أَرْقَصَها مُطْرِبُ الأَغارِيدِ

فاسْتَرَقَتْ هِزَّةَ الأَماليدِ

The bard made her dance

And she stole the swaying of the young gazelles

ودبَّ خمرُ السُّرَى بأَذْرُعِها

فَهْيَ على البِيدِ في عَرَابِيدِ

The wine of revelry spread through her limbs

She sways tipsily on the carpet amid the cushions

وغازَلَتْها الصَّبا بمأْلُكَةٍ

تُفَجِّرُ الماءَ في الجلاميدِ

The morning breeze flirted with her

Releasing water in the skin bags

تحملُ عن روضِ عالِجٍ خَبَرًا

تُسْنِدُه عن ظِبائِهِ الغِيدِ

Carrying news from a perfumed garden

Propped up by its willowy branches

أَجرى عليه السحابُ دَمْعَ شجٍ

وفَرَّقَ البرقُ قَلْبَ معمودِ

The clouds shed tears of longing upon it

And lightning split the heart of the baptized

فأَغرق الريحَ بين أربُعِها

موجُ وجَيفٍ ببحْرِ تَوْخِيدِ

The wind then drowned it between its four sides

With waves in a tumultuous, billowing sea

وخيَّلَتْ ماءَهم يبُلُّ صدًى

وموْرِدُ الآلِ غيرُ مورودِ

Its waters seemed to echo thunderously

Yet the place of the family was not to be found

في ذِمَّةِ الشوقِ مُهْجَةٌ رَكَضَتْ

تَتْبَعُ زُورًا مِنَ المواعيدِ

My soul, pledged to passion, galloped off

Pursuing the false horizons of trysts

أَهدَى إِليها الخيالُ إِذ كحلوا

جفون أَحْداقِها بتَسْهِيدِ

Imagination brought her gifts when they lined

Her sleepy eyes with kohl for sleep

وانْعَطَفُوا للأَراكِ وَهْيَ على

عهدٍ من البانِ غيرِ معهودِ

And they turned aside to the sand dunes while she

Clung to a pact of loyalty now broken

عُذْرٌ يَهُزُّ الجفاءُ دوحَتَه

تحت صَدُوحِ المَلالِ غِرِّيدِ

Reproach makes excuses, its banner fluttering

Beneath the veranda of boredom's chirping

وناصحٍ يمحَضُ المَوَدَّةَ لي

وليس في نصحِه بمَوْدودِ

And the well-wisher who shows me sincere affection

His advice, alas, goes unheeded

ظنَّ فؤادي معي فأَنَّبَهُ

وهو من الوجدِ غيرُ موجودِ

My heart thought me heedless, so it blamed me

While it was the one unaware in its rapture

سارَ وجيشُ الغرامِ يتبَعُه

تحت لواءٍ عليه معقودِ

The army of love marched on following it

Under a banner on which was written a pact

يخبِطُ مجهولَةً تضِلُّ بها

على اعترافٍ مناخِرُ السِّيدِ

Wandering blindly with her were the eminent noses

Admitting their ignorance of guidance

عَرَّج عنها الصباحُ منطلقاً

وعادَ والليلُ رَهْنُ تَقْيِيدِ

Dawn crept away from her, heading off

And night returned, bound by fetters

يلقى المُرَجِّين من أَسِرَّتِهِ

بِشْرٌ كفيلٌ بحُسْنِ تمهيدِ

Meeting those who hope in his family

Good news, ensuring an excellent reception

ويغتَدِي عند كُلِّ نازِلَةٍ

غَوْثَ صريخٍ وغَيْثَ مَصْدودِ

At every adversity he rushes

To the cry for help and the outstretched hand

ويبسُط العُذْرَ عن مُقَصِّرِهِ

بطُولِ طَوْلٍ عليه مَمْدودِ

He makes excuses for the negligent one

With endless patience and bounty

لا يعرفُ الثَّعْلَبُ المقيمُ بها

لولا الثَّرَيَّا مكانَ عُنْقُودِ

The cunning fox dwelling there would not know

Were it not for the nest the place of its lair

من عَلِقَ البِيضَ صارَمَتْ يَدُهُ

حبالَ تلك الغدائِرِ السُّودِ

He who incubated the eggs, his hands became

Bound by those dark veils

وعِمَّةُ الشيبِ لا خُدِعْتَ بها

أَخْلَقُ شيءٍ أَوانَ تَجْديدِ

Old age's kin, do not be fooled by it

A trait whose renewal is impossible

واللهوُ خِدْنُ الصِّبا فمُذْ فُقِدَتْ

أَيامُه لم يكن بمحمودِ

Youthful play is the fawn of childhood; when missed

Its days are no longer praiseworthy

وأَغبَنُ الناسِ من أَلَمَّ به

فقْدُ سوادٍ وفَوْتُ تسويدِ

The most foolish of people is one who suffers

The loss of black hair and whitening

وفي بنِي الدهرِ كُلُّ مُعْضِلَةٍ

مِنَ الذي فاتَ والمواجِيدِ

Among all the eras' riddles

Are those who passed and the excellent ones

إِن أَسكروني بخمرِ لَوْمِهِمُ

فَقَدْ رَمَوْا عِرْضَهُمْ لِعِرْبيدِ

If they made me drunk with the wine of their blame

Then they have cast their own honor to the winds

ومُوعِدٍ صاحَ بي فقلتُ له

رُبَّ وعيدٍ يطيحُ في البيدِ

And one who called out threats to me, I said to him

Many a threat drifts into nothingness

قد أَقسم الحمدُ لا يسيرُ إِلى

غيرِ أَبى القاسِمِ بن حَمُّودِ

Praise, swearing an oath, will not go

To any but Abu'l Qasim ibn Hammud

في يَدِهِ لِلنَّوالِ معركة

أَرى بها البخل صارم الجيدِ

In his hands, generosity has a battle

In which I see stinginess, crestfallen

وعنده للضيوف نار قِرًى

تعْرِفُها البُزْلُ كلما نُودي

With him, a fire is kindled for guests

Recognized by the miserable whenever called

وتلتقي كُتْبُهُ الكتائِبَ في

جيشٍ من الخَطِّ صائِدِ الصِّيدِ

His volumes meet battalions

In an army of poetry that hunts its quarry

بكُلِّ لفظٍ كأَنه نَفَسٌ

غَيْرِ مُمِلٍّ بِطُولِ تَرْدِيدِ

With every word as if it were a soul

That does not tire from constant repetition

صَحَّتْ معانِيهِ فاقْتَسَمْنَ إِلى

فَضْلِ ابتكار وحُسْنِ تَوْليدِ

His meanings came together and divided

The excellence of innovation and fine engendering

وربما اسْتَضْحَكَ الخميسُ به

عن أَهْرَتِ الماضِغَيْنِ صِنْدِيدِ

And sometimes Thursday laughs through him

At the foolishness of the chewing dimwits

يهوَى قوامَ القناةِ ذَا هَيَفٍ

وَوَجْنَةَ العَضْبِ ذاتَ توريدِ

He yearns for the stature of the glorious canal

And the softness of the willowy fresh branch

دَوْحَةُ مجدٍ تميدُ ناضِرَةً

بمُيَّسٍ من غُصونِهِ مِيدِ

A sprig of glory sways flourishing

With a flexuous bough from its branches

عَرَضْتُ منها لِنارِ تجربَتِي

عُودًا ففاحَتْ روائِحُ العودِ

I exposed to the fire of my experience

Some kindling, and the aroma of aloeswood wafted