أَبْشرْ فقد نِلْتَ مَا تَرْجُو عَلَى عَجَلِ
وَيَسَّر اللهُ مَا تَبْغِيهِ مِنْ أَمَلِ
Rejoice, for you have obtained what you hope for in haste,
And God has made easy what you desire of hope.
وَسَاعَدَتْكَ الدُّنَا فِيمَا تُؤَمَّلُهُ
فَاهْنَأَ بِسَعْدٍ عَلَى الأيَّامِ مُتَّصِلِ
And the world has helped you in what you wish for,
So delight in continual good fortune.
وَاحْكُمْ عَلَى الدَّهْرِ وَافْعَلْ مَا تَشَاءُ بِهِ
فَالدَّهْرُ طَوْعُكَ وَالأَيَّامُ كَالْخَوَلِ
And rule over fate, and do what you want with it,
For fate is submissive to you, and the days are like a mare.
فَمَا دَعَوْتَ بِبَدْرٍ غَيْرَ مُبْتَدِرٍ
وَلاَ أَمَرْتَ بِأَمْرٍ غَيْرِ مُحْتَمَلِ
You have never called for a full moon that did not rise,
Nor commanded an order that could not be executed.
مَا لَذَّةُ الْعَيْشِ إِلاَّ فِي طَلاَوَ طِلاً
أَوْ وَصْلِ حِبً بِلاَ صَدً وَلاَ مَلَلِ
The pleasure of life is only in seeking entertainment,
Or union with a beloved without disaffection or boredom.
خُذْهَا كَمِثْلِ شُعَاعِ الشَّمْسِ صَافِيَةً
حَمْرَاءَ لاَ تَسْتَمِعْ فِيِهَا إِلَى عَذَلِ
Take it like the radiance of the pure sun,
Rosy, in which you do not listen to blame.
مِنْ كَفِّ سَاحِرَةِ الألْحَاظِ فَاتِنَةٍ
حَسْنَاء تَخْتَالُ بَيْنَ الْحَلْيِ وَالْحُلَلِ
From the palm of a charming sorceress of glances,
A beauty who struts between jewelry and gowns.
إِذَا رَنَتْ أَوْ ثَنَتْ أَعْطَافَهَا مَرَحاً
فَالظَّبْيُ فِي نَظَرٍ وَالْغُصْنُ فِي مَيَلِ
When she hums or bends her tendrils playfully,
The gazelle is in a glance, and the branch is in an inclination.
وَأَنْضَرُ الَّرْوضِ أَضْحَى وَهْوَ مُصْطَبِحٌ
وَالْغُصْنُ قَدْ مَالَ مَيْلَ الشَّارِبِ الثَّمِلِ
The greenest of gardens became lively at dawn,
And the branch leaned like a drunk leaner.
حَتَّى إِذَا الشَّمْسُ مَالَتْ نَحْوَ مَغْرِبِهَا
كَأَنَّهَا عَاشِقٌ يَبْكِي عَلَى طَلَلِ
Until when the sun inclined toward its sunset,
As if it were a lover crying over ruins.
وَحَجَّبَ اللَّيْلُ عَنَّا حُسْنَ مَنْظَرهِ
بِسِتْرِ جُنْحٍ مِنَ الظَّلْمَاءِ مُنْسَدِلِ
And the night veiled from us the beauty of its view
With a curtain of darkness fallen down.
لاَ حَتْ إِلَيْنَا شُمُوسُ الْحُسْنِ سَاطِعَةً
وَلاَ سَمَاءَ سِوَى الأَسْتَارِ وَالْكِلَلِ
Neither do the suns of beauty shine upon us,
Nor a sky other than veils and anklets.
وَفِي الْوُجُوهِ لَنَا رَوْضٌ أَزَاهِرُهُ
مِنْ وَرْدَةِ الْخَدِّ أَوْ مِنْ نَرْجِسِ الُمُقَلِ
And in the faces we have a garden whose flowers
Are of a cheek, or narcissus of an eyelid.
وَخَيْرُ مَا ظَفِرَتْ كَفٌّ الْمُحِبِّ بِهِ
خَمْرٌ مَنَ الِّريقِ أَوْ نَقْلٌ مِنَ الْقُبَلِ
And the best a lover’s palm has obtained
Is wine from saliva, or transport from kisses.
فَاسْتَغْنِمِ الأنْسَ يَوْماً إِنْ ظَفِرْتَ بِهِ
فِي دَوْلَةٍ أَصْبَحَتْ مِنْ أَسْعَدِ الدٌّوَلِ
So enjoy intimacy a day if you obtain it
In a state that became one of the happiest states.
أَيَّامُ يُوسُفَ أَعْيَادٌ مُجَدَّدَةٌ
وَلَّى عَنِ الْخَلْقِ فِيهَا الْهَمَّ يَوْمَ وَلِي
The days of Joseph are renewed feasts
In which cares withdrew from people one day.
وَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالرَّبِيعِ الطَّلْقِ ضَاحِكَةً
إِذْ حَلَّ فِيهَا حُلُولَ الشَّمْسِ فِي الحَمَلِ
And they became like the clear spring, laughing,
When the sun settled in Aries.
فَسَارَ بِالْعَدْلِ فِي وِرْدٍ وَفِي صَدرِ
وَرَاقَبَ اللهَ فِي قَوْلٍ وَفِي عَمَلِ
He proceeded with justice in affection and in the breast,
And watched God in saying and in deed.
أَنْوَارُهُ فِي سَمَاءِ الْعَدْلِ نَيّرَةٌ
تَبْدُو وَآثارُهُ أَسْرَى مِنَ الْمَثَلِ
Its lights shine in the sky of justice,
Appearing, and its traces captive of example.
لاَزَالَ فِي عِزَّةٍ تَصْفُو مَوَارِدُهَا
مُبَلَّغاً كُلَّ مَا يَرْجُوهُ مِنْ أَمَلِ
It continues in glory whose springs are clear,
Conveying all that he hopes for of aspiration.
