أَدْنى اشْتِياقِي أَنْ أَبِيتَ عَلِيلاً
وَأَقَلُّ وَجْدِي أَنْ أَذُوبَ نُحُولا
My slightest yearning is that you fall ill,
And my least ecstasy is that I pine away.
كَمْ أَكْتُمُ الشُّوْقَ الْمُبَرِّحَ وَالْهَوى
وَكَفى بِدَمْعِي وَالسَّقامِ دَلِيلا
How much longer can I conceal this cheering love,
With my tears and sickness as evidence?
فَالْيَوْمَ قَدْ أَمْضى الصُّدُودُ تَلَدُّدِي
وَأَعادَ حَدَّ تَجَلُّدِي مَفْلُولا
Today my patience is spent, exhausted -
My self-restraint has failed and come undone.
أَشْكُو فَيَنْصَدِعُ الصَّفا لِيَ رِقَّةً
لَوْ كانَ يَرْحَمُ قاتِلٌ مَقْتُولا
I complain, and the rocks split open in pity,
As if a killer would pity the slain.
وَأَذِلُّ مِنْ كَمَدٍ وَفَرْطِ صَبابَةٍ
وَالْحُبُّ ما تَرَكَ الْعَزِيزَ ذَلِيلا
I am humbler than a mat drunk with wine,
And love has left the mighty abased.
يا لَيْتَنِي إِذْ خانَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتُهُ
يَوْماً وَجَدْتُ إِلى السُّلُوِّ سَبِيلا
If only, when he who I loved betrayed me one day
I had found my way to end it all!
ما لِي شُغِلْتُ بِحُبِّ مَنْ لا يَنْثَنِي
كَلِفاً بِغَيْرِ مُحِبَّهِ مَشْغُولا
Why was I distracted loving one who bends not to me?
Too busy for one who loves not to notice.
ما لِي أَرى بَرْدَ الشَّرابِ مُعَرَّضاً
فأُذادُ عَنْهُ وَما شَفَيْتُ غَلِيلا
Why do I see the cold drink set aside
Yet shun it, still unhealed of my malady?
مَنْ مُسْعِدِي مَنْ عاذِرِي مَنْ راحِمِي
مَنْ ذا يُعِينُ مُتَيَّماً مَخْبُولا
Who will help me? Who will excuse me? Who will have mercy?
Who will aid the confused, overwhelmed soul?
يا عاذِلِي أَرَأَيْتَ مَغْلُوبَ الْحَشا
يَعْصِي الصَّبابَةَ أَوْ يُطِيعُ عَذُولا
O you who blame me! Have you seen one possessed by love
Disobey his madness or heed a critic?
لَوْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ ما لَقِيتُ مِنَ الْهَوى
لَوَجَدْتَنِي لِلنّائِباتِ حَمُولا
If you but knew what I suffer from love’s agony
You would find me borne down by fate’s blows.
ما لِي عَلَى صَرفِ الْحَوادِثِ مُسْعِدٌ
إِلاّ رَجاءُ سَماحِ إِسْماعِيلا
I have none who brings me joy at the whims of fate
Save hope of forgiveness from the noble prince.
الْماجِدُ الْغَمْرُ الأَبِيُّ الأَوْحَدَ الْ
بَرُّ الْوَفِيُّ الْباذِلُ الْمَأْمُولا
Al-Majid, the Munificent, the Righteous, the Unique,
The Loyal, the Open-Handed, the Longed-For!
مَنْ لا يَرى أَنَّ الْجَوادَ بِمالِهِ
مَنْ لا يَكُونُ عَلَى الْعَلاءِ بَخِيلا
One who does not see that the generous man gains praise
Will never be unstinting in highest deeds.
الْجاعِلُ الْفِعْلَ الْجَمِيلَ ذَرِيعَةً
إِبَداً إِلى حَمْدِ الْوَرى وَوَسِيلا
Who makes good deeds the means to lasting glory
And who counts the sea's surge as but a draught?
مَنْ لا يَعُدُّ الْبَحْرَ نَهْلَةَ شابِبٍ
يَوْماً وَلا الْخَطْبَ الْجَلِيلَ جَلِيلا
He has gained from the noblest acts a treasure
That endures though time itself fades away.
قَدْ نالَ مِنْ شَرَفِ الْفِعالِ ذَخِيرَةً
تَبْقى إِذا كادَ الزَّمانُ يَزُولا
And won great praise for himself that he embodies
Having friendship itself for his companion.
وَاسْتَخْلَصَ الْحَمْدَ الْجَزِيلَ لِنَفْسِهِ
فَحَواهُ وَاتَّخَذَ السَّماحَ خَلِيلا
You will not see him blaming the magnificent acts of giving -
Rather, he calls them most sublime when performed.
ما إِنْ تَراهُ الدَّهْرَ إِلا قائِلاً
لِلْمَكْرُماتِ الْباهِراتِ فَعُولا
Resolute in purpose is he, and strong in resolve,
Drawn like well-honed blades from the sheath.
إِنْ سِيلَ عِنْدَ الْجُودِ كانَ غَمامَةً
أَوْ عُدَّ يَوْمَ الْبَأْسِ كانَ قَبِيلا
With virtues the stars in their setting cannot match
When they go down fading into the dark.
هِمَماً تَطُولُ بِحَزْمِهِ وَعَزائِما
بُتْكاً كَما اخْتَرَطَ الْكُماةُ نُصُولا
And to the state's exalted minister, worthy scion
Is due unstinting praise and gratitude
وَمَناقِباً لا يَأْتَلِينَ طَوالِعاً
أَبَداً إِذا هَوَتِ النّجُومُ أُفُولا
From a people who were always gallant men
Siring heroes, and husbands without peer.
وَإِلى وَجِيهِ الدَّوْلَةِ ابْنِ رَشِيدِها
حَمْداً كَنائِلِهِ الْجَزِيلِ جَزِيلا
Noble in deed, lavish in plenty, of purest stock -
O best of all the house of Raashid!
مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ كانُوا لأُماتِ الْعُلى
أَبَداً فُحُولاً أَنْجَبَتْ وَبُعُولا
For long have you shown me favor undeserved
A kindness that endures as time flows by.
الْباهِرِينَ فَضائِلاً وَالْغامِرِي
نَ نَوافِلاً وَالطَّيِّبِينَ أُصُولا
If my poor verse falls short of your due praise
Know that for all but you it would be great.
يَابْنَ الْمُحَسِّنِ طالَ ما أَحْسَنْتِ بِي
كَرَماً يَبِيتُ مِنَ الزَّمانِ مُدِيلا
Who can thank you for the gifts you have granted me?
You have laden me with bounty I cannot bear!
إِنْ كانَ يَقْصُرُ عَنْكَ ثَوْبُ مَدائِحِي
فَلَقَدْ يَكُنُ عَلَى سِواكَ طَوِيلا
So I will thank you as long as the singer trills his song
And the dove fills the air with his mournful song.
مَنْ ذا يَقُومُ بِشُكْرِ ما أَوْلَيْتَهُ
حَمَّلْتَنِي مَنّاً عَلَيَّ ثَقِيلا
And I will grant you praise in my words - praise
That never before this day was given.
فَلأَشْكُرَنَّكَ ما تَغَنّى تائِقٌ
طَرِبٌ وَما دَعَتِ الْحَمامُ هَدِيلا
Give me to drink from no hand but yours; for only
The best clouds are those that bear abundant rain.
ولأَمْنَحَنَّكَ مِنْ ثَنائِي مِقْوَلاً
ما كانَ قَبْلَكَ فِي الزَّمانِ مَقُولا
Your gifts know well that I could never
Make another my evening friend and guest.
لا تَسْقِنِي إِلاّ بِكَفِّكَ إِنَّما
خَيْرُ السَّحائِبِ ما يَبِيتُ هَمُولا
Far be it from your companion whom you accustomed
To see in you a parallel or a match!
قَدْ آمَنَتْكَ الْمَكْرُماتُ الْغُرُّ أَنْ
أُمْسِي لِغَيْرِكَ عافِياً وَنَزِيلا
Grant me a share of those noble traits of yours that,
If drunk, would leave me drunk without surcease.
حاشا لِنائِلِكَ الَّذِي عَوَّدْتَنِي
مِنْ أَنْ أَرى لَكَ مُشْبِهاً وَمَثِيلا
And surrender the days to trample on envious foes,
Debase your enemies, and attain your wants!
هَبْ لِي نَصِيباً مِنْ شَمائِلِكَ الَّتِي
لَوْ كُنَّ مَشْرُوباً لَكُنَّ شَمُولا
وَاسْلَمْ عَلَى الأَيّامِ تَكبِتُ حاسِداً
وَتُذِلُّ أَعْداءً وَتَبْلُغُ سُولا
