يجور كما شاءَ الدلال ويعدل

ويتعب فيه من يلوم ويعذل

He travels as the guide pleases, and sets right,

And toils in it, he who blames and makes excuses,

هو الشمس إشراقاً ولكنني أرى

من الحرمِ إني عنهُ لا أتحوَّل

It is the sun rising, but I see

That I do not change from the sanctuary,

بروحِي ربيع من عذاريه آخر

نماه ربيعٌ من أسيليه أوَّل

With my soul a spring from his virgins another

Spring raised from his pouring first,

وثغر يعير الجوهريّ صحاحه

ووجه له من رائق الحسن مجمل

And a mouth that mocks the lexicographer his correctness

And a face that has from the saliva of beauty a wrap,

لناظره الفتَّان بالسحرِ آيةٌ

على مثلها دمعي من العينِ مرسل

For its charmer viewer an evidence of magic,

At the like of it my tear from the eye is sent,

ومن عجب إني بعادل قدّه

أجنّ ودمع العين دوني المسلسل

And from wonder that I equal his stature

I moan and the tear of the eye continues below me,

لئن جلبت شجوي كسالى جفونه

لمثلك يا قلبي عن الصبرِ أكسل

If I brought my passion the laziness of his eyelids

To your like, O my heart, of patience I am most lazy,

وإن غزلت لي من ضنا الجسم حلةً

لما حلتُ عن أني بها أتغزَّل

And if the thinness of body knitted a garment for me

When I took it off, that I be adorned with it,

نعم في جفونِ التركِ للنفسِ صبوةٌ

وللقلب في تلك المضائق مدخل

Yes, in the eyelids of the Turks for the soul alertness

And for the heart in those straits an entrance,

تجرَّح قلبي تارةً بعد تارة

وتشهد أني عاشق فتعدَّل

My heart gets wounded sometimes after sometimes

And testifies that I am a lover, so it makes excuses,

وربَّ عذولٍ لامني فتركته

يقول وقلبي في الصبابة ينهل

And how much a blamer blamed me, so I left him

To say and my heart in youth gets its fill,

ولو أن عذَّالي على الحسنِ أخوتي

لقلت لهم طوعِي لدى الحسن أجمل

And if my blamers on beauty were my brethren

I would say to them, my obedience to beauty is more beautiful,

أقيموا بنو أمي صدور مطيّكم

فإني إلى قومٍ سواكم لأمْيَل

Stand, O sons of my mother, your riding animals

For I incline to a people other than you,

إلى كلِّ غصنٍ مال تيهاً على نقا

تكاد به أردافه تتهيَّل

To every branch it bent wandering on soft sand

Its hips almost twist,

وبدر مضى وقتِي مضيئاً بوصله

فلا غَرْوَ أني بعد بدرِي مضلَّل

And the full moon passed my time shining with its conjunction

So no wonder that after my full moon I am lost,

تشرب تربُ الأرض ماءَ مدامعي

وبين ضلوعي جمرة تتأكَّل

The dust of earth drinks the water of my tears

And between my ribs a burning ember eats away,

وأهتزُّ للتذكار حتَّى كأنما

يعاودني من بارحِ الذكرِ أفكل

And I tremble with remembrance until as if

What I ate yesterday of the mention repeats itself to me,

سقى الغيثُ أوقاتي إذا العيش ممكنٌ

وخدَّام أمري بالهنا تتعجَّل

The rain watered my times when living was possible

And servants of my matter with bliss hurry,

زمانيَ مختارٌ وقصدِي منجحٌ

وراحيَ ريحانٌ وبدريَ مقبل

My time is well-chosen and my aim successful

And my comfort is aromatic and my full moon rising,

مدا الليل فيه ناظري متعلّلٌ

إلى لثمِه من ضمِّه أتنقَّل

The night stretched my seeing eye, complaining,

To its kiss from its embrace I move about,

فأحبب بذاك الحسن وهو مدا الدجى

بلثميَ مختومٌ وضمِّيَ مقفل

So I fell in love with that beauty, and it is the night that stretched

With my kiss sealed and my embrace locked,

إلى مثله يهدى تغزُّل ناظمٍ

وللصاحب ابن الصاحب المدح يحمل

To its like the love poem of a composer is gifted

And for the fellow son of a fellow the praise carries,

إذا قالَ معنى في ابن يعقوب ناظمٌ

فإن المعاني باسمه تتكمَّل

If a composer says a meaning in the son of Ya'qub

Then the meanings with his name are perfected,

إذا عدَّ أهل العلم والحلم والتقى

وصنع الأيادِي فابن يعقوب أوَّل

If he counts the people of knowledge, forbearance and piety

And the works of hands, the son of Ya'qub is first,

إذا اسْتمسكت منه الأماني بناصرٍ

فبشرى الأماني إنها ليسَ تخذل

If hopes held on to a supporter from him

Then glad tidings, the hopes will not be disappointed,

إذا عدَّد المثني مناصب مجده

منصباً على التمييز لا يتبدَّل

If he counts the positions of his glory twice over

A position over distinction that does not change,

سريّ سراةٍ قبل ما اكْتمل الصبا

وشيخ شيوخ قبل ما يتكهَّل

A confidential confidant before youth is completed

And a sheikh of sheikhs before he is aged,

وقاضي قضاةٍ معرب بكمالِه

تقىً ليسَ يخفى أو لهىً ليسَ يجهل

And a judge of judges correct in his perfection

Pious, nothing of him is hidden or distracted in error,

وكافي كفاة ما ابن عبَّاد صائد

لديه ولا القاضي الملقَّب أفضل

And sufficient for the sufficient what Ibn Abbad hunts

For him nor the titled judge is superior,

أقامَ بمغنى الشام صدراً لسرِّهِ

وأمداحه في الغرب والشرق ترحل

He established in the haven of Damascus a breast for his confidential talk

And his praises in west and east travel,

تنادِي الورَى نعماه واللفظ والسنا

ألا فاجْتدوا ثمَّ اجْتنوا ثمَّ فاجْتلوا

The people call his favors and diction and brilliance,

Yes, so be creative, then choose, then excel,

ولا عيبَ فيه غير أنَّ له ندىً

يجيب ندا العافين من قبل يسأل

And no shortcoming in him but that he has a companion

Who answers the call of the healthy before he asks,

مواهب كفَّيه وألفاظ كتبه

على اليمن ما بين الورَى تترسَّل

Gifts of his palms and wordings of his books

Upon Yemen what between peoples are sent,

وللدرج بعد الدرس منهُ فوائد

تفضل في أسلاكها وتفصَّل

And for steps after study from him benefits

That prefer in their channels and detail,

علوم بآفاق المدارس تنتقى

وسجع بأفنان الدواوين تنقل

Sciences from the horizons of schools are picked out

And rhymed prose from the collections of notebooks is transmitted,

ونطق به للمنطقيّ تأدبٌ

ونحوٌ به للفارسيّ ترجّل

And diction with which to the logician manners,

And grammar with which to the Persian firmness,

وخط كما راقت سلاسل عسجدٍ

ونظم كما راق الرحيق المسلسل

And calligraphy as chained bracelets pleased

And poetry as poured nectar chained,

ورأي على سمت السعود وهمَّة

تظل على زهر الكواكب عسَّل

And an opinion on the path of glory and resolve

That hovers over the flower of stars sweetened by bees,

لنعم الفتى ديناً ودنيا بجمعنا

وفي خطبة الدارين نعم المؤهَّل

For the fine young man in religion and life together we gathered

And in the sermon of the two houses aptly prepared,

له الله ما أزكى وأشرف همَّة

وأنجح ما يأتي وما يتأمَّل

For him God whatever most is true and noble resolve

And successful whatever he does and contemplates,

دَرَى مع دهري كيفَ حال تذلّلي

فلاقاه حتَّى كادَ وهو مذلَّل

It saw with my time how my humility was

So it faced it until it almost and it humbled collapsed,

وجلى همومي جامع البرّ والتقا

بنعماء من بابِ الزيادة تدخل

And it relieved my concerns the complete in righteousness and piety

With favors from the door of increase enter,

وما هو إلاَّ حينَ بادر جيشهم

فقاموا صفوفاً للدعا وتبتَّلوا

And it is only when its army took the initiative

So they stood ranks for supplication and devoted themselves,

فنظمتها زهراء والشهب روضة

على الأفق تجلى والمجرَّة جدول

So I strung them pearls and the meteors a meadow

On the horizon it appeared and the galaxy a stream,

وطرق الدجى ذو غرّةٍ من هلاله

إلى أن بدَا بالفجرِ وهو محجَّل

And the darkness of night whose crescent has a covering

Until it appeared at dawn and it is wrapped,

فدونكما جهد المحبّ وعشْ كما

تحب لإلفٍ مثلها تتمثَّل

So for you two the effort of the loving and live as

You love for a people like it models itself,

بوديَ لو أنَّ الجوارح كلها

لمدحك سمعٌ في الأنام ومِقْوَل

With my love if only all the limbs

For your praise hearing among people and speaking,