عَن يانع الحُسن بَعدَ الوَصلِ أَلواني

دَهري وَغيّر بِالهُجران أَلواني

After union with the beautiful beloved, my life changed

And separation altered my conditions

وَما اِكتَفى بِالجَفا حَتّى رَمى خلَدي

عَمداً بسهم لَياليهِ فَأَصماني

Not content with aloofness, he aimed his piercing arrows

At my heart, rendering me speechless

وَلَيسَ لي عِندَهُ ذَنب يحرّضه

عَلى تلافي سِوى حُبّي وَكتماني

I have no fault in his eyes except my love and concealment

To provoke him to shun me

إِلَيكَ يا دَهر عَني قَد وَهيَ جلَدي

وَاِندقَّ عَظمي وَهدّ الوَجدُ بُنياني

O life, my skin is worn out, my bones cracked

And passion demolished my edifice

وَحاصر السقمُ حصنَ الجسم فانثلمت

أَسوارُه وَاِنثَنى عَن رَأبِها باني

Illness besieged the castle of my body

Its ramparts collapsed, beyond repair

وَكُنتَ عاهَدتَني أَن لا تَمين فَلَم

تصدق وَأَنكرتَني مِن بَعد عرفان

You had promised not to betray me, yet

You broke your oath and denied knowing me

وَعاذلي مرّ بي يَوماً كَعادتِه

فَما رَأى لي خَيالاً بَينَ جِيراني

My critic passed me by one day as usual

But saw no trace of me amongst my neighbors

فَقالَ يا أَهلَ هَذا الحَيِّ ما فَعلت

يَدُ الهَوى في شجيٍّ بَينَكُم عاني

He said, "O people of this quarter, what has

Befallen the wounded lover among you?"

أَناصحٌ بَعد هَذا الغيِّ أَرشدَهُ

حرصاً عَلَيهِ إِلى تَركٍ وَسلوان

After this absence, should I advise him

Out of concern to abstain and be tranquil?

أَم نالَ ما كانَ يَرجو قَبل مَصرعه

أَو فاظَ مِن فَرط أَشواقٍ وَأَشجان

Or did he attain what he sought before his death?

Or die from intense longing and sorrow?

قالوا سَمعنا أَنيناً مِنهُ أَورثنا

بثّاً وَعَنا تَوارى جسمُه الفاني

They said, "We heard him moan which caused us

Misery as his mortal body faded away"

فَعاد فَوراً عَلى الأَعقاب مُكتَفِياً

بِما رَوى دُون تَحقيق وَتبيان

So he returned at once, satisfied

With the story, without verification

وَنَبّأ الناس أَني متُّ مِن أَسَفٍ

عَلى رَشاً ما له في حُسنه ثاني

And told the people I died of regret

For a head of hair that has no equal

مهفهفٍ تزدري بِالشَمس طلعتُه

وَيخجل البَدرُ مِن طَرفٍ لَهُ راني

A moon eclipsing the sun in its rising

The full moon shy of his beaming glance

وَأَغيدٍ دُونَهُ مِن لَحظِه خفرٌ

يَحمي شَقائقَ نعمانٍ وَعقيان

With eyelids under which lies a guard

Protecting the narcissi of Nu'man and 'Uqayl

هَيهات أَرغب عَن ذُلِّي لعزته

أَو عَن ثَنَا حسنٍ في نَظم دِيوان

Never! I aspire not from his lowliness to glory

Or praise of perfection in the anthology of verse

هُوَ الأَمير الَّذي صانَت مَناصبَه

سِياسةٌ زانَها مِنهُ بإتقان

He is the Prince whose offices

Are adorned by his flawless governance

وَقَد غَدا راسِماً أَقطارَ دائرةٍ

عُظمى عَلى مُستوى يُمنٍ وإِحسان

He has become the delineator of the realms of a great realm

On foundations of favors and benevolence

وَأَيَّد الحَق فيها مِن فَضائله

بِحِكَمٍ وَدِراياتٍ وَبُرهان

He has supported truth among its virtues

With wisdom, knowledge and proof

وَفازَ بِالسَبق في مضمار منطقه

حَتّى تَميز عَن قسٍّ وَسَحبان

He has won precedence in the racecourse of his logic

Distinguished from foolishness and nonsense

فَكَم لَهُ مِن تَدابيرٍ مؤسسةٍ

عَلى ذَكاءٍ وَإنصافٍ وَإمعان

So many of his instituted policies are based

On intelligence, justice and deliberation

وَكَم أَضاءَت دَياجي المُشكلات بِما

لفكره مِن علا رَأيٍ وَرجحان

How his sharp mind has illuminated the dark problems

With lofty opinion and superior judgment

وَكَم لأقلامه بالحَزم قَد سَجدَت

بيضٌ وَسُمرٌ وَأَفواهٌ لنيران

How many pens, white, brown and fiery tongues

Have bowed down before his resolve

فَكَيفَ يَثني عَناني عَن مَدائحه

وَنشرِ عطرِ شَذاها في الوَرى ثاني

How then can I rein in my praises of him

And cease spreading the scent of his glory?

وَالناس قَد أَجمَعوا في مصر قاطِبةً

بِأَنَّهُ لِلمَعالي خَيرُ إِنسان

The people are unanimous in Egypt

That he is the best of mankind

وَهَذِهِ مِن سَجاياه مُحبَّرةٌ

تَنزهَّت عَن مُغالاةٍ وَنُقصان

These are from his glorious qualities

Free of exaggeration and disparagement

أَهدَيتُها وَرَجائي مِن مَكارمه

أَن لا يُقابلَها مِنهُ بهجران

I present them with the hope that his generosity

Will not repay them with abandonment

لِأَنَّها قَد تحلت مِن مَناقبه

بِجوهرٍ عقدُه ما شانَهُ شاني

For they are adorned with gems from his virtues

That match my own in their essence

لا زالَ في هَذِهِ الأَوطان مُمتطِياً

متنَ العلا بَينَ أَصحاب وَأَخدان

He continues riding the steed of glory in these lands

Among comrades and brethren

ما غرّدت في نَضير الرَوض ساجِعةٌ

شَوقاً إِلى إلفِها مِن فَوق أَغصان

Never did I complain in the meadows of Rawda

Yearning for his company above the branches

أَو قُلتُ أَشكو الهَوى في بدء مدحته

عَن يانع الحُسنِ بَعدَ الوَصلِ أَلواني

Or say, at the start of my praise poem

After union with the beautiful beloved, my life changed