إن طيفاً عن حال شجوايَ أملى

لستُ أدري أدَّى الأمانة أم لا

A specter conveyed to me the state of my passion

I know not if it was truthful or false in its delivery

جاءَ ضيفاً وردَّه سهد عينيَّ

فولَّى بيَ الهمومَ وولَّى

It came as a guest, so I welcomed it with smiling eyes

But it left me with worries and went away

ليت طيف الحبيب ينقل جسمي

لا حديثي فكان يحسن نقلا

Would that the specter of my beloved transport my body

Since it failed to convey my words well

بأبي من إذا تثنَّى دلالاً

أطرقت في رياضها القضب خجلا

By my father, when he sways coquettishly

The twigs in his gardens bow down in shyness

فاتك اللحظ وهو حلوٌ مع الف

تك فيا حبَّذا الحسام المحلَّى

You missed the sweet glance while frowning

How excellent are the sharpened swords

عرف الناس سحر عينيه لمَّا

مدَّ فرعاً فصيَّر الفرع أصلا

When people recognized the magic of his eyes

It extended a branch and made the branch a root

مدَّ صدغاً على عذارٍ وخدٍّ

فرأينا مرعىً وماءً وظلاَّ

It extended a cheek over a tender face and cheek

So we saw pasture, water and shade

ورنا بعده الغزال فقلنا

حُطّ يا ظبيُ عن جفنك ثقلا

After it we saw the gazelle so we said

Lower your eyelids, oh graceful gazelle

ليسَ يُسلى هواه من قلب صبٍّ

ونعم فوق خدَّيه يُسلى

My passion is not soothed by the heart of a youth

And what excellent smooth cheeks to soothe upon

يا سلوِّي عليهِ عليه بُعداً وسُحقاً

واشْتياقي إليه أهلاً وسهلا

Oh soother, keep your distance and begone

While my yearning for him is friendly and easy

أشتكي جوره التذاذاً بذكرى

شخصه كالأريحيِّ منه عدلا

I complain of his tyranny with the pleasure of his memory

His figure is equitable unlike the aromatic wood

عجبي منه ظالماً مستطيلاً

وهو إن ماسَ أعدل الناس شكلا

I wonder at him, oppressive and obstinate

When he is the most equitable of people in appearance

باخلٌ بالكلامِ لكن له سيَّا

ف لحظٍ تكلَّم الناس عنه طفلا

Retiring in speech but his glance

Once spoke to people when he was a child

يا بخيلاً بلفظه ولقاه

شذَّ ما قد بخلت قولاً وفعلا

Oh how miserly with his words and meeting

You have seldom been as miserly in saying and deed

خنت عهدي ولست أوَّل خلٍّ

خانَ بعد الولاء والودّ خلاَّ

You betrayed my covenant though not the first traitor

To betray after loyalty and affection

رُبَّ يومٍ قد كانَ ريقك فيه

ليَ راحاً وكان قدّك نقلا

Many a day when your saliva was to me

Comfort, while your stature was noble

سائلي عن قديم دهريَ إيهاً

ذاك وقتٌ مضى ودهرٌ تولَّى

They ask me of my lifelong companion, alas

That time has passed and the ages moved on

وليالٍ جادت وأعقبت اله

مّ فيا ليت جودها كانَ بخلا

Nights poured generosity then miserliness followed

Would that their generosity had not been stingy

وحبيبٌ جفا ولست بسالي

ه وحاشا ذاك الجمال وكلاَّ

A lover betrayed though I do not blame him

Far from that beauty, never

تتقلَّى به العواذل غبناً

فهو يُهوَى وعواذلي فيه تُقلى

The girls woo him wrongfully

While he is loved and my girls are roasted

عذلوني وفي الحشا عقد ودّ

لم يدع لاسْتماع عذلٍ محلاَّ

They blame me while in the thorns is a pact of love

He did not leave space to hear blame

أنا في الحبِّ مثل قاضي قضاة الد

ين في الجودِ ليسَ يسمع عذلا

I am like the judge of judges in love

Who does not hear blame in generosity

مغرف في العلى لماضيه يتلو

وثناه على البسيطة يتلى

A ladle in the treasury reciting its past

And praising it in poetry

دلفي يوم الفخار يجلى

وبه منهم الخطوب تجلَّى

My comrade one day of pride revealed

And through him difficulties were revealed

حازَ غايات أهله بمساعٍ

قدَّمته إلى السيادة أهلا

He achieved his family’s aspirations through effort

That led him to leadership deservingly

فأفاضَ الجودين عدلاً ومالاً

وحمى الجانبين حزناً وسهلا

So he poured justice and wealth generously

And protected both grief and ease

وحرام أن يطرق العسر والجو

ر فتىً كانَ في مغانيه حلاَّ

A shame that hardship and tyranny meets a lad

Who in his singing-girls found enjoyment

همَّة تحسب النجوم على الأف

قِ شعاعاً من جرمها يتجلَّى

An ambition that counts the stars in the sky

As rays radiating from their spheres

وعلوم فاضت على الأرض بحراً

هادِياً لم يعف كالبحر سبلا

And knowledge that overflowed upon the earth like a

Guiding sea that does not ebb like the tide

كم قضى فرض قاصدٍ لحماه

ثمَّ والى فأتبع الفرض نفلا

Many an obligatory duty he fulfilled seeking its protection

Then volunteered and followed with a supererogatory one

كم جنينا منه المواهب شهداً

إذ بنينا له الركائب نملا

Many a gift we reaped from him as sweet as honey

When we built pedestals for him as ants do

كم إلى بيت ماله في العطايا

قد ضربنا بطالعِ العيس رملا

Many gifts in his house of generosity

We harvested like the ears of wheat

لائميه على المكارمِ كفُّوا

إنَّ للصبِّ بالصبابة شغلا

Those who blame him for generosity, stop!

For the youth is busy with the vigor of youth

يا له سالكاً بغير مثيل

في طريقٍ من السيادة مثلى

Oh you who tread uniquely

Upon the path of leadership without peer

وإماماً أقلامه كلّ يومٍ

تتلقَّى الأقلام قدح معلَّى

And leader whose pens every day

Anticipate the served wine of the highest regard

صانَ للفضلِ ذمَّةً وحوى العل

م جميعاً فلم تقل فيه إلا

He preserved the integrity of virtue and contained

All knowledge so none could impugn it

لو أرادت شهب النجوم علاه

ما عزَا الفيلسوف للشهبِ عقلا

If the shooting stars wished to ascend above him

The philosopher would not attribute to them a mind

ما ألذُّ النعمى لديه وما أش

قى حسوداً بنارِهِ بات يُصلى

How pleasant is success through him and how deserving

An envious person is of burning in his fire

وعدوًّا إن لم ينازله بالقت

لِ كفاه سيف التحسُّد قتلا

And if an enemy did not reconcile with peace

The sword of envy suffices to kill

أضعف الهمّ جسمه فإذا قا

لَ لرجليه بادري كتبت لا

Weaker worries weakened his body so if he said

To his feet, hurry! - you would write, No!

قد بلونا السادات شرقاً وغرباً

فوجدنا جلال علياه أجلى

We have tested the nobility of East and West

And found the majesty of his ascendance most sublime

قيل يعني عطارداً قلت لا بل

مشتري الحمد بالنفائسِ بذلا

It was said he means Mercury, I said, No, but

The giver of praise through gifts

يا إماماً إذا المفاخر نادت

هُ مشى ساحب الذيول مدلا

Oh leader, if virtues were to call out

The train-dragger would walk proudly

أتشكَّى لك الزمان الذي تمل

ك إصلاحه لديَّ فهل لا

Shall I complain to you of time which you own

Reforming it for me, can it be?

ومقام للعلمِ لولا نظام

من مساعيك ما تنظَّم شملا

A position for knowledge, if not for the system

Of your efforts would not have been settled

ومحاريب شدْتها بدروس

وصلاة تحبى إليها وتجلى

And prayer niches which you augmented with lessons

And prayers adorned with devotion

حبَّذا أنوار شخصك في سجَّا

دِ محرابه النقى والمصلَّى

Blessed is the light of your figure in the chaste

Prayer niche and the place of prostration

ربَّ مدح لولاك أمسى محالاً

ورجاء لولاكَ أصبح محلا

Many praises, were it not for you, would be impossible

And many hopes, without you, would have no place

حبَّذا لي مدائحٌ فيك تبدى

من حياءٍ كالروض يحمل طلاَّ

Blessed are my praises of you that appear

From a garden bearing fruits

طالَ إملاؤها عليكَ ولكن

لك كفٌّ من العطا لن يملاَّ

Long did I dictate them to you, but for you

Is a palm of generosity that will not be filled

عادة لامها النصيح على البذ

لِ فقالت سجيَّة الأصل مهلا

Custom blamed the adviser for generosity

So the noble origin said, Wait!

إن أكن أحسن الثنا فيك قولاً

فلقد أحسنت أياديكَ فعلا

If I excel in praising you in words

Your hands have excelled even more in deeds

زادكَ اللهُ بسطةً واقْتداراً

ومقاماً على السّهى ومحلاَّ

May God increase your capacity and influence

And position of ease and rank

جمعَ الله فيكَ ما عزَّ في الخل

قِ فسبحانه وعزَّ وجلا

May God gather in you what is most noble of humanity

Glorified is He, Mighty and Sublime