حَسَنٌ تكامل في المحاسن فاغتدى
لكماله في الحسن أوحدَ عصرِهِ
A perfection of beauty, supreme in graces,
Unequalled in comeliness throughout his time.
واللَهِ ما أدري بأيِّ صفاته
أسَرَ القلوبَ فأُوثقت في أسرِهِ
I know not by what quality he has captivated hearts,
That they are bound fast, enchained in his thrall.
أبوجهه أم شَعرِه أم نحرِهِ
أم قدِّه أم ردفه أم خصرِهِ
Is it his face, or his hair, or his throat,
Or his stature, or his hips, or his waist?
اللَهُ صيَّره خليفةَ شمسِه
فينا وأغنانا به عن بدرِهِ
God made him His sun's vicegerent among us,
Enriching us by him, dispensing with the moon.
خَلقٌ وخُلقٌ زيَّناه وذلَّلا
عزَّ النفوس لنهيه ولأمرِهِ
Nature and manners graced and gentled him,
And hearts are humbled at his commands and his prohibitions.
بصيانةٍ في أُنسه وتواضعٍ
في نيله وبشاشةٍ في كِبرِهِ
Chaste in his familiarity, humble in his dignity,
Gracious in his aloofness, majestic in his pride.
في طرفه سحرٌ يُشحِّطُنا به
فلذاك حُمرة خدِّه من قَطرِهِ
His glances have a magic that ravishes us,
Hence the rose-flush of his cheeks from his tears.
لو جاء ناظرُه ببابل لاعترت
هارُوتَ أو ماروتَ أُخذةُ سحرِهِ
If his observer in Babylon chanced upon him,
He would seize Harut or Marut in the frenzy of his sorcery.
لو أنَّ ذا القَرنَين في ظلماته
لاقاه يضحك لاستضاء بثغرِهِ
Were Zul-Qarnain amid his gloom to meet him,
He would laugh, enlightened by his visage's radiance.
إني لأحسبني إذا استَنكَهتُه
ملكٌ تطلَّع في جِرابة عطرِهِ
When I act coy before him, I fancy myself
An angel peering at the fragrance of his perfumes,
قد ظَنَّ بي ظنّاً ولا وحياته
ما كان بل قد ظنَّه في سكرِهِ
He thought of me with passion, upon my life,
No indeed, but drunkenness made him think so.
إنَّ الوفاء ديانةٌ ولقد يُرى
غَدرُ الفَتى أخزى له من كُفرِهِ
Loyalty is a duty, and a young man's perfidy
Is more disgraceful to him than unbelief.
أأمسُّه بنقيصةٍ لِم ذا ولو
مُلِّكتُ عمري زدتُه في عُمرِهِ
Shall I disparage him for a slight failing? Why should I?
If I owned eternal life I would add it to his.
سيّان عندي نائمٌ في نومه
يُجنى عليه وميِّت في قَبرِهِ
It is all one to me, whether he sleeps in his bed
While I suffer injustice, or lies dead in his tomb.
