دَع عَنكَ ما قالَ العَذولُ وَلاكا
هَيهاتَ أَصبو عَن حَنيبٍ وَلاكا
Leave what the blamer said, my dear
Alas! Can I ever forget about you and move on?
قالوا لَكَ اِختارَ السُلُوَّ وَإِنَّما
أَسلو إِذا كانَ الحَبيبُ سِواكا
They told you to choose solitude, but I only
Find solace when you are my sole companion
أَما هَواكَ فَذاكَ غَيرُ مُفارِقي
وَنَعيمُ روحي أَن تَكونَ فِداكا
Your love still resides in me
And the delight of my soul is sacrificing for you
في كُلِّ يَومٍ لَوعَةً قَد غادَرتَ
جِسمي لَقاً دَنِفاً لِأَجلِ لِقاكا
Every day you left my body impaired
Due to longing to see you again
وَحَنينِ نَفسٍ لا هَناءَ لَها سِوى
تَذكارَ شَخصِكَ أَو شَذى ذِكراكا
With a homesick soul that only finds comfort
In remembering you or a whiff of your memory
تَهفو لِتَعتَنِقَ النَسيمَ لَعَلَّهُ
قَد مَرَّ مِن جِهَةٍ بِها مَثواكا
It gasps to hug the breeze hoping it
Passed by where you dwell and carried your scent
وَيَوَدُّ مِن فَرطِ الغَرامِ جَوانِحي
لَو كُنَّ أَجنِحَةً إِلى مِرآكا
In intense passion my senses wish they were wings
To fly towards where you are
قَد حَلَّ حُبَّكَ في الفُؤادِ فَما جَلا
عَنهُ فَلا مَلَكَ سِواكَ هَناكا
Your love settled in my heart so nothing can dispel it
Except you, for no one else resides there
وَيَلومُني العُذّالُ فيكَ وَلَو رَأَوا
ما قَد رَأَيتَ تَتَيَّموا بِهَواكا
The blamer rebukes me for loving you, if only they saw
What I have seen they would swoon in passion for you
بَل لَو رَأى النُسّاكَ في قَتراتِهِم
تِلكَ الشَمائِلُ ما اِغتَدوا نُساكا
Rather if the pious saw your features in their isolation
They would cease to be ascetics anymore
يَكفيهِم مِنكَ المُحَيّا طَلعَةَ
البَدرِ فيما لَو سَفَرَت وَراكا
Just seeing your radiant face unveiled
Would suffice, even if they traveled behind you
قَسَماً بِمَن بَرَأَ الحِسانَ وَمَن بَرا
عَقدَ القُلوبِ عَلى الحِسانِ رَكاكا
By the one who created beauty and hearts
That bind to beauty loosely
إِنّي لِأَحيا أَن تَجودَ بِطَلعَةٍ
مُتَبَذِّلاً وَأَموتُ عِندَ حَياكا
I live to see you graciously appear
And die when you are absent from me
وَأَبيتُ أَرعى البَدرَ في غَسَقِ الدُجى
إِن لَم أُصِبكَ فَقَد أَصَبتَ أَخاكا
I refuse to gaze at the moon in the dark night
If I don’t find you, for you are my sole pursuit
لا تَحسَبَنَّ البُعدَ مالا بِصَبوَتي
بَل زادَ في التَعذيبِ بُعدَ مَداكا
Don’t think distance lessens my devotion
Rather, your remoteness intensifies my torment
وَاللَهُ لا يَدري البِعادَ وَلا النَوى
إِلّا الَّذي قَد ذاقَ مُرَّ نَواكا
None knows separation and intention except
Those who have tasted the bitterness of your distance
كَم لَيلَةٍ حَيرانَ أَرقُب نَجمَها
تَرِدُ المَجَرَّةُ في السَماء عِراكا
How many confused nights I stay up watching the stars
Shooting in the sky skirmishing
أَحيَيتُها حَتّى إِذا رَقَّ الدُجى
باتَت تُهاوي في الصَفيحِ دِراكا
I remain awake until the darkness lifts
Then they fall into the horizon scattered
ذُعِرَت نُفورُ الآبِداتِ كَأَنَّما
نَصَبَ الصَباحُ لِصَيدِهِنَّ شِباكا
As if the morning cast its nets to catch them
As for my night, aren’t the stars tethered to you
لَيلي أَما لِلشُهبِ عِندَكَ مَربِطُ
كَي لا تَفِرُّ إِذا الصَباحَ أَتاكا
So they do not flee when dawn arrives?
Be my witness in adversities as you are entitled
كُن لي وَحَقَّكَ في المَواقِفِ شاهِداً
فَلَطالَما أَحيَيتَ مَن أَحياكا
For often you gave life to one who gave you life
They spoke of my inner secrets completely ignorant
جَهَلوا السَريرَةَ جُملَةً وَتَحَدَّثوا
وَلَأَنتَ أَعلَمَ يا ظَلامُ بِذاكا
While you, O darkness, know my truth
Those who haven’t tasted the absence of loved ones
مَن لَم يَذُق بُعدَ الأَحِبَّةِ لَم يَزَل
أولي العَجائِبِ أَن يَخافَ هَلاكا
Always find vanishing from existence peculiar
Give drink to the lovers, by whom you have sworn
فَسَقى الأَحِبَّةِ وَالَّذي حَلّوا بِهِ
غَيثَ هَمّي لا يَعرِفُ الإِمساكا
My sea of worries knows no drought
Their covenants have watered the riverbeds
وَسَقى عُهودَهُم العِهادِ وَهَزَّ في
وادي الأَحِبَّةِ أَيكَةً وَأَراكا
And stirred in the valley of lovers much turbulence
The alliance grazing on your banks
وَرَعى بَوادي النَيلِ عَنّي عَصبَةُ
أَضحى لَهُم حِفظَ الوِدادِ مَلاكا
Safeguarding devotion has become their purpose
I cannot forget the bliss of their company,
لا أَنسَ أَيّامي بِأُنسِ لِقائِهِم
كَلّا وَلا يا نَيلُ طيبَ هَواكا
No, Nile, nor the delight of your banks
Blessed is your valley, with its resident master
يا حَبَّذا واديكَ مِن مُتَرَبِّعٍ
زاهٍ وَنِعمَ الحَومُ حَولَ حِماكا
Splendid, excellent is the protective fortress around him
Grazing in your land, a master you have made
وَرَعى بِأَرضِكَ سَيِّداً أَضحَت بِهِ
الإِسكَندَرِيَّةَ ثَغرَكَ الضَحاكا
Alexandria, the beaming smile of your banks
A noble man, by my life, my eloquence falls short
شَهمٌ لَعَمري ما أَفَضتُ بَلاغَةً
عَنهُ قَصُرَت عَنِ المَدى إِدراكا
In describing him, for he is beyond my comprehension
From all sides I came to him like an ocean
كَالبَحرِ مِن كُلِّ الجِهاتِ أَتَيتُهُ
لِتَرى الحَقيقَةَ جاءَ مِلءَ حِجاكا
To witness the truth, arriving completely eager
A house adorned with perfection, so say to it
وَآلٍ توشِحُ بِالكَمالِ فَقُل لَهُ
سُبحانَ مَن وَلاكَ بَل أَولاكا
Glory to He who made you thus
His love has captured hearts and shackled them
أَسَرَت مَحَبَّتُهُ القُلوبِ فَقُيِّدَت
فيها وَلَكِن لا تُريدُ فَكاكا
Though they do not seek escape
Tell the one hoping to attain his level of merit
قُل لِلمُطاوِلُ مِثلَ غايَةِ فَضلِهِ
هَيهاتَ تَظفَرُ بِالنُجومِ يَداكا
Impossible! Your hands will never grasp the stars
He who perceives his gentleness and dignity
مَن يَرعَهُ في لُطفِهِ وَوَقارِهِ
يَلقى المَلائِكَ فيهِ وَالأَملاكا
Will meet angels and archangels in him
Wait, O Ishmael, on the paths of elevation
مَهلاً أَيا إِسماعيلُ في طُرُقِ العُلا
وَاِستَبَقَ فيها فَضلُهُ لِسِواكا
For his merit has surpassed all except you
By God, your actions do not flatter others
لِلَهِ ما أَهدى فِعالُكَ لِلثَنا
وَأَضَلَّ في لَيلِ المُريبِ سَراكا
And misguide in the murky night of blindness
It suffices the ambitious that you have assumed positions
حَسَبُ المَزاحِمِ مَن عَلاكَ مَناصِباً
إِن يَستَظِلُّ بِظِلٍّ فَضلَ رِداكا
If he seeks shade under the shade your merit casts
You brought Alexandria endless joy
تاهَت بِكَ الإِسكَندَرِيَّةَ بَهجَةً
بَلَغَت نِهايَةَ حَظِّها بِنَهاكا
For it has attained the pinnacle due to your presence
It knew no governor like you, nor did it know
لَم تَدرِ مِثلَكَ في الوُلاةِ وَلا دَرَت
تِلكَ المَنارِ الغُرِّ مِثل هَداكا
A brilliant minaret such as your guidance
To you, O king of poetry, I bring this ode
وَإِلَيكَ يا مَلِكَ القَريضِ قَصيدَةً
وَقَفَت عَلى خَجَلٍ بِبابٍ عَلاكا
That hesitantly halted at your lofty door
It came to Ishmael hungry for your approval
قَدِمَت عَلى إِسماعيلَ وَهيَ عَريقَةٌ
في لَخمِ طامِعَةٍ بِنَيلِ رِضاكا
Though rich in determination and hope
