صِلَةُ الهَجرِ لي وَهَجرُ الوِصالِ

نَكَساني في السُقمِ نُكسَ الهِلالِ

The bond of abandonment holds me, while the bond of union breaks,

Bending me in sickness as the waning crescent curves.

فَغَدا الجِسمُ ناقِصاً وَالَّذي يَنـ

ـقُصُ مِنهُ يَزيدُ في بَلبالي

So my body wastes away, and that which

Diminishes from it only adds to my torment.

قِف عَلى الدِمنَتَينِ بِالدَوِّ مِن رَيـ

ـيا كَخالٍ في وَجنَةٍ جَنبَ خالِ

Halt by the two ruins in Rayya's wasteland,

Like a beauty mark upon a cheek beside another mark,

بِطُلولٍ كَأَنَّهُنَّ نُجومٌ

في عِراصٍ كَأَنَّهُنَّ لَيالي

Amidst traces that shimmer like stars

Scattered in courtyards dark as the nights,

وَنُؤِيٍّ كَأَنَّهُنَّ عَلَيهِنـ

ـنَ خِدامٌ خُرسٌ بِسوقٍ خِدالِ

And trench-lines appearing as if they were

Mute anklets adorning plump and shapely calves.

لا تَلُمني فَإِنَّني أَعشَقُ العُشـ

ـشاقَ فيها يا أَعذَلَ العُذّالِ

Do not blame me, for I am enamored with lovers

For her sake, O most persistent of scolds.

ما تُريدُ النَوى مِنَ الحَيَّةِ الذَو

واقِ حَرَّ الفَلا وَبَردَ الظِلالِ

What does Distance seek from the serpent that tastes

The scorching desert heat and the chill of the shade?

فَهوَ أَمضى في الرَوعِ مِن مَلَكِ المَو

تِ وَأَسرى في ظُلمَةٍ مِن خَيالِ

He is sharper in battle than the Angel of Death,

And travels more stealthily in darkness than a phantom.

وَلِحِتفٍ في العِزِّ يَدنو مُحِبٌّ

وَلِعُمرٍ يَطولُ في الذُلِّ قالي

To a death in honor, the lover draws near,

While loathing a life prolonged in disgrace.

نَحنُ رَكبٌ مِلجِنِّ في زَيِّ ناسٍ

فَوقَ طَيرٍ لَها شُخوصِ الجِمالِ

We are a cavalcade of Jinn in the guise of men,

Mounted on birds that bear the shape of camels,

مِن بَناتِ الجَديلِ تَمشي بِنا في الـ

ـبيدِ مَشيَ الأَيّامِ في الآجالِ

Daughters of noble stock, pacing with us through the

Wastelands like the march of days toward our doom.

كُلُّ هَوجاءَ لِلدَياميمِ فيها

أَثَرُ النارِ في سَليطِ الذَبالِ

On every swift mount, the vast deserts leave

A mark like fire consuming the lamp's oil wick,

عامِداتٍ لِلبَدرِ وَالبَحرِ وَالضِر

غامَةِ اِبنِ المُبارَكِ المِفضالِ

Seeking the Full Moon, the Sea, and the Lion,

The fearless Ibn al-Mubarak, the most gracious.

مَن يَزُرهُ يَزُر سُلَيمانَ في المُلـ

ـكِ جَلالاً وَيوسُفاً في الجَمالِ

He who visits him visits Solomon in his majesty,

And Joseph in the splendor of his beauty,

وَرَبيعاً يُضاحِكُ الغَيثُ فيهِ

زَهَرَ الشُكرِ مِن رِياضِ المَعالي

And a spring season where the rain laughs

Bringing forth flowers of thanks from gardens of glory.

نَفَحَتنا مِنهُ الصَبا بِنَسيمٍ

رَدَّ روحاً في مَيِّتِ الآمالِ

The east wind wafted a breeze from him to us,

Restoring the spirit to hopes long dead.

هَمُّ عَبدِ الرَحمانِ نَفعُ المَوالي

وَبَوارُ الأَعداءِ وَالأَموالِ

Abd al-Rahman's sole concern is to aid his kin,

And the ruin of his enemies and his wealth alike.

أَكبَرُ العَيبِ عِندَهُ البُخلُ وَالطَعـ

ـنُ عَلَيهِ التَشبيهُ بِالرِئبالِ

To him, the gravest flaw is miserliness,

And an insult it is to liken him to a lion.

وَالجِراحاتُ عِندَهُ نَغَماتٌ

سَبَقَت قَبلَ سَيبِهِ بِسُؤالِ

For wounds, in his eyes, are but melodies

Preceding his bounty like a plea for grace.

ذا السِراجُ المُنيرُ هَذا النَقِيُّ الـ

ـجَيبِ هَذا بَقِيَّةُ الأَبدالِ

This is the illuminating lamp, the pure

Of heart, the last of the holy saints.

فَخُذا ماءَ رِجلِهِ وَاِنضَحا في الـ

ـمُدنِ تَأمَن بَوائِقَ الزَلزالِ

So take the wash-water of his feet and sprinkle it

Through the cities, to ward off the earthquake's calamity,

وَاِمسَحا ثَوبَهُ البَقيرَ عَلى دا

ئِكُما تُشفَيا مِنَ الإِعلالِ

And rub his torn garment upon your

Malady, that you may be healed of illness.

مالِئاً مِن نَوالِهِ الشَرقَ وَالغَر

بَ وَمِن خَوفِهِ قُلوبَ الرِجالِ

Filling the East and the West with his bounty,

And the hearts of men with the dread of his might.

قابِضاً كَفَّهُ اليَمينَ عَلى الدُنـ

ـيا وَلَو شاءَ حازَها بِالشِمالِ

Clasping his right hand over the entire world,

Though he could seize it with his left were he to choose.

نَفسُهُ جَيشُهُ وَتَدبيرُهُ النَصـ

ـرُ وَأَلحاظُهُ الظُبى وَالعَوالي

His own soul is his army, his strategy is victory,

And his glances are the swords and the spears.

وَلَهُ في جَماجِمِ المالِ ضَربٌ

وَقعُهُ في جَماجِمِ الأَبطالِ

He deals blows to the skulls of hoarded wealth

Just as he strikes the skulls of champions.

فَهُبوا لِاِتِّقائِهِ الدَهرَ في يَو

مِ نِزالٍ وَلَيسَ يَومَ نِزالِ

So beware of him always, on the day

Of battle, and when no battle is waged.

رَجُلٌ طينُهُ مِنَ العَنبَرِ الوَر

دِ وَطينُ العِبادِ مِن صَلصالِ

A man whose clay is kneaded from amber and roses,

While the clay of mankind is but common pottery.

فَبَقِيّاتُ طينِهِ لاقَتِ الما

ءَ فَصارَت عُذوبَةً في الزُلالِ

The remnants of his clay mingled with water

And became the sweetness in the purest springs,

وَبَقايا وَقارِهِ عافَتِ النا

سَ فَصارَت رَكانَةً في الجِبالِ

And the overflow of his dignity disdained mankind

And became the immovable weight of the mountains.

لَستُ مِمَّن يَغُرُّهُ حُبُّكَ السِلـ

ـمَ وَأَن لا تَرى شُهودَ القِتالِ

I am not one deceived by your love of peace

Into thinking you seek not the witnessing of war;

ذاكَ شَيءٌ كَفاكَهُ عَيشُ شاني

كَ ذَليلاً وَقِلَّةُ الأَشكالِ

That is a task sufficed by the lowly life

Of your hater, and the scarcity of your peers.

وَاِغتِفارٌ لَو غَيَّرَ السُخطُ مِنهُ

جُعِلَت هامُهُم نِعالَ النِعالِ

And a forbearance, which, were anger to alter it,

Would turn their skulls into soles for your shoes.

لِجِيادٍ يَدخُلنَ في الحَربِ أَعرا

ءً وَيَخرُجنَ مِن دَمٍ في جَلالِ

For horses that plunge into battle unprotected,

And emerge clothed in a caparison of blood.

وَاِستَعارَ الحَديدُ لَوناً وَأَلقى

لَونَهُ في ذَوائِبِ الأَطفالِ

The iron blade borrowed a hue, and cast

Its pale sheen into the locks of children.

أَنتَ طَوراً أَمَرُّ مِن ناقِعِ السُمـ

ـمِ وَطَوراً أَحلى مِنَ السَلسالِ

At times you are more bitter than potent poison,

And at others, sweeter than the coolest spring.

إِنَّما الناسُ حَيثُ أَنتَ وَما النا

سُ بِناسٍ في مَوضِعٍ مِنكَ خالي

Mankind exists only where you reside,

For they are not men in a land devoid of you.