صَفَا ليَ من وِرْدِ الشبيبةِ ما صَفَا
وجادَ زماني بالأماني فأنصفا
The purity of youth has clarified for me what it has clarified,
And my time has been generous with hopes, so it has been fair.
وشنّفَ أذْني بالهوى حُسْنُ منطقٍ
بنجواه غازلتُ الغزال المشنّفا
The melodiousness of passion has delighted my ear
with its coquetry; I have romanced the coquettish gazelle.
لياليَ كانتْ بالسرورِ منيرةً
وكان قناعي حالكاً لا مُفَوّفا
My nights were illuminated with bliss,
and my disposition was cheerful, not sullen.
وشربيَ من نَسْلِ الغمام سلالةً
تعُودُ من العنقودِ في الدنّ قرقفا
I drank from the progeny of clouds a lineage
that returns from the grape cluster as pure wine.
مُعَتّقَةً حمراءَ ينساغُ صِرْفها
إذا الماءُ فيها بالمزاج تَصَرّفا
Aged red wine whose taste is delightful
when the water mixes with it harmoniously.
كماءِ عقيقٍ في الزّجاجِ مُنَظّمٍ
عليه من الإزباد دُرّاً مجوّفا
Like the water of ruby in arranged glassware
with pearls carved into it hollowly.
تَوقَّدَ في كفِّ المنادم نورها
ولكنه بالشرب في فمه انطفا
Its light kindles in the palm of the drinking companion
but it extinguishes in his mouth when he drinks it.
تطوفُ بها مَمشوقَةُ القدّ زَرفَنَتْ
من المِسكِ في الكافور صُدْغاً مُعَطَّفَا
The one swaying of hips circulates it, perfumed
from musk with camphor on her cheek blended.
إذا أعرضتْ في الدّل ذلّ أخو الهوى
وصاغَ لها لفظَ الخضوع المُلطّفا
When she flirts with the lover of passion in tenderness
and articulates to him the gentle words of surrender,
هنالك خَفّتْ بي إلى اللهو صبوَةٌ
وَثَقّلَت الكاساتُ كفّي بما كَفَى
My vigor for amusement then diminishes in me
and the cups weigh down my palms with what suffices.
كأنّيَ لم أقنصْ نَوَاراً من المها
ولم أجنِ عذْبَ الرّشْفِ من مُرّة الجفا
It is as if I have not hunted the brilliance of meteors
or tasted the sweetness of wine from bitter lees.
ذكرتُ الحمى والساكنيه ودونه
خِضَمّ عليه تنبري الرّيحُ حرجفا
I remembered the tribe and its dwellers, upon which
the wind blows noisily, wildly.
ولمَّا أقلُّوا يوم بينهمُ على
هلال السُّرَى للشمس خدراً مسجفا
And when they gathered one day among themselves
around the crescent for shade from the blazing sun,
وألْقَتْ حُلاها من يديها وعَطّلَتْ
من الحلي فيه جيدَ رئم تَشَوّفا
And she threw off her cloak from her hands and took off
some of her jewelry, gazing at it longingly,
سقى الأقحوان الطلُّ عفّة
وعضّتْ من الحُزْنِ البنانَ المُطَرّفا
The sunburnt earth drank the dripping rainwater
and the cloven clouds bit the twigs in grief.
ولما جرى الدرّ الرطيب بِخَدّها
وسال إلى الدر النظيم توقّفا
And when the moist pearls ran down her cheek
and flowed to the strung pearls, pausing,
وأين تراهُ ذاهباً عن جنى فمٍ
كأنّ رضابَ الكأس منه ترشّفا
And where did it go from the bounty of a mouth
that seemed to have sipped the striking of the cup?
أما وشبابٍ بالمشيب اعتبرتُهُ
فأشْرَقْت عيني بالدّمُوع تأسّفا
When I took youth into account with old age,
my eyes shone with tears of regret.
لقد سرتُ في سهب المديح هدايةً
ومثليَ فيه لا يسيرُ تعَسّفا
I have wandered in the wilderness of praise, guided,
and one like me does not wander there pretentiously.
ولو كنتُ من دُرِّ الدّراري نظمته
لكانَ عليّ منه أعلى وأشرفا
Had I been one who strings pearls, I would have strung it
and it would have been nobler and more honorable for me.
همامٌ من الأملاك هزّ لواءهَ
وأوضَعَ حوْلَيْهِ الجيادَ وأوجفا
An angel among angels waved his banner
and steadied his steeds around him, neighing.
شجىً ذكره للروم كالموت إن جرى
أخافَ وإن أوفى على النفس أتلفا
The mention of him to the Romans is like death when he attacks
and if he fulfills an oath he sacrifices himself.
ذَبوبٌ عن الإسلام مَدّ لجيشِهِ
جناحاً عليه بالأسِنّةِ رفرفا
A tempest defending Islam stretched
its wing over it, fluttering with tongues.
يردّ عن الضرب الحديدَ مُثَلَّماً
ويثني عن الطّعنِ الوشيجَ مُقَصَّفا
He repels the iron blade all broken
and turns back the piercing spear all shattered,
إذا ظَلّلَتْهُ الطيرُ كانت أجورها
جسوماً ثَنى عن طَعنها الزُّرْقَ رُعّفَا
When birds give him shade, their bodies
are armor it avoids the striking of the coat of mail.
نسورٌ وعقبانٌ إذا هي أقبلتْ
محلِّقَةً سَدّتْ من الجوِّ نَفْنَفا
Eagles and hawks, when they approach
flying, plugging the sky twittering.
وتحسبها في نقعِهِ رَقْمَ بُرْقُعٍ
يجولُ على وجهٍ من الشمس مُسْدَفا
You would think them in his pounding a piece
of armor wandering on a sunlit face.
حمى ما حمى من بَيْضَةِ الدّين سيفُهُ
وأشفق في ذاتِ الإله وعنَّفا
His sword has protected what it has protected
of the religion's egg and cared for the deity's being.
ومن عَدَمٍ أغنى ومن حيرةٍ هدى
ومن ظمإٍ أروى ومن مرضٍ شفى
From non-existence he has enriched and from confusion guided,
From thirst he has watered and from illness healed.
كريمُ السجايا لوذَعِيُّ زَمانِهِ
تَهَذّبَ من أخلاقه وتظرّفا
Noble in qualities, refined in his time,
he has refined himself in morals and manners.
إذا عَنّ رأيٌ كالسها في ضيائهِ
ولم يكفِ أذكى رأيُهُ الشمس فاكتفى
When an opinion shone like the sun in its light
and the brightest of opinions did not eclipse the sun but sufficed,
سما في العلا قدراً فأدرك ما سما
إليه وأصمى سَهْمُهُ ما تهدفا
He ascended high in the horizon and attained what he ascended to
and his arrow precisely hit what it targeted.
سكوبُ حيا الكفين لا ناضبُ النّدى
ولا مخلفٌ وعداً إذا الغيث أخلفا
A handful of bounty not withholding dew
nor breaking a promise when the rain is broken.
تريه خفيّاتِ الأمورِ بصيرةٌ
كأنّ حجابَ الغيب عنها تكشّفا
An insight into the unseen things
as if the veil of the unseen is lifted from it.
بذكْرِ ابن يحيى عَطّرَ الدهرَ مَدحُنَا
وَخَلّدَ فيه ذكرنا وتشرّفا
With the mention of Ibn Yahya our praise has perfumed time
and immortalized our mention in it, ennobling it.
جوادُ بنانِ البذلِ منه غمائمٌ
تَصُوبُ على أيدي بني الدّهر وُكّفا
Clouds of the palm trees of generosity pour from it
upon the hands of people of all times as palms-full.
عليم بسرّ الحرب من قبل جهرها
وقرع الصفا بين الفريقين بالصفا
Knowledgeable about the secret of war before its emergence
and clashing the swords between the two armies with the sword.
يقارع منهم حاسراً كلّ مُعْلَمٍ
أفاضَ عليه الفارسيَّ المضعفا
He confronts among them defeating every learned one
who has outpoured upon him the doubled Persian verse.
عصاهُ لتأديبِ العُصاةِ إِذا بَغَوْا
غِرَارُ حسامٍ يَقْرَعُ الهامَ مرهفا
His stick to discipline the disobedient when they rebel,
a fiery sword that strikes resolve and cleaves it open.
على أنّه راسي الأناة مُخَدَّعٌ
إذا زاغ حلم عن ذوي الحزم أو هفا
Yet firmly rooted in patience, though appearing enraged
when patience strays from those firm of resolve or declines.
بنو الحرب أنتُم أَرضعَتكُم ثديّها
فمفترق الأقدام فيكم تألّفا
O people of war! His breasts have suckled you,
so the diverging legs among you are united.
إذا ما بدا طعْنُ الكماةِ وضربهم
كنَقْطٍ وشكلٍ منه أعجمت أحرفا
When the thrusts of the brave appear and their strikes
like dots and shapes from him letters are rendered illegible.
لك الخيلُ تسري الليلَ من كل سلهبٍ
ترى بطنه من شدة الركض مُخْطَفا
To you belong the steeds running night from every dark,
their bellies appear detached from the intensity of galloping.
له قلم في الأذن تحسَبُ أنه
بِنَصرك للتوقيع في الجيش حُرِّفا
He has a pen in the ear you would think
was tailored in the army for signing with your support.
إذا وطئت شمَّ الجبال نَسَفْنَها
وغادَرنَها قاعاً لعينيك صفصفا
If they trod the summits of mountains, he would blast them away
and leave them as a plain visible to your eyes wide open.
فيا ملكَ العصر الذي ظلّ عدله
على الدين والدنيا صفا منه ما صفا
O ruler of the era whom justice has shaded
over religion and life - from it emanated what emanated.
نداك بطبعٍ للعفاةِ ارتَجَلْتَهُ
وغيرك رَوّى في نداه تَكَلُّفَا
Your generosity has freely composed for the destitute
while others artificially composed theirs.
وكم من فقير بائس قد وصلته
فأضحى غنيّاً يسحب الذيل مترفا
And how many wretched poor you have connected
who then became wealthy, dragging his tail in luxury!
لمدحك أضحت كلّ فكرةِ شاعرٍ
مصنّفةً منه غريباً مصنفا
For your praise every idea of a poet
has become a strange classification composed by him.
وإن كنتُ عن حَفْلِ العُلى غائباً فلي
ثناءٌ كعَرْفِ المسكِ بالفضل عَرّفَا
And if I am absent from the assembly of the eminent
then for me is praise like the scent of musk conferred nobility.
