نَثَرَت فَريدَ مَدامِعٍ لَم يُنظَمِ
وَالدَمعُ يَحمِلُ بَعضَ ثِقلَ المُغرَمِ
She shed Farid's tears that flowed unharnessed,
And tears bear some weight of the enamored one.
وَصَلَت دُموعاً بِالنَجيعِ فَخَدُّها
في مِثلِ حاشِيَةِ الرِداءِ المُعلَمِ
Her tears reached the stream, so its cheek
Became like the embroidered robe's hem lined.
وَلِهَت فَأَظلَمَ كُلُّ شَيءٍ دونَها
وَأَنارَ مِنها كُلُّ شَيءٍ مُظلِمِ
She became distracted so everything around her darkened,
Yet everything dark was illuminated through her.
وَكَأَنَّ عَبرَتَها عَشِيَّةَ وَدَّعَت
مُهراقَةٌ مِن ماءِ وَجهي أَو دَمي
It was as if her crying one evening was bidding farewell,
My face shedding its water or blood.
ضَعُفَت جَوارِحُ مَن أَذاقَتهُ النَوى
طَعمَ الفِراقِ فَذَمَّ طَعمَ العَلقَمِ
The limbs of one who tastes separation are weakened,
When the taste of parting made the taste of union bitter.
هِيَ ميتَةٌ إِلّا سَلامَةَ أَهلِها
مِن خَلَّتَينِ مِنَ الثَرى وَالماتَمِ
It is as though dead save for the well-being of its people,
Of two handfuls of dust and the coffin.
إِن شِئتَ أَن يَسوَدَّ ظَنُّكَ كُلُّهُ
فَأَجِلهُ في هَذا السَوادِ الأَعظَمِ
If you want your every suspicion to be pitch-black,
Defer it to this greatest darkness.
لَيسَ الصَديقُ بِمَن يُعيرُكَ ظاهِراً
مُتَبَسِّماً عَن باطِنٍ مُتَجَهِّمِ
A friend is not one who lends you a smiling face,
While inside he harbors a frowning one.
فَليُبلِغِ الفِتيانُ عَنّي مالِكاً
أَنّي مَتى يَتَثَلَّموا أَتَهَدَّمِ
So let the youths convey from me to Malik
That whenever they are wounded, I crumble.
وَلتَعلَمِ الأَيّامُ أَنّي فُتُّها
بِأَبي الحُسَينِ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ الهَيثَمِ
And let the days know that I am their conqueror
By my father al-Husayn Muhammad Ibn al-Haytham.
بِأَغَرَّ لَيسَ بِتَوأَمٍ وَيَمينُهُ
تَغدو وَتَطرُقُ بِالنَوالِ التَوأَمِ
With the most delicate, who is no twin, and his right hand
Rises and falls with the twin sword.
قَد قُلتُ لِلمُغتَرِّ مِنهُ بِصَفحِهِ
وَأَخو الكَرى لَو لَم يَنَم لَم يَحلَمِ
I said to the resentful because of his reconciliation,
"A person of dignity, even if he doesn't sleep, becomes wise."
لا يُلحِمَنَّكَهُ تَحَلُّمُهُ فَقَد
يودي بِكَ الوادي وَلَيسَ بِمُفعَمِ
His resentment will not mend you, it may
Lead you to a valley not yet flooding.
حَدَتِ الوُفودُ إِلى الجَزيرَةِ عيسَها
مِن مُنجِدٍ بِمَحَلِّهِ أَو مُتهِمِ
Delegations to the peninsula renewed its liveliness,
Whether supporters in their abodes or dissenters.
فَكَأَنَّما لَولا المَناسِكُ أُشرِكَت
ساحاتُها أَو أوثِرَت بِالمَوسِمِ
As if, were it not for the rituals,
Its yards would be filled with idols or pilgrimage seasons.
وَكَأَنَّهُ مِن مَدحِهِم في رَوضَةٍ
وَكَأَنَّهُم مِن سَيبِهِ في مَقسَمِ
As if their praise of it in a garden,
And their criticism of it in a hostile gathering.
كَلِفٌ بِرَبِّ المَجدِ يَزعُمُ أَنَّهُ
لَم يُبتَدَأ عُرفٌ إِذا لَم يُتمَمِ
Burdened with the Lord of Glory, he claims
No custom was initiated if not completed.
نَظَمَت لَهُ خَرَزَ المَديحِ مَكارِمٌ
يَنفُثنَ في عُقَدِ اللِسانِ المُفحَمِ
Generosities strung together the pearls of praise,
Which they blow into the mute tongue's necklace.
في قُلِّهِ كُثرُ السِماكِ وَإِن غَدا
هَطِلاً وَعَفوُ يَديهِ جُهدُ المِرزَمِ
Much forbearance in his heart, and if it pours forth
It is pouring, and his hands' pardoning the crop's bounty.
خَدَمَ العُلى فَخَدَمنَهُ وَهيَ الَّتي
لا تَخدُمُ الأَقوامَ ما لَم تُخدَمِ
He served the eminent, so they served him, and they
Do not serve the tribes unless first served.
وَإِذا اِنتَمى في قُلَّةٍ مِن سُؤدَدٍ
قالَت لَهُ الأُخرى بَلَغتَ تَقَدَّمِ
And if he is affiliated with some noble lineage
The other says to him, "You have advanced."
ما ضَرَّ أَروَعَ يَرتَقي في هِمَّةٍ
عَلياءَ أَلّا يَرتَقي في سُلَّمِ
What harm if the most magnificent ascends in aspiration
Lofty, disdaining to ascend a ladder?
يَأبى لِعِرضِكَ أَن يُغادَرَ عُرضَةً
ما حَولَهُ مِن مالِكِ المُستَلحَمِ
Your honor refuses to abandon a position
Surrounded by the owner of the sharpened sword.
إِنَّ التِلادَ عَلى نَفاسَةِ قَدرِهِ
لا يُرغِمُ الأَزَماتِ ما لَم يُرغَمِ
Indeed, rising to the level of its merit
Does not coerce crises unless coerced.
لا يُستَطالُ عَلى الخُطوبِ وَلا تُرى
أُكرومَةٌ نِصفاً إِذا لَم يُظلَمِ
One cannot be blamed for misfortunes, nor can
Injustice be seen as half if not completely darkened.
وَصَنيعَةٍ لَكَ ثَيِّبٍ أَهدَيتَها
وَهيَ الكَعابُ لِعائِذٍ بِكَ مُصرِمِ
And a deed you gifted to an experienced man
Who sought refuge in you, despondent.
حَلَّت مَحَلَّ البِكرِ مِن مُعطىً وَقَد
زُفَّت مِنَ المُعطي زِفافَ الأَيِّمِ
It took the place of a gift from a virgin, and indeed
It was presented by the giver like a bereaved woman.
لِيَزُدكَ وَجداً بِالسَماحَةِ ما تَرى
مِن كيمِياءِ المَجدِ تَغنَ وَتَغنَمِ
So it may increase your passion with generosity what you see
Of the alchemy of glory, singing and gaining.
إِنَّ الثَناءَ يَسيرُ عَرضاً في الوَرى
وَمَحَلُّهُ في الطولِ فَوقَ الأَنجُمِ
Indeed, praise travels about as a loan among people
And its place is high above the stars.
وَإِذا المَواهِبُ أَظلَمَت أَلبَستَها
بِشراً كَبارِقَةِ الحُسامِ المِخذَمِ
And when kindnesses are darkened you dress them
In good tidings like the sparkling sharp swords.
أَعطَيتَ ما لَم تُعطِهِ وَلَوِ اِنقَضى
حُسنُ اللِقاءِ حَرَمتَ ما لَم تَحرُمِ
You gave what you did not give, and if
The beauty of the meeting expired, you spared what you did not forbid.
لَقُدِدتَ مِن شِيَمٍ كَأَنَّ سُيورَها
يُقدَدنَ مِن شِيَمِ السَحابِ المُرزِمِ
You were created with a nature as though its reins
Were braided from the easy, pouring clouds' nature.
لَو قُلتُ حُصِّلَ بَعضُها أَو كُلُّها
في حاتِمٍ لَدُعيتُ دافِعَ مَغرَمِ
If I said some or all of it
Was embodied in Hatim, I'd be accused of being enamored.
شُهِرَت فَما تَنفَكُّ توقِعُ بِاِسمِها
مِن قَبلِ مَعناها بِعُدمِ المُعدِمِ
They were renowned so they do not cease falling
In its meaning's name before the negator.
إِنَّ القَصائِدَ يَمَّمَتكَ شَوارِداً
فَتَحَرَّمَت بِنَداكَ قَبلَ تَحَرُّمي
Indeed, the poems made you their purpose
So they became unlawful to you before being unlawful to me.
ما عَرَّسَت حَتّى أَتاكَ بِفارِسٍ
رَيعانُها وَالغَزوُ قَبلَ المَغنَمِ
It was not yet wedded when the steeds of its vitality came to you
With their raids and gains before the profits.
فَجَعَلتُ قَيِّمَها الضَميرَ وَمُكِّنَت
مِنهُ فَصارَت قَيِّماً لِلقَيِّمِ
So I made its custodian my conscience and enabled it
Through him, so it became custodian to the custodian.
خُذها فَمازالَت عَلى اِستِقلالِها
مَشغولَةً بِمُثَقِّفٍ وَمُقَوِّمِ
Take it, it still maintained its independence
Busy with the instructor and appraiser.
تَذَرُ الفَتِيَّ مِنَ الرَجاءِ وَراءَها
وَتَرودُ في كَنَفِ الرَجاءِ القَشعَمِ
It leaves the young man behind it with hope
And returns to the wing of towering hope.
زَهراءَ أَحلى في الفُؤادِ مِنَ المُنى
وَأَلَذَّ مِن ريقِ الأَحِبَّةِ في الفَمِ
Zahra is sweeter in my heart than wishes
And more delightful than the beloved's saliva in the mouth.
