مَنْ كانَ قَوْسُ نِبالِهِ مِن حاجِبِ

ما لِلْقُلُوبِ إِذْا رَنا مِن حاجِبِ

Whose archery bow was from an eyebrow

What is it to hearts when it bends from an eyebrow

هُنَّ الْمَمالِكُ والخُدودُ مَطالِبٌ

يُحْرَسْنَ مِن سَيْفِ الجُفونِ بِضارِبِ

They are the kingdoms and cheeks sought

Protected by the sword of eyelids with a striker

ظَبْيٌ تَرَى الأحْداقَ مُحْدِقَةً بِهِ

وَالْبَدْرُ لَيْسَ يُرَى بِغَيْرِ كواكبِ

A gazelle you see the glances staring at it

The moon cannot be seen but with stars

خَرَجَتْ مُسامِحَةً بِوَجْنَتِهِ لِمَنْ

يَخْشَى مُحاسَبَةَ الكَريمِ الكاتِبِ

It went out flirting with its cheek to whoever

Fears the reckoning of the generous writer

وَلَقَدْ رَعَيْتُ الْخدَّ أَوَّلَ نَبْتِهِ

وَتَرَكتُ أسْودَ شَعْرِهِ لِلْحاطِبِ

And I have watched the cheek from its first growth

And left the blackness of its hair to the gatherer

وَلَبِسْتُ ديباجَ النَّعيمِ بِلَثْمِهِ

وَخَلَعْتُهُ إِذْ صارَ مَسْحَ الرَّاهِبِ

And wore the brocade of bliss with its down

And took it off when it became the wiping of a monk

وَأَلِفْتَ قَفْرَ البيدِ لَمَّا أَقْفَرَتْ

مِمَّنْ أُحِبُّ مَراتِعي وَمَلاعِبي

And you got accustomed to the emptiness of the abode when it became empty

Of those whom I love my pastures and playmates

ما لِلْبُدورِ مِنَ الْقُصورِ تَنَقَّلَتْ

بِهَوادِجٍ وَنَجائِبٍ وَسَباسِبِ

The full moons do not belong to palaces they moved

With seductions, flirtations, and youthfulness

كانَتْ لَهُمْ بِالأبْرَقَيْنِ مَشارِقٌ

وَالْيَوْمَ كَمْ مِن غَارِبٍ فِي غَارِبِ

They had rising places in the two brilliances

And today how many settings are in a setting

رَحَلُوا وَأبْقوا لي بَقَّية مُهْجَةٍ

عَلّلْتُها مِنْهُم بِوَعْدٍ كإِذْبِ

They left and let me a grieving remainder

I justified it from them with a promise like a lie

فَأَرَحْتُهَا مِنْ كَرْبِها وَشَغَلْتُها

مِنْ مَدْحِ مَوْلانا بِفَرْضٍ واجِبِ

So I relieved it from its affliction and distracted it

From praising our Master with an obligation

الأشْرَفِ المَلِكِ الَّذي عَن بَحْرِهِ

كُلُّ الأنامِ مُحَدِّثٌ بِعَجائِبِ

The noble king whom from his sea

All people speak of wonders

فَالنَّاسُ بَيْنَ بنانِهِ وَبَيَانِهِ

فِي نِعْمَتَيْنِ رَغائِبٍ وَغَرائِبِ

So people are between his elocution and rhetoric

In two blessings, wonders and marvels

وَتَهُزُّهُ فِي السَّلْمِ نَغْمَةُ طالِبٍ

طَرَباً وَيَوْمَ الْحَرْبِ صَرْخَةُ طالِبِ

And a tone of a lover shakes him in peace

Enchantingly, and in war a scream of a seeker

سَلْ عَنْ مَواقِفِ بَأْسِهِ لَمّا الْتَقَتْ

يَوْمَ الْهِياجِ كَتائِبٌ بِكَتائِبِ

Ask about his battle stations when the regiments met

On the day of commotion, squadrons against squadrons

وَالنَّبْلُ فِي ظُلَلِ العَجاجِ كَأَنَّهُ

وَبْلٌ تَتابَعَ مِن خِلالِ سَحائِبِ

And the arrows in the shadows of the quivers as if

Hail succeeding between the folds of clouds

لَمَعَتْ أَسِنَّتُه عَلَى أَعْلامِها

فَكأَنَّها شُهْبٌ ذَواتُ ذَوائِبِ

His swords shone on their flags

So it is as if they are meteors with tails

وَتَأَوَّدَتْ بَيْنَ السُّيوفِ رِماحُهُ

فَكَأَنَّها الأَغْصانُ بَيْنَ مَذانِبِ

And his spears cozied between the swords

As if they are branches between intertwined

تَهوِي الْمُلوكُ إلى الْتِثامِ تُرابِهِ

فَثُغورُهُمْ كالدُّرِ فَوْقَ تَرائِبِ

The kings bow down to kiss his dust

So their frontiers are like pearls over carpets

وَتَراهُمُ زُمَراً عَلى أَبْوابِهِ

قَدْ حُجِّبُوا بِمَهابَةٍ لا حَاجِبِ

And you see them as groups at his doors

They are veiled with awe without a veil

خَطَبَتْه أَرْمِينَّيةٌ فَتَخَيَّرَتْ

كُفْئاً تَنَزَّهَ عَنْ عُتُوِّ الْغاصِبِ

Armenia proposed to him so she chose

An elite that is too noble for the injustice of an usurper

حَقَنَتْ بِوَصْلَتِها بِهِ دَمَ أَهْلِها

فَاسُتَسْعَدوا بِنَوالِ أَكْرَمِ وَاهِبِ

She stopped with her alliance his people’s blood

So they became fortunate with the favor of the most generous giver

أَمُنوا عَلى مُهْجاتِهِمْ مِن ظالِمٍ

وَعَلى حِمَى أَمْوالِهمْ مِن سالِبِ

They became safe over their grievances from an oppressor

And over protection of their money from a taker

فَجَميعُ أقْطارِ المَمالِكِ غَيْرَةً

مِنْها إِليْهِ مُراسِلٌ مِنْ جانِبِ

So all corners of the kingdoms zealously

Send messages to him from every side

يا وارِثَ الإِسْكَنْدَرِ اجْمَعْ عاجِلاً

بِالفَتْحِ بَيْنَ مَشارِقٍ وَمَغارِبِ

O inheritor of Alexander, gather quickly

With conquest between east and west

يا نِعْمَةً لإِلهِنا فِي خَلْقِهِ

مَقْسومَةً لأِقَارِبٍ وَأجانِبِ

O gift of our God among His creations

Divided between relatives and strangers

عَوَّدْتَ خَيْلَكَ دائِماً أنْ لا تَطا

إلاَّ جَماجِمَ كُلِّ أغْلَبَ غالِبِ

You have always trained your horses to not pass

Except the skulls of every victor victor

فَكَبَتْ عَلى مَيْدانِها غَضَباً وَرَبُّ

الجِدِّ يَأْنَفُ مِن صِفاتِ الَّلاعِبِ

So they stamped upon their battlefield angrily while God

Disdains the attributes of the player

حَمَلَتْ مِنَ السُّلْطانِ طَوْدَ مَهابَةً

وَهِزَبْرَ مَعْركةٍ وَبَحْرَ مَواهِبِ

They carried from the Sultan might of awe

And clubs of battle and sea of gifts

وَقَدِ اخْتَصَرْت وَلَوْ عَدَدْتُ خِلالَهُ

أعْيَتْ عَلى الْمَلَكِ الكَريمِ الْكاتِبِ

And if I enumerated his qualities

It would exhaust the generous king’s writer

لا زالَ كَوْكَبُهُ مُنيراً شارِقاً

وَعَدُوُّهُ يَسْرِي بِنَجْمٍ غارِبِ

His star remains shining and rising

While his enemy moves with a setting star