ألمّ به طيفُ الخيال مسلِّما

فأذكَرَهُ من لوعةٍ ما تقدّما

The specter of imagination afflicted me, surrendering,

And so I recalled him in intense longing unabated,

ألمّ به والصبحُ قد لاحَ جيشُه

وهمّتْ جيوشُ الليلأن تتصرّما

It afflicted me as the dawn revealed its army,

And the armies of night prepared to retreat and withdraw.

فأرّقه بعدَ المنامِ مزارُه

وطيرٌ بأعلى غُصنِ بانٍ ترنّما

So after sleep, thoughts of him kept me awake,

While a bird on the highest branch of a lofty tree sang melodiously.

رعى الله ركب المستقلّين سحرة

بعيسِهمُ قصداً الى أبرَقِ الحِمى

May God watch over the independent riders at dawn,

As they headed with their stallions towards brilliant encampments.

فما باتَ للأحباب ضامنُ لوعةٍ

لفقدهمُ إلا امرؤٌ بات مُغرَما

For lovers, no guarantor remains for their burning passions

In their absence, except one enamored who passed the night sleepless.

وفي الكِلّةِ الحمراءِ ظبيُ صريعةٍ

سقاني غداةَ البينِ بالبينِ علقَما

In the red sand dune a slain gazelle lies,

Quenching my thirst when we meet, with its spilled blood.

ضمنت فلم أذكر هواه وأنطق ال

جوى دمع عيني بالهوى فتكلما

I intended to forget his love, but my eyes' tears

Spoke, against my will, of passion and declared it openly.

وداويّةٍ داومتها بعرامِسٍ

إذا سِرْنَ يُنسِينَ الجديلَ وشَدْقَما

And of a chronic malady I treated with remedies,

Which when potent, make me forget my shackles and fetters.

تذرّعْتُ في الليلِ الظلامَ وفي الضُحى

غباراً أثارَتْهُ المناسِمُ أقْتَما

I donned the cloak of darkness in the night, and at dawn,

Dust stirred up by the blowing wind obscuring all in gloom.

وقلتُ لغيثٍ طبّقَ الأرضُ ماؤهُ

فأزّر بالنورِ الرّوابي وعمّما

And I said to pouring rain whose water flooded the land,

"Bedeck yourself with light, and spread far and wide."

يد الصّالحِ المنظورِ أعظمُ نائلاً

وأجزلُ إعطاءً وأوفرُ مَغنَما

The hand of the righteous servant is mightiest when beseeched,

Most generous in giving and amplest in gains.

مليكٌ أضاءَ الليلَ من نورِ وجهِه

وأفعالِه الحسنى وقد كان مُظلِما

A king whose face's light illuminated the night,

And whose fair deeds, when it had been utterly dark.

سجيّتُه بذلُ النّوالِ فلن ترى

بأرضٍ ثوى فيها من الناس مُعْدِما

His nature is to grant favors, so you'll never see,

In a land where he dwells, a single person deprived.

يُريك إذا سالَمْتَه البدرَ طالعاً

تماماً وإن حاربْتَه الليثَ مُقْدِما

When you greet him, you'll see the full moon rising,

And if you fight him, a lion pouncing forth.

أجِدّكَ ما تنفكّ تعطى لسائر ال

مُعادين بُوسى والموالين أنعُما

I find you never cease to bestow favors upon all enemies and friends alike,

So how many battles where you showed yourself noble,

فكم معركٍ فيه تبدّيت سافراً

فغادرتَ بالسّيفِ العدوّ ملثّما

Then left the foe masked in his blood.

You turned daylight to night with spears' darkness,

ردَدْتَ الضُحى ليلاً من النُقْعِ مظلماً

وأطلعْتَ فيه بالأسنّة أنجُما

And in it, with swords you made stars shine.

You remained in it, scattering decorative prose,

وظلْتَ لنظم الهام فيه منثِّراً

وبتَّ لنثرِ الطّعنِ فيه منظّما

And you passed the night arranging piercing verse.

You stripped the foe of their raiment and lives,

سلبْتَ العِدى أثوابَها ونُفوسَها

وألبسْتَها ثوباً صفيقاً من الدِّما

Dressing them in a smooth garment of blood.

You ascended to a place where the stars fall below you,

علوْتَ محلاً أصبح النجمُ دونَه

وأدنيتَ ما تحوي يداك تكرّما

And brought down to your hands whatever they contain of bounty.

Thus the light of the sun draws near from every spot on earth,

كذلك نورُ الشمسِ من كل موضعٍ

من الأرض يدنو وهْي في كبدِ السّما

While it is in the middle of the sky.

By your resolve, justice took flight east and west,

بعزمِك طار العدل شرقاً ومغرباً

وأنجدَ في أعلى البلاد وأتهَما

And became eminent in the highest parts of the land.

You opened for divine inspirations when you shunned worldly vanities,

فتحتَ اللّها لما تبرعت باللُهى

فأعربَ بالشكرِ الذي كان أعجما

So the Divine expressed thanks for what had been incomprehensible.

And you erected in Alexandria a structure,

وشيّدْتَ بالإسكندرية بِنيةً

بها أصبحَ الثغرُ المباركُ مُعلَما

By which that blessed place became a clear sign.

Within it you brought together the pride of imams,

حبوْتَ بها فخرَ الأئمّة فاغتدى

بجمعِهما شملُ المعالي مُلأما

So by their assembly the glory of the sublime became complete.

By teaching lessons therein, the foundation is demolished

بتدريسه فيها الدروسَ أساسُ ما

يقيمونه الكفارُ أضحى مهدّما

Of what the unbelievers establish.

Through it and through you, God left no unbeliever,

به وبها لم يترُكِ الله كافراً

الى أن غدا فضلاً من الله مُسلِما

Until they became, through God's grace, Muslim.

O you, the preserver of knowledge, who climbed

ألا أيُّهذا الحافظُ العلَمُ الذي

سما سابقاً نحو العلى فتقدّما

High towards the Divine in bygone times.

Is not the full moon but yourself on its night of perfection?

هل البدرُ إلا أنت ليلةَ تِمّه

هلِ البحرُ إلا أنت ساعةَ أن طَما

Is not the sea but yourself at the hour its waves surge?

The silent month welcomed you eagerly,

بك استبشرَ الشهرُ الأصمّ تشوقاً

للُقياكَ حتى كاد أن يتكلّما

Almost speaking, so keen was it to meet you.

From my thoughts, I will carry to you poems

سأحمِلُ من فكري إليك قصائداً

تُريكَ من الألفاظِ درّاً منظّما

That show you from words a glistening bracelet.

They surpass, as time passes, what is new in their novelty,

تزيدُ على مرِّ الجديدَن جدّةً

وتنشرُ وشْياً للعيون مُنَمْنَما

Diffusing for eyes a radiance, glittering and shimmering.

For you remain in the glory and loftiness of the eminent ones,

فلا زِلتَ في عزِّ عليٍّ ورفعةٍ

فما العيشُ إلا أن تعيشَ وتسلَما

Wherein life is but to live blameless and safe.