أَحرى الخُطوبِ بَأَن يَكونَ عَظيماً
قَولُ الجَهولِ أَلا تَكونُ حَليما
The greatest sorrows best become the great;
A fool says, "Bear them not with patience!"
قَبَّحتَ مِن جَزَعِ الشَجِيِّ مُحَسَّناً
وَمَدَحتَ مِن صَبرِ الخَلِيِّ ذَميما
You cried that constant mourning was but meet,
And blame a calm endurance in the meek.
وَمَقيلُ عَذلِكَ في جَوانِحِ مُغرَمٍ
وَجَدَ السُهولَ مِنَ الغَرامِ هُزوما
Yet such is the true lover's heart, for he
Finds grief in severance easy to defeat.
راضٍ مِنَ الهَجرِ المُبَرِّحِ بِالنَوى
وَمِنَ الصَبابَةِ أَن يَبيتَ سَليما
He who wins love should bear himself discreet,
Not in wild joy his secret soul betray.
لَيتَ المَنازِلَ سِرنَ يَومَ مُتالِعٍ
إِذ لَم يَكُن أُنسُ الخَليطِ مُقيما
Would that the days when first we met could know
Renewal! - but no friend lasts for aye.
فَلَرُبَّما أَروَت دُموعاً مِن دَمٍ
فيها وَأَظمَت لائِماً وَمَلوما
Full oft these eyes have rained blood for your sake,
As my heart flamed and my face grew pale.
وَلَقَد مَنَعتَ الدارَ إِعلانَ الهَوى
وَطَويتَ عَنها سِرَّكَ المَكتوما
For you the house has hid love's agony
And buried deep for you the tales I could tell.
فَكَأَنَّما الواشونَ كانوا أَربُعاً
مَمحُوَّةً لِعِراصِها وَرُسوما
As though its walls were but a stream bed dried
Where flood water rushed and left no trace as well.
وَسَلي مُحيلَ الرَبعِ هَل أَبثَثتُهُ
إِلّا الوُقوفَ عَلَيهِ وَالتَسليما
Ask my heart if it has been bent by sickness,
Or if my body's pain has made it frail.
لَم أَشكُ حُبَّكِ بِالنُحولِ وَلَم أُرِد
بِسَقامِ جِسمي أَن أَكونَ سَقيما
Before the spy my tears break forth in flood
When I am lonely and may freely wail.
وَتَفيضُ مِن حَذَرِ الوُشاةِ مَدامِعِ
فَإِذا خَلَوتُ أَفَضتُهُنَّ سُجوما
Misfortunes to your door came thick and fast,
Forewritten destinies you could not veil,
سُقِيَت رُباكِ بِكُلِّ نَوءٍ عاجِلٍ
مِن وَبلِهِ حَقّاً لَها مَعلومَ
And would that I might find my heart's desire
And pour them from the hollow of my hand like hail,
فَلَوَ انَّني أُعطيتُ فيهِنَّ المُنى
لَسَقيتُهُنَّ بِكَفِّ إِبراهيمَ
From thunderclouds that break to spread their load
When the hot summer promised drought and fail.
بِسَحابَةٍ غَرّاءَ مُتإِمَةٍ إِذا
كانَ الجَهامُ مِنَ السَحابِ عَقيما
Greatly I trust in al-Faḍl ibn Sahl's grace;
Noble he stays if kin by blood assail.
وَأَغَرُّ لِلفَضلِ بنِ سَهلِ عِندَهُ
كَرَمٌ إِذا ما العَمُّ وَرَّثَ لوما
A king whom men of proud descent disdain
As base-born miscreants the throne to veil.
مَلِكٌ إِذا اِفتَخَرَ الشَريفُ بِسوقَةٍ
عَدَّ المُلوكَ خُؤولَةً عَعُموما
Whose mighty forbears, when they gained their power,
Crushed the proud tribes and ground them like grain.
مِن مَعشَرٍ لَحِقَت أَوائِلُ مُلكِهِم
شَلفَ القَبائِلِ جُرهُماً وَأَميما
Who left the land of flowers and abandoned it
For a bald desert fit but to entail
نَزَلوا بِأَرضِ الزَعفَرانِ وَغادَروا
أَرضاً تَرُبُّ الشيحَ وَالقَيصوما
The wormwood's growth and bitter colocynth.
They were bold lions save when heroes prevailed,
كانوا أُسوداً يَقرِمونَ إِلى العِدى
نَهَماً إِذا كانَ الرِجالُ قُروما
And public wealth they seized with greedy hands.
The son who reunited what they split
وَاِبنُ الَّذي ضَمَّ الطَوائِفَ بَعدَما اِف
تَرَقَت فَعادَت جَوهَراً مَنظوما
And made one jewel of scattered fragments -
He received men's hearts, of hatred rid.
غَشَمَ العَدُوَّ وَلَن يُقالَ غَشَمشَمٌ
لِلَّيثِ إِلّا أَن يَكونَ غَشوما
He drove Ibn 'Amr to the frontier's limit
And struck the bane of Tamim a mortal hit.
وَرَدَ العِراقَ وَمُلكُها أَيدي سَبا
فَاِستارَ سيرَةَ أَزدَشيرَ قَديما
Far swept his squadrons, but in their retreat
By mightier forces they were scattered and split.
جَمَعَ القُلوبَ وَكانَ كُلُّ بَني أَبٍ
عَرَباً لِشَحناءِ القُلوبِ وُروما
He promised the House of al-Hasan ibn Sahl
Valiant Persians, noble, generously bred.
وَرَمى بِنَبهانَ بنِ عَمرٍ مُبعِداً
فَأَصابَ في أَقصى البِلادِ تَميما
Do not remind this scion of noble race
Of benefits, as though his birth you led.
وَمَضَت سَرايا خَيلِهِ فَتَراجَعَت
بِأَبي السَرايا خائِباً مَذموما
Virtues he shows, and talents every one,
Transcending all, of generous stock indeed.
أَفتى بَني الحَسَنِ بنِ سَهلٍ إِنَّهُم
فِتيانُ فارِسِ نَجدَةٍ وَحُلوما
While from the rest divided gifts are thrown,
Only in him all excellences succeed.
لا توجِبَن لِكَريمِ أَصلِكَ مِنَّةً
لَو كُنتَ مِن عُكلٍ لَكُنتَ كَريما
The lion in his wilds wins but a part:
He browses on men's souls, are savage-led.
فَلَكَ الفَضائِلُ مِن فُنونِ مَحاسِنٍ
بيضاً لِإِفراطِ الخِلافِ وَشيما
You matched his prowess, and excelled his fame
For liberality, while he kills and shreds.
جُمِعَت عَلَيكَ وَلِلأَنامِ مُفَرِّقٌ
مِنها فَأَفراداً قُسِمنَ وَتوما
You scorn to vilify on an evil day,
But nobly you forgive if one misled
ما نالَ لَيثُ الغابِ إِلّا بَعضَها
حَتّى رَعى مُهَجَ النُفوسِ حَميما
Should speak in insult. While if he attains
Advantage, he shows a mean and envious head.
شارَكتَهُ في البَأسِ شُمَّ فَضَلتَهُ
بِالجودِ مَحقوقَن بِذاكَ زَعيما
I saw the day your gifts spread joy around,
Movement and happiness filled all, and sped
وَتَعِزُّ أَن تَلتاثَ يَومَ كَريهَةٍ
عَنها وَتَكرُمُ أَن تَكونَ شَتيما
The winds that stir men's souls. And the day of rain -
How bright the lightning flashed, the thunder dread!
وَإِذا ظَفِرتَ عَفَوتَ وَهوَ إِذا رَأى
ظَفَراً عَلى الأَقرانِ كانَ لَئيما
It flooded here, but missed a stretch of plain,
While your rain clouds are free to all men spread.
وَرَأَيتُ يَومَ نَداكَ رَشرَقَ بَهجَةً
وَاِهتَزَّ أَطرافاً وَرَقَّ نَسيما
Why do fools attack you here and there?
In what do the false likeners liken, said?
وَشَهِدتُ يَومَ الغَيثِ في هَطَلانِهِ
جَهماً مُحَيّاهُ أَغَمَّ بَهيما
I praised you trusting one whom you befriended
Heedlessly, and he rendered benefits instead.
وَيَخُصُّ أَرضاً دونَ أَرضِ جَودِهِ
وَسَحابُ جودِكَ في العُفاةِ عُموما
I thank you for your far-famed gifts, but lo,
If they showed plain, as stars they would be read.
فَعَلامَ خَبَّهَكَ الجَهولُ بِذا وَذا
بَل فيمَ شَبَّهَكَ المُشَبِّهُ فيما
And promises - if visible they were,
Before men's eyes like clouds they would be spread.
أُثني عَلَيكَ ثَناءَ مَن أَلفَيتَهُ
غُفلاً فَعادَ بِنِعمَةٍ مَوسوما
I have encountered envy fearlessly,
As though before I never had misled
وَشَكَرتُ مِنكَ مَواهِباً مَشهورَةً
لَو سِرنَ في فَلَكٍ لَكُنَّ نُجوما
A foe. Your gifts streamed forth in constant flow,
While yours to the unworthy much you shed.
وَمَواعِداً لَو كُنَّ شَيئاً ظاهِراً
تُفضي إِلَيهِ العَينُ كُنَّ غُيوما
أَلقى الحَسودَ إِذا أَرَدتُ كَأَنَّني
مِن قَبلُ لَم أَلقَ العَدُوَّ رَحيما
كانَ اِبتِداؤُكَ بِالعَطاءِ عَطِيَّةً
أُخرى وَبَذلُكَ لِلجَسيمِ جَسيما
