نَفسي الفِداء لِلَحظِها من رامِ
وَلطَرفِها من أَنصُلٍ وَسِهامِ
My soul is ransomed for her glance, from one who aims
And for her eyelash, from a bended bow and arrows
وَلِثَغرِها من ضَوءِ بَرقٍ لامِعٍ
لَو أَتبعته لَنا بِصَوب غَمامِ
And for her mouth, from the light of flashing lightning
If I were to follow it, it would lead me to the clouds
قالوا تأسَّ بِجَفنِها في سُقمِهِ
شَتّان بَينَ سِقامه وَسِقامي
They said her eyelid was afflicted with illness
Far different is her illness from my illness
سقم الجُفونِ وَإِن تَزايَد صِحَّة
أَبَداً وَسُقمي كل يَوم نامي
The illness of eyelids, though it increases in severity
Will never last, while my illness grows day after day
جُرحَ العُيون النُجل جرح كاتِم
لِدمائهِ أَشوى الجِراح الدامي
The wounds of eyes are hidden wounds
My bloody wounds blaze hotter
لَو لَم يَكُن هَذا الهَوى سِحراً لما
صادَ الليوثَ الغُلبَ بِالآرامِ
Had this love not been magic, it wouldn't have
Subdued lions with tranquility
تَبَّعتهم يَومَ الرَحيل بِمُهجَتي
تبع الفَلاء الخَيل بَعدَ فِطامِ
I followed them on the day of departure with my love
As young horses follow their mares after weaning
وَأَقَمت بَعدَ وَلِلزَّمان عَجائِب
منها ترحُّل مُهجَتي وَمُقامي
And I stayed after, for time has wonders
Among them, my love departs and stays
رَحَلوا بمثل البَدر إِلّا أَنَّهُ
عند المَحاقِ يَكون بدر تَمامِ
They left, appearing like the full moon
While the moon at its fullness is complete
وَجَلونَ من خَلَلِ البَراقِعِ أَوجُهاً
كالوَردِ بَينَ أَكنَّة الأَكمامِ
They passed through the veils, their faces
Like roses amidst the folds of the sleeves
كل الأُمور إِذا تَقادَم ناقِص
أَبَداً وَوِدّي كل يَوم نامي
Everything declines with the passage of time
But my love grows stronger each day
وَأَرى خَيال العامِريَّة أَنَّهُ
وآفٍ إِذا غَدَرَت بِعَقد ذِمامِ
I see the image of al-Amiriyyah as if
It has remained faithful, though time has been treacherous
وَآفى إِليَّ الشَوق يَحدو غيره
حَتّى تَلاهُ وَأَهله بِالشامِ
And longing itself hastened to me, leaving behind
Its home and people in Damascus
فَلَثَمنَني فَجَعَلتُ ثَمَّ تَحرُّجاً
بَيني وَبَينَ اللَثمِ ثَنيَ لِثامي
It kissed me, so I hesitated
Between me and the kiss, folding my wrapping
وَهَجَرتُ رَشفَ رِضابهنَّ لأَنَّهُ
خَمرٌ وَلَستُ بِراشف لِمُدامِ
I abandoned sipping their pleasure, for it
Is wine, and I am no drinker of wine
وَهَبُوهُ غَيرَ الخَمرِ لَستُ بِذائِقٍ
مَع تَركِهِ الشُبَهات شبه حَرامِ
They offered me other than wine, I am no taster
Despite leaving the doubtful matters, doubtfully forbidden
عَفُّ الظَواهِرِ وَالضَمائِر لَم أَزَل
مُتَنَزِّهاً في يَقظتي وَمَنامي
I have always been virtuous, awake and asleep
Shunning the overt and the covert
نهوى الظِباء وَلا نَصيد تَقيَّة
نَدَع الظِباء لِقانِصٍ أَو رامِ
We love gazelles, but not to hunt, so we
Leave the gazelles for the hunter or archer
دَع عَنكَ ذكر العامِريَّة إِنَّهُ
وَأَبيك مَغناطيس كل غَرامِ
Forget al-Amīriyyah, it and your father
Are magnets for every passion
أَما فَضائلها عَلى أَترابِها
فَكَفضلِ حَيدَرَةٍ عَلى الحُكّامِ
As for her virtues over her peers
Like the virtue of the sun over rulers
خَيرُ القُضاةِ عَلى القَضاء اِختاره
بَعدَ اختيار منه خَير إِمامِ
The best of all judges was appointed judge
After being chosen by the best imam
فَقَضى بِحُكمِ الجور في أَموالِهِ
وَقَضى بِحُكم اللَهِ في الأَيتامِ
So he judged unjustly regarding his money
And judged by God's law regarding orphans
أَلفَ اِمتِثال العَدلَ في أَحكامِهِ
حَتّى بِتَقسيم الطُلى وَالهامِ
He learned to implement justice in his rulings
Even in dividing the shares and preventing injustice
تَتَيَقَّنُ الأَموال حينَ تَحُلُّ في
كفَّيه أَن لَيسَت بِدارِ مُقامِ
Wealth feels assured when it falls into
His hands, that it is not a temporary abode
وَإِذا أَتى مال خَزائنه بَدا
بوداعه الخَزّان قَبلَ سَلامِ
And when the treasuries' money comes to him
The treasurer bids it farewell before greeting
خرق يعد صِلاته كَصَلاته
فَرضاً يؤديه أَداء تَمامِ
His obligatory prayers equal his supererogatory
An obligation he performs with complete devotion
طَلقَ الجَبين مَع اليَمين مُوقَّر
في الحالَتَينِ النَقض وَالإِبرامِ
His forehead shines with auspiciousness, venerated
In both negation and affirmation
وَمُهَذَّب الأَقوالِ وَالأَفعال
وَالأَخوالِ وَالآباء وَالأَعمامِ
Eloquent in speech, action, manner
And paternal and maternal uncles and relatives
وَمَعين ماء الجودِ يَشرَبُ وَفده
فيهِ وَيَصدُر وَهوَ بَحر طامي
An abundant sea, its visitors drink from it
And leave fully quenched, it is an overflowing ocean
وَتَرى بوجه أَبي الحُسَين بشاشة
مثل الفِرندِ بِصَفح كل حُسامِ
You see on Abu al-Husain's face radiance
Like an Indian sword with every polished blade
وَيَلوحُ منه عَلى أَسرَّة وَجهِهِ
نور الهُدى وَسَكينَة الإِسلامِ
The light of guidance and tranquility of Islam shine
From it, over the cheeks of his glorious face
بَحر الفَصاحَةِ وَالسَماحَةِ وَالنُهى
وَالبأس وَالآلاء وَالأَنعامِ
An ocean of eloquence, generosity, dignity, valor
Benevolence, munificence and favors
يَخفي النَوال إِذا أَتاهُ تَظَرُّفاً
حَتّى كَأَنَّ الجود فعل أَثامِ
He hides his gifts so skillfully when they come to him
It is as if generosity was a sin to shun
تَدنو سِهام الوَصفِ دونَ عُلائِهِ
أَوَهل يصيب الشَمس سَهم الرامي
The arrows of description fall short of his sublimity
Can an archer's arrow reach the sun?
أَعدى نَدى كفَّيه صور وَأَهلها
وَالبَدرُ يَقلِبُ طبع كُلِّ ظَلامِ
The bounty of his palms revived the people of Sur
While the full moon upturns the nature of darkness
وَلَو أَنَّ صوراً جنة ما اِستكثرَت
وَأَبيك مِن غِلمانِهِ لِغُلامِ
If Sur were a paradise, it wouldn't consider him
Among its youths anything but a youth
يَعفو فَيَفعل حلمه بِعَدوِّهِ
ما تَفعَل الأَسياف بِالأَجسامِ
He forgives, so his clemency treats his enemy
As swords treat bodies
وَالحلم في بَعض المَواطن نقمة
تَسطو بِها أَبَداً عَلى الأَقوامِ
At times, clemency is vengeance
With which he forever conquers people
وَاللَيثُ أَعبَس ما بَدا وَجهاً إِذا
أَبصَرته في صورَة البسّامِ
The fiercest the lion appears is when
You see him in the form of a gladiator
وَإِذا تنمَّر مُغضِباً فاِنظر إِلى
جَيش عَلى ظهر الحِصانِ لهامِ
When he snarls angrily, look to
An army on the back of his steed, snarling
جَيش لَهُ ظهر الحِصان مُعَسكر
ذو يَمَنَتينِ وساقه وَأَمامِ
An army whose steed's back is an encampment
With two flanks, front legs and withers
وَكأَنَّما جَمَع الأَعادي جَوهَر
وَسِنانِهِ في الجَمعِ سِلك نِظامِ
As if he gathered his enemies' essence
And fangs into one, interlocked
لَبِق الأَنامِلِ بِالرِماحِ وَطالَما
أَغنى عَن الأَرماحِ بِالأَقلامِ
His fingers replaced spears, and often
His pens sufficed over spears
ما قَطَّ قَطُّ إِلى العدى قَلماً له
إِلّا وَنابَ بِهِ عَن الصِمصامِ
Never did he draw a pen against an enemy
Except it served in place of a sword
قَلم يُقلم ظُفرَ كُلِّ ملمَّةٍ
وَيكفُّ كَفَّ نَوائِب الأَيّامِ
A pen that curbs the claws of every assailant
And restrains the strikes of time
وَتَرى بِحافَتِهِ المَنايا وَالمُنى
وَمقاتِل الأَعداءِ وَالإِعدامِ
You see in its edges demise and death
And the killing of enemies and executions
من آل حيدرة الَّذينَ شعارهم
فيض النَدى الهامي وَضرب الهامِ
They are the family of Haydar, their motto
Generosity, spear-thrusts and sword-strikes
قَهَروا بِحار الأَرض أَجمَع بِالنَدى
وَجِبالِها بِرجاحَةِ الأَحلامِ
They conquered the land's expanse entirely with munificence
And its mountains with the weight of their dreams
يَتَسنَّمون مِنَ المَعالي مُرتَقىً
عَنه تَزِل مَواطىءَ الأَقدامِ
They ascend the heights, climbing
Beyond which feet cannot tread
يَتَتابَعونَ إِلى العُلاء تَتابُعاً
كَتَتابُعِ الأَقدامِ في الإِقدامِ
They follow each other uninterrupted
As feet follow each other in stepping forth
يَقعونَ من هَذا الزَمان وَأَهله
كَمواقِعِ الأَعيادِ في الأَيّامِ
They stand out in this age and its people
As holy days stand out from ordinary days
أَلفَيتَ مِنهُم في طَرابُلُسٍ نَدىً
ترك الكِرام لَديَّ غَيرَ كِرامِ
I found in them in Tripoli such nobility
That they left me no nobles besides themselves
القَومَ جِسم أَنتَ روحهم وَهُم
في الناس كالأَرواحِ بِالأَجسامِ
O people! you are the body, and he is your spirit
Among mankind, as spirits are to bodies
لا زِلتَ في نِعَمٍ يُخلَّد ملكها
كَرمُ الإِلَهِ القادِرِ العَلّامِ
You remain in blessings whose reign is eternal
By the Generous God's, the All-Knowing's grace
