لا تَلمُهُ على الهَوَى فافتضاحُه

صَونُهُ فيهِ والفَسادُ صَلاحُه

Do not blame him for his passion though it disgraces him

His chastity in it is his reform though corruption is his correction

كُلُّكُم مَعشرَ العَواذِلِ في نه

جٍ على العاشقينَ ضاقَ انفِساحُه

All of you, companions of virtue, tighten the noose

On lovers, though it is too narrow for his neck

خُنتُمُ الُمستهامَ ظُلماً وجرُتُم

وزعمتُم بأَنَكمُ نُصَّاحُه

You have betrayed the enamored unjustly and alleged

That you are his advisers though you are his deceivers

عَذَّبَت صِبيةً مُطارحَةُ العُش

قِ فَصَعبٌ على الُمحبِّ اطِّراحُه

A passionate girl tortures the ardent lover

So it is hard for the lover to relinquish her

وقليلٌ إِلى مَواسمهِ بال

عِينِ منهُ غُدوُّهُ ورواحُه

And he cares little for his promises to her

Be they his morning visit or his evening return

يا خليلي سِربي مَتَى ما تبدَّت

لُمعٌ مِنهُ هَانَ لي إِيضاحُه

O my friend walk gently when a glimpse of him

Appears, for its radiance makes his display easy for me

سَل نسيمَ الصَّبا إِذا ريضَ في مِس

كيِّ رَوضِ الحِمىَ الأَريضِ جِماحُه

Ask the morning breeze, when it stirs perfume in the meadow

Of the preserve, is it the meadow whose perfume emerges or its breeze?

أَلِريَّا هذا الذي فيه مِن رَيّا

أَم الزَّهرُ فتَّحتهُ رياحُه

Is this a vision that I see, from which visions come to me

Or is it a blossom that its winds have opened?

جَادهُ صَّيِّبٌ منَ الُمزنِ يَحكي

صَوبهُ دَمعُ مُقلتي رياحُه

He is a tender youth who tells of his inclination

While the tear of my eyelid tells of its winds

وَرَعى اللهُ عَهدَ ذاتِ جَمَالٍ

جالَ في كَشحِها الهَضيمِ وِشاحُه

May God protect the promise of that beauty

Whose loose cloak trailed over her delicate frame

غادةٌ خالُ خدِّها أَينَ لثمي

منهُ في خَدِّها وَأَينِ اِمِّساحُه

Ghada, the mole near her cheek - where can I obtain

A kiss from it? Where can I touch it?

شَعرُها والظلامُ مِنه كَسَا جس

مي سَقاماً أَم وجهُها وصَبَاحُه

Her hair is the darkness that covered my body, curing

My sickness. Or is it her face and the morning?

رَبَّةَ الَمبسَمِ الذي راحةُ الأر

واحِ في أَن تُريحَها مِنهُ راحُه

O beauty of the tender smile whose comfort for souls

Is that it comforts them with her comfort

هَبكِ بالوَصلِ تبخلينَ وشرطُ ال

حُبِّ أَن تَهجُرَ السِّماحَ مِلاحُه

You are reluctant to unite despite love’s condition

That the affectionate one abandons amiability

أَجُناحٌ على الخَيالِ إِذا ما

زارَ وَهناً والليَّلُ وَحفُ جَناحُه

A winged one in a dream visits me weakened while the night

And its darkness embrace his wing

أَرسليهِ فَوانعطافِكِ لا رِي

عَ بِرُعبٍ ومُقلتاكِ سِلاحُه

Send him, for your turning away uneasily and your glancing coquettishly

Are his weapons, and the tears of my eyelids his arms

واسأَلِيهِ يُجبكِ كيفَ رُقادي

فَلقَد طَالَ عَن جُفوني انتزاحُه

Ask him, and he will tell you of my sleeplessness

For its abandonment of my eyelids has been overlong

حسبُ قلبي بأَنَّهُ بالأَسى قَد

أَعجزَت فِيكَ كلَّ آسٍ جِراحُه

My heart is content that with sorrow it has rendered helpless against you

Every grieving wound

وفؤادي بِأَنَّهُ جَدَّ فيه الوج

دُ لمَّا جَنَاهُ مِنهُ مُزاحُه

And my inner self that playfulness has departed from it

When he protected it from him

لَكِ مِنّي الهَوَى الذي رَاقَ حُسناً

ولبدرِ الدِّينِ الرَّحيمِ امتداحُه

You have my passion which found your beauty goodly

And my praise of the mercifully guiding orb

مَلِكٌ فاتكٌ جوادٌ لِمَن زَا

غَ ومَن زارَ بأَسُهُ وسَماحُه

A generous king when he bestows and when his might wreaks havoc

His forgiveness and forbearance

المعالي ارتداؤُهُ فَلَهُ اللَّ

هُ نصيرٌ وبِالفَخَارِ اتِّشاحُه

Glory clothes him, so God is his protector

And the humble dress his cloak

ضَمنِت كَفُّهُ الأَماني وقالت

للبرايا العافي عليَّ نَجَاحُه

His palm guaranteed wishes and said to the lands

“My bestowal of well-being upon you is my success”

أَيُّ بابٍ أَغلَقَهُ الدَّه

رُ وما كانَ عِندهُ مُفتَاحُه

What door has destitution closed that did not have

Its key with him?

كُلَّما قَلَّ مَالُهُ بالعَطايا

زَادَ من صَدرهِ الرَّحيبِ انشِرَاحُه

Whenever his wealth decreased through bestowal

The expanse of his chest generosity increased

ولَعمري أَبو الفضائلِ ما يَذ

خَرُ مالاً صانَ العُلَى مُستَباحُه

By my life, O epitome of virtue, degrading wealth

Its defender amasses is unlawful for him

غَيثُ جدبٍ يُسدي الأَيادي نداهُ

ليثُ حَربٍ يُردي الأَعادي كِفَاحُه

A rain for drought, his assistance provides hands

A lion of war, his struggle fells enemies

ما دَجا ليلُ عِثيَرِ النَّقعِ إلاَّ

وأَضاءَت سُيوفُهُ ورِمَاحُه

No night for perplexing adversity darkened but his swords

And spears shone

نَثَرَ الجُودُ عَنهُ نَشرَ ثَنَاءٍ

أَرَّجَ الأَرضَ بالشَّذا نَفَّاحُه

Largesse streamed from him, spreading praise

Whose fragrance perfumed the land

فالليَّالي والإنسُ والجنَّ والطَّي

رُ مَعَ الوحشِ كُلُّهمُ مُدَّاحُه

So the nights, mankind, jinn, beasts - all together praise him

None planned his rule before him nor any tyrant

لَم يُدَبِّر تَدبيرَه الُملكَ لا من

صُورهُ قَبَلهُ ولا سَفَّاحُه

An enamored one with benevolence, his soul never knew

The vileness of amassed treasures or generosity’s ease

مُستهامٌ بالبِرِّ ما أَلفَت غَي

رَ شتاتِ الكُنوزِ بالبَذلِ راحُه

So if he is blamed for charity, the intense craving

In his generosity increases his insistence

فإِذا لاَمهُ على الرِّفدِ لاحٍ

زادَ في بَذلِه اللُّهى إِلحاحُه

The generosity of his heart collects glories and grandeur

Its total joys today

مَكرُماتُ قَلبُ المآثرِ والَمج

دِ بها اليومَ جَمَّةٌ أَفرَاحُه

A prayer from a saint brought the king of the land

Success when it came to you

مَلِكَ الأَرضِ دَعوةً من وَلِيٍّ

لاحَ لَّما إِليكَ مالَ فَلاحُه

Had Al-Jawhari seen his poems about you

He would have recorded them in his book

لَو رأى الجَوهريُّ أَشعارَهُ فِي

كَ لكانَت قَد أُودِعَتها صِحَاحُه

Your attributes taught me poetry until

Its enjoyment became refined and its meters harmonious

علَّمتني صِفاتُكَ الشِّعرَ حتَّى

عَذُبَت رَاحُهُ وَرَاقَ قُراحُه

So I refused superiority though I was never one

Of its advocates loudly promoting it

فرفَضتُ العُلا ولا كُنتُ يَومَ ال

فَضلِ مِمَّن يُبنُها فُصَّاحُه

If I withhold praise from you until I see

My body overtaken by decay

إِن حَبَستُ الثَّناءَ عَنكَ إِلى حِي

نِ أرَى جسميَ الرَّدى يجتاحُه

You were graciously bountiful, generously forgiving

One who hopes extensively, widely overlooking

جُدتَ لي بالنَّوالِ عَفواً وَإِحسا

نُكَ كَم عَمَّ آمِلاً سحَّاحُه

You remain for the kingdom forever, wherever

Birds in the lowlands sing their song or speech

دُمتَ لُلمكِ ما تَغَنَّت مِنَ الطَّي

رِ على الدوَّحِ عُجمُهُ وَفِصَاحُه

In joy that combined treasures radiating

Far and wide their lights

في سُرورٍ قَد قَارنت غُرَراً تُش

رِقُ مِنهُ طُولَ الَمدى أَوضاحُه