كَم شجٍ آلَمَهُ لَومُ الخَلِيِّ
فَأَبى الإِصغاءَ بِالسَمعِ الأَبِيِّ
How many a heartsick lover has been pained by the carefree one’s blame,
yet proudly refused to lend an ear.
وَالهَوى العُذرِيُّ مَن عُلِّقَهُ
لَم يَعُد عَن عُذرِهِ غَيرُ الغَبِيِّ
As for chaste ʿUdhrī love—whoever is caught by it,
none but a fool would reject his excuse.
ما تَرى دَمعي عَقيقيّاً لِما
شِمتُهُ مِن بَرقِ ثَغرٍ لُؤلُؤِيِّ
Do you not see my tears turned agate-red because of
the lightning I glimpsed in a pearly mouth?
لَيتَهُ جادَ بِوَسميِّ اللَمى
لي وَثَنَّتهُ الثَنايا بِالوَلِيِّ
Would that his dark lips granted me their first rain,
and his incisors followed it with another shower.
ثَغرُهُ ثَغرٌ حَماهُ لَحظُهُ
بِشَبا سَيفٍ جُرازٍ مَشرَفِيِّ
His mouth is a frontier fortress guarded by his glance
with the keen edge of a cleaving Mashrafī sword.
مُتَشَكٍّ خَصرُهُ مِن رِدفِهِ
ما تَشَكّاهُ ضَعيف مِن قَوِيِّ
His waist complains beneath his haunches,
as the weak complain of the strong.
ما رَنا إِلا رَمى الأَلبابَ مِن
لَحظِ عَينيهِ بِسِحرٍ بابِلِيِّ
Whenever he looks, he strikes all minds with
the Babylonian magic in his eyes’ glance.
مِنهُ أَهوى مَلَكاً قَد عادَ لي
عاذِلي فيهِ بِشَيطان غَوِيِّ
In him I adore an angel, while to me
my censor over him has become a wayward devil.
فَإِلى أَينَ مُضيّي عَن هَوى
ذي مُحَيّا مُخجِلِ البَدرِ المُضِيِّ
Where, then, can I go, fleeing a passion
for one whose radiant face puts the shining moon to shame?
غَيرُ بِدعٍ ذُلُّ شَهمٍ باسلٍ
بَعد عزٍ فهوَ صَبُّ بِصَبِيِّ
No wonder a bold and valiant man is humbled
after honor: he is madly in love with a youth.
أَنا يَعقوبِيُّ حُزنٍ في هَوى
رَشَأٍ يَسطو بِحُسنٍ يوسُفِيِّ
I am Jacob-like in grief, in love
with a gazelle fawn who attacks with Joseph-like beauty.
صَدَّ عَنّي إِذ رَآني مُقتَراً
قالَ لا أَرغَبُ إِلا في غنيِّ
He turned away from me when he saw me destitute,
saying, “I desire none but a rich man.”
فَأَجِرني مُنقِذاً مِن جورِهِ
يا أَبا القاسِمِ يا ابن التِنَّبِيِّ
Grant me refuge—rescue me from his injustice,
O Abu al-Qasim, O son of al-Tinnabi!
يا أَبا القاسِمِ شَمسِ الدينِ يا
ذا الحَيا الهامي عَن الوَجهِ الحَيِيِّ
O Abu al-Qasim, Shams al-Din, O
you whose rainlike bounty pours from a modest face!
لَم يَكُن في الدَهرِ يَوماً بِالَّذي
يَجبَهُ السُؤّالَ بِاللَفظِ البَذِيِّ
Never, for a single day, has he been one
to confront petitioners with coarse speech.
زانَكَ الخالِقُ بِالخُلقِ الرَضِيِّ
وَبِخَلقٍ بَهَرَ الخَلقَ وَضِيِّ
The Creator adorned you with pleasing character,
and with a radiant form that dazzles all creation;
وَاِعتِقادٍ سَرَّ صَحبَ المُصطَفى
وَعَلِيّاً حَسبُهُ أَيّ عَلِيِّ
and with a creed that gladdens the Chosen One’s Companions,
and ʿAli—enough for him that he is ʿAli.
يا لَها مِن هِمَّةٍ شَمسِيَّةٍ
أَحرَزَت أَقصى مَدى المَجدِ القَصِيِّ
What a sunlike aspiration it is,
attaining the remotest limit of far-reaching glory!
رَفَعَت مِنكَ رَئيساً ماجِداً
في ذُرى العَليا إِلى الأُفُقِ العليِّ
It raised you up as a glorious chief
upon sublimity’s peaks, toward the highest horizon.
فَهوَ يَدعو الجَفلى مُحتَفِلاً
جامِعاً ما بَينَ دانٍ وَقَصِيِّ
He summons all to an open feast, celebrating,
gathering alike the near and the far.
مَن يَرُم إِحصاءَ ما فيهِ مِنَ ال
مَجدِ يُلجَمُ من يَدِ العَجزِ بِعِيِّ
Whoever would reckon all the
glory in him is bridled by helplessness into silence.
عَطَسَت غيرتُهُ عَن أَنَفِ اللَي
ثِ مِن أَرنَبَةِ الأَنفِ الحَمِيِّ
His proud ardor bursts from the nose
of a lion—from the tip of that fiercely haughty nose.
يَبسُطُ الكَفَّ الَّتي تَهمي سَخاءً
إِن كَبا زَندُ يَدِ الغَيمِ السَخِيِّ
He spreads the hand that pours down generosity
when the generous cloud’s own giving arm falters.
لَكَ ذِكرٌ طابَ في العالَمِ نَشراً
فَهوَ في النادي كَعَرفِ المَندَلِيِّ
Your fragrant renown has spread sweetly through the world;
in every gathering it is like the perfume of Mandal aloe.
بِكَ سُكّانُ دِمَشقَ اِفتَخَروا
فَخرَ عَدنانَ قَديماً بِالنَبِيِّ
Through you the people of Damascus take pride,
as Adnan anciently took pride in the Prophet.
فُزتَ في الدَهرِ بِمَجدٍ دُنيَوِيِّ
وَلَدَى الحَشرِ بِسَعدٍ أُخرَوِيِّ
You have won worldly glory in this life,
and otherworldly happiness at the Resurrection.
فيكَ هَزَّ المَدحُ أَعطافَ العُلى
فَاِشرَأَبَّت لِكَريمٍ أَريَحِيِّ
In you, praise made the shoulders of sublimity sway,
and they craned toward a noble, openhanded man.
وَالسَلاطينُ مَنوطٌ أَمرُها
فيكَ بِالنَدبِ الذَكِيِّ الأَلمَعِيِّ
The affairs of sultans are entrusted, in you,
to a resourceful, intelligent, brilliant man.
هَذِهِ العَلياءُ لا مَن لَقِيَ ال
لَهَ يَومَ الحَشرِ بِالمَسعى الشَقِيِّ
This is true loftiness—not that of one who meets
God on Resurrection Day after a wretched course.
يَتَّقي اللَه وَهَل يَظفَرُ بِال
أمنِ من حَرّ لَظىً غَيرُ التَقِيِّ
He fears God—and who can ever gain
safety from the Blaze’s heat but the God-fearing?
كَبَتَ الأَعداء يا مَن كَبَتَ ال
حاسِدَ المَرمِيَّ بِالداءِ الدَوِيِّ
You have abased the enemies, O you who abased the
envier struck by a grievous, wasting disease.
رَحمَةُ اللَهِ عَلى قَبرِ أَبٍ
أَنتَ مِنهُ وَلَهُ خَيرُ وَصِيِّ
God’s mercy be upon the grave of a father
from whom you spring and whose finest successor you are.
فَلَقَد خَلَّفَ سَمحاً ماجِداً
نَحوَهُ تُضرَبُ آباطُ المَطِيِّ
For he left behind a generous man of glory
toward whom the camels are driven hard.
هاكَها بِكراً عَروساً حُلِّيَت
مِن مَعاليكَ بِأَصنافِ الحُلِيِّ
Here—take her, a virgin bride adorned
with every kind of jewel drawn from your lofty qualities.
لَم تَكُن في النَسجِ ديباجَتُها
دونَ ديباجَةِ وَشي البُحترِيِّ
In its weaving, her brocade was not
inferior to the brocade of al-Buhturi’s embroidery.
فَاِبقَ ما شِئتَ مُبيداً لِعَدُوٍّ
وَحَسودٍ وَمُفيداً لِوَلِيِّ
Remain as long as you wish, annihilating every foe
and envier, and bringing benefit to every loyal friend:
نَحرَ أَعداءٍ وَقلبَ المَوكِبِ ال
سائِرِ الأَسنى وَصَدراً لِلنَدِيِّ
the breast confronting enemies, the heart of the radiant advancing
procession, and the foremost of the assembly.
