قالتْ سُليمى ابشر فموعدنا الغدُ

فظللتَ من فرحي أقومُ وأقعدُ

Sulaima said, rejoice, for tomorrow is our appointment

So I was overjoyed, standing up and sitting down

حتى رأَيتُ غداً وقربَ مكانهِ

لا شئَ منه لفرط شوقي أبعدُ

Until I saw the next day arrive, and its place draw near

Yet I saw nothing of it, so intense was my yearning

قد حالَ بين غدٍ وبيني ليلةٌ

تبلى الزمانَ وعمرُها يتجدّدُ

A night came between tomorrow and me

Wearing out time while its life is made new

لو زارني فيها محا الصبح الدجا

عجلاً كما يمحو خطا الخطِّ اليدُ

If the brilliant morning visited me in it

Quickly erasing the writing of hands, like hands do

ليل النوى باق وليلات اللقا

تمضي كلمحِ رنى ثناه أرمدُ

The night of pining remains, and the nights of meeting

Pass in a blink, like the echo of a song by a singer

قد زرتُها ليلاً فلما أسفرت

أبصرتُ شمساً نورُها يتصعّدُ

I visited her at night, but when dawn broke

I saw a sun whose light ascended

فقررت لما ابيّضَ حولي الدجا

خوفَ الوشاةِ وليل غيري أسودُ

So I decided, when dusk whitened around me

To fear the slanderers, and a night not my own, I darkened

وعضضتُ كفّى نادماً من مخرجي

والليل باقٍ والكواكبُ ركَّدُ

And I bit my hand in regret at my exit

While the night remains, and the stars are studded

فاستنكرتْ أمري وقالت مالَهُ

قبلَ السلام بدا مغيراً يجهدُ

So she questioned my matter and said, "What is with him?

Before greetings, he came changed and struggling?"

أسفرت لي شمساً فخلت بأنه

منها قد استولَى على الليل الغدُّ

You made the sun rise for me, then abandoned that

From it, tomorrow had taken over the night

ما كنتَ أَحسبُ أَنَّ طلعةَ وجهها

كالشمسِ تذهبُ بالظلام وتطردُ

I didn't expect that the rising of her face

Like the sun, would take away the darkness and banish it

ظنّت فراري باختياري فهي من

حنو متى أذكر لها تتنهّدُ

She thought my escape was by my choice, so she is

Gentle, though sighs whenever she remembers me

بعثتْ تلوم فلا تسلْ عما جرى

ضقن المصادر بي وضاقَ الموردُ

She sent blaming, don't ask about what happened

My resources were straitened with me, and the spring was tightened

فشرحتُ ما فعلتهُ بي أَنوارها

فعفَتْ وقالت حجةٌ لا تجحدُ

I explained what her lights had done to me

So she excused, and said, "An undeniable argument"

فالآن قد قامت بعذري حجتي

معها فيبرق من يشاء ويرعدُ

Now my proof has established my excuse with her

With it, whoever He wills may shine, and whoever He wills may thunder

فغدا يعيش المستهامُ بحبها

وغداً يموت إذا التقينا الحسَّدُ

So tomorrow the passionate will live by her love

And tomorrow, the envious will die, should we meet

ما كان قطُّ ولا يكون كمثلها

في هذه الدنيا جمالٌ يوجدُ

Never was, nor ever will be, a beauty like hers

Found in this world, a beauty to be found

فجمالَ يوسفَ ليس فوق جمالها

لكنَّه قد كان بادٍ يشهدُ

For the beauty of Joseph was not above her beauty

Though his was fading, witnessed

وجمالُ هذِى لا يريه حجابها

أَحدا فيثني وصفه ويعدّدُ

And the beauty of this one, her veil hides it

From anyone, so he would describe it and enumerate

نجلاءُ قد غنيت بأكحل طرِفها

عن أن تمر بناظريها الإِثمدُ

Dazzling by the kohl of her eyelid

She is needless for the bleary-eyed to pass by

كغنى سخا يحيى وجود يِمينه

عن أن يُذكَر بالوعود وينشدُ

As Yahya's generosity suffices for his existence

Needing no mention of vows or poems to be recited

إذ ليس يحفظ غير ما هو حافظٌ

أَبداً ولا ينسى سوى ما يرقدُ

For none preserves but what he has preserved

Never forgetting except what has slumbered

الطاهِرَ بن الاشرفِ بن الفاضل بن

علي المليك ولا تملوا فاعددوا

Al-Tahir son of Al-Ashraf son of Al-Fadl son of

Ali the King, and do not tire, so recount

ملكا فملكاً أو توافوا آدما

فلكلهم يحيى أمامٌ سيّدُ

King after king, or agree on Adam

For each of them alive before Him is master

ملك سخي كل منبت شعرة

منه بها للجود بحر مزبدُ

King of generosity, for every hair that sprouts from him

With it to generosity is an effervescent sea

وإذا غز الأعدا فأَكل سُيوفهِ

تلك اللحومِ ومن دِماها الموردُ

And when he invades the enemies, his swords

Consume those bodies, and from their blood the plain flows

وإِذا نزلتَ بهم فساء صباحُهم

لا الوالدون بقوا ولا من أَولدوا

And when you descend upon them, so their morning is miserable

Neither parents remain, nor those who parented

حكمت في أَبناء سيف جدهم

والسيفُ لا يحنوا على ابنٍ يفسدُ

You judged among the sons of their grandfather's sword

And the sword does not pity a corrupting son

خرجوا لإِفساد فلاقوا مصلحاً

يفنى الفساد به ويفني المفسدَ

They went out corrupting, and met a reformer

Who eliminates corruption through it, and eliminates the corrupt

قطعوا الطريقَ فقطعت أَعمارهم

فهم طرائق في الطريق تقدّدُ

They blocked the road, so you severed their lifespans

For they are roads, travelled upon the road

أَبناء سيفٍ حدكم قد خانكم

إِنَّ السيوف بها الخيانةُ تعهدُ

Sons of a sword, its edge has betrayed you

For betrayal is a habit of swords

فتبدلوا حداً عن السيفِ العصا

فبنوا العصا تقتيلهم لا يقصدُ

So replace the edge for the sword with a staff

For the staff building their killing does not intend

سفرٌ غنمتَ به وعدتَ مسلماً

والسيفُ راوٍ عن سطاك ومسندُ

A journey you gained from, and returned Muslim

While the sword relates of your sheath, and is supported

أهلاً وسهلاً مقدم ماء الندى

يجرى ونار الشرِ منه تخمدُ

Welcome, welcome the bringer of fresh water

Flowing, and the fire of evil from it extinguishing

جاءَ البشيرُ فلم يَنم عن فرجةٍ

طرفٌ ولا بخلتَ بما ملكتْ يدُ

The giver of glad tidings came, so no eye from joy

Slept, nor did your hand stint what it possessed

حتى رأوك فكان هذا باسطاً

يدعو ذا شكراً لربك يسجدُ

Until they saw you, so this one was spreading

His hands, calling gratefully to your Lord, prostrating

فقدوكَ لما غبتَ عن أَبصارهم

والمحسنون متى يغيبوا يُفقدوا

When you were absent from their visions, they missed you

For the beneficent, when they are absent, are missed

لولا بشائرُكنَّ تاتي عنكمُ

أَفراحها يلهين لم يتخلدوا

Were it not for glad tidings coming from you

Their joys preoccupying, they would not have persevered

فرحوا بقربكِ واستهلوا للقا

فرح العقيمِ الهم بابنٍ يولدُ

They rejoiced at your nearness, and commenced for the meeting

The barren's rejoicing with a child birthed

فتراهمُ سكرى لقربك منهم

سكراً المدامة أزيدُ

You see them intoxicated by your closeness

An intoxication stronger than wine

ذهبت بأسلاف العقولِ مسرةٌ

خفَّ الحليم بها وضل المرشدُ

Joy at your arrival carried away the minds

The forbearing was lightened by it, and the guided strayed

فاستقبلِ الدارَ الذي عنوانه

نصرٌ من الباري وفْتحٌ سَرمدُ

So welcome the house whose inscription is

Victory from the Creator, and eternal opening

أَخذت زخارفها لكم وازيّنت

فحكت عروساً بالحليِّ تقلدُ

It has adorned itself for you, and embellished

Relating a bride with jewelry adorned

ولقد سمعت بأن بعض عداتكم

غرته احلام حكاها المرقدُ

And indeed I heard that one of your enemies

Deluded by dreams he related while slumbering

فوعدنهُ عنكَ المنى بمواعد

ما قد وفي منها لديه موعدَ

Promising him wishes about you in appointments

None of which when meeting him were fulfilled

ظنَّ الجهولُ بأن في حركاته

للقاك في حرب عواقب تحمدُ

The ignorant thought that in his movements

To meet you in battle, praiseworthy consequences

فسخى وأنفق ماله متوقعاً

ما لا يحصّلهُ كما هو يعهدُ

So he spent and wasted his money, expecting

What he cannot obtain, as is his habit

فخرجتَ تلقاه بجيشٍ كالدبا

وظبي تسلُّ من الرقابِ وتغمدُ

But you went out to meet him with an army like ostriches

And gazelles taking necks and sheathing

ورأى الجيوش إِليه تترى منكمُ

في كلِّ يوم والجنودُ تجردَّ

And he saw the armies looking to you

Every day, and the soldiers preparing

ودرى بأنك لا يخاشنك امرؤ

إِلاّ لقى بك ما يسوء ويضهدُ

And realized that no man fears you

Except he meets from you what is awful and crushing

ورأى الطريق إل النجا مسدودةً

إن لم تمنَّ بها عليه لكم يدُ

And saw the path to salvation blocked

Unless your hand favors him

فثنى إلى من يصطفيه طرفه

هل فيكم من للنوائب يرصدُ

So he turned to whoever his gaze selects

"Is there among you one who for afflictions lies in wait?"

قالوا له ارجع إن ثم إلى النجا

نهجاً فخذه ولو يشقُّ ويبعدُ

They said to him, "Return, for therein is to safety

A path, so take it, even if difficult and far"

فثنى العنانَ وقال كل مشقةٍ

تعطى السلامة مغنمٌ متجددُ

So he pulled the reins, and said, "Every hardship

Gained for security is profitable and renewable"

لا تأسفنَّ فما يفوت وسعدَكم

سعدٌ له جندُ السعودِ تجنّدُ

Do not grieve, for what escapes your happiness

Is a happiness for which the soldiers of fortune mobilize

ياتي بما يهواه من أقصى المدى

ويبيد ما لا تشتهيه وينفدُ

Bringing what it desires from the furthest extent

And annihilating what you do not want, and exhausting it

ولّى فعدتَ وعاد أنسٌ وانجلت

ظلمٌ وعاش هوى وماتت حسَّدُ

He turned, so you returned, and intimacy returned, and

Darkness departed, and passionate love lived, and envy died

بلدٌ به طيبٌ وربٌّ غافرٌ

ومواهبٌ جلّت وعيشٌ أرغدُ

A land of goodness, and a forgiving Lord

And plentiful favors, and ample living

فاسكنهُ لا خوفٌ ولا حزنٌ به

ورضى المهيمنِ دائمٌ يتجدّدُ

Dwell it, no fear, no sorrow in it

And the Protector's approval, ever renewing