جَادَ الرُّبَى مِن بَانَةِ الجَرعَاءِ

نَوآنِ مِن دَمعِي وَغَيمِ سَماءِ

The meadows bloomed from the radiant Banat Jar'a

With tears from me and clouds from the sky

فَالدَّمعُ يَقضِي عِندَهَا حقَّ الهَوَى

وَالغَيمُ حَقّ البَانَةِ الغَنَّاءِ

So my tears fulfill the right of passion there

While the clouds fulfill the right of the singing sands

خَلتِ الصُّدُورُ مِن القُلُوبِ كَمَا خَلَت

تِلكَ المَقَاصِرُ مِن مَهاً وَظِباءِ

Hearts are empty of hearts just as

Those encampments are empty of beasts and gazelles

وَلَقَد أَقُولُ لِصَاحِبَيَّ وَإِنَّمَا

ذُخرُ الصَّدِيقِ لآكدِ الأَشياءِ

And I say to my companion, and he is

A friend's treasure for the worst circumstances

يَا صَاحِبَيَّ وَلا أَقلُّ إذَا أَنَا

نَادَيتُ مِن أَن تُصغِيَا لِندَائِي

O my companion, I will not lessen if I

Call out for you to listen to my call

عُوجَا نُجارِ الغَيثَ فِي سَقي الحِمَى

حَتَّى يَرَى كَيفَ انسِكَابُ المَاءِ

Curve the carpenter of rain in quenching the fever

Until he sees the pouring of water

وَنَسُنَّ فِي سَقيِ المَنَازِلِ سُنَّةً

نُمضِي بِهَا حُكماً عَلَى الظُّرَفَاءِ

And we forget in quenching homes a precedent

By which we rule over the noble

يا مَنزِلاً نَشطَت إِلَيهِ عَبرَتِي

حَتَّى تَبَسَّمَ زَهرُهُ لِبُكائِي

O home to which my devotion turned

Until its flowers smiled at my crying

مَا كُنتُ قَبل مَزارِ رَبعِكَ عَالِماً

أَنَّ المَدَامِعَ أَصدَقُ الأَنوَاءِ

I did not know before visiting your abode

That tears are the truest of winds

يا ليتَ شِعري والزَّمانُ تَنَقُّلٌ

والدَّهر نَاسِخُ شِدَّةٍ بِرَخَاءِ

I wish I knew while time is fickle

And fate exchanges severity with ease

هل نَلتَقِي في رَوضَةٍ مَوشِيَّةٍ

خَفَّاقَةِ الأَغصَانِ وَالأَفيَاءِ

Will we meet in a flowering garden

With fluttering branches and twigs

وَنَنَالُ فِيهَا مِن تَأَلُّفِنَا وَلَو

مَا فيه سُخنَةُ أَعيُنِ الرُّقَبَاءِ

And find in it from our harmony even if

There is no warmth from the watching eyes

فِي حَيثُ أَتلَعتِ الغُصُونُ سَوالِفاً

قَد قُلِّدَت بِلآلِئِ الأَنداءِ

Where the branches conversed adorned

With the pearls of dew

وَبَدَت ثُغُورُ اليَاسَمِينِ فَقَبَّلَت

عَنِّي عِذَارَ الآسَةِ المَيسَاءِ

And the jasmine buds appeared and kissed

The shame of the delicate beauty

وَالوَردُ فِي شَطِّ الخَلِيجِ كَأَنَّهُ

رَمَدٌ أَلَمَّ بِمُقلَةٍ زَرقَاءِ

The flowers on the shore of the gulf are as if

An eye disease has afflicted a blue eyelid

وَكَأَنَّ غضَّ الزهرِ فِي خُضرِ الرُّبَى

زهرُ النجُومِ تَلُوحُ بِالخَضراءِ

And the blossoms' bending in the meadows' green

Is like the stars blossoming in the green

وكأَنَّمَا جَاءَ النَّسِيمُ مُبَشِّراً

لِلرَوضِ يُخبِرُهُ بِطُولِ بَقَاءِ

As if the breeze came giving good news

To the garden, telling it of lasting

فَكَسَاهُ خِلعةَ طِيبَةٍ ورَمَى لَهُ

بِدَرَاهِمِ الأَزهَارِ رَميَ سَخَاءِ

So it clothed it in a fragrant robe and cast unto it

Coins of flowers generously strewn

وكَأَنَّمَا احتَقَر الصَّنِيعَ فَبَادَرَت

بِالعُذرِ عَنهُ نَغمَةُ الوَرقَاءِ

As if it scorned the making, so the rustling

Of leaves apologized for it

وَالغُصنُ يَرقُصُ فِي حُلَى أَورَاقِهِ

كَالخَودِ فِي مَوشِيَّةٍ خَضرَاءِ

And the branch dances in the beauty of its leaves

Like a cheek in green down

وَافتَرَّ ثَغرُ الأُقحُوَانِ بِمَا رَأَى

طَرَباً وَقَهقَهَ مِنهُ جَريُ المَاءِ

The lips of narcissus blossoms smiled at what they saw

Perturbed, and the running water chuckled from it

أَفدِيهِ مِن أُنسٍ تَصَرَّمَ فانقَضَى

فَكَأَنَّهُ قَد كَانَ فِي الإغفَاءِ

I ransom it from a intimacy that became old and shattered

As if it had been in a swoon

لَم يَبقَ مِنهُ غَيرُ ذِكرَى أَو مُنىً

وَكِلاهُمَا سَببٌ لِطُولِ عَنَاءِ

Nothing remains of it but a memory or wish

And both are causes of prolonged distress

أو رُقعَةٌ مِن صَاحِبٍ هِيَ تُحفَةٌ

إِنَّ الرِّقَاعَ لَتُحفَةُ النُّبَهاءِ

Or a note from a friend - a gift indeed

Notes are the gifts of the vigilant

كَبِطَاقَةِ الوَشقِيِّ إِذ حَيَّا بهَا

إِنَّ الكِتَابَ تَحِيَّةُ الخُلَطاءِ

I did not know before breaking its seal

That notes are the cups of comrades

ما كُنتُ أَدرِي قَبلَ فَضِّ خِتَامِهَا

أَنَّ البَطائِقَ أَكؤسُ الصَّهبَاءِ

Until I folded my coats in rapture with it

And dragged my train in haughtiness

حَتَّى ثَنيتُ مَعَاطِفِي طَرَباً بِهَا

وَجَرَرتُ أَذيَالِي مِنَ الخُيَلاءِ

I made that envelope like a cup of wine

And made its sender of pearls

فَجَعلتُ ذاك الطِرسَ كَأسَ مُدامَةٍ

وجَعَلتُ مُهدِيَهُ مِنَ النُدَمَاءِ

And I wondered at a boon companion who gives his companion

A cup over the sea and wilderness

وعَجِبتُ مِن خِلٍّ يُعَاطِي خِلَّهُ

كَأساً وَرَاءَ البَحرِ وَالبيدَاءِ

And I saw the elegance of its writing in its beauty

Like the bracelet adorning the wrist of a beauty

وَرَأَيتُ رَونَقَ خَطِّهَا فِي حُسنِهَا

كَالوَشيِ نَمَّقَ مِعصَمَ الحَسنَاءِ

By its truth - nine signs, it indeed

Came supporting me against my enemies

فَوَحَقِّهَا مِن تِسعِ آيَاتٍ لَقَد

جَاءَت بتَأيِيدي عَلَى أَعدَائِي

So it was as if I were Moses with it, and it

Was the interpretation of Surat Al-Isra

فَكَأَنَّنِي مُوسَى بِها وكَأّنَّها

تَفسيرُ مَا فِي سُورَةِ الإِسرَاءِ

If the mind of the son of Hussein composed its like

His prophethood would be proven to the poets

لو جادَ فِكرُ ابنِ الحُسَينِ بِمِثِلهَا

صَحَّت نُبُوَّتُهُ لدَى الشُّعَرَاءِ

Dark when you first saw it, but beneath it

Is for you many a white hand

سَودَاءٌ إِذ أَبصَرتَهَا لَكِنَّها

كَم تَحتها لكَ مِن يَدٍ بَيضَاءِ

And I have seen when frustrations twisted me

Where the darkness of injustice gloomed

ولَقد رَأيتُ وَقَد تَأَوَّبَنِي الكَرَى

فِي حَيثُ شَابَت لِمّةُ الظَلمَاءِ

That the sky sent me its messenger

With a gift that illuminated my quarters

أنَّ السماءَ أَتَى إِلَيَّ رَسُولُهَا

بِهَدِيَّةٍ ضَاءَت بِهَا أَرجَائِي

With the two mothballs and camphor

In the envelope of white camphor

بِالفَرقَدَينِ وَبِالثُّرَيَّا أُدرِجَا

فِي الطَّيِّ مِن كَافُورَةٍ بَيضَاءِ

That envelope's camphor is enough for me

And the stars of your poetry from the sky

فَكَفَى بِذاَكَ الطِّرسِ مِن كَافُورِهِ

وَبِنَظمِ شِعركَ مِن نُجُومِ سَمَاءِ

I swear by it, its prose and poetry, it

Fulfilled for me my hopes in full

قَسَماً بِهَا وَبِنَظمِهَا وبِنَثرِهَا

لَقَدِ انتَحَت لِي مِلءَ عينِ رَجَائِي

And I knew that you in composing it

In word and script are the miracle of the noble

وَعَلِمتُ أنَّكَ أَنتَ فِي إِبدَاءِهَا

لَفظاً وَخَطّاً مُعجِزُ النًّبَلاءِ

Not what Babylon claimed of its sorcery

Nor what Sheba claimed of its making

لا مَا تَعَاطَت بَابِلٌ مِن سِحرِهَا

لا مَا ادَّعَاءُ الوَشيُ مِن صَنعَاءِ

And I flung it the ball, though it

Is an issue that exhausted the eloquent

ولَقَد رَمَيتُ لَهَا القِيَادَ وإنَّهَا

لَقَضِيَّةٌ أَعيَت عَلَى البُلَغَاءِ

And I sought an answer from my mind but it let me down

And the palm of my intellect stumbled my brilliance

وَطلَبتُ مِن فِكرِي الجَوَابَ فَعَقَّنِي

وَكَبَا بِكَفِّ الذِّهنِ زَندُ ذَكَائِي

So I neglected its meter and rhyme

And neglected in it the precedent of the literary

فَلِذَا تَركتُ عَروضَهَا وَرَوِيَّهَا

وَهَجَرتُ فِيهَا سُنَّةَ الأُدَبَاءِ

And sent it as unmetrical doggerel

To confound an inclusive and despairing mind

وَبعثتها ألفِيَّةً هَمزِيَّةً

خِدعاً لِفِكرٍ جَامِعٍ إِيبَائِي

I learned of your value in knowledge so it set forth

Out of shyness walking in modesty

عَلِمت بِقَدرِكَ في المَعارِف فانبَرَت

من خَجلَةٍ تَمشِي عَلَى استِحيَاءِ