أهكذا يَسْري القَمَرْ

واللّيلُ مُسوَدُّ الطُّرَرْ

Does the moon thus move,

While the night is clad in black?

لم يَجْلُ منه ما اعتكَر

ولم يَرَ النّاسُ أَثَر

No stain mars its light,

Unseen are any tracks.

لا بل هو الطّيْفُ عَبَر

مُنتقِباً وما سَفَر

Rather it is a phantom passing by,

Stalking yet not traveling afar,

فيتْرُكَ اللّيلَ أَغَرّ

ويَشْفيَ العينَ نَظَر

Leaving the night most strange,

Relieving the eye that did yearn and starve.

يا زائراً ولم يُزَر

دَلّس بُخْلاً بخفَر

O visitor who was not visited!

Secretly he came, a miser - stealthy and sparse.

ولم يَصِلْ حتّى هَجَر

وسبَقَ الوِرْدَ الصَّدر

He did not arrive till he went away,

And the blossoms preceded his approach.

وكان ظِلاًّ فانحَسَر

إلاّ بقايا مِن ذِكَر

He was but a shadow, then he did wane,

Save some memories that do remain,

تكْحَلُ عَيناً بسَهَر

فقُمْتُ والدَّمعُ درَر

To soothe an eye with vigil and wake.

So I rose with tears that fell like pearls,

أَكُفُّ منه ما بَدَر

وأكتُمُ الصّحْبَ الخَبر

I refrain what did exude and hurl,

And from companions conceal and veil,

ودوننا خافي الأثر

وليلُه إذا افتقَر

While between us faint are the trails.

His night, when it is poor and bare

يَسوفُ أنفاسَ العُفُر

إلى شديدِ المُضْطَمر

Is fraught with the scents of camphor and myrrh

From a steed that was kept well prepared,

مِن المَطيِّ المُدَّخَر

مُلِّكتُه مِلْكَ الظّفَر

Whose reign was that of triumph and victory.

In it, with freedom, peril was rife

فيه معَ العِتْقِ أَشَر

رعَى بأعلى ذي عُثَر

As it roamed atop rugged life,

Between gardens and acts of deceit

بين رياضٍ وغُدُر

أَوديةً حُوَّ السُّرَر

And valleys, haunts of pleasure and cheer,

In which flows the ink of the pen,

بها كَتَوشيع الحِبَر

أَوّلُ ما فاحَ الزَّهَر

First, when blossoms did exude their scent,

It waded them, reckless and negligent

فخاضَها على غَرَر

من القَنا بمُشتَجَر

Through the branches, clutching some, leaving some,

With the maids in greenery clad,

يأخذُ نَبتاً ويَذَر

معَ الجواري بالخُضَر

From a waist that was slender and slim,

Until he came, after desire was fed,

عن نُطَفٍ فيها خَصَر

حتّى أتى وقد أَشِر

Filling the eyes of whoever did glance,

With the best kind of licit significance,

يَملأُ عينَيْ مَن نظَر

فيه على العيسِ الخِيَر

Far from him in settlements and thorns

After a wink from a coquettish glance,

يَبعُدُ عنه في الحُضَر

بعدَ تماحٍ من أَثر

So if we were ardent or if we were tamed

Between clarity and gloom we became

فإن نَشِطْنَ وفَتَر

بين صَفاءٍ وكَدَر

Like lines in an ode brought together

Thus he passed like a gazelle took flight

كألِفٍ بَيْنٍ سَطَر

فمَرّ كالظّبْيِ نَفر

Or did not, and rushed like torrents at night

Or did not, and faded like a star losing light

أو لا فكالسّيلِ انحدَر

أو لا فكالنّجمِ انكَدَر

Or did not, and passed like a notion took flight,

Due to a valley stream's striking might,

أو لا فكالوَهْمِ خَطَر

من وَقْعِ مَجْدولِ المِرَر

He turned away from it in sham and spite,

Until when the guide made a call,

بعِطْفِه عنه زَوَر

حتّى إذا الحادي نَعر

And the journey for the group grew long,

And consciousness for the soul grew strong,

وطالَ بالرَّكْبِ السّفَر

وجالَ بالنَّسْعِ الضُّمُر

And dazzle seized the mind and all,

He spanned the horizons wide unfurled,

ومال بالنَّفْسِ البَهَر

طَوى البلادَ ونَشَر

Until we knocked on the door of a vanishing world,

At the court of a ruler mighty and bold,

حتّى طرقْنا عن عَفَر

فِناءَ عزٍّ مُحْتَضَر

Whose generosity flowed among men manifold,

Like destiny's hands their fates did mould,

عند مليكٍ مقتَدِر

يَجْري نَداهُ في البَشَر

Lofty of station, highest of throne,

Rarity of mortals, cream of the crop full-grown,

جَرْيَ القضاء والقَدَر

سامي العُلا عالي السُّرُر

If fate did exact revenge anytime,

Or a bone was broken, he would splice and align,

نَزْرُ البُرَى جَمُّ القُدُر

إن وتَرَ الدَّهرُ ثَأَر

Or the clouds ceased, and rain was confined,

Or the horses grew weak and resigned,

أو كُسِرَ العَظْمُ جَبَر

أو جمَدَ النَّوءُ مَطَر

When he saw things were in decline,

And hardship shone at dawn like a sign,

أو خَفَّتِ الخيلُ وَقَر

لمّا رأى الإمْرَ احْتَضر

He endured it and did not repine,

With few who offered aid at the time,

وأصبحَ العُسْرُ فَغَر

صابَرَ فيهِ وصَبَر

Until he unsheathed swords that did shine,

Sent troops in a great number and line,

في قلّةٍ مِمّنْ نَصَر

حتّى ثنَى البِيضَ كِسَر

Glowering, with armor at the ready, declined,

Steadfast under shields they did recline,

وحَلَّ هاماً ونثَر

وأَرسَلَ الخَيلَ زُمَر

Offering prayers when fury was assigned,

With swords that sparked like fire refined,

عَوابِساً مَعَ الغُرَر

وهُنَّ ينفُضْنَ الغُدَر

A day most defiance did evince,

Bringing for the kingdom triumph so pristine,

صوابِراً تحت صُبُر

تَصلَى إذا الرَّوعُ استَعَر

Between purpose and victory made clean,

O his sword when it found success supreme!

ناراً لها النَّبْلُ شَرَر

يومٌ أَغرُّ مُشتَهر

His aid when distress was ongoing, it seems!

His glory when it was towering tall and teeming!

ألّفَ للمَلْكِ الأغَرّ

بينَ المُرادِ والظّفَر

You are the minister, and trouble's redeeming.

All others are base and meaningless, demeaning,

يا سَيفَهُ إذا انتصَر

وغَوْثَه إذا اعتَصر

And who can compare in times uncertain, looming,

To the sun at dawn, and the morning star gleaming?

ومجْدَه إذا افتخَر

أنت الوزيرُ والوَزَر

No use for a foe, his command we are streaming,

To drive back a matter already schemed,

ومَن سِواكَ مُحتقَر

وهل يُداني في الخَطَر

Like the ugly face of a waning moon beaming,

Woe to him, if he persists and esteems,

شمسَ ضُحىً نَجْمُ سَحَر

ما للعدُوِّ لا نُصِر

No curses if he trips or redeems,

Make time yield, its wonders supreme,

يَرُدُّ أمراً قد قُدِر

كما يَلُحُّ من قُمِر

Place not in it conceits vain or dreaming,

Triumphant through you they do gleam,

تَعْساً له إذا استَمر

ولا لَعاً إذا عَثَر

If you pricked them with needles fine,

They would turn to spears at the borderline,

مُرِ الزّمانَ يأتَمِر

ولا تُضِعْ فيه الغُرَر

Vanquishing the foe, so keen, so sublime,

As they tear the breast plates at the height of their prime,

وأنتَ مَيمونٌ ظَفَر

فلو وخَزْتَ بالإبَر

From each chest that swelled at its time,

O you, when you desire and determine, you climb,

صارتْ رماحاً في الثُّغَر

فنَلْ بها القومَ الغُدُر

Whose gifts when given, do overwhelm and bedim,

Until when excuses flow, a trickling stream,

فهنّ يَنزَعْنَ الوَحَر

من كلِّ صَدْرٍ قد وَغَر

Until when gratitude surges, no more a whim,

Not all rain, even torrents upstream,

يا مَن إذا شاءَ قَدَر

ومَن إذا أعطَى ابتَدَر

Its least only a shiny gem,

Unless with goodness it did teem,

حتّى إذا سِيلَ اعتَذَر

حتّى إذا زادَ شَكَر

From one who did perceive and esteem,

Plunged into it, mindful, keen,

ليس النّدى وإنْ غَمُر

وكان أَدناهُ بِدَر

Whose portion is perils unforeseen,

Extended to all present, careening,

بمُعْقِبٍ حُسْنَ أَثَر

ما لم يكُنْ إذا انهَمَر

Don’t you see the sea, seething and preening?

It rained on all, torrents careening,

أَنْفَسُه لِمَنْ شَعَر

وغاصَ فيه بالفِكَر

But preferred some with pearls, pleasing,

Support of the throne, aid intervening,

وقِسْمُه الأَدنَى خَطَر

نَصْباً لكلِّ مَن حَضَر

Beyond this, all is meaningless fleeing,

Of what fate, in its caprice, did glean,

أما تَرى البحرَ زَخَر

فعَمَّ كلاً بالمَطَر

All sins are forgiven, it seems,

If to its heights, excuses careen,

وخَصَّ قَوماً بالدُّرَر

مُؤيَّدُ المُلْكِ وَزَر

Most exquisite in conduct serene,

In what it enjoined and made clean,

فما عدا هذا هَذَر

مِمّا جنَى دَهْرٌ غِرَر

Thus a saying we have seen,

Abu Bakr did surpass Umar pristine,

كلُّ الذّنوبِ تُغتفَر

إذا بعلياهُ اعتَذر

If not in jurisprudence, cause no consternation between,

For the two rightly guided ones are equal in esteem,

أبدَع في حُسْنِ السِّيَر

فيما نهَى وما أَمَر

O you, when a stallion whinnies loud, demeaning,

Be it from Yemen, or Mudar intervening,

فقيلَ قولٌ قد ذُكِر

فاقَ أبو بَكْرٍ عُمَر

Save for the Prophet and his kin so leaning,

He turns not intoxicated or careening,

إن لم يَفُقْهُ لم يُضَر

فقد تَساوَى المُختَبر

So the pride of the proud did teem and preen,

And was wholesome in the experienced and keen,

يا مَن إذا الفَحْلُ هَدَر

مِن يَمَنٍ أو مِن مُضَر

In nature, desire, and mien,

There reside as long as life's cloth is gleaming,

إلاّ النّبيَّ والعِتَر

أَقبلَ لا يَمْشي الخَمَر

Lasting while destiny's arrows careening,

Achieving in glory towers looming,

فطالَ فَخْرُ مَن فَخَر

وطاب عند مَن خَبَر

You gained a kingdom, so polish and screen,

From others' malice so sullying and mean,

طبْعاً ونَفْساً ونَفَر

هَناكَ ما شِئتَ العُمُر

With the white and reddish yeast so steaming,

Thus remain patient if worries convene,

ودُمتَ ما حَنَّ الوَتَر

ونلْتَ في العِزِّ الوَطَر

Each heart perturbed and demeaning,

Its first state chaos and darkening,

أَنطْتَ مُلْكاً فَطَهُر

من بَينِ أحشاءِ الغِيَر

Then pure, as trails thereafter careening,

Enough of my words, no more fire in the kiln steaming,

بجِدِّ بِيضٍ وسُمُر

فكن رَبيطَ المُصطَبَر

Of meanings novel, each verse preening,

In couplets pithy, concise and lean,

إن طَرقَتْ فيه فِكَر

كُلُّ قَليبٍ مُحتَفَر

As if destiny itself intervening,

A day of joy from life's fabric gleaning,

أَوّلُه كان كَدَر

ثُمّ صفا على الأَثَر

Graceful, benign, serene,

كفاكَ مِن قَوْلي فِقَر

من كُلِّ معنىً مُبتكَر

في كلِّ بيتٍ مُخْتَصَر

كأنّه على القَدَر

يومٌ سُرورٍ من عُمُر

حُسْناً وطِيباً وقِصَر