling, he walks and for the
Horizon an army behind and before him
كُلَّما رامَ مَطلَباً يَسَّرَ الل
ه لَهُ ما يَرُومُهُ مِن مَرامِه
Whenever he seeks something, God makes easy
What he wants from his purpose
خَيَّمَ السَعدُ في ذَراهُ وَما اِستَس
عَدَ إِلّا بِحُبِّهِ لِإِمامِه
Good fortune camped in his home, and he only
Prospers with his love for his imam
مُحسِنٌ بِالعِبادِ مَن سَأَلَ الل
هَ لَهُم في بِقائِهِ وَدَوامِه
Benefiting the servants, whom he asked
God for their survival and continuity
دافِعٌ مانِعٌ عَنالثَغرِ لا يَأ
لُو اجتِهاداً في حِفظِهِ وَاهتِمامِه
Defending, preventing the border, he does not
Spare any effort to protect and care for it
قَصرُهُ كَعبَةٌ وَيُمناهُ كَالرُك
نِ لَنا وِاستِلامُها كَاستِلامِه
His palace is like the Ka`bah, and its prosperity like
The Yemeni corner for us, and touching it like touching him
بَشَّرَت نَفسَها المَكارِمُ لَمّا
بَشَرُوها بِشُربِهِ لِمُدامِه
The virtues gave glad tidings to themselves when
They were given good news of serving his wine
وَاستَفَزَّ السُرورُ مَغناهُ وَاهتَز
ز بِمَن فَوقَ أَرضِهِ مِن ندامه
And joy incited its songs, and the higher
Heavens shook for whoever is above its soil
مَنزِلٌ يَشتَهي الزَمانُ بِأَن يَب
سُطَ خَدَّيهِ في مَكانِ رِجامِه
An abode time desires to extend its
Cheeks in the place of its poles
كادَت الراحُ أَن تَطيرَ مِنَ الدَسْ
تِ ارتِياحاً إِلى يَمينِ هُمامِه
The wind almost flew from the hand
In comfort to the right of his resolve
إِنَّما يَفرَحُ الزَمانُ بِأَن يَف
رَحَ فيهِ وَغَمُّهُ بِاغتِمامِه
Indeed, time only rejoices in rejoicing
In it, and its sorrow in his worrying
مَدَّهُ اللَهُ بِالسُعودِ وَأَعطا
هُ المُنى في مَسيرِهِ وَمُقامِه
God gave him good fortune and granted him
Success in his journey and residence
