أَيُّ صَبرٍ لِمُغرَمٍ مَعروفِ
بِغَرامٍ وَبِالهَوى مَشغوفِ
What patience for a lover well-known
For passion, consumed by desire's fire,
وَبِحبّ الجَمالِ وَكلِّ حُسنٍ
وَبِوَجدٍ وَصَبْوةٍ مَوصوفِ
For beauty's love and all loveliness,
And rapture and madness - so described.
كَيفَ يَسلو غرامَ ذاتِ جمالٍ
وَهيَ شَمسٌ تَنَزَّهت عَن كُسوفِ
How can he find peace from a beauty's love
Who is a sun, unblemished by decline,
وَأُفولٍ عَنِ الوَرى وَزَوالٍ
عَن ذُرى الحُسنِ وَالجَمالِ المنيفِ
Nor setting from the world, nor fading
From the jewels of beauty and grace.
بِنتُ حُسنٍ ما الزِّبرقانُ لَدَيها
إِنْ بَدا عِندَها بِغَيرِ وَصيفِ
A girl of beauty, no comparison,
Should she appear, without a peer.
لَو بَدا نورُها بِوَجهِ كَفيفٍ
عادَ مِنهُ الكفيفُ غَيرَ كفيفِ
If her light shone on a blind man's face
The blind man would become unblinded.
رَبّةَ الخالِ فَوقَ وَردِ خُدودٍ
بِأَبي المسكِ فَوقَ وردٍ شَريفِ
Mistress of the moles above rose-red cheeks,
With musk above the noble rose,
جَعَلت شَنفَها الثريّا وَأَحْسِنْ
بِالثريّا مَعدودَةً في الشنوفِ
She made her hair black as the darkest night,
Among the blackest hair accounted.
غادَةٌ تَهتَوي النِّفارَ وَتَصبو
لِكَلام العَذولِ ذي التعنيفِ
A gazelle glancing, panting with longing
For the speech of the aloof, reproving one.
أَتَمنَّى إِذا تَبدَّت أَمامي
أَنَّها تحيّيني بِأَدنى الوقوفِ
I wish when she stood before me
She would greet me with the slightest pause.
غَيرَ أَنّ النِّفارَ طَبعٌ قَديمٌ
فَسِواهُ يَكونُ بِالتكليفِ
But glancing is an old trait of hers,
Nothing else she will do but by duty.
وَاِنتِقالُ الطّباعِ أَمرٌ مُحالٌ
وَرجاءُ المُحالِ رأيُ الضّعيفِ
Changing nature is impossible,
And hoping for impossible is foolishness.
وَهَواها لَقَد طُبِعتَ عَليهِ
لَيسَ يَلويني عَنهُ ضَربُ السّيوفِ
And her passion - it was created in her -
No sword's blow can make me leave it.
يا عَذولي دَعِ المَلامَةَ وَاِعذُر
إِنَّ عُذرَ المُحبِّ شَأنُ الرؤوفِ
Oh reproacher, leave blaming and excuse me,
A lover's excuse is the way of the merciful.
خَلّني وَالهَوى وَحَرَّ فُؤادي
وَمَديح البليغِ ذي التّرصيفِ
Leave me to passion and the burning in my heart,
And excellent praise of the eloquent crafter.
مُصطَفى الفَضل في بَيانِ المَعاني
حَسنُ الرّأيِ في جَميعِ الصّنوفِ
Mustafa is foremost in explaining meanings,
Wise judgment in every branch of knowledge,
وَعَلِيّ المَقامِ يَسمو كَمالاً
في ذُرى المَجدِ وَهوَ خَيرُ شَريفِ
And Ali is supremely perfect
At the height of glory - the best honorable man,
وَهوَ فَردٌ لَكنَّهُ في حِسابي
عَدَّهُ النَّاس وَالوَرى بِالأُلوفِ
He is unique, yet in my view
People and the world count him in the thousands.
وَبَليع رَأَيتُ مِنهُ خَطيباً
حالِيَ اللّفظِ مِن فَصيحِ الحُروفِ
Eloquent - I saw him speak as an orator
Words refined from the purest letters.
طاوَعَتْ أَمرَهُ المَعاني فَلَم يَن
تَقِ مِنها سِوى البَديع الظّريفِ
Meanings obeyed him, only leaving
The brilliant, intricate metaphors.
يا أَخا الفَهمِ وَالذّكاءِ غَريباً
وَأَبا الحِذقِ وَالخَيالِ اللّطيفِ
Oh brother of wisdom and intelligence strange,
Father of skill and subtle imagination,
مِنكَ أَهدَيتَني فَريدةَ عِقدٍ
تَدَع البدرَ غارِباً بِالخُسوفِ
You gifted me a peerless necklace
Leaving the moon eclipsed in darkness.
بِنتَ فِكرٍ تَولَّدت مِن بَيانٍ
فَتَبدَّت تُصانُ عَن تَحريفِ
A daughter of thought was born of eloquence
Appearing, protected from distortion,
وَاِبتِذالٍ وَركّةٍ وَنظيرٍ
فَهيَ بِكرٌ مِنَ البَديعِ الطّريفِ
And triteness, inferiority and copying,
A virgin of brilliant metaphors.
وَهيَ شَمسٌ عَلى المَحاسِنِ تزري
رَبّةَ العِقدِ مِن ذَواتِ الشّنوفِ
She is a sun adorned with beauties,
Mistress of the necklace, of those with beauty.
لابِسات الوِشاحِ مِن فَوقِ كَشْحٍ
جَمعَ الحُسنَ لابِسات الشفوفِ
Wearing cloaks above rippling breasts,
Bringing together beauty, wearers of hair tousled.
لا جَفَتكَ العَروضُ ثمَّ القَوافي
وَأَطاعَتكَ راغِمات الأنوفِ
You were not bound by meter and rhyme
But they obeyed you, forced against their will.
وَدُمِ الدّهرَ في أَمانٍ وعزٍّ
وَهَناءٍ بِظلّ عَيشٍ وَريفِ
Give life forever safety, honor,
Ease in the shadow of a gentle life.
وَاِسلَمِ الدّهرَ ما تَغنَّى هَزارٌ
فَتَلاهُ بِالمَدحِ عَبدُ اللّطيفِ
And may you surrender the ages however long
While servants of the Subtle One praise you.
