انْظُرْ إليْهِ وفي التحريك تَسكينُ

كأنّما التَقَمَتْ عنه التّنانينُ

Behold him, and in movement find repose

As if serpents have swallowed all his woes

يا لَيتَ شِعري إذا أومى إلى فَمِهِ

أحَلْقُهُ لَهَواتٌ أم مَيادين

Oh, if only I knew, as he hints with his mouth

Do scenes fly, or are there battles he chose?

كأنّها وخبيثُ الزّاد يُضرِمُها

جهنّمٌ قُذِفَتْ فيها الشياطين

As if, and the wicked food kindles them,

Hell was cast therein, with demons disposed

تَبَارَكَ اللّهُ ما أمضَى أسنّتَهُ

كأنّما كلُّ فَكٍّ منه طاحون

Blessed is God, decisive are his tongues

As if each jaw were a grinding mill hews

كأنّ بَيْتَ سِلاحٍ فيهِ مُخْتَزَنٌ

مِمّا أعَدّتْهُ للرُّسْلِ الفَراعِين

As if a house of weapons lies in store

From what the noble messengers had composed

أينَ الأسِنّةُ أم أينَ الصّوارِمُ أم

أينَ الخناجِرُ أم أين السكاكين

Where are the tongues, or where are the swords? Or

Where are the daggers? Or where the knives exposed?

كأنّما الحَمَلُ المَشوِيُّ في يدِهِ

ذو النّونِ في الماء لمّا عَضَّهُ النّون

As if the roasted camel in his hand

Is Jonah, when the whale had him enclosed

لَفّ الجِداءَ بأيديها وأرجُلِهَا

كأنّما افتَرَسَتْهُنّ السّراحين

Wrapped her gown around her hands and feet

As if lions had preyed on her reposed

وغادَرَ البَطَّ من مَثْنى وواحِدَةٍ

كأنّما اخْتَطَفَتْهُنّ الشّواهين

And he left the duck, in pairs and singles

As if hawks had snatched them newly enclosed

يُخَفِّضُ الوَزَّ من قَرْنٍ إلى قَدَمٍ

وللبَلاعِيمِ تَطْريبٌ وتلحِين

He sways his neck from horn to feet

As demons chant and sing their odes

كأنّ في فكّهِ أيْتامَ أرْمَلَةٍ

أو باكياتٍ عليهِنّ التَّبابين

As if in his jaws lay widows' orphans

Or weeping women on whom fate imposed

كأنّما يَنْتَقي العَظمَ الصّليبَ لَهُ

من تحتِ كلّ رَحىً فِهْرٌ وهاوون

As if he picks bones clean for his cross

From beneath each mill, active and disposed

كأنّما كُلُّ ركْنٍ من طَبائِعِهِ

نارٌ وفي كلّ عضْوٍ منه كانون

As if each trait of his nature

Is fire, and in each organ lies an explosive force

كأنّما في الحَشا من خَمْلِ مِعْدتِهِ

قَرَنْفُلٌ وجَواريشٌ وكَمّون

As if in his gut from digestion’s toil

Lie cloves, peppers and cumin finely composed

قوموا بِنا فلقد رِيعَتْ خواطِرُنَا

وجاذَبَتْنَا الأعِنّاتِ البراذينُ

Rise, for our minds have been tempted

And provoked by the alluring soft odes

نصحتكم فخُذُوا من شِدْقِهِ وَزَراً

أوْ لا فأنتُمْ سَوِيقٌ فيه مطحون

I advise you, so take from his sweetness weight

Or else you'll be ground flour he composed

فَليسَ تُرْوِيهِ أمواهُ الفُراتِ ولا

يَقوتُه فُلْكُ نوحٍ وهو مشحون

For neither can Euphrates’ waters quench his thirst

Nor Noah's ark, though filled and overloaded

فمِثْلُ رَقّادَةٍ في كفّهِ وَسَطٌ

ونحنُ مَقْدونُسٌ فيه وطَرخُون

To him, like a pendant in his palm's center

While we are grapes in which he squeezed and composed