سَلامُ اللَهِ عِدَّةَ رَملِ خَبتٍ

عَلى اِبنِ الهَيثَمِ المَلِكِ اللُبابِ

May God's peace as numerous as grains of shifting sand,

Be upon Ibn Al-Haytham, the brilliant learned king.

ذَكَرتُكَ ذِكرَةً جَذَبَت ضُلوعي

إِلَيكَ كَأَنَّها ذِكرى تَصابي

I recalled you in a way that pulled my ribs,

Towards you, as if it were a recollection of quarrels.

فَلا يُغبِب مَحَلَّكَ كُلَّ يَومٍ

مِنَ الأَنواءِ أَلطافُ السَحابِ

So your abode is not deprived, every day,

Of the gentle breezes of clouds.

سَقَت جوداً نَوالاً مِنكَ جَوداً

وَرَبعاً غَيرَ مُجتَنَبِ الجَنابِ

It rained generosity upon generosity from you,

And a pasture never avoiding abundance.

فَثَمَّ الجودُ مَشدودَ الأَواخي

وَثَمَّ المَجدُ مَضروبَ القِبابِ

So generosity remained fully stretched,

And glory remained high-domed.

وَأَخلاقٌ كَأَنَّ المِسكَ فيها

بِصَفوِ الراحِ وَالنُطَفِ العِذابِ

And morals as if musk were in them,

With the essence of breeze and intense droplets.

وَكَم أَحيَيتَ مِن ظَنٍّ رُفاتٍ

بِها وَعَمَرتَ مِن أَمَلٍ خَرابِ

And how much you revived of withered hopes,

With them, and restored of ruined aspirations.

يَمينُ مُحَمَّدٍ بَحرٌ خِضَمٌّ

طَموحُ المَوجِ مَجنونُ العُبابِ

Muhammed's right hand is a raging sea,

With waves ambitious, madly foaming.

تَفيضُ سَماحَةً وَالمُزنُ مُكدٍ

وَتَقطَعُ وَالحُسامُ العَضبُ نابِ

Overflowing with generosity while the clouds are stingy,

And cutting while the swords are dull.

فَداكَ أَبا الحُسَينِ مِنَ الرَزايا

وَمِن داجي حَوادِثِها الغِضابِ

May you redeem Abu Al-Hussein from afflictions,

And from the raging accidents of fate.

حَسودٌ قَصَّرَت كَفّاهُ عَنهُ

وَكَفُّكَ لِلنَوالِ وَلِلضِرابِ

An envier whose palms fell short of it,

While your palm gives freely and strikes.

وَيَحسُبُ ما يُفيدُ بِلا عَطاءٍ

وَتُعطي ما تُفيدُ بِلا حِسابِ

He reckons what benefits without giving,

While you give what benefits without reckoning.

وَيَغدو يَستَثيبُ بِلا نَوالٍ

وَنَيلُكَ كُلُّهُ لا لِلثَوابِ

And he goes in the morning seeking reward without gain,

While your gain is all without hope of reward.

ذَكَرتُ صَنيعَةً لَكَ أَلبَسَتني

أَثيثَ المالِ وَالنِعَمِ الرِغابِ

I recalled your favor that clothed me

With wealth and coveted bounty.

تَجَدَّدُ كُلَّما لُبِسَت وَتَبقى

إِذا اِبتُذِلَت وَتَخلَقُ في الحِجابِ

It is renewed whenever worn, and remains

When it is worn out, and it thrives in wraps.

إِذا ما أُبرِزَت زادَت ضِياءً

وَتَشحُبُ وَجنَتاها في النِقابِ

When taken out, it increases in brilliance,

And its cheeks grow pale in the veil.

وَلَيسَت بِالعَوانِ العَنسِ عِندي

وَلا هِيَ مِنكَ بِالبِكرِ الكَعابِ

It is not, to me, a barren old maid,

Nor is it, from you, an unbroken filly.

فَلا يَبعُد زَمانٌ مِنكَ عِشنا

بِنَضرَتِهِ وَرَونَقِهِ العُجابِ

So no time of ours spent with you is far,

In its freshness and amazing grace.

كَأَنَّ العَنبَرَ الهِندِيَّ فيهِ

وَفَأرَ المِسكِ مَفضوضَ الرُضابِ

As if Indian amber were in it,

And musk rat crushed for fragrance.

لَياليهِ لَيالي الوَصلِ تَمَّت

بِأَيّامٍ كَأَيّامِ الشَبابِ

Its nights are nights of connection, made

Of days like days of youth.

أَقولُ بِبَعضِ ما أَسدَيتَ عِندي

وَما أَطلَبتَني قَبلَ الطِلابِ

I speak of some of what you gave me,

And never asked of me before asking.

وَلَو أَنّي اِستَطَعتُ لَقامَ عَنّي

بِشُكرِكَ مَن مَشى فَوقَ التُرابِ

If I could stand up, by thanking you,

Who walked upon the soil.

إِذاً شَكَرَتكَ مَذحِجُ حَيثُ كانَت

بَنو دَيّانِها وَبَنو الضِبابِ

Then I would thank you, wherever Maḏḥij were,

The clan of Dayyan and the clan of Mist.

وَجِئتُكَ في قُضاعَةَ قَد أَطافَت

بِرُكنَي عامِرٍ وَبَني جَنابِ

And I came to you when Quda'a had revolved around,

The pillars of Amer and the clan of Janab.

وَلَاِستَنجَدتُ حَنظَلَةً وَعَمراً

وَلَم أَعدِل بِسَعدٍ وَالرَبابِ

And I did not seek help from Ḥanẓala and ʿAmr,

Nor favored Saʿd and Rabab.

وَلَاِستَرفَدتُ مِن قَيسٍ ذُراها

بَني بَدرٍ وَصيدَ بَني كِلابِ

Nor asked for aid from Qais' scattering winds,

The clan of Badr and prey of Kilab's clan.

وَلَاِحتَفَلَت رَبيعَةُ لي جَميعاً

بِأَيّامٍ كَأَيّامِ الكُلابِ

Nor did all of Rabee'a celebrate for me,

Days like the days of dogs.

فَأَشفي مِن صَميمِ الشُكرِ نَفسي

وَتَركُ الشُكرِ أَثقَلُ لِلرِقابِ

So I quenched my soul with pure thanks,

For leaving thanks is most burdensome.

إِلَيكَ أَثَرتُ مِن تَحتِ التَراقي

قَوافِيَ تَستَدِرُّ بِلا عِصابِ

To you I sent, from below the veils,

Rhymes that flow without restraint.

مِنَ القِرطاتِ في الآذانِ تَبقى

بَقاءَ الوَحيِ في الصُمِّ الصِلابِ

Remaining in ears like earrings,

Remaining like revelation in solid rocks.