هلُمَّ بنا إلى أرضِ الحَجونِ

عسى نقضي الغَداةَ بها دُيوني

Come with me to the land of peace

May we spend the morning there to pay off my debts

وسائِلْ جيرَةَ المَسْعى لماذا

وفَيْتُهُم وقد قبَضوا رُهوني

Why do you ask about the dwelling of Al-Mas'a

When I have fulfilled my promise to them and they took my pawn

وعرِّجْ في المقامِ برَبْعِ لَيلى

لتَنْثُرَ فوقَه دُررَ الشّؤونِ

Pass by the abode of Layla at night

To shower it with the pearls of glory

وفتِّشْ ثَمَّ عن كَبدِي فعَهدي

هُنالِكَ قد أراقَتْها عُيوني

Then search near my heart, for indeed

My eyes have shed it away in tears

وحيِّ على الصّفا حَيّاً قليلاً

له وضعُ الجَبينِ على الوجِينِ

Give greetings to As-Safa, even if briefly

Where the forehead touches the cheek

وملعَبَ حورِ جنّاتٍ سَقَتْنا

به الوِلْدانُ كأساً من مَعينِ

It is the playground of the houris who quenched us

With a cup from the flowing stream served by the young boys

محلّاً فيه أسرارُ الأماني

محجَّبةٌ بأحشاءِ المَنونِ

A place where the secrets of wishes are hidden

Veiled in the darkness of meaning

تَسومُ بها القُلوبَ فتشْتَريها

ثَنايا البيضِ بالدُّرِّ الثّمينِ

With it, hearts are branded so she buys them

With the soft white pearl and the precious jewels

به تُبدي الشّموسُ دُجىً وتَحمي

بُدورَ قِيانِه شبهُ القُيونِ

With it, suns show darkness and protect

Its moons with veil resembling curtains

يَزرُّ به الحَديدُ على العَوالي

وينسَدِلُ الحَريرُ على الغُصونِ

With it iron flows down the heights

And silk drapes down the branches

بسَمْعي من غَوانِيه كُنوزٌ

فَقِفْ فيها لتَنْظُرَها جُفوني

In my hearing are treasures from its songs

So stop there and let my eyes see them

ولي في الخَيْفِ أحبابٌ كِرامٌ

لديّ وإنْ همُ لم يُكرِموني

And I have noble, generous beloved ones

I am humble to them even if they don't honor me

خضعْتُ لحُبِّهم ذُلّاً فعزّوا

ودِنتُ لحُكمِهم فاِستعبدوني

I submitted to their love in humiliation, so they were honored

And I obeyed their rule so they enslaved me

همُ اِجتمعوا على قتْلي بجمعٍ

ففيمَ على المنازِلِ فرّقوني

They gathered against me to kill me altogether

So why did they divide my dwellings?

عُيوني في هَواهُم أدخلَتْني

وفي العَبَراتِ منها أخرجوني

Their eyes took me into passion

And their tears brought me out in sorrow

تقاسَمْتُ الهوى معهُم ولكن

تسلَّوْا عن هَوايَ وهيَّموني

I shared passion with them, but

They were relieved of my love and confused me

وإذ كُنتُ القَسيمَ بغير عَدلٍ

نجَوْا منهُ وحازوا الصّبرَ دوني

Since I was an unfair partner to them

They escaped it and endured without me

تمرُّ ظِباهُمُ متبرقِعاتٍ

محافظةً على الحُسنِ المَصونِ

Their gazes pass by adorned

Protecting their guarded beauty

فلَيْتَ مِلاحَهُم عدَلَتْ فأعطَتْ

حمائِمَ حَليِها خرسَ البُرينِ

If only their softness would be just and give

The turtledoves their bracelets back from the Buraine pearls

تَغانَوْا بالقُدودِ عنِ العَوالي

وبالأجفانِ عنْ ما بالجُفونِ

They pretended to be indifferent about the heights

And about what is in the eyelids from the eyes

فبَينَ لحاظِهِم كم من طَريحٍ

وبينَ قُدودِهمْ كم من طَعينِ

Between their glances, how many have fallen

And between their necklaces, how many have been slain

أنا الخِلُّ الوفيُّ وإن تجافَوا

وسايِلْهُم وإن لم يرفِدوني

I am the loyal friend, even if they shun

Their company, even if they don't help me

أودُّ رِضاهُمُ لو كان حَتفي

وأوثِرُ قُربَهُم لو قرّبوني

I want their acceptance, even if it was my doom

And I prefer their nearness, even if they don't draw me near

ألا يا أهلَ مكّةَ إنّ قلبي

بكُم عَلِقَتْهُ أشراكُ الفُنونِ

O people of Mecca! Indeed my heart

You have tied to the ropes of passion

جميعي صفقةً مني اِشتَرَيْتُم

فدَيْتُكُم ولِمْ بعّضْتُموني

You bought all of me in one deal

I ransomed myself to you, so why did you divide me?

نقلْتُم نحو مكّتِكم فؤادي

وبينَ الكرْخَتَيْنِ تركتُموني

You moved my heart towards your Mecca

And left me between Al-Karḫatain

غَرامي في هواكُم عامريٌّ

فهل ليلاكُمُ علِمَتْ جُنوني

My passion for your love settled me

Did your nights know about my madness?

أمِنتُكُم على قَلبي فخُنْتُم

وأنتُم سادةُ البلدِ الأمينِ

I entrusted you with my heart, but you betrayed me

And you are the masters of the trustworthy city

لَئنْ أنسَتْكُمُ الأيّامُ عَهدي

فذِكرُكُمُ نَجيّي كلَّ حِينِ

If days make you forget my covenant

Then your remembrance is my savior at all times

وإنْ وَهَنَتْ قِوايَ فإنّ دَمعي

على كَلِفي بكُم أبداً مُعيني

And if my strength wanes, then my tears

Will always help me in longing for you

وإن صَفِرَتْ يَدي منكمْ فجدوى

عليّ المجدِ قد ملأتْ يَميني

And if my hands wither from you, then the glory

Has filled my right hand fully

حليفُ ندىً مكارمُه وفَتْ لي

بما ضَمِنَتْ من الدّنيا ظُنوني

My confidante, his virtues guaranteed for me

What hopes assumed from the life of hardships

جَسيمُ الفضلِ منتحِلُ المَواضي

رفيعُ القَدْرِ ذي الشّرفِ المَكينِ

Great in favor, assuming the meadows

Lofty in worth, of noble established honor

كريمُ النّفسِ في سُنَنِ السّجايا

موقّى العِرض عن طعنِ المُشينِ

Noble in self among the ways of generosity

Sheltering honor from the slander of the disgraced

على الكُبَراءِ يُبدي كِبْر كِسرى

وللفقراءِ ذُلَّ المستَكينِ

To the great he shows the pride of Chosroes

And to the poor, the humility of the helpless

إذا عُدّتْ فنونُ الفخرِ يوماً

فمَفخرُهُ مقدّمَةُ الفُنونِ

If one day the various virtues are counted

His pride is the foremost of the virtues

نسيبٌ جاءَ من ماءٍ طَهورٍ

وكلُّ الخلقِ من ماءٍ مَهينِ

A relative came from pure water

While all people are from base disgraceful water

وهل يحكي عناصرَهُ نسيبٌ

وما اِختلطَتْ عَواليها بطِينِ

Can a relative describe his composition?

And his heights were not mixed with clay

يَفوحُ شَذا العَبا منه ويَحكي

جَوانبَها مُزاحمَةُ الأمينِ

The aroma of musk emanates from him and describes

Its sides competing with the trusted

بفَلْقِ البدرِ موسومُ المحيّا

لردِّ الشمسِ منسوبُ الجَبينِ

Stamped with the crescent moon, of radiant smile

Attributed with the return of sunshine, of luminous forehead

هُمامٌ لو أراعَ فؤادَ رَضْوى

لزلْزَلَ رُكنَها بعد السّكونِ

Ambitions - if he watched over Ridwa's heart

He would shake its pillar even if still before

ولو أعدى الصخور عليه سالت

جوامدُها بجاريةِ العيونِ

And if he attacked the rocks they would melt,

Their solidity, by the running of his eyes

حِباءُ الليثِ إذ يغشى الأعادي

له وتبسُّمُ السّيفِ السّنينِ

The love of the lion - when he attacks the enemies

His smile of the two grinding teeth

يشمُّ ذَوابِلَ المُرّانِ حُبّاً

ويُعرضُ عن غَضيضِ الياسَمينِ

He smells the downpours of lances with love

And turns away from the frowning of jasmine

ويرغبُ في قِتالِ الأُسْدِ حتّى

كأنّ سُيوفَها لفَتاتُ عِينِ

And he desires fighting the lion, as if

Its swords were glimpses of the eye

ترى في السِّلْمِ منه حَيا الغواني

وفي هيَجانِه أسَدَ العرينِ

You see gentleness in him, the songs of beautiful women,

And in his fury, the lion of the lair

إذا سُلَّتْ صَوارمُهُ أطالَتْ

سُجودَ الذُلِّ هاماتُ القُرونِ

When his swords are drawn, they extend

The prostration of humiliation, the zeal of the spears

تظنُّ غَمودَهُنّ إذا اِنتضاها

غصَبْنَ الصّاعقاتِ من الدُجونِ

You would think when they are unsheathed

They usurped the thunderbolts from their cases

يُبيحُ ذُكورها العزَماتُ منه

فُروجَ المُحصَناتِ من الحُصونِ

Their sharp edges make his resolves lawful to him

To breach the chastity of the sheltered in the castles

كتبْنَ على حواشيها المَنايا

حواشيها على شرح المُتونِ

Death wrote on their margins,

Their margins an explanation of the texts

تَساوى الخلقُ في جدواهُ حتّى

فراخُ القَيْحِ وهي على الوُكونِ

People are equal in their affair

Until the chicks of pus, while still in the sacs

وسلّمتِ الورى دعوى المَعالي

له حتّى الأجنّةُ في البُطونِ

And the world submitted to his claim of glory

Until the fetuses in the wombs

يُضِرُّ ثَناهُ بالجَرْعى ويُحيي

مَسيحُ نَداهُ مَوتى المُعتَفينِ

His sweet breath gives life and his life-giving gaze

Revives the dead weak ones

برؤيةِ وجهه نيلُ الأماني

وفي راحاتِه رَوْحُ الحزينِ

Attaining wishes by seeing his face

And in his hands, the soul of the sorrowful

كثيرُ الصّمتِ إن أبدى مَقالاً

ففي الأحكامِ والفضلِ المُبينِ

Abundantly silent - if he utters a statement

It is in the rulings and clear virtue

وإنْ خفقَتْ له يوماً بُنودٌ

فأجنحةٌ لدُنيا أو لِدِينِ

And if ambitions flutter for him one day

Wings for the life or for the religion

أراضَ جوانحَ الحِدْثانِ حتّى

به ثبتَتْ لنا صفةُ الصُّفونِ

He pleased the wings of youth until

Through him, the attribute of purity was established for us

يرى أموالَهُ في عين زُهدٍ

فيعتقدُ اللُجَينَ من اللَّجينِ

He sees his money with the eye of asceticism

Believing the two muddy pools are foul

ويلقى الدّارعين بآي موسى

فيفلِقُ عنهمُ لُجَجَ الضّغونِ

And he meets the armored ones with the signs of Moses

So he splits open their stubbornness

تشرّفتِ العُلا بأبي حُسينٍ

فبورِك بالمكانِ وبالمَكينِ

Through Abu Hussein the highness was honored

So the place and the dweller were blessed

فيا اِبنَ الطّاهرينَ ومَنْ أُزينَتْ

بفضلِ حديثهمْ سِيَرُ القُرونِ

O son of the two pure ones, the one adorned

By the virtue of their speech, the ways of generations

ويا اِبْنَ المُحسنينَ إذا الليالي

أساءَتْ كلَّ ذي خطرٍ بهونِ

O son of the benefactors, when the nights

Harmed everyone of any significance

لقد حسُنَتْ بكَ الدنيا وجادَتْ

بنَيلِ النُّجْح في الزمن الضّنينِ

Through you, the world became beautiful and gave away

By attaining success in the time of hardship

وفكّ الجودُ أغلالَ العَطايا

وأمسى البُخلُ في قَيدِ الرّهينِ

And generosity unlocked the shackles of gifts

And stinginess became bound in chains

فسمعاً من ثَنايَ عليكَ لفظاً

يهزّ مناكِبَ الصّعبِ الحَزونِ

From the whispers of your praise I hear an utterance

That shakes the shoulders of the difficult sad one

أنا ابنُ جَلا القَريضِ متى شكَكْتُم

وطلّاعُ الثّنا أفتَعرِفوني

I am the son of Jerall Al-Quraishi, do you doubt when I compose?

And the young gazelle of poetry, do you recognize me?

خُذِ الألواحَ من زُبُرِ القوافي

فنُسخَتُهنّ ترجمةُ اليَقينِ

Take the tablets from the books of poetry

For I translate them as the proof of certainty

بكَ الرّحمنُ علّمني المَعاني

وأوحاها إلى قلَمي ونُوني

Through you, the Merciful taught me the meanings

And inspired them to my pen and the letter noon

فكم قومٍ لديكَ تَرى محلّي

فتَغبِطُني وقومٍ يحسدُوني

So how many people with you, I see my status

Who congratulate me, and people who envy me

ليَهنكَ سيّدي عيدٌ شريفٌ

حكاكَ فجلَّ عن شِبهِ القَرينِ

For you, my master, is a noble feast

Narrating you, so explain the match

فضحِّ نُفوسَ أهلِ الغَدرِ فيه

وقرِّبْ مهجةَ الدّهرِ الخَؤونِ

Expose thereby the souls of the treacherous ones

And draw near the affection of the desolate ages

ولا برحَتْ عليكَ مخيّماتٍ

سُرادِقُ رِفعةِ الشّرفِ المَكينِ

And may canopies not cease to shade you

The canopy of the lofty, established honor