جدَّ بقلبي وهزلْ

بين النشاطِ والكسلْ

My heart wavered between activity and laziness

So I was enthralled by the generosity of this youth

فأطرب لفضلٍ بندهِ

ما بين خصر وكفل

With a body between waist and ankles

A full moon that was cold and hid

بدرٌ جفا أخبية الـ

ـحيِّ وفي القلب نزل

The love, while it settled in my heart

With eyelashes whose trait is

ذو مقلةٍ شيمتها

منعُ الأسيل بالأسل

Blocking the flowing tears with dams

I thanked his manners

شكرت من أخلاقهِ

فصدَّ عني واعتزل

But he turned away from me and isolated himself

His cheek near prostration has the kisses' perfume

لخدّهِ عند سجو

د الدمع تعفير القبل

I drank from his pure wine whose

Intoxication I cannot sober up from

شربتُ من صهباء لا

أصحو بها من الثمل

His narcissistic eyes circulate it

On the rose of shyness

يديرها نرجسُ عينيـ

ـهِ على ورد الخجل

Do not try to obtain its glitter

For there is poison in that honey

لا تستقني بريقهِ

فالسمَّ في ذاك العسل

And I hold back the enemy of my heart

The blue-eyed one from the black of eyeliner

وأكفف عدوّ قلبي

الأزرق من سود المقل

A moderate one who treats unjustly and the branch

Treats unjustly what has been moderated

معتدلٌ يجور والغصـ

ـنُ يجورُ ما اعتدل

If it were not for the support that came to him

The scarf would not have fallen in confusion

لولا أتاهُ الرّدف ما

طاش الوشاح بالخبل

And one who has deafened my hearing

In his love with unfaithfulness

وعاطلٍ قرّط سمعـ

ـي في هواهُ بالعذل

He threw my heart so it hit

My veins so there is no paralysis

رمى فؤادي فأصاب

رانياً فلا شلل

The sender of an acidic arrow with eyebrow and glance barbs

When I asked about his love I said

مرسلُ سهمٍ را

ش بالهدبِ وباللحظ نصل

Oh how painful is death

With a hand that grabs my patience which

وسائلٍ عن حبّهِ قلـ

ـتُ أجل هو الأجل

My hand did not grab before

Why do I not follow the example of Nadá's

ينهب صبري بيدٍ

ما ليدي بها قبل

Hand with the minister in hope

The hand that held back the cradle from

هلا اقتدي صنع ندى

يد الوزير بالأمل

Its nest insistently and weakened

As if he is the one who revives

من كفّ كفَّ المحل عن

عرينه عزماً وشلّ

Those who were killed

Glory is nothing but what protected

كأنَّهُ سميُّهُ

هبَّ فأحيى من قتل

And money nothing but what was spent

A pouring rain so no flower fades

ما المجدُ إلاًّ ما حمى

والمال إلاًّ ما بذل

A shining full moon so it does not set

For God what reformer of

غيثُ جداً فلا وزى

بدرُ دجى فلا أفل

The disease of corruption and negligence

A cure for the diseases of countries

لله أيُّ مصلحٍ

داءَ الفساد والخطل

Which have become impaired and fallen

The pillar of the disposition of the kingship after its deviation has adjusted

طبٌّ بأدواء البلا

د المدنفات والدُّول

He rushed the overflowing prominent traits so they overflowed

And he stood while fate sits

ساس مزاج الملـ

ـك بعد الانحراف فاعتدل

Broken from terror

Gripping the palm of generosity

هبَّ لهُ أبلجَ مأ

ثور الصفات فأبلّ

Not raising a head from shame

He blocked the path of those

وقام والدهر كسيرٌ

قاعدٌ من الوجل

Desires with a mountain

He moved swiftly beyond

قابض كفِّ البسط

لا يرفع رأساً من خجل

What thorns have grown

Where if the swords' blades did not push them

سدَّ طريقَ تلكم

الأهواءِ منهُ بجبل

Sandals would not have worn

And he returned the mouths of snakes

سعى حثيثاً فوق ما

تنبتُ من شوكِ الأسل

With folds to the burrows

Dead echoes containing them

في حيث لو لم يحثها

جفنُ الحسام ما انتعل

In their coffins of defects

Eloquent tongues and clarity

وردَّ أفواه الظُّبى

ذاتَ ثنايا بالفلل

In disputation and decisiveness

How many knots he tightened and how many

موتى صدى تضمُّها

أكفانها من الخلل

He bolstered when the untangler despaired

And how many times he said beautifully and did

طلقُ الجنان واللسا

ن في الجلاد والجدل

With a characteristic from his generosity

That he adorned the neck of ambition with

كم شدَّ من عقدٍ وكم

سدّ وقد أعيا خلل

He threw at the darkest clouds and the yellow torrents he carried

The Lord of meanings has cooled

وكم أقال عندما

قال جميلاً وفعل

The hot liver from chains

In his breath there is nothing

ذو عارضٍ من جوده

حلَّى بهِ جيدَ الأمل

But suns in a bucket

What faces leaned forward

في أدهم القطر رمى

وأشقر السيل حمل

To push in the chest of heroes

I fear for his favors the eye

ربُّ المعاني برَّدت

قلبَ الحجى من الغلل

Of the sincere friend when it is complete

Has his activity opened the wristbones

ما هنَّ في أنفاسها

غير شموسٍ في طفل

Of a caring friend or dams

We carved it with engraving and then

أيُّ وجوهٍ أقبلت

تدفعُ في صدر الأول

Polished it with smoothing

How many plots its lines have invalidated

أخشى على إحسانها

عينَ الخليل إذ كمل

In war from the schemes of heroes

With it the game of enemies was hunted

هل أشرعت بنانه

سمرَ يراعٍ أو أسل

And whatever was sliced and torn apart

Its detail is at the peak of

نصّلها بالنقش من

بعدُ وبالمسحِ صقل

Clarification, beauty and construction

It takes residence in a house which

كم أبطلت سطورها

في الحرب من كيدِ بطل

The Lord of eternity protects

A house whose glory’s meanings

صيد بها صيدُ العدى

وما انتضى وما انتصل

Are more delicate than the phrasing of flirtation

It transcended over the highest seven

تفصيلها في غاية الإيـ

ـضاحِ حسناً والجمل

Let alone the lower seven

Safe from the criticism of

يأوي إلى بيت على

حافظه ربُّ الأزل

The faulty five

Fingers raise it

بيتٌ معاني مجدهِ

أرقُّ من لفظ الغزل

The preferences of bees

They are nothing but kisses

سما على السبع العلى

فضلاً عن السبع الطول

That prostrate in them the kisses

My equals are like shades I

منزَّهٌ في راحة النقـ

ـد عن الخمس العلل

See none but shades

Or like the echo in the rest

ترفعهُ أناملٌ

مفضَّلياتُ النّحل

Of earth answering who asks

Circulate so you may be amazed by

ما هنَّ إلاَّ قبلٌ

تسجدُ فيهنَّ القبل

His wit and firmness

He sent proverbs like Nadá’s

مسايري كالظلّ لا

أشيمهُ إلاَّ أظلّ

What he did and did not say

From a grace of confusion that does not

أو كالصدى في سائر

الأرض يجيب من سأل

Know a plain from a mountain

So he made me what melts

تروَّ كي تعجبَ في

بديههِ والرتجل

And he dyed me what bonds

And the opinion of Najm al-Din did not

أرسل أمثال ندى

ما فعلت ولم تقل

Remain for me, for the matters are momentous

من نعمةٍ بلهاء لا

تعرفُ سهلاً من جبل

فصنعها بي ما نضا

وصبغها لي ما نصل

وما بقى لي رأيُ نجـ

ـم الدين فالخطبُ جلل