مِنْ سِحْرِ طَرْفِكِ أمْ من جِيدِكِ الحَالِي

قَدْ حِرْتُ مَا بَيْنَ نَظَّام وَغَزَّالِ

Is it from the magic of your eyes or from your swaying necklace

That I've become confused between a composer and a bracelet-maker

يَا حَبَّذَا فِي الهَوَى وَجْدٌ أكَابِدُهُ

مِنْ جَوْهَرِ الثَّغْرِ أوْ مِنْ عَنْبَرِ الخَالِ

O how excellent is the passion in love that I endure

From the essence of your lips or from your musky mole

رُوحِي فِدَاؤُكِ مِنْ بَدْر مَحَاسِنُهُ

قَدْ نَاسَبَتْ بَيْنَ أسْمَاء وَأفْعَالِ

My soul is your ransom from a full moon whose beauties

Have conformed between names and deeds

أهْلَكْتَ قَلْبِي بِأنْوَاعِ الغَرَامِ وَقَدْ

مَلَكْتَهُ فَارْعَ حِفْظَ المَالِ يَا مَالِي

You have destroyed my heart with various types of love, and yet

You possess it so tend to preserving the wealth, O my wealth

كَحَّلْتَ عَيْنِي بِلَيْلِ السُّهْدِ فَاتَّصَلَتْ

مَسَافَةُ البُعْدِ يَا عَيْنِي بِأمْيَالِ

You have darkened my eye with the night of sleeplessness, so the distance

Of separation has connected, O my eye, with miles

رُحْمَاكَ رُحْمَاكَ بِالصَّبّ الكثيبِ فَكَمْ

لَهُ بِصَدّكَ مِنْ أهْوَالِ أهْوَالِ

Have mercy, have mercy on the enduring lover, for how much

Distress from your rejection he has, so much distress

مَا ضَرَّ نَاظِرُ جَفْنَيْكَ التِي كُسِرَتْ

أنْ لَوْ غَداً نَاظِراً بِالخَيْرِ في حَالِي

No fault of your eyelid's glances which broke me

If tomorrow they glance at me with kindness in my state

أفْدِيهِ مِنْ نَاظِرٍ مَاضِي الوِلاَيَةِ بَلْ

وَاحَرَّ قَلْبَاهُ مِنْ ذَا النَّاظِرِ الوَالِي

I will ransom it from a glance that has passed its authority but

Which has burned its heart from that current glance

ظَبْيٌ بِمَبْسَمِهِ الزَّاهِي وَمَعْطَفِهِ

جَانَسْتُ مَا بَيْنَ مَعْسُول وَعَسَّالِ

A gazelle with its blossoming smile and its cloak

I've likened between a beekeeper and a honey-seller

مُكَمَّلُ الحُسْنِ مَا لاَحَتْ مَحَاسِنُهُ

إلاَّ انْجَلَى لَيْلُ إشْكَال بِأشْكَالِ

Perfect of beauty, when its beauties appeared

The night of doubts was illuminated with forms

مَنْ لِي بِه أهْيَفٌ سَاجِي اللِّحَاظِ لَهُ

مَيْلٌ وَلَكِنْ إلى تَسْوِيفِ آمَالِي

I have for it a doe-eyed one, long of dress, it is inclined

Yet towards procrastinating my hopes

نَادَيْتُهُ يَا غَزَالاً جَلَّ عَنْ شَبَه

مَا كُفْءُ جِيدِكَ إلاَّ عِقْدُ أغْزَالِي

I called it, O gazelle, outstanding in its likeness

My neck's match is none but my fawn's necklace

أخْلَصْتُ حَبِّي لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَعْرِفَتِي

بِأنَّ حَظِّيَ مِنْهُ حَظُّ إقْلاَلِ

I made my love for it sincere after knowing

That my share of it is the share of scarcity

وَعَاذِل رَامَ يُسْلِينِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ

مَا عَذْلُ مِثْلِكَ يُسْلَى عَنْهُ أمْثَالِي

And a reproacher wanted to appease me, so I said to him

There is no reproach like you that equals me can be appeased

إنَّ المَحَبَّةَ لِلأهْوَاءِ قَائِدَةٌ

وَلِلْهَوَى خَطَرَاتٌ ذَاتُ إرْقَالِ

For love of passions is a leader

And for passions are dangerous matters, owners of decline

صُمَّتْ عَنِ العَذْلِ آذَانِي بِهِ فَلِذَا

قَدْ أرْغَم اللَّهُ فِيهِ أنْفَ عُذَّالِي

It has deafened its ears to reproach with it, and so

God has forced against it the nose of my reproachers

لَيْتَ الثُّغُورَ جَلَتْ بَرْقاً لَهُمْ فَرَأوْا

سَحَابَ دَمْع عَلَى الخَدَّيْنِ هَطَّالِ

I wish the battlefields had flashed lightning at them and they had seen

Clouds of my tears' blood pouring on my cheeks

حَسْبِي وَحَسْبِي الهَوَى أنِّي فَنَيْتُ به

أرْجُو البَقَاءَ بِأوْجَاع وَأوْجَالِ

It suffices me, it suffices me that I have perished in it

Hoping for survival through pains and calamities

آيَاتُ أوْصَافِهِ أمْ خَمْرُ رِيَقتِهِ

تُتَلَى عَلَّي بِألْحَان وَتُجْلَى لِي

Are verses describing him or the wine of his saliva

Recited to me with melodies and unveiled to me

أمْ مِنْ رَحِيقِ رُضَاب ألْعَسٍ شَبِمٍ

تُمْلاَ كُؤُوسِي بِرَاحَاتٍ وَتُسْقَى لِي

Or from the nectar of the gums of dashing white camels

My cups are filled with comforts and are quenched for me

أذَابَ جِسْمِي بِنَارِ الهَجْرِ ثُمَّ قَلَى

قَلْبِي وَقَالَ نَعَمْ هَذَا هُوَ القَالِي

He melted my body with the fire of separation, then

Roasted my heart and said, “Yes, this is the roasted.”

وَرَامَ يَشْرِي بِغَالِي الهَجْرِ أنْفُسَنَا

رُخْصاً فَأشْرَى رَخِيصَ النَّفْسِ بِالغَالِي

And he wanted to buy our souls with the separation's high price

Cheaply, so he bought the cheap soul with the expensive one

قَدْ ضِعْتُ فِي حُبِّهِ لَمَّا مَلأتُ حَشَا

قَلْبِي بِأوْصَابِهِ يَا ضَيْعَةَ الْمَالِ

I have been weak in loving him when I filled

My heart with his love, O squandering of wealth

إنْ كُنْتَ تَقْضِي بِمُرّ الصَّدَ يَا أمَلِي

فَشَاهِدُ الحُسْنِ بِالإحْسَانِ حَلَّى لِي

If you decree with the bitterness of rejection, O my hope

The witness of beauty has made things sweet for me

أوْ كَانَ لِي أمَلٌ بِالصَّبْرِ عَنْكَ فَلاَ

بُلِّغْتُ مِنْ نِعَمِ المَسْعُودِ آمَالِي

Or if I had hope in patience from you, I would not

Have achieved the blessings of the fortunate, my hopes

المَانِحُ الجُودَ لاَ رَدْعاً لِسَائِلِهِ

المَانِعُ الجَارَ لاَ خَوْفاً لأقْيَالِ

The bestower of generosity, nothing holds back his askers

The preventer of neighbors, no fear of consequences

مَا خَالَفَتْهُ بُدُورُ التَّمّ فِي شَبَهٍ

إلاّ لِتَقْصِيرهَا عَنْ مَجْدِهِ العالِي

The full moons in cycles did not differ from it in likeness

Except by their falling short of its lofty glory

طَوْدُ المكَارِمِ جَلَّى كُلَّ دَاجِيةٍ

بِعَزْمَةٍ أرْغَمَتْ آنَافَ أشَكَالِ

The pillar of virtues made clear every shining light

With determination that forced the noses of forms

لَيْثٌ إذَا أمْطَرَتْ مَوْتاً قَوَاضِبُهُ

حَسِبْتَهَا سُحُباً سَحَّتْ عَلَى الضَّالِ

A lion whose blows rain death, you would think them

Clouds that poured over the lost

مُبَرْقِعُ الخَيْلِ بِالبِيضِ الحِدَادِ إذَا

هَاجَ الهِيَاجُ باطلاب وَأبْطَالِ

Saddled in white mourning, when the battle

Was stirred between heroes and champions

وَمُصْدِرُ البِيضِ حُمْراً مِنْ دِمَائِهمُ

وَجاعِلُ الهَامِ أغْمَاداً لأوْصَالِ

And the white's origin is red from their blood

And making the resolve into sheaths for limbs

أسْمَى حُرُوفِ المَعَانِي فِيهِ وَاضِحَةٌ

وَكُلُّ عَالٍ سِوَاهُ حَرْفُ إعْلاَلِ

The highest letters of meanings in it are clear

And all elevated except it are letters of defect

صَحَّتْ وِلاَيَةُ أقْلاَمٍ بِرَاحَتِهِ

فَقَسَّمَتْ بَيْنَ أرْزَاقٍ وَآجَالِ

By his comfort, the authorities of pens have been validated

Distributing between sustenances and terms

قَامَتْ بِشُكْرِ وَلِلْبَارِي بِهِ سَجَدَتْ

تُلاَزِمُ الخَمْسَ أفْضَالاً لأفْضَالِ

They stood in thanks and to the Creator through it bowed down

Continuously performing the five obligations and more

يَا قُلْ لِحَاسِدِهِ المَغْرُورِ مُتْ كَمَداً

ذَاكَ الجَنَابُ فَلاَ يُصْدَعْ بِزَلْزَالِ

O say to his arrogant envious enemy swollen up

That eminent one, so let not the earthquakes make him deaf

كَهْفٌ تَعَالَى عَلَى العَلْيَاء مَجْلِسُهُ

فَكَاتَبَتْهُ العُلاَ بِالْمَجْلِسِ العَالِي

A cave, lofty is his sitting above the heights

So the elevation has corresponded with him at the high sitting

لَوْ طَاوَلَتْهُ النُّجُومُ الزُّهْرُ مَا بَلَغَتْ

مِنْ نَسْرِ عَلْيَاهُ إلاَّ تُرْبَ أنْعَالِ

If the stars had reached him, the blossoms would not have reached

From the flight of his elevation except the dust of his shoes

كَافٍ لِكُلّ مُلِمّ لاَ يَقُومُ بِهِ

إلاَّ بِغَيْثِ نَدَاهُ عِنْدَ إمْحَالِ

It is enough for every shelter-seeker that he stands by him

Except with a rain of his call at desperation

وَنَاصِرٌ ثَرْوَتِي حَتَّى تَغَلَّبَهَا

أخُو اللَّيالَي عَلَى عِسْرٍ وَإقْلاَلِ

And a supporter of my wealth until it overcomes

The brother of nights over hardship and scarcity

لَمْ أجْرِ غَايَةَ فِكْرِي فِيهِ في صِفَةٍ

إلاَّ وَجَدْتُ مَدَاهَا غَايَةَ القَالِ

I have not extended the limit of my thought about him in an attribute

Except I found its scope the utmost limit

يَابْنَ الكِرَامِ الذِي قَامَتْ مَكَارِمُهُمْ

هَلْ أنْتَ مُصْغٍ لِمَا تُلْقِيهِ أقْوَالِي

O son of generous ones whose virtues established them

Are you listening to what my words pronounce

مَا أنْتَ إلاَّ إمَامُ المَجْدِ قَدْ عُقِدَتْ

عَلَيْكَ آرَاءُ إجْمَاعٍ وَإجْمَالِ

You are none but the imam of glory whom

Opinions of consensus and generality have been bound to

كَأنَّ أهْلَ العُلاَ جِسْمٌ وَأنْتَ لَهُمْ

هَامٌ يُتَوَّجُ فِي العَلْيَا بِإجْلاَلِ

As if the people of status are a body and you are for them

A resolver crowned at the peak with veneration

إنْ كُنْتَ فِي الوَقْتِ قَدْ وَافَيْتَ آخِرَهُمْ

فَإنَّكَ البَدْرُ وَافَى عِنْدَ إكْمَالِ

If you have in time reached their last

You are the moon which has arrived at its perfection

لَمَّا وَزَنْتُ بِكَ الدُّنْيَا فَمِلْتَ بِهَا

يَا مُنْتَهَى الجُودِ قَدْ حَقَقْتَ آمالِي

When I weighed the world with you I became bored with it

O utmost of generosity, you have realized my hopes

لَوْلاَ غَمَامُ نَدَى أيْدِيكَ يُمْطِرُنَا

لأصْبَحَ الجُود فِينَا كَاسِفَ البَالِ

If not for the clouds of dew from your hands that rain us

Generosity in us would have been disappointing

لأشْكُرَنَّكَ إنَّ الشُّكْرَ نَائِلُهُ

أبْقَى عَلَى حَالِهِ مِنْ نَائِلِ المَالِ

I will thank you, for thanks - its obtainer

Remains in his state over the obtainer of wealth

فَارْقَ المَعَالِيَ مَخْدُوماً بِأرْبَعَةٍ

عِزّ وَجَاهٍ وَإيثَارٍ وَإقْبَالِ

Distinct with four qualities: honor, prominence, preference, and attention

And listen to the prose of stringed lines whose essence

وَاسْمَعْ مُنَظَّمَةَ الأسْلاَكِ جَوْهَرُهَا

أزْرَتْ غَرَابَتُهُ بِالعَاطِلِ الحَالِي

Adorned its strangeness with the empty current state

A houri from the gardens of thought not known to us

حُورِيَّةٌ مِنْ جِنَانِ الفِكْرِ مَا عُرْفَتْ

فِينَا بِنَسْبَةِ خَرَّاطٍ وَقَفَّالِ

In relation to a peddler or grocer

If it is not the making of al-A'sha then its maker

إنْ لمْ تَكُنْ صَنْعَةَ الأعْشَى فَصَانِعُهَا

يَرْوِي عَنِ ابْنِ هلاَلٍ صُنعَ لآَّلِ

Relates from the son of Hilal the making of instruments

So remain with praise and grace with which you have filled

فَدُمْ بِحَمْدٍ وَآلاَءٍ مَلأتَ بِهَا

جِهَاتِيَ السِّتّ مِنّ فَضْلٍ وَإفْضَالِ

My six directions with virtue and favor

Like a star I have not ceased, but like the moon in nobility

كَالنَّجْمِ لاَ زِلْتَ بَلْ كَالبَدْرِ في شَرفٍ

نُوراً لِمُقْتَبِسٍ رُشْداً لِضُلاَّلِ

A light for one who kindles, guidance for the lost