علّلاني فإنّ بِيضَ الأماني

فَنِيَتْ والظّلامُ ليسَ بِفاني

Reason with me, as the eggs of my hopes

Have perished, and darkness is not fleeting

إن تَنَاسَيْتُما وِدادَ أُناسٍ

فاجعَلاني مِن بعضِ مَن تَذكُرانِ

If you both forget the love of some people

Then make me one of those you remember

رُبّ ليلٍ كأنّه الصّبحُ في الحُسْ

نِ وإن كانَ أسْودَ الطّيلَسانِ

Many a night is like the morning in appearance

Though clad in blackest garb

قد رَكَضْنا فيه إلى اللّهْوِ لمّا

وَقَفَ النّجْمُ وِقْفَةَ الحَيْرانِ

We raced in it to frivolity when

The stars paused bewildered

كمْ أرَدْنا ذاكَ الزّمانَ بمَدْحٍ

فشُغِلْنَا بذَمّ هذا الزّمَانِ

How we wished to praise that time in verse

But we were preoccupied with censuring this time

فكأني ما قلْتُ والبدْرُ طِفْلٌ

وشَبابُ الظّلْماءِ في عُنْفُوانِ

So it is as if I said nothing, while the moon is a child

And the darkness of night is in its prime

ليلتي هذه عُروسٌ من الزّنْ

جِ عليها قلائِدٌ مِن جُمانِ

This night of mine is a bride of splendor

Adorned with necklaces of pearls

هَرَبَ النّوْمُ عن جُفونيَ فيها

هَرَبَ الأمْنِ عن فؤادِ الجَبانِ

Sleep has fled my eyelids in it

And tranquility has fled the heart of the coward

وكأنّ الهِلالَ يَهْوى الثّريّا

فهُما للوَداعِ مُعْتَنِقانِ

The crescent seems to plunge into the Pleiades

As they embrace for farewell

قال صَحْبي في لُجّتَينِ من الحِنْ

دِسِ والبيدِ إذْ بدا الفَرْقَدانِ

My companions said, in two dens of figs and acacia trees

When the Pleiades appeared:

نحنُ غَرْقَى فكيف يُنْقذُنا نجْ

مانِ في حَوْمةِ الدّجى غَرِقانِ

"We are drowning, so how can stars rescue us

Drowning in the abyss of darkness?"

وسُهَيْلٌ كوَجْنَةِ الحِبّ في اللّوْ

نِ وقَلْبِ المُحِبّ في الخَفَقَانِ

Suhail is like the tenderness of love in color

And the lover's heart in its throbbing

مُسْتَبِدّاً كأنّه الفارِسُ المُعْ

لَمُ يبْدو مُعارِضَ الفُرسانِ

Tyrannical, as if he were the accomplished horseman

No other horsemen dare to rival

يُسْرِعُ اللّمْحَ في احْمِرارٍ كما تُسْ

رِعُ في اللّمْحِ مُقْلَةُ الغَضْبانِ

It quickens crimson like the kindling of anger

In the twinkle of an eye

ضَرّجَتْهُ دماً سيوفُ الأعادي

فبكَتْ رَحْمَةً له الشِّعْرَيانِ

The swords of enemies bloodied it

So the Pleiades wept with mercy for it

قَدمَاهُ وَرَاءَهُ وهْوَ في العَجْ

زِ كساعٍ ليستْ له قدَمانِ

Its forelegs and hindlegs while it is kneeling

Like one with no feet or legs

ثُمّ شابَ الدّجى وخافَ من الهجْ

رِ فغَطّى المَشيبَ بالزّعفرانِ

Then the darkness paled and it feared the dawn

So it covered its greying with saffron

ونضا فجْرُهُ على نَسْرِهِ ال

واقعِ سيْفاً فهَمّ بالطّيَرانِ

Its dawn rose on its fallen head

As if a sword made it think of flight

وَبِلادٍ وَرَدْتُها ذَنَبَ السِّرْ

حانِ بينَ المَهاةِ والسَّرْحانِ

By lands where the path of destiny made me alight

Between the twisting road and the straight road

وعُيونُ الرِّكابِ تَرْمُقُ عَيْناً

حوْلَهَا مَحْجِرٌ بلا أجْفانِ

The eyes of riders peering for an eye

Around which is a swollen, lidless orbit

وعلى الدّهْرِ مِن دماءِ الشّهيدَيْ

نِ علِيٍّ وَنَجْلِه شاهِدانِ

The world bears witness with the blood of the two martyrs

Ali and his son

فهُما في أواخرِ اللّيْلِ فَجْرا

نِ وفي أُولَياتِهِ شَفَقَانِ

For they are, at the ends of night, two dawns

And in its early hours, two twilights

ثَبَتَا في قَميصِهِ ليَجيءَ الحَشْ

رَ مُسْتَعْدِياً إلى الرّحْمنِ

Steadfast in his shirt, so hosts will come

Prepared to face the Merciful

وجَمالُ الأوانِ عَقْبُ جُدودٍ

كلُّ جدّ منهمْ جَمالُ أوانِ

The beauty of the epoch is after ancestors

Each ancestor the beauty of his time

يا ابن مُسْتَعْرِضِ الصّفوفِ ببدْرٍ

ومُبِيدِ الجُمُوعِ مِن غَطَفَانِ

O son of the one who paraded ranks with a full moon

And destroyed the hordes of Ghaṭfān

أحدِ الخَمْسَةِ الذينَ هُمُ الأغْ

راضُ في كلّ مَنْطِقٍ والمَعاني

The peerless one of the five whose goals

Are evident in every eloquent speech and meaning

والشّخوصِ التي خُلِقْنَ ضِياءً

قبْلَ خَلْقِ المِرّيخِ والمِيزانِ

And the brilliant lights created as rays

Before the creation of Mars and Libra

قبْلَ أن تُخْلَقَ السّماوَاتُ أو تُؤْ

مَرَ أفْلاكُهُنّ بالدّوَرانِ

Before the heavens were created or their spheres

Were set in motion by decree

لو تأتّى لنَطْحِها حَمَلُ الشّهْ

بِ تَرَدّى عن رأسِه الشَّرَطانِ

If Taurus aimed its thrust at them, the royal throne

Would tumble off its head

أو أراد السّماكُ طَعْناً لها عا

د كسِيرَ القَناةِ قبْلَ الطّعانِ

Or the Fish wanted to stab them, it would return

Like a retracted spear before piercing

أو رَمَتْها قَوْس الكواكبِ زال العَج

سُ منها وخانَها الأبْهَرانِ

Or the bow of stars aimed at them, the Giant would lose strength

And the Bright One betray them

أو عصاها حوتُ النّجومِ سَقَاهُ

حَتْفَهُ صائِدٌ مِن الحِدْثانِ

Or the celestial whale disobeyed them, a hunter

From Canopus would be its demise

أنتَ كالشمسِ في الضّياء وإن جا

وَزْتَ كَيْوَانَ في عُلُوّ المَكانِ

You are like the sun in brilliance, and though you transcended

The celestial sphere in high station

وافَقَ اسْمُ ابنِ أحْمدَ اسْمَ رَسُو

لِ اللهِ لمّا تَوافَقَ الغَرَضَانِ

The name Ahmad's son matched the name of God’s Messenger

When the two intents aligned

وسَجايا محمّدٍ أعْجَزَتْ في الْ

وَصْفِ لُطْفَ الأفكارِ والأذهانِ

Muhammad's traits have foiled the gentle expressions

Of thoughts and minds in description

وجَرَتْ في الأنام أوْلادُهُ السّ

تّةُ مجْرى الأرْواحِ في الأبْدانِ

And his six children flowed among people

Like spirits flowing in bodies

فهُمُ السّبْعَةُ الطّوالعُ والأصْ

غَرُ منهمْ في رُتْبَةِ الزِّبْرقانِ

For they are the seven planets, the greatest

Of them in rank being Mercury

وبِهِمْ فَضَّلَ المَلِيكُ بَني حَوّا

ءَ حتى سَمَوْا على الحَيَوانِ

With them the King favored the Children of Eve

Until they surpassed beasts

شَرُفوا بالشِّرافِ والسُّمْرُ عِيدا

نٌ إذا لم يُزَنّ بالخِرْصانِ

They were ennobled with nobility, and the dark-skinned

Are an ornament when adorned with shells

وإذا الأرضُ وهيَ غَبراءُ صارتْ

من دَمِ الطّعْنِ وَرْدَةً كالدّهانِ

And if the earth, when dusty, became

A rose from their spears’ blood

أقْبَلوا حامِلي الجَداوِلِ في الأغْ

مادِ مُسْتَلْئِمينَ بالغُدْرانِ

They came bearing the registers amid the throngs

Accustomed to betrayal

يَضْرِبون الأقْرانَ ضَرْباً يُعيدُ السْ

سَعْدَ نحْساً في حُكْمِ كلّ قِرانِ

Striking equal blows that turn auspiciousness

Into inauspiciousness by the decree of Fate

وَجَلَوْا غَمْرَةَ الوَغَى بوُجوهٍ

حَسُنَتْ فهْيَ مَعْدِنُ الإحسانِ

They purified the turbid chaos with faces

Made beautiful, for they are the essence of benevolence

قد أجَبْنَا قَوْلَ الشّريفِ بقوْلٍ

وأثَبْنَا الحَصَى عنِ المَرْجانِ

We have answered the noble one’s words with words

And proven pebbles superior to coral

أطْرَبَتْنا ألْفاظُهُ طَرَبَ ال

عُشّاقِ للمُسْمِعاتِ بالألْحانِ

His diction has delighted us like the delight

Of lovers listening to melodies

فاغْتَبَقْنا بيْضَاءَ كالفِضّةِ المَحْ

ضِ وعِفْنا حَمْراءَ كالأرْجُوانِ

So we have plucked his shining whiteness like polished silver

And his blushing redness like crimson

لو أنّا جُزْنَا إلى شُرْبِها النّهْ

يَ عُنينا بِكُلّ أصْهَبَ عانِ

If only we were allotted a drink of it to fullness

Our eyes would delight in every hazel and bay

وهَجَرْنا شُرْبَ الكؤوسِ احْتقاراً

وشَرِبْنا مَسَرّةً بالدّنَانِ

And we would spurn drinking from cups in disdain

And delight in pure wine

أيّها الدُّرّ إنّما فِضْتَ مِن بَحْ

رٍ مُخَلّى الطريقِ للجَرَيانِ

O pearl, you were cast from an untrodden sea

With no pathway for currents

ما امرُؤ القَيسِ بالمُصَلّي إذا جا

راهُ في الشعر بل سُكَيْتُ الرّهانِ

I am no Imru' al-Qais when he is paired with me in poetry

No, I have fallen silent from the wager

فاقْتَنِعْ بالرّوِيّ والوَزْنِ منّي

فهُمومي ثقِيلَةُ الأوْزانِ

So be content with my meter and rhyme

For my concerns are heavy in weight

من صُروفٍ ملَكنَ فكري ونُطْقي

فهْيَ قَيْدُ الفؤاد قَيْدُ اللّسانِ

From fateful turns that seized my mind and speech

For they shackle the heart and tongue

يا أبا إبراهيم قَصّرَ عنكَ الشّعْ

رُ لمّا وُصِفْتَ بالقُرآنِ

O Abu Ibrahim, poetry falls short of you

When you are described in the Qur’an

أُشْرِبَ العالَمونَ حُبّكَ طَبْعاً

فهْوَ فَرْضٌ في سائرِ الأدْيانِ

The world drinks love of you innately

For it is obligatory in all religions

بَانَ للمُسْلِمِينَ منكَ اعْتقادٌ

ظَفِرُوا مِنه بالهُدى والبَيانِ

What you believe has become clear to Muslims

And from it they attained guidance and clarity

وحُدودُ الإيمانِ يَقْبِسُها مِنْ

كَ ويَمْتاحُها أُولُو الإيمانِ

The limits of faith derive from you

And the faithful seek them out

ومُحَيّاكَ للّذي يَعْبُدُ الدّهْ

رَ وإهْباءُ طِرْفِكَ الفَتَيَانِ

Your life to the one who worships this transient world

And your frowning at the youths

وإلهُ المَجُوسِ سَيْفُكَ إنْ لم

يَرْغَبوا عنْ عبادة النّيرانِ

The Magians' god is your sword, if only

They would desist from worshiping fires

حَلَباً حَجّتِ المَطِيُّ ولو أنْ

جَمْتَ عنها مالَتْ إلى حَرّانِ

You argued with the rider of the she-camel, and if

You had refused, she would have inclined to Harran

صَلِيَتْ جَمْرَةَ الهَجِيرِ نهاراً

ثُمّ باتتْ تَغَصّ بالصِّلْيَانِ

She prayed at midday at the embers of Al-Hijr

Then spent the night writhing in childbirth

أرْزَمَتْ ناقتايَ شَوْقاً فظَنّ الرّكْ

بُ أنّي سَرَى بيَ المِرْزَمانِ

My two she-camels knelt in yearning, so the riders thought

I had hobbled them

عِش فداءٌ لوَجهكَ القَمَرانِ

فهُما في سَناهُ مُسْتَصْغَرانِ

Live forever for the sake of your moonlike face

For in his prime it is still young