ملّ من صبوتِه ما أمّلا
فسلا عن قلبِه كيفَ سَلا
He tired of his youth as he wished more,
Ask his heart how it yearned and implored,
نزَعَتْ عنه يدُ الشيب صِباً
طالما غازَل فيه الغزَلا
Old age stripped his youth bit by bit,
Though love teased and enticed him a bit,
ونهى منه النُهى مزدَجِراً
نسخَ الآخرُ عنه الأوّلا
Advice deterred him but he turned away,
As others copied him night and day,
ولقد كان ومن آرابِه
غُصُنٌ ماسَ وبدر كُمِّلا
Among his companions a branch he was,
Bright like the full moon that lights because,
كان يهوى منه بدراً طالعاً
أفلا يندُبُه إذْ أفلا
The rising moon he was fond to see,
Should he not mourn as it starts to flee,
عاطل اللّبّة لولا غَيَدٌ
نقلَ الحسنُ إليه المُقَلا
An empty flirt if not for his grace,
Beauty transferred to him its place,
رُبَّ ليلٍ باتَ فيه المُشتَري
بأحاديثي يناجي زُحَلا
Many a night the buyer in glee,
Conversed with me confidentially,
حيثُ رُعْتُ الأُجْلَ في أحشائِه
بابْنِ نكْباءَ يفوتُ الأجَلا
When I nurtured fate in its nature,
By Ibn Nukba who cheats fate ever,
كلما استرْقَصَ عِطفَيْهِ هوى
ملأ الرّكضُ بجَنبَيْهِ المَلا
Whenever he shook his twisting locks,
The milky way he crammed in his frocks.
خاطرٌ جال عليه خاطرٌ
آمنٌ منه الوجا والوجَلا
A thought occurred countered by a thought,
Secured from doubt or fear distraught.
ولقد تعطِفُني نحو الحمى
خُلَلٌ تسد الخَللا
My craving for passion hectored me,
With pores that block off all holes we see.
حبّذا في أبْرَقَيْهِ حِلَلٍ
خلعَ الحُسْنُ عليها حُللا
How excellent on his cheeks the mole,
That beauty graced with pretty stoles,
وانثنى الأسمرُ منها غُصُناً
وجرى الأبيضُ فيها جدولا
The brown therein bent as a branch,
And the fair flowed as a stream enhanced,
طالنا حُيّيتُ في أطلالها
بِطِلاً بت أعاطيها طلا
Long we lived in its ruins I,
Gave it my nights away they fly,
زُهَريُّ المرتقى والمُلْتَقى
زهَريُّ المُجْتَنى والمجتلى
My flirty ways he meets and greets,
My joking and amorous treats,
عسكريُّ هزّ من معطِفِه
أسمراً أفتكَ مما اعتقلا
With his charm, strong and warm,
He shook off from his cloak a brown,
كلَفي منه ببدرٍ رامِح
ينتَحي منه سِماكاً أعزَلا
More precious than all that he took,
A spear's thrust took a leap it forsook.
ضاحَكَتْ غُرّتُهُ طُرّتَهُ
فأقلّ الصُبْحُ ليلا ألْيَلا
His dimples and curls were such fun,
Dimming the morn eclipsing the sun,
وإذا روّيْتُ في رؤيته
بدَهَ الحُسنُ بها وارتجَلا
And when I saw him in a dream,
Beauty shone and glory did beam,
سِرْتُ في الحُسْنِ إليه مَعلماً
والى السّلوانِ عنه مَجْهَلا
I roamed his beauty enchanted in love,
And roamed his Sallouan in dreams thereof,
ولقد ضاعَ فؤادي عندَه
فأنا أطلبُ عنه بَدَلا
My heart by him was lost and strayed,
And I seek what can for it be paid.
والى أحمدَ أحمَدْتُ السُّرى
حين طارَحْتُ الصِّبا والشّمْألا
To Ahmed Ahmed I wished well,
When I shed my youth bidding farewell,
أمّت الآمالُ منه راحةً
تُبغِضُ الرّيْثَ وتهوى العَجَلا
From him hopes of comfort were born,
Hating inertia loving the morn,
واستجاشَ الحقُّ منه واحداً
ينظرُ الباطلُ منه جَحْفَلا
Truth rose in him single and one,
Falsehood from him shrinks and runs,
راقياً حيّةَ خَطْبٍ راقياً
طودَ مجدٍ راقِماً ثوبَ عُلا
Climbing high in glory he stands,
Raising his flag's mast with his hands,
عكَفَ الشِّعْرُ على أوصافه
فهو الروضُ أصابَ المَنهَلا
Poetry swarmed his traits to draw,
As the meadow flows to the creek raw,
واستفادَ الدهرُ من آدابِه
بعدما كان اعتدى فاعْتَدَلا
Life benefitted from his knowledge,
After oppressing itself to acknowledge,
ناهضٌ بالعبءِ لو كلّفتهُ
ردّ أيام الصِّبا لاكْتَفلا
Bearing all burdens if assigned,
Bringing youth days enshrined.
أسفرَتْ آراؤهُ عن شارِقٍ
كلما أومضَ جَلّى الجُلَلا
His views shine an illuminous birth,
Clarifying darkened veils of worth,
فهو ما سدّد منها أسهُماً
رشقَتْ من كلّ خطبٍ مَقْتَلا
The arrows he straightened hit hearts,
And every speeches noblesse imparts,
لانَ عن فرطِ نشاطٍ ولكَمْ
شدّةٍ في القومِ عُدّتْ كسَلا
For too much vigor and such talk,
Inaction in men deemed his walk,
وإذا ما جدّ في أكرومةٍ
قُلْتَ من إفراطِه قد هزَلا
And when serious about a matter,
You say he jokes in happy chatter,
هزّ عِطفَيْهِ النّدى فانتزعا
ما أعارَتْهُ المُدامُ الثّملا
Dew shook his twisting locks and took,
What the drunkard gave from wine he shook,
وانثنَى والمدحُ يلويه كما
لوتِ النكباءُ رُمحاً خطِلا
And he bent as praise twists around,
As the Nukba bent its honed lance on ground,
بنَثاً فاوحَهُ الطّيبُ فلم
يرتَضِ المندَلَ عنه بدَلا
Musk perfumed it as it was displayed,
And it preferred not replacement in trade,
يتغنّى ساجعُ الطّيرِ به
هزَجاً في أيْكِهِ أو رمَلا
The birds in the bushes sing for him,
Jubilantly or in soft timbre,
هنئَ الدّهرُ به من سيّدِ
شدّ منه ما وهى أو وَهَلا
Life congratulated itself for its lord,
Whether weak or strong in its horde,
وازْدَهى الشهر الذي ألبَسَهُ
ذلك العِلْمَ وذاك العمَلا
The month that dressed him in knowledge and deed,
Became splendorous indeed,
كان فيه صائماً أو قائماً
منعِماً أو مُفضِلاً أو مُجْمِلا
Fasting he was or praying in its days,
Giving or forgiving were his ways.
لم يزَلْ فيه على عاداتِه
بالتقى مرتدياً مُشتَمِلا
His habits he kept night and day,
Draped in piety along the way.
واكْتَسى الفِطْرُ به ثوبَ الصِّبا
مَعْلَماً منسحِباً منسدِلا
Eid was blessed to find at his side, its dress,
As Eid plucked off his cloak's fringes.
ورأى العيدُ لديه عيدَه
فثَنى من معطِفيْهِ جَذَلا
He remains unparalleled in knowledge,
A proverb they coined him for acknowledge.
دامَ للعلمِ بلا مِثْلٍ فقد
ضربوه في المعالي مَثلا
