ما بَينَ غِزلانِ العَقيقِ وَبانِهِ

حَربٌ بِها بَطَلُ الهَوى كَجَبانِهِ

Between the gazelles of al-‘Aqiq and its slopes

is a war in which the hero of passion is a coward,

حَربٌ تَضرِمُ بِالحَضيضِ سَعيرُها

وَعَجاجَها بِالجَزعِ فَوقَ رَعانِهِ

a war whose blaze burns in lowlands,

and whose tumult is over its pastures.

عَبَثتُ بِعُشّاقِ العَقيقِ وَأوغِلَت

فَدِماؤُهُم تُربى عَلى غَدرانِهِ

I toyed with the lovers of al-‘Aqīq, venturing

so their blood nurtures its treachery.

لَم يَرهَبوا بِأَساً لِقاءَ أَسوَدُهُ

فَأَبادَهُم حَتفاً لِقا غِزلانِهِ

They did not fear the lions when meeting them,

so it destroyed them, to protect its gazelles.

يا زائِراً تِلكَ الرُبوعُ وَسائِراً

بِعَراصِها الفَيحاءُ في رُكبانِهِ

O you visiting those meadows and traveling

through its fragrant plains among its riders,

أَن تَنزِلَن سَفحَ العَقيقِ فَاِشرَفَن

وَاِسفَح عَقيقَ الدَمعِ مَعَ عِقيانِهِ

descend to the slopes of al-‘Aqīq and climb

and let the tears with the sorrow flow down.

وَتَأَمَلنَ صَنعَ الهَوى بِفَريقِهِ

فَإِذا رَضيتُ فَبَعدَ ذَلِكَ عانِهِ

And observe what passion did to its band,

then, if I accept, after that maintain its rein.

سُبحانَ مَن خَلَقَ الفُؤادَ وَطامَهُ

أَبَداً عَلى حُبِّ الحِمى وَحِسانِهِ

Glory to Him who created the heart and broke it

for the love of enclosure and its goodness.

وَأَعَزَّ سُلطانَ الهَوى حَتّى غَدَت

أَسمى مُلوكُ الأَرضِ مِن عَبدانِهِ

And honored passion’s rule until it became

higher than the kings of earth among its servants,

رِقّاً كَمارِقِ القَريضِ لِمَن غَدا

بِالأَلمَعِيَّةِ مالِكاً لَعَنانِهِ

like the twinkle of lightning to whoever marched

with banners as the master of its rein.

الشاعِرُ المُتَفَنِّنُ النَدبُ الَّذي

يَروي حَديثَ النَظمِ عَن حِسانِهِ

The artist, the complaining elegist, who

tells the tale of verse about his passion,

هَذا أَبو الفَضلِ الَّذي لا بُدَّ أَن

يُمسي بِبُقعَتِنا بَديعَ زَمانِهِ

this is Abu-l Fadl, who inevitably

must spend his evening in our land as the best of his time.

وافى وَما اِنصاحَ النَهارُ بِلَيلِهِ

زَمَناً فَحَلَّ الصَدرُ مِن إيوانِهِ

He lived a long time, and the day did not betray its night,

so the chest was relieved of its porch.

يَلهو بِأَنواعِ الفُنونِ وَيَحتَسي

مِن عَصرٍ مَن سَلَفوا سُلافَةَ حانِهِ

He plays with all kinds of arts and gets

the press of an era of those who passed the peak of his care,

وَلَهُ الرَقائِقُ في الكَلامِ يُجيدُها

نَظماً يُسلي المَرءَ عَن أَشجانِهِ

and he has subtleties in speech he masters

in a poem that distracts a person from his sorrows.

قَد أَبرَزَتهُ قَريحَةُ سَيّالَةٍ

تَزري بِصَوبِ المُزنِ في تَهتانِهِ

A pouring talent revealed him,

it rambles towards prosody in its wandering.

يا سامِعاً عَنهُ البَدائعَ مُعجِباً

مَهلاً فَلَيسَ سَماعِهِ كَعَيانِهِ

O you hearing his wonders, amazed,

wait, for hearing is not like seeing him.

أَن سَرَت في الوَطَنِ العَزيزِ فَاِشمَلَن

وَاِنزِل بِذاكَ السَفحِ مِن لُبنانِهِ

If you traveled in the precious homeland, then include

and descend on that slope from its sides,

في مُعلِمٍ كَالرَوضِ في حَسَناتِهِ

تَجَنّى ثِمارَ الخَيرِ مِن أَفنانِهِ

in a landmark like the garden in its beauty,

you pick the fruits of good from its branches.

فَاِنزِل عَلى سِعَةٍ بِرَحبِ فَنائِهِ

وَاِنظُر مَآثِرَ مَن عَجِبتُ لِشانِهِ

So descend comfortably in the width of its courtyard

and see the achievements of those I admired for their rank.