صبَّحها الدمعُ ومسَّاها الأرقْ

هل بين هذين بقاءٌ للحَدَقْ

Her tears adorned her, and insomnia dressed her,

Is there any life left for the eyelids between the two?

لا متعةً بالظبى عَنَّ غاديا

ولا خِداعا بالخيال إن طَرَقْ

No longer taking pleasure in hunting wildlife,

Nor being deceived by fantasies should they occur.

إن ضحِك البرقُ من الحَزْنِ رنا

أو فاحت الريحُ من الغَور نشِقْ

If lightning laughs because of sorrow,

Or if the wind blows from deep caves,

كم ذا على التعليل تحيا مهجةٌ

بمُديتَىْ بينٍ وهجرٍ تُعتَرقْ

How many excuses does the heart make

As it lives between separation and abandonment and perspires?

ليت الذي عَذّبَ إذ لم يُعفِه

من مسَّه بالضُّرِّ وانَى ورَفَقْ

I wish he who tortured me without pardoning me,

And touched me with harm, would come and be gentle.

ميّالةَ الأعطافِ ما فاتكِ من

غصونِ بانات الحمى إلا الورَقْ

O she who turns away, nothing of the boughs

Of the feverish thorn trees has passed you except the leaves.

لو ثبتَ السهمُ الذي أرسلتِه

في القلبِ وافقتُكِ لكن قد مرَقْ

If the arrow you unleashed stayed

In my heart, I would have agreed with you, but it has flown away.

جمعتم السرَّاءَ والضرّاءَ لي

فأنتمُ كالماءِ رَىٌّ وشَرَقْ

You have gathered good and bad for me

So you are like water, agreeable and limpid.

كان اتفاقا ولَعى بِسربكم

وشرُّ أحداثِ الليالي ما اتفقْ

It would have been an agreement, and the fever of your company burned me,

And the evil of the nights' events is what agreed.

لم أدرِ أنّ من حُداة ظُعْنِكم

أو سائقيهنّ غرابا قد نغقْ

I did not know that among the sources of your insolence

Were crows that croaked.

هبْ أنَّ طَرفى أسرتَه بينكم

حبائلٌ فانظر عُيَيْناتِ الخَرِقْ

Suppose you chained my gaze among you,

Behold the rags and tatters.

وخُذْ لمن عَنَيْتُ منّى سِمةً

لألأةَ البدر إذا البدرُ اتسقْ

And take a token from me for her to whom I gave attention

Like the fullness of the moon when the moon is full.

ولا تَعَرَّضَ لعلاجي إنما

يَشفِى من الحبِّ الذي يَشفِى الوَلَقْ

Do not try to cure me, for indeed

That which cures love is that which heals a branding iron wound.

علَّ الغرامَ نازلٌ عن صهوتي

إن لمِتَّى الدهماءُ شِيبت بالبَلَقْ

Passion has alighted due to my madness

If grey hairs have sprouted in my dark tresses.

يصنَعُ لونُ الشَّيبِ بالشباب ما

يصنع بالجلدةِ توليعُ البَهَقْ

The colour of white hair makes with youth what

The cautery makes with skin by causing blisters.

قلتُ ظلامٌ طلعتْ أنجمُهُ

فما اعتذارى إن بدا ضوءُ الفَلَقْ

I said it was dark, but its stars shone,

So I have no excuse if the dawn light appears.

أليس بَردُ اليأسِ لو وَسعتُه

أطفأَ من تسويف آمالى حُرَقْ

Isn’t the chill of despair, if I bore it,

Quench the burning embers of my hopes?

مهلا فما دون الأمانى هَضبةٌ

نزداد بالحِرص ارتفاعا وزَلَقْ

Wait! What is besides wishes is a plain

Which we ascend higher and slips under our feet.

لو جُلتَ حولَ الفلَك الدّوّار لم

يزددْ نَقيرا فوق ما اللهُ رزَقْ

If you revolved around the rotating celestial sphere

It would not crow louder than what God has provisioned.

عش بطفيفِ القوتِ سَدّ جَوعةً

والقطرةِ الكدراء والثوبِ المِزَقْ

Live on meager livelihoods, blocking hunger,

With muddy drops, and torn clothes.

وساوِ ربَّ التاج في سلطانهِ

من يُعِتق الأطماعَ منهنّ عَتَقْ

And treat the Lord of the Crown as His equal in His realm—

He who emancipates ambitions from them emancipates.

وعاشر الناسَ بلا تصنُّع

لا جفوة الهَجرِ ولا زُور المَلَقَ

And socialize with people without affectation,

Not aloofness or false courtesy.

وادعُ زعيمَ الرؤساء يستِجبْ

أروعْ نهّاضٌ بما جلَّ ودقْ

And call on the chief of leaders to respond—

The most wondrous waker of what is momentous and concordant.

لا تطمع الأنفال أن تؤوده

والدر في اللجة لا يخشى الغرق

Do not covet spoils thinking they will last,

As pearls in the sea foam fear no drowning.

أضحت صروفُ الدهر في سطوتهِ

ملزوزةً لزَّ البِطان بالحِلَقْ

The turns of fate have come under its influence,

Clenching throats harshly.

معتدل الشيمة حتى إبْلُه

سِيرتُها بين الرسيم والعَنَقْ

With moderation of manner even his camel is

Guided between the halter and she-camel’s pace.

لا شَيبة الحلمِ كسته وَنيةً

ولا شبابُ السنّ أعطاه النَزَقْ

Neither has the wisdom of age clad him in lambskin

Nor has the youth of years granted him plenty.

قُضِى له بالسبق في وِلاده

والمهرُ بالعِتق يُرعى فيه السبَقْ

He was fated to excel from his birth,

And the prize of emancipation is guarded for him through precedence.

رقىَ المعالى رتبةً فرتبةً

كالعِقد يعلو نظمه على نسقْ

He ascended the heights grade by grade

Like a necklace whose composition ascends in order.

يبسِم بِشرا مازجتْه هيبةٌ

تطلُّعَ النَّصلِ من الغِمد الخَلَقْ

He smiles inspiring awe mingled with awe,

As the Indian sword peeks out from the polished scabbard.

لم تُمطر السحبُ ولكن خجِلتْ

من جوده حتى نضحن بالعَرقْ

The clouds did not rain, but they were too shy,

To pour down in his presence and dripped sweat.

وأينَ منها راحةٌ مَصيفُها

مثلُ الشتاء يهمُر الماءَ الغدِقْ

And how can they rest? Their summer

Is like winter—water tumbling profusely.

كالخمر للشارب كيف شاءها

تصرَّفت مصطبَحا ومغتَبق

He is to the drinker like wine, however he wanted it,

Decanting it while it ferments and as it distills fully.

ما زال يُفنى الحمدَ باَبيتاعه

حتى غلا في كلّ سوقٍ ونفَقْ

He continues to spend praise purchasing it

Until it was profuse in every market and alleyway.

وكلّما أسرف في صِفاته

مادحُه قالت معاليه صدَقْ

And however much the praiser is excessive in describing him,

His greatness says “Truthful!”

شمائلٌ وبهجةٌ موموقةٌ

والحسنُ بالأخلاقِ ثم بالخِلَقْ

Attributes and beauty lie in wait,

With beauty in character and then physique.

نصرا أبا القاسم قد تبرَّجَتْ

أمُّ اللُّهَيْم حاملا بنتَ طَبَقْ

Victory! Abu al-Qasim! She through whom

God is obeyed has been adorned, carrying the daughter of purity.

في مثلها رأيُك أذكَى زَنَدهُ

أو تنجلى عنها دُجُنّات الغَسَقْ

Regarding her, your opinion is the sharpest sword,

Or uncertainties dispel regarding her.

سهلٌ على رأيك وهو ساحرٌ

تقويمُ ما اعوجَّ ورتقُ ما انفتقْ

It is easy for your judgement, and it is magic,

Correcting what is bent, and mending what tore apart.

قد أمكنتك فانتهزها فرصةٌ

بالشكر والشكرُ لذيذُ لبمعتَنْق

Circumstance has empowered you, so seize the opportunity

With gratitude, and gratitude is sweet to one sheltering.

بنى جَهيرٍ أنتمُ دِرعى إذا

رمىَ الزمانُ بدواهيه رشَقْ

O tribe of Juhayr! You are my armor whenever

Time casts its calamities—I pelt.

رميتُ من دون الأنام مِقودى

إليكمُ طوعا وقطَّعتُ العُلَقْ

I have flung my reins beyond mankind towards you,

Willingly, and I have cut what restrained me.

فلا أكون بينكم عُطاردا

لقربه من كُره الشمس احترقْ

Thus I will not be, among you, quarry

Hunted for its proximity to the hated sun by which it burned.

لا رعَت الأحداثُ في حِماكُمُ

ولا رأت نجومُها ذاك الأفُقْ

Neither have the events shepherded in your protection,

Nor have their stars seen that horizon.

إن حزتم العلياء عن آخرها

بسعيكم فهو دُوينَ المستحقّ

If you have restricted the heights from what remains of them

Through your efforts, then that is the due of the deserving.