أتاها رسولي فاسمعوا ما جرا له
لقد رابني لما سمعت مقاله
My messenger came to her, so listen to what happened to him
I was troubled when I heard his words
رأته فقالت أنت من بعض رسله
فقال نعم قالت فصف لي حاله
She saw him and said, “Are you one of his messengers?”
He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then describe his state to me.”
فقال كئيب القلب قالت فجسمه
فقال نحيل من رآه رثا له
He said, “Sorrowful of heart.” She said, “Then his body?”
He said, “Thin - whoever saw him, lamented for him.”
فقالت وزدني قال أما نهاره
فيبكي وأما ليله لا كرى له
She said, “Tell me more.” He said, “His days
He weeps, and his nights hold no rest for him.”
فلما وعت ما قال قالت قتلته
وان دام هذا راح لالي ولاله
When she understood what he said, she said, “You have killed him!
If this continues, his mind and sanity will be lost.”
ووالله ما فارقته عن ملالة
ومن ذاك يمناه تمل شماله
By God, I have not abandoned him out of boredom
Yet some gossips spoke much, estranging us
ولكن وشاة كثروا في حديثهم
فبعد القوم أحرموني وصاله
After they left, they made me forbidden to him
You spoke truthfully. When the slanderer talks, he makes the absurd seem reasonable
صدقت فيما تقول فما لها
إذا حدث الواشي تسيغ محاله
As for my dream the day they departed
I saw tears in his eyes as he went on his way
وأمّا منامي يوم شدوا رحالهم
رأى الدمع في عيني فشد رحاله
I said to him “Turn back!” He said “This is where I live now
My enemy drove me out and you call me back, but I have no place there.”
فقلت له ارجع قال اسكنت موضعي
عدوي وتدعوني فما لي وماله
Where are you calling me, when you have little passion?
It dries up, with no yearning for it to cease.
إلى أين تدعوني ومالك مقلة
تجف ولا شوق يرجىّ زواله
Your heart is a heart which, whenever it is said “He has come”
From longing, says “I will come to him.”
وقلبك قلب كلما قيل قد أتى
من الشوق جيش قال يأتي أنا له
Return, my messenger, to Layla and say to her
“Your lover will not survive this estrangement.”
فعد يا رسولي نحو ليلى وقل لها
فتاك على هذا الجفا لا بقا له
If she has shunned him out of fear for him
Then let her know that shunning has brought him ruin.
فإن كان من خوف عليه هجرته
فأكثر ما قد خفت بالهجر ناله
Give him life again with a moment's union
Then blame him afterward for whatever he does!
أعيدي عليه الروح بالوصل ساعة
واش بعدها ما بدا له
I have not ceased to find her like it after like it
By God, my heart - how much it can endure!
فما زلت ألقى مثلها بعد مثلها
فللّه قلبي ما أشد احتماله
I start the day fighting destiny, alone
And end the night, rallying my troops.
أسالم صرف الدهر وهو محارب
وامسيى وحيدا وهو يعبي رجاله
Misfortune went too far in my ill-fated lot -
Events that count as sins upon a man.
لقد أسرفت في نحس حظي حوادث
تعد على الإِنسان ذنبا كما له
I will take my vengeance on my time through Ahmad
When one has a score to settle, he hastens to settle it.
سأطلب ثارى من زماني بأحمد
من كان ذا ثأر كثأري سعى له
Ahmad is not one to let a neighbor down
Rather, he is one who would give away his wealth
فما أحمد ممن يضيع جاره
ولكنه ممن يضيع ماله
Ask about his gifts - the treasuries of his wealth
Do not pity them when they complain of his generosity!
سلوا عن عطاياه خزائن ماله
ولا ترحموها حين تشكو نواله
If his gifts did not drain them dry, they would not stoop
To kiss the slippers of kings.
فلو لم تفرغها عطاياه لم تبت
تقبل أفواه الملوك نعاله
Follow his example, O seekers of glory and elevation!
But you are far from attaining his virtues.
به فاقتدوا يا طالبي المجد والعلا
ولكن بعيد أن تنالوا مناله
A brother of resolves - may God aid his efforts -
And of conquering might - woe to him who opposes him!
أخو عزمات أيد الله سعيها
وذو سطوات ويل من تنضى له
A young man who never wavered or regretted
Who closely considers the outcome of every matter - nothing makes him turn back.
فتى لم يضع حزما ولا بات نادما
يلاحظ عقبي الأمر لا منثنى له
Dignified, though soft-skinned ones warn him
And serious matters shock him, I say nothing shocks him.
وقور أذا خفت حلوم ذوى النهى
وقد هال خطب قلت لاشيء هاله
We have heard of the affairs of kings, but found
No peer for our Ahmad to compare him to.
سمعنا باخبار الملوك فلم نجد
لأحمدنا ثان يكون مثاله
Kings are but thousands to his one
They shudder while we cannot reckon his merits.
ملوك وزنا الالف منهم بواحد
فخفوا ولم نحصى بوزن خصاله
Gifts and favors walk before him
For whoever hopes for his bounty or craves his company.
تسير العطايا والمنايا أمامه
لمن رام جدواه ورام نزاله
Congratulations to Ishmael for what his son attained
Of the highest offices built up for him!
هنيئاً لا سمعيل ما بلغ ابنه
من الرتب العليا التي شادها له
Ishmael has long boasted of Ahmad
As the clouds boast of lightning, unceasingly.
لقد طال إسمعيل فخرا بأحمد
وللسحب فخرا بالحيا لا انتهى له
When he claims descent from kings, the stars in heaven
Bow down, as flowers bow over the horizon to him.
إذا ما انتمى نحو الملوك تخاضعت
نجوم السماء الزهر في افقها له
Six rulers were his foster-fathers, arranged
In a sequence as measured as verses in a poem.
نمته ملوك ستة قد تناسقوا
تناسق منظوم أمنت اختلاله
Among them Ahmad is, by what we know, Ahmad -
Inclining to right wherever it leads him.
فأحمدهم فيما علمنا أحمد
يميل مع المعروف حيث أماله
May the God of the Throne protect him from what he fears
And honor his dwelling, blessing his family!
وقاه اله العرش مما يخافه
وأكرم مثواه وأنعم باله
