كشفْتُ حجابَ السّجْفِ عن بيضةِ الخِدْرِ

فزحْزَحْتُ جنحَ الليلِ عن طلعةِ البَدْرِ

I unveiled the veil of darkness from the moon's orb,

And pushed away the wings of night from the sunrise.

وهتَكْتُ عن سِينِ الثّنايا لِثامَها

فأبصَرْتُ عينَ الخَضْرِ في ظُلمةِ الشَّعْرِ

I tore away the cover from the cheek's beauty,

And saw the green of eyes in the darkness of hair.

وجاذَبْتُها سودَ الذّوائِبِ فاِنثَنى

عليَّ قضيبُ البانِ في الحُلَلِ الخُضْرِ

I drew near the blackness of the tresses and it coiled around me,

The staff of separation upon my throat in green anklets.

وقبّلْتُ منها وجنةً دونَ وَرْدِها

وتقبيلِها شوكُ المثقّفةِ السُّمرِ

And I kissed a cheek without its rose,

And its kiss is the thorns of the one with kohl-lined eyes.

تأتّيْتُها في الليلِ كالصّقْرِ كاسِراً

وقد خفَقَتْ في الجنْحِ أجنحةُ النّسْرِ

I came to her in the night like a breaking falcon,

Its wings fluttering in fright.

وخُضْتُ إليها الحَتْفَ حتّى كأنّني

أُفتِّشُ أحشاءَ المنيّةِ عن سِرّي

And I rushed my destruction to her, as if

I searched the entrails of death for my secret.

وشافَهْتُ أحراساً إلى ضوءِ وجهِها

يرَوْنَ سَوادَ الطّيفِ إذ نحوَها يَسْري

And I stayed awake, while the heart of night concealed us,

And its darkness made mischief about us to the spies.

فنبّهْتُ منها نرجِساً زرّهُ الكَرى

كأنّي أفُضّ الخَتم عن قدَحَيْ خَمْرِ

When dawn in the darkness jealously raged,

Its light made mirages race toward us.

وبِتْنا وقلْب الليلِ يكتُمُنا معاً

وغُرّتُها عندَ الوُشاةِ بنا تُغري

If her hair had not returned the night to blackness,

The living would know our secret.

إذا الصُّبْحُ في الظَّلْماءِ غارَ غدير

فمن ضوئِها لجُّ السّرابِ بنا يَسري

And she spent the night adorning her ears with pearls from me,

Scattered on her threaded necklace.

فلو لم تردُّ الليلَ صَبغةُ فرعِها

عليها لكانَ الحيُّ في سِرِّنا يَدري

We both had a share of her - one motionless,

Blooming on her throat, the other racing on mine.

وباتَتْ تحلّي السّمعَ منّا بلُؤلؤٍ

على عِقْدِها المنظومِ منثورُه يُزري

Blessed is He who taught the gazelle speech,

And Glory to He who gave life to the doll of the palace.

كِلانا له منّا نصيبٌ فجامدٌ

على نحرِها يزهو وجارٍ على نحري

Through her is a new moon whose shining

Exults in the death of darkness, like the moon's crescent.

تبارَك مَنْ قد علّم الظّبيَ منطِقاً

وسُبحانَ مُجري الروحِ في دُميةِ القَصْرِ

And a beauty spot from perfume on her cheek

Is like a seed the hand of remembrance ignited.

بروحيَ منها طلعةٌ كلّما اِنْجلَتْ

تشمّتَ في موتِ الدُجى هاتِفُ القُمْري

My mind emptied for her until she settled in it,

And passions would not settle anywhere but the palace.

ونُقطةُ خالٍ من عبيرٍ بخدّها

كحبّةِ قلبٍ أجّجَتْهُ يدُ الذِكْرِ

It is as if my mouth from the zikr of her and fragrance

Is the buzzing home of bees or the perfumery.

خلَتْ من سِواها مُهجتي فتوطّنَتْ

بها والمَهى لم ترْضَ داراً سوى القصْرِ

My soul and all my body are enraptured by her,

If her cheek depicts her in my heart, my thoughts paint her.

كأنّ فمي من ذكرِ فيها وطيبِهِ

قرارَةُ بيتِ النّحلِ أو دارةُ العِطرِ

I wanted eternal youth through her hair's rhythm,

So I spun poetry in the long meter of verse.

أروحُ وجسمي كلُّه طَرْفُ عندَمٍ

إذا خدُّها في القلب صوّرَهُ فِكري

And I composed spells as her eyelids taught me

The rhyme scheme that enchants, on broken meter.

أردتُ بها التّشبيبَ في وزْنِ شَعْرِها

فغزّلْتُ في البحر الطويلِ من الشِّعرِ

I match her cheeks with gentle words,

And match her waist meaningfully with subtlety.

وصُغْتُ الرُقى إذ علّمَتْني جُفونُها

بناءَ القَوافي السّاحراتِ على الكَسْرِ

But for her forehead, passion would not have let me

Wander in my love for her, with clear excuses.

أُجانِسُ باللّفظِ الرّقيقِ خُدودَها

وألحَظُ بالمعنى الدّقيق إلى الخَصرِ

And if not for the red gems between her lips,

My tears would not have flowed from their red corals.

أمَا والهَوى العُذريّ لولا جَبينُها

لما رُحْتُ في حُبّي لها واضحَ العُذْرِ

I am passionate about her, distracting my thoughts,

And I made my passion obedient, so it rose in rank.

ولولا اللآلي البيضُ بين شِفاهِها

لما جادَ دَمعي من يَواقِيتِه الحُمْرِ

The essence of noble sons, purified,

The lineage of purified fathers, virtuous.

شُغِفْتُ بها حُبّاً فرقّتْ رَقائِقي

وملّكْتُ رقّي حيدراً فسَما قَدْري

Ally of dew, power, forbearance and restraint,

Brother of justice, benevolence, pardon and righteousness.

خُلاصةُ أبناءِ الكِرامِ مطهراً

سُلالةُ آباءٍ مطهّرةٍ غُرِّ

The beauty of the full moon's forehead, and the light that

With its rising made the cheeks of time glow.

حليفُ النّدى والبأسِ والحلمِ والنّهى

أخو العدلِ والإحسانِ والعَفْو والبِرِّ

A young man who came while the days frowned,

So he dawned like a Narcissus in the cheek's garden.

جمالُ جَبينِ البدرِ والنيرُ الّذي

بطَلعتِه قد أشرقَتْ غُرّة الدّهرِ

And the honored ladies' cheeks became cheerful

At his birth, with the chest feeling relief.

فتىً جاء والأيّامُ سودٌ وجوهُها

فأصبحَ كالتّوريدِ في وَجنةِ العصرِ

After withering, the dew through him flourished,

So the bird of thankfulness sang in his branches.

وأضحَتْ وجوهُ المَكرُماتِ قريرةً

بمولدِه والصّدرُ منشرح الصّدرِ

And perfections returned after their scattering,

So he beautifully rearranged them in prose and poetry.

وأينعَ من بعدِ الذّبولِ به النّدى

فغرّد في أفنانِه طائِرُ الشّكرِ

Gentler than a fragrant breeze, in character,

And more refined in nature than the breeze of passion.

ووافى المَعالي بعد تشتيت شملِها

فأحسَنَ منها النّظْمَ بالنّائِلِ النَثْري

If the angels adorned themselves with his pride,

Then in him and his fathers is the adornment of pride.

أرقُّ من الرّاحِ الشَّمولِ شَمائِلاً

وألطَفُ خُلقاً من نَسيم الهوى العُذري

His truthful words are like verses of a chapter,

But to the hearing they are in the form of magic.

إذا زيّن الأملاكَ حِليةُ مفخرٍ

ففيهِ وفي آبائِه زينةُ الفخرِ

I name him by his grandfather's name as a metaphor,

Just as the generous man is named by the sea.

تكلّمُهُ في الصّدقِ آياتُ سورةٍ

ولكنّه في السّمعِ في صورةِ السِّحرِ

When you see his light come from his father,

You will believe him to be from that brilliant star.

تُسمّيه باِسمِ الجدِّ عِندي كنايةٌ

كما يتسمّى صاحبُ الجودِ بالبحرِ

He rises and descends with mercy and steadfastness,

Flowing as tears flow from the rock.

إذا بأبيهِ قستَ مِصباحَ نورِه

تيقّنتَه من ذلك الكوكبِ الدُرّي

He climbed to the heights, while shooting stars seek his status,

So he surpassed them in the field of generosity.

يرِقُّ ويصبو رحمةً وصَلابةً

فيجري كما تجري العيونُ من الصّخرِ

If his pool of generosity were like his right hand,

Only the finest pearls would rain from it.

سَما للعُلا والشُهْبُ تطلبُ شأوَه

فعبّر عند السّبْقِ عن جهةِ الغَفْرِ

And if the hellish tree were watered by his kindness,

It would bear only roses and flowers.

فلو كان حوضُ المُزْنِ مثل يمينِه

لما هطلَتْ إلّا بمُستَحْسَنِ الدُرِّ

He shakes the Indian swords, which are rivers,

So its waves hurl flames.

ولو مَنبِتُ الزّقّومِ يُسْقى بجودِه

لما كان إلّا منبِتَ الوردِ والزّهرِ

And he carries the Qin branches, which are withered,

So its palms bear the fruits of triumph.

يهزُّ سُيوفَ الهِندِ وهْيَ جَداولٌ

فتقذِفُ في أمواجِها شُعَلَ الجَمْرِ

And he uncovers his brocade, removing its cover,

To dress the night in the brocade of pride.

ويحملُ أغصانَ القَنا وهْيَ ذُبَّلٌ

فتحمِلُ في راحاتِه ثمرَ النّصرِ

He strips the horizon's neck of its starry jewels,

Enriching it beyond them with his creation.

ويسفِرُ عن ديباجَتَيْهِ لِثامَهُ

فيُلبِسُ عِطفَ الليل ديباجةَ الفخرِ

A cloud, when it comes and the gardens of wishes

Turn white with yellow leaves.

ويسلُبُ نحرَ الأفْق حِليةَ شُهبِه

فيُغنيهِ عنها في خلائِقِه الزُّهْرُ

Its lightning is the white of swords in battle,

And its pouring in its buckets is pure gold.

سحابٌ إذا ما جاءَ يوماً تنوّرَتْ

رياضُ الأماني البيضِ بالورَقِ الصُفْرِ

In the moment of judgement, his insight

Distinguishes the sincere from the intoxicated.

بوارِقُه بيضُ الحَديدِ لدى الوَغى

ووابِلُه في سِلمِه خالصُ التِّبرِ

And a determination that melts even mountains,

When it flows, like clouds fleeing in fear.

له فطْنةٌ يومَ القَضا عندَ لبسِه

تُفرِّقُ ما بينَ السُّلافةِ والسُّكْرِ

And justice without fire or sword, that almost

Straightens all crookedness and docking.

وعزمٌ يُذيبُ الرّاسياتِ إذا سطا

فتجري كما يجري السَّحابُ منَ الذُّعرِ

And anger - if bees sipped its clouds,

They would squeeze out the honey of patience from their mouths.

وعدلٌ بلا نارٍ وضربٍ يكادُ أن

يقوَّمَ فيه الإعوجاج من البُتْرِ

And gentleness - if poisons drank from it,

The venom would be changed into Egyptian sugar.

وسُخْطٌ لوَ اِنّ النّحلَ ترعى قَتادَه

لمجّتْهُ من أفواهِها سائِلَ الصّبْرِ

He returns the corpses of the fallen as if

The flowing springs burst forth in his palms.

ولُطفٌ لوَ انّ الرُّقْشَ فيه ترشّفَتْ

لبُدِّلَ منها السّمُّ بالسّكّرِ المِصري

When the mention of the noble passes, his mention

Is like the Fatiha, in the beginning of remembrance.

يُعيدُ رُفاتَ المُعتفين كأنّما

تفجّرَ في راحاتِه مورِدُ الخِضْرِ

O son of Ali, this is the call of a loyal one,

To your state, secretly and openly.

إذا مرَّ ذكرُ الفاخرينَ فذِكْرُه

كفاتحةِ القرآنِ في أوّل الذِّكْرِ

Indeed, time has increased its joy in you,

And the splendor of glory excelled in your face.

فيا اِبْنَ عليٍّ وهيَ دعوةُ مُخلصٍ

لدولتِكُم بالسّرِّ منه وبالجَهْرِ

Through you, time became mighty, as if

All your nights were the Night of Power.

لقد زادَتِ الأيّامُ فيكَ مسرّةً

وفاقَ على وجهِ العُلا رونقُ البِشْرِ

In your right hand lies destiny and wishes,

And good fortune for those who seek safety from poverty.

وعزّتْ بكَ الأيّامُ حتّى كأنّما

لياليكَ فيها كلُّها ليلةُ القَدْرِ

So nobility never ceased to be joyful in you,

And glory never stopped smiling through you.

ففي يدِكَ اليُمنى المنيّةُ والمُنى

ويُمْنٌ لمن يَبغي الأمانَ منَ الفَقْرِ

فلا برِحَتْ فيكَ العُلا ذات بهجةٍ

ولا زالَ فيكَ المجدُ مُبتسمَ الثّغرِ