أراقَ دمعي لا بل أراق دمي

ظلما بظُلمٍ مِن رِيقهِ الشَبِمِ

My tears flowed not but my blood flowed

Unjustly with injustice from his tender glance

ذو قامة كالقضيب ناضِرَةٍ

وناظرٍ من سقامه سقمي

One with a figure like an erect wand

And a looker with sickness from his sickness I am sick

له جفون تعنو لفتكتها

ما في جفون الصطرم الخذمِ

Eyelids that hint at their murderousness

Not like the eyelids of one with mange in his eyebrows

يلوم فيه من لو تأمله

مثلي بعين الغرام لم يلم

Blaming him when if contemplated

One like me with an eye of passion would not blame

لي فيه عيش لم يحل منذ جفا

وقلب صب لم يخل من ألمِ

With him I have a life not made lawful since he was unfaithful

And a pouring heart not emptied of pain

حصلت من هجره على أصدق ال

أمر ومن وصله على التهمِ

I obtained from his estrangement the truest

Matter and from his union the accusations

يا صاحبي الغداة هل لكما

بالله علم من ساكن العلمِ

O my friends in the morn, is there

For you both, by God, knowledge of the dweller of the banner

وهل تعاني العقِيقِ مخصبة

أم أمظأ الغيث برقتي أضم

And does carnelian suffer being fertile

Or did the rain make my lighting barren and infertile?

لهفي على وقفة أديمُ بها

ذكرَ ليالٍ بهنّ لم تدمِ

Yearning for a pure stance in which

I remember nights with them that did not last

مع كل بكر يزينها صِغَر

تسعى ببكر تزان بالهرمِ

With every virgin adorned by youth

Seeking with an old virgin wrinkled with old age

كالبدر في كفها مشعشعة

كالشمس تجلو حنادس الظلم

Like the full moon in her palm shining

Like the sun dispelling the darkness of gloom

بنتدنان تسقيك صفوتها

ذات بنان في حمرة العنمِ

Affectionately giving you her elite wine

Of smooth cheeks in the redness of acacia

قد برمت بالعقود فاقتصرت

على عقود المنثور والبرمِ

Adorned with necklaces so she limits herself

To necklaces of scattering and separation

تنثر در الغناء مبدعة

في مجلس بالسرور منتظمِ

Scattering the pearls of singing innovatively

In a gathering arranged with happiness

أنفقت فيه كرائمي ثقه

بجود خِدن السماح والكرمِ

I spent my virtues on him trusting

In the generosity of the breast of munificence and nobility

مولى البرايا محمد عضد الد

دين التقي الوفي بالذممِ

Master of the lands Muhammad, pillar of

The religion, loyal to promises and covenants

المطعم الضيف غير معتذر

والخاضب السيف في الوغى بدمِ

The host who does not apologize to guests

And the drawn sword among the fray with blood

خِرق إِذ أَمَّهُ أخو أملٍ

فاز بما يرتجيه عن أَممِ

When his mother's brother was wronged

He won what he sought from the nations

حصن للاج أمن لمعتصِمِ

كهف لراج نصر لمهتضمِ

A fortress for refugees, safety for one who takes refuge

A cave for the returning, victory for the wronged

أجدت في مدحه وجاد فما

عذرُ زهيرٍ إن جادَ عن هرمِ

In praise of him I was eloquent and he was generous so no

Excuse for Zuhair if he is stingy about praise

كن أنت يا رب جاره أبدا

فجاره كالحَمام في الحرمِ

Be for him, O Lord, an eternal neighbor

For his neighbor is like the dove in the sanctuary

واحفظه للملك والسيادة ما

هب نسيم يا بارىء النسم

And protect him for the kingship and authority as long

As the breeze blows, O Shaper of the winds

فلا خلاف إن الهموم به

تزول لا زال علاي الهممِ

So worries surely disappear through him

Not ceasing, the aspirations of the aspirations

أعدمني جوده سؤالي من

أحسن لي من سؤاله عدمي

His generosity made me cease asking

Better for me than his asking made me cease

علقت منه بأروع ورع

أبلج سمح للمدح مغتنمِ

From him I gained the finest piety

A shining tolerance for praised opportune

ملآن من سؤدد وفرط حجي

خال من العجب عالم علمِ

Filled with happiness and abundant grace

Empty of arrogance, learned scholar

أحرى الورى بالندى وأوسعهم

جدى وأجرى ندى من الديمِ

The most deserving of mankind for benevolence and the most generous of them

In munificence and the most flowing of blessings

إن ضجر المنعمون أو سئموا

أعطى بلا ضجرة ولا سامِ

If the prosperous complain or are bored

He gives without boredom and without lassitude

مظفر الكِتب والكتائب في

سلم وحرب مشبوبة الضرمِ

Victorious in script and armies during

Peace and war with sharpened blades

ففارس السيف في الدروع وفي

ثني الدراريع فارس القلمِ

So the horseman of the sword against shields and in

The folds of breastplates the horseman of the pen

القار الصافنات مُجفِرة

تفضل أقرابها عن الحرم

Who straightens the lances dark in

What they pierce and with spears in the thickest fray

تقلّ اكتادها أسود وفي

ما برحت بالرماح في أجمِ

Not ceasing what he wills in blessings

So I do not see his word but as “yes”

لا زال يبقى ما شاء في نعمِ

فما ارى قوله سوى نَعَمِ

No meadow pleased him, every trained

With every tear to the rain conforming

ما الروض راضَته كل مدجِنَة

بكل دمعٍ للغيث منسجمِ

The horizons speak of him and he

After the coolness of dew has prospered

حكى الأقاحي به الثغور وقد

بسمن عن بارد اللمى شبمِ

Amidst fresh roses better than

Their midst, the sweet and the shapely

خلال ورد غض بأَحسن من

خلاله الرائقات والشيمِ

O king who revives the lands with a

Hand above the hand of time and below the mouth

يا ملكا ينعش الورى بيد

فوق يد دهرها وتحت فم

You awakened my fortune while it

Slept and did not sleep from my need

أيقظت حظي وكان ذا سنة

ونمت عن حاجتي ولم تنمِ

So the blood of the defender of Islam—when it sounded

And the foliage—what was green of the peace

فدم معز الإسلام ما صدحت

ورق وما اخضر مورق السلم

In bounty that brings joy to the destitute and does not

Cease for the enemies in affliction

في نعمة تفرح العفاة ولا

تبرح منها العداة في نقمِ

Take praise that is cast from wisdom

That diminishes the poetry of al-Ta'i and al-Hakami

وخذ ثناء قد صيغ من حكم

يزري بشعر الطائيّ والحَكَمي

As words that bewilder the hearer

And where are the words of the seas to my words?

در كلام يحار سامعه

وأين در البحار من كلمي