خُذْها فقَدْ وَضَحَ الصّباحُ ولاحَا
والرّوْضُ يُهْدي عَرْفَهُ النَّفّاحا
Take it—for dawn has broken clear and gleamed.
The garden offers up its wafting fragrance.
مازالَ يكْتُمُ منْ حَديثِ نَسيمِهِ
والآنَ أمْكَنَهُ الحَديثُ فَباحا
Long had it concealed the tale its breeze would tell,
but now it can speak, and has disclosed it.
لمّا رأى جيْشَ الصّباحِ مُشَمِّراً
عَمّتْ مَضارِبُهُ رُبىً وبِطاحا
When it saw the army of dawn girded for battle,
its battlefields spreading over hills and lowlands.
والأفْقُ يرْفَعُ منْهُ بَنْداً مُذْهَباً
ويَسُلُّ منْ بِيضِ البُروقِ صِفاحا
The horizon raises above it a gilded standard,
and draws sword-blades from the white lightning.
سَلَّ الجَداوِلَ أنْصُلاً مَصْقولَةً
تَبْدو وهَزّ منَ الغُصونِ رِماحا
It unsheathes the streams as polished blades,
while the boughs quiver as spears.
والزُّهْرُ تَسْقُطُ للغُروبِ كما ذَوى
زَهْرُ الرِّياضِ وفارَقَ الأدْواحا
The radiant stars sink toward setting, as though
the garden’s blossoms had withered and left the trees.
والطّيْرُ يَدْعو للصَّبوحِ مُكَرِّراً
فَتراهُ قدْ نَفَضَ الجَناحَ وصاحا
The bird repeats its call for the morning draught;
you see it shake out its wings and cry aloud.
فكأنّما الظّلْماءُ طِرْفٌ أدْهَمٌ
أخذَ العِنانَ فَما يُفيقُ جِماحا
Darkness seems a black, high-mettled steed
that has seized the reins and will not check its charge.
لا تُوقِدِ المِصْباحَ واعْلَمْ أنّ لي
منْ وَجْهِ مَنْ أحْبَبْتُهُ مِصْباحا
Do not light the lamp; know that I possess
a lamp in the face of the one I love.
حُثَّ الكؤوسَ وهاتِنيها قَهْوَةً
تَنْفي الهُمومَ وتَجْلِبُ الأفْراحا
Pass round the cups, and bring me wine
that drives care away and brings delight,
منْ كَفِّ فاتِنَةِ اللِّحاظِ غَريرةٍ
سَكْرى الجُفونِ وما سُقينَ الرّاحا
from the hand of a guileless beauty with bewitching glances,
whose eyelids are drunk, though no wine has been poured for them.
هيَ روضةٌ تَجْنيكَ بينَ لِثاتِها
خَمْراً ومنْ وَجَناتِها تُفّاحا
She is a garden: from between her gums one gathers
wine, and from her cheeks, apples.
فإذا اعتَنَقْتَ أوِ ارْتَشَفْتَ فإنّما
عانَفْتَ غُصْناً وارْتَشَفْتَ أقاحا
If you embrace her or sip from her, it is as though
you embraced a bough and sipped a daisy’s bloom.
وامْزُجْ بصِرْفِ الرّاحِ عَذْبَ رُضابِها
ما ضرّ أنْ خَلَفَ الحَرامُ مُباحا
Mix the sweetness of her saliva with the forbidden wine—
what harm, if the forbidden is followed by the permitted?
قامَتْ تَقولُ وفي فُتورِ جُفونِها
سِنَةُ الكَرى مَوْلايَ عِمْتَ صَباحا
She rose to speak, languor filling her eyelids,
drowsy with sleep: “My lord, may your morning be blessed.”
واسْتَنْطَقَتْ عُوداً بمِدْحَةِ يُوسُفٍ
مَوْلَى الوَرى شَمَلَ الوُوجودَ سَماحا
She coaxed the lute to sing a eulogy of Yusuf,
lord of humankind, whose generosity encompassed all existence.
فسَرَى السّرورُ بِنا الى أنْ لمْ نُطِقْ
صَبْراً وكِدْنا نَبْذُلُ الأرْواحا
Joy coursed through us until we could no longer
endure, and nearly gave up our very souls.
رَبُّ الأيادِي البِيضِ مَنْ بثَنائِهِ
زانَ القَريضَ وعَطّرَ الأمْداحا
Lord of shining benefactions—through praise of him
verse was adorned and panegyrics perfumed.
ذُو هِمّةٍ عَلْياءَ مَدّ المُشْتَري
طَرْفاً الى غاياتِها طَمّاحا
His is an ambition that, across Jupiter’s reach, has fixed
an aspiring gaze upon its utmost goals.
يُزْجِي منَ النّقْعِ المُثارِ سَحائِاً
رَكِبَتْ منَ العَزْمِ الشّديدِ رِياحا
He drives clouds of billowing dust,
riding upon winds of unyielding resolve.
ويُزِيرُها أرْضَ العَدوِّ صَوافِنا
تَخْتالُ زَهْواً في الوَغى ومَراحا
He drives them through the enemy’s land on poised steeds,
which strut proudly and exultantly through battle.
تَنْمِيهِ منْ أبْناءِ نَصْرٍ سادَةٌ
سَنّوا الهُدَى والعَدْلَ والإصْلاحا
Noble lords among the sons of Nasr trace his lineage;
they established guidance, justice, and reform.
إنْ أغْلَقَتْ أبْوابَها أيْدي العِدَى
جَعَلَ الإلهُ سيوفضهُمْ مِفْتاحا
If hostile hands should close its gates,
God has made their swords its key.
يا واحِدَ المَجْدِ الذي آثارُهُ
تَرْوي حِساناً في الزّمانِ صِحاحا
O peerless one in glory, whose traces
time relates as both fair and sound.
أنْسَيْتَنا بحُسامِكَ الماضي الظُّبى
ولوائكَ المَنْصورَ والسّفّاحا
With your keen sword you made us forget every other blade,
and, through your banner, al-Mansur and al-Saffah as well.
لازالَ مُلْكُكَ سامِياً في عِزّةٍ
تَسْتَصْحِبُ الإمْساءَ والإصْباحا
May your reign remain exalted in might,
keeping evening and morning as companions,
ما غَرّدَتْ وَرْقاءُ فوقَ أراكَةٍ
تَبْكي الهَديلَ وما صَباحٌ لاحا
as long as a ringdove sings above an arak tree,
weeping in its coo whenever dawn appears.
