بِرَغْمِي إنْ خَلَتْ منهُ المَذاوِدْ
وَرَاحَتْ عُطَّلاً منهُ القَلائِدْ
Despite my neglect, no adornments adorn him,
No necklaces hang idle around his neck,
وَغُودِرَتِ الأَعِنَّةُ مُلْقياتٍ
بِلا كَفٍّ يُحَاذِيها وَسَاعِدْ
The tent ropes lie abandoned with no hands to adjust them, no arms to assist,
His resting place is devoid of him, though it would gather and welcome him,
خَلَتْ مِنهُ مَراغَتُهُ وَكانتْ
تُعَشِّرُهُ وَتَأْلفُهُ المَلابِدْ
The cushions pile under his sides,
The pillows lay under his cheeks,
تُدمَّثُ تَحتَ جَنْبيهِ الحَشَايَا
وَتُلْقَى تَحْتَ خَدَّيْهِ الوَسائِدُ
And the place he still frequents is desolate, though the winds blow through it gently,
His tracks have marked each path, the one his forelock trod and the one of calamities,
وَأَوْحَشَ طَابَقاً مازالَ يَمْضِي
لَدَيْهِ والرِّياحُ بهُ رَوَاكِدْ
Neither did the horses ever make him lower his head,
Nor did the reserved seats ever make him turn back,
وَأَثَّرَ سَيْرُهُ في كُلِّ سَيْرٍ
وَخَدَّهُ مَا ضَغَيْهِ في الحَدائِدْ
The camels suffered from losing their bundles,
Woe to me for the loss and the one who lost,
وَمَا ثَنَتِ الصَّرائمُ منهُ رَأْساً
وَلا رَدَّتْهُ حَاشاكَ المَقَاوِدْ
Death has come after the excellent ones,
And death does not neglect pursuing,
وَكَابَدَتِ البَرادِعُ فَقْدَ حُزْمٍ
فَوَا أَسفِي لِمَفقُودٍ وَفَاقِدْ
I tighten his saddle, but the horses are still,
And he freely sacrifices himself, an offering,
غَدَتْ خَلْفَ السَّوابقِ بِالمنايَا
وَلَمْ تَفُتِ المَنايَا مِن مُطَارِدْ
Days shatter all hearts,
Does anything last eternally?
أَنُصُّ زِنَاقَهُ فَالخَيْلُ عُطْلٌ
وَجَادَ بِنَفْسهِ أَفْدِيهِ جَائِدْ
Death took Abu Ziyad,
Though lightning stayed below his voice,
هِيَ الأَيّامُ تَصْدَعُ كُلَّ قَلْبٍ
وَهَلْ يَبْقَى علَى الأَيَّامِ خَالِدْ
His walk in the valley is easy,
As solid steps on solid ground,
وَأَدرَكَتِ المَنُونُ أَبا زِيَادٍ
وَكانَ البَرْقُ دُونَ نَداهُ قَاعِدْ
With the four Brilliant Ones they adorned it,
Above the fading of lightning amidst the tombs,
يَسِيرُ وَوَطؤُهُ فى السَّهْلِ سَهْلٌ
كَمَا يَطَأُ الجَلامِدَ بِالجَلامِدْ
When the reins are pulled and he sings,
Leave aside the mills and temples,
بِأربعةِ الأَهِلَّةِ سَمَّروها
علَى إيماضِ بَرْقٍ بِالفَرَاقِدْ
He matches the howdah with melody,
Both are one thing though from different senses,
إذا ضُرِبَ اللِّجامُ لَهُ وَغَنَّى
فَدَعْ عنكَ الأَساحِق والمَعابِدْ
He brays musically without seeing the water trough,
The devil of donkeys is marshal of the defiant,
يُقارِنُ بِالحُباقِ لهُ نِهاقاً
هُمَا شَيْئانِ والسَّمْعانِ وَاحِدْ
And buzzing in his ears he proceeds to pray five instead of bowing down,
The camels fear his sharp breath,
رَنَا فَرْثاً بِأَيرٍ قَبلَ عَيْنٍ
وَشَيْطانُ الحَمِيرِ نَقيبُ مَارِدْ
And the devout fear him moaning the 's',
I do not know where this is from,
وَمُزوَزر في سَمْعَيهِ تَلْقَى
فَراحَ يُقيمُ خَمْساً غَيْرَ سَاجِدْ
Nay, I do know, though it exceeds all norms,
Abu Al-Husain's lips give him an excuse,
تَخَافُ الأُتنُ منهُ شَقَّ ميمٍ
لها وَيَراعُهُ في الصَّادِ زَاهِده
And your love of that excuse is a witness against you,
Had his beauty been adorned with plucking and shaving,
وَمَا أَدْرِي لَهُ مِن أَيْنَ هذا
بَلَى أَدْرِي وَقَدْ تُعْدِي العَوائِدْ
You would not have found a single cup like yours,
He cracks a mouth, not fangs,
سِبَالُ أبُو الحسينِ لَهُ عِذارٌ
وَحُبُّكَ لِلعِذارِ لِلعِذارِ عَلَيْكَ شَاهِدْ
He has no fangs, no redundant parts,
I would vie for him against an old man,
وَلَوْ زِيَنتْ مَحاسِنُهُ بِنَتْفٍ
وَحَلْقٍ لَمْ تَجِدْ كأساكَ وَاحِدْ
Who pries open gatherings and raids,
I tour the countries with him, walking straight,
يُحَطِّمُ منهُ ثَغْراً لا نِياباً
ولا أنيابَ فيهِ وَلا زَوائِدْ
Then swerving, ascending and descending,
No distant deadline dismays him,
وَكُنْتُ مُزاحَماً منهُ بِشَيْخٍ
يَشُقُّ بهِ المَحَافِلَ والمحَاشِدْ
Even if you drive him into a tight pass,
How many nights has he kept awake in the inn,
نَجُوبُ بهِ البِلادَ فَمُسْتَقيمٌ
وَهَاوٍ تَارَةً فِيها وَصَاعِْدْ
Tormented by the red wine of monks,
He has fallen off a donkey, then left it
وَلَيْسَ يَهُولُهُ أَمَدٌ بَعِيدٌ
وَلَوْ أَقحَمْتَهُ دَرْبَنْدَ آمِدْ
And come between the cushions confused,
How many sticks were broken over him,
وَكَمْ مِن لَيلَةٍ في الخانِ قَامَتْ
بِهِ في عَانَةِ الحُمْرِ العَرَابِدْ
And by drunkards how lightly hardships were viewed,
Broken while he remains bent over,
وَسَقَّطَ مِن أَتَانٍ ثُمَّ خَلَّى
وَأَحْبَلَ حَائِلاَ بَيْنَ المَسَاهِدْ
Over their knees and the pillows too,
How often has he woken the sleeper in spring,
وَكَمْ كُسِرَتْ أَسَاطِينٌ عليهِ
وَعِنْدَ النياك كَمْ هَانَتْ شَدائدْ
And roused every worshipper in its darkness,
Due to an impelling desire and affection
تُكَسَّرُ وَهْوَ مَشغُولٌ مُكِّبٌ
علَى أَكفَالِها وَعلَى المَذاوِدْ
That branched within him and severed every excess,
Why not, and the friend of Yahya but a youth,
وَكَمْ قَلَبَ المَرابِطَ في رَبيعٍ
وأَيْقَظَ في دُجَاها كُلَّ هَاجِدْ
Suffering thus and subduing those who resist,
He is the tempter, no wonder for one who tempts,
فَمِن سَبَبٍ يُراجِفُهُ وَوَدٍّ
يُشَعِّبُهُ وَيَقطَعُ منهُ زَائِدْ
And follows a poet who gathered all benefits,
If the son of Husain saw his father,
وَلِمْ لا والخَلِيلُ غُلامُ يَحْيى
يُعَاني ذا وَيُرْغِمُ مَنْ يُعَانِدْ
He would have cast the necklaces to him,
So, if you judge fairly, who of the two
هُوَ الغَاوِي ولا عَجَبٌ لِفَاوٍ
وَيَتْبعُ شَاعِراً جَمَّ الفَوائِدْ
Lying in generosity is more glorious?
Better yet that the visitor should say: O mirage,
لَوْ أنَّ ابنَ الحُسينِ رَأَى أَباهُ
لَقَدْ أَلقَى إليهِ بالمَقالِدْ
Did you come upon me or are you returning?
Leave al-Walid be, for this is obscure,
فَذا لاذاكَ إنْ أنصفْت حُكماً
ضجيعُ الجُودِ منهُ أَيُّ مَاجِدْ
If you deemed the newborns obscure,
If the poems of a beloved are beautiful,
وَأَولى أَنْ يقولَ أزائرُ يا
خيالُ طَرَقْتَني أمْ أَنتَ عَائِدْ
The beauty of hunting and intentions is sufficient,
If al-Fatḥ bin Khāqān saw it,
وَدَعْ عَنكَ الوَليدَ فَنِكْرُ هذا
إذا أَنكرْتَ أَنتَجُ لِلوَلائِدْ
He would adorn it with the necklaces,
If Kushajim lived he would be a slave,
وَإنْ حَسُنَتْ قَصَائِدُ مِن حَبِيبٍ
فَدا حُسْنُ التَصائدِ والمَقَاصِدْ
Adding it to his book of benefits,
If its pearls reached him,
لَوْ الفَتْحُ بنُ خَاقانٍ رآهُ
لِقُلِّدَ مِن مَحَاسنهِ القَلائِدْ
He would adorn the prey and the pursuer with it,
What boast for Abū Nuwās if he saw it,
وَلَوْ يَحْيَا كُشَاجِمُ كان عَبْداً
ليحيى في مُصنّفهِ الفَوائِدْ
With it I suppressed all enviers,
And discerned the words of this and that in it,
وَلَوْ وَقَعَتْ شَوارِدُهُ إليهِ
لَزانَ بِها المَصَايِدَ والمَطاردْ
And preferred the hide unfleshed to the fleshed,
Si tak, O Abū Ziyād, every beauty's hearts' captor,
وَمَن لأَبي نُوَاسٍ لَوْ رَآهَا
مَفاخرةً كَبْتُ بِها الحَوَاسِدْ
Whose saliva is abundant, whose lightning is rumbling,
It rends scorched fragments upon you,
وَمَيَّزَ قولَ تلكَ وَذاكَ فيها
وَتَفْضِيلُ الجِراءِ علَى الجَرائِدْ
Though I sensed the heart was cold,
If I exaggerated, I would swear by Yahya's oath,
سِتَاكَ أَبَا زِيَادٍ كُلُّ جَوْنٍ
مُلِثُّ القَطْرِ مُرتَجِزُ الرَّوَاعِدْ
But I am envious of those,
تَشُقُّ عَليكَ مِن حُرَقٍ جيُوباً
وَإنْ أَحسَسْتُ منها القَلْبَ بَارِدْ
وَلَوْ بَالَغْتُ قُلْتُ يمين يَحْيى
وَلكنِي علَى هَاتِيكَ حَاسِدْ
