جَيبُ الرَّبيعِ عَلى الإحسانِ مَزرورُ
وَذَيلُهُ بِبَديعِ الحُسنِ مَجرورُ
The spring's pocket is filled with kindness
And its tail is drawn with the finest beauty
فَصلٌ تَبَسَّمَ عَن زُهرٍ وَعَن زَهَرٍ
فَلاحَ لِلناظِرينَ النَّورُ وَالنورُ
A season that smiled with blossoms upon blossoms
Its light and light shone for onlookers
لِلمِسكِ في الزَّهرِ فاراتٌ يُذَبِّحُها
نَسيمُهُ فَهوَ مَسحوقٌ فَمَذرورُ
The musk has sighs in the flowers which
Its breeze slaughters, so it is crushed and scattered
عَن زَعفَرانٍ رَنَت أَحداقُ نَرجِسِهِ
عَلى الزُمُرُّدِ وَالأَجفانُ كافورُ
The narcissus blossoms rang out saffron
On emeralds and eyelids like camphor
أَما تَرى كيّماوِيَّ الرَبيع وَقَد
وافاهُ بِالنجحِ تَصعيدٌ وَتَقطيرُ
Don’t you see how the spring rains down its bounty
With success, ascent, and dripping
نِثارُهُ كُلَّما هَبَّ النَسيمُ عَلى ال
أَرضِ الدَراهِمُ بيضاً وَالدَنانيرُ
Its scattering whenever the breeze blows upon the
Land silver coins and gold dinars
كَأَنَّ غُدرانَهُ راحٌ مُشَعشَعَةٌ
فَرَوضُهُ مُنتَشٍ وَالزَهرُ مَخمورُ
As if its meadows are shining comets
Its horses frisky and the flowers intoxicated
وَلِلطُيورِ عَلى دَوحاتِهِ طَرَبٌ
كَأَنَّما تُلِيَت فيها المَزاميرُ
And for the birds upon its prairies, delight
As if lutes were played among them
عيدانُ ناياتِها تَحتَ البَلابِلِ كَال
قِيانِ ناياتُها تِلكَ المَناقيرُ
The sticks of their lutes beneath the nightingales like
The sticks of those beaks are those feathers
كَم بُلبُلٍ وَهَزارٍ ما دَعا سحراً
إِلّا وَلَبّاهُ قُمرِيٌّ وَشَحرورُ
How many nightingales and thousands, the dawn didn’t call
Except they answered, moons and Pleiades
فَكُلُّ عودٍ بِها عودٌ يُحَرَّقُ أَو
عودٌ يُحَرَّكُ مِنهُ البَمُّ وَالزيرُ
So every branch among them is a branch set aflame or
A branch stirred from which comes the bass and melody
دِمَشقُ جَنَّةُ عَدنٍ ما يُفارِقُها
رضوانُ ذو البشرِ وَالوِلدانُ وَالحورُ
Damascus is the Garden of Eden, never leaving it
Are Ridwan, the black-eyed boys, and the houris
ما هَبَّ لِلصَبِّ مَمدودُ الهَواءِ بِها
إِلّا اِستَقَرَّ هَوىً في القَلبِ مَقصورُ
No zealous youth came to it
Except settled desire dwelled confined in his heart
وَوَردُها كَخُدودِ الغيدِ رانِيَةً
سيقَت إِلى سوقِها مِنهُ بَواكيرُ
And its roses like reddened cheeks brought early
To its market from it the first fruits
تَقولُ حينَ بِها أَنهارُها اِصطَفَقَت
أَحَلَّ ثَلجٌ بِها أَم ذابَ بَلّورُ
You would say when its rivers gurgle
Did snow settle in it or melted crystal
كَم جَدوَلٍ عِندَهُ سِربٌ يُسَرُّ بِهِ
فَسِربُهُ آمِنٌ وَالماءُ مَذعورُ
How many streams among which are flocks delighted
So their flocks are safe and the water tumultuous
وَكَم أَكُفِّ يَواقيتٍ مُخَتَّمَةٍ
وَحَليُها ذَلِكَ المَنظومُ مَنثورُ
And how many clenched fists of sealed rubies
And their jewelry is that strung scatter
كَأَنَّما اِنبَسَطَت تَدعو لِخالِقِنا
أَن لا يَمَسَّ ضياءَ الدينِ مَحذورُ
As if laid out calling for our Creator
That the light of faith not be touched by harm
هُوَ الإِمامُ الَّذي مَدحُ العُفاةِ لَهُ
حَقٌّ وَكُلُّ مَديحٍ غَيرَهُ زورُ
He is the Imam whom the chaste praise
Is right and any other praise is false
في كُلِّ فَضلٍ لَهُ فَصلُ الرَبيعِ فَذا
كَ الفَصلُ في الزَمَنِ المشكُوِّ مَشكورُ
In every virtue he has a spring chapter so that
Chapter is like the auspicious time, honored
أَضحى بِهِ الجَورُ مَطوِيَّ البِساطِ فَلَم
يُنشَر وَمِنهُ بِساطُ العَدلِ مَنشورُ
Through him oppression folded its carpet so it wasn’t spread
And through him the carpet of justice spread
يا مَن يُساجِلُهُ اِربَع عَلى ظَلَعٍ
عَجزاً فَإِنَّكَ في التَقصيرِ مَعذورُ
O you who compete against him by fours bound together
In falling short you are excused
وَإِن أَبَيتَ لَهُ إِلّا مُسابَقَةً
فَاِعلَم بِأَنَّكَ فيما رُمتَ مَغرورُ
And if you insist to race him
Know that you are deluded in what you attempted
لَو سابَقَتهُ الرِياحُ الهوجُ لَاِنخَزَلَت
طَريحَةً لَم يبن عَن جَريِها المورُ
If the head winds raced him they would stumble
Fallen, from his running the poles wouldn’t steadfast remain
وَالبَحرُ يَعجَزُ عَن يُمناهُ مُطلَقَةً
بِجودِهِ فائِضاً وَالبَحرُ مَسجورُ
And the sea falls short of his open-handedness
Overflowing though confined
دِمَشقُ ظاهِرُها أَضحى وَباطِنُها
كِلاهُما مُشرِقٌ بِالحُسنِ مَعمورُ
Damascus’s exterior and interior
Both have become radiant with beauty, prosperous
هُناكَ دارا ضِياءِ الدينِ يَقصُرُ عَن
هُما قُصورُ المُلوكِ الشُمِّ وَالدورُ
Therein are the houses of Dhiya al-Din that palaces of
Kings and abodes fall short of
لما أُديرَت بِباناسَ النَواعيرُ
بِالدارِ قُلنا أُثيرَت بِالنَّوَى عيرُ
When the channels were turned in it with spouts
We said millet was threshed in it
يَدعُّ في صَدرِها دَعّاً بِراحَتِهِ
فَتَنثَني وَلَها جدٌّ وَتَشميرُ
He pats with his calm therein
So it sways having backbone and resolve
تَبكي عَلَيهِ اِشتِياقاً إِذ يُعانِقُها
كَما بَكى في زَمانِ الهَجرِ مَهجورُ
It weeps longing when he embraces it
Like the abandoned wept in the time of estrangement
لَها حنينٌ حَنينَ النيبِ تُفصَلُ عَن
فصلانِها فَهيَ صُعرٌ نَحوَها صورُ
It has a yearning, the yearning of the Prophet when separated
From his separations, so it sways toward him, images
كَذاكَ كَفُّ ضِياءِ الدينِ نائِلُها
بِالبَدءِ وَالعَودِ مَشهودٌ وَمَشهورُ
Thus is the palm of Dhiya al-Din, attaining it
At first and return witnessed and well-known
أَقسَمتُ ما الرّاحُ راحُ الشامِ أَبرَزَها ال
راوونَ فَاِمتَلَأَت مِنها قَواريرُ
I swear the Damascus wind didn’t bring out
An aroma except it filled from it flasks
صَفَت وراقَت فَأَهدَت مِن أَشِعَّتِها
لِلشَّربِ أَردِيَةً مَنسوجُها نورُ
It was fragrant and tendered from its radiance
For drinking a satin its weave light
تَأَرَّجَت فَتَوَلّى المِسكُ مُنخَزِلاً
وَقَلبُهُ حَسَداً لِلعَرفِ مَكسورُ
It was aromatic so musk went gathering
Its heart jealous of the scent broken
وَماءُ وَردِ نَصيبين اِنثَنى خَجَلاً
مِن نَشرِها فَهوَ مَغلوبٌ فَمَقهورُ
And the Naseebiin rose water bent shyly
From its scattering, so it is defeated, subdued
يَوماً بِأَصفى وَلا أَذكى إِذا ذُكِرَت
في الدَهرِ أَخلاقُهُ الغُرُّ المَشاهيرُ
One day, the purest and brightest, when his sublime character
Is mentioned in time, the illustrious
أَنتُم بَنو الشَهرَزورِيِّ الكِرامُ لَكُم
مَدحٌ يَسيرُ بِهِ الراوونَ مَأثورُ
You are the noble Shaahruuri, for you
Is easy praise the reciters repeat
لَكُم طَيالِسَةٌ لَم تَألُ تَحسُدُها ال
التيجانُ مِنها لِواءُ العِلمِ مَنصورُ
For you are marks never envied
By crowns through which the banner of knowledge victorious
تَعلو المَناكِبَ في قَلبِ المَواكِبِ تَس
مو كَالكَواكِبِ مِنها الضِدُّ مَدحورُ
It ascends the shoulders in the heart of processions proceeding
Like the stars through which adversity banished
أَبا الفَضائِلِ أَبّاءَ الرَذائلِ مَن
يَحلُل بِواديكَ يَرحَل وَهوَ مَسرورُ
O father of virtues, destroyer of vice, whoever
Camps in your valley travels happy
القاسِمُ المُقسِمُ المَجدُ الصَريحُ لَهُ
أَن لا نَظيرَ لَهُ في الخَلقِ مَنظورُ
The Just Arbiter, the dividing of glory to him
That he has no peer in creation seen
تُكسى بِهِمَّتِهِ العَليا وَهامَتِهِ
طيالِسُ الفَضلِ فَخراً وَالمَنابيرُ
The aspirations and ambitions are clothed through his
Lofty resolve and the banners bow down
أَموالُهُ في اِكتِسابِ المَجدِ يُنفِقُها
لا كَالَّذي مالُهُ بِالذَمِّ مَصرورُ
His wealth he spends in acquiring glory
Not like one whose wealth is damned accrued
وَخازِنُ المالِ كَي يَحظى سِواهُ بِهِ
بَهيمَةٌ قادَها بِالذُلِّ تَسخيرُ
And the treasurer of money - how can he compared be to him
A beast that greed drove to vileness
لِم لَم يَكُن كَضِياءِ الدينِ يَرغَبُ في
حُسنِ الثَنا فَهوَ مَرجُوٌّ وَمَأجورُ
Why wasn’t he like Dhiya al-Din, hoping for
Good praise, so he is hoped for and rewarded
لا زالَ مُرتَفِعاً بِالفِعلِ ناصِبَ مَن
عادى وَشانِئُهُ لِلجَزمِ مَجرورُ
He still rises through action, hostile to whoever
Opposes him, and his critic constrained
وَالفَتحُ وَقفٌ عَلَيهِ وَالحَسودُ عَلى
وَصمٍ مِنَ الضَيمِ مَبنِيٌّ فَمَكسورُ
And victory halted around him while the envious
Deaf to harm, built and shattered
ما عادَ عَن صور سور المَوجِ مُنهَزِماً
وَعاشَ في العِزِّ حَتّى يُنفَخُ الصورُ
He didn’t return from the forms of the tumult of waves defeated
And lived in honor until the trumpet is blown
