فُؤادي الفِداءُ لَها مِن قُبَب

طَوافٍ عَلى الآلِ مِثلَ الحَبَب

My heart I sacrifice for her from domes

Circling around the family like loved ones

يَعُمنَ مِنَ الآلِ في لُجَّةٍ

إِذا ما علا الشَخصُ فيها رَسب

It extends from the family in an abyss

When the person rises high in it, it sinks

تُولّينَ عَنّي وولّى الشَبابُ

وَلَم أَقضِ مِن حَقِّهِ ما وَجَب

You turned away from me and the youth turned away

And I did not fulfill his right as was obligatory

وَلَولا التُقى لَبَردتُ الغَليلَ

بِماء الرِضابِ وَماءِ الشَنب

And if not for piety, I would have cooled my inflammation

With the water of slap and water of the gray hair

وَأَدرَكتُ مِن عيشَتي نُهبَة

فَلَم أَجِدُ العيشَ إِلّا نُهب

And I would have gained from my livelihood some booty

So I did not find a living except as booty

أَعفُّ وَلي عِندَ داعي الهَوى

دُموعٌ تُجيبُ وَقَلبٌ يَجِب

I pardon while I have before the caller of love

Tears that respond and a heart that beats

وَلي نَفَسٌ عِندَ تِذكارِهِ

يُقَوِّمُ عوجَ الضُلوعِ الحُدُب

And I have a self before his recollection

It straightens the bending of ribs

أَيا مَن لِلَيلٍ ضَعيفُ الهَرَب

حَرونٍ وَصُبحٍ بَطيء الطَلَب

Oh one for whom night is of weak escape

Hot and morning of slow request

كَأَنَّ عَلى الجَوِّ فَضَفاضَةً

مَساميرُها فِضَّةٌ أَو ذَهَب

As if there were on the atmosphere embroideries

Its nails are silver or gold

كَأَنَّ كَواكِبَهُ أَعيُنٌ

تُراعي سَنا الفَجرِ أَو تَرتَقِب

As if its stars are eyes

Regarding the tooth of dawn or waiting

فَلَمّا بَدا طَفِقتُ هَيبَة

تُستِّرُ أَحداقَها بِالهَدَب

So when her shyness appeared, I saw

It covers its eyelids with bashfulness

وَشُقَّت غَلائِلُ ضوءِ الصَباحِ

فَلا هوَ بادٍ وَلا مُحتَجِب

And it split the locks of the light of morning

Neither it is fading nor veiled

وَمَيثاءُ خَيَّم وَسَمِيِّها

فَأَلقى عَلى كُلِّ أُفُقٍ طَنَب

And its shelter bowed and its pillar

It cast on every horizon inclination

وَلما بَدا نَبتُها بارِضاً

شَكيراً تَراهُ كَمِثلِ الزَغب

And when her growth appeared on land

Grayish you see it like the tanned leather

تَخَطّاهُ واستَرضِعَ المُعصِرات

لَهُ مِن غَوادي الوَليّ الهدب

It crossed it and the presses sucked it

From it from valleys of the curved tribe

فَأَصبَح أَحوى كَحوِّ اللِثاتِ

عَلَيهِ مِنَ النَور ثَغرٌ شنب

So it became bent like the curvature of wrappings

Upon it from the light an upper lip protrudes

فَمَن شامَهُ قال ماءٌ يرفُّ

وَمن شَمَّهُ قال مِسكٌ يشب

Whoever smelled it said flowing water

And whoever smelled it said mature musk

أَنخنا بِهِ وَنَسيمُ الصَبا

يُناغي ذَوائِبَنا وَالعَذَب

We sniffed it and the morning breeze

Coquets with our chins and the fresh (water)

فَأَلقَت ثغورُ الأقاحي اللِثامَ

وَشَقَّت خُدودٌ الشَقيقِ النُقب

So the mouths of roses cast off the veils

And cheeks split the slits of the narcissi

وَبتنا نُرشِّفُ أَنضاءَنا

رِضابَ ثَنايا أَقاحٍ عَجَب

And we spent the night spraying our breasts

The slaps of the slaps of roses, amazing

لِقَلبي في كُلِّ أُكرومَةٍ

شُجونٌ وَفي كُلِّ مَجدٍ شُعَب

My heart in every fertility has

Sorrows, and in every glory, roads

وَلا بُدَّ في المَجدِ مِن غُربَةٍ

تَباعدُ في الأَرضِ أَو تَقتَرِب

And there must be in glory some estrangement

Whether it distances on earth or comes near

أُحاوِلُ أَبعدَ غاياتِهِ

بِكُلِّ بَعيدِ الرِضى وَالغَضَب

I attempt the farthest of its goals

With all the far consent and anger

بِأُسدِ شَرىً فَوقَ أَكتافِها

مِنَ السَمهرية غاب أَشب

With lions bought atop its shoulders

From the blond a jungle strayed

إِذا طارَدوا خاطَروا بِالرِماح

وَإِن نازَلوا خطروا بِالقُضُب

If they hunted, they risked with spears

And if they descended, they risked with clubs

بِبَيضٍ ترفرف ماء الفِرن

د فيهن بَينَ سَواقي الشطب

With whites that flutter the water of molting

In it between the banks of the road

بِخوض الرِماحِ وَكَم قَد وَصَلَت

بِما لا أُحِبُ إِلى ما أُحِب

With entering the spears and how much they reached

With what I do not like to what I love

إِذا الطعن في ضَربات السُيوف

مِثلَ الخنادِق فيها القلب

When the stabs during strikes of swords

Are like trenches in it the heart (lies)

ولون الأَسنة مِمّا خضبن

كلون الدُخان عَلَيهِ اللَهَب

And the color of tongues from what they dyed

Is like the color of smoke, upon it the flames

أَلا هَل لِنَيل المُنى غايَةٌ

فَأَنا إِلى غير قصد نَخُب

Lo, is there for attaining wishes an end,

So I am to other than intent weaving

عَسى اللَهَ يظفرنا بِالَّتي

يُحاوِلُ ذو أَدَب أَو حَسَب

Maybe God makes us victorious by that

Which one of etiquette or merit attempts

وَيُسعدنا باعتمار الوَزير

كَما أَسعَد اللَهَ جَدَّ الكَذِب

And makes us prosperous by visiting the minister

As God made prosperous the grandfather of lies

فَتىً يَقَع المدح مِن دونِهِ

وَإِن قيلَ جاوَزَ حَدَّ الكَذِب

A young man whom praise falls short of

And if it is said he surpassed the extent of lies

وَيقصر عنهُ رِداء الثَناء

وَلَو يَرتَديهِ سِواهُ انسَحب

And the gown of praise falls short of him

Even if other than him wears it, it slides

فَتىً نالَ أَقصى مَنالَ العُلا

صَغيراً وَعارِضُهُ لَم يَشِب

A young man who attained the utmost attainment of height

While young and his peer did not mature

وَيَركَبُ في طَلَبِ المُكرِماتِ

جَواداً يَنالُ إِذا ما طَلَب

And he rides seeking gifts

A steed he attains when he seeks

وَمَن كانَ يَبلَغُه قاعِداً

فَكَيفَ يَكونُ إِذا ما رَكِب

And whoever he reaches while sitting

Then how can he be when he rides

وَقَد كَتَبَ الدَهرُ مدحَ الكِرام

فَلَمّا رآهُ مَحا ما كَتَب

And time wrote the praise of generous ones

So when it saw him, it erased what it wrote

مَعينُ النَدى ماء مَعروفه

يَجِمُّ إِذا ماءَ عُرفٍ نَضَب

The spring of dew known water

It diminishes if the water of the well runs out

بَعيدُ المَدى أَبَداً يَبتَغي

مِنَ الضُرِ وَالنَفعِ أَعلى الرُتَب

Of far reach he always seeks

From harm and benefit the highest positions

صَريحُ المَقالِ صَريحُ الفِعالِ

صَريحُ النَوالِ صَريحُ النَسَب

Clear speech, clear action

Clear bestowal, clear lineage

صِفاتٌ يَدورُ عَلَيها المَديحُ

مَدارَ الكَواكِبِ حَولَ القُطُب

Attributes around which praise revolves

Like the orbiting of planets around the pole

دَعَوناهُ بِالجودِ مِن بَعدِ ما

بَلَوناهُ في كُلِ بَدءٍ وَغِب

We called him with generosity after

We tested him in every beginning and absence

فَقَد يَمنَعُ القَذُّ مِن لا يَشَحُّ

وَقَد يَهَبُ البَدَنُ مَن لا يَهَب

So he may refuse chips from one who is not stingy

And he may gift the bad from one who does not gift

وَلَيسَ الكَريمُ الَّذي يَبتَدي

بِنَعماهُ لَكِنَّهُ مَن يَرِب

And the generous one is not who starts

With his bounties but one who fosters

فَتىً يَفعَلُ المكرُماتِ الجِسامِ

وَيَستُرُهُنَّ كَسِترِ الريب

A young man who does great generous acts

And he hides them like hiding of shame

تَوَسَّط مَجدُ بني المَغربيِّ

كَما وَسَطَ القَلبُ بَينَ الحُجُب

The glory of Bani Maghribi centered

As the heart centered between the breasts

هُم أَورَثوا الفضل أَبناءهم

وَغابوا وَفضلُهُم لَم يَغِب

They inherited virtue to their sons

And they passed away while their virtue did not pass away

كَذا الشَمسُ تَغشى البِلاد الضِياء

فأن غربت أَودعته الشُهب

Like the sun covers countries with light

So if it set, it deposits it the meteors

مَلوا بِالنَوال أَكف الرِجال

وَبِالمأثرات بطون الكُتُب

They filled with bestowal the palms of men

And with gifts the abdomens of books

أَبا قاسِم حزت صَفوٍ الكلامِ

وغادَرَت ما بَعدِهِ للعَرَب

O Abi Qasim, it took away the purity of speech

And left what is beyond it to the Bedouins

وَلَيسَ كَلامك إِلّا النُجومَ

علون فَناثرتها من كَثب

And your speech is nothing but the stars

Exalted so you scattered it from every dune

رَأيت الفَصاحَة حَيث النَدى

وَهَل ينظم الرَوض إِلّا السُحب

I saw eloquence where the dew is

Does the garden arrange itself except with clouds?

وَقَد شرف الغيث إِذ بَينَهُ

وَبَينَ بنانك أَدنى نَسَب

And rain has honored since between it

And your structure the nearest lineage

وَأَرعَن أَخرٍ من كَثرَةِ اللُ

غاتِ بِأرجائِهِ وَاللَجَب

And I pleased another from the multitude of langua

ges In its margins and crosses

يُلاقي النجوم بِأَمثالِها

مِنَ البيضِ مِن فَوقِهِ وَاليلب

It meets the stars with their like

From eggs above it and quails

إِذا واجه الشَمسُ رد الشعاع

أَو اعترَض الريحُ سَد المهب

If it faces the sun it returns the rays

Or interrupts the winds, it blocks the blow

ثنيت بأرقش ذي ريقَةٍ

تَجَلّى الخطوب بِها وَالخطب

Bent with a paper of grace

By which worries and sermons appeared

يبين لَهُ القَلبُ عَمّا أَجنَّ

وَيُسعِدُهُ الدَهر فيما أَحَب

The heart shows him about what he harvested

And time makes him prosperous in what he loved

أَشَدُّ مَضاءً مِن المُرهَفاتِ

إِذا حَثَّها أَجَلٌ مُقتَرِب

More shining than the well-groomed

If an approaching term hurries them

إِذا ما جعلت لَهُ لهذماً

مِنَ النِقس طال الرِماح السَلب

If you make for it a sharp fragment

From engraving, the spears took long the looting

وَطالَت بِهِ مَفخَراً أَنَّها

وَإِياهُ في الأَصلِ بعض القَصَب

And they took pride in it, boasting that it

And him in origin are some of the reed

تقلِّم أَقلامَك الحادِثا

تِ قَسراً وتهشم ناب النوب

It forcibly breaks your eventful pens

And breaks the fang of the black serpent

فَمن مبلغٌ مِصرَ قَولاً يَعمُّ

وَيَختَصُّ بِالمَلِكِ المُعتَصِب

So who is a messenger of Egypt saying may it be generalized

And specialized with the usurping king

لَقَد كُنتَ في تاجِهِ دُرَّة

فعوض موضعها المحشلب

You were indeed in his crown a pearl

So a carnelian took the place of it

إِذا سُدَّ موضعَها لَم يُسَدُّ

وَإِن نيب عن فعلها لم ينب

If its place is blocked, it will not be blocked

And if missing from its action, it will not be missed

إِذا اغتَرب اللَيثُ عن خدرِهِ

غَدا الشاء يَرتَع فيهِ العشب

If the lion is estranged from his lair

The sheep start grazing in it the grass

أَتَيتُكَ مُمتَدِحاً لِلعَلاءِ

وَلَم آتِ مُمتَدِحاً لِلنشب

I came praising the high ones to you

And I did not come praising spikes

وَلَو شئتَ أَدركت أَن الجَوا

د في السلم غَير منيع السلب

If you wished, you would have realized that bounty

In peace is not strongly resistant to looting

وَقَد كُنتَ أَثني عَنان المَديح

عَن الناسِ أَجذبه ما انجَذِب

And you were pulling the rein of praise

From people, dragging it along dragged

أَأَعطي المُهَنَّد من لا يُمَيِّزُ

بَينَ الفرند وَبينَ الحَرَب

Should I give the scorned what does not discern

Between the iron spearhead and war?!