سكر الظَّبيِ وَاِستَحدِ حُسامِهِ
فَالنَّجاةِ النَّجاة يا اللَهُ السَلامَه
Draw your sword and assault the enemy!
Safety lies only in Allah. O grant us peace!
مَن يُغَرِّر بِنَفسِهِ مَعَ ريمِ
ما عَهِدنا في قُسورِ إِقدامَه
Whoever deceives himself along with the wicked,
We never knew cowardice in his resolve.
رَبِّ حَسُنَ اللِحاظُ دُعاةً
في صَميمِ القُلوبِ بَنوا غَرامَه
Lord, perfect of glance, your callers
Built love in the hearts' core.
وَبِهِ آمَنَ المَلّاحُ جَميعاً
وَاِستَكانوا وَأَصبَحوا خَدامَه
By it the sailors all believed
And submitted, becoming your servants.
لَستُ أَنساهُ لَيلَةً كانَ فيها
بِسَوِيِّ البَنانِ يَسقي المَدامَه
I'll never forget the night when
He poured wine smoothly.
دارٌ بِالكاسِ يَرسُمُ الكَونَ شَكلاً
لِيُرينا بَينَ اليَدَينِ نِظامَه
A house with a goblet sketches the cosmos
To show us, between the hands, its system.
وَشُعاعَ الأَقداحِ وَالراحُ وَالجي
دُ مُضيءٌ وَاللَيلُ مُرخٍ ظَلامَه
The glasses' shine, comfort and air
Were lit, and the night spread its darkness.
فَغَدا كُلُّ مُحتَسٍ يَتَمَشّى
وَالنِظامُ الشَمسي بادَ إِمامَه
So each reveler walked in the morning
With the solar system his imam.
وَسَبانا العُقولُ حينَ تَجلي
مُثنِياً قامَةً وَأَيَّةَ قامَه
Our minds were captivated when
He stood, straight in stature, a sign.
بِعُيونٍ تَجِلُّ عَن قَولِ نَجلا
وَخُدودٍ مِنها تَحَلَّت بِشامَه
With eyes that shine beyond words
And cheeks that blush with wine.
وَثَنايا رِضا بِها البَرءُ لَكِن
مَن يَحصُل مِنَ النُجومِ مَرامَه
Contentment's curves that even the innocent desired,
But who achieves the stars' aspirations?
بِأَبي شادِنا إِلى الراحِ يَصبو
وَالنَدامى بِحُبِّهِ مُستَهامَه
By my father I'm devoted to comfort
While the regretful are enamored through love of him.
يا نَديمي ناشَدتُكَ الوُدَّ خَفِّف
عَنهُ في الشُربِ إِن فيهِ ظَلامَه
My boon companion, I've implored your affection. Go easy
On him in drinking, for therein lies darkness.
مَن يُطِق جَورُهُ وَجَورُ جُفونِ
هِيَ سُكري مِن غَيرِ شُربٍ مَدامَه
Who can bear his tyranny and his languorous eyelids?
I'm drunk without drinking wine.
وَلِحاظُ مَقرونَةٍ بِالمَنايا
لَو رَآها عَمرُو رَمى الصَمصامَه
The glance of a gazelle glancing at death—
Had Amr seen her, he'd have cast away his sword.
لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ التَحَرُّزُ مِنهُ
وَفُؤادي أَلقى إِلَيهِ زَمامَه
I wonder, how can I protect myself from him
When my heart has surrendered its reins to him?
قَد أَطَعتُ الهَوى فَكانَ هَوانا
وَمُطيعُ الهَوى حَليفَ النَدامَه
I have obeyed passion so it was my defeat.
One who obeys passion is regret's ally.
مَن مُجيري وَفاتَني لا يُبالي
أَفُؤاداً أَصابَهُ أَم حَمامَه
Who will defend me? He who captivated me cares not
If a heart or a pigeon is struck.
مَهجُ الناسِ عِندَهُ كَعَصافي
رٍ لِإيقاعِها أَعِد سِهامَه
To him, mankind's hearts are like
Arrows he readies to shoot his arrows.
وَالمُحَيّا وَلا مِثالَ كَفَخٍّ
طُرَّةَ الشِعرِ أَتقَنَت أَحكامَه
The shapely, without equal in her perfection
Of poetry—she mastered its rules.
حُبُّهُ لُؤلُؤٌ مِنَ الثَغرِ يُبديهِ
لِمَن رامَ صَيدُهُ بِاِبتِسامَه
His love is a pearl from the lip that shows it
To whomever hopes to catch him smiling.
طالَما مِنهُ قَد تَحاشَيتُ خَوفاً
وَمَنَعتَ الفُؤادَ فيهِ اِقتِحامَه
I've often shunned him fearfully
And prevented my heart from daring to assail him.
غَيرَ أَنّي بِهِ وَقَعتَ وَقَد كا
نَ وَما كُلُّ وَقعَةٍ بِسَلامَه
Yet I was struck by him, and not every blow
Comes without wounds.
سَبَقَ السَيفُ أَيُّها اللائِمُ العَذلُ
فَلَم يَبقَ مَوضِعٌ لِلمَلامَه
The sword came first, O critic, so no place remains
For blame.
فَدَعوني مَعَ المَليحِ وَشَأني
مَالجُرحُ بِمَيتِ إيلامَه
Leave me to the beautiful one. My concern
Is not the hurt of one inflicting pain.
فَلَو أَنّي بِهِ حَليفٌ سَقامُ
رَبِّ يَومَ بِالوَصلِ يَبري سَقامَه
If only I were his ally in sickness,
Lord, one day may health blossom through union.
وَإِذا الروحُ مَن عَناهُ اِستَجارَت
وَغَدا الكاسُ طافِياً لِلطَمامَه
When the soul sought refuge in him,
The goblet began floating food.
عُدتُ أَعدو وَنِعمَ وَاللَهُ قَصدي
نَحوَ خَيري إِنسانِ عَينِ الشَهامَه
I returned a foe—and blessings to Allah—
Intending good, to man, cream of the vultures.
أَو حَدُّ الناسِ أَكرَمُ الناسِ في البَأ
سِ وَفي الفَضلِ وَالنَدا وَالكَرامَه
Or the best of mankind in spirit and excellence,
Generosity, aid and nobility.
أَشبَهُ السَيرِ بِالسَريرَةِ حَسَنا
وَالمَزايا عَلى النَوايا عَلامَه
His conduct resembles his nature, beauty,
And merits are signs of his intentions.
شادَ لِلشُكرِ وَالثَناءُ بُيوتاً
وَعَلى المَجدِ قَد أَقامَ الدَعامَه
He built gratitude and praise houses
And raised pillars on glory.
كانَ ثَديُ الرِضا إِلَيهِ رِضاعا
وَعَلى البِرِّ وَالكَمالِ فَطامَه
His breast of approval nursed him
On righteousness and perfection weaned him.
وَإِذا ما عَن طَوقِهِ شَبَّ أَضحى
لا لِغَيرِ الفِخارِ يُبدي هَيامَه
When his collar was removed, he showed
Fondness for none but the noble.
وَاِصطَفاهُ مُلوكُ مِصرَ شَباباً
كَأَصطَفا سَيِّدُ المَلا لِأُسامَه
Egypt's kings singled him out in his youth
As my Lord chose Uthman for Osama.
فَاِرتَقاها مَناصِباً ذاتَ شَأنٍ
وَكَساها مِن جَدِّهِ بِفَخامَه
He climbed positions of glory
Dressed by his lineage in splendor.
وَغَدا مُغرَماً بِكُلِّ عَلاءٍ
جاعِلُ الحَزمِ هَمُّهُ وَاِهتِمامَه
He grew enamored of each highborn one
Who made resolve and concern his purpose.
لَو رَأى في السَماءِ مَجداً وَفَخراً
لَاِبتَغاها فَلازَمَت أَقدامَه
Had he seen glory and pride in the sky,
He'd have sought them and they'd have clung to his feet.
مَعَ أَنَّ الفِخارَ وَالمَجدَ لَفظُ
هُوَ مَعناهُما البَديهِ فَهامَه
Though glory and pride are empty words—
Their meaning dawned on his discerning mind.
وَإِذا كانَ في الوُجودِ كَرامُ
فَهُم مِنهُ قَطرَةً مِن غَمامَه
If there is generosity in existence,
They are but a drop from his clouds.
فَهوَ كَالنَيرَينِ في الناسِ نَفعاً
كَم إِلَيهِ مِن نِعمَةٍ مُستَدامَه
He is like the Nile in benefitting people.
How much lasting bounty flows to him!
قَد تَجافى عَنِ المَظالِمِ بِالعَد
لِ وَلا زالَ رافِعاً أَعلامَه
He has turned from injustice with justice
And still raises his banners.
ما دَرى الناسُ حَقَّ قَدرَ لَدَيهِ
أَنا مَيّازٌ قَدرُهُ وَمَقامَه
People don't know the truth of his worth near me.
I weigh his value and position.
هُوَ كَالظَفرِ في بَنانِ المَعالي
وَسِواهُ مَهما عَلا كَقَلامَه
He is like victory in the fingers of glories
While all else, however high, are thorns.
وَذَكاهُ عَنِ اِبنِ أَكثَمَ يَروي
وَعَلى أَحنَفَ فَقِس أَحلامَه
His intelligence is conveyed from Ibn Aktham
And measure his dreams by Al-Ahnaf.
أَيُّها الماجِدُ الأَبَرُّ المَرجى
جَملَ اللَهِ بِالصَفا أَيّامَه
O glorious and most righteous sought one
May God ornament his days with joy!
جاءَكَ العامُ وَالعُلا وَالأَماني
ضامِناتٍ لِما تُحِبُّ دَوامَه
The year, heights and wishes have come to you
Guarantors of what you love lasting.
مُعلِناتٍ لَكَ الوَلا وَالتَهاني
بِثُغورٍ وَأَوجُهُ بَسامَه
Announcers of devotion and joy to you
With delighted faces and smiling countenances.
