يا سائلي عن الكلام المنتظمْ

ذاكَ كلامُ مَنْ هويتُ لا عُدِمْ

O questioner about composed poetry

That is the poetry of one I adore endlessly

فكلُّ ما يقولُ فيهِ العذّل

فإنَّهُ منكَّرٌ يا رجلُ

So whatever the critic says about it

Is objectionable, O man

في صدغِهِ للحسْنِ آياتٌ تُخَطّ

وقال قومٌ إنها اللامُ فقطْ

On his cheeks are signs of beauty that are engraved

And some said it is just the letter Lām

رمَّانُهُ غضٌّ فلا يمشي فرطْ

إذْ ألفُ الوصلِ متى يدرجْ سقطْ

His eyelashes are so lush they prevent him from seeing clearly

When the conjunction of union comes, it falls short

بسيفِ جفنيهِ قتلتُ نفسي

فإنَّهُ ماضٍ بغيرِ لبْسِ

With the sword of his eyelids I killed myself

For it is resolute without any doubt

فينا غزالٌ إنْ أبيت ما اعتدى

فأسقطِ الحرفَ الأخيرَ أبدا

Among us is a gazelle, if you desire not to transgress

Then omit the last letter forever

قلْ لمذكرٍ لحا خلِّ الفندْ

واسعَ إلى الخيراتِ لُقِّيتَ الرشدْ

Say to the masculine trustee be gentle and pious

And turn to virtues, you will attain righteousness

وإنْ يكنْ عذلُكَ منْ مؤنثِ

فقلْ لها خافي رجالَ العبثِ

And if your critic is feminine

Then say to her beware of the frivolous men

يا خصرَهُ مِنْ ردفِهِ فزْ بالمنحْ

ولا تُبَلْ أخفَّ وزناً أمْ رجحْ

O waist slimmer than his hips move with grace

And do not mind whether it is lighter or heavier

قوامُهُ أشبهُ شيءٍ بالألفْ

كمثلِ ما تكتبُهُ لا يختلفْ

His stature is most similar to the letter Alif

Like what you write without difference

لما شكوتُ صدَّهُ رثى لي

وأقبلَ الغلامُ كالغزالِ

When I complained of his aloofness, he elegized me

And the boy approached like a gazelle

أسنانُهُ كاللؤلؤِ المفتنِّ

منَ المفاريدِ لجبرِ الوهنِ

His teeth are like glistening pearls

To strengthen the weak constitution

قبلَ ازديادِ لامِهِ أكابدُهْ

ثمَّ أتى بعدَ التناهي زائدُهْ

Before the increase of his LA, I endured him

Then after fully knowing him, his additional LA came

ما مثلُهُ في الحسنِ والذكاءِ

عندَ جميعِ العربِ العرباءِ

None like him in beauty and intelligence

Among all the eloquent Arabs

اعجبْ لنونِ حاجبيهِ تنصرُ

والنونُ في كلِّ مثنى تكسرُ

Marvel at the Nūn of his eyebrows that helps

While the Nūn is broken in each dual

إذا رأيتَ وجههُ فكبِّرا

معظماً لقدرِهِ مكبِّرا

When you see his face then exalt

Honoring his worth, magnifying

خوَّفَ فيه بالأميرِ العاذلُ

والصلحُ خيرٌ والأميرُ عادلُ

The unjust critic frightened me about the prince

But reconciliation is best and the prince is just

سؤالُهُ عني حياةٌ تسعفُ

ومثلُهُ كيفَ المريضُ المدنفُ

His asking about me is a life-saving remedy

And the likes of him, how can the spurned patient be?

الخدُّ والقوامُ منهُ فاعلُ

نحو جرى الماءُ وجارَ العاملُ

The cheek and stature are active in his manner

Flowing like water and working like a doer

واقضِ قضاءً لا يُرَدُّ قائلُهُ

بأنَّ منْ يهوى فتى يواصلُهْ

And judge with an irresistible judgment

That whoever loves a youth will befriend him

أفعالُهُ تكسرني ذا عجبُ

وكلُّ فعلٍ متعدٍّ ينصبُ

His actions break me, what a wonder!

And every transitive verb makes the object accusative

يا منْ رأى منهُ جيناً واضحاً

تقولُ قدْ خلتُ الهلالَ لائحا

O you who saw a clear chin from him

You would say the crescent moon appeared radiant

فغضَّ مِنْ طرفِكَ وانجُ رابحاً

وقدْ وجدتُ المستشارَ ناصحاً

So avert your gaze and escape triumphant

For I found the advisor to be caring

ابدأ بذكرِ حاجبينِ حُسِّنا

وإنْ ذكرتَ فاعلاً منونا

Begin by mentioning his beautiful eyebrows

And if you mention the agent, make it indefinite

فالطرفُ سيفٌ قتْلَنا تضمَّنا

فهْوَ كما لو كانَ فعلاً بيِّنا

For the glance is a sword that hinted at killing us

So it is as if it were an evident verb

كنْ فيهِ بالعفافِ مرفوعَ الرتبْ

واضربْ أشدَّ الضربِ مَنْ يغشى الريبْ

Be of supreme chastity with him

And strongly chastise whoever suspicion covers

فعاذري سقياً لهُ ورعياً

وعاذلي جدعاً لهُ وكيّا

My excuser, serve him water and pasture

And my critic, rebuke him firmly

أوهمتُهُ برشْفِ ريقِ الثغرِ

وغصتُ في البحر ابتغاءَ الدرِّ

I deluded him with the nectar of his mouth's kiss

And I dived in the sea seeking pearls

وإنْ أقمتَ الواوَ في الكلامِ

مِنْ صدغهِ نابتْ منابَ اللاّمِ

If you establish the Wāw in speech

It grew from his cheek like the sprout of Lām

في قدِّه ما هوَ في الأغصانِ

على اختلافِ الوضعِ والمباني

In his stature is what is in branches

Despite differing positions and structures

إذا لمستَ خدَّهُ والنهدا

تقولُ عندي مَنَوانِ زُبدا

If you touch his cheek and breasts

You would say I have supplies of butter

إنْ ترهُ بينَ ذويهِ في الحمى

فانصبْ وقلْ كمْ كوكباً تحوي السما

If you see him among his folk in ardour

Then put in the accusative and say how many stars the sky contains

أصبحتُ منهُ في ارتقابِ الوصلِ

والزرع تلقاءَ الحيا المنهلِّ

I woke up from him in anticipation of union

And the plants face the freely-flowing rain

ما للصبا يا جسمَ ذياكَ الصبي

وقيمةُ الفضَّةِ دونَ الذهب

What is youth O body of that boy?

And the silver's value is less than gold

مَنْ تلقَهُ إلى سواهُ صابي

فأوِّلْهُ الإبدالَ في الإعرابِ

Whoever takes him to other than me is foolish

So interpret it as substitution in grammar

قلبُ الذي يحبُّ ليسَ يبغضُ

وإنْ بدا بينها معترضُ

The loving heart does not hate

Even if a contradiction appears between them

إذا رأيتَ عنقَهُ الطويلا

وشعرَهُ مِنْ فوقهِ محلولا

When you see his long neck

And his hair hanging loose atop it

تقولُ ما أنقى بياضَ العاجِ

وما أشدَّ ظلمةَ الدّياجي

You say how purely white is the ivory

And how intensely dark is the blackness of night

بطرفِهِ في العاشقينَ سُلِّطا

وما أحدَّ سيفِهِ حينَ سطا

With his glance he has power over lovers

And how sharp is his sword when it is drawn

حاشاهُ مِنْ عيبٍ ومِنْ نقصانِ

أو عاهةٍ تحدثُ في الأبدانِ

He is far above any blemish or inadequacy

Or affliction that affects bodies

لا تطلبوا لحسنِهِ مضاهي

اللّهَ اللّهَ عبادَ اللَّهِ

Do not seek his beauty's match

God God God's servants

ليسَ قفاءُ عاذلي العسوفِ

إلاّ معَ المجرورِ والظّروفِ

My critic's match is not

Save with the genitive and the circumstantials

يا قائلاً كانَ مليحاً وانفصلْ

كانَ وما انفكَّ الفتى ولمْ يزلْ

O you who said he was beautiful but parted

He was and the lad never parted nor ceased to be

أبدتْ لهمْ وجنتُهُ ضِراما

كما تَلَوا يا حسرةً على ما

He showed them his reddened cheek

As they recited "oh regret for what has passed"

عذارهُ الرقيمُ كهفُ لثمِهِ

فلا تغيِّرْ ما بقي عن رسمِهِ

His delicate mouth is a cave for his sweet kisses

So do not change what remains of his mannerism

تقولُ فيهِ خضرةٌ يسيرهْ

كما تقولُ نارُهُ منيرَهْ

You say about him some greenness slight

As you say his fire has brightness

دينارُ وجههِ بهِ شححتُ

وكمْ دُنَينيرٍ بهِ سمحتُ

The dinar of his face with which I was stingy

And how many dirhams with which I was generous

إني إلى العفافِ منهُ شيِّق

وكلُّ لهوٍ دنيويٍّ موبقُ

I am truly disgusted by him from indecency

And every worldly vanity is condemned

إنْ يبتسمْ لي ضوَّأ الحجونا

وأقبلَ الحجاجُ أجمعونا

If he smiles at me pilgrims descend to us

And all the pilgrims gather around us

يا ليتهُ يعطفُ بالوصالِ

والعطفُ قدْ يدخلُ في الأفعالِ

Oh how I wish he would show affection

And showing affection can enter into verbs

لا ما حلا لي في هواهُ العذّلُ

لشبهِهِ الفعلَ الذي يستثقلُ

No permission was granted to me in his love, the criticizer

For resembling the arduous verb

قلبي وعيني عن سناهُ لا يردْ

إذْ ما رأى صرفَهما قطُّ أحدْ

My heart and eye do not refuse his quality

When has anyone seen their declension ever?

ألفاظهُ عقودُ درٍّ منتقدْ

وإن نطقتَ بالعقودِ في العددْ

His words are strung pearls selected

And if you speak of strings in counting

يا صاحِ لا تدمِ الفؤادَ بالدما

وعاصِ أسبابَ الهوى لتسلَما

O friend do not hurt the heart with blood

And avoid the causes of love to be safe

ولا تمارِ عاشقاً فتتعبا

وما عليكَ عَتبُهُ فتُعْتَبا

And do not blame a lover so you both weary

And you need not reproach so you are blamed

ولا تزدني بالملامِ ضررا

ولا تحاضرْ وتسيءَ المحضرا

And do not increase my pain and harm

And do not argue and spoil the gathering

إنْ قلتَ رشفُ ريقهِ ما حُلِّلا

تقلْ بلا علمٍ ولا تحسُ الطلا

If you say the saliva of his mouth isn't permitted

Then speak without knowledge and don't perceive mistakes

أقسمتُ لا ألومُ في العشقِ أحدْ

ومنْ يودَّ فليواصلْ مَنْ يوَدْ

I swear I blame no one in love

And whoever loves may befriend whom he loves

خذْ أدواتِ الحسنِ عنهُ منصتا

واحفظ جميعَ الأدواتِ يا فتى

Take the instruments of his beauty listening

And remember all the instruments O youth

عيناهُ أفنتْ أكثرَ العشاقِ

وهكذا تصنعُ في البواقي

His eyes have seduced most of the lovers

And this is what you do with the rest

في ثغرِهِ جواهرٌ غوالي

جلوتُها منظومةَ اللآلي

In his mouth are priceless jewels

I collected them into a necklace of pearls

قلبي الذي يسكنُ للتنائي

كأمسِ في الكسرِ والبناءِ

My heart that settles for distance

Was like yesterday in breaking and building

بلبالُهُ مخلَّدٌ في بالي

فما لهُ مغيِّرٌ بحالِ

His eternal first part of the name in my mind

So it has no changer in any state

صوتُهُ كالبدرِ فوقَ الغصنِ

فانظرْ إليها نظرَ المستحسنِ

His voice is like the full moon atop a branch

So look at it with the eye of one who approves

وخلِّ عني يا عذولُ العذلا

وإنْ تجدْ عيباً فسدَّ الخللا

And rid me O critic of criticism

And if you find a fault then correct it

فقد رثى لي وألانَ القولا

والحمدُ للهِ على ما أولى

For he elegized me and softened his words

And praise be to Allah for what He ordained

فديتُ لونَ خدِّهِ من خدِّ

كان حريرياً فصارَ وردي

I ransom the complexion of his cheek over mine

It was silken so it turned rosy