1. Al-'Aqiq's dwelling-sites and homes have grown desolate,

    bereft of a companion who hastened away at dawn.

  2. Those laden camels were graced, as he departed among them,

    by a delicate youth, soft of stature and guileless.

  3. How powerfully it sickens one whose strength is sound—

    the sickness of his tranquil gaze, and its languor.

  4. And hours of separation melt the inward parts,

    blazing within the ribs as its noonday heat grows fierce.

  5. Unceasingly the beloved is sent to us

    by the night-roaming phantom's falsehood and deceit.

  6. A visitor in sleep—I ask: shall I come by night

    to him in his sleep, or visit him?

  7. What ails this love, whose captive is not ransomed?

    And youth—its lender is outrageously harsh in demanding repayment.

  8. Lightning rouses my longing again and again,

    whether lavish in its flashing or faint.

  9. And the utmost recourse of the lover whom his beloved forsakes

    is the curbing of his longing, or its waning.

  10. He who urges me to forget did not know that I

    am on a path of passion from which I do not turn back.

  11. Love's anguish has become sorrow; will

    its joy follow love's sorrow within us?

  12. And small good fortunes grow with the passing

    days, until great fortune comes from them.

  13. I said to the Shah: at times, better

    than the beginning is the end of what one hopes for.

  14. Perhaps this prince—may God bless him

    with long life—will win his own prince's approval,

  15. and convey a message on behalf of one whose word is obeyed,

    whose shortcomings have not kept us from a wish.

  16. He restored al-Sham after long disorder—

    a lion whose roar has protected al-Sham.

  17. His like is hard to find; how, then, could

    his equal be found or ever come to hand?

  18. And whenever Abu al-Jaysh sets out with the

    army, resolve grows firm, its strands twisted tight.

  19. Never does he shine forth into the darkness of night without

    his light extinguishing the radiant stars.

  20. Radiant amid the darkness of calamities; and it is certain

    that the clouds' dense mass reigns over them in beauty.

  21. The enemies evade the onslaught of a lion

    whose claw is drenched in their blood.

  22. How often he went by night, scattering men's heads,

    once still, which swords sent flying all night long.

  23. If I entrust him with a need, neither

    his diligence nor his vigorous pursuit of it leaves it to others.

  24. Or if I lay on him a heavy burden of my tax dues,

    its great amount is found small beside his bounty.

  25. And Abu al-Saqr—he is the sovereign's refuge

    in his weightiest affairs, and his minister.

  26. He guards the kingdom lest its moorings be removed,

    and tends it lest its affairs be neglected.

  27. Strong in arms; splendid upon him are

    the worn coat of mail, firmly wrought, and its small rings.

  28. His strength never ceases to ward off the gravest calamity,

    and his planning is equal to the matter before him.

  29. Vigilant thoughts which, when they join in aiding the defender,

    ensure that his supporter shall be mighty.

  30. And whenever he is away contending with enemies,

    his absence and his presence are alike.

  31. A noble man's defining trait is the fullness of his greatness,

    just as a year's is the completion of its months.

  32. If he promises, fulfillment is near; and if he refrains,

    his promise and his unspoken intent are alike.

  33. Every day we go about in his two chambers,

    around a treasure of glory that we draw forth.

  34. The rain-stars of his two palms have poured forth bounty,

    and his seas overflow for those who seek it.

  35. May the wealth you lavish grow abundant, though it is hard

    to unite generosity with its abundance.

  36. He never strays from correctness and success

    in judgment, with al-Husayn as his minister.

  37. One who visits rarely is telling

    you that covetous hopes do not sway him.

  38. And if you lavish much, then I

    shall spread the fame of what you bestowed, grateful for it.

  39. Do not wrong your inherited wealth by choosing

    what, when carried out, squanders it.

  40. He devoted himself to diligence and capable service, until

    his affairs came to be safeguarded for him.

  41. He combines prudence, sincere counsel, and success

    in the judgment of a loyal adviser whom he consults.

  42. I am not an importunate seeker, probing the course

    of a road I suppose another travels.

  43. This morning, it is another whose riding camels are driven

    to Manbij, and whose caravan sets out.

Sol 6.1