بِلا غَيْبَةٍ لِلبَدْرِ وَجْهُكَ أَجْمَلُ

وَمَا أَنا فِيما قُلتُهُ مُتَجَمِّلُ

Without absence for the moon your face is more beautiful

And I am not pretentious in what I say

وَلاَ عَيْبَ عِنْدِي فِيكَ لَوْلا صِيانةٌ

لَدَيْكَ بِهَا كلُّ امْرِئٍ يَتبذَّلُ

And I see no fault in you, if it were not for chastity

With which every dignified man acts modestly

وَحَجْبُكَ حَتّى لَوْ عَنِ الحُجْبِ تَتَّقي

حِجاباً فلا تَبْدُو لَهَا كُنْتَ تَفْعَلُ

Your veil, even if you avoid veils

If you put on a veil, you would not appear wearing it

لِحاظُكَ أَسْيافٌ ذكورٌ فَمَا لَها

كَمَا زَعَمُوا مِثْلُ الأَرامِلِ تَغْزِلُ

Your glances are penetrating swords, so why

Are they, as they claim, like spinning widows?

وَمَا بالُ بُرْهان العِذارِ مُسلَّماً

وَيلْزمه دَوْرٌ وفيهِ تَسَلْسُلُ

And why is the proof of coyness assumed

And it necessitates going in circles and sequence

وَعَهْدِي أَنَّ الشَّمْس بالصَّحْوِ آذَنَتْ

فما بالُ سُكْرِي مِنْ مُحَيَّاكَ يُقْبِلُ

And my promise is that the sun at dawn announced

So why does my intoxication with your life return?

كأَنَّكَ لَمْ تُخْلَقْ لِغَيْرِ نَواظرٍ

تُسهِّدها وَجْداً وقلبٍ تُعَلِّلُ

It is as if you were not created but for gazes

To seduce them, and a heart to make yearn

عَليَّ ضَمانٌ أَنَّ طَرْفكَ لا يَرى

مِنَ الحُسْنِ شيئاً عِنْدَ غَيْرِكَ يَجْمُلُ

I guarantee that your glance does not see

Among beauty anything with others that is beautiful

وَإِنَّ قُلوبَ العاشِقينَ وإِنْ تَجُرْ

عَلَيْهَا إِلى سُلْوانها لَيسَ تَعْدِلُ

And that the hearts of lovers, even if they are drawn

To their wishes, do not compromise

حَبيبي لِيهْنَ الحُسْنُ أَنَّك حُزْتَهُ

وَيهْنَ فُؤادي أَنَّه لَكَ مَنْزِلُ

My beloved, may beauty be softened that you have taken it

And may my heart be softened that it is your dwelling

إِذَا كُنْتَ ذا ودٍّ صحيحِ فَلَمْ يَكْن

يَضرُّ بِيَ العُذَّالُ حَيْثُ تَقَوَّلوا

If you are truly affectionate, then the slanderers

Cannot harm me wherever they prattle

رَأَوا مِنْكَ حَظِّي في المَحبَّةِ وافراً

لِذا حرَّفوا عَنِّي الحديثَ وأَوَّلوا

They saw my share of love for you abundant

Thus they distorted the words about me and interpreted

وَيهْنَ امْتِداحي ابْنَ الأثيرِ فَمدْحُهُ

يُشرِّفهُ مُمْدوحُهُ ويُجمِّلُ

And may my praise of Ibn al-Athir be softened, for his praise

His praised one ennobles it and makes it beautiful

وَبُشْرَى لآمالي الصَّوادي فإِنَّها

لَدَيْهِ مِنَ النُعْمَى تُعَلُّ وَتُنْهَلُ

And good news to my high hopes, for with him

From bounty they rise, flow and are drawn

فَتىً لم يَفُتْهُ في المَكارِمِ مَنْزِلٌ

وَلا شَذَّ في وِرْدِ العُلى عَنْهُ مَنْهَلُ

A young man who no rank in generosity escaped him

And no source of the sublime was diverted from him

وَلا رَامَ مَرْمَى جُودِه مُتَطاوِلٌ

ولا حَازَ أَدْنى مَجْدِهِ مُتَطوِّلُ

And no aspiring one reached his generosity's goal

Nor did any coveting gain his lowest glory

ولا شَكَّ في إِحْسانِهِ مُتأَوِّلٌ

وَلا ارتابَ في حُسْنٍ لَهُ مُتَأَمِّلُ

And no skeptic doubted his benevolence

Nor did any contemplator suspect any merit of his

أَيادٍ يُراعُ الجُودُ مِنْ فَيْضِ نَيْلِها

وَأَيدٍ يَراعُ الجُودِ عَنْهُنَّ يَنْقِلُ

Hands where generosity regards the overflow of their rain

And hands where generosity from them transfers and carries

يُنَوِّلُ جانٍ تَمْرَهُنَّ فَيَجْتَنِي

وَيُمْهَلُ جَانٍ عِنْدَهُنُّ وَيُهْمَلُ

He hands out his fruits to some thus he gains

And delays with others, neglecting and ignoring

لَهُ دُرُّ ألفاظٍ وَدَرُّ مَواهَبٍ

يُحدِّثُ عَنْهَا الفاضِلُ المُتفضِّلُ

He has the jewels of eloquent words and the jewels of gifts

The meritorious and generous speak of them

أَقَمْتُ زَماناً لَسْتُ أَنْظِمُ مِدْحَةً

وَلا لِيَ هَمٌّ أَنَّني أَتَغَزَّلُ

I lived a time when I did not compose a panegyric

Nor was it my concern that I be amorous in verse

وَمَا النَّاسُ غَيْرُ اثْنَيْنِ عَاشٍ وَعَاشِقٍ

مَعَ اثْنَيْنِ ذا يَجْنِي وَذَا يَتَقبَّلُ

And people are none other than two, one living and one lover

Along with two, one who gains and one who accepts

فَلَمَّا تَراءَى بارِقُ الجُودِ أُنْشِئَتْ

سَحائِبُ إِنْعامٍ بها الغَيْثُ مُسْهَلُ

So when the lightning of your generosity flashed

The clouds of favor were composed, and the rain poured heavily

تَعَرَّضْتُ بِالمَدْحِ الَّذي أَنا عالِمٌ

بِتَصْريفِهِ إذْ كَانَ في النّاسِ يُبْهَلُ

I presented with the praise which I, knowledgeable

In its style, when among people it dazzled

فَصُنْتُ مَديحي عن سُؤالٍ فَبَحْرُهُ

لِبَحْرِ نَداكَ اليَوْمَ يا حِبْرُ مُبْدِلُ

Thus I protected my praise from begging, for its sea

To your endless sea today, O ink that floods!