ذَرِي عَذلي فَشانُكِ غَيرُ شاني
وَلا تَتَمَلَّكي طَرَفَي عِناني
Leave my love be, for your beauty is unparalleled,
And cease your teasing glances that make my heart unsettled.
وَرُدِّي يا ابنَةَ السُلَميِّ قَلبي
فَقَد قارَفتِ قَلبي ما كَفاني
Return my heart, O daughter of Sulami,
For you have filled it with more love than it can handle.
عَصَيتُ الحِلمَ أَيّامَ التَصابي
وَما أَعصى النُهى لَمّا نَهاني
I disobeyed wisdom in our days of joy,
And never disobeyed the advice when it tried to employ,
تَأَمَّلي مَفرِقي تَجِدي سُطُوراً
أَجادَت مَحوَهُنَّ يَدُ الزَمانِ
Look upon my temple - you will find lines
Whose erasure was perfected by time’s hands,
سُطوراً بَيَّضَتهُنَّ اللَيالي
وَلَكِن سَوَّدَت بِيضَ الأَماني
Lines whitened by the nights,
But blackened by dashed hopes’ blights.
أُحِبُّ مِنَ السَمادِعِ كُلَّ نَدبٍ
كَريمِ الخِيمِ مَأمُونِ اللِسانِ
I love all honest men, sheltered and safe of tongue,
Who pardon sin and exercise patience for all wrong,
يَعِفُّ عَنِ الخَنا وَيَشفُّ حِلماً
كَما شَفَّت ذُرى عَلَمَي أَبانِ
And I hate all gossiping, grumbling, mean souls
Who love to spread tales while playing their roles.
وَأَمقُتُ كُلَّ مُغتابٍ نَمُومٍ
حَرِيصٍ بِالنَميمَةِ غَيرِ وَاني
Oh, what a wretched talk - a talk of lies,
That so-and-so narrates from so-and-so, a guise!
أَلا بِئسَ الحَديثُ حَديثُ زُورٍ
يُبَلِّغُهُ فُلانٌ عَن فُلانِ
By night I beat its sides with my belt and clothes,
Till its shape is obscured by the darkness that grows.
وَلَيلٍ بِتُّ أَخبِطُ جانِبَيهِ
بِدامِيَةِ الحِزامَةِ وَالبِطانِ
Sweat pours from its skin, the color of smoke,
From the cracks amidst the smoldering cloak.
يُخَيِّفُ شَخصَها التَأوِيبُ حَتّى
لَكادَت أَن تَدِقَّ عَنِ العِيانِ
I say to lads who sneak out at night while Layla sleeps,
As they head out on adventures while neighborhood silence keeps:
وَسالَ حَجاجُها عَرَقاً بَهيماً
كَلَونِ الوَكفِ مِن خَلَلِ الدُخانِ
“Your necks droop and you lean on soft pillows,
Now rouse, and to Abu Ulwan let your camels bellows!
أَقُولُ لِفِتيَةٍ لَغِبُوا وَلَيلى
وَلَيلُهُمُ مُكِبٌّ لِلجِرانِ
Mount your decorated steeds, make haste!
Cut through the dusty winding waste,
وَقَد مالَت رِقابَهُمُ وَلانُوا
عَلى الأَكوارِ لِينَ الخَيزُرانِ
Till you reach Aleppo; there pause and rest,
Savoring the most delicious and joyous fest.”
أَبُو العُلوانِ مَقصِدُكُم فَهُزُّوا
إِلَيهِ عَرائِكَ البُزلِ الهِجانِ
On camels whose skin resemble shades of dye,
As though pieces of leather stitched side by side.
فَسارُوا يَقطَعُونَ إِلى نَداهُ
تَنائِفِ كُلِّ أَغبَرَ صَحصَحانِ
They saw trees of virtue fruitfully bear,
And boughs of bliss - the greenest welfare,
فَلَمّا قابَلُوا حَلَباً وَحَلُّوا
بِأَخصَبِ ما يُحَلُّ مِنَ المَغاني
My two friends! Look here - an old man who stands,
Whose feet the seas and mountains kiss as they expand,
عَلى مِثلِ الأَهِلَّةِ مُبرَياتٍ
كَأَنَّ جَلُودَها قِطَعُ الشِنانِ
Peerless in his generosity - nowhere else exists,
One with greater virtue or noble traits persists.
رَأَوا شَجَرَ المَكارِمِ مُثمِراتٍ
وَأَغصانَ النَدى خُضرَ المَجاني
The blessed feast has passed while I was gone,
And people have, ahead of me, their congratulations won.
خَلِيلَيَّ انظُرا في الدَستِ قَرماً
يُداسُ بِأَخمَصَيهِ الفَرقَدانِ
Why don’t the poets act nicely in my absence
And cease their blaming tongues from such nonsense?
تَفَرَّدَ بِالسَماحِ فَلَيسَ يُلفى
لِفَخرِ المُلكِ في الآفاقِ ثاني
They came but did not change their usual ways,
And though numerous, did not fill my place,
مَضى العِيدُ السَعِيدُ وَغِبتُ عَنهُ
وَفازَ الناسُ قَبلِي بِالتَهاني
How they tried to catch up! But their minds never led
To anything resembling what I’ve said.
فَهَلّا أَحسَنَ الشُعَراءُ غَيبِي
وَكَفُّوا عَن عِتابِهِمُ لِساني
They blamed me for poverty, criticized my situation,
Mocked my beauty from a biased estimation.
فَقَد حَضَرُوا فَما نابُوا مَنابِي
وَلا سَدُّوا وَإِن كَثُرُوا مَكاني
But Abu Mani’, though he keeps in touch,
Is not like one who has been graced as such.
وَكَم طَلَبُوا اللَحاقَ وَما تَهَدَّت
قَرائِحُهُم إِلى هَذي المَعاني
The two kings adored me, but beauty lies
In he who sees me with his own eyes.
أَعابُوني بِقَرواشٍ وَعَيبي
بِقَرواشٍ جَمالي في زَماني
Had I been tested with a member of Hashim,
The sullen ones are clan of Abdulmadan.
وَلَيسَ أَبُو المَنيعِ وَإِن تَوالَت
إِلَيَّ صِلاتُهُ كَمَنِ اِصطَفاني
He would have triumphed over me, though he bore
What I gave him, but look at whom I was forced before!
كِلا المَلِكَينِ أَولانِي جَميلاً
وَلَكِنَّ الجَميلَ لمِن بَداني
I taught him archery, day after day,
Until his arm grew strong, and he drove me away.
وَلَو أَنّي بُلِيتُ بِهاشِميّ
خُؤلَتُهُ بَنُو عَبدِ المَدانِ
Live long, O Pride of Kings, for I
Through your life, am safe from time sailing by.
لَهانَ عَلَيَّ ما أَلقى وَلَكِن
تَعالي فَانظُري بِمَنِ اِبتَلاني
With you I fear no trials, for it matters not
If all abandon me, as long as you have not.
أَعَلِّمُهُ الرِمايَةِ كُلَّ يَومٍ
فَلَمّا اشتَدَّ ساعِدُهُ رَماني
It will be known these words will stay
Beyond all rhythm within lays.
أَفَخرَ المُلكِ عِش أَبَداً فَإِنّي
بِعَيشِكَ مِن زَماني في أَمانِ
So live - if your fame lasts, so lasts mine,
And if your stature grows, so grows mine.
أَمِنتُ بِكَ الخُطُوبَ فَما أُبالِي
إِذا أَبصَرتُ وَجهَكَ مَن جَفاني
سَيُعلَمُ أَنَّ هَذا القَولَ أَبقى
عَلى الأَيّامِ مِن نَغَمِ القِيانِ
فَعِش إِن طالَ ذِكرُكَ طالَ ذِكري
وَإِمّا زادَ شانُكَ زادَ شاني
