تفهَّمه قلبي الشجيّ فهاما

ولم يره طرف الغبيّ فلاما

My understanding heart comprehended him,

While the eye of the fool did not discern him.

وعرفني بالحبِّ في خدِّ عارض

بدا ألِفاً ثم اسْتدارَ فلاما

And he made me recognize love on the cheek of a maiden,

It seemed a thousand then it turned into a lam.

بروحيَ رشيق المقلتين إذا رنا

رمى في فؤاد المستهام سهاما

With my elegant, large-eyed soul when it sang,

It threw arrows into the heart of the passionate admirer.

جعلتُ دموع العينِ جاريةً له

وصيرت قلبي في هواه غلاما

I made the tears of my eyes flow for him,

And I made my heart a slave to his love.

من الغيدِ حسبي ورد خدَّيه نزهة

وريقته يا حسرتاه مداما

The branch of sweet basil is enough for me from his cheek,

Its leaf, oh what a pity, is wine.

يقولُ حلالٌ خمر ريقي وليتهُ

سقاني بهِ كأساً وكانَ حراما

He says my saliva is lawful wine, and I wish

He would give me a cup of it though it is unlawful.

لئن تمَّ عشقي في ملاحتهِ لقد

تعشَّقت بدراً في الملاح تماما

If my love for his beauty is fulfilled, indeed

I fell in love with a full moon among the beautiful.

وعذَّبني ذاك المليح بنارِهِ

فكانَ عذاب القلب فيهِ غراما

And that gorgeous one tortured me with his fire,

So the torment of the heart for him was passion.

ووالله لا أصغيت فيهِ لعاذلٍ

ولو ذابَ جسمي لوعةً وسقاما

By God, I do not listen in him to any critic,

Even if my body melts from agony and illness.

فأزداد في الحبِّ انْتساباً لعامرٍ

إلى أن أزيد العاذلين ملاما

So I increase in love, affiliation to Aamer,

Until I blame the critics more and more.

يقولون أعدتك السقامَ جفونه

فقلتُ ومن أعدى الجفون سقاما

They say his eyelids have harmed you,

I said: "Who harmed the eyelids more?"

ومن مزجَ الغصن الرطيب بعطفه

فكانَ مزاج المعطفين قواما

And who mixed the fresh branch with his charm,

So the two interminglers became harmonious?

تناوحت العشَّاق إذا ماسَ قدّه

فيا لك غصناً في الهوى وحماما

The lovers toss when his stature sways,

What a branch in love and a pigeon you are!

إذا خاطبتي في هواهُ عواذلي

مضيتُ على حالي وقلت سلاما

When my critics blame me for his love,

I go on my way and say "goodbye".

كما خاطبَ العذَّال جود محمدٍ

فأعرض عنهم واسْتهلَّ غماما

Just as the critic blamed the generosity of Mohammed,

But he turned away from them and disappeared into the clouds.

رئيسٌ على التحقيق قالت صفاته

لنقَّاده ذا ما يخالط ذاما

A chief of investigation, his attributes told

His critics: "One who mixes with the vile".

سمونا لمدحِ المفضَّلين وإنما

لأمثالهِ في الفضلِ لن يُتسامى

We were named for praising the virtuous, but in fact

For the likes of him, none can vie in merit.

وآلت معانينا إلى مسكِ ذكره

فكانت لذكرِ الأكرمين ختاما

Our meanings came to the musk of mentioning him,

So they concluded with mention of the noblest ones.

أخو العلم والتقى تقدَّم فيهما

فكانَ امرأً للمتَّقين إماما

The brother of knowledge and piety preceded in them,

So he became the imam for the reverent.

يقضون للملكِ النهار فإن دجى

مسا الليل باتوا سجَّداً وقياما

They spend the day fulfilling the kingdom, and when

The night falls dark, they spend it bowing and standing in prayer.

وأضحى لسرِّ الملك صدراً قد انْتقى

له مستقرًّا في الورَى ومقاما

And the secret of the kingdom has become in the morning

A chest selected as a dwelling and station in the world.

سقى الغيث مثوى الصاحب الشرف الذي

عهدنا به عهد النوال ركاما

The rain watered the abode of the noble companion whom

We knew in time of attainment like mountains.

وغرّ المعالي أخجلت كلّ سالفٍ

من القومِ كانوا للأمور قواما

And the glories amazed, humbling every predecessor

Of the people, who used to manage affairs.

تنادِي نظام الملك أسلاكَ فضله

إليكَ فما كلّ النظام نظاما

The system of the kingdom calls out to the threads of his merit

To you, for not every system is a system.

لنعم الفتى أبقى لروضِ نباته

شميماً وأوهى الدَّهر منه شماما

What an excellent youth who left for his garden’s growth

A breath, though time has weakened from it the sense of smell.

ونعم سبيل المكرمات محمد

إذا ما ذكرنا ناسلاً وإذا ما

And what an excellent way of favors is Mohammed

When we mention him as a progenitor and when

بدا مثل ما يبدو الصباح فخاره

فزيّل من ظلم الزمان ظلاما

He appears as the dawn appears in its pride

So he banishes the darkness of time.

وعالَ بإذن الله أبناء آدم

وحام بآفاقِ الفخار وساما

And by God’s permission he surpassed the children of Adam

And vied in horizons of pride and loftiness.

بليغ الندَى والنطق تلقاه فيهما

فريداً وتلقى المكرمات نواما

Eloquent in dew and speech, he found him

Uniquely, and found favors sleeping.

له قلمٌ إن ماسَ كانَ لمعتفٍ

حياةً وإلا للعدوِّ حماما

He has a pen, if it touches it gives life to the noble one

Otherwise, to the enemy, death.

يمجّ شهاداً تارةً لوليِّه

ووقتاً لشانيه يمجّ سماما

At times it pours praise testifying for his patron,

And at times for his foes, it pours poison.

قرين الفتاوى والفتوَّة لم يذق

بليل مداد بين ذاكَ مناما

The friend of jurisprudence and gallantry has not tasted

At night the ink during that sleep.

تسهَّد في حفظ المماليك جفنهُ

وفي كلِّ جفنٍ قد أنام حساما

His eyelids rest in guarding the servants

And in each eyelid lies a sharp sword.

بكفّ كريم الرَّاحتين مؤمَّل

فيا لك برقاً في الندَى وغماما

With the palm of one generous in comfort, promised

What a lightning in dew and clouds!

ويا لكَ في النطق البليغ قدامة

وفي طيرانِ الذكرِ عنهُ قداما

And what resistance in eloquent speech you have

And in flight of renown away from him, resistance!

شكوتُ لهُ ظلم الزمان وإنَّما

إلى سيدٍّ برٍّ شكوتُ غلاما

I complained to him of the tyranny of time, but in fact

To a kind master I complained as a slave boy.

فردَّ الزمان الجهمَ عنِّيَ خاضعاً

فتى ليسَ غيم الظنّ فيهِ جهاما

So time repealed its injustice from me submissively,

A young man in whom the clouds of suspicion do not gather.

وجدَّد من جدواه ما لا نسيتهُ

ولم يبقَ من عند الزمان مراما

And he renewed from his generosity what I will not forget,

And nothing of time’s purpose remained.

وألبسني بيضاء ردّ ضياؤها

لدى حاسدٍ حتَّى اسْتحال ضراما

And he clothed me in white, the radiance of which

Turned my envier into coal in front of him.

أمدُّ يدي في كلِّ يومٍ لذيلِها

فآخذ من جورِ الشتاء ذماما

I extend my hand each day to the end of it

And take from the injustice of winter its bridle.

ومذ علقت منها بناني بعروةٍ

شدَدت لطرفِ القول فيه حزاما

And since I clung to it with a strong rope,

I tightened the waistband of speech about it.

فلا زالَ ممدوحاً إذا ما وصفته

زحمت المعاني المائلات زحاما

So he remained the one praised, whenever I described him,

The inclined meanings crowded together.

أولد مع فقدِ الصبا جوهر الثنا

يتيماً وأولاد الشيوخ يتامى

He was born, though the youth was lost, the essence of praise

As an orphan, while the children of elders are orphans.