أَمُقامُ وَصلٍ أَم مَقامُ فِراقِ

فَالقُضبُ بَينَ تَصافُحٍ وَعِناقِ

Is this a tryst or parting?

The spear lies between embraces and farewells,

خَفّاقَةٌ ما بَينَ نَوحِ حَمامَةٍ

هَتَفَت وَدَمعِ غَمامَةٍ مُهراقِ

Fluttering between the wailing of a dove

And the tears of a weeping cloud.

عَبِثَت بِهِنَّ يَدُ النُعامى سَحرَةً

فَوَضَعنَ أَعناقاً عَلى أَعناقِ

The hands of time played at dawn

Placing neck upon neck.

أَكسَبنَني خُلقَ الوَفاءِ وَرُبَّما

أَذكَرنَني بِمَواقِفِ العُشّاقِ

They taught me the nature of loyalty, and would

Remind me of the stance of lovers.

ضَمّاً وَلَثماً وَاِستِطابَةَ نَفحَةٍ

وَخُفوقَ أَحشاءٍ وَفَيضَ مَآقِ

An embrace, a kiss, the sweetness of a breath,

The throbbing of hearts and the flow of saliva.

فَلَوَ اِنَّ سَرحَةَ بَطنِ وادٍ بِاللِوى

حَيَّيتُها تُصغي إِلى مُشتاقي

If only the expanse of the valley’s belly responded

I would greet it listening to my yearning.

لَنَثَرتُ بِالجَرعاءِ عِقدَ مَدامِعي

فَفَضَضتُ خَتمَ الصَبرِ عَن أَغلاقي

I would scatter my collected tears like pearls

And break the seal of patience from my bonds.

وَأَرَقتُ فَضلَ صُبابَةٍ لِصَبابَةٍ

فَرَقَعتُ ما أَخلَقتُ مِن أَخلاقي

I would share the prime of my youth with the prime of youth

And patch what traits I had made.

فَإِلَيكِ يا نَفسَ الصَبا فَلَطالَما

أَذكى نَداكَ حَرارَةَ الأَشواقِ

So to you, soul of my youth, for long

Has your voice kindled the heat of passions within me.

ها إِنَّ بي لَمَماً يُؤَرِّقُ ناظِري

أَلَماً فَهَل مِن نافِثٍ أَو راقِ

In me is a pain that troubles my gaze -

Is there anyone to soothe or heal?

سِر وادِعاً لا تَستَطِر قَلباً هَفا

بِجَناحِ شَوقٍ رِشتَهُ خَفّاقِ

Travel quietly, do not rouse a heart inclined

To the wing of passion that fans it.

وَإِذا طَرَقتَ جَنابَ قُرطُبَةٍ فَقِف

فَكَفاكَ مِن ناسٍ وَمِن آفاقِ

And if you pass by Cordoba then stop -

You’ve had your fill of people and horizons.

وَاِلثُم يَدَ اِبنِ أَبي الخِصالِ عَنِ العُلى

مُتَشَكِّراً وَاِضمُمهُ ضَمَّ عِناقِ

And kiss the hand of the son of virtues supreme

With gratitude, drawing him into a tight embrace.

وَاِفتُق بِناديهِ التَحِيَّةَ زَهرَةً

نَفّاحَةً تُغني عَنِ اِستِنشاقِ

Greet him with an open blossom of a call

That makes pure inhaling unnecessary.

كَالشَمسِ يَومَ الدَجنِ تَندى مُجتَنى

ظِلٍّ وَتَحسُنُ مُجتَلى إِشراقِ

Like the sun on a dewy morn, graced by shade

And beautifully radiant in its rising.

وَاِهزُز بِها مِن مِعطَفَيهِ فَإِنَّما

شَعشَعتَها كَأساً بِيُمنى ساقِ

Shake from his cloak, for it has only

Sparkled like a cup in the right hand of a drinker.

وَالنورُ يَرقُمُ مِن بِساطِ بَسيطَةٍ

وَالغَيمُ يَنشُرُ مِن جَناحِ رِواقِ

Light sketches from the plain carpet’s expanse

And the clouds unfold from the wing of the porch.

وَسِمِ الحَمامَةِ أَن تُجيبَ تَغَنِّياً

عَن مَنطِقٍ ماضٍ يُلَبّي باقِ

Command the dove to reply with her singing

Beyond the faded words that echo.

مُتَرَكِّبٍ عَن نَفحَةٍ في لَفحَةٍ

وَكَفاكَ مِن كاسٍ هُناكَ دِهاقِ

Riding on a whiff within a breeze -

And you’ve had your fill of a cup there, overflowing.

وَخِطابِ بِرٍّ نابَ عَنهُ سِفارَةً

إِنَ الخِطابَ عَلى البُعادِ تَلاقِ

Eloquence flowed from it, making diplomacy redundant,

For discourse over distances is reunion.

تَندى عَلى كَبِدي لَدونَةُ مَنطِقٍ

فَتَفي بِحُرِّ تَرائِبٍ وَتَراقِ

Dew forms on my liver from the smoothness of his words

Dispersing in a sea of doubt and harmony.

فَهُناكَ أَروَعُ مِلءُ رَوعِ المُجتَلي

يَقظانُ موثَقُ عِقدَةِ الميثاقِ

For there lies the most wondrous fullness of radiance

Awake, bound by the pact of covenant.

هَزَجَت بِهِ هَزجَ الحَمامِ مَحامِدٌ

حَمَلَت حُلاهُ مَحمَلَ الأَطواقِ

It sways with the swaying of the neck of a dove,

Bearing his adornment like necklaces do.

لَدنُ الحَواشي لَو أَطَلَّ غَمامَةً

لَخَلا مِنَ الإِرعادِ وَالإِبراقِ

If his marginalia were to extend a cloud

It would be devoid of thunder and lightning.

شَرُفَت بِهِ فُقَرُ الثَناءِ وَرُبَّما

تَتَشَرَّفُ الأَطواقُ بِالأَعناقِ

Through it the merit of praise is ennobled, and perhaps

The most noble necks are honored by it.

جُمَّ العُلى مَسَحَت بِهِ كَفُّ العُلى

عَن حُرِّ وَجهِ مُطَهَّمٍ سَبّاقِ

The utmost apex - its palm has wiped

The heated face of an ardent frontrunner.

يُزهى بِأَعلاقِ المَعالي حِليَةً

إِنَّ المَعالي أَنفُسَ الأَعلاقِ

Adorned with the necklaces of the highest virtues,

For the highest virtues are themselves necklaces.

طالَت بِهِ رُمحَ السِماكِ يَراعَةٌ

تَستَضعِفُ الجَوزاءَ شَدَّ نِطاقِ

With it the spear of fame has lengthened

Belittling the tight belt of the waist.

ماخَطَّ مِن غُرَرِ الحِسانِ وَضاءَةً

حَتّى اِستَمَدَّ لَها مِنَ الأَحداقِ

It has not traced from the subtlety of beauty and splendor

Until drawing for it from the eyes’ dark pupils,

مُغرىً بِأَغراضٍ تَهولُ بَراعَةً

وَرَفيفِ أَلفاظٍ تَشوقُ رِقاقِ

Tempting with purposes that awe with acumen,

And the gentle rustling of words that captivate souls.

تَهفو بِهِ طَوراً قُدامى بارِقٍ

فيها وَآوِنَةً جَناحُ بُراقِ

Through it erstwhile peaks once gilded

Where for a time the wing of Buraq fluttered.

أَقسَمتُ لَو أَخَذَ الهِلالُ كَمالَهُ

عَنهُ لَتَمَّ تَمامَ غَيرِ مَحاقِ

I swear if the crescent took its perfection from it

It would be complete without defect.

وَكَفاكَ مِن غُصنٍ لِسَطرِ بَلاغَةٍ

مُتَناسِقِ الأَثمارِ وَالأَوراقِ

And enough of a branch for the line of eloquence

With harmonious fruits and leaves.

مُستَبدِعٌ حُسناً فَمِن مَعنىً لَهُ

حُرٍّ وَمِن لَفظٍ رَقيقِ رَواقِ

Innovating beauty so from one meaning

Refined, and from a tender spoken word.

مُتَوَلِّدٌ عَن خاطِرٍ مُتَوَقِّدٌ

لَهَباً وَطَبعٍ سَلسَلٍ دَفّاقِ

Created from an impassioned mind, kindling

Flame, and a nature smoothly flowing.

لَو كانَ يُرهَفُ صارِماً لَهَزَزتُهُ

في ماءِ إِفرِندٍ لَهُ رَقراقِ

If it were to be strictly refined, I would shake it

In the Frigid Water whose bubbles sound.