هيَ البَدرُ لِكِن تستر مَدى الدَهرِ
وَكل سِرار البَدر يَومانِ في الشَهرِ
She is the full moon, though she conceals her beauty through the ages,
And the full moon's secrets are but two days in a month.
هَلاليَّةٌ نيل الأَهِلَّة دونَها
وَكل نَفيس القدر ذو مطلب وَعرِ
She is crescent-like, nothing compares below her station,
And nothing precious equals her worth and honor.
وَمِن دونِها سوران سُورٌ مِنَ النَوى
وَسورٌ مِنَ الأَسيافِ وَالأسل السُمرِ
Below her are walls, a wall of spears and a wall of keen swords,
And below tasting her saliva, one gulps down copious blood like a lip.
وَدون ارتِشافِ الريق يَرشف بِالقنا
عَريض الدِماء ماء يُشَبَّه بِالثَغرِ
Her phantom passed me in sleep, traversing the deserts,
Rising from the earth, riding both land and sea.
طَوى طيفها في النَوم نَحوي مَفاوِزاً
مِنَ الأَرضِ تنضي راكِب البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ
One night with her and her darkness and charm
Was like a mole on the soft cheek of a young maiden.
فيها لَيلَةً كانَت لَهُ بِسوادها
وَبَهجَتِها كالخالِ في وَجنَةِ البكرِ
She has a glancing sword that never leaves her eyelids,
And I've not seen a sword sheathed when it entices.
لَها سَيف طرف لا يزايل جفنه
وَلَم أَرَ سَيفاً قَطُّ في غمده يَغري
Crescent eyes in hearts, and her glance,
Sharper and more potent than their sharpened swords.
عُيونُ هِلالٍ في القُلوبِ ولحظها
أَحَدُّ وَأَمضى مِن سيوفِهِم البتر
She has a saliva - I seek God's forgiveness - it is
Sweeter and more craved in souls than wine.
لَها ريقة أَستغفر اللَهَ إِنَّها
أَلَذُّ وَأَشهى في النُفوسِ مِنَ الخَمرِ
I embrace her slender, terrifying waist,
You'd think its slenderness was the pupil of an eye.
أُعانِق مِنها صعدة راعبيَّة
تَرى زَجّها في مَوضِع النظر الشَزَرِ
My night shortens when she visits, for she is
Dawn, and what remains of night at dawn?
وَيقصر ليلي إِن أَلمَّت لأَنَّها
صَباحٌ وَهَل لِلَّيلِ بقياً مَع الفَجرِ
I say to her, while the Pleiades blink at the spears,
Prepare for my loss as much steadfastness as you can.
أَقولُ لَها وَالعيسُ تحدج لِلنَّوى
أَعدّي لِفَقدي ما استَطَعتِ مِن الصَبرِ
Eyelids were once mines of sorrow,
Now overflowing with tears like sea shells.
وَقَد كانَتِ الأَجفانُ لِلجزع مَعدِناً
فَصارَت لِفَيضِ الدَمعِ مِن صَدفِ البَحرِ
I will spend the prime of my youth seeking
The sublime or seeking reward.
سَأَنفقُ ريعان الشَبيبَة آنِفاً
عَلى طلبِ العَلياء أَو طَلَبِ الأَجرِ
Is it not loss that nights should pass
Without benefit, while counted among my life?
أَلَيسَ مِنَ الخُسرانِ أَنَّ لَيالياً
تَمُرُّ بِلا نَفَعٍ وَتُحسَبُ مِن عَمري
The face of earth changed from all sides,
Gloom taking the place of its radiance.
تَبَدَّل وَجه الأَرضِ مِن كُلِّ وِجهَةٍ
لِيأخُذ بِالتَعبيسِ مِن رَونَقِ البِشرِ
It was intimate yet it preferred us
With a generous one, protecting from harm.
وَقَد كانَ ناونا فَآثَرهُ بِنا
بِذي كَرَمٍ بِالنَفعِ يُنجي مِنَ الضُرِّ
It was a bright star like Muhammad,
And who equals his sublime nature and manners?
وَقَد كانَ نِجماً واضِحاً كُمُحَمَّدٍ
وَمثل عَلاه أَو خَلائقه الغرِّ
The high branches of glory stretched to him,
Giving him its right and its left.
أَغَرَّ لَهُ باع تَقسَّمه العُلى
فَلِليَمَنِ يُمناهُ وَيُسراهُ لِليُسرِ
He ties his wisdom and sword
To a heart vast like the land or sea.
يَنوطُ نِجادي رَأيه وَحسامه
بِصَدرٍ كَمثل البَحرِ أَو سِعَة البَرِّ
He is forbearing to the ignorant, as if
He is too dignified - God forbid - to be harsh or rude.
وَيَحلُم عَن ذي الجَهلِ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ
وَحاشاهُ مِن فَرطِ الوِقارِ أَخو وَقرِ
Virtues distinguishe him from all comparisons,
Famous in earth like the letter Waw in Amr.
يُمَيِّزُهُ مِن كُلِّ شبهٍ فَضائِل
شَهرنَ لَه في الأَرضِ كالواو في عمرِو
He knows good through foretokens, his merit
Known like the briskness of perfume through vestige.
وَيعرف قَبلَ الخير بِالبشر فَضله
كَما يُعرَفُ الصِمضامَةُ العَضَب بِالأَثَرِ
No wonder the pearl utters, no abundant sea lacks pearls,
When pens turn to his right, I've brought seas to a sea.
فَلا تعجبا أَن يَلفظ الدُر قائِلاً
فَلَم يَخلُ بحر زاخر قَطُّ مِن دُرِّ
He reminds platforms' wood of his father and forefathers,
As deeds remind one of deeds.
إِذا جَلَبَ الأَقلام نَحوَ يمينه
فَقَد جلبت مِن شَطِّ بَحرٍ إِلى بَحرِ
If the platforms' wood were his father and forefathers,
Deeds would remind one of deeds.
يذكِّرُ أَعواد المَنابِرِ جده
وَأَباءه وَالأَمرُ يُذكَرُ بِالأَمرِ
The child's intelligence shows them,
As freedom and pedigree show in the horse.
فَلَو أَنَّ أَعواد المَنابِرِ جده
وَأباءه وَالأَمرُ يُذكَرُ بِالأَمرِ
I saw the sublime needs origin and upbringing,
Does a golden coin stamp anything but gold?
تَبيَّنُ في الطِفلِ النَجابَة مِنهُم
كَما يَستَبين العتق وَالسَبق في المَهرِ
This era sides in helping its people,
Leaving fate in the hand of the best victorious helper.
رأيت العُلى تَحتاج أَصلاً وَبيئة
وَهَل يَطبع الدينار إِلّا مِنَ التِبرِ
The redressing of wrongs was entrusted to him,
A man of determination entrusts tasks to his chest.
تَجَرَّد هَذا الدَهر في نَصر أَهلِهِ
وَترك القَضا في كَفِّ خير أَولي النَصرِ
So the night's darkness became light through his justice,
And what benefits the night's darkness with dawn?
وَنيطَ بِهِ أَمر المَظالِمِ إِنَّما
يَنوطُ أَخو العزم الحَمائِل بِالصَدرِ
He adorned the lands' regions with his rule,
Like eyeliner adorns the eye.
فَأَضحى ظَلام اللَيلِ نوراً بِعَدلِهِ
وَهَل لِظَلامِ اللَيلِ نَفع مَع الفَجرِ
Begin a matter and finish it before it escapes,
As long as you are able and inclined to command.
وَزَيَّن أَقطارَ البِلادِ بِحُكمِهِ
وَأَحكامِهِ في الأَرضِ كالظَلم في الثَغرِ
I and my recollection of you are like saying
To these moving stars, "Proceed!"
بَدأتَ بِأَمرٍ فأته قَبلَ فوته
وَما دمت بَل لا زِلت متمثل الأَمرِ
May He who employed you to serve His creation protect you,
And may He who gave you life to benefit and harm keep you alive.
وَإِنّي وَإِذكاريك أَمري كَقائِل
لهذي النُجوم وَهيَ تَسري أَلا فاسري
He has a pen that slits the necks of his enemies -
Does a lion's claw not slit what it rakes?
رَعاكَ الَّذي اِستَرعاكَ أَمر عِبادِهِ
وَحَيّاكَ مَن أَحياكَ لِلنَّفعِ وَالضُرِّ
When he pulls the paper from its position,
The faces of sermons and poems dazzle.
لَهُ قَلم يَفري رِقاب عداته
وَهَل مخلب في إِصبَع اللَيثِ لا يَفري
The sections of the sublime gather in his book,
So the whole is in the part and the line in the verse.
إِذا سحب القرطاس مِن وَقعِهِ بِهِ
تَجَلَّت وجوه الخَطبِ وَالخُطَبِ الغُرِّ
The generous leaders - leave him be, for he
Equals stinginess to blasphemy in any case.
تَجَمَّعَ أَقسام العُلى في كِتابِهِ
فَكانَ العُلى في الكُلِّ وَالشَطر في السَطرِ
If he slows in a wave of action, say to us,
Do you make up for his pearl-like generosity, or entice?
الأئِمَة في الجود دعه فَإِنَّهُ
عَلى كُلِّ حالٍ يَعدِل البُخلَ بِالكُفرِ
Shall I seek rain in the palm of his hand,
When the rain is only in his ten fingers?
إِذا لمته في لَج فِعلٍ فَقُل لَنا
أَتَعذِلَهُ بِالدَرِّ في الجود أَم تُغري
Shall I seek water and locusts, when these
Are clouds swarming with floods and hail?
أَمُنتَجِعُ الغيث أَنتجع بحر كَفِّهِ
فَما الغَيثُ إِلّا في أَنامِلِهِ العَشرِ
Glory is but an orchard, and he is its blossoms,
And the orchard is not pleasing without its blooms.
أَمُنتَجِعُ الماء القراح وَهذه
سَحائِبُ تَهمي بِاللُجَينِ وَبالتِبرِ
I'm amazed this hand is so dry,
When it holds a sea, with no ebb or flow.
وَما المَجد إِلّا رَوضَة هوَ زهرها
وَلَيسَ يَروق الرَوض إِلّا مَع الزَهر
They told us, "Stingy in time," but none have given
Like you except the people of this noble age.
عجبت لِهَذا الدَست كَيفَ جَفافه
وَقَد ضَمَّ بَحراً مِنكَ لَيسَ بِذي جَزرِ
Merit Sleeps upon you wherever you stay,
Like a breeze upon perfume.
وَقالوا لَنا في الدَهر بُخلٌ وَما سَخا
بِمثلك إِلّا أَهل ذا الزمن الحُرِّ
Your ransom is one alive unlike a dead miser
Who thinks collecting money better than being remembered.
يَنُمُّ عَلَيكَ الفَضلَ في كُلِّ مَوطنٍ
نزلت كَما نَمَّ النَسيم عَلى العِطرِ
The wretched man dies before his death,
And is buried before entering his grave.
فِداؤك حيٌّ مِثلَ مَيتٍ لبخله
يُظَنُّ اقتناء المالِ خَيرٌ مِن الذِكرِ
So live an age of my praises, for my praises
Are of the eternal remaining till the Gathering.
يَموتُ لَئيم القَومِ مِن قبل مَوتِهِ
وَيقبُرُ مِن قَبلِ الدُخولِ إِلى القَبرِ
فَعِش عُمرَ مَدحي فيكَ إِنَّ مَدائحي
مِنَ الخالِداتِ الباقِياتِ إِلى الحَشرِ
