أَعِد نَظَراً هَل شارَفَ الحَيُّ ثَهْمَدا
وَقَد وَشَّحَتْ أَرجاؤُهُ الرَّوضَ أَغيَدا
Reconsider, did the living youth approach decrepitude,
And did his meadows adorn the garden with fresh greenery?
جَلا الأُقحوانُ النَّضرُ ثَغراً مُفَلَّجاً
بِهِ وَالشَّقيقُ الغَضُّ خَدّاً مُوَرَّدا
The bright, delicate narcissus smiles with a split mouth,
And the tender, pale primrose blushes with reddened cheeks.
إِذا المُزنُ أَذرى دَمعَهُ فيهِ خِلتَهُ
عَلى طُرَرِ الرَيحانِ دُرّاً مُنضَّدا
When the clouds weep their tears on it in solitude
Like pearls strewn on the petals of basil.
وَما الجِزعُ مِن واديهِ رَبعاً أَلفتُهُ
فَقَد كانَ مَغنىً لِلغَواني وَمَعهدا
I never found sadness in its valley to be a respite,
It had always been a refuge for passions and a place of affection.
تَلوحُ بِأَيدي الحادِثاتِ رُسومُهُ
وُشوماً فَلا مَدَّت إِلى أَهلِهِ يَدا
The marks of misfortunes gesture with hands,
Brands that never extended a hand to its people.
وَلا زالَ يَسقي شِربَهُ مِن مَدامِعي
شآبيبَ تَحكي اللؤلؤَ المُتَبَدِّدا
It continues to water its drink from my tears,
Rivulets that mimic scattered pearls.
وَقَفتُ بِهِ وَالشَّوقُ يُرعي مَسامعي
حَنينَ المَطايا وَالحَمامَ المُغَرِّدا
I stood by it as yearning grazed my hearing,
The neighing of steeds and the singing of doves.
وَأَبكي وَفي الإِعوال لِلصَبِّ راحَةٌ
فَأُطفىءُ ما كانَ التَجَلُّدُ أَوقَدا
I weep and in crying the young find comfort,
I extinguish what composure had kindled.
وَيَعذِلُني صَحبي وَيَعذُرُني الهَوى
وَهَل يَستَطيعُ الصَبُّ أَن يَتَجَلَّدا
My companions blame me and passion excuses me,
Can the young man ever have composure?
وَشَرُّ خَليليَّ الَّذي إِن دَعَوتُهُ
لِيَدفَعَ عَنِّي طارِفَ الهَمِّ فَنَّدا
The worst of my friends, if I called on him
To ward off the delights of worries, refused.
وَلَولا تَباريحُ الصَبابَةِ لَم أَقِفْ
عَلى مَنزِلٍ بالأَبرَقينِ تأَبَّدا
If it weren’t for the gatherings of youth, I wouldn’t have stood
At a dwelling in al-Abraqayn that lasted.
ذَكَرتُ بِهِ عَيشاً خَلَعتُ رداءَهُ
وَجاذَبنيهِ الدَّهرُ إِذ جارَ واِعتَدى
I remembered through it a life whose garb I shed,
As fate pulled me as it transgressed and tyrannized.
وَقَد خاضَ صُبحُ الشَّيبِ لَيلَ شَبيبَةٍ
تَحَسَّرَ عَنّي وَالشَّبابُ لَهُ مَدى
The morning of old age crossed the night of my youth
Which has evaded me while my youth still has scope.
وَبَثَّ ضياءً كادَ مِن فَرَقي لَهُ
يَضِلُّ بِهِ لُبِّي وَبالنُّورِ يُهتَدى
It shone a light that almost led my heart astray
So it could misguide it while it’s guided by light.
تَوَسَّدَ فَوْدي وَفدُهُ قَبلَ حينِهِ
وَذَلِكَ زَورٌ لَيسَ يُخلِفُ مَوعِدا
It pillowed my bosom before its time,
An untruth that does not break its promise.
وَأَخلَقَ سِربالُ الصِّبا فَأَظَلَّني
نَوالُ غياثِ الدَّينِ حَتىّ تَجَدَّدا
The cloak of youth shaded me
With the blessings of divine aid until they were renewed.
وَقَد كُنتُ لا أَرضى وَإِن بِتُّ صادياً
بِرِىٍّ وَلَو كانَ المَجَرَّةُ مَورِدا
I would not be pleased, even if I owned property,
With anything less than a stellar meadow.
وَيأبى أُوامى أَن يَبُلَّ غَليلَهُ
سِوى مَلِكٍ فاقَ البَريَّةَ سؤدَدا
My determination refuses to wet its thirst
With anything other than a supreme king who surpassed humanity in generosity.
فَيَمَّمتُ خَيرَ النَّاسِ إِلّا مُحَمَّدا
قَسيمَ أَميرِ المؤمنينَ مُحَمَّدا
So I headed towards the best of people, besides Muḥammad,
The partner of the Prince of Believers, Muḥammad.
وَقَد خَلفَتْ صَوبَ الغَمامِ شِمالُهُ
وَلَولاهُما لَم يُعرَفِ البأسُ وَالنَّدى
His left side lingers behind the clouds,
Without them the valor and force would not have been known.
يَنامُ الرَّعايا وَهوَ فيما يَحوطُهُم
يُراقِبُ أَسرابَ النُّجومِ مُسَهَّدا
The subjects sleep while he surveils
The clusters of stars lying down.
وَقَد خَضَعَت صيدُ المُلوكِ مَهابَةً
لِأَروَعَ مِن أَبناءِ سَلجوقَ أَصيَدا
The prey of kings surrendered in awe
To the most wondrous of the children of the Saljūq hunters.
إِذا رُفِعَت عَنهُ السُّجوفُ وَأَشرَقَتْ
أَسِرَّتُهُ خَرَّ السَلاطينُ سُجَّدا
When the veil is lifted from him and his secret appears,
The kings would bow down in prostration.
يُحَيُّونَ أَوفاهُم ذِماماً لِجارِهِ
وَأَكرَمَهُم أَعراقَ صِدقٍ وَأَمجدا
They lead their obeyed bridles to his neighbor,
The most generous of pure and glorious lineages.
لَئِنْ أَسَّسوهُ فَهوَ أَعلى مَنارَهُ
وَزادَ عَلى ما أَثَّلوهُ وَشَيَّدا
If they establish him then he is higher than his tower,
And surpasses what they instated and built.
وَيُعشي عُيونَ النَّاظِرينَ وَكُلُّهُم
يُقَلِّبُ في أَنوارِهِ لَحظَ أَرمَدا
He dazzles the eyes of onlookers while they all
Flip through his lights with a bleary glance.
وَيُوقِظُ أَقطارَ البِلادِ كَتائِباً
يَجُرُّونَ في الرَوعِ الوَشيجَ المُمَدَّدا
He alerts the lands’ battalions
Who drag the lengthy, outspread armor.
وَما واصَلَت إِلّا النُّحورَ رِماحُهُم
وَلا فارَقَتْ أَسيافُهُم قِمَمَ العِدا
Their spears only detach from the throats,
And their swords only separate from the mountain peaks.
إِذا اعوَجَّ مِنها ذابِلٌ في تَريبَةٍ
أَقاموا بِهِم مِن قِرنِهم ما تأَوَّدا
If one of them falters in a mishap,
They straighten him with someone from their regiments as they desire.
وَإِن لَم يُجِنَّ المَشرَفيَّ قِرابُهُ
غَدا في الطلى أَو في الجَماجِمِ مغمدا
If the noble descendant does not defend his kin,
He becomes shrouded the next day in a shroud or skulls.
وَلِلَّهِ دَرُّ السَيفِ يَجلو بَياضُهُ
غَياهِبَ يَومٍ قاتِمِ الجَوِّ أَربَدا
By God, the sword’s essence clears its whiteness
Of the gloom of a dark day intensely cold.
بِمُعتَرَكٍ يُلقي بِهِ المَوتُ بَركَهُ
يُسَلُّ لَجَيناً ثُمَّ يُغمَدُ عَسجَدا
With a battle in which death casts its blessing,
It draws smoothly then is sheathed restfully.
هُمُ الأُسدُ يَلقَونَ الوقائِعَ حُسَّرا
وَهَل يَلبَسُ الأُسدُ الدِّلاصَ المُسَرَّدا
They are the lions who meet tribulations elatedly,
Does the lion wear the ragged garment?
تَعَوَّدَ أَن يَلقَى القَنا بِلبانِهِ
وَخاضَ غِمارَ المَوتِ حَتىّ تَجَدَّدا
It grew accustomed to encountering spears with its incense
And traversing the unknown of death until it was renewed.
عَلَيهِ رِداءُ النَّقعِ يُغسَلُ مِن دَمٍ
كَما تَصنَعُ الخَودُ المُلاءَ المُعَضَّدا
The cloak of battle which washes off blood stains him
As kohl perfectly lines the eyelid.
وَتَلطِمُ خَدَّ الأَرضِ مِنهُ حَوافِرٌ
تُعانِقُ مِنهُنَّ الجَلامِدُ جَلمَدا
Beneath him hooves stamp the earth’s cheek
Embracing the solidified, frozen ground.
يُطيعونَ مَيمونَ النَّقيبَةِ أَصبَحَت
لَهُ الأَرضُ دارا وَالبَريَّةُ أَعْبُدا
They obey the auspicious guide whose leadership made
The land his abode and the desert his worshipper.
أَيا خَيرَ مَن يُهدى إِلَيهِ مَدائِحٌ
يَضُمُّ قوافيها الثَّناءَ المُخَلَّدا
O best of those who praises are dedicated,
Whose rhymes combine the perpetual glory.
جَذَبتَ بِضَبعي فاِمتطى الشُّهبَ أَخمَصِي
فَلَم أَنتَعِل إِلّا جُدَيّاً وَفَرقَدا
You pulled me by my forelock so I mounted the gray hair,
I did not wear shoes but only sandals and socks.
وَأَدنَيتَني حَتى اِنطَوى النَّاسُ كُلُّهُم
عَلى حَنَقٍ لي غائظينَ وَحُسَّدا
You brought me close until all the people folded
Into resentful, envious rage toward me.
وَهَذا الَّذي أَدرَكتُهُ اليومَ لَم يَكُن
ليَبلُغَ ما أَحظى بإِدراكِهِ مَدى
That which I attained today would not have reached
The scope to attain what it attained.
وَباعُكَ مَبسوطٌ وَأَمرُكَ نافِذٌ
وَسَيفُكَ لا يَنبو وَسَيبُكَ يُجتَدى
Your grip is triumphant and your rule prevalent,
Your sword sparkling and your authority pursued.
