سِهامُ نَواظرٍ تُصْمي الرَّمايا

وهُنَّ منَ الجوانحِ في الحَنايا

The arrows of glances that pierce the archers

And they are wounded in their sides

ومن عجَبٍ سهامٌ لم تُفارِقْ

حَناياها وقد أصْمَتْ حشايا

And how strange are arrows that did not leave

Their quivers though they have pierced the victims

نَهيْتُك أن تُناضِلَها فإنّي

رمَيْتُ فلم يُصِبْ سَهْمي سِوايا

I forbade you to fight them for I

Have shot my arrows in vain but myself

جعَلْتُ طليعتي طَرْفي سَفاهاً

فَدُلَّ على مَقاتِليَ الخَفايا

I made my vanguard my frivolous glances

So they led the warriors to the hidden places

وهل يُحمَى حَريمٌ من عَدُوٍّ

إذا ما الجيشُ خانَتْه الرَّبايا

Can the inviolable place be protected from the enemy

If the army is betrayed by the governors?

ويومَ عَرضتُ جيشَ الصَّبْرِ حتّى

أَشُنَّ به على وَجْدي سَرايا

And the day I prepared the army of patience so that

I raid the abode of my passion with it

هزَزْنَ من القُدودِ لنا رِماحاً

فخَلَّينا القلوبَ لها دَرايا

They shook spears at us from the battalions

So we left our hearts for them as prey

وأَبكَى البَيْنُ شَتّى مِن عُيونٍ

وكان سِوَى مَدامِعيَ البَكايا

And separation made various eyes cry

While none cried but my tears

ولي نَفَسٌ إذا ما امتدَّ شَوقاً

أطار القلبُ من حُرْقٍ شَظايا

And I have a soul that when longing extends

The heart takes off from burning into pieces

ودمعٌ يَنصرُ الواشِين ظُلْماً

ويُظهرُ من سَرائريَ الخبايا

And a tear that helps the oppressed unjustly

And reveals my hidden secrets

ومُحتكِمٍ على العُشّاقِ جَوْراً

وأينَ منَ الدُّمَى عَدْلُ القَضايا

And appeals against the lovers unjustly

And where is the justice of judiciary from bloodshed?

يُرِيكَ بوَجْنَتَيْهِ الوَرْدَ غَضّاً

ونَورَ الأُقْحُوانِ منَ الثّنايا

It shows you the rose buds from its cheek

And the light of moles from the folds

تأمَّلْ منه تحت الصُّدْغِ خالاً

لتَعلمَ كم خَبايا في الزَّوايا

Contemplate from it a mole under the temple

To know how many secrets are in the corners

ولا تَلُمِ المُتيَّمَ في هواهُ

فعَذْلُ العاشِقينَ من الخَطايا

And do not blame the infatuated in his love

For the excuse of lovers is one of the sins

خَطبْتُ نوالَه المَمنوعَ حتّى

أَثَرْتُ به على نَفْسي بَلايا

I sought his forbidden union until

I inflicted tribulations upon myself

فأرَّقَ مقلتي وجْداً وشَوقاً

وعذَّب مهجتي هَجراً ونايا

So it deprived my eyelids of sleep and longing

And tortured my mind with estrangement and groaning

وأَتعبَ سائري أن رقَّ قلبي

وفي ضَعْفِ الملوكِ أذَى الرّعايا

And exhausted my body as my heart softened

And in the weakness of kings lies the misery of subjects

غَريمُ الدّهرِ ليس له وفاءٌ

فلا تَدْفعْ نُقودَك بالنَّسايا

The life time friend is not faithful

So do not spend your money wastefully

تَغنَّمْ صُحبتي يا صاحِ إنّي

نَزعْتُ عنِ الصِّبا إلاّ بَقايا

Make use of my company, O friend, for I

Have taken off the prime of youth but the remainder

وخالفْ مَن تَنسَّك مِن رجالٍ

لَقُوكَ بأكبُدِ الإبِلِ الأَبايا

And counter those men who devoted themselves

You will find them in camel ticks and worn clothes

ولا تسلُكْ سِوى طُرُقي فإنّي

أنا ابْنُ جَلا وطَلاّع الثّنايا

And do not take paths other than mine for I

Am the son of glory and the rising of the folds

وقُمْ نأخُذْ من الَّلذّاتِ حَظّاً

فإنّا سوف تُدرِكُنا المنايا

Rise up so we take some pleasures

For death will overtake us soon

وساعِدْ زُمرةً ركَضوا إليها

فآبُوا بالنِّهابِ وبالسَّبايا

And help the group who raced to achieve it

And came back with the booty and captives

وأَهْدِ إلى الوزيرِ المدْحَ يَجْعَلْ

لكَ المِرباعَ منها والصَّفايا

And present to the minister praise so he may grant you

The wide land from it and the utensils

وقُلْ للرّاحِلينَ إلى ذُراهُ

ألستمْ خيرَ مَن رَكِبَ المَطايا

And say to those heading to his abode

Are you not better than those who rode the horses?

بيُمْنِ مُعينِ دينِ اللهِ أضحَتْ

ديارُ المُلْكِ عاليةَ البِنايا

With the support of the defender of Allah's religion the abodes

Of kingship became high buildings

هو الفلَكُ المُطِلُّ عُلاً ولكنْ

كواكبُه إذا طلَع السَّجايا

It is the appearing new moon but

Its planets when Sajā appears

هو المَلِكُ الّذي يُضْحي ويُمْسي

زِنادُ المُلكِ مِن يَدِه وَرايا

It is the king who rises and sets

The power of kingship is in his hands and opinions

أجلُّ الناسِ إن فخَروا نِصاباً

وأكرمُهمْ إذا اخْتُبِروا سجايا

The best of people if they take pride is descent

And most generous if they were tried by ordeals

أبَى إلاّ السُّموَّ إلى المعالي

وقد دنَتِ النُّفوسُ من الدَّنايا

He refused but to elevate to the heights

Though the selves neared the low world

وصَدِّقْ كُلَّ ظنٍّ فيه جُوداً

وقد طُوِيتْ على البُخْلِ الطَّوايا

And ratify every good opinion about him

While the sea of stinginess has been folded

فتىً لو جادَ بالدّنيا لفَرْدٍ

توَهَّم أنّها أدنَى العَطايا

A young man - if he spent generously to an individual -

Would think it is the lowest of gifts

ولو وهَب النُّجومَ لسائليهِ

رآها من مَواهبِه نفايا

And if he gifted the stars to those who asked him

He would see them as scraps of his gifts

وحُسنُ الذّكْرِ في الدُّنيا غِراسٌ

تَنالُ ثمارَها الأيدي السَّخايا

And good mention in life is a plant

Whose fruits are attained by generous hands

إليك أَثَرْتُ من بُعُدٍ خُطاها

فجاءتْ وهْي ضامرةٌ رَذايا

I left my footsteps from afar to you

So they came withering residues

وهُنّ وقد أَتَتْكَ بنا خِفافاً

بأنْ يَرجِعْنَ مُثقلَةً حَرايا

And they came to you swiftly with us

That they return heavily loaded

قِسِيُّ سُرًى وأَرْكَبَها سِهامٌ

رَميْنَ بِهنَّ أغراضاً قَصايا

A rugged journey upon which arrows ride

That pierced distant targets

لِيَهْنِكَ ما تَجدَّد من جَلالٍ

بما أَولاك سُلطانُ البَرايا

To defeat whatever manifests from your glory

With what your authority of innocence did

فقد غَدَتِ المَمالكُ وهْي تُزْهَى

بعَدْلك من خَلائقِك الوَضايا

So the kingdoms became adorned

With your justice from your creatures

وعَسكرُ مُكرَمٍ عَرِيَتْ رُباها

لِما صنَعتْ بها العُصَبُ الغَوايا

And the army of the generous - its mounts roared -

Due to what corruption did with it

ولم تَرَ في بلادِ اللهِ طُرّاً

كسُوق الجَسْرِ سُوقاً مُقلتايا

And you did not see in Allah's country a market

Like the Bridge market - so filled

ولا كتدفُّقِ الدُّولابِ فيها

رأتْ عينايَ واغترَفَتْ يَدايا

Nor the flowing of the water wheel in it

My eyes saw and my hands scooped

فهاهيَ قد خلَتْ تلك المَغاني

بها وتَقوَّضتْ تلكَ البنايا

So those songs became empty in it

And those buildings were undermined

فَجرِّدْ للمَصالحِ منك عَزْماً

ألا يا أيمنَ الوزراءِ رايا

So prepare for the interests a determination from you

That attains accessories of good reputation's beauty

تَنالُ به لَواحِقَ حُسنِ صيتٍ

لَهُنَّ على سَوابقه مَزايا

Having advantages over its predecessors

That is like a universe rotating and in it meteors

يَعُدْ فَلكاً يدورُ وفيه شُهْبٌ

تَقاذَفُ من جوانبهِ القَضايا

Ricocheting from its sides issues

And a crying woman yearning for other than passion

وباكيةٍ تَحِنُّ لغَيْرِ وَجْدٍ

وتَندُبُ في الغُدُوِّ وفي العَشايا

Wailing in the early dawn and evening

And her crying was laughter for some people

وكان بكاؤها ضَحِكاً لقومٍ

فلمّا أَن رقَتْ بكَتِ البَرايا

But when she softened the land cried

And it is not strange when the marvels are erased

وليس من البدائعِ حينَ تُمْحَى

بجُودِ يَديْكَ آثارُ الرّزايا

With your generous hands marks of misery

And if I controlled the reins of my matter

ولو أنّي مَلكتُ عنانَ أمري

وأجراني الزّمانُ على هَوايا

And time let me go my way

I would have travelled upon my sight toward you

لسِرْتُ إذَنْ على بَصَري إليكمْ

وما ألِمَ المَسيرَ ولا تَعايا

Without suffering the travel or getting tired

I prolonged my stay at your high door

أَطَلْتُ ببابِكَ العالي مُقامي

مُصاحِبَ هذهِ الشِّيَمِ الرَّضايا

Accompanying these agreeable manners

But I still feel as if my lifetime

ولكنْ لا أزالُ كأنّ دَهْري

يُبِرُّ من الإساءةِ بي ألايا

Does evil to me without cease

And what is this time while you are in it

وما هذا الزّمانُ وأنت فيه

بأهْلٍ أن يؤاخَذَ بالجَنايا

To take people to account for sins?

And which country did my feet reside

وأَيّة بَلْدةٍ حَلّتْ رِكابي

تَلَوْتُ بها لشُكرِ نَداكَ آيا

Where I did not praise your munificence?

And poetry is no honour to me but

وليس الشِّعْرُ لي شَرفاً ولكنْ

أُحبِّرُ للكرامِ به تَحايا

With it I pay tribute to the generous

And attain through it the elders' affection

وأحوِي منه للكُبَراء ودّاً

تَقطَّعُ للحسودِ به الحَوايا

That cuts apart for the envious

And were not for thanking the like of you in verse

ولولا شكرُ مثْلِك بالقوافي

لَما عَلِقتْ أعِنّتَها يَدايا

My hands would not have undertaken it

So the days did not cease to be proud of you

فلا بَرِحَتْ بك الأيّامُ غُرّاً

ولا بلَغتْ لك الحُسّادُ غَايا

And the envious did not attain their ultimate end of you

So persist in the most blissful life for people so you remain

فدُمْ في أنعُمٍ للخَلْقِ تَبْقَى

على مَرِّ السِّنينَ بها فَتايا

Over the passage of years with glory

And celebrate one thousand years in happiness

وعيِّدْ في السّعادةِ ألفَ عامٍ

وعشْ ما شئتَ في نِعَمٍ سَنايا

And live in blessings for years

Take them and - however diverse the presents are -

وخُذْها فهْيَ والمهدونَ شَتّى

نَفيسةُ ما مَلكْتُ من الهدايا

It is the precious of what I possessed as gifts

If Judge Kamal al-Mulk one day

إذا القاضي كمالُ المُلكِ يوماً

عليك جلا مَعانيَها الجَلايا

Rose above the meanings of its rhymes

Who did I compose the eulogy for and who narrated it?

لِمَنْ صُغْتُ المديحَ ومَن رَواهُ

شَهْدتُ لقد تَعالَى مُرْتقايا

I testified that it indeed ascended high

Composed of precious pearls

مُنظَّمةً من الدُّرِّ الغَوالي

مُحَبّرةً من الكَلِمِ العَلايا

And signed in most eminent words

She attained acceptance from you so she flourished

رجَتْ منك القَبولَ لها فتاهَتْ

وما كُلُّ الملائحِ بالحَظايا

And not all wishes are attainable