لومُ لئيم كلّما اشتدّ خابْ

والشَّوقُ لا يُصْغِي لبعض العِتاب

Blame of the critic increases whenever it intensifies,

And longing does not listen to some of the reproach.

مَنْ لام في الحب كئيب الحشا

فإنما أغراه بالاكتئاب

Whoever blames in love is miserable,

It only made him sadder with melancholy.

واكَبِداً لم يُبْقِ منها الجَوَى

بين ضُلوعي للجوى ما يُذَابْ

My inner self that did not leave any yearning in it

Between my ribs yearning melts.

صبابَةٌ تقدَح في مُهْجَتي

بِلاعج البَثّ شجىً والتهابْ

A glowing coal kindles in my inner self,

Live embers of talk, grief and inflammation.

يا مَنْ تَشَفَّى بعذابي به

إني لاستَعْذِب منك العَذاب

O you who recovered from my torment through it,

I find your torment pleasant.

لو فتَّشوا جِسْميَ ما أبصروا

غيرَ الأسى يَسْرَح بين الثّياب

If they searched my body they would not see

Anything but grief roaming between clothes.

لا زال سُقْمِي وعذابي على

سُقْم المآقِي والثَّنايَا العِذاب

My illness and torment did not cease

On the illness of afflictions and folds of torment.

لا خيرَ في الحُبّ إذا لم يكن

في أنْفُس العُشّاق ماضي الحِراب

There is no good in love unless there was

In the selves of lovers traces of turmoil.

في خدّ مَنْ يَتمّنى من دمي

رَشْحٌ وفي كَفَّيْه منه خِضاب

On the cheek of the one who wishes

From my blood, a drizzle, and on his palms from it, dye.

كأنما الإصباحُ من وجهه

لاح ومن خَدَّيْه ذاب الشَّراب

As if the dawn shone from his face,

And from his cheeks the wine melted.

فما رَمى عن قوس أجفانه

قلبَي بالألحاظ إلاّ أصاب

So he did not shoot from the bow of his eyelids

At my heart with glances except hitting it.

لما تَشكَّيتُ إليه الهوى

بأَلْسُن الدَّمع رَثَى واستجابْ

When I complained to him of passion

With tongues of tears, he had mercy and responded.

وزارني تحت رِواق الدُّجى

واللَّيلُ في صِبْغ جَناح الغُرابْ

He visited me under the porch of gloom

While the night was in the dye of the crow’s wing,

يَلُوح في الظلماء لألاَؤُه

كالبدر في مِدْرَعة من سَحاب

Its jewels gleam in the darkness

Like the moon in armor of clouds,

مُكْتَتِماً يفرقُ من ظلمة

مُسْتَحْسِراً من فلَقٍ واكتِئاب

Concealing, scattering the darkness,

Bashful, from a slit and melancholy.

والبدرُ في أوّل إقباله

كخطّ نونٍ مُذْهَب في كتاب

And the moon in its first appearance

Is like a line of gilded Nun in a book.

فبات يُعْطينَي من وصله

أضعافَ ما أَعطى من الاجتِناب

So he spent the night giving me from his company

Multiples of what he gave from avoidance.

إذا سقاني الرَّاحَ من كفّه

مَزْجْتُها لَثْماً براح الرُّضَاب

When he quenched my thirst from his palm,

I mixed it with the wine of kisses.

كأنّها في الكأس ما جال في

خدَّيْه من رقّة ماء الشباب

As if it was in the cup what shone on

His cheek from the softness of the water of youth.

حتى تولّى الليلُ في جيشه

وحلّ ضَوءُ الصّبح عَقْدَ النِّقاب

Until the night took over its army,

And the light of dawn untied the knot of the veil.

كأنّما الليل بإصباحه

كان عِذاراً حالكاً ثم شابْ

As if the night by its dawn,

It was muddy then cleared up.

أو كان مثل الجَوْر في لونه

فحلّه عدلُ نِزارٍ فغاب

Or it was like amber in its color,

So the justice of soft rain cleared it up.

قل لأبي المنصور يا خيرَ من

أقام أو حثَّ لمجدٍ ركاب

Say to Abu al-Mansur, O best of those

Who established or urged for glory horses.

ويا إماماً قَابَلتْ مُلْكَه

لوائحُ الإقبال من كلّ باب

And O Imam, his kingdom was met

By manifestations of power from every door.

خوَّلك القدرةَ والنّصَر مَنْ

حَباكَ بالحُكم وفصل الخِطاب

He who endowed you with ability and victory

Who gifted you with rule and the speech of judgment.

إن ابن حمدان عدا رُشْدَه

ورام أن يَظفَر جهلاً فخاب

Indeed Ibn Hamdan turned away from his integrity

And wanted to gain ignorance, but failed.

ظنّ الذي أخْلَفه ظنّه

فيها وخال الماء لَمْعَ السَّراب

The hope he disappointed him with it

And the water shone like a mirage.

فيا أبا تَغْلِبَ سُؤْتَ المُنى

ومتَّ بالتّهديد قبل الضِّراب

So O Abu Taghlib, you were given what you wished

And threatened before striking.

كيف يُلاقي الأسْدَ منك امرؤٌ

قد فرّ من أدنى نُباح الكِلاب

How can a man who fled from the least barking of dogs

Meet the lion in you?

حارَبْتَ بالبَغْي إمامَ الهدى

ولم تَهَبْ منها عزيزاً يُهاب

You fought the Imam of guidance with rebellion

And did not refrain from it, mighty and feared.

وكان قد طاب لكم عفُوه

فعاد مُرّاً منه ما كان طاب

And his forgiveness was good for you

So what was good from it became bitter.

وجَّهَ بالبِيضِ كتاباً له

إليك مَنْشوراً فكنُتَ الجواب

He sent you a message in white

Published for you, and you were the answer.

وعجَّلتْ رأسَك سُمْرُ القنا

وخلّفت جسمَك رهنَ التراب

And the edge of the sword hurried your head

And left your body hostage to dust.

كذاك من حُيِّر عن سعده

مِثْلُك لا يَزداد إلاَّ اغتراب

Thus is the one who loses his happiness like you

Only increases in alienation.

يا بن معزّ الدين أَبْشِر فقد

مدّتْ لك الأملاك طوعَ الرِّقابْ

O son of Ma'add al-Din, rejoice, for

The kingdoms have extended to you the necks willingly.

وانحلّ عن مُلْكك عَقْدُ الأذى

قَسْراً وذلّت لك فيه الصِّعاب

And the knot of harm over your kingdom untied

Forcibly, and difficulties submitted to you in it.

لأنّك الغُرّة من هاشم

والصفو من ساداتها واللُّباب

Because you are the elite of Hashim

And the finest of its masters and essence.

وابن الصَّفا والحِجرُ ابن الهدى

ابن نبيّ الله ابن الكتاب

The son of purity and the stone of guidance

The son of the Prophet of God, the son of the Book.

كفّاك كفٌّ تَنْهمي بالثّواب

عفواً وكفٌّ تَنْهمي بالعِقاب

A palm that satisfies with reward is enough for you

Forgiveness, and a palm that satisfies with punishment.

كم من يدٍ أَوليْتني جمَّةٍ

أُبْتُ بنُعماها لخير المآب

How many hands have I been brought together

I have been dutiful to its favors, to the best of goals.

ما زلتَ تُدْنيني وتُعْلى يدي

فعلَ كريم الأصَل حُرِّ النِّصاب

You continue to bring me closer and raise my hand

The act of the generous origin, free of flaws.

فُرحتُ من نُعماك بادِي الغِنى

مُتَمَّمَ الآمال رَحْبَ الجنَاب

I rejoiced in your blessings showing needlessness

Fulfilling hopes, vastness of the sides.

والله ما في جسدي شعرةٌ

إلاّ وشكري لك فيها سِخَاب

By God, there is no hair on my body

Except my gratitude to you penetrates it.