أجَدَّ غَرَامِي وَهْوَ لِلْجسمِ هَازِلُ

وَأحْيَا بِأفْكَارِي الهَوَى وَهْوَ قَاتِلُ

My passion increased as my body weakened,

And my thoughts revived love though it is deadly.

وَلَمْ أرَ مِثْلِي حَافِظاً سُنَنَ الهَوَى

إذَا أعرضَتْ عَنْهُ الصدُورُ المَوَائِلُ

I have not seen anyone as dutiful to the ways of love as I,

When hearts turn away, the gentle ones.

إذَا أحْدَثَتْ عَيْنِي لِغَيْرِكَ نَظْرَةً

تُطَهِّرُهَا غُدْرَانُ دَمْعِي المُرَاسِلُ

If my eyes glance at another besides you,

The treachery of my tears purifies them.

لِنَاظركَ الفَتَّانِ بالسِّحْرِ آيَةٌ

عَلَيْهَا رَسُولُ الدَّمْعِ فِي الخدّ سائِلُ

For your charming gaze, a miracle,

Upon which the messenger of tears on the cheek flows.

يُعَبِّرُ عَنْ سِرّ الهَوَى وَأضِيعُهُ

فَلِلَّهِ دَمعٌ مُعْرِبٌ وَهْوَ هَامِل

It expresses the secret of passion and I lose it,

So for God, an expressing tear that is zealous.

وَهَلْ ذَاقَنِي دَمْعٌ من الدمعِ مُخْصبٌ

وَرَبْع اصطبَار القلبِ بعدَكَ مَاحِل

Has any tear ever rained on me from tears fruitful?

Patience fills a quarter of the heart after you, barren.

أيَا قمرَ الإصبَاحِ وَالكوْكَبَ الَّذِي

لِطَلْعَتِهِ تصْبُوا البدور الكوَامِلُ

O moon of the dawn and star whose

Rising makes the full moons submit.

لَئِنْ كَانَ طرفي من تَجَافِيكَ نَازِحاً

فَإنَّ فُؤَادِي من تَدَانِيكَ آهِلُ

If my gaze turns away from you resentfully,

My heart turns affectionately towards you.

سَهِدْتُ الدجَى حَتَّى رَثَتْ لي نجومُه

وَرَقَّتْ لِمَا ألْقَاهُ فِيهِ العَوَاذِلُ

I stayed up late until the stars of night pitied me

And the visiting stars commiserated what the blamers caused.

وَمِمَّا شَجَانِي أن طرفَكَ قَاتِلٌ

بِمُوجِبِ ما قَلْبِي بِهِ الآن فَاعِلُ

What pained me is that your charming gaze kills

According to what my heart is doing now.

فَلاَ تَتَّهمْ تَأخِيرَ وجْدِي فَإنَّنِي

أتيتُ بِمَا لمْ تَسْتَطِعْهُ الأوَائِلُ

So do not accuse the delay of my passion, for I

Have come with what the predecessors could not achieve.

خَلِيليَّ هَلْ عَايَنْتُمَا يوم رَامَةٍ

قواتل قد حَنَّتْ إلَيْهَا المَقَاتِلُ

My friend, have you ever seen a day of determination

When the killers leaned towards it, the warriors?

غدَاةَ قدودِ البان سمرٌ عوَاملٌ

وسودُ عيُونِ البِيضِ بِيضٌ قَوَاتِلُ

The morning of the separation of the beloveds, the visiting dark-haired ones,

And the white of the eyes of the whites, killing whites.

وَفَيِ النَّاسِ جَهْلٌ بِالعُيُونِ إذَا رَنَتْ

يَقُولُونَ غزلاَنٌ وهن مَنَاصِلُ

There is ignorance among the people about the gazelles when they gaze,

They say these are young mountain goats when they are censurers.

وَعِنْدَهُمُ أن القدُودَ نَوَاضِرٌ

وَمَا هِيَ لِلْعُشَّاقِ إلاَّ ذَوَابِلُ

And to them the separation are coquettes

And they are not but temptresses for the lovers.

فَإنْ حَكَمُوا أنَّ العُيُونَ صَوَارِمٌ

فَشَاهِدُهَا أن الدَّلاَلَ حَمَائِلُ

So if they judge that the eyes are sharp swords,

Then witness them, for the evidence carries gifts.

وَإنْ اجمعُوا أن النُهودَ أسنَّةٌ

فَبرْهَانُهُمْ أن القدُودَ عَوَامِلُ

And if they all agree that the breasts are spears,

Then their proof is that the separations are carriers.

وَبي غَادةٌ لَوْلاَ تبسم ثغرهَا

لَمَا مُدَّ مِنْ نُورِ البُكُورِ الأصَائِلُ

In me is a young gazelle, if not for the smile of her mouth,

The light of dawn would not have lasted from her risings.

إذَا ما انْثَنَتْ في الروضِ أغْصَانُ قَدّهَا

فَيَا طِيبَ مَا تُثْنِي عَلَيْهَا البلاَبلُ

When the branches bend in the garden of her figure,

How beautifully the nightingales compliment her!

وَإن أسفَرتْ عَنْ وَاضِحِ الحسنِ أوْ رنتْ

فَيَا لُطْفَ مَا تُهدِيهِ تِلْكَ الشَّمَائِلُ

And if she reveals her clear beauty or glances,

How gentle are the gifts her qualities present!

أغَازِلُ مِنْهَا الظبيَ والظبْيُ نَاعس

وَأشهدُ مِنْهَا البَدْرَ وَالبَدْرُ آفلُ

I flirt with the young gazelle while the gazelle sleeps,

And observe the full moon while it is setting.

وَألثمُ مِنْهَا الثغرَ وَالثغرُ بَارقٌ

وَأهْصُرُ مِنْهَا القدَّ وَالقَد عَامِلُ

And I kiss her mouth while her mouth smiles,

And I embrace her stature and it is working.

فَللِشَّمْسِ مَا أخْفَاهُ فَضْلُ نِقَابِهَا

وَلِلْغُصْنِ مَا زَرَّتْ عَلَيْه الغَلاَئِلُ

The sun has what the excellence of her veil concealed,

And the branch what the visiting twigs adorned.

أتَتْ بَغْتَةً وَالجَو يخضبُ فودَهُ

فَوَلَّتْ وَأفْقُ الفَرْقِ بِالشيبِ فَاصِلُ

She came suddenly and the weather blushed its cheeks,

Then left and the hair of separation turned white.

عَلَى حِينِ نجمُ الصبحِ في الأفق فَارِسٌ

يَجُولُ وَنجمُ اللَّيْلِ في الغربِ رَاحِلُ

At a time when the morning star in the horizon is a horseman

Roaming while the star of night in the west halts.

أيَا سَرْحَةَ الشَّاطِي هَلِ أخْضَرَّ بعدنَا

مَرَاتعُ طَابَتْ فِي حِمَاهَا المَنَاهِلُ

O walker of the shore, have its pastures greened after us?

Have the watering places become beautiful in their protection?

وَضَاحَكَ ثغرَ الوردِ ثغرُ أقَاحِهَا

وَغَازَلَهَا ذَاكَ الغَزَالُ المُغَازِلُ

The mouth of the rose smiles at the mouth of its bud

And that flirting gazelle flirts with it.

وَهَلْ غَرَّدَ القُمْرِي فِي عَرَصَاتِهَا

كَمَا هَزَّ أعطَافَ الغُصُونِ الشَّمَائِلُ

Did the songbird sing in its plains

As the qualities shook the branches?

وَهَلْ ألِفَاتُ البَانِ عُجْباً تَمَايَلَتْ

بِحَيْثُ أجَادَتْ هَمْزَهُنَّ البَلاَبِلُ

Did the companions of separation amazingly sway

Where the nightingales freely trilled?

وَهَلْ قَدْ رَوَى النعمَانُ عن سَهْلِ نُعْمِهَا

أحَادِيثَ ألْقَتْهَا الصَّبَا وَالشَّمَائِلُ

Did the meadow give news from its easy comfort

That the morning breeze and the qualities presented?

وَهَلْ جَالَ فِيهَا أدْكَنُ الرَّعْدِ جَودَهُ

كَمَا جَرَّ فضلَ الذيلِ أدهمُ صَاهِلُ

Did the darkest of thunder exult its rain there

As the rain of the tail ran, the ash-colored horsemen?

وَهَلْ حَنَّتِ الأنْوَار شَرْقاً لِتُرْبِها

فَصِيغَتْ لَهَا بِالبَارِقَاتِ بَلاَبِل

Did the lights bow east to its ground

So lightnings were created for it, nightingales?

وَلاَ عَجَبٌ أنْ شَاقَ قَلْبِي رُبوعَها

وَأيَّةُ نَفْسٍ لَمْ تَشُقْهَا المَنَازِلُ

It is no wonder that its meadows captivated my heart,

What soul has the dwellings not captivated?

وَإنْ هَيَّجَتْ نفسِي الغَدَاةَ شَمَائِلٌ

فَأيَّةٌ نَارٍ لَمْ تُهِجْهَا الشَّمَائِلُ

If the qualities stirred my soul in the morning,

What fire have the qualities not stirred?

بنفسيَ من اخفى التَّهَجُّدَ خَدَّهَا

فَأوْحَشَ نُعْمَانٌ وَأوْنَسَ بَابِلُ

I have a young beauty whose smile concealed her vigilance

So the meadow saddened and the ruin prospered.

تُطَاعِنُنِي أعْطَافُهَا اللُّدْنُ إذ غدت

أسِنَّتَهَا تِلْكَ القدُودُ العَوَامِلُ

Her gentle branches stab me as if

Those visiting breasts are killing warriors.

وَتَأسَرُنِي الألحَاظُ مِنْهَا كَأنَّمَا

بِسَيْفِ أمِيرِ المُؤْمِنِينَ تُقَاتِلُ

And her glances make me captive as though

With the sword of the Prince of the Faithful they fight.

أبِي عمرٍو الأعْلَى الهمامِ الذي ارْتقى

منَازِلَ عَنْهَا يَقْصُرُ المُتَطَاوِلُ

My father Amr Al A’la, the protector, who reached

Levels above which the ambitious fall short.

فَتىً عَمَرَتْ مِنْهُ المَعَالِي وَلم تَكُنْ

تُعَمَّرُ مِمَّنْ بَانَ إلاَّ المَنَازِلُ

A young man whom the high virtues inhabited though they did not

Inhabit anyone but the greatest.

سرَاجٌ لبيت المُلْكِ إذْ هُوَ مُظْلِمٌ

وَحَلْيٌ لجيد الدهْر إذْ هُوَ عَاطِلُ

A lamp for the house of rule when it is dark

And an ornament for the time’s neck when it is bare.

وَمِنْهُ لِدِينِ اللَّهِ سَيْفٌ وَنَاصِرٌ

وَفِيهِ لبيتِ الملكِ حَامٍ وَحَامِلُ

For the religion of God a sword and a supporter

And for the house of rule a defender and bearer.

أخُو الباس وَالنُّعْمَى فَإمَّا حماسة

وَأما حسَامٌ صَادقُ القَوْلِ فَاصِلُ

The brother of courage and bounty, one of fervor

Or a decisive, honest sword.

إذَا افْتَرَّ ثغرُ البِيضِ في أفْقِ كَفَّهِ

بَكَتْ سُحْبُ أهدَابِ الجرَاحِ الهَوامِلُ

When the mouth of the white shines in the horizon of his palm,

The clouds of the eyelids of the caring wounds cry.

من القَوْمِ حَلُّوا ذُرْوَةَ المجدِ وَالتُّقَى

فَهُمْ في سَمَا العَلْيَا البدُورُ الكَوَامِلُ

Of the people who reached the peak of glory and devotion

So they are in the highest heaven the full moons.

يَرُوغُونَ مِنْ تَحْتِ الدرُوع كَأنَّمَا

تَسِيرُ بِهم تَحْتَ السرُوجِ الهيَاكِلُ

They charge from beneath the armor as though

The statues carry them beneath the saddles.

ولما طَغَى حصنُ البَرَابِر واغتدت

معَاقِلُهُ تَحْمِي حِمَاهَا الجَنَادِلُ

And when the fortress of the barbarians transgressed and their

Strongholds protected those under their care.

أقَامَ صَلاَةَ الحَرْبِ قَائِمُ سَيْفهُ

فَأبْدَتْ سجُودَ الخَوْفِ تِلْكَ المعاقِلُ

He stood erect with his sword performing the prayer of war

So those strongholds bowed in fear.

وَخَاضَ بسفنِ الخَيْلِ بحرَ معَامعٍ

لَهَا البيضُ مَوْجٌ وَالرمَاحُ سَوَاحِلُ

And he plunged into a sea of billows with the ships of cavalry

With the white as waves and the spears as coasts.

وأوَطُأ هاَم الحَصن حاَفر طَرفه

ومن قبلِ لم يسَتأصلْ الحصَن صَائِلُ

And he stepped with his horse’s hoof atop the fortress’s pillar

When no assailant had before destroyed a fortress.

بِحَيْثُ الحسَامُ الهُنْدَوَانِي فَاصِلٌ

يَصُولُ وَهَامَاتُ الرّجَالِ مَفَاصِلُ

Where the Indian swords are separators

And the heads of men are joints.

وَحَيْثُ إمَاءُ الثَاكلِينَ حَرَائِرٌ

وَحَيْثُ نِسَاءُ الهَالِكِين ثَواكِلُ

And where the women of the fallen are free

And the women of the destroyed are mourners.

رَمَاهُ وَقَدْ هَاجَ الهيَاجُ بِضَرْبَةٍ

لَهَا مِنْ يَدَيْهِ فِي المُلُوكِ أمَائِلُ

He threw it when passions were stirred with a strike

Whose like from his hands against kings has no equal.

وَشَنَّ بِهِ الغَارَاتِ حَتَّى لَقَدْ غَدَا

وَعَقْلُ الَّذِي خَلفَ المَعَاقِلِ عَاقِلُ

And he launched raids until he who remained behind the fortresses

Became reasonable while possessing fortresses.

وَمَا زَالَ حَتَّى اذعنَ الحصن عُنْوَةً

وَدَانَتْ عَلَى صِغْرٍ لَدَيْهِ القَبَائِلُ

And he did not stop until the fortress submitted by force

And the tribes, despite their small number, submitted to him.

وَحَكَّمَ فِيمَنْ لَدَّ عَنْهُ مُهَنَّدٌ

سَرِيعُ قَضَاءٍ صَادِقُ القَوْلِ فَاعِلُ

And he established the law for those who turned from him,

Muhanad, of swift and honest judgement.

وَقَدْ يَكْبرُ الخطبُ اليسير فَيَجْتَنِي

أكَابِرُ قَوْمٍ مَا جَنَتْهُ الأسَافِلُ

Even small matters may overwhelm

The elders of a people, whom the lowly did not overwhelm.

كَمَا أهْلَكَتْ بكرٌ طُغَاةَ حماتِهَا

فَحَلَّ ببكرٍ مَا تَقَاضَاهُ وَائِلُ

Just as Bakr destroyed the tyrants of its sister tribe

And what Wa'il legally claimed befell Bakr.

أيَا مَالِكاً منْ طبعِهِ الجد في النُّهَى

إذَا ضَيَّعَ التَّدْبِيرَ فِي الرَّأيِ هَازِلُ

O Malik who is by nature serious in purpose

If one is careless in planning the matter.

تُقَابِلُكَ الأعْيَادُ ذَا فِي قُدُومِهِ

بِحَمْدٍ وَذَا بِالشُّكْرِ إذْ هُوَ رَاحِلُ

The holidays meet you upon arrival

One in praise and one in thanks as it departs.

كَأنَّ هِلاَلَ العِيدِ زَوْرَقُ قَادِمٍ

يُبَادِرُ بِالتَّسْلِيمِ ثُمَّ يُوَاصِلُ

As if the crescent of Eid were a coming boat

That bids greetings then continues sailing.

أأجْحَدُكَ النَعْمَاءَ عندِي وَقد نَمَتْ

نُمُوَ الربَى جَادَتْ عَلَيْهَا الهَوَاطِلُ

Shall I be stingy with bounty while it has grown for me

And blessings have poured upon which the torrents flow?

وَاظهرتَ أمَرِي بَعْدَ أنْ كَانَ مختفٍ

وَرَفَّعْتَ قَدْرِي بَعْدَ إذْ هُوَ خَامِلُ

You have shown my command after it was hidden

And raised my worth after it was withheld.

فَلَسْتُ أبَالِي جَادَ بِالخَيْرِ فَاضِلٌ

عَلَى سَائِلٍ أوْ ضَنّ بِالخَيْرِ بَاخِلُ

So I do not care if one grants generously

Or is stingy in granting, withholding.

فَدُمْ أشْرَفَ العَلْيَا فسعدُكَ ظَاهِرٌ

وجدك مسعُودٌ وَمَجْدُكَ كَامِلُ

So may the highest live on, your prosperity apparent

And your stature auspicious and perfect.