أَقَناعَةً مِن بَعدِ طولِ جَفاءِ
بِدُنُوِّ طَيفٍ مِن حَبيبٍ ناءِ
After long estrangement a mask of intimacy
With the approach of a beloved's phantom that bent close;
بِأَبي وَأُمّي شادِنٌ قُلنا لَهُ
نَفديكَ بِالأَمّاتِ وَالآباءِ
By my life and my parents' lives we cried to him,
"We'll ransom you with our mothers and fathers!"
رَشَأٌ إِذا لَحَظَ العَفيفَ بِنَظرَةٍ
كانَت لَهُ سَبَباً إِلى الفَحشاءِ
A lewd fellow, when he ogles the chaste with a glance
Becomes for him the cause of going astray;
وَجَناتُهُ تَجني عَلى عُشّاقِهِ
بِبَديعِ ما فيها مِنَ اللَألاءِ
And his gardens temptation upon his lovers
With the wondrous beauty in them of soft voices;
بيضٌ عَلَتها حُمرَةٌ فَتَوَرَّدَت
مِثلَ المُدامِ خَلَطتَها بِالماءِ
White, tinged by redness, and red buds among them,
Like wine mixed with water, both together:
فَكَأَنَّها بَرَزَت لَنا بِغَلالَةٍ
بَيضاءَ تَحتَ غِلالَةٍ حَمراءِ
So they seemed to have come forth to us wearing
White mantles with red borders around them.
كَيفَ اِتِّقاءُ لِحاظِهِ وَعُيونُنا
طُرُقٌ لِأَسهُمِها إِلى الأَحشاءِ
How can his glances and eyes be shunned
When they are highways for arrows to our hearts?
صَبَغَ الحَيا خَدَّيهِ لَونَ مَدامِعي
فَكَأَنَّهُ يَبكي بِمِثلِ بُكائي
Wine has dyed his cheeks the color of my tears,
As though he weeps with weeping like mine;
كَيفَ اِتِّقاءُ جَآذِرٍ يَرمينَنا
بِظُبى الصَوارِمِ مِن عُيونِ ظِباءِ
How can the heart-inflaming one who shoots us
With the does' glances of his languid eyes be shunned?
يارَبَّ تِلكَ المُقلَةِ النَجلاءِ
حاشاكَ مِمّا ضُمِّنَت أَحشائي
O Lord of that slender fawn, who has filled
My heart with all that her body can contain!
جازَيتَني بُعداً بِقُربي في الهَوى
وَمَنَحتَني غَدراً بِحُسنِ وَفائي
You have rewarded my loyalty with estrangement,
And met my virtue with betrayal and disdain.
جادَت عِراصَكِ يا شَآمُ سَحابَةٌ
عَرّاضَةٌ مِن أَصدَقِ الأَنواءِ
Your clouds have rained in the land of Salamiyah,
A shower generous from the truest clouds.
بَلَدُ المَجانَةِ وَالخَلاعَةِ وَالصِبا
وَمَحَلِّ كُلِّ فُتُوَّةٍ وَفَتاءِ
Land of gallantry, valor, and noble youths,
Home of every knight and hero bold and brave.
أَنواعُ زَهرٍ وَاِلتِفافُ حَدائِقٍ
وَصَفاءُ ماءٍ وَاِعتِدالُ هَواءِ
Kinds of flowers, gardens in clusters massed together,
Pure waters' sheen, the temperate air's caress;
وَخَرائِدٌ مِثلُ الدُمى يَسقينَنا
كَأَسَينِ مِن لَحظٍ وَمِن صَهباءِ
Gazelles like swords, whose glances give us to drink
Deep draughts of lightning-flash and swordblade's gleam.
وَإِذا أَدَرنَ عَلى النَدامى كَأسَها
غَنَّينَنا شِعرَ اِبنِ أَوسِ الطائي
And when they pass the wine-cup round to companions
They sing the verses of Ibn Awis al-Ta'i.
فارَقتُ حينَ شَخَصتُ عَنها لِذَّتي
وَتَرَكتُ أَحوالَ السُرورِ وَرائي
Since I departed I've been parted from my bliss;
I left behind me joy and happiness.
وَنَزَلتُ مِن بَلَدِ الجَزيرَةِ مَنزِلاً
خِلواً مِنَ الخُلَطاءِ وَالنُدَماءِ
From the island country I made my way
To a lonely place, far from allIGNorant men.
فَيُمِرُّ عِندي كُلُّ طَعمٍ طَيِّبٍ
مِن رِبقِها وَيَضيقُ كُلُّ فَضاءِ
So every exquisite taste that comes from it
Seems mean, and every open space too cramped.
الشامُ لابَلَدُ الجَزيرَةِ لَذَّتي
وَيَزيدُ لاماءُ الفُراتِ مُنائي
No, not the island country, but Damascus
Is my delight; increase of Euphrates' stream
وَأَبيتُ مُرتَهَنَ الفُؤادِ بِمَنبِجَ ال
سَو داءِ لا بِالرَقَّةَ البَيضاءِ
Does not add to my pleasure; I remain
A prisoner, loving Manbij, not white (ar-Ragga).
مَن مُبلِغُ النَدماءَ أَنّي بَعدَهُم
أُمسي نَديمَ كَواكِبِ الجَوزاءِ
If only someone would tell the noble ones
That after them I spend my nights with Virgo's stars!
وَلَقَد رَعَيتُ فَلَيتَ شِعري مَن رَعى
مِنكُم عَلى بُعدِ الدِيارِ إِخائي
Though you have left me I tend the pasture still;
But who, at such a distance from his folk, tends me?
فَحمَ الغَبِيُّ وَقُلتُ غَيرَ مُلَجلِجٍ
إِنّي لَمُشتاقٌ إِلى العَلياءِ
The foolish one grew hot, and I said calmly,
"I long for those who dwell upon the heights."
وَصِناعَتي ضَربُ السُيوفِ وَإِنَّني
مُتَعَرِّضٌ في الشِعرِ بِالشُعَراءِ
My skill is sword-strokes, and my poetry's woven
With threads the other poets have spun out.
وَاللَهُ يَجمَعُنا بِعِزٍّ دائِمٍ
وَسَلامَةٍ مَوصولَةٍ بِبَقاءِ
O God Who will unite us, constant,
In lasting honor and unbroken harmony!
