تَشَفَّع بِعِلقٍ لِلشَبابِ خَطيرِ
وَبِت تَحتَ لَيلٍ لِلوِصالِ قَصيرِ
He interceded with eloquence for the precarious youth,
And spent the night under a brief tryst.
وَنَل نَظرَةً مِن نُضرَةِ الحُسنِ وَاِنتَعِش
بِغُرَّةِ رَقراقِ الشَبابِ غَريرِ
And got a glimpse of the brightness of beauty, and was refreshed
By the twittering of playful youth.
فَما الأُنسُ إِلّا في مُجاجِ زُجاجَةٍ
وَلا العَيشُ إِلّا في صَريرِ سَريرِ
Joy is only in the clinking of a bottle,
And life only in the squeaking of a bed.
وَإِنّي وَإِن جِئتُ المَشيبَ لَمولَعٌ
بِطُرَّةِ ظِلٍّ فَوقَ وَجهِ غَديرِ
And even if old age comes, I am obsessed
With the shade on the surface of a pond.
فَيا حَبَّذا ماءٌ بِمُنعَرَجِ اللِوى
وَما اِهتَزَّ مِن أَيكٍ عَلَيهِ مَطيرِ
So good is the water bending around the twist,
With no rain having stirred it.
وَنَفحَةُ ريحٍ لِلرَبيعِ ذَكِيَةٌ
وَلَمحَةُ وَجهٍ لِلشَبابِ نَضيرِ
The breeze of spring is pleasant,
As is the glance of similar youth.
وَنَعسَةُ طَرفِ العَينِ مِن سِنَةِ الكَرى
لِرَجعِ خَريرٍ أَو لِشَجوِ هَديرِ
The drowsiness of an eye out of old age
For the gurgling return or the murmur of conversation.
وَقَد لاحَ وَجهُ الصُبحِ يَندى كَأَنَّهُ
وَراءَ قِناعِ اللَيلِ وَجهُ بَشيرِ
The face of dawn has appeared as if it were
Behind the mask of night the face of a harbinger.
وَأَشرَقَ نَجمٌ لِلثُرَيّا كَأَنَّهُ
أَيادي نَعيمٍ أَو هِضابُ ثَبيرِ
A star shone for Thurayya as if it were
The hands of bliss or the meadows of Tabir.
فَتىً شابَ في عَصرِ الشَبيبَةِ حِنكَةً
وَقامَ صَغيراً في جَلالِ كَبيرِ
A precocious youth in the prime of youth,
Who stood tall with the grandeur of age.
وَأَصغى إِلى داعي النَدى سَمعَ أَروَعٍ
مُجيبٍ عَلى بُعدِ الصَريخِ مُجيرِ
He listened to the caller of the dew, hearing the most wonderful
Response from afar, a sheltering answerer.
فَباتَ وَلِلأَنباءِ فيهِ تَأَرُّجٌ
تَطيبُ بِهِ أَنفاسُ كُلِّ سَميرِ
He spent the night as news in him churned,
Perfuming the breath of every night companion.
وَلِلرَوضِ سِرٌّ شافَهَتنا بِهِ الصَبا
سُحَيراً فَأَلهى مِن حَديثِ خَبيرِ
The garden has a secret the morning breeze whispered to us,
Bewitching, distracting from the talk of an expert.
وَلِلمَدحِ أَلحانٌ تَهُزُّ شَجِيَّةٌ
تُنَسّي بِها المُكّاءَ كُلَّ صَفيرِ
Songs sway, shaking amatory verses
Which console every chirping bird.
وَقَد أَغضَتِ الشِعرى العُبورُ لِهِمَّةٍ
تُقَلِّبُ دونَ المَجدِ لَحظَ غَيورِ
Poetry saddened by zeal
That turns the glance of the jealous without glory.
تُواقِعُ أَبكارَ العُلا غَيرَ أَنَّها
تَرى أَنَّ بَحرَ الجودِ خَيرُ طَهودِ
It woos the virgins of high rank, though it
Sees the sea of generosity as the best burial.
وَتَصفَحُ لا عَن ذِلَّةٍ صَفحَ رَحمَةٍ
فَتُرسِلُ دونَ الذَنبِ سَترَ غَفورِ
It forgives without humiliation, the forgiveness of mercy,
Sending, without sin, the veil of the forgiving.
وَتَجلو سَوادَ المُشكِلاتِ بِخاطِرٍ
تَرَكَّبَ مِن نارٍ تُشَبُّ وَنورِ
It clears the darkness of problems with a mind
Composed of fire that flames and light.
إِذا قِستَ ما بَينَ الحُسامِ وَبَينَهُ
تَبَسَّمَ وَاِهتَزَّ اِهتِزازَ سُرورِ
When tested between swords and it
It smiles with the smile of joy.
مِن آلِ رَحيمٍ حَيثُ لا هَضبَةُ العُلا
لِهَدٍّ وَلا بَحرُ النَدى لِعُبورِ
From a merciful family where there is no arrogance of status
Nor is the sea of nobility for crossing.
مِن القَومِ أَدَّتهُم إِلى خَيرِ أَبطُنٍ
تَخَيَّرنَ لِلأَبناءِ خَيرَ ظُهورِ
Of a people whose innards led them to the best of origins
Who chose the best of backs for their children.
تَرى المُزنَ ثَجّاجاً بِهِم مُتَهَلِّلاً
سَماحَةُ أَيدٍ وَاِبتِسامُ ثُغورِ
You see the frowned smiling through them,
The generosity of hands and smiles of mouths.
غَيارى عَلى الأَيدي العَذارى كَأَنَّما
تُزَفُّ مِنَ الكِتمانِ خَلفَ سُتورِ
Jealous of the virginal hands as if
Led from concealment behind the veil.
فَهاهُم كَما تَهوى العُلا لا ثَناؤُهُم
لِطَيٍّ وَلا أَسرارُهُم لِنُشورِ
There they are, as nobility desires, their praise not
For flattery, nor their secrets for publication.
يَذوبونَ ظَرفاً غَيرَ أَنَّ قُلوبَهُم
إِذا ما دَهى خَطبٌ قُلوبُ صُخورِ
They melt charmingly though their hearts,
When touched by sorrow, are hearts of rock.
تَرى بِهِمُ مِن نَضرَةٍ في سَماحَةٍ
طُلوعَ بُدورٍ في اِرتِجاجِ بُحورِ
You see in them a brightness in generosity
Like the rising of full moons in the shaking of seas.
وَتَعشو إِلى نارٍ بِهِم في مَفازَةٍ
ذَكاءُ قُلوبٍ في اِتِّساعِ صُدورِ
And you walk until nightfall in desolation with them
The intelligence of hearts in the breadth of chests.
فَما البَطَلُ الحامي وَقَد صافَحَ الطُلى
بِأَبيَضَ بَسّامِ الفِرِندِ طَريرِ
What hero in his prime when he greeted adventure
With the whitest smiles of a gentle knight.
بِأَطوَلَ باعاً مِن رَحيمٍ وَقَد سَطا
بِأَرقَشَ مُصفَرِّ القَميصِ قَصيرِ
With the longest range of a merciful one who extended
In the yellowish shirt of the short.
فَيا حُسنَ مَرأى المَلِكِ بَينَ مُهَنَّدٍ
خَضيبٍ وَرَندٍ لِليَراعِ نَضيرِ
So good the sight of the king between an effeminate
And a flirt to the equal of the bellwether.
وَقَد طارَحَ السَيفُ اليَراعَ فَأَطرَبا
بِرَجعِ صَليلٍ رائِعٍ وَصَريرِ
The sword cast out adventure, and they were delighted
By the return of ringing and friction.
