لَو صَحَّ أَنَّ البَينَ يَعشَقُهُ
ما اِستَعبَرَت في السَيرِ أَينُقُهُ
If separation could be loved,
My tears would not have flowed in separation.
قَمَرٌ عَلى غُصنٍ يُرَنِّحُهُ
مَرُّ اللِحاظِ وَلَيسَ يَرشُقُهُ
A moon on a branch lamenting,
Time passes by without illuminating it.
طَأطَأتُ لَحظَ العَينِ حينَ خَطا
وَالبَينُ يَرمُقُني وَيَرمُقُهُ
I lowered my eyelids when it erred,
And separation gazes at me and I gaze at it.
وَأَذَبتُ دَمعي يَومَ وَدَّعَني
في صَحنِ خَدٍّ ذابَ رَونَقُهُ
I held back my tears the day it bid me farewell,
On a cheek whose softness melted away.
وَدَّعتُهُ وَالبَدرُ تَحسَبُهُ
مُتَقاعِساً في الفَجرِ أَعنَقُهُ
I bid it farewell while the full moon mistakes it
For one tarrying at dawn with its brightness.
وَاللَيلُ يَكبو فيهِ أَدهَمُهُ
وَالصُبحُ يَنهَضُ مِنهُ أَبلَقُهُ
The night envelops its darkness,
And the dawn rises from it with its shining face.
وَاللَثمُ يَركُضُ في سَوالِفِهِ
وَتَكادُ خَيلُ الدَمعِ تَسبُقُهُ
My lips rush in conversation,
Almost outpaced by the steeds of tears.
ما غَرَّني يَومَ اللِقاءِ وَلا
خَدَعَ اِرتِياحَ هَوايَ رَيَّقُهُ
On the day we met I was not deceived,
Nor was my love's relief a cheat.
وَعَلِمتُ حينَ نَشَرتُ مِطرَفَهُ
أَنَّ الفِراقَ غَدا يُمَزِّقُهُ
When I unfolded it I knew
That separation would tear it apart tomorrow.
بَكَتِ الجُفونُ وَأَنتَ طارِفُها
وَشَكا الفُؤادُ وَأَنتَ مُحرِقُهُ
My eyelids wept while you glance at them,
My heart complained while you burn it.
وُدّي لِخَيرِ الناسِ أَذخَرُهُ
ما كُلُّ وُدٍّ فيكَ أُنفِقُهُ
I reserve my love for the best of people,
Not all my love for you do I spend.
وُدٌّ تَقادَمَ عَهدُهُ فَصَفا
وَجَديدُ وُدِّ المَرءِ أَخلَقُهُ
An old love whose pact is pure,
And new love's finest aspect is its sincerity.
لِمُشَمِّرِ الأَطرافِ مُنزَعِجِ ال
أَعطافِ يُهجِعُهُ تَأَرُّقُهُ
For one determined, restless,
His wakefulness lays him down gently.
لِأَغَرُّ تُعشي الشَمسَ غُرَّتُهُ
وَيَشُقُّ جَيبَ اللَيلِ مُشرِقُهُ
I seduced the sun to set with its beauty,
And its rising splits the night with its light.
يَسري فَتَحجُبُهُ خَلائِقُهُ
وَيُضيءُ أَوجُهَها تَخَلُّقُهُ
It flows while its creatures veil it,
Its radiance illuminates their faces.
أَبدَت خَبِيَّ المَجدِ طَلعَتُهُ
وَأَذاعَ سِرَّ المَجدِ مَنطِقُهُ
It revealed the excellence it hides,
And spread the secret of excellence with its speech.
وَلَقَلَّما شَرِقَت أَسِنَّتُهُ
إِلّا وَصَفوُ الحَمدِ يُشرِقُهُ
Rarely have its tongues risen,
Except describing its praise as radiant.
وَإِذا اِستَرَقَّ المَحلُ مُرتَبَعاً
أَمَرَ السَحابَ الجَونَ يُعتِقُهُ
When it takes its seat the abode glows,
Commanding the passionate clouds to unload their rain.
وَإِذا تَأَمَّلَ شَخصَهُ مَلِكٌ
أَوما إِلى قَدَمَيهِ مَفرِقُهُ
When a king contemplates its aspect,
His knees touch the ground before its feet.
في كَفِّهِ عاري الذُبابِ لَهُ
لَمعٌ يَدُلُّكَ كَيفَ تَرمُقُهُ
In its empty palm is a radiance that tells you
How its splendor has overwhelmed it.
أَطغاهُ رَونَقُ غَربِهِ فَطَغى
وَالمَاءُ يُطغيهِ تَرَقرُقُهُ
Dazzled by the grace of its setting, it was overwhelmed,
While the water overwhelms its flowing.
جَذلانُ يَرقُصُ في الرُؤوسِ إِذا
غَنَّتهُ بِالصَهَلاتِ سُبَّقُهُ
The neighing horses dance in the meadows
When it sings to them, outstripping them.
صَلّى الرَدى لَو يَستَطيعُ إِلى
نَصلٍ بِراحَتِهِ مُخَلَّقُهُ
The lightning in the clouds would prostrate itself in prayer,
If its hands could reach the ground cleft by its flashing.
يُؤوي الضُيوفَ وَدونَ حُجرَتهِ
بابٌ عَلى الأَحداثِ يُغلِقُهُ
It shelters guests while beyond its chamber's door
Is one closed against disasters.
وَإِذا النَوائِبُ زَعزَعَت يَدَهُ
في الطَعنِ جاءَتهُ تُمَلِّقُهُ
When calamities shake its hand from stabbing,
Flatterers come to caress it.
عُريانُ خَيلِ الغَدرِ مِن دَنَسٍ
لا يَستَطيعُ الغَدرُ يَعلُقُهُ
The steeds of treachery are bare of any stain
That treachery could attach.
الجودُ يَنهاهُ وَيَأمُرهُ
وَالدَهرُ يَرجوهُ وَيَفرَقُهُ
Generosity prevents it and commands it,
While fate pleads to it and separates it.
هُوَ قادِرٌ لَكِنَّ صَولَتَهُ
في البَطشِ يَصرَعُها تَرَفُّقُهُ
It is able, but its ferocity in violence
Is subdued by its gentleness.
وَلَرُبَّ مَجهولٍ رَكائِبُهُ
خَلفَ الرِياحِ الهوجِ تَخرُقُهُ
Many wonders are its ships
Sailing behind the passionate winds that tear them.
قَلقَلتَ بِالأَجفافِ تُربَتَهُ
وَالقَيظُ عَن أَمَمٍ يُحَرِّقُهُ
You stirred its dust with eyelids,
While the heat scorched the idols and melted them.
ذَمَّتكَ رَبوَتُهُ وَوَهدَتُهُ
وَشَكاكَ فَدفَدُهُ وَسَملَقُهُ
Its elevation censured you and calmed you,
Its afndaf consoled you and caressed you.
وَلَرُبَّ وِردٍ بِتَّ قارِبَهُ
لا يَطمَئِنُّ بِهِ تَدَفُّقُهُ
Many are the streams whose surroundings
Do not comfort their flowing.
وَالماءُ يُرعَدُ في جَوانِبِهِ
جَزَعاً وَظِمءُ العيسِ يُشرِقُهُ
The water roars at its sides,
As the thirsty camels illuminate it.
لَمّا لَحَظتَ الدَهرَ زايَلَهُ
إِظلامُهُ وَاِفتَرَّ ضَيُّقُهُ
When you observed time was shaded
By its darkness and narrowness was exposed,
ساوَرتَهُ فَفَضَضتَ سَورَتَهُ
وَاِرتاحَ في نُعماكَ مُملِقُهُ
You laid siege to it and tore down its wall,
And the one who fawns upon you rests in your comfort.
وَكَذاكَ هَمُّ الريحِ في غُصُنٍ
تَثنيهِ أَو ماءٍ تُصَفِّقُهُ
Such too are the care of the wind in a bough,
Bending it, or the water slapping it.
لَمّا رَآكَ المُلكُ مُنصَلِتاً
بِالسَيفِ تُرعِدُهُ وَتُبرِقُهُ
When the sovereign saw you with sword bared,
Terrifying and flashing it,
اِستَنكَفَ التَعديلَ مايَلُهُ
وَاِستَرجَعَ التَحكيمَ أَخرَقُهُ
He scorned reforming his inclination,
And restrained his judgement burst its dam.
أَفَلَ السَماحُ وَأَنتَ شارِقُهُ
وَدَجا العَلاءُ وَأَنتَ مُشرِقُهُ
Generosity has set while you are its source,
And glory has waned while you are its source.
وَلَرُبَّ يَومٍ شِمتَ بارِقَهُ
وَالمَوتُ يُهطِلُهُ وَيودِقُهُ
Many are the days whose morning light you have mocked
While death descends upon it and crushes it.
وَالسَيفُ قائِمُهُ يُفارِقُهُ
وَالرُمحُ عامِلُهُ يُطَلِّقُهُ
The sword takes its leave of it and parts from it,
The spear works upon it and releases it.
وَالشَمسُ تَجري وَهيَ مُهمَلَةٌ
في ثَوبِ نَقعٍ لا تُخَرِّقُهُ
The sun runs unveiled in a garment
Of moisture that does not tear it.
وَالخَيلُ تَطبَعُ في حَوافِرِها
وَشماً تُداوِلُهُ وَتُخلِقُهُ
The horses stamp patterns in their hooves,
Perfume they pass around and create.
مِن كُلِّ ذَيّالِ السَبيبِ رَمى
بِيَدَيهِ أُولى النَقعِ أَولَقُهُ
You paralyzed your resolve in its battalions,
While the arrow paralyzes its perfected one.
أَشلَيتَ عَزمَكَ في كَتائِبِهِ
وَالسَهمُ يُشليهِ مُفَوِّقُهُ
So surrender to the days wearing them,
For time is a garment and you its tailor.
فَاِسلَم عَلى الأَيّامِ تَلبَسُها
فَالدَهرُ ثَوبٌ أَنتَ مُخلِقُهُ
