بين اللوى فالجِزْعِ فالمتثلّمِ

دِمَنٌ خلَتْ من بعدِ أمّ الهيثَمِ

Between the twisting valleys, the rock cliffs, and the barren land,

There are traces of a mounted party who had traveled

آثارُ ركب مُدلِجينَ ترحّلوا

من مُنجدٍ قَصْداً لها أو مُتهِمِ

From Munjid heading towards it or suspecting it,

And I stood by it for a time, gazing longingly,

ولقد وقفتُ بها وقوف متيّمٍ

زمناً أُسائلُها فلم تتكلّمِ

Questioning it but it did not speak,

I cried sincere tears for it continuously,

وسقيتُها الدمعَ المصونَ تأسفاً

صِرْفاً وطوراً مثل لون العِظْلِمِ

Like the color of intense darkness.

O caravan of Mecca, here is the greeting of a passionate lover,

يا ركبَ مكةَ ها تحيةَ عاشقٍ

مُضنًى نحيفِ الجسمِ صبٍّ مغرمِ

Wasted away, slender in body, constant in love,

For a gazelle, similar in appearance to a gazelle,

لغزالةٍ مثلِ الغزالةِ منظراً

حوراءَ تسكنُ في هضابِ يَلمْلمِ

A beautiful maid, dwelling in the hills of Yalamlam,

Seductive, with languid eyelids, coy,

هيفاءَ ساحرةِ الجفونِ غريرةٍ

غرّاءَ مرشَفُها لذيذُ المَطْعَم

Of smooth skin, sweet taste,

In her mouth a pearl, and on her cheek

في ثغرها دُرٌّ وفي وجَناتِها

وردٌ نضيرٌ أحمرٌ كالعندمِ

A fresh, red rose like pomegranate seeds.

If that honored caravan does not convey to you my greetings,

إن لم يبلّغْكَ التحيةَ ذلك الر

كْبُ المُجِدُّ السيرَ مني فاعلمي

Then know that they neither stayed at Miná nor reached Muna,

Nor in it did they spend time or drink from Zamzam.

لا عرّسوا بمنًى ولا بلغوا المُنى

فيها الزمانَ ولا سُقوا من زمزَمِ

O critic, enough! My heart saw enough of her,

So cease blaming every passionate lover.

يا عاذليّ كفى فؤادي ما رأى

منها فكُفّا لوم كلِّ متيّمِ

I will surely put aside playfulness

And travel on a reddish-black steed,

فلأتركنّ اللهو عنّي جانباً

ولأرحلنّ على جوادٍ أدهمِ

Whose neighing sounds as if bells are in its throat,

As black as a raven of darkest feathers,

هزجِ الصّهيلِ كأنّ في حُلقومِه

جرَساً وأسودَ كالغرابِ الأسحمِ

Pure black as if the blackness of its face

Were a moon appearing in a dark night,

صافي السوادِ كأن غرّةَ وجهه

بدرٌ بدا في جنحِ ليلٍ مظلمِ

Or blond, whose glow was like a star

In the middle of densest dust,

أو أشقرٍ نهدٍ أقبّ لهيبُه

كالنجمِ في وسطِ الغبارِ الأقتَمِ

It swoops down as an eagle swoops on its prey,

Its ears not the least bit droopy.

يهوي كما تهوي العُقاب لصيدها

ومقدّم الأذنَيْنِ ليس بأصْلمِ

Or red, like cheeks, its hue makes it seem

Dyed in blood from the beauty of its color,

أو أحمرٍ مثلِ الخدودِ تخالُه

من حسن صِبغتِه تسرْبَل بالدمِ

Sound of limb, well-proportioned, hot-blooded,

Smooth like glass that was well annealed.

وافي الضلوع مهذبٍ في جنسه

جَذلانَ كالنّشوانِ حرّ أرثَم

Or white, appearing to all beholders

In every aspect when it shows itself as a gray old man,

أو أبلجٍ يبدو بكل نموذج

للناظرين إذا تراءَى شيظَمِ

Until I can kiss the hand of the ink that surpassed

Mankind and rose above the stars,

حتى أقبّل راحة الحَبرِ الذي

فاقَ الورى وعلا علوّ الأنجُمِ

The memorizer, the excellent, the secret, the approved,

The pure, the refiner, the generous, the noble,

الحافظِ النّدْبِ السّريّ المرتضى ال

علَمِ الزكيّ اللوذعي الأكرمِ

The scholar, the master, the righteous, the chosen, the vigilant, the prominent,

He gave generously and lavishly so that his palm

العالمِ المولي الأبيّ المصطفى ال

يقِظِ العلي علا السُها المتقدمِ

And the sea share equally in generosity.

Sweet to those loyal to him, gentle,

أعطى وأسرفَ في العطاءِ فكفُّه

والبحرُ يقتسمانِ نسبة توأمِ

And to those hostile to him, bitter like aloes.

He opposed evil deeds, so they lagged behind,

حُلوِ المذاقِ لمنْ يوالي ليّنٍ

ولمَن يعاديه كطعمِ العَلقمِ

While he progressed, for he is the best pioneer.

The craving camels hastened to him earnestly

بكَرَ العِدا نحو العُلا فتأخّروا

عنها وأدلجَ فهو خيرُ مقدَّمِ

Hoping to obtain from him the best spoils.

A banner that humiliates wealth through his generosity

سارَتْ إليه اليَعمَلاتُ قواصِداً

تَتْرى فحلّتْ عندَ أفضلِ مَغنَمِ

Nobly and kindly toward the visit of the honored.

And I came to him with what an enemy had done to me,

علَمٌ يُهينُ المال طولَ زمانِه

كرماً وبرّاً عند زَورِ مكرَّمِ

The act of an ungrateful criminal.

My hand kissed his generous hand humbly

ولقد غدوتُ بما أتَتْهُ مُديةٌ

من فعلِ جاني أنعُمٍ لا مجرمِ

To get from its blessings what it hoped for,

And to win from his gift the most ample spoils.

قامتْ تقبّلُ راحةً مزنيّةً

للحافظِ الحَبْرِ الإمامِ الأكرمِ

But the crowding of veiled women impeded its winning

As they won the most generous veiled one.

لتنالَ من نعمائِها ما أمّلَت

وتفوزَ من هبةٍ بأوفَرِ مغنَم

So it fell at a foot belonging to him,

Since its only goal was to take precedence in high position.

فحمى ازدحامُ اللاثِميها فوزَها

معهمْ وقد ظفروا بأكرمِ مَلثَمِ

It sought refuge in it from the disappointment of its hopes

When the act of a slanderer had kissed it.

فهوَتْ الى قدم له ما دأبُها

إلا استباقُ للعُلى بتقدمِ

And since the foot was not qualified for favors

Like the hands or for acts of kindness,

عاذَتْ بها من خيبةٍ لمرامها

إذ قبّلَتْها فِعلةَ المتذمّمِ

It was not content with its disappointment, unlike its Lord's forbearance,

So it protected what it possessed of the scent of blood,

والرِّجْلُ لما لم تؤهَّلْ للندى

مثل اليَدينِ ولا لبَذْلِ الأنعُمِ

Giving it drink from a protected, prohibiting sword

Sheltering behind sharp blades from others.

لم ترضَ خيبتَها كشيمةِ ربّها

فحمَتْ بما ملكَتْهُ من عِطرِ الدّمِ

The cheeks of the polished sword wished they had won

What it got from that red dye.

سَقياً لها شرُفَتْ بنَيْلِ ممنّعٍ

عن غيرها بظُبى الصّوارمِ مُحتمي

So its beauty would be complete with its clothing,

And it would shine from it in every dark night.

ودّتْ خدودُ الغيدِ لو ظفِرَتْ بما

نالته من ذاك الصِّباغِ العَندَمي

Your right hand glories in the throng of uproar

From Lahzam or Mikhazam.

كيما يتمّ جمالُها بِلباسِه

فيُضيءُ منها كلُّ ليلٍ مظلِم

And it became forbidden to the flames when

It was given blood, becoming prohibited in the sacred month.

قد فاخَرْت يُمناك ما شرَفْتَ من

عُددِ الوغى من لهذَمٍ أو مِخذَمِ

So glory in the honor you were given, through which

You were singled out in merits, and submit!

وغدت محرّمةً على النيران إذ

سُقِيَتْ دماً أضحتْ به في محرَمِ

فافخَرْ إمامَ العصرِ بالشرفِ الذي

أوتيتَه فردَ الفضائلِ واسْلَمِ