لَيسَ الوُقوفُ بِكُفءِ شَوقِكَ فَاِنزِلِ

تَبلُل غَليلاً بِالدُموعِ فَتُبلِلِ

Standing still cannot quench your passion, so descend

And let tears flow to wet the cheeks and flow

فَلَعَلَّ عَبرَةَ ساعَةٍ أَذرَيتَها

تَشفيكَ مِن إِربابِ وَجدٍ مُحوِلِ

Perhaps an hour's outpouring will relieve you

Of the anguish of enduring love transformed

وَلَقَد سَلَوتَ لَوَ اَنَّ داراً لَم تَلُح

وَحَلُمتَ لَو أَنَّ الهَوى لَم يَجهَلِ

You wished you had no home, or that love was not blind

And often your heart was a dwelling place

وَلَطالَما أَمسى فُؤادُكَ مَنزِلاً

وَمَحَلَّةً لِظِباءِ ذاكَ المَنزِلِ

For the deer of that place, like a thirsty intruder

Grazing the autumn, though grazing is no intrusion

إِذ فيهِ مِثلُ المُطفِلِ الظَمأى الحَشا

رَعَتِ الخَريفَ وَما القَتولُ بِمُطفِلِ

I am one who gave youth its name, so I am forever

Enamored, and will not love any but the impassioned

إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ أَسِمُ الصَبابَةَ وَسمَها

فَتَغَزُّلي أَبَداً بِغَيرِ المُغزِلِ

My passion soars beyond what tortures my love

The pleasure of desire that has not been quenched

عالي الهَوى مِمّا تُعَذِّبُ مُهجَتي

أَروِيَّةُ الشَعفِ الَّتي لَم تُسهِلِ

I complain of the oppression of a cruel beloved

And of having no arms to embrace the dearest one

شاكي الجَوانِحِ مِن جَوانِحِ ظالِمٍ

شاكي السِلاحِ عَلى المُحِبِّ الأَعزَلِ

You shun me without fulfilling your anger

And poison kills though it is not made visible

تُردى وَلَم تُبلِغكَ آخِرَ سُخطِكَ

وَالسُمُّ يَقتُلُ وَهُوَ غَيرُ مُثَمَّلِ

Al-Hasan ibn Wahb kindled a fire with his beauty

Which scorched the soul of one fascinated by his eyes

قَد أَثقَبَ الحَسَنُ بنُ وَهبٍ في النَدى

ناراً جَلَت إِنسانَ عَينِ المُجتَلي

A fire destined for the transgressor, marked

For the guided, unjust for the unjustly accused

مَأدومَةً لِلمُجتَدي مَوسومَةً

لِلمُهتَدي مَظلومَةً لِلمُصطَلي

You are no fire like it when you count yourself so

Just lines of a surah not yet revealed

ما أَنتَ حينَ تَعُدُّ ناراً مِثلَها

إِلّا كَتالي سورَةٍ لَم تُنزَلِ

His gifts have brought the rain clouds to me

Commanding the clouds to let loose the rains

قَطَعَت إِلَيَّ الزابِيَينِ هِباتُهُ

إِلثاثَ مَأمورِ السَحابِ المُسبِلِ

With renowned kindness and fine service

That dazzle the veil-wearing ladies

مِن مِنَّةٍ مَشهورَةٍ وَصَنيعَةٍ

بِكرٍ وَإِحسانٍ أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلِ

I have seen--and I have not seen--hosts like this

With wine flowing between them and the bowl

وَلَقَد رَأَيتُ وَما رَأَيتُ كَوارِدٍ

وَالخِمسُ بَينَ لَهاتِهِ وَالمَنهَلِ

And have you heard--for if you heard--of any house

In the land of Iraq that hosts like Mosul

وَلَقَد سَمِعتَ فَهَل سَمِعتَ بِمُوطِنٍ

أَرضَ العِراقِ يُضيفُ مَن بِالمَوصِلِ

By God we had days of joy in its shade

At the melodious Khondaris brook

لِلَّهِ أَيّامٌ خَطَبنا لينَها

في ظِلِّهِ بِالخَندَريسِ السَلسَلِ

With music whose gentle rhythm stirs the heart

No good in song not paired with composition

بِمُدامَةٍ نَغَمُ السَماعِ خَفيرُها

لا خَيرَ في المَعلولِ غَيرَ مُعَلَّلِ

Spending the night listening to singing birds

Oblivious though not neglectful

يَعشى عَلَيها وَهوَ يَجلو مُقلَتَي

بازٍ وَيَغفَلُ وَهوَ غَيرُ مُغَفَّلِ

Not reckless though his manners overflow

As if he were in a dignified assembly

لا طائِشٌ تَهفو خَلائِقُهُ وَلا

خَشِنُ الوَقارِ كَأَنَّهُ في مَحفِلِ

Lighthearted, he can be serious sometimes

And lively, for the life of the unwavering

فَكِهٌ يُجِمُّ الجِدَّ أَحياناً وَقَد

يُنضى وَيُهزَلُ عَيشُ مَن لَم يَهزِلِ

The rein of speech, his tongue a fortress

When tongues turn to prattle like slaughter

قَيدُ الكَلامِ لِسانُهُ حِصنٌ إِذا

أَضحى اللِسانُ اللَغبُ مِثلَ المَقتَلِ

An ear open, not to be shut by baseness

And fingers not to be closed

أُذُنٌ صَفوحٌ لَيسَ يَفتَحُ سَمعَها

لِدَنِيَّةٍ وَأَنامِلٌ لَم تُقفَلِ

Not petty, envious, scheming, as you see

Miserliness of a friend or cunning of enemies

لا ذو الحُقودِ اللُقَّحِ اللاتي تَرى

كَشحَ الصَديقِ وَلا العِداتِ الحُيَّلِ

Would that my soul ransom my father Ali

He is the morning star of hope, star of contemplation

نَفسي فِداءُ أَبي عَلِيٍّ إِنَّهُ

صُبحُ المُؤَمِّلِ كَوكَبُ المُتَأَمِّلِ

You were to the pretentious cheater a brother

And joined him against the deserving

قَد كُنتَ لِلمُتَمَوِّهِ المُكدي أَخاً

مِثلاً فَأَوجَفَ بي مَعَ المُتَمَوِّلِ

Honor me with your grace and my grace to you

Is my ancestors' bounty and veil

أَكرِم بِنِعمَتِهِ عَلَيَّ وَنِعمَتي

مِنها عَلى عافٍ جَدايَ وَمُرمِلِ

By God, how sweet are its cushions to the mouth

And how beautiful on the made-up face

تَاللَهِ ما أَحلى مَراشِفَها عَلى

حَنَكٍ وَأَجمَلَها عَلى مُتَجَمِّلِ

He did not couple me with the stinginess of the mean

Or pride himself on the merit of the generous

لَم يَقرِني بِشرَ البَخيلِ يُغيرُ في

أَمَلي وَلَم يَشمَخ بِأَنفِ المُفضِلِ

And the next day did not glance at me sullenly

Though the gracious look from on high

وَغَدا فَلَم يُطلِل عَلَيَّ بِطَرفِهِ

شَوَساً وَذو المَعروفِ يَنظُرُ مِن عَلِ

Lowering himself, acting entitled—such manners

Are waywardness and excess in the self-debaser

مُتَقَيِّلاً وَهباً وَتِلكَ خَلائِقٌ

فَضفاضَةٌ شَطَطٌ عَلى المُتَقَيِّلِ

The son of the generous is owed his past deeds

Closed off, while the son of the disliked lives easy

وَاِبنُ الكَريمِ مُطالَبٌ بِقَديمِهِ

غَلِقٌ وَصافي العَيشِ لِاِبنِ الزُمَّلِ

Thanks are honey whose pressed juice

None reap but from the cardamom shrub

وَالحَمدُ شَهدٌ لا تَرى مُشتارَهُ

يَجنيهِ إِلّا مِن نَقيعِ الحَنظَلِ

A burden to its bearer, deemed light

By one whose shoulders never bore the load

غُلٌّ لِحامِلِهِ وَيَحسَبُهُ الَّذي

لَم يوهِ عاتِقَهُ خَفيفَ المَحمَلِ

Will manliness thank you that you let

Its mantle slip, unraveling the embroidered?

هَل تَشكُرَّن لَكَ المُروءَةُ أَن جَلَت

كَفّاكَ داثِرَها جِلاءَ المُنصُلِ

Without you it would be a tear never mended

And a virtue never perfected

لَولاكَ كانَت ثُلمَةً لَم تَنسَدِد

أَبَداً وَكانَت عِدَّةً لَم تَكمُلِ

When will I quench my thirst to meet you

And my words awake, none but you in my speech

فَمَتى أُرَوّي مِن لِقائِكَ هِمَّتي

وَيُفيقُ قَولي مِن سِواكَ وَمِقوَلي

The morning breeze stirs for me, with the trotting

Of your entourage—nobleness under that banner

وَتَهُبُّ لي بِعَجاجِ مَوكِبِكَ الصَبا

إِنَّ السَماحَةَ تَحتَ ذاكَ القَسطَلِ

With dancing girls like fleet-footed messengers

And maidens, with them like red fox

بِالراقِصاتِ كَأَنَّها رَسَلُ القَطا

وَالمُقرَباتِ بِهِنَّ مِثلُ الأَفكَلِ

Of purebred stock, their origins noble

Lively eyes in competing to lead

مِن نَجلِ كُلِّ تَليدَةٍ أَعراقُهُ

طِرفٍ مُعَمٍّ في السَوابِقِ مُخوَلِ

Like the wide-eyed deer, no defect in their eyes

While you upon it are like an ibex

كَالأَجدَلِ الغِطريفِ لاحَ لِعَينِهِ

خُزَزٌ وَأَنتَ عَلَيهِ مِثلُ الأَجدَلِ

Frolicking at its best, receiving guests

And visitors into the thicket

يَردي بِأَروَعَ يَغتَدي وَيَروحُ مِن

زُوّارِهِ وَضُيوفِهِ في جَحفَلِ

Until our eyes and hearts are content

With the glorious future ahead

حَتّى تَقَرَّ عُيونُنا وَقُلوبُنا

بِالماجِدِ المُستَقبَلِ المُستَقبَلِ

With Muhammad belittled, resented, maligned

Defamed, praised, disgraced

بِمُحَمَّدٍ وَمُكَفَّرٍ وَمُحَسَّدٍ

وَمُسَوَّدٍ وَمُمَدَّحٍ وَمُعَذَّلِ

The garden of literature fortified with reason

For reason is the firmest stronghold

بِحَديقَةِ الأَدَبِ الَّتي قَد حُصِّنَت

بِاللُبِّ إِنَّ العَقلَ أَحرَزُ مَعقِلِ

The lamp of every doctrine, in its color

Deceit, and guide of every unknown land

بِسِراجِ كُلِّ مُلِمَّةٍ في لَونِها

كَلَفٌ وَمَعلَمِ كُلِّ أَرضٍ مَجهَلِ

So arise, even if empty-handed this winter, determined

To dispel the caliph's sorrow, plunging into the fray

فَاِنهَض وَإِن خِلتَ الشِتاءَ مُصَمِّماً

حَزنَ الخَليفَةِ جامِحاً في المِسحَلِ

For you have the means, armies completely

Shatter with the firmest of them the rigid enemy

فَلَدَيكَ آلاتٌ جَنوبٌ كُلُّها

فَاِحطِم بِأَصلَبِهِنَّ صُلبَ الشَمأَلِ

A year and approaching month, both

Gathered only for the opportune moment

عامٌ وَشَهرٌ مُقبِلانِ كِلاهُما

ما اِستَجمَعا إِلّا لِحَظٍّ مُقبِلِ

And time smiles, announcing

It is part of the era's prime joint

وَالوَقتُ بَسّامٌ يُخَبِّرُ أَنَّهُ

مِن خَيرِ عُضوٍ في الزَمانِ وَمَفصِلِ