قَسَماً بِالعُيونِ خَيرَ يمينِ
ما إِلى غَيرِهِ فَرَشتُ يَميني
I swear by the eyes, the best oath,
My right hand I have never extended to other than him.
ما سِواهُ عَشِقت بَينَ مِلاحِ
مِن مَليحٍ لَقَد رَأَتهُ عُيوني
None but him have I loved among the beautiful,
My eyes have seen him, the most beautiful.
مَن رَأى الشّمسَ وَالنّجومُ لَدَيها
فَاِهتَوى النّجمُ كانَ خِدنَ جُنونِ
Whoever saw the sun and the stars near it
And then loved the star, was certainly mad.
شَأنُ أَهلِ الهَوى السليمينَ طَبعاً
عِشقُ أَسنى الجَمالِ دونَ الدونِ
It is the way of those sane in love by nature
To love the most beautiful, not the inferior.
إِنّ أَسنى الجَمالِ وَالحُسنِ شَيءٌ
مُستَطابٌ بِالطّبعِ في كلِّ دينِ
The most beautiful and best thing
Is by nature pleasing to all religions.
يا عَذولي عَلى الهَوى لا تَلُمني
إِنَّ لَومي عَلى الهَوى يُؤذيني
O critic of my love, do not blame me,
For blaming my love hurts me.
أَيُّ قَلبٍ مِنَ الهَوى وَغَرامٍ
بِجَمالٍ لَقَد خَلا أَيُّ حينِ
What heart has ever been devoid of love and passion
For a beauty, at any time?
لا تحسِّنْ ليَ السُّلوَّ بِلَوم
إِنّما القبحُ ضِمنَ ذا التّحسينِ
Do not try to dissuade me from this,
For that is the real ugliness in this attempt at betterment.
كَيفَ لَومي عَلى غَرامي بِبَدرٍ
أَنتَ مِمّن يَهواهُ حَسب اليقينِ
How can I be blamed for loving the full moon?
You are certainly one who loves him, for sure.
أَجمَعُ النّاسُ أَنّهُ الفردُ حُسناً
فَاِهتَوَوْه كَقيسٍ المَجنونِ
All people agree he is uniquely beautiful,
So they loved him, like Qays the madman.
مَلكَ الحُسنَ وَالحِسانَ جَميعاً
أَيُّ حُسنٍ كَحُسنِهِ المَكنونِ
He possessed all beauty and refinement,
What beauty compares to his hidden beauty?
كَيفَ وَالشّمسُ مِن جَواريهِ كانَت
مُذ تَبَدَّتْ مِن عالَمِ التكوينِ
How, when even the sun was one of his slave girls
Since the world was created, at the start of creation?
لَو رَأَته وَحسنُهُ ذو اِنكِشافٍ
لَتَردَّت بِالكسفِ طول السّنينِ
If one with insight saw him and his beauty,
The sun would set, embarrassed, for years.
يَتَثَنّى بِقامَةٍ مِثلَ رُمحٍ
يَطعَنُ الأُسدَ ميلُها بِاللينِ
He sways with a figure like a spear,
Its bending stabs lions with softness.
ذو جُفونٍ تكفّأَ السّحرُ مِنها
أَيُّ سحرٍ مثال سِحرِ الجفونِ
With eyelids the dawn itself hides from,
What magic compares to the magic of his eyelids?
ينحِلُ الجسمَ يَسلبُ القلبَ وَجْداً
يُذهِبُ العَقلَ فَهوَ أَصلُ الجُنونِ
Melting the body, stealing the soul with passion,
Taking away the mind, he is madness itself.
لَيسَ مِنهُ لِمَن أَصابَ شِفاءٌ
أَيّ شَيءٍ مِنَ الرُّقى يَشفيني
There is no recovery for one who is afflicted by him,
What remedy can cure me?
ذو لِحاظٍ يَسطو بِها وَهيَ مَرضى
لَيسَ سَيفٌ كَسَيفِها المَسنونِ
With glances they conquer even when sick,
No sword compares to their sharp sword.
ما اِنتَضاها بِطرفَةٍ نَحوَ لَيثٍ
وَنَجا مِنها اللّيثُ لَيثُ العَرينِ
Whenever she glanced angrily at a lion,
The lion of the den escaped her.
بِاِحوِرارٍ وَشَكلةٍ وَاِكتِحالٍ
قَد سَقاها لِقَتل أَهلِ الشّؤونِ
With coquetry, eyeshadow and kohl,
She intoxicates them to kill the passionate.
لَيسَ مِنها لِعاشِقٍ ما يَقيهِ
إِذ يَقيني لا شَيءَ مِنها يَقيني
There is nothing that can protect her lover,
Since I know nothing can protect me from her.
يا نَديمي أَدِرْ عَلَيَّ سُلافاً
في الرُّبى وَالرّياضِ بَينَ الغصونِ
O my friend, make the wine flow toward me
Among the meadows and trees, among the branches.
هِيَ ذِكرى الحبيبِ فَهيَ حَياةٌ
فَأَدِمْها لَعَلّها تُحييني
It is the memory of the beloved, so it is life,
So keep it flowing, perhaps it will revive me.
وَتَفَنَّنْ فيما لَهُ أَنتَ تَتلو
فَاِلتِذاذُ الأَرواحِ بِالتّفنينِ
And excel in what you recite,
For the spirit's delight is in excelling in recitation.
وَاِتْلُها مُفصِحاً لَبيباً أَميناً
لا تَخُنْ فَاللّبيبُ غَيرُ خَؤونِ
And recite it eloquently, sensibly, faithfully,
The sensible one does not betray.
مَن يَخُنْ فيها فَهوَ غَير لَبيبٍ
إِنَّ غَيرَ اللّبيبِ غَيرُ أَمينِ
Whoever betrays in this is not sensible,
For the unwise one is not faithful.
مفردُ الوقتِ جَوهَرُ المَجدِ عَنهُ
قَد تَناهى التّقويمُ كالتّثمينِ
The unique one of the time, essence of glory, from him
Calendars and evaluations have reached their limit.
كَعبَةُ الفَضلِ وَهوَ ركني اليَماني
كُلُّ يُمنٍ بِرُكنِيَ المَيمونِ
Like the Kaaba of excellence, he is the pillar of my faith,
Every blessing stems from my auspicious pillar.
عالِمُ العَصرِ بارِعٌ أوحَديٌّ
جَهبَذٌ جامِعٌ جَميع الفنونِ
Scholar of the time, unmatched, unique,
A master, encompassing all the arts.
عازِبٌ كامِلٌ تَقِيٌّ نَقِيٌّ
نالَ بِالعرفِ غايَةَ التَّمكينِ
Unmarried, perfect, devout, pure,
Has attained, with knowledge, the utmost success.
وَحَوى في جِهادِهِ النّفسَ نَصراً
فَحَباهُ المَولى بِفَتحٍ مُبينِ
And in his fight against the self, won victory,
So the Master granted him a clear opening.
فَاِروِ عَنهُ حَديثَ كُلِّ كَمالٍ
مِن طَريقِ التّصحيحِ وَالتّحسينِ
So describe for him every perfection,
In the way of correction and betterment.
عَن نَظيرٍ خَلا وَلَيسَ عَجيباً
أَفَلا الشّمسُ قَد خَلَت عَن خدينِ
He is peerless and this is no wonder,
Does not even the sun lack a rival?
سَيّدٌ حازَ سؤدَداً بِمَعالٍ
حَلَّها السّعدُ وَهوَ خَيرُ قَرينِ
A lord who has achieved happiness with achievements,
Prosperity has befriended him, and it is the best company.
ماجِدٌ مجدُه عديمُ مثالٍ
قلتُ حَتّى بِالوهمِ وَالتّخمينِ
Glorious, whose glory has no equal,
I have said, even by imagining and guessing.
مُعرِبٌ بارِعٌ فَصيحٌ بَليغٌ
بِبَديعٍ مِنَ الكلامِ رَصينِ
Fine Arabizer, eloquent, articulate,
With solid, elegant speech.
شاعِرٌ مُفلِقٌ وَما إِن يجارَى
أَيُجاري الرّياحَ سَيرُ السّفينِ
A cleaving poet, and if he is competed with,
Can the sailing ship race the winds?
مَن رَأى أَنّه يُجاريهِ يَوماً
لَم يَزَل عَقلُهُ كَعَقلِ الجنينِ
Whoever sees himself competing with him one day,
His mind remains like that of an infant.
إِن يَرُمْ ما من القَوافي غَريباً
يَلْفَهُ في يَراعهِ وَالنونِ
If he wants to produce a strange rhyme,
He composes it effortlessly.
في القَوافي كَما يَشاءُ وَيَرضى
أَمرُهُ نافِذٌ بِغَيرِ معينِ
In rhymes as he wishes and accepts,
His command prevails without support.
وَالقَوافي لِأَمرِهِ إِنْ أَطاعَت
أَعَجيبٌ قبولُ أَمرِ الأَمينِ
And if rhymes obey his command,
How strange, the acceptance of the trusted one's command!
وَوَجيهٌ رَفيعُ قَدرٍ وَشَأنٍ
وَجَليلٌ ما بَينَ أَهلِ الشّؤونِ
And he is noble, of high worth and status,
Sublime, among the people of distinction.
مُكرَمٌ مِن إِلههِ لا مُهانٌ
مُكرَم اللَّهِ ما لَهُ مِن مُهينِ
Honored by his God, not disgraced,
God's honoree, none can dishonor him.
وَكَريمٌ وَسيمُ وَجهٍ تَراهُ
حالَةَ البذلِ مُستنيرَ الجَبينِ
And generous, handsome, with a radiant face,
Always in the state of giving, bright of forehead.
هُوَ بَحرُ السّخاءِ كَيفَ وَأَضحى
يَمنَحُ الدُّرَّ وَهوَ غَيرُ ضَنينِ
He is the sea of generosity, how, when he has become
One who grants pearls while not stingy himself?
لَيسَ مَعنٌ وَحاتمٌ بِمشبِهَيهِ
بِحَقيقٍ في الأَمرِ أَو مَظنونِ
He is unlike Ma'n and Hatim in reality,
Or imagined, in this matter.
إِنّهُ شاعِرٌ يَجودُ وَيُعطي
من لآلٍ بِكَنزِهِ المَخزونِ
He is a poet who gives and bestows
From a mine of his hidden treasure.
أَجوَدُ النّاسِ في الدّنى شاعِرٌ وَهُم
حَيثُ جادوا بِالجَوهَرِ المَكنونِ
The most generous of people is a poet, and they
Wherever they gave, with the hidden gem.
مَنَحوا المَمدوحينَ فيهِ نَظيماً
نَظمَ عِقدٍ مِن خَيرِ دُرٍّ ثمينِ
They granted the praised, through it, an arrangement
Arranged like a necklace of valuable pearls.
فَحَبوهم نَظيرَ ذَلِكَ جوداً
بارَكَ اللَّهُ أَو بِشَيءٍ مهينِ
So He blessed them likewise with generosity,
God bless, or with something disgraceful.
لَيتَ شِعري أَيُّ الفَريقَينِ أَسخى
فأَجِبني مُصاحِبَ التّبيينِ
I wish I knew which of the two is more generous,
So answer me, advocate of explanation.
أَيّها الشّهمُ هاكَ بِكراً رَداحاً
بِنتَ فِكرٍ بِحُلّةِ التزيينِ
O noble one, here is a virgin she-camel, swift,
The daughter of my thoughts, in robes of decoration.
صُنتُها عَن سِواكَ في خِدرِ فِكري
وَبَناتُ الأَفكارِ أَسنى مصونِ
I have protected her from all but you in the bridal chamber of my thoughts,
The daughters of thoughts are the best protected.
فَاِقْبَلَنْها وَكُنْ بِها خيرَ راضٍ
وَتَناوَل كِتابَها بِاليمينِ
So accept her, and be with her the best pleased,
And take up her book with your right hand.
وَدُمِ الدَّهرَ وِاِسلَمَنّ بِعزٍّ
ذا سُرورٍ يَدومُ غَيرَ حزينِ
And live forever in power, in delight
That lasts, not sorrowful.
ما تَغَنَّتْ لَدى المَسيرِ نَسيمٌ
فَأَمالَت لِلرّقصِ قَدَّ الغصونِ
The gentle breeze has never sung
To make the branches dance.
ما عُبيد اللّطيفِ أَقسم حبّاً
قَسَماً بِالعُيونِ خَير يَمينِ
Only the beloved servants of the Subtle One swore love,
I swear by the eyes, the best oath.
