حيّ تحتَ الدجى مُحيًّا أنارا

فأحالَ الليلَ البهيمَ نهارا

Alive beneath the dew I lit up the night

And made the beastly darkness bright as day

واعتنق كاللُّجينِ ناظرَ قدٍّ

لا يجيل الوشاحَ إلاَّ نُضارا

And hugged, like two inflamed lovers, a slender waist

That would not reveal her dress except as fresh and blooming

وارتشف كالسُلاف ريقَةَ ساقٍ

خلت منها أدار لي ما أدارا

And I sipped, like a sip of wine, the saliva of a leg

That had left rings from which I could ascertain

سحراً زارنا وأرخى جُعوداً

ذات نشر تعطّر الأسحارا

Magic visited us by night and spread out logs

With crisscrossed lines that scented the daybreak

وجلاها ورديَّةَ اللون فيها

خلتُ أن قد أذاب لي جُلَّنارا

And it uncovered for me flesh the color of rose so

I thought a goldsmith had melted gold for me

ما أنارت من جانب الكأس إلاَّ

قال قلبي الكليم آنست نارا

No sooner did the cup’s side shine

Than my ardent heart said: “I can see a fire!”

يا نديمي على الطِلى عاطنيها

أُخت خدَّيك رقَّةً واحمرارا

My boon companion, give it to me pure

Sister of your cheek in softness and blush

هاتها تُطلق النفوس من الأسر

كما تترك العقولَ أُسارى

Present it; it frees souls from captivity

Just as it leaves minds captive

وبها يابن نشوة الكأس صرفاً

داوِ شوقي فقد مرضت انتظارا

Through it, O son of the goblet’s intoxication, pay

My burning longing for I have fallen ill from waiting

وعلى الرشف قرّط السمعَ منِّي

نغماتٍ تحرّك الأوتارا

Andgrace my hearing with tones from me

That stir up the strings of the lute

غنّني باسم ناعمٍ حضنته

في ظلال النعيمِ بيضُ العَذارى

Sing to me a delicate name I held

In the shadows of bliss, chaste and virginal

وغريرٍ حلا بعيني ومنها

قد حمى الجفنَ أن يذوق غِرارا

And the birds’ warbling that stole into my eyes

And from which an eyelid, burning, tasted heat

زار سرًّا وكان صدَّ جهاراً

فأراني نجومَ ليلي نَهارا

He visited in secret, though blocking the way in public

So he showed me the stars in my daylight

كم تعاطيتُ من مقبّله العذبِ

على ورد وجنتيه عُقارا

How I indulged from his sweet kissing

On a garden and his two sides, perfume

في رياضٍ جلت عرائسَ زهرٍ

كان طلّ الأنداء فيها نثارا

In gardens where brides of flowers

Were uncovered, with dew descending on them like rain

واكتستها ديباجة أَلحمَ القطرُ

وسدّى في نسجها وأنارا

The drops of rain had clothed them in brocade

And I had tailored and lit up their weaving

كلَّما زرَّ نورُها الغضّ جيباً

عنه حلَّت يد الصَبا الأزرارا

Whenever its light tickled a bud

The hands of the morning uncovered it of buttons

خلعةٌ من بهاءِ عرس غنيّ

كان حسناً بهاؤُها مستعارا

A robe of the splendor of a wealthy wedding

Its beauty being pure, nothing borrowed

ماجدٌ قرَّت العُلى فيه عيناً

واستهلَّت بسعده استبشارا

Majid, the sublime eyed favorably upon him

And through his good fortune rejoiced jubilantly

وغنيّ بفخرها أطلعته

كوكباً في سمائها سيَّارا

And the wealthy one whose pride it brought out in him

Like a planet wandering its skies

عُرسه غادر الحواسدَ بالأم

س سكارى وما هم بسكارى

His wedding had left the enviers drunk with worries

And they were not drunk or worrying

وعلى قُطب دارة المجد زهواً

فلكُ اليمن بالسعود استنارا

And at the orb of the circlet of glory swaggering

The orbit of good fortune shone brightly

ذلك المصطفى الذي للمعالي

إن جرى قيل سابقٌ لا يُجارى

That Chosen One who if the heights ran a race

It would be said: “He outruns and has no contender”

رقَّ طبعاً وراق خَلقاً وخُلقاً

وزكى شيمةً وطابَ نِجارا

Of refined nature, graceful in form and ethics

And immaculate in quality,good in pedigree

قد حمى حوزةَ العُلى في زمانٍ

غيره فيه ليس يحمي ذمارا

He protected the coast of the sublime in an age

With none other protecting its multitudes

واستطالت به على الدهر كبراً

هممٌ تبذل الخطير احتقارا

Through him aspirations upon the days stretched out

Ambitions that scorn peril as trivial

بيته كعبةُ الندى وحماه

لبني الدهر لم يزل مُستجارا

His house being pilgrims’ Sacred House, protecting

For all time coming the people seeking sanctuary

من أُناس بذكرهم أنجد المد

حُ على أوَّل الزمان وغارا

They are people whose mention assists me when traveling

The deserts from early days and caves

هم أطالوا عمرَ السماح وأعما

رَ المواعيد قدَّروها قصارا

They prolonged the life of generosity and made

Appointments seem so short

كلهم ينتمي لدوحةِ مجدٍ

شرفاً أَثمرت عُلاً وفَخارا

All of them belonging to the pride of glory

An honor that produced nobility and pride

تلك أَقمارُ سؤددٍ بل شموسٌ

وَلدت في سما العُلى أقمارا

Those moons of auspiciousness,rather suns

Born in the lofty sky’s orbit, as moons

فإذا باهلوا السما بأبي ال

هادي وقد أشرقت ترومُ افتخارا

So when they adorned the sky with my father

The guide, it shone hoping for pride

رأت الأرض تستنير بوجهٍ

حسنٍ مثله بها ما استنارا

The earth saw itself illuminated by a face

That seemed beautiful, with nothing like it giving light before

ودعت يا رفيعة القدرِ من أن

جمي الزهرِ خفِّضي الأقدارا

It called out: “O elevating guide of the thickets’ bending branches,

lower your worth before the beautiful visage

لستِ إلاَّ فدًى لوجه كريمٍ

ليس يرضى بدارة الشمس دارا

You are nothing but ransom for a generous face

Who is not content with the houses of the sun as residence

ذو يمينٍ مبسوطةٍ بالعطايا

لا تغبّ الوفَّاد منها اليسارا

Possessor of a right hand open in generosity

From which the loyal have shares that suffice”

فلكم حرّرت أرقَّاءَ دهرٍ

واسترقَّت من الورى أحرارا

Many noble spirits throughout time

Were thus delivered from the shackles of mankind

مستشارٌ وهل لعقدٍ وحلٍّ

يجد القومُ مثله مُستشارا

An advisor—and does a council or session find

Someone like him to advise?

هو أنكى رأياً لطارقة الخطب

وأذكى لطارق الضيف نارا

He frustrated the hopes of those who weave fine phrases

And provoked the guest’s fire to flame

لستُ أدري إذا احتبى ناطقاً بال

كلمِ الفصلِ ناهياً أمَّارا

I do not know, if an orator were to speak

Words of conclusive eloquence, prohibiting debate

أبصدر النادي توقّر رضوى

أم هو احتلَّه فأرسى وَقارا

Does the assembly’s chest expand from his approval

Or did he occupy it, establishing dignity?

حصَّ قومٌ حرّ القريض فأضحى

واقعاً لا يرى لأُفقٍ مطارا

A group of people tested the heat of poetry so he came to be

A reality that sees no horizon to soar to

وهو قد راشه فرفَّ بجنحيه

اشتياقاً ونحو علياه طارا

And he sprinkled it, so it fluttered with its wings

Yearning and soaring to its heights

يا بني المصطفى كفى نظراً للمج

د منكم بأن تهينوا النضارا

O kin of the Chosen One, desist from gazing

At glory among you degrading the auspicious

والمعالي ليُهنها أن تُقضّوا

طرباً في وِصالها الأوطارا

Sublimity, it demeans it if you spend

Pure enjoyment upon its seasons

وليزوّد ربع المكارم زهواً

إنَّكم تعمرون منه الديارا

The quarter of bounties was emboldened by glory

That you populate its lands from it

قد كُفيتم من غارة البخل لمَّا

أن نهضتم مشمّرين غيارى

You were sufficed from the raid of stinginess when

You resolutely stood up wearing the attire of champions

وهي لولاكم لطلّت دمَ الجود

وقالت قد ضعت فاذهب جُبارا

Without you, it would have shed the blood of generosity

And said: “It grew weak, so away with you tyrant”

أينعت روضةُ الهنا فاجتنينا

لكم التهنياتِ منها ثِمارا

The meadow of bliss for you bloomed, so we picked

For you congratulations from it and fruit

وغفرنا ذنبَ الزمان وقلنا

قد أقلناكَ يا زمان العثارا

We forgave the sin of time and said

“We have found you sound, O limping time”

وأزرنا عقيلة الفكر ترخي

طرباً للنشيد منها الإزارا

We visited the intellect’s bride, so she danced

Joyously to the melody, undoing her cloak

يمّمتكم عَطرى البرود بذكرا

كم فناهيكم بها مِعطارا

Your fragrant musk permeates me, reminding me

However much it secretly perfumes you

إن جلت من عرائس اللفظ عُوناً

فالمعالي تزفّها أبكارا

If it unveiled charming eyes from the words’ brides

Sublimity sends them to you as virgins

هي غيظُ الحسود لم تجل إلاَّ

زادَ أهلُ الكمالِ فيها ابتهارا

It angers the envious, it did not unveil except

The people of perfection rejoiced through it even more

وغدت تكثر القيام لإِعجاب

بها والحسود يبدي ازورارا

It came to often stand up in appreciation

Of it while the envious showed their buried decay

كلَّما أُنشدت دعى المجد قامَ

القومُ إلاَّ وللحسود أشارا

Whenever it was declaimed, glory called out:

“Arise!” except the envious gesture

فأَقيموا على السرور بعصرٍ

هو فيكم يفاخر الأعصارا

So remain cheerful in an age that through you

Boasts over all other ages