يا آس عارِضِهِ حَمَلت بَنَفسجا
إِذ فاحَ وَردُ خُدودِهِ وَتَأرَّجا
O breeze passing by, carrying the violet,
When the rose of his cheeks bloomed and exuded fragrance,
وَالشّمسُ في وَقتِ الضّحى مَكسوفَةٌ
إِذ صُبحُ وَجنَتِهِ المُنير تَبلَّجا
And the sun at the time of morning glow was eclipsed,
When the radiant garden of his cheek sparkled at dawn,
بِالرّوحِ طَرْفٌ قَد حَماكَ بِسحرِهِ
وَالسّحرُ يَلعَبُ بِالعُقولِ وَبالحِجى
With charm his glance protected you,
And charm plays with minds and with imaginations,
ما بالُ صبِّكَ لِلصّبابَةِ صابئاً
زَمنَ المَشيبِ وَلَيسَ يَدري مَنهَجا
Why is your pouring as a youth to youthfulness?
The time of old age, and it knows not a path,
قَد هامَ في طُرُقِ المَحبَّةِ ذاهِلاً
يَهوي بِوادٍ ثمَّ يَصعَدُ أَبرُجا
It wandered confused in the ways of love,
Plunging into a valley, then climbing up a tower,
يَحلو لَهُ أَن ضاعَ في تيهِ الهَوى
مَن ضَاعَ في تيهِ الغَرامِ فَقَد نَجا
Sweet to him that he was lost in the maze of passion,
Whoever is lost in the maze of love, has succeeded,
ما إِنْ أَلَمَّ بمخلصٍ في تيههِ
كلّا وَلا قَد رامَ مِنهُ مَخرجا
No sincere lover despaired in his maze,
Nor sought from it an exit,
قَد ذابَ مِن نارِ الجَفاءِ وَما لَهُ
مِن حَرِّها نَحوَ الإِغاثَةِ ملتَجا
He melted from the fire of disdain, and he has not,
Towards relief from its heat, a recourse,
يَستَنشِقُ الأَخبارَ مِن ريحِ الصَّبا
عَن جِلَّقٍ بابِ المَقاصِدِ والرّجا
He inhales news from the scent of the morning breeze,
About the vicinity of purposes and hopes,
قدْ حلَّ فيها قلبُه وحبيبُه
يا لَيتَ فيها جِسمُهُ قد عَرَّجا
His heart has settled in it, and his beloved,
Would that in it his body had settled!
يا لَيتَهُ مِمّن أَقامَ بِأَرضِها
وَسَرى إِلَيها بِالرّؤوسِ وَأَدلَجا
Would that he were of those who stayed in its land,
And journeyed to it heads bowed low,
وَرَأى مقامَ خليلِه مِن كَهفِها
إِذ كانَ إِسماعيلُ فيها المُرتجى
And saw the station of his beloved from its cave,
When Ismael in it was the desired,
الكَامِلُ النَّدْبُ الأَديبُ الأَلمعي
مَن بِالمَعارِفِ وَالكَمالِ تَتوّجا
The perfect, the elegant, the brilliant Al-Lam'i,
Who with knowledge and perfection is crowned,
الباسِمُ الثّغرِ الصّبوح بَشاشَةً
مَن كانَ صبحاً لِلمَحاسِنِ أَبلَجا
The smiling, bright-faced, joyful Basim,
Who was a dawn for beauty, radiant,
الحاذقُ الفَطِنُ اللبيبُ اللوذَعي
ربُّ البلاغَةِ وَالفَصاحَةِ والحِجى
The expert, the perceptive, the intelligent Al-Lawdhi'i,
Master of rhetoric, eloquence and imagination,
رَجلٌ نَضيجُ الرّأي مِن نورِ الذّكا
يَنحو الصّوابَ وَلَو تَمشّى أَعوَجا
A man mature in thought from the light of wisdom,
Inclining to rightness even if he walked crooked,
في حلمِ أَحنفَ قَد تَقمّصَ رافِلاً
في حُسنِ يوسُفَ قَد تَردَّى مَدرجا
In the forbearance of Ahnaf he impersonated a tolerant man,
In the beauty of Joseph he moved down a slope,
ما لِاِبنِ مقلةَ سعدُ حظٍّ نالَهُ
في حسنِ خَطٍّ بالنُّضارِ تَضرَّجا
What good fortune did the son of Maqla attain,
In the beauty of a handwriting that glistened with splendor,
يَبدو عَلى الأوراقِ حتّى خِلتُهُ
مسكَ العِذارَ على الخُدودِ تَأرَّجا
It appears on paper such that even its blankness,
Is musk on cheeks exuding fragrance,
بَل كُلُّ حَرفٍ رأيتَ حروفَهُ
طَرْفٌ لَديكَ تَراه أَحوَرَ أَدعَجا
Rather, every letter you see of his letters,
Is a glance you see it crooked and twisted,
ما نَظم سَحبانَ البليغ تَراهُ عِن
دَ نِظامِه إِيلا الرّكيكَ البهرَجا
The fine poetry of Saheban you see it not,
Of its system except the crude and nonsensical,
أَهدى إِليَّ قَصيدَةً مِن نَظمِهِ
غَرّاءَ فيها قَد أَجادَ وَأَبهَجا
He gifted me a poem from his composition,
A flirtatious one in which he excellently created,
حَسناء مِن درٍّ يَتيمٍ أَصلُها
تَحكي الحسانَ تَزيُّناً وَتَبرُّجا
A beautiful girl of a unique pearl her origin,
She tells of beauty, adorned and bejeweled,
لا زالَ بَحراً درُّه لا يَنقَضي
وَنَظيرُه مِن غَيرِهِ لَن يَخرُجا
Her sea of pearls is endless,
And the like of it from another will not come out,
ما مادَ رَوضٌ بِالنّضارَةِ وَاِزدَهى
وَبِجَوهَرِ الأَزهارِ رأساً تُوِّجا
No meadow has flourished with splendor,
And with the essence of flowers topped.
