هذا الحِمى فاِنزِلْ على جَرعائِهِ
واِحْذَرْ ظُبا لَفَتاتِ عِينِ ظِبائِهِ
This fever, so descend upon its victim
And beware the hyena and the glances of its females
واِنشُدْ به قلباً أضاعَتْه النّوى
من أضلُعي فعَساهُ في وَعْسائِهِ
And call to a heart misled by caprice
Somewhere inside my ribs, haply among its dens
وسَلِ الأراكَ الغضَّ عن روحٍ شكَتْ
حَرَّ الجَوى فلجَتْ إلى أفيائِهِ
Ask the gazelles, soft of tread, about a soul that complained
Of the heat of passion which made it yearn for its streams
واِقصِد لُباناتِ الهَوى فلعلّنا
نَقضي لُباناتِ الفؤادِ التّائِهِ
Seek out the incenses of love, perhaps we may dispel
The incenses tormenting the bewildered heart
واِضمُم إليكَ خُدودَ أغصانِ النّقا
واِلثِمْ ثُغورَ الدُرِّ من حَصبائِهِ
Draw near the cheeks of the narcissi's branches
And kiss the nacre of pearls among its pebbles
واِسْفَحْ بذاكَ السّفْحِ حول غَديرِه
دمعاً يعسجِدُ ذَوبَ فضّةِ مائِهِ
Spill down upon that meadow round its pool
Tears that prostrate themselves before its silver waters
سَقياً له من ملعبٍ بعُقولِنا
وقُلوبِنا لعِبتْ يَدا أهوائِهِ
Watering it with the intellects of our minds
While our hearts sported with its passions’ hands
مغنىً به تهوى القُلوبُ كأنّما
بالطّبعِ يجذبُها حصى مَغنائِهِ
Singing to it, hearts crave it as if
By nature it attracts them to its lutes
أرجٌ حكى نفَسَ الحَبيبِ نَسيمُهُ
يُذكي الهَوى في الصّبِّ بَردُ هَوائِهِ
Sweet basil whose breeze breathes the scent of the beloved
Its cool northern wind kindling passion in the morning
نفَحاتُهُ تُبري الضّريرَ كأنّما
ريحُ القميص تهبّ من تلقائِهِ
Its breaths relieve the sightless as if
The wind were blowing from its shirt spontaneously
فلتحْذَرِ الجَرحى به أن يسلكوا
يوماً فيشتاقوا ثَرى أرجائِهِ
So let the wounded beware journeying one day
And pining for the soil of its trees
عهدي به ونُجومُ أطرافِ القَنا
والبِيضُ مشرقَةٌ على أحيائِهِ
My pact with it - and the stars on the horizon of the spear
Shine white above its quarters
والأُسْدُ تزأرُ في سُروجِ جِيادِه
والعِينُ تبغَمُ في حِجالِ نِسائِهِ
The lion roars in the saddles of its steeds
As the eyes scowl under the forelocks of its women
والطّيفُ يَطرقُه فيعثُرُ بالرّدى
تحت الدُجى فيصدُّ عن إسرائِهِ
Shade reaches out to it but stumbles in the dark
And turns aside, unable to attain it
والظلُّ تقصرُه الصَّبا وتمدُّهُ
والطيرُ يعرِبُ فيه لحن غِنائِهِ
While the birds twitter their song to it
And shade lengthens and shortens it
لا زالَ يَسقي الغَيثُ غُرَّ مَعاشرٍ
تَسقي صوارِمُهم ثَرى بَطحائِهِ
Still the rain waters a community
Whose swords spill the blood of its battlefields
لا تُنكِرَنْ يا قلبُ أجرَك فيهِمِ
هُمْ أهل بَدرٍ أنت من شُهدائِهِ
Do not, O heart, deny it your reward among them
They are the people of Badr, while you are one of its martyrs
لولا جُمودُ الدُرِّ بين شِفاهِهم
ما ذابَ في طَرْفي عقيقُ بُكائِهِ
Were it not for the aloofness of pearls on their lips
The ruby of its tears would not have melted in my eyes
للَّهِ نفسُ أسىً يصعِّدها الأسى
ويردّها في العَيْنِ كفُّ قَذائِهِ
By God a soul ascending in sorrow and descending
In the eyes, checked by the palm of its dispenser
حُبِسَتْ بمُقلتِه فلا من عَينه
تجري ولم تَرجعْ إلى أحشائِهِ
Imprisoned by its eyelashes, flowing not
From his eyes nor returning to his bowels
مَنْ لي بخِشفِ كِناسِ خِدرٍ دونَه
ما يُحجِمُ الضرغامُ دون لِقائهِ
Who will lend me the collar of a wine-pourer without which
Wine does not flow, nor the encounter happen
أحوى حوى إلْفَ الجآذِر في الفَلا
والشيءُ منجذبٌ إلى نُظرائِهِ
I craved the craving of vines for supports and the thing
Inevitably inclines toward its peer
حسنٌ إذا في ظُلمةِ اللّيلِ اِنْجلى
تعشو الفراشُ إلى ضياءِ بَهائِهِ
A beauty, when it glitters in the night shadows
Bedbugs hasten to its shining radiance
يُلقي شعاعُ الخدِّ منه على الدُجى
شفقاً يعصفِرُ طيْلَسانَ سمائِهِ
The rays of his cheek cast sunlight into gloom
Golden light playing over the horizons
فالبرقُ منه يلوحُ تحت لِثامِه
والغصنُ منه يَميلُ تحت ردائِهِ
So lightning flashes from beneath his veil
And branches lean beneath his mantle
لا غَرْوَ إن زارَ الهلالُ محلّهُ
فشقيقُهُ الأسنى برُحْبِ سنائِهِ
No wonder if the crescent visits his abode
For his sisterly new moon roams in the breadth of its splendor
أو نحوَهُ نسرُ النجومِ هَوى فلا
عجباً فبَيضتُهُ بخِدرِ خِبائهِ
Or that the eagle of stars swooped down, for its whiteness
In his bower, there nursed by its caretakers
أنيابُ لَيثِ الغابِ من حُجّابهِ
ولواحظُ الحرباءِ من رُقَبائِهِ
The fangs of a lion cub peeking from his hood
And the glances of a wild cat from its wrapping
كم قد خلوْتُ به وصِدقُ عَفافِنا
يجلو دُجى الفحشاءِ فجرُ ضِيائهِ
How often I've trysted with it, our true chastity
Dispelling the gloom of wickedness like its dawn
ما لي وما للدّهرِ ليسَ ذُنوبُه
تفْنى ولا عُتبى على آنائهِ
What grievance have I against Time, whose crimes
Are not requited, nor against its vessels
يجني على فضلي الجَسيمِ بفضلِه
وكذا الجَهولُ الفضلُ من أعدائهِ
It denies me my great nobility through its nobility
Just as the ignorant denies the erudite his excellence
فكأنّما هو طالبي بقِصاصِ ما
صنعَتْهُ آبائي إلى أرْزائهِ
It is as if it sought vengeance from me for what
My forefathers did unto its equals
شِيَمُ الزّمانِ الغدرُ وهو أبو الوَرى
فمتى الوفاءُ يُرام من أبنائهِ
Treachery is the age's disposition, and it the father of mankind
So when can loyalty be expected of its sons?
لحِقوهُ في كلِّ الصفاتِ لأنّهم
ظُرِفوا به والماءُ لونُ إنائِهِ
They took after it in every single virtue, for they
Were nurtured by it, and water takes the color of its vessel
فعَلامَ قلبي اليومَ يجرَحُه النّوى
ولقد عهِدْتُ الصّبرَ من حُلَفائهِ
Why then is my heart wounded by caprice today
When I was accustomed to patience from its allies
وإلى مَ نَدبي للديارِ كأنّه
فرضٌ عليّ أخافُ فَوْتَ أدائِهِ
And why do I grieve for the land, as if
Greiving were incumbent upon me, though I dread its loss?
يا حبّذا عيشٌ على السّفحِ اِنقضى
والدّهرُ يلحظُنا بعَينِ وفائِهِ
Would that I lived on the hillside and fate
Observed me with its faithful gaze
والشملُ منتظِمٌ كما اِنتظمَ العُلا
بِندى عليٍّ أو عُقودِ ثنائهِ
Kinship apportioned equitably like the celestial stars
In the dew of Ali or the necklaces of its praises
وليالياً بيضاً كأنّ وجوهَها
من فوقِها سحّت أكفُّ عطائِهِ
And nights like white pearls as if their faces
Were graced from above by the palms of its overflowing rain
بحرٌ إذا ما مدّ فاِبنُ سحابِنا
يدري بأنّ أباهُ لجُّ سخائهِ
A sea which, when it surges, the son of our clouds knows
That his father is most generous in his abundance
ذو فتكَةٍ إن كان باللّيثِ الفَتى
يُدعى مجازاً فهو من أسمائِهِ
One called a lion for slaying foemen if he
Is figuratively named, then that name is one of its names
وأنامِلٍ إن كان يُعرَفُ بالحَيا
فيضُ النّوالِ فهنّ من أنوائِهِ
And fingers, if the snake is known as the living [hayy]
Then it surpasses with the torrents of its streams
ملكٌ يعوذُ الدينُ فيه من العِدى
فيَصونُ بيضتَهُ جناحُ لِوائِهِ
A sovereign the religion finds sanctuary with
As the wing of its standard shields its fragile nest
كالزَّنْدِ يُلهِبُه الحديدُ بقَرْعِهِ
فيكادُ يوري البأس من أعضائِهِ
Like flint which, when the steel strikes it, kindles
Almost showing its mettle through its limbs
يسطو بعزْمَتِه الجبانُ على العِدى
كالسّهمِ يحمِلُه جناحُ سوائِهِ
Through his determination the coward assaults the foe
Like an arrow borne on the wing of its feathers
بالفضلِ قلّد فيه جِيدَ متوّجٍ
تُمسي الثُريّا وهْي قُرطُ علائهِ
In merit he gave him a bejeweled, crowned one
To be worn by Pleiades, a crown upon its summit
مَنْ للهِلالِ بأن يَصوغَ سِوارَهُ
نَعْلاً فيمشي وهْو تحت حِذائِهِ
What? - to the new moon, that it fashion its bracelet
Into a sandal walking underneath its shoes?
بل مَنْ لنعْشٍ أن تكونَ بناتُه
تُضحي لديه وهْيَ بعضُ إمائهِ
Or to a string of pearls, that its daughters
Be sacrificed to him as part of its slave girls?
فطنٌ تكادُ العُميُ تُبصرُ في الدُجى
لو أنّها اِكتحلَتْ بنورِ ذكائِهِ
Sagacious - even the blind can almost see in the dark
If they apply the light of its discernment as kohl
يرمي العيوبَ بذهنِ قلبٍ قُلَّبٍ
فتلوحُ أوجهُها له بصفائهِ
It divines flaws with a probing heart so they shine
Before it by its probity
لو أنّ عينَ الشمسِ عن إنسانِها
سُئِلتْ لأهدَتْنا إلى سَودائِهِ
If the sun's eye were asked about its beloved
It would point us to its raven hair
أو قِيلَ للمِقدارِ أين سهامُه
كانت إشارتُه إلى آرائهِ
Or if Fate were told "Where are your arrows?"
It would gesture to indicate its judgments
يا طالبَ الدُرِّ الثّمينِ لحَلْيِهِ
لا تشتريه من سوى شُعرائهِ
You who seek precious pearls for your neck
Only purchase them from its poets
أينَ اللآلي من لآلئ مَدحِه
ظفِرَتْ بها الأفكارُ من دأمائهِ
Where are pieces compared with the pieces of its praise
With which ideas ran off with looted wealth?
إنْ كُنتَ تجهلُ يا سَؤل صِفاتِه
فعليكَ نحنُ نقصُّ من أنْبائهِ
If you are ignorant, O Questioner, of its qualities
We will recount some of its news
العدلُ والرأيُ المسدَّدُ والتُقى
والبأسُ والمعروفُ من قُرَنائِهِ
Justice, sound judgment, piety, valor and kindness
Are its boon companions
ذاتٌ مجرّدةٌ على كلّ الورى
صدقَتْ كصدقِ الكُلّ في أجزائهِ
A detached essence transcending all creation
Truthful as the parts' truthfulness to the whole
انظُرْ مَغاضَتَهُ تَرى عجباً فقدْ
شملَ الغديرَ البحرُ في أثنائِهِ
Regard its clemency - a marvel! - For the pond
Has absorbed the sea through its midst
فهْو ابنُ مَنْ سادَ الأنامَ بفضلِه
خلَفُ الكِرامِ الغُرِّ من أبنائهِ
It is the son of one eminent above all mankind in merit,
The glorious, noble descendant of its forebears
صلّى ووالدُه المُجلّي قبلَه
فأتى المدى فخراً على أكفائِهِ
It prayed, preceded by its death-defying father
And surpassed far-reaching goals, triumphing over its peers
سِيّانِ في الشرفِ الرفيع فنَفْسُه
من نفسِه وعُلاهُ من عَليائِهِ
The two are equal in mighty glory, its own soul
Is from its soul, and its sublimity from its sublimity
من آل حيدرةَ الألى ورثوا العُلا
من هاشمٍ والضّربَ في هيجائهِ
From the House of Haydarah, the lofty, who inherited eminence
From Hashim and attack at the fore of its onslaught
آلُ الرسولِ ورهطُه أسباطُه
أرحامُه الأدْنَوْنَ أهلُ عبائهِ
The Messenger's family, his kin and clan
His uterine relatives, his household and its chambers
نسبٌ إذا ما خُطَّ خِلْتَ مِدادَهُ
ماءَ الحياةِ يفيضُ في ظَلْمائِهِ
A lineage which, when inscribed, you will exclaim:
"Its ink is the water of life flooding its darkness!"
نسبٌ يَضوعُ إذا فضَضْتَ خِتامَه
فيُعطِّرُ الأكوانَ نَشرُ كِبائِهِ
A lineage whose seal, when broken emits a scent
That perfumes the horizons when its essence scatters
أينَ الكرامُ الطالبونَ لحاقَهُ
منهُ وأين ثَنايَ من نَعمائِهِ
Where are the generous who aspire to its heights
And where is my refuge relative to its favors?
يا أيّها المَولى الّذي بيمينِه
في المال قد فتكَتْ ظُبى آلائِهِ
O Master for whom the hyena's fangs fight over wealth
Hearken to sincere friendship's advocate in praise
سَمعاً فدَيْتُك من حَليفِ مودّةٍ
مدْحاً يَلوحُ عليهِ صِدقُ ولائِهِ
Praise at which nature inclines as if I
Cast enchantment reciting it in its composition
مدحاً تَميلُ له الطِباعُ كأنّني
أتلو عليهِ السحرَ في إنشائِهِ
With your attributes that dazzled my disposition
They breathed like mouths scenting with aloewood
بصفاتِك اللّاتي بهرْنَ مزَجتُه
فعبِقْن كالأفواهِ في صَهبائِهِ
So draw it into poetry whose meter is like
Basil in arrangement and like its leaves in binding
فاِستَجلِه نظماً كأنّ عروضَه
زهَرُ الرُبا ورويّهُ كرُوائِهِ
Reveal your face until he sees you, for he is
A lover the passion clothed in the garb of concealment
واِسْرُرْ هِلالَ العيدِ منكَ بنظرةٍ
تكفيهِ نقْصَ التِمِّ من لألائِهِ
Your blessed crescent forehead gives it brilliance
While your sublimity raises it to the peaks of its glory
فجبينُك المَيمونُ يمنحُه السّنا
وعُلاكَ يرفعُه لأوجِ سنائِهِ
Seeking perfection - nor are you the first seeker
To come begging at your door
طلب الكمالَ وليس أوّلَ طالبٍ
وأتى إلى جَدواكَ باستجدائِهِ
So attend to it until you see it, for it is
A thirst the passion clothed in the robe of concealment
واِظْهَرْ لهُ حتّى يراكَ فإنّه
صبٌّ كساهُ الشوقُ ثوبَ خَفائِهِ
And may your blessed Fast's breaking revive it
As God seals it with the beauty of its recompense
ولَيَهْنِكَ الصّومُ المُباركُ فِطرُهُ
واللَّهُ يختِمُه بحُسنِ جزائِهِ
I have rendered the best translation preserving the output in poetry while staying accurate to the meaning. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional requests!
