حَتّامٌ تَجذِبُني القُدودُ وَأَجنَحُ
وَيَصُدُّني عَنها الصُدودُ وَأَجمَحُ
A pillar whom barriers tempt me to transcend,
Yet obstacles deter me, and I desist.
وَيَهيجُني سوقُ الحِسانِ وَأَدمُعي
أَبَداً عَلى سَفحِ المَعاهِدِ تَسفَحُ
The market of affection excites me, my tears
Stream forever down the slopes of the covenants.
غاضَت دُموعي بَعدَ فَيضِ شُؤونِها
وَعَهِدتُ عَينَ الدَمعِ لَيسَت تَنزَحُ
My tears have ceased after the abundance of their flow,
And I conditioned the eye of tears not to brim over.
وَبَقيتُ فيما بَينٍ لَذعَ صَبابَةٍ
يَكووي وَبَرَحٌ دائِمٌ لا يَبرَحُ
I remain amidst the burning pain of a lovesickness
That singes me, and a persistent insomnia that does not sleep.
أَحيى اللَيالي آمَلاً أَن تَنجَلي
صُبحاً وَلَيسَ بِأَمثَلٍ ما تُصبِحُ
I live through the nights hoping they will clear up
At dawn, but it is not with the likes of them that dawn breaks.
إِن كانَ يوحِشُني الظَلامُ لِذي النَوى
فَالهَجرُ في يَومي لِعَيني أَوضَحُ
If darkness makes me lonesome for the companion at the abode,
Then estrangement in my day is clearer still for my eye.
وَلَقَد أَتوقُ إِلى الكَرى فَلَرُبَّما
طَيفُ الحَبيبِ بِزَورَةٍ قَد يَسمَحُ
And I yearn so much for the stones, so perhaps
The phantom of the beloved may kindly smile through the peephole.
فَلَئِن يَكُن ذاكَ الغَزالُ مُحرِما
وَصَلّى فَحَسبي في الكَرى ما يَسنَحُ
So if that gazelle is forbidden to me
And has prayed, what presents itself to me of the stones is enough.
يا لَيلَةً بِالجَزعِ تَجزَعُني بِها
نوحاً وَراقي الأَيكِ مِمّا تَصدَحُ
O night that makes me suffer so much sorrow through it
I pour my laments, because of what comes loud from its clouds,
باتَت تُذَكِّرُني لَيالي بَينِها
كُنّا وَكانَ المُنحَنى وَالأَبطَحُ
It remained reminding me of the nights between us
When we were together and the curved sword and the broad spear.
ما بَينَ هاتيكَ الظِباءُ سَوانِحاً
تَمشي بشحَبّاتِ القُلوبِ وَتَمرَحُ
Those gazelles are not mere wild animals
That walk proudly with the pallid hearts and strut about.
باتَت تَتيهُ بِها العُقولُ إِذا بَدَت
تيهاً كَباناتِ النَقا تَتَرَنَّحُ
The minds wander lost when they appear,
Wandering like the howdahs of the litter camels swaying.
مِن كُلِّ مَيّاسٍ أَغنَ إِذا اِنبَرى
فَالعَقلُ يَعقِلُ وَالنَواظِرُ تَطمَحُ
The mind reasons and the sights aspire
When every noble one stands up lofty.
يَلهو وَيَجرِحُ في النَهارِ وَإِنَّما
قَد ظَلَّ يَجرَحُ مُهجَتي إِذ يَجرَحُ
It plays and wounds in the daytime but indeed
It has remained wounding my deepest feelings when it wounds.
يا مَن يُعَذِّبُني وَيَحسَبُ أَنَّني
لِعَذابِهِ طولُ الزَمانِ مُرَشَّحُ
O you who torture me and suppose that I
Will endure it as long as time flows!
يَسطو عَلَيَّ وَلا يَرِقُّ فَعِندَهُ
قَلبٌ وَلَكِن بِالحَديدِ مَصفَحُ
You overpower me and do not show mercy, for you have
A heart, but plated with iron.
دَلَهَتني في ذا الغَرامِ فها أَنا
قَيسٌ وَلَكُن بِالفِراقِ مُلَوِّحُ
You made me infatuated in this passion, so here I am
Qays, but saturated with separation.
فَإِلى مَ تَهجُرُني وَقَد كادَ الصِبا
يَذوي وَرَطبُ غُصونِهِ يَتَصَوَّحُ
Until when will you shun me, and the northern wind has almost
Wasted away, and the moisture of its branches exudes?
ما كُنتَ أَيّوبَ الصَبورَ وَإِن يَكُن
بِالصَبرِ مَعنى اِسمي بِفارِسٍ يَشرَحُ
You have not been Job in patience, even if
The meaning of my name in Persian denotes opening up with patience.
ذاكَ السَمِيُّ الباهِرُ الشِيَمُ الَّتي
أَخلاقُهُ بِالأَروَعِيَّةِ تَطفَحُ
That noble, brilliant, proud-natured one, whose
Morals overflow with the most wondrous perfume.
المُشَبَّعُ العَقلَ الَّذي أَخلاقُهُ
غَرُّ الوُجوهِ حَسيبَةٌ لا تُرجَحُ
The mature-minded one whose morals
Are a sufficient cause of pride not to be outweighed.
الواسِعُ الفَضلِ الَّذي لِثَنائِهِ
في كُلِّ خَلقٍ مِن عُلاهُ مَفتَحُ
The generous one whose outstanding merits
Open up in every being places of ascent to its heights.
الناصِحُ الجَيبِ الَّذي آثارُهُ
عَن حُسنِ ما يَطوي عَلَيهِ تَصرَحُ
The sincere-hearted one whose traces
Show clearly the beauty of what he conceals inside.
يَثني عَلَيهِ بَالوَفاءِ وَإِنَّما
تَمديحُهُ بِوَفائِهِ لا يَمدَحُ
I praise him for his faithfulness, and indeed
My praise of him lies in his faithfulness, and does not praise.
حَرٌّ تَفَتَّحَ لِلوِدادِ فُؤادُهُ
وَكَلامُهُ عِندَ الثَنا يَتَفَتَّحُ
A freeman whose heart blossomed open to affection
And whose words while praising blossom open.
فَهوَ الَّذي إِن ضاقَ في الخَلقِ الوَلا
فَفُؤادُهُ بِالوُدِّ مَغنى أَفيَحُ
He then is the one who if sustenance narrowed down
His heart would suffice me as ample sustenance.
وَإِذا تَزَحزَحَ رَكبُهُ عَن أَرضِنا
فَهوَ الَّذي في العَهدِ لا يَتَزَحزَحُ
And if his mount moved away from our land
He is the one regarding whom the pact never moves away.
لا غَروَ إِن شَطَّ المَزارُ فَإِنَّهُ
قَلَمُ اللَبيبِ بِكُلِّ مِسكٍ يَنفَحُ
No wonder if the rains poured down, for it is
The reed pen of the brilliant one dripping every sweet scent.
سَمَحَ القَريحَةَ في رِهانِ قَريضِهِ
يَجري كَما يَجري الجَوادُ الأَقرَحُ
He allowed his talent free rein in the pacing of his poetry
To flow just as the noble white mare with the blaze flows.
تَلَقّاهُ يَرعَفُ في الطُروسِ يَراعِهِ
كَالسَيلِ في بَطنِ الجَوادِ يَتَبَطَّحُ
You meet him going at full gallop in the horse races, taking care of his prestige,
Like the torrent inside the chest of the noble mare, gushing out.
وَيَخوضُ في لَجَجِ الفُنونِ وَيَجتَني
دُرَراً بِها صَدرَ الزَمانِ موشِحُ
And he plunges into the deep waters of the arts and picks out
Pearls with which the bosom of time is adorned.
تَزهو جِنانَ العِلمِ بَينَ سُطورِهِ
إِذ كُلَّ ما فيها لِعَينِ مَسرَحُ
The gardens of knowledge blossom through his lines
Where everything in them is lofty for the beholding eye.
غَرَرٌ تَتَرجَمَ عَن عُلوِ مَقامِهِ
وَلَعَلَّها مِن كُلِّ مَدحٍ أَفصَحُ
Precious gems that translate the height of his station,
And they are perhaps clearer than any other praise.
يا صاحِباً سَمَحَ الزَمانَ بِبُعدِهِ
وَبِبُعدِهِ وَجهُ الزَمانِ مَكلَحُ
O you whose estrangement time has permitted through its expanse,
By your estrangement, the face of time has become ugly.
لا بِدَعَ أَن تُبعَدَ وَأَنتَ عَزيزُهُ
فَالدَهرُ يُبعِدُ في الوَرى ما يَمنَحُ
It is inevitable that you be distant though you are its dear one,
For time distances in the land what it grants.
أَثوَيتُ في الشَهباءِ أَفسَحَ مَنزِلُ
لَكِن مَحلُكَ في فُؤادي أَفسَحُ
I took shelter in Suhail even if it gave me ample lodging,
But your abode in my heart is more ample.
