بَدا في خدّهِ مِسكُ العِذارِ

فخِلْتُ الليلَ يَسري في النّهارِ

Musk began to show on his cheek,

So I spent the night wandering in daylight,

ولاحَ بوجهِهِ أقْمارُ حُسْنٍ

تَحِلُّ عَنِ التكتُّم والسِّرارِ

And moons of beauty appeared on his face,

Free from concealment and secrecy.

إِذا ما لاحَ يَسطو في جُفونٍ

فما للأُسْدِ منهُ سوى الفِرارِ

When he glanced, he cast down eyes,

So that even lions had no choice but to flee before him.

عَجِبْتُ لِلَحْظِهِ إِذْ نالَ نَصْراً

بِضَعْفٍ في الجُفونِ معَ اِنْكِسارِ

I marveled at his fortune when with but a glance

From lowered lids and bent posture he gained victory.

يَميلُ بِقامَةٍ هَيفاءَ تيهاً

فَيَطْعَنُني بِقَلبي المُستَطارِ

He sways with a slender, bending figure,

So my susceptible heart is pierced by him.

مَليحٌ باتَ يأنَفُ وَصْلَ حِبٍّ

وظَبيٌ باتَ يألَفُ للنِّفارِ

A beauty who disdained the love of a lover,

And a gazelle who was accustomed to fleeing.

أغَضُّ غَضيضُ ألْحاظٍ وطَرْفٍ

كَساني جفْنُهُ ثَوْبَ اِصْفِرارِ

My eyes were hurt by his coquettish glances and eyes

Which clothed my eyelids in yellow robes.

فَوَجنَتُهُ قرارُ الوَرْدِ أضْحَتْ

فَبي أَفْدي لِذيّاكَ القَرارِ

His cheeks became the abode of roses,

So I ransomed myself for the sake of those cheeks.

وَشامَتُهُ تَفوحُ نِجارَ عِطْرٍ

بِها نَرْوي العَبيرَ عَنِ البُخاري

His mouth exhales the perfume of blossoms

With which I scent perfumes instead of aloes wood.

حَوى خَصراً يَرِقُّ بِلا اِعتِلالٍ

بِمَنطقَةٍ غَدَتْ مِثلَ السِّوارِ

He had a waist, delicate without weakness,

With a belt that became like bracelets.

وَجِسماً لاحَ في مُخْضَرِّ ثَوْبٍ

بَدا مِنْ تَحتِهِ مِثلُ النُّضارِ

And a body that shone in green raiment

That made what was beneath it seem freshly plucked.

وَثَغْراً إِن تَبَسَّمَ عَن لآلٍ

بَدا مِنهُ النّظامُ مَعَ النِّثارِ

And a mouth - if it smiled revealing teeth

Pearls and corals appeared from it.

نَشَقت خِمارَهُ فغَدَوْتُ سَكراً

بِهِ نَشْوانَ مِنْ نَشقِ الخِمارِ

When he lifted his veil I became intoxicated

With the raising of the veil and its rending.

بِروحي لَيلةً قَد زارَ فيها

فَأَحْيا مَيْتَ قَلبي بِالمزارِ

One night he visited and revived

My dead heart by his visit to my tomb.

وَسامَرَني بِعَذبٍ مِن كَلامٍ

فَطالَ قَصيرُ عُمري بِالسّمارِ

He conversed with me sweetly with words

So my short life was prolonged rapturously.

وَبِتْنا وَالعِناقُ يضُمُّنا في

ظَلامِ اللّيلِ مِنْ غَيرِ اِسْتِتارِ

We spent the night in each other's arms

In the darkness of night without concealment.

وَباتَ مَوَسّداً يُمْنايَ ضَمّاً

وَلَمْ أَبخُلْ عَلَيهِ بِاليَسارِ

He lay the whole night coddling me,

While I was not miserly with my left hand.

إِلى أَن فاحَ فَجرُ الشّرقِ عِطراً

يَفوقُ عَبيرُهُ نَشْرَ العَرارِ

Until the dawn breathed its perfume in the east,

Its scent exceeding the diffusion of perfumes.

وَلاحَ كَأَنَّهُ وَاللّيلُ داجٍ

مَنازِلُ سَيّدٍ عالي المَنارِ

It appeared as if he and the night were homes

Of a noble man, lofty of minaret.

إِمامٌ قَد عَلا عِزّاً وفَخراً

وَحازَ بِمَجدِهِ كلَّ اِفْتِخارِ

An imam who attained glory and pride

And gained complete honor with his glory.

مَلاذٌ في الوَرى وَالدّهرِ حِصْنٌ

وَمِحْسانٌ مُقيلٌ لِلعِثارِ

In the world and time a refuge, a fortress,

A kind patron to the fallen.

وَشَمسٌ في سَماءِ العزِّ بادٍ

وَبَدْرٌ في سَماءِ الفَضْلِ جارِ

A sun in the sky of might, a moon

Shining in the sky of virtue.

لَهُ الرَّحمنُ مِنْ مَولىً شَريفٍ

تَوشّحَ جسمهُ ثَوب الوَقارِ

For him, from a noble lord, the All-Merciful

Adorned his body with the garb of dignity.

بِهِ العَلياءُ قد رُفِعَتْ فَجَرّتْ

بُعَيْدَ الخَفْضِ أَذيالَ الفَخارِ

Through him the lofty were raised high, flowing

Far from the skirts of disgrace.

إِذا ما أَطْنَبَ المُدّاحُ فيهِ

فَقَدْ جاؤوا بِغايَةِ الاِختِصارِ

When the eulogist is long in praise of him

They have achieved the utmost concision.

فَيا أَمنَ الحشا مِنْ كُلِّ خَوفٍ

وَفَكّاكَ الأَسيرِ مِنَ الإسارِ

So O you who brings security to those in fear

And frees the captive from fetters

وَيا مَنْ في بُحورِ أكُفِّهِ قَدْ

غَدَوْنا والمُنى مثْل الجَواري

O you in whose oceans of palms

We have become as if grasped by the new moon.

فَهاكَ رَعاكَ ربّي بِنتَ فِكْرٍ

بِها في مَدْحِكم طالَ اِفْتكاري

Prolonged in my eulogizing of you.

If the stars knew the fashioning of my verse

فَلَو عَلِمَ النّجومُ مُصاغَ نَظمي

بِتَمْداحي لِذاتِكَ مع نِثاري

In my praising of you and my strewing of verse,

They would immediately fall upon us

لحالاً والمُنى سَقَطَتْ عَلينا

لتنظمَ في مديحكُم الدّراري

To string themselves into a necklace in your praise.

So accept graciously the product of my mind

فَقابِلْ بِالقَبولِ لِبنتِ فِكري

وَلا تَسمَعْ لمَنْ فيها يُماري

And do not listen to those who find fault therein.

Show favor upon it beyond what is deserved

وَأَقْبِلْ بِالرِّضى فَضْلاً عَلَيها

وَأَلْبِسْ عَيْبَها ثَوْبَ اِسْتِتارِ

And dress its faults in the garb of concealment.

Keep your high rank and unmatched glory,

وَدُمْ وَاِسلَمْ بِعزٍّ لا يُضاهى

وفخْرٍ ما بَدَتْ شمسُ النّهارِ

Not reached by the sun of day

Nor stirred by the branches of acacia trees

وَما هَزَّتْ غُصونُ البانِ ريحٌ

فَأَغْنَتْ عَن تَغارِيدِ الهَزارِ

To dispense with the warbling of singers.