بُلبلُ الدّوحِ عَلَيهِ صَدَحا
وَلِمَتنِ الغمِّ منّا شَرَحا
The nightingale warbled upon the branches
To relieve us of the anguish of worries
وَغُصونُ البانِ مالَت بُكرَةً
مِن ذِراعِ الرّيحِ لَمّا سَرَحا
The boughs of the wild plum leaned at dawn
When the arms of the breeze waved them about
وَنَسيمُ الزّهرِ أَبدَى عَرفهُ
كَذَكِيِّ الطّيبِ لَمّا نَفَحا
The zephyr of flowers diffused its fragrance
Like the perfume of musk when it blows
وَاِستِتارَ الغيدِ في بُرقُعِها
لِأُهيل العِشقِ حقّاً فَضَحا
The rainclouds drew their veils over themselves
Truly exposing the ardours of love
وَغَزالٍ هُدبُه مُنتَصِبٌ
شَرَكاً يَصطادُ مَنْ قَد سَنَحا
A gazelle, whose buttocks were taut
Lay in wait to hunt any easy prey
جَرَّ عَقلي الميمَ مِن مَبسَمِهِ
وَبِنونِ الصّدغِ قَلبي فَتَحا
The wine loosened the knot from his smile
And the moles on his cheek unlocked my heart
ثَمِلٌ أَسكَرَني مُقلتهُ
فَكَأنّي نِلتُ مِنها قَدَحا
Intoxicated by his alluring glance
As if I had taken a drink from his cup
ما أَدارَ الكَأسَ إِلّا خِلتُها
شَمسَ أُفقٍ نورُها قَد وَضُحا
No one but his smoothness turned the cup
The sun of the horizon whose light had shone
عَرفُها إِن شَمَّهُ الصّاحي اِنتَشى
وَبِها النّشوانُ إِذْ ذاقَ صَحا
If a wakeful man smells it he freshens up
And the insipid, when they taste it, recover
ما تَعاطاها كَئيبٌ عَقلُهُ
فاسِدٌ إِلّا وَمِنها اِصطَلَحا
No gloomy man touched it, his mind unsound
Except from it he straightened up and healed
قَد حَلا لي الراحُ مِن راحَتِهِ
إِذ سَقى مُغتَبِقاً مُصطَبِحا
The relief came to me from his relief
When he gave drink to one clinging and daybreak to one gloomy
بِتُّ أَهوى في هَواهُ الرُّقَبا
وَأُعادي في غَرامي النُّصَحا
I spend the night craving his love
And challenging my own passion to be chaste
إِن بَدا في الحلَّةِ الخَضرا فَفي
حُمرَةِ الوردِ المُحيَّا اِتّشَحا
If green appears in his garb
Then the red of roses adorns it
غُصنُ بانٍ بانَ يثني عِطفَهُ
وَتَثَنَّى وَهوَ يَمشي مَرَحا
A wild plum branch bends its stem
And sways as it walks in delight
غُنجُ هاروتَ جَفنَيهِ لكَنزِ
وُرودِ الخَدِّ مِنهُ فَتَحا
The eyelids of a fawn envelope treasures
Of cheek roses when they part
ريحُ فيهِ كانَ بَخوراً لَهُ
مُذْ تَلا السّحرَ عَلَيهِ اِنفَتَحا
The breeze in it was as incense to it
Since the sorceress cast a spell and opened on him
وَاِرتَضى الخالَ عَلَيهِ حارِساً
إِذ لِذا الأَمرِ رَآهُ صَلُحا
The moles approved themselves as guards over it
When they saw this matter agreeable to it
وَعَلَيهِ مَدَّ سُوراً حَسَناً
مِن عِذارٍ عِطرُهُ قَد نَفَحا
Over it they put up a screen of sweet idols
Whose scent blew from their perfume
وَسِنٌ كَحّلَ جَفنَيهِ الكَرى
وَبِسَيفِ السُّهدِ طَرفي اِنجَرَحا
Teeth like kohl lined its sleepy eyes
And with the swords of charm its glances bled
مُذْ رَأى دَمعي دِماءً قَد دَرى
أَنَّ جَفني لِلكَرى قَد رَبحا
Since it saw my tears as blood that flowed
It realised my eyes for it had gained
وَعَذولٍ غَشَّني في عَذْلِهِ
وَاِدَّعى في لَوْمِهِ أَن نَصَحا
A flirtatious charmer fooled me with his flirtation
And falsely claimed in blaming that he gave good advice
لَستُ أَشكو فِعلَهُ إِلّا لِمنْ
نَحوَهُ جَرَّتْ مَطايا الصّلَحا
I do not complain of his act except to one
To whom the reins of reconciliation pulled
الفَصيحُ الشّهمُ ذو النَّظمِ الَّذي
خَرسَت نُطْقاً لَدَيهِ الفُصَحا
The eloquent, valiant one, whose verse
Rendered the eloquent speechless in his presence
أَحمَدُ البرُّ كَذا البَرُّ الَّذي
عَدَّ كَسبَ المَدحِ أَسنى مِنَحا
Ahmad the righteous, such righteous one who
Counts gaining praise finer than gifts
شَمسُ هَدْيٍ أَشرَقَت أَنوارُهُ
وَلَكم فيها دُجى الجَهلِ مَحا
A guiding sun whose lights have shone
And how much in it the darkness of ignorance it erased
أَسدٌ لَو لاحَ يُبدي سَطوةً
وَرآها اللَّيثُ مِنها جَمَحا
A lion, if it bared its might
And the beasts saw it bare its fangs from it
غارِقٌ في العِلمِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ
في بُحورِ الفَضلِ حَقّاً سَبَحا
Deep in knowledge except that he
In the oceans of merit truly swam
ذو بُروجٍ عالِياتٍ ما بِها
طَرفُ بَدرِ الأفْقِ يَوماً لَمَحا
With high towers in which
The moon of the horizon never glanced
سَمِحٌ في يَدِهِ لَو دَخَلت
هَذِهِ الدّارُ لَفيها سمَحا
Magnanimous, if poverty entered
This abode, in it he would be magnanimous
إِنْ أَنِفنا بَذلَهُ مِن كَثرَةٍ
فَلَنا الرّغبةُ فيهِ اِقتَرَحا
If we disdained his gifts due to plenty
Then we desire him to offer
فيهِ لِلمَجدِ مَجدٌ مِثلَما
يَسعَدُ السّعدُ بِهِ إِن لَمَحا
In it for glory is glory whenever
The fortunate gazed upon it
فلَوِ الفضلُ لَدَيهِ نَصَبت
مُذْ رَأَينا نَحوَهُ الفَخَّ نَحا
If merit were up to him we would erect
Since we saw toward him the snares set up
لَو عَلِمتُ العشرَ مِن أَوصافِهِ
لَم أُحِط في عَشرِهِ مُمتَدِحا
If I knew a tenth of his traits
I could not encompass a tenth of the one I praise
يا كَريماً مِنهُ مثالي تشتَري
بِيَسارٍ راحَتاهُ المِدَحا
O generous one who with ease purchased through
Giving, the praise I gave
يا حَليماً باتَ يُرجى عَفوُهُ
وَصَفوحاً عَنهُ مُسيءٌ صَفَحا
O forbearing one who hopes for his pardon
And the unjust one pardoned his lapse
إِنّني أُهديكَ بِكراً لو بَدَت
في الدّياجي خِلتَها شَمسَ ضُحى
I present to you an untouched pearl
That if it appeared at daylight its smoothness the sun of dawn
لَو تَلَوناها عَلى الأَعمى رَأى
أَو عَلى الأَبكمِ حالاً فصُحا
If we recited it to the blind, he would see
Or to the mute, his speech would at once be eloquent
أَو قَرَأناها عَلى ذي صَممٍ
لَتَبدّى سَمعُهُ مُنفَتِحا
Or if we read it to one deaf
His hearing would appear opened up
زَفَّها فِكري عَروساً تَنجَلي
لِحلاها كُن مُقيماً فَرِحا
My thoughts ushered it in as a bride
For its adornment remain happily residing
وَاِبقَ وَاِسلَم بِالهَنا وَالعِزِّ ما
بُلبلُ الدَّوحِ عَلَيهِ صَدَحا
And live in happiness and honour as long as
The nightingale warbled upon the branches
