رُضابُكَ راحي آسُ صُدْغَيْكَ رَيْحانِي
شَقيقي جَنَى خَدَّيْكَ جِيدُكَ سُوسانِي
Your soft cheeks are my comfort, your chin is my basil,
My jasmine, the apples of your cheeks, your neck is my lily.
وَبَيْنَ النَّقا وَالْبَدْرِ تَهْتَزُّ بانَةٌ
لَها ثَمَرٌ مِنْ جُلَّنارِ وَرُمَّان
Between the star and moon a branch sways,
Bearing pomegranate and quince.
غَزالٌ رَخيمُ الدَّلِّ يُطْمِعُ أُنْسُهُ
ومَا صِيدَ إلاّ فِي حَبائِلِ أَجْفانِي
A delicate gazelle with languid eyes that tempt,
Yet snares him only with downcast lids.
مِن التُّرْكِ فِي خَدَّيْهِ لْلحُسْنِ جَنَّةٌ
بِمالِكِها مَحْروسَةٌ لا بِرِضوانِ
On his cheeks the Turks plant a garden of beauty,
Guarded for its keeper, not for the Divine.
تُظَنُّ رِياضُ الخَدِّ مِنْهُ مُباحَةً
ونَاظِرُهُ النَّاطورُ يَجْني عَلى الجَاني
You’d think his soft cheeks freely accessible,
While the watcher there reaps those who encroach.
تَعَمَّمَ بَيْنَ الشَّرْبِ بِالشَّرْبِ مُذْهَباً
فَلاحَ لَنا بَرْقٌ عَلى قَمَرِ ثَان
He obscured clarity with drink, following excess,
No flash lit our moon thereafter.
سَلَبْتَ كَرَى الأَجْفانِ يا سِحْرَ جَفْنِهِ
فَلَسْتَ تُرَى مِن بَعْدِها غَيْرَ وَسْنان
You robbed my heart, O magic of his eyes,
After which none but him could I see.
رَماني بِسَهْمِ اللَّحْظِ عَن قَوْسِ حاجِبٍ
فَهَلْ حاجِبٌ مِن بَيْنِ عَيْنَيْهِ أَصْماني
His brow’s bow shot me with a glance,
What barrier his brows, when his eyes slay me?
أَغارُ عَلى عَيْنَيْهِ لِلْغَيْرِ أَنْ تَرى
فَيَقْتُلُني إنْ صابَ أَوْ هُوَ أَخْطاني
I fear others beholding his eyes will kill me,
Whether their arrows strike or miss their mark.
بِحَقِّ الهَوى يا طَيْفُ إِلاَّ حَمَلْتَني
فَجِسْمي مِنَ الْبَلْوَى وَجِسْمُكَ سِيَّان
I swear by passion, unless you bear me,
Both our bodies will suffer equally.
أُعانِقُ جِسْماً أَشْبَهَ المَاءَ رِقَّةً
وَأَطْفِي بِبَرْدِ الثَّغْرِ حُرْقَةَ أَشْجانِي
I hold a body soft as water and quench
The fires of my torment with the cool of his lips.
عَسَى قَلْبُهُ يُعْدِيهِ قَلْبي بِرِقَّةٍ
كَما جَفْنُهُ الْفتَّانُ بِالسُّقْمِ أَعْداني
If only his heart would pity mine,
As his sweet eyes have made me suffer!
لَئِنْ كَانَ يَنْسى عَقْدَ عَهْدِ مَوَدَّتي
فَلِي مَلِكٌ مِن فَضْلِهِ لَيْسَ يَنْساني
If he forgets our love, his nobility
Guarantees I’ll not be forgotten.
أَبو الْفَتْحِ موسى الأَشْرَفُ الْمَلِكُ الذي
يَلُوحُ كَبَدْرِ التَّمِّ بَيْنَ القَنا القَاني
Abu al-Fath Musa, al-Ashraf, the King whose light
Shines like the full moon between bow and arrows,
فَتَخُضَرُّ طَوْراً مِن نَدى بَطْنِ كَفِّهِ
وَتَذْبِلُ طَوْراً مِن سُطاهُ بِنيرَان
Bringing at times with his palm’s moisture verdure,
يُلاعِبُ عِطْفَيْهِ مِنَ التَّيهِ طَرْفُهُ
وَيَمْشِيِ بِهِ مِن عُجْبِهِ مَشْيِ سَكْران
At others with his flames causes to wither,
His eyes flirt with distraction, he walks intoxicated,
قَوائِمُهُ مِثْلُ الْقَوَادِمِ إِنْ جَرى
وَهَلْ راكِبٌ لِلرِّيحِ غَيْرَ سُلَيمان
His steps like the steps of a rider at full gallop.
Who but Solomon could ride the wind?
وَمَنْ كانَ نَصْلُ السَّيْفِ خاتَمَ مُلْكِهِ
أَيَنْزِعُهُ مِنْ كَفَّهِ خَطْفُ شَيْطان
When the sword seals a kingdom,
What demon could wrench it from his hand?
كَريمٌ أَما اسْتَحْيَى الحَيا مِن يَمِينهِ
يَضِنُّ بِماءٍ وَهْوَ يَسْخُو بِعِقْيان
Noble, though too shy to live by his sword,
He scorns to give water, yet drinks wine liberally!
وَلَيْسَ الْتِطامُ الْبَحْرِ إلاَّ فَضِيحةً
إِذْا مِلْحُهُ لَمْ يُرْوِ غُلَّةَ ظَمْآن
The sea’s fury brings only disgrace
If its salt does not quench thirst.
مَليكٌ مُلُوكُ الأرْضِ تَحْتَ لِوائِهِ
فَكُلُّهُمُ عانٍ وَكُلٌّ لَهُ عان
A king ruling kings beneath his banner,
All glorious, each with a host unfurled.
فَكِسْرى بِإيوانٍ تَعاظَمَ مُلْكُهُ
وَشاهَ ارْمَنٍ مِن بَعْضِ أَسْراهُ إِيواني
Khosrow’s palace vaunted the reach of his reign,
Yet one of his porticoes became my reign’s hall.
أَعانَ أخاهُ بِاْسمِهِ وَبِجَيْشِهِ
وَلا تَنْفُذُ الأقْدارُ إلا بِسُلْطان
He aided his brother with name and with army,
Fates yield only to rulers’ decrees.
وَلَيْسَ الَّذي يَبْني الْحِجارَ عَلى الثَّرى
كَبانِي رَواسي مَجْدِهِ فَوُقَ كِيوان
Not who stacks stone upon earth
Built the foundation of his glory atop Keywan’s peak.
تَرَحَّلَ عَن مافارقيْنَ بِرَغُمِها
وَمالَ بِهِ فَرْطُ الحُنِّو عَلى حانِي
He parted from Maafirkin against its will
And it inclined to him out of passionate zeal.
وَعاجَ بِذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ مُنْخَرِطاً إلى
جَبَلْجُورَ حِصْنٍ ما بَنى مِثْلَهُ بان
He came to Zulqarnayn’s realm bent thither
To Jibaljur, a fortress none ever did build.
قِلاعٌ عَلى النَّسْرِيْنِ خُطَّ أَساسُها
عُلُوّاً فَقَرْنُ الشَّمْسِ مِن دُونِها دان
Citadels on the eagles’ necks, their foundations
Towering so high the sun’s horn bows before them.
مَنازِلُ لِلْبَدْرِ الْمُنيرِ يَحِلُّها
بِطالِعِ سَعْدٍ لا بِمَحْقٍ وَنُقْصان
Manors fit for the shining moon he occupies
With auspicious rising, not lowly setting.
سَيَمْلِكُ قُسْطَنْطِينَةَ الرُّومِ عَنْوَةً
وَيُخطَبُ عَن قُرْبٍ لَهُ فِي خُراسان
He will conquer Qustantiniyya by force
And demand the allegiance of Khurasan.
