هَفا طرَبي الى عافي الرسومِ

فلا روّى الغَمامُ رُبى الغميمِ

My fondness moved to the ruins of Afai

Where clouds did not water the withered trees

وهبّتْ ريحُ سُلواني فمرّتْ

من الشّرقِ القديمِ على هَشيمِ

The wind of Sulwan blew and passed

From the ancient east over the rubble

وكنتُ أبا المنازلِ والفيافي

فصِرْتُ أخا المُدامةِ والنَديمِ

And I was a lodger of dwellings and tents

So I became a brother of wine and boon companions

أميلُ الى سُلافةِ بنتِ كرْمٍ

وأدنو من سوالفِ أمّ ريمِ

I incline towards the charm of Sulafa daughter of Karam

And I approach the tales of mother Raim

هدَتْنا للسّرور نجومُ راحٍ

بها قذفَتْ شياطينَ الهُمومِ

The stars of repose gladdened us

With which they threw away the devils of worries

تبسّم دنّها فألاحَ برقاً

يطرّزُ حُلّةَ الليلِ البَهيمِ

Her smile shone with lightning

That embroidered the dress of the splendid night

وأودعَ نشرُها الأرواحَ سرّاً

فباحَ بحَمْلِه صدرُ النسيمِ

And its diffusion deposited spirits secretly

So the breast of the breeze disclosed its burden

فإنْ توجتُ راحي كأسَ راحٍ

فشُرْبُ الإثْمِ أوْلى بالأثيمِ

If I crown my rest with a cup of tranquility

Drinking sin is more worthy for the sinner

بساطُ الرّوضِ موشيُّ الحواشي

وثوبُ الغيمِ مِسكيُّ الأديمِ

The carpet of the garden embroidered with edges

And the dress of the cloud musky leather

وكفُّ الصبحِ يلقُطُ ما تبدّى

بجيدِ الليلِ من درهِ النجومِ

And the palm of dawn picks up what appeared

On the cheek of night from its scattered pearls

فحيَّ على الشَمولِ وإن عُنينا

بخَمْرِ شمائلِ الرشأ الرّخيمِ

So greet the communion even if we are busied

With wine the traits of the supple young maid

مقطّبةٌ يريكَ المزْجُ منها

طلاقةَ منظرِ الوجهِ العظيمِ

Adorned whom the mixture shows you

The fluency of the view of the great face

أتتْ عُطْلاً فقلّدَها حَباباً

جَلاها منهُ في درٍّ نظيمِ

She came in leisure so he threaded her pearls

He stripped them over her in an organized pearl necklace

يطوفُ بشمسِها قمرٌ تثنّتْ

به أعطافُ خوطِ نقاً قَويمِ

The crescent revolves around her sun

With which the sides of the straight prominent line bent

حمىً بعقاربِ الأصداغِ وَرْداً

جنيتُ به الشقاءَ من النعيمِ

I gained well-being from bliss with the needles of the temples as fever

And roses I reaped thereby misery from the bliss

تسالمُه وتُلْبسني اعتداءً

فمن يُعدي السّليمَ على السليمِ

She greets me and clothes me with transgression

For who transgresses upon the healthy but the healthy?

ويُعجبُني السقامُ لأن جسمي

تحلّى باسمِ ناظرِه السقيمِ

And sickness appeals to me because my body

Was adorned with the name of its sick gazer

ولما أقفرتْ أوكارُ صَبْري

عمرْتُ بعزْمَتي أكوارُ كُومِ

And when the dens of my patience were deserted

I populated with my resolve the burrows of sand dunes

سريْتُ بها وللإصباحِ سرٌّ

طوتْهُ جوانحُ الليلِ الكَتومِ

I roamed them and the dawn has a secret

Which the wings of the silent night concealed

الى الشيخِ الجليسِ استنْهَضَتْها

أزمّةُ نجدةٍ وحداةُ خيْمِ

To the venerable companion the crisis of aid and the desolation of tents aroused it

So the tongue of fate said this is

فقال لها لسانُ الدهرِ هذا

تمامُ الفضلِ أُودِعَ في تَميمِ

The perfecting of merit was deposited in Tamim

When his traits blow winds

إذا هبّتْ شمائلُه رياحاً

فهنّ لواقحُ الفكْرِ العَقيمِ

Then they are lively thoughts of the barren mind

The generosity of a hand that made available the sap of a jealous one

سماحُ يدٍ أتاح ندى غيورٍ

يصونُ علاءَهُ صونَ الحَريمِ

Who protects its loftiness with the protection of the harem

And morals with which he passes around cups

وأخلاقٌ يُديرُ بها كؤوساً

من الصهباءِ تَصبو بالحَليمِ

Of unadulterated that matures with the mild

He divided between the sun of morning and a sea

تقسّم بين شمسِ ضحىً وبحرٍ

هدايةَ خابطٍ وغِنى عَديمِ

The guidance of the guide and the wealth of the destitute

And he clarified my darkness of distressed conditions and aridity

وجلّى ظُلْمَتيْ خَطبٍ وجَدْبٍ

برأيِ مجرّبٍ وندى غَشيمِ

With the counsel of the experienced and the dew of the cloud

And enabled his enviers so his morals incited them

وملّك حاسديهِ فجادبتْهُ

خلائقُهُ الى الطبعِ الكريمِ

To the generous disposition

And he came with the awe of the Almighty when

وجاءَ بهيبةِ الجبّار لمّا

ثَنى عطفَيْهِ في بُرْدَي رحيمِ

He bent his sides in a merciful fur garment

And the heedlessness did not erode his loftiness

ولم يهضِمْ معاليَهُ التفاتٌ

يملّ به الى كشحٍ هَضيمِ

With which he inclines to miserliness and greed

I wondered at his face and his tranquility

عجبْتُ لوجهه ولراحتَيْهِ

سَنا شمسٍ تبدّتْ في غُيومِ

A sun shone through clouds

The flowers of manners bloom from him

تزفُّ أزاهرُ الآدابِ منهُ

لما تُسْقاهُ من صوبِ العُلومِ

When they are watered from the direction of knowledge

And an aspirer whose ambition was vast so we said

ومطلّبٍ مداهُ كَبا فقلنا

أليمُ العيشِ أوْلى باللّئيمِ

Miserable living is more worthy for the miserable

If the trees of glories prevent you

إذا منعتْكَ أشجارُ المَعالي

حَباها الغضَّ فاقنعْ بالهَشيمِ

Their unripe fruit, then be content with the debris

And with a rhyme I shake when

وقافيةٍ أهزُّ بها إذا ما

نطقتَ معاطفَ الطربِ الرميمِ

You speak the coats of melancholic rhythm

It walks even if praise stays with it

تسيرُ وإنْ أقامَ به ثناءً

وأعجبُ ما ترى سفَرُ المُقيمِ

And I am amazed that the resident travels

Although I endure the vicissitudes of fate

على أنّى أكابدُ صرْفَ دهرٍ

أثارَ دمي وأثّر في أديمي

That stirred my blood and left its trace on my skin

I was afflicted in my state by cold and heat

بُليتُ بحالتَيْ بردٍ وحرٍّ

أليستْ هذه صفةُ الجحيمِ

Are not these traits of hell?

You remained congratulating every day

بقيْتَ مهنِّئاً في كلّ يومٍ

بعيشٍ للمسرّةِ مُستديمِ

With a life of lasting joy

And the events of nights slept away from you

ونامتْ عنك أحداثُ الليالي

وشيكاً نومَ أصحابِ الرقيمِ

Soon the sleep of the wretched