ظَفَرَ الأَسى بِمُتَيَّم لَم يَظفَر
قَصُرَ المَنامُ وَليله لَم يقصُرِ
Sorrow prevailed over Mutayyam, though it did not prevail,
Sleep was brief though the night was not brief,
وَمِنَ الصَبابَةِ أَنَّ هاَيكَ الدُمى
أَدمَت محاجِرُهُ لسفح محجَرِ
And the youth reminded you that those red hills
Whose rocks were dyed by the blood of the valley.
أَعرضن عَن مُتَعَرِّضٍ وَمَلَلن
عَن متململٍ وَضحِكنَ من مُستعبرِ
I turned away from the ostentatious and the bored,
And laughed at the giggler and the pretentious.
يَحيا حَياة تذكُّرٍ فَإِذا أَتَت
عُلَقُ الصَبابَةِ ماتَ موت تذكُّرِ
He lives a life of remembrance, so when
The ropes of youth come, he dies the death of remembrance.
شَوقٌ نأى جَلَدي بِهِ وَتَجَلُّدي
وَهَوىً هَوى صَبري له وَتَصَبُّري
Yearning peeled my skin with it, and my patience,
And passion melted my patience with it and my composure.
كادَت تُجِد الوَجدَ لَولا فتية
من مُنذِرٍ أَو عُصبَةٍ من مُبصِرِ
It almost found ecstasy, had it not been for the warning
Of a warner, or a group of clear-sighted men.
مقسومة بِالحُسنِ بينَ مُخَفَّفٍ
وَمُثَقَّلٍ وَمؤَنَّثٍ وَمُذَكَّرِ
Divided by beauty between an inflected and uninflected word,
Between feminine and masculine, between heavy and light.
تُعطيكَ بِالأَلفاظِ غلظةَ ضَيغَمِ
وَتُريكَ بِالأَلحاظِ رِقَّةِ جؤذَرِ
It gives you in words the roughness of clay,
And shows you in glances the softness of velvet.
يا جائِراً وَالدَهر أُجورُ حاكِم
وَالحادِثاتُ بِمُنجدٍ أَو مُغوِرِ
O unjust one, and time is the wages of the judge,
And events with a helper or a betrayer.
ما ضافَ بي هَمٌّ بِهِ فقربته
إِلّا مدالجة المطيِّ الضُمَّرِ
No care drew near me but the rubbing of the smooth spear,
And dawn has taken its fingers
وَالصُبحُ قَد أَخذت أَنامِل كَفِّهِ
في كُلِّ جَيبٍ لِلظَّلامِ مُزَرَّرِ
In every pocket of darkness embroidered.
As if in the west a rider of a dusky horse
فَكأَنَّما في الغَربِ راكِبُ أَدهَمٍ
يحتثُّه في الشَرقِ راكِب أَشقَرِ
Urges it, and in the east a rider of a blond urges it.
It walks to the furthest of lands from its walking,
يَسري لأبعدَ سؤددٍ مِن مشيه
وَيَروم أَقربَ موردٍ مِن مَصدَرِ
And intends the nearest stop from its source.
For the dear state of the Ahmad family in battle
لعزيزِ دولَة آل أَحمدَ في الوَغى
وَالسِلمِ بدر سَريرها وَالمَنبرِ
And peace, the full moon is its throne and pulpit.
An honor that shows you confused in victory
شَرَفٌ يُريكَ مهلهلاً في تغلب
يَوم الكُلاب وتبَّعاً في حِميَرِ
The day of dogs and likewise in donkeys.
How much the rabble curse him
كَم لِلعُفاةِ إِلَيهِ من سَبّابَةٍ
تومي وَكَم يَثنى لَه من خِنصَرِ
Blame and how much the thin-nosed praise him.
As if it throws the enemies with its might
وَكَأَنَّما يَرمي العِدى مِن بأسِهِ
بأسوَدَ خَفّان وَجِنَّة عَبقَرِ
Lions and a troop of gazelles.
Where an agent pierces in a coat of mail,
في حيث يَنفذ عامِلاً في جَوشَنٍ
طعناً وَيبذل صارِماً في مِغفَرِ
Stabbing, and a sword swings in forgiveness.
It painted the edges of swords as if
مُحمَرَّ أَطراف السُيوفِ كَأَنَّما
يُطبِعنَ من ورد الخُدودِ الأَحمَرِ
It prints from the roses of red cheeks.
You made me forget my worries with the honor of your crafts
أَنسَيتَني ذُلّي بِعزِّ صَنائِع
علَّمتَنيهِ خبرة المُتَخَبِّرِ
You taught me, O experienced one.
So why should I seek more from other than you
فَعلامَ أَطلب من سواك مزيدة
وقد استثرنا مِنكَ مَعدِنَ جَوهَرِ
When we have extracted from you the essence of substance?
With your long right hand over me and its length
بيَمينك الطُولى عليَّ وَطَولِها
قَصَّرتُ عَن تَعريض كل مُقصِرِ
I fell short of hinting at every failure.
So submit, for how much you brought close the estranged,
فاسلم فَكَم قرَّبت من مُتَباعِدٍ
صعب وَكَم يَسَّرتَ مِن مُتَعَسِّرِ
Difficult, and how much you eased the frustrated!
And just as you surpassed people in virtues,
وَكَما تَقَدَّمتَ الأَنام فَضائِلاً
فَإِذا هُمُ وردوا الرَدى فَتأَخَّرِ
When they come to interpret, they lag behind.
