لِعَينَيكِ ما يَلقى الفُؤادُ وَما لَقي

وَلِلحُبِّ مالَم يَبقَ مِنّي وَما بَقي

For your eyes what the heart has found and what it did find

To your eyes belongs my heart's past and present pain, / And to love, whatever remains of me, if remains remain.

And for love what of me remained and what remained

I was never one to let passion breach my heart's gate, / Yet he who beholds your lashes must yield to fate.

وَما كُنتُ مِمَّن يَدخُلُ العِشقُ قَلبَهُ

وَلَكِنَّ مَن يُبصِر جُفونَكِ يَعشَقِ

I was not one whose heart love would enter

Between favor and wrath, between distance and nearness, / Lies a realm for the tear to flow in its clearness.

But whoever sees your eyelids falls in love

The sweetest love is that where union remains in doubt, / In estrangement, caught between hope and fear throughout.

وَبَينَ الرِضا وَالسُخطِ وَالقُربِ وَالنَوى

مَجالٌ لِدَمعِ المُقلَةِ المُتَرَقرِقِ

Between acceptance and anger, nearness and intent

Angry with feigned pride, intoxicated with youth's wine, / I pleaded for grace, offering this fresh youth of mine.

There is room for a tear from a fluttering, trembling eye

A cool, honeyed mouth, gleaming bright and fair— / I shielded my lips, so he kissed the part in my hair.

وَأَحلى الهَوى ما شَكَّ في الوَصلِ رَبُّهُ

وَفي الهَجرِ فَهوَ الدَهرَ يُرجو وَيُتَّقي

And the sweetest love is that which its Lord doubts its union

Gazelles with necks like yours came visiting me, / Yet between the adorned and the natural, no difference could I see.

And in separation, it hopes for and fears lifetimes

Not every lover keeps virtue when hidden from sight, / As I keep my honor, pleasing the beloved in the thick of the fight.

وَغَضبى مِنَ الإِدلالِ سَكرى مِنَ الصِبا

شَفَعتُ إِلَيها مِن شَبابي بِرَيِّقِ

My anger from pampering, my intoxication from youth

May God water the days of youth with joyous rain, / And work upon them as old wine works on the brain.

I interceded to it with the saliva of my prime

If you wear out your days seeking pleasure alone, / You shall be tattered, while Time’s garment stays sown.

وَأَشنَبَ مَعسولِ الثَنِيّاتِ واضِحٍ

سَتَرتُ فَمي عَنهُ فَقَبَّلَ مَفرِقي

And it leaned toward the kissed lips of the curvy one

I saw nothing like those glances on the day they did depart, / Dealing death from pity, piercing every heart.

I covered my mouth from it, and it kissed my temple

They turned bewildered eyes, trembling and free, / As if their dark pupils floated upon mercury.

وَأَجيادِ غِزلانٍ كَجيدِكِ زُرنَني

فَلَم أَتَبَيَّن عاطِلاً مِن مُطَوَّقِ

And the beautiful gazelles’ necks are like your neck, so

That eve, when weeping veiled our sight from the view, / And fear of parting stole the joy of saying adieu.

I did not refrain fruitlessly from the adorned one

We bade them farewell, and Parting struck its blow, / Like the spear of Ibn Abi al-Hayja in the heart of the foe.

وَما كُلُّ مَن يَهوى يَعِفُّ إِذا خَلا

عَفافي وَيُرضي الحِبَّ وَالخَيلُ تَلتَقي

Not everyone who loves restrains when alone

Lethal and sharp—David’s armor, strong and wide, / Is but a spider’s web when his blades collide.

My chastity satisfies love and horses meet

They guide the hosts of kings, striking with such art, / As if choosing the brave soul to cull and set apart.

سَقى اللَهُ أَيّامَ الصِبا ما يَسُرُّها

وَيَفعَلُ فِعلَ البابِلِيِّ المُعَتَّقِ

May God water the days of youth with what gladdens it

They cleave through every mail and armor plate, / Tearing down every fortress, breaching every gate.

And do unto it the work of the unleashed Babylonians

With them he raids from Luqan to Wasit’s sands, / And plants his banners where the Euphrates meets Syrian lands.

إِذا ما لَبِستَ الدَهرَ مُستَمتِعاً بِهِ

تَخَرَّقتَ وَالمَلبوسُ لَم يَتَخَرَّقِ

When you wear the days enjoying them

He brings them back crimson; even the steel that stayed whole / Seems to weep blood in pity for the broken soul.

You tear but the worn remains untorn

Do not repeat my words to him, lest he ignite, / For he is a warrior who burns for the fight.

وَلَم أَرَ كَالأَلحاظِ يَومَ رَحيلِهِم

بَعَثنَ بِكُلِّ القَتلِ مِن كُلِّ مُشفِقِ

And I did not see eyes like on the day of their departure

His fingertips are masters of the sword-edge stroke, / Just as he masters the subtle words he spoke.

It sent with every killing, from every sympathetic one

Asking him for a drop is like begging the storm for rain, / Blaming his zeal is like asking the turning stars to refrain.

أَدَرنَ عُيوناً حائِراتٍ كَأَنَّها

مُرَكَّبَةٌ أَحداقُها فَوقَ زِئبَقٍ

They turned about confused eyes as if

Your generosity has graced every creed and nation, / Until praise reached you from every tongue and station.

Their eyelids were mounted atop mercury

The Roman King saw how you revel in granting grace, / So he stood before you in a beggar’s humble place.

عَشِيَّةَ يَعدونا عَنِ النَظَرِ البُكا

وَعَن لَذَّةِ التَوديعِ خَوفُ التَفَرُّقِ

One evening they forbid us from looking and

He abandoned his spears, humbled and outdone, / To a master of the strike, the skillful one.

From the pleasure of bidding farewell, fearing separation

He wrote from a land that seems distant to the eye, / Yet near to your racing steeds that around you fly.

نُوَدِّعُهُم وَالبَينُ فينا كَأَنَّهُ

قَنا اِبنِ أَبي الهَيجاءِ في قَلبِ فَيلَقِ

We bid them farewell and the distance between us was as if

His messenger trod the path where your armies tread, / Stepping only upon the skulls of the dead.

The spear of Ibn Abi Hayja was in the heart of an elephant

As he drew near, the ground was hidden from his sight, / Veiled by the glitter of armor and swords shining bright.

قَواضٍ مَواضٍ نَسجُ داوُودَ عِندَها

إِذا وَقَعَت فيهِ كَنَسجِ الخَدَرنَقِ

Fine, splendid steeds, David’s string instruments to her

He walked upon the carpet, unsure in his daze, / If he approached the vast Sea or the full Moon’s gaze.

When she falls onto them like the sound of the kandara

Yet foes could not spare their lives from your hand, / With flowery words or submission’s demand.

هَوادٍ لِأَملاكِ الجُيوشِ كَأَنَّها

تَخَيَّرُ أَرواحَ الكُماةِ وَتَنتَقي

Encampments for the kings’ armies as if they

And before this truce, when you sent him a line, / You inscribed it on the neck of the Domesticus with a sign.

Pick the souls of warriors and choose

If you grant him safety, it is what he implored; / If you grant him death, he deserves the sword.

تَقُدُّ عَلَيهِم كُلَّ دِرعٍ وَجَوشَنٍ

وَتَفري إِلَيهِم كُلَّ سورٍ وَخَندَقِ

They lead against them every coat of mail and armor

But have the sharp blades left any alive to be found, / To be ransomed by kin or by mercy unbound?

And charge unto them every wall and trench

They flocked to your blades like birds to a spring, / Passing in waves to the death they bring.

يُغيرُ بِها بَينَ اللُقانِ وَواسِطٍ

وَيُركِزُها بَينَ الفُراتِ وَجِلِّقِ

He attacks between Al-Luqan and Wasit with them

Through Sayf al-Dawla, the Light, I have gained a station, / Illuminating the East and West of creation.

And stations them between the Euphrates and Jalliq

If he wishes to mock a fool’s vain stride, / He shows him my dust and says, 'Catch up if you dare ride!'

وَيُرجِعُها حُمراً كَأَنَّ صَحيحَها

يُبَكّي دَماً مِن رَحمَةِ المُتَدَقِّقِ

And returns them red as if their origin

I sought not to cause the envious distress, / But he who challenges the ocean sinks in its excess.

Makes blood weep from the mercy of the sympathetic one

The Prince tests men with his judgment keen, / Ignoring the frauds, though his knowledge is unseen.

فَلا تُبلِغاهُ ما أَقولُ فَإِنَّهُ

شُجاعٌ مَتى يُذكَر لَهُ الطَعنُ يَشتَقِ

So do not relay to him what I say, for he is

It avails not to lower the eyes in modest part, / If humility dwells not within the gazing heart.

Valiant - when the spears are mentioned to him, he yearns

O hunted one, stay by his side and be secure, / O destitute one, seek him and find your cure.

ضَروبٌ بِأَطرافِ السُيوفِ بَنانُهُ

لَعوبٌ بِأَطرافِ الكَلامِ المُشَقَّقِ

A striker with the edges of swords - his build

O coward, walk with him and your courage will grow, / O bravest knight, leave him and fear you shall know.

A player with the edges of intricate words

If foes strive to plot against his glorious name, / His fortune strikes back with a furious aim.

كَسائِلِهِ مَن يَسأَلُ الغَيثَ قَطرَةً

كَعاذِلِهِ مَن قالَ لِلفَلَكِ اِرفُقِ

Like one who asks the rain for a droplet

For visible virtue alone cannot conquer the foe, / Unless Fortune’s favor makes the victory flow.

Like one who tells the sky, “Be gentle!”

لَقَد جُدتَ حَتّى جُدتَ في كُلِّ مِلَّةٍ

وَحَتّى أَتاكَ الحَمدُ مِن كُلِّ مَنطِقِ

Indeed you have tried until you have tired in every faith

And until praise came to you from every speaker

رَأى مَلِكُ الرومِ اِرتِياحَكَ لِلنَدى

فَقامَ مَقامَ المُجتَدي المُتَمَلِّقِ

The King of Rome saw your pleasure with dew

So he took the place of the straining sycophant

وَخَلّى الرِماحَ السَمهَرِيَّةَ صاغِراً

لِأَدرَبَ مِنهُ بِالطِعانِ وَأَحذَقِ

And surrendered the Byzantine spears humbled

To the most well-aimed, spear-throwing one

وَكاتَبَ مِن أَرضٍ بَعيدٍ مَرامُها

قَريبٍ عَلى خَيلٍ حَوالَيكَ سُبَّقِ

And wrote from a distant land, its goal

Nearby, about horses racing around you

وَقَد سارَ في مَسراكَ مِنها رَسولُهُ

فَما سارَ إِلّا فَوقَ هامٍ مُفَلَّقِ

And his messenger travelled the route to you from it

But only travelled above a crumbling cliff

فَلَمّا دَنا أَخفى عَلَيهِ مَكانَهُ

شُعاعُ الحَديدِ البارِقِ المُتَأَلِّقِ

So when he drew near, the shine of glistening iron

Concealed its location from him

وَأَقبَلَ يَمشي في البِساطِ فَما دَرى

إِلى البَحرِ يَمشي أَم إِلى البَدرِ يَرتَقي

And he walked on the carpets but did not realize

If he walked to the sea or ascended to the moon

وَلَم يَثنِكَ الأَعداءُ عَن مُهَجاتِهِم

بِمِثلِ خُضوعٍ في كَلامٍ مُنَمَّقِ

Nor did enemies curb their madness

With the same submission in intricate words

وَكُنتَ إِذا كاتَبتَهُ قَبلَ هَذِهِ

كَتَبتَ إِلَيهِ في قَذالِ الدُمُستُقِ

And whenever you wrote to him before this

You wrote to him on flea-infested hides

فَإِن تُعطِهِ مِنكَ الأَمانَ فَسائِلٌ

وَإِن تُعطِهِ حَدَّ الحُسامِ فَأَخلِقِ

So if you give him safety from you, he asks

And if you give him the limit of swords, he is created anew

وَهَل تَرَكَ البيضُ الصَوارِمُ مِنهُمُ

أَسيراً لِفادٍ أَو رَقيقاً لِمُعتِقِ

Did the whites leave them

A captive for ransom or slave for manumission?

لَقَد وَرَدوا وِردَ القَطا شَفَراتِها

وَمَرّوا عَلَيها زَردَقاً بَعدَ زَردَقِ

Indeed they came in waves - their swords

And they passed by them like ships after ships

بَلَغتُ بِسَيفِ الدَولَةِ النورِ رُتبَةً

أَثَرتُ بِها مابَينَ غَربٍ وَمَشرِقِ

I reached by the State’s Sword such elevated ranks

I impacted what was between West and East by it

إِذا شاءَ أَن يَلهو بِلِحيَةِ أَحمَقٍ

أَراهُ غُباري ثُمَّ قالَ لَهُ اِلحَقِ

When he wishes to joke with some fool’s beard

I show him my dust then tell him, “Catch up!”

وَما كَمَدُ الحُسّادِ شَيئاً قَصَدتُهُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ مَن يَزحَمِ البَحرَ يَغرَقِ

The jealous have not obstructed anything I intended

But one who barges the sea drowns

وَيَمتَحِنُ الناسَ الأَميرُ بِرَأيِهِ

وَيُغضي عَلى عِلمٍ بِكُلِّ مُمَخرِقِ

And the Commander tests people by his opinion

And is lenient with knowledge of every mended one

وَإِطراقُ طَرفِ العَينِ لَيسَ بِنافِعٍ

إِذا كانَ طَرفُ القَلبِ لَيسَ بِمُطرِقِ

And lowering the eye’s gaze brings no benefit

If the heart’s gaze is not lowered

فَيا أَيُّها المَطلوبُ جاوِرهُ تَمتَنِع

وَيا أَيُّها المَحرومُ يَمِّمهُ تُرزَقِ

So oh you, the sought - live next to Him, you refusal!

And oh you, the deprived - direct yourself to Him, you are given provision!

وَيا أَجبَنَ الفُرسانِ صاحِبهُ تَجتَرِئ

وَيا أَشجَعَ الشُجعانِ فارِقهُ تَفرَقِ

Oh most cowardly horseman - accompany Him, you audacity!

Oh bravest of the brave - part from Him, you split!

إِذا سَعَتِ الأَعداءُ في كَيدِ مَجدِهِ

سَعى جَدُّهُ في كَيدِهِم سَعيَ مُحنَقِ

When the enemies seek to plot against his glory

His grandfather plots against them - an obliterating plot

وَما يَنصُرُ الفَضلُ المُبينُ عَلى العِدا

إِذا لَم يَكُن فَضلَ السَعيدِ المُوَفَّقِ

And manifest grace does not give victory over the enemy

If it is not the grace of the successful, guided one