طَلَعتْ عَليكَ معَ المساء صَبَاحا

فوَشى بِمِشْيَتِها النسيمُ وَباحا

The morning dawned on you with the evening,

And the breeze spread its fragrance and sighed.

ما في قِوَى الأرواحِ كتمان الشذى

أفضحْ بِمَنْ يَستَكْتمُ الأَرواحا

The spirit's strength cannot conceal its scent -

It exposes those who try to hide their souls.

هَيْفَاءُ لم تنهَض بِخصْرٍ أهْيَفٍ

إلا وَنَتْ رِدْفاً يَنُوءُ رَدَاحا

Heifa rose not with a slender waist

Except she was a burden hard to carry on the camel's hump.

خَصْراً إذا مَازال عَنْهُ وشاحُه

ثَبتَتْ ذَوائِبُها علَيهِ وِشَاحا

A waist, if its sash is removed from it,

Its braids would cling to it like a sash.

أعْدى شَمائِلها فَكادَت رقّةً

تَسْري نَسيماً بُكْرَةً ورَوَاحا

The charm of her features almost, out of softness,

Flowed like a morning breeze gently wafting.

تَعِس المُفَنِّد هبّ يَلْحى في الهَوى

ما لاحَ مِنْ رُشْدٍ لَهُ إذْ لاحا

Wretched is the passionate struck by desire -

No sanity appeared for him when passion struck.

يَبْغِي لدَيّ مَع العلاقة سَلْوَةً

أَرَأَيتَ مَحْظوراً يُعَدُّ مُبَاحا

He seeks intimacy from me along with connection,

Have you seen a prohibited affair counted as lawful?

باللّهِ كَيْفَ يفيق مِن سَكرَاتِه

مَنْ نَادم الأحْدَاق والأقْدَاحا

By God, how can one sober up from his intoxication,

Who carouses with gazelles and wine cups?

ما ضَرّ قَاتِلَة النُفوسِ بِدَلّها

أَلا تُقلدَ من سِواه سِلاحا

What harm in her killer glances instead

Of donning other weapons than hers?

لَم تُرسِل الطّرف المعلّم صَيدُها

إلا استَباحَ الأصْيَد الجَحْجاحا

She did not unleash her learned eyelash except

She permitted havoc on gentle prey.

بِأَبي التي نَهَدَتْ لِحَرْبِيَ ناهِداً

في السِّلْم تَعْتَقِلُ الثدي رِماحا

By her who budded breasts for my battle,

Waging war at peace imprisoning them like spears.

تُفاحَتانِ بِخُوطِ بَانٍ بَانَتا

ما البانُ مِما يُثْمرُ التُّفاحا

Two apple-like breasts with erect tips

That do not resemble what produces apples.

أَلِفَ التأوُّدَ عِطْفُها فَتَخالُه

غُصْناً وإنْ لَمْ يَأْلَفِ الأدْواحا

Her affection adapted him like a branch

Even if he does not adapt to settlements.

وَكأنّما سُقِيَ النَّعيم سُلافَةً

فاهتَزَّ مِنْ طَربٍ لها وارْتاحا

As if good life was sipped in sips,

So it trembled from rapture for it and relaxed.

راضَت محاسِنُها الجَموحَ على الهَوى

فانْساقَ حتّى ما أطاقَ جِماحا

Her perfections tamed passion for love,

So it flowed until it could not flap its wings.

كمْ بارقٍ بَيْنَ العُذَيب وبارقٍ

يبْدو لَزنْدِ صَبَابَتي قدّاحا

How many flashes between lightning and lightning

Appear to my polished Sababah like flint stones.

هَجَع الخَليُّ بِهِ وبِتُّ مقلِّباً

طَرْفاً إلى إيماضِهِ طَمّاحا

The wrinkled Khali passed the night with her,

Turning his eyes to its winking covetously.

كَلِفاً بأيّامٍ سَلَفْن خِلالَها

خَلَّفْنَ ذِكْرَ عُهُودِها نَفّاحا

Burdened by days gone by,

Whose memory we left wailing.

إنّي لأجنَحُ للأوانِسِ كالدُّمى

سَلِسَ العِنان ولا أخَافُ جُناحا

I flap to the beauties like a headless body,

With slackened reins fearing no collision.

وأقومُ في النّادي أُحَدِّث بالنّدى

سَكِراً يُضَمِّخُ طِيبُه الأَمداحا

And I stand in the club conversing with dew,

Intoxicated my praise stains it.

لا يُنْفِدُ الأَرباحَ آمِلُ دَولَةٍ

حَفْصِيَّةٍ رَأَتِ السّماحَ رباحا

Ever hopeful the profits will not run out,

Of a bounteous Hafsiyya who saw generosity lucrative.

هَذي مَواهِبُها تُفاضُ على الوَرى

كالغَيْثِ طَبَّق أجْبُلاً وَبِطاحا

These are her gifts overflowing upon people

Like heavy rains covering a hill and plain.

وإِذا صُراحُ المَدْحِ لاقَى رَبّها

لاقى لُبَاباً في المُلوكِ صُراحا

And if the tongue of praise meets its Lord,

It meets a sea in the kings, boundless.

قَسَماً بِيَحيى المُرْتَضى لَقَدِ انْتَضى

مِنْ بَأْسهِ مِثْلَ الصِّفاحِ صِفاحا

I swear by the chosen Yahya, indeed he gained

Victory by his might like hilltops levelled.

وقَضى على العافي مُقيد جُودِهِ

ألا يُسَرّحَ عَنْ ذَراهُ سَراحا

And he decreed the brimful his generosity constrained

That it not set free those in his grip.

ما أوْضَحَ البُرهانَ إنَّ له العُلى

عادِية والسُّؤدَد الوَضّاحا

How clear the proof! Indeed he has the ascendance,

Vanquishing foes and misguidance with illumination.

حاطَ الهُدى بجِلادِهِ وجِهادِهِ

فَكَبا لِمِعْطَسِهِ الضّلال وَطاحا

He enclosed guidance with his skin and strife,

So misguidance stumbled and fell down.

لا تأْتَلي الأقْدارُ تُولِي قَدْرَهُ

فَتْحاً إِذا ما حاوَلَ اسْتِفْتَاحا

Fates do not waver but give him victory

When he attempts to conquer and open.

وَلهُ الجِيادُ بدت ظِباءً في الوَغَى

وعَدَتْ لِتَقْتلِعَ العُدَاة رِياحا

And he has steeds that seemed like zebras in battle

And returned to uproot the enemies like gusts of wind.

ما أصبَحَتْ عُرْساً ترنُّ قِيانُها

إلا وأمْسَتْ مَأتَماً ونُواحا

Not a single wedding eve hummed with their tireless song

Except it became a mourning wake in the morning.

أمْضى من الماضين عزْماً صادِقاً

يَسْتقْصرُ المَنْصورَ والسفّاحا

More resolute than the resolute, truthful in resolve

Seeking vengeance on Mansur and the brutal.

لا غَرْوَ أن كَمُلَت أدِلّةُ فَضْله

لمّا بدا فَضْلُ الكَمالِ وَلاحا

No wonder that the evidence of his superiority became complete

When the superiority of perfection appeared and shone.

فالبَدْرُ غاضَ بوَجْهِهِ إِشراقُه

والبَحْرُ آضَ لِكَفّه ضَحْضاحا

So the full moon diminished in its shining face,

And the sea ebbed from his palm's drawing out.

وافى لِما نَقَص المُلوكُ مُتَمِّماً

فاستَعمَلَ الإصلاح والإسْجاحا

Perfecting what the kings lacked, completing,

Employing reform and improvement.

الطولُ بَين يَمينِه وجَبينه

ما نَعَّم الأشْباح والأرواحا

The height between his right hand and brow -

How excellent the specters and souls!

قد ألْقَحَ الحَرْبَ العَوانَ فلم يدَعْ

حَيّاً بأجْوازِ الفَلاة لَقاحا

He impregnated war with helpers and left no

Living soul in the wastelands' breadth to breed.

هَذا العُدا مُتلاقِيا فِئَة الهُدَى

فَتَقَسّمُوا الأتراحا والأفراحا

So they divided joys and miseries.

If the days had been ambiguous before,

إنْ كانت الأيّام بُهْما قَبْلَه

فَلَشَدّ مَا كُسيَتْ بِهِ إِفْصاحا

Then unraveling what covers them more openly.

Or composing melodies for incurable illnesses,

أو لُحْن مَرْضَى لا شِفاءَ لِسُقْمِها

فَالآن لما صحَّ رُحْن صَحاحا

Now when the airs are healthy and true.

By His beauty it glows in its splendor

للّهِ أَضْحَى زَانَهُ بِبَهائِهِ

كالشّمْسِ زَانَ شُعاعُها الإصْباحا

Like the sun glowing in the dawn.

A feast fulfilling promises heralding

عِيدٌ بإنْجازِ الوُعُودِ مُبَشِّرٌ

مَا انْحَازَ مِنْهَا جَانِباً وانْزَاحا

Whatever parts receded from it and withdrew.

Indeed, the prince - and may his days be immortal -

إنَّ الأمِيرَ وخُلّدَت أيّامُهُ

وَسعَتْ سَعَادَتُه الوجودَ صَلاحا

His good fortune embraced existence with betterment.

The age was made through him entirely spring,

جُعِلَ الزمانُ بِه رَبيعاً كُلُّه

فَجَعَلْت رَيْحَاناً حُلاه وَرَاحا

So it made your meadows a fragrant greenery.