فَدا لَك روحي مِن رَشا مُتَبَرمِ

وَمِن مُنجد بِالمُستَهام وَمُنَهَمِ

My soul is ransomed for you from a blamer full of bitterness

And from one who judges with prejudice and injustice

وَمَن عاتب إِلّا عَلى غَير مُذنب

وَمِن ظالم إِلّا عَلى غَير مُجرم

And one who blames but the innocent

And from an oppressor but the guiltless

سَقَتني العُيون النَجل مِنكَ سَلافة

جَرَت قَبل خَلقي في عُروقي وَأعظمي

The eyes made me drink love for you as an inherited nature

That flowed before my creation in my veins and bones

وَأَسلمني فيكَ الغَرام إِلى الرَدا

فَإِن كُنت مَن يَرضى بِذَلِكَ فَأَسلَم

And infatuation handed me over to acceptance

So if you are one who is pleased with that, then I accept

بَعدت وَلي في كُلِ عُضو حَشاشة

تَذوب وَطَرف هامع الجفن بِالدَم

Longing has distanced me, in every limb a yearning

That melts, and an eyelid flowing with tears

وَلَستُ مَلوماً أَن مَن أَيقَظ النَوى

حُظوظي الَّتي لَم تَجن غَير تَندمي

And I am not blamed that the one who awakened desire

My fortunes that yielded nothing but regret

جَلبت إِلى نَفسي المَنية عِندَما

رَمَيت فَلم تَخطي فواديَ أَسهُمي

I brought death upon myself when

I shot, but my arrows did not cross the valley

إَبى اللَه أَن أَبكي لِغَير صَبابَةٍ

وَاِرتاع إِلّا مِن حَبيب بِمُؤلم

God willed that I weep for none but the youthful

And be startled by none but the beloved, painfully

سَجية نَفس لا تَزال مَلحةٍ

مِن الضَيم مَرمياً بِها كُل مُجرم

An obstinate soul, ever remaining salty

Cast with injustice, thrown at it every sinner

أَجمع شرّاد المَعالي وَإِنَّني

أَبيت بِفكر في الهَوى مُنقَسم

I gathered the knights of glories, and here I am

Refusing in thought about love, divided

وَأَندُب أَياماً أَلذ مِن المَنا

تَقضينَ لي بَينَ الحَطيم وَزَمزَم

And lamenting days sweeter than mana

That would pass for me between ruins and Zamzam

تُطارحني فيهنَّ ذات تَبَسمٍ

حَديث هُوَ أَحلا مَن الشَهد في الفَم

In them a smiling essence converses with me

A discourse sweeter than honey in the mouth

مُوشَحة الأَعطاف حالية الطَلا

تَقلد عِقداً مِن دُموعي وَمِن دَمي

Decked in adornments, sensual in her draping

Wearing a necklace of my tears and my blood

أَبَت أَن تَرى إِلّا لِطَرف تَفكر

وَيُلئمها إِلّا شِفاه تَوهم

She refused to look but at a thinking eye

And finds suitable none but imaginative lips

أَبيت سَليم القَلب مِنها كَأَنَّني

أُراقب صَفو العَيش مِن فَم أَرقَم

I refused a heart safe from her, as if I

Were watching the smoothness of life from a silent mouth

وَما أَنا مَن يَسلو هَواها وَيَنثَني

إِلى أَحد غَير الكَريم المُعَظَم

And I am not one who appeases his love for her, and inclines

To anyone other than the generous, glorified

مُحَمد السامي الجَناب وَمَن غَدا

لَهُ كَرَم الأَخلاق دونَ التَكَرُم

Muhammad, the exalted, the dignified, and whoever

Had a generous character, without pretense

هَمام لَقَد أَضحَت مَآثر فَضلِهِ

عَلى جَبهة الدُنيا كَغُرة أَدهَم

Caretaker, indeed his superior virtues

Have become, on the forehead of the world, like a red scar

وَمَولى إِذا ضَنَ السَحاب بوبلِهِ

عَلَينا سقانا مُسَجماً بَعد مسجم

And my Master - when the clouds tighten around his rain -

Pours upon us one downpour after another

لَهُ سودد حَلَّ السَماكين رفعَةً

وَذَلِكَ أَرث فيهِ عَن عَهد آدَمِ

To him belong the planets revolving in their highest rising

And that is inherited from the era of Adam

وَكَفٌّ تَحلَت بِالسَماح بِنائها

بِغَير نضار الفَضل لَم تَختم

And a palm that wears generosity - constructed

Without the adornment of virtue - did not seal

فَما رَوضة غَناءُ باكية الحَيا

تَبسم عَن ثَغري أَقاح وَعَندم

So no garden, the singing of weeping life

Smiles from my sullen mouth

تَمُدُّ بِها ريح الصَبا خطواتها

وَتَرفل في ثَوب مِن النور معلم

The breeze of morning extends its steps through it

And walks in a garment of light, with features

بِأَبهَج وَجهاً مِنهُ عِند هَباتِهِ

إِذا يَممت يُمناهُ آمال معدم

With a face brighter than it at its blowing

When its right side intends extinguished hopes

فَيا ماجِداً كُل المَفاخر أَصبَحت

إِلى مَجدِهِ الوَضّاح تَعزى وَتَنتَمي

So oh glorious! All the prides have become

Attributed and owed to his illuminating glory

أَتَت تَتَهادى مِنكَ في مَرط دَلها

خَريدة أَفكار وَطَبع مُسلم

From you they came sauntering in submission

An outpouring of thoughts and nature Muslim

وَلَها أَصطَحبت إِلّا البَلاغة مَحرماً

وَهَلأ غَيرَها لِلبكر يَلفى بِمحرم

To it I have wed only eloquence as a safeguard

While now none but the innocent meets a safeguard

لَها صَوت دَاود وَصُورة يوسف

وَحكمة لُقمان وَعفة مَريم

It has the voice of David, the beauty of Joseph

The wisdom of Luqman and the chastity of Mary

تَسائَلنا عَما بَراهُ الهَنا

لِتسطير آجال وَرزق مُقسم

It asks us of what our Lord has shown

To transcribe lifespans and provision predestined

جَرى قَبل خَلق الخَلق في اللَوح بِالَّذي

يَكون وَما قَد كانَ مِن قَبل فَاعلم

It flowed before the creation of creation in the tablet, that which

Will be, and what had been before - so know!

يَراع يَراع الخَطب مِنهُ وَأَنَّهُ

لِيُثمر مِن جَدوى يَديك بِأَنعَم

It perceives the gravity of matters, and that

It yields benefit by your hands most abundant

أَراني طَريق الفَضل حَتّى سَلَكتُهُ

وَأَوضَح لي مِن لُغزِهِ كُل مُبهم

It showed me the path of virtue until I walked it

And clarified its puzzles, all ambiguous

فَما اسم رُباعي إِذا بِأَن صَدرُهُ

غَدَوت بِهِ ذا لَوعة وَتَرنم

So what is a four-letter name if by it I have become

Possessed with agony, and chanting

وَما هِيَ إِلّا بَلدة في رُبوعِها

يَطيب مَقام المُستَهام المُتَيم

And what is it but a land in whose horizons

The stay of the despairing beloved is beautiful

وَإِن مَحَت الأَفكار مِن ذاكَ ثالِثاً

بَكَيت الصِبا فيهِ وَعَهد التَنعم

And if thoughts erased a third from that

I wept for youth in it, and the days of bliss

وَيَذكُرني أَخلاقك الغُر شَطرُهُ

وَتَحريفُهُ ضد لَكُم لَم يُكرَم

And it reminds me - the noblest of its character

And its inversion is mean, undeserved of generosity

وَيُبدي لَنا مِن قَلبِهِ الشَمس في الضُحى

وَيَطلَع فيها أَنجُماً بَعدَ أَنجُم

And it shows us from its heart the sun in the morning

In which rise stars, after stars

وَثانيهِ مَحمود لَدى كُل عاشق

وَمَن ذا يَراهُ مِن وشاة وَلوَّم

And its second, praised by every lover

And who sees fault in it, even a slanderer?

وَيَسلمني يَوم التَرحل قَلبَهُ

وَلَكنهُ مِن غَير كَف وَمعصم

It hands me on the day of parting its heart

Though without palm or wrist

وَيوصل ما بَين المُلوك وَقَصدَها

وَإِن هَمَّ في أَمر عَلى الفَور يَفصم

And connects what is between kings and their aims

And if set on a matter, resolves it promptly

حَليف نَحول لَم يَذُق قَط جفنَهُ

مَناماً وَلَم يَطمَع بِطَيف مُسلم

An ally of steadfastness who never tasted

Sleep upon his eyelids, and never craved peace

فَعول وَلَكن لَيسَ يَدعى بِفاعل

قَؤُول وَلَكن لَيسَ بِالمُتَكَلم

A doer, but not called a maker

Speaking, but not the speaker

عَلى أَنَّهُ قَد بانَ بَعد خَفائِهِ

وَأَصبَح مَشهوراً لَدى كُل ضَيغَم

Except that he became exposed beyond his concealment

And famous among every squinter

فَانزلهُ مِن ناديك أَشرَف مَنزل

وَأَلبسهُ حلياً مِن قَريض منظم

Rank him in your club the most honored rank

And dress him in a robe of sequenced prose

وَلَولا مَعانيك العَذاب وَصوغها

لَكانَ عَسيراً بِالمَديح تَكلمي

And were it not for your tormenting meanings and their crafting

It would have been hard for me to speak my praise

وَقابل جَوابي بِالقُبول تَفَضُلاً

وَسامح فَإِن الفَضل لِلمُتَقدم

And meet my response with acceptance, graciously

And forgive, for the merit is for the precedence