هَبوا أَنَّ سِجني مانِعٌ لِوِصالِهِ
فَما الخَطبُ أَيضاً لامتِناعِ خَيالِهِ
They suppose that my imprisonment prevents his visitation,
Yet why should his imagination be hindered?
نَعَم لَم تَنَم عيني فيطرُق طَيفُهُ
زَوالُ مَنامي عِلَّة لَزَوالِهِ
Indeed my eyes have not slept, so his specter appears,
My lack of sleep caused by his disappearance.
فِدى الصَبِّ من لم ينسه في بَلائِهِ
وَيَنسى اسمُهُ مَن كانَ في مِثلِ حالِهِ
The devotion of one who did not forget him in distress,
And the name of one who was in a similar state forgot him.
ومن صارَ سِجني قطعة من صُدودِهِ
وَطول التَنائي قطعة مِن مَلالِهِ
My prison became a piece of his walls,
And the long separation became a piece of his boredom.
وَلَم تَرَ عيني حاسِدَينَ تَباينا
عَلَيهِ سِوى قَلبي وَتُربِ نِعالِهِ
My eyes saw no envious rivals toward him
Except my heart and the soles of his slippers.
وَإِنّي لأَطويهِ حِذاراً وَإِنَّما
يَخافُ اغتِيال الجَرحِ عِندَ اِندِمالِهِ
I fold him carefully but
The wound fears assassination when it closes.
أَلّا بِأَبي الغُصن النَضير وَإِنَّما
كنيتُ بِهِ عَن قَدِّهِ واِعتِدالِهِ
No, by my slender, delicate branch, I nickname him
about his composure and balance.
وَلا بِأَبي بَدر المَحاقِ وَإِنَّما
يفدى إِذا حاكاه عِندَ كَمالِهِ
Nor by my full mooned Badr except that he
would sacrifice himself when equaling his perfection.
وَلا حَبَّذا نور الأَقاحي عابِساً
وَيا حَبَّذاه ضاحِكاً في ظِلالِهِ
How excellent is the light of frowning cheeks!
And more excellent when smiling in their shadows!
فَإِن فاقه ثغر الحَبيب فَإِنَّما
أُقَرِّب ما أَعيا وجود مِثالِهِ
For if his beloved's mouth surpasses it, then
I make believable the existence of its likeness.
وَما حُسن هَذا الشِعر إِلّا لنفثِهِ
لَهُ في فَمي من قبل قطع وِصالِهِ
The eloquence of this poetry is only because of his breath
Which he blew in my mouth before his farewell.
نَطقت بِسِحرٍ بَعدَها غَيرَ أَنَّهُ
مِنَ السِحرِ ما لَم يُختَلَف في حَلالِهِ
I spoke an enchantment after which any other
Of this magic whose lawfulness is not disputed.
كَذاك ابن سيرينٍ لنفثة يوسف
تَكَلَّم في الرُؤيا بمثل مَقالِهِ
Like this, the son of Sireen from Joseph's breath
Spoke similarly in the dream's interpretation.
أَلا اصرِف إِلى صِدغَيهِ لحظك كله
وَدَع لَحظَه مُستَعمَلاً مِن نِصالِهِ
Behold, turn your glance completely to his cheeks
And leave his glance actively casting arrows.
تَرى فيهِما نونَينِ عُطِّلَ واحِد
وَآخر مَعجوم بِنُقطَةِ خالِهِ
You see in them two letter noons, one inactive
And the other dotted with the mole of his cheek.
وَمِمّا يُسلّي خطَّة العَرض أَنَّها
وَضُرَّتَها في خطَّة لانتِقالِهِ
And of what makes the composition of the cheek pleasant is that it
And its pallor are in the composition of its impermanence.
وَأَنَّهما مِثلَ البُروجِ لِبَدرِها
إِذا حَلَّ لَم تأمَنَ وَشيك ارتِحالِهِ
And that they are like constellations to its full moon
When it rises, its imminent departure cannot be trusted.
وَما الوقف إِلّا في الوزارَة إِنَّها
عقيليَّة مَحفوفة باعتِقالِهِ
And this caesura is only in the ministry, it is
An prison-like pause surrounded by his detention.
أَتَستَغرِب العَلياء أَحمَد ناشِئاً
وَقَد بانَ منه الفَضل قَبلَ فَصالِهِ
Are you surprised that the eminent Ahmed is a youth
When his virtue was apparent before his maturity?
صَغيراً تربّيه المَعاليَ فاضِلاً
فَسُوِّدَ مِن إِقبالِهِ في اِقتِبالِهِ
He was raised virtuous in his youth,
So he was enlightened from the time of his arrival to the time of his departure.
أَراني وَقَد أَعيا عَلى الفِكرِ أَمرَهُ
عَلى أَنَّ فِكري غائِضٌ في احتِفالِهِ
I saw that I was perplexed in thinking of his matter,
Though my mind was immersed in its celebration.
إِذا ما حَوى أَعلى المَراتِبِ ناشِئاً
فَماذا الَّذي يَبقى لحينِ اكتِهالِهِ
If he contained the highest ranks in his youth,
Then what remains for when his perfection is completed?
نَعَم إِنَّ غايات الجَوادِ إِذا انتَهى
إِلَيها تَبقّى فضله في خِلالِهِ
Indeed, when the goals of the generous are reached,
His excellence remains during his possession.
رأوا فَضلَهُ فاستَحسَنوه وَأَمسَكوا
طِباعاً عَلى أَقدارهم بِخِصالِهِ
They saw his merit and approved him, and held back
Naturally, according to their measures, because of his traits.
فَأَبقوا له في الفَضلِ كثرة شكرهم
وَأَبقى لهم في الفَخرِ قِلَّةَ مالِهِ
So they kept for him, in merit, an abundance of their gratitude,
And he kept for them, in pride, a paucity of his wealth.
وَعَقلٍ كَعذبِ الماءِ مِن نظم عَقله
بِعَقلِ سواه فَهوَ عَذبٌ زُلالِهِ
A mind as sweet as water from the rhyming of his mind
With another’s mind, so it is sweetly limpid.
إِلى أَدبٍ مثل الهَواء أَو الهَوى
مَع الروحِ يَجري جائِلاً في مَجالِهِ
With courtesy like air or passion
Flowing mischievously in its course.
وَذهنٍ لَو الكافور يمنع حَرَّه
لأَزري بفخر المِسكِ عند اعتمالِهِ
If camphor could prevent its heat,
I would boast of the musk's pride when it is carried.
وَما كُلُّ ذا التَشبيه إِلّا تَحامُلاً
عَلَيهِ وَلَكِن فضله في احتمالِهِ
All of these metaphors are only straining
Toward him, though his merit is in enduring them.
وَيا سَيِّدي عَبدٌ دَعاكَ معولاً
عليك وَلَم يَخطُر سِواكَ بِبالِهِ
O my master, your servant called on you as a resource,
Relying on you, with no other occurring in his thoughts.
وَهَل يَستَعينُ المَرءُ من قَعر هُوَّه
لإِخراجِهِ إِلّا بِأَقوى حِبالِهِ
Can a person seek help out of the pit of his abyss
Except with his strongest rope?
وَأَنتُم أُناس فضلهم غامر الوَرى
فَما بال مِثلي دائِراً في اِنخمالِهِ
You are people whose overflowing merit floods the land,
So why am I constantly stumbling in my lethargy?
وَإِذ صارَ سَعد وابنه مَعِقلاً لَهُ
فَما العُذر في إِطلاقِهِ من عِقالِهِ
When Sa’d and his son became his protection,
What is the excuse for releasing him from his fetter?
هَل ابصَرتُموه شافِعاً بِسِواكم
وَأَنتُم بَعيد وَهوَ في ضيقِ حالِهِ
Did you see anyone intercede for him but you
While you are distant and he is in dire straits?
