ذَكَرُوا الْعُهُودَ فَهَاجَ مِنْ أَشْجَانِي
شَوْقٌ إِذَا جَنَّ الدُّجَى نَاجَانِي
They recalled the covenants so longing stirred in me,
A yearning that whispers to me when dusk falls.
فَكَأَنَّمَا الآمَاقُ مِنِّيَ أَبْحُرٌ
يَقْذِفْنَ بِاليَاقُوتِ وَالْمَرْجاَنِ
It seems my inner depths are an ocean
Casting pearls and coral from within me.
وَلَو أَنَّنِي أَمْسَكْتُ أَجْفَانِي وَقَدْ
ذَكَرُوا الْعُهُودَ لَقُلْتُ مَا أَجْفَانِي
Had I but kept my eyelids closed when they
Recalled the covenants, I’d have said: “Not mine, my eyelids!”
أَشْكُو إِلَى الله الفِرَاقَ فَإِنَّنِي
مَا لِي بَمَا فَعَلَ الْفِرَاقُ يَدَانِ
I complain to God of parting - for surely
I've no control o’er what parting has done.
يَا لاَ رَعَى الله الرِّمَالَ وَلاَ سَقَى
مِنْهَا مُلِثُ الْقَطْرِ شَرَّ مَكَانِ
O He who tended neither the sands nor watered
The shifting dunes - evil the place and the time!
جَبَلاً لِطَارِقٍ مُذْ أَقَلَّ رِكَابَهُ
لَمْ تَنْأَ عَنْهُ طَوَارِقُ الْحَدَثَانِ
Since Tariq moored his ships, not one high wave
Has failed to crash upon those very shores.
يَا مَجْمَع الْبَحْرِيْنِ كَمْ مَزَّقْتَ مِنْ
جَمْعٍ وَكَمْ بَاعَدْتَ بَعْدَ تَدَانِي
O meeting place of two seas! How many a host
You divided after their coming together!
لَوْلاَ عَسَى وَلَعَلَّ بَانَ تَجَلُّدِي
وَبَرِئْتُ مِنْ صَبْرِي وَمِنْ كِتْمَانِي
Were it not for “perhaps” and “maybe,” my patience
Would fail, my composure lost, discretion gone.
وَمِنَ اللَّطَائِفِ وَاللَّطَائِفُ جَمَّةٌ
للِّهِ فِي سِرِّ وَفِي إَعْلاَنِ
From Al-Ta'if come fine soft wisps of cloud
By God’s secret decrees and clear portents.
خَوْدٌ أَتَتْنِي آنَسَتْ مِنْ غُرْبَتِي
وَأَرَتْنِي الآمَالَ رَأْيَ عيَانِ
A beauty came to me, banished my loneliness,
Showed me hopes clearly, realities manifest.
قَدْ كَنْتُ فِي نَارِ الْبِعَادِ مُعَذِّباً
فَدَخَلْتُ مِنْهَا جَنَّةَ الرِّضْوَانِ
I was tortured in the fires of absence
And entered thereby the gardens of joy.
وَجَرَرْتُ لِلْخُيَلاَءِ ذَيْلِي عِنْدَهَا
وَجَرَيْتُ فِي الإِعْجَابِ مِلْءِ عِنَانِي
Before her I dragged my train in pride
And rode the steed of conceit at full gallop.
وَكَأَنَّنِي عَاطِيْتُ كأْسَ مُدَامَةٍ
صَهْبَاءَ بَيْنَ مَثَالثٍ وَمَثَانِي
I was like one made tipsy by a draught
Of sparkling wine ‘twixt the third cup and the eighth.
زَارَتْ وَقَدْ جَارَتْ عَلَيَّ يَدُ الضَّنَى
وَالسُّقْمُ قَدْ أَنْحَى عَلَى جُثْمَانِي
Grief’s hand afflicted me, illness bowed
My body down, when she came to visit.
فَاسْتَقْبَلتْ بِالْبُرْءِ كُلَّ تَأَلُّمٍ
وَاسْتَدْرَكَتْ فَضْلَ الذّمَاءِ الْفَانِي
With wellness she met each pain,
Regained what failing health had diminished.
طِبَّ الْمَسِيحِ بَعَثْت يَا ابْنَ سمِيّهِ
فِي رُقْيَةٍ خَفِيَتْ عَنْ الأَذْهَانِ
Good tidings, O son of the Chaste! For in secret
You work wonders beyond all minds and hearts.
سَخِرَتْ بَدَائِعُهَا الَّتِي أَوْدَعْتَهَا
بِزَمَانِهَا هَذَا وَكُلَّ زَمَانِ
Their marvels which you imbued the present time
You made subservient to it and all eras.
يَا أَيُّهَا الْقَاضِي الَّذِي لَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ
فِي الْقَصْدِ فِيهِ وَفِي الْكَمَالِ اثْنَانِ
O Judge in whom none find fault
In fairness, and none disagree on perfection!
إِنِّي ظَفَرْتُ بِمِنْحَةٍ وَذَخِيْرَةٍ
مِنْ وَدِّكَ الْبَاقِي عَلَى الأَزْمَانِ
I gained a boon and treasure
Of your lasting affection through the ages.
وَغَرْسُت حُبَّكَ فِي الْفُؤَادِ فَأَصْبَحَتْ
أَدْوَاحُهُ مُخْضَرَّةَ الأَفْنَانِ
And I planted your love in my heart until
Its horizons turned lush and verdant.
وَلَكمْ أَخٍْ لِلْخَطْبِ قَدْ أَعْدَدْتُهُ
لَمْ تَجْنِ مِنْهُ يَدِي سِوَى الْخُطْبَانِ
How many wise sayings have I prepared
For the sermon, and all I reaped were words!
وَلَكَمْ جَمِيمٍ قَدْ وَرَدْتُ جَمَامَهُ
فَشَرِقْتُ مِنْهاَ بِالْحَمِيمِ الآنِي
How many a coarse fool I wished to refine,
Only to brim forth in the end with warmth.
حَرَّكْتَ مِنِّي فِطْنَةً أَفْكَارُهَا
وَقْفٌ عَلَى الْبُرَحَاء وَالأَشْجَانِ
By your thoughts you stirred in me a perception
Halting deep in memories and passions.
أَوَ بَعْدَ شَطْرِ الْحَوْلِ مغْتَرِباً عَلَى
حُكْمِ اللَّيَالِي نَازِحَ الأَوْطَانِ
Or after half a year away, driven from
My home by the judges of nights and days.
تَذْكُو لَدَيَّ مِنْ الْبَيَانِ شَرَارَة
وَتُشَامُ بَارِقَةٌ مِنْ الْعِرْفُانِ
For me, your eloquence kindles a spark,
And your wisdom flashes like lightning.
لاَ زِلْتَ تُبْدِي وَجْهَ كُلِّ غَرِيبَةٍ
يُمْلِي بَدِيعَ حَدِيثِهَا الْمَلَوَانِ
You show the face of each new topic, dictating
In your elegant style meanings refulgent.
وَتُجِيلُ فِي يَوْمِ الْبَيَانِ جِيَادَهُ
فَيُقَالُ هَذَا فَارِسُ الْمِيدَانِ
On rhetoric’s day you race its steeds,
Hailed as the knight of that arena.
مَا أَنَّ فِي السَّحَرِ الْحَمَامُ بِنَغْمَةٍ
رَقَصَتْ لَهَا طَرَباً غُصُونُ الْبَانِ
As if the doves in dawn sang a melody
To which the branches danced enraptured.
