هل كان أودعَ سرَّ قلب مِحجرا
صَبٌّ يُكابِدُ دَمعَهُ المُتَحَدِّرا
Did he who deposited the secret of his heart in a rocky cavern
Endure like molten lead flowing in tears?
باتَت لَهُ عَينُ تَفيضُ بِلُجّةٍ
قَذَفَ السّهادُ على سَواحِلِها الكرى
His eyes flowed copiously in the night
Pillows cast on their shores.
ما بالُ سالي القلبِ عَنَّفَ مَن لَهُ
قَلبٌ بِتَفتيرِ اللِّحاظِ تَفَطَّرا
Why did the torrential heart rebuke the one whose
Heart was rent by the tattered garment?
وَرَمى نَصيحَتهُ إلى قَنصِ الهَوى
فإذا رَعَى حَوْلَ الحبائلِ نُفّرا
And cast his advice to the hunt of passion
When he shepherded around the ropes of love.
إِنَّ الغرامَ غرامُهُ ذو سَوْرَةٍ
وَمِنَ العيونِ على القلوبِ تَسَوّرا
Lovesickness is ardent lovesickness
And eyes on hearts crept up.
وإذا تَعَلّقَ بالعَلاقةِ مُهْتَدٍ
ورنا إلى حَوَرِ الظباءِ تحيّرا
And when an ardent clinger held fast to fondness
He trotted to the Does’ pasture, wandering.
وَمِن الفواتِكِ بِالوَرى لكَ غادَةٌ
كَحَلَتْ بمثلِ السحرِ طرفاً أحوَرا
And for you among the girls of the land an absent one
Who, with the magic of dawn, blackened an eyelid.
ملآنُ منها حِقْفُها وَوِشاحُها
صِفْرٌ تخالُ الخَصْرَ فيه خِنْصَرا
Her waist-wrapper and face-veil are filled
With yellow, as if a girdle split a slender waist.
عادَت سَقيماً مِن سَقامِ جُفونِها
خَطَرَت عَلَيهِ كَرُؤيَة فَتَخَطَّرا
She returned sickly from the sickness of her eyelids.
She appeared to him like a startling vision.
شَرِقَ الظلامُ تألّقاً بضيائها
فكأنّما شَرِبَ الصَّباحُ المُسفرا
The darkness shone radiantly through her splendor.
As if the dawn had drunk the unveiled.
سَحَبَتْ ذوائبَها فَيا لأَساودٍ
نَفَثَتْ على القدمينِ مِسْكاً أَذفَرا
She lowered her braids—oh, for blackness—
And breathed musk on legs that spilled saffron.
وَمَشَت تَرَنّحُ كَالنَّزيفِ وَمَشيها
فَضَحَ القطاةَ بِحُسنِهِ والجُؤذَرَا
She walked with a limp like dripping blood while her gait
Put the partridges to shame in grace and beauty.
فَعَجِبتُ من غُصْنٍ تُدَافِعُهُ الصَّبا
بِالنهدِ أَثمَر وَالثنايا نَوّرَا
So I marveled at a branch the morning breeze contended with
A breast fruited and hips made tender.
معشوقةٌ حَيّتْ بوردةِ وجنةٍ
وَسقَتْ بكاسِ فمٍ سلافاً مُسْكرا
A beloved who greeted with the rose of a cheek
And gave to drink from the goblet of a mouth a heady wine.
لا تَعجَبَنْ مما أقولُ فَمِقوَلي
عن حُكْمِ عَيْني بالبخيلة أخْبَرا
Do not wonder at my words. For my saying
Informed about the judgment of my stingy eye.
إنِّي امرؤ كلّ الفكاهة حازها
والصّيْدُ كلُّ الصَّيدِ في جوفِ الفِرا
I am a man who gained all jest.
And the hunt, all the hunt in the interior of honor.
يا ربَّ ذي مَدٍّ وجزرٍ ماؤهُ
للفلك هُلْكٌ قَطْعُهُ فَتَيَسّرا
O Lord of extension and ebb, may His water
Be destruction to the sphere if it is severed.
نَفَخ الدُّجى لما رآه ميِّتاً
فيه مكان الروح ريحاً صرصرا
The darkness blew when it saw him dead.
In place of the soul, it blew a whistling wind.
يُفضي إلى حيِّ العبابِ تَخاله
لولا رُبى الآذيِّ قيعاً مقفرا
It leads to the Bewilderer of mankind in his solitude
Were it not for the mountain goats roaming the barren wadis.
يخشى لوحشَتِه السُّلَيْكُ سلوكَهُ
ويلوكُ فيه الرعبُ قلبَ الشنفرى
Even the fox fears his fierceness in roaming,
And terror in him makes the spotted hyena recoil.
خُضنا حشاه في حَشَى زِنجيَّةٍ
كَمُسِفّةٍ شَقَّتْ سُكاكاً أغبرا
We sheathed his blade in the guts of a black woman
Like a broadsword that rent a dusty quiver.
تنجو أمَامَ القدح وَخْدَ نجيبةَ
فكأنّه فحلٌ عليها جرجرا
She escapes the cup and the forearm of a refined woman.
As if he were a stallion mounting her noisily.
بحرٌ حكى جودَ ابن يحيى فيضُهُ
وطما بسيفِ القصر منه فَقَصّرا
A sea that related the bounty of Ibn Yahya—its torrents
And the meteors of the palace among them diminished.
أقرَى الملوك يداً وأرفع ذِمَّةً
وأجلّ منقبةً وأكرمُ عُنْصُرا
He provides kings a generous hand and the loftiest ethic,
And the most distinguished pedigree and noblest ancestry.
لا تحسبِ الهمّاتِ شيئاً واحداً
شتّانَ ما بين الثُّريَّا والثَّرى
Do not consider worries to be one thing—
Great is the difference between Pleiades and motes.
بدرُ المهابة يحتبي في دَسْتِهِ
مَلِكٌ إذا مَلكٌ رآه كبّرا
The full moon of awe hides in the sleeves of his garments.
When a king sees a king he extols.
نجْلُ الأعاظم من ذؤابةِ حِمْيَرٍ
صقَلَ الزمانُ به مفاخرَ حميَرا
The star of the supreme from the loins of a reddish she-camel
Time polished its glories of a reddish she-camel through him.
يزدانُ في العلياءِ منه سريرهُ
بِمُمَلَّكٍ في المهدِ كانَ مؤمَّرا
His throne in the highest heaven is adorned
By a ruler who in the cradle was kept awake at night.
لبِسَ التَّذلُّلَ والخشوعَ لعزّهِ
كلّ امرئٍ لبس الخنى وتحيَرا
All mortals donned before his might
Humility and bewilderment in submission.
وكأنّما في كل مِقوَلِ ناطقٍ
من ذكره خَوْفٌ يُسَلّ مُذَكَّرا
And as if in every saying of the eloquent
Fear that makes the admonished tremble was inserted.
وكأنّهُ في الدَّهرِ خُيِّرَ فانتقى
أيّامَهُ من حُسْنِها وتَخَيّرا
And as if He chose him in this world
And picked his days for their beauty.
طَلْقُ المُحَيَّا لا بُسُورَ له إذا
بَسَرَ الحِمامُ بِمأزِقٍ وتَمَعَّرا
Smooth of cheek—no veil covers him when
The turtledove sings melodiously in the pass.
أخدودهُ في الرأسِ ضَرْبَةُ أبيضٍ
وقليبُه في القلب طعنةُ أَسمَرا
The crease in his head is the blow of a shining sword.
And his twist of heart is the stab of a brown spear.
وإذا تَعَرّى للشجاع حُسَامُهُ
بكريهةٍ قَتلَ الشجاعةَ بالعَرا
And when the sword of the valiant is bared
For the fight, it kills courage with the flawless.
كم منْ صريعٍ عاطلٍ من رأسه
بالضرب طَوّقَهُ حساماً مبترا
How many a fallen foe from the blow of his sword
He collared with the broken remains of a blade!
مُتَيَقِّظٌ ملأ الزمانَ لأهله
أمنْاً أنامَ به وخوفاً أسهَرا
Vigilant, he filled time for his nation
With safety in which it slept and fear in which it woke.
عَصَفتْ لِتُدرِكَهُ الصَّبا فكأنَّما
جَمدَتْ وَقرَّت خلفه لمَّا جَرى
The morning breeze blew to catch up with him
As if frozen and settled behind him when he sped off.
أَحْبِبْ بِذاكَ السبقِ إذ هوَ في مَدى
شَرَفٍ يثيرُ به العلى لا العِثيَرا
Love that precedence, as it is in the furthest reach
Of noble glory, not stirring up ashes.
يُسْدي المكارم من أناملِ مُفْضِلٍ
أغْنى الزمانُ بنَيلها مَن أَفقَرا
He pours generosity from the fingers of Mufaddal
Enriching the times for one impoverished.
أحيا بِهِ المعروفَ بينَ عِبادِهِ
ربٌّ بسيرته أماتَ المُنكَرا
He revived benefaction among His servants through him.
A Lord whose conduct killed immorality.
وكتيبةٍ كَتَبَتْ صدورُ رماحها
للموتِ في صُحُفِ الحيازم أسْطُرا
And a troop whose chests their lances inscribed
For death pages in books of resolute men.
مُلِئَتْ بها الحربُ العَوَانُ ضراغماً
وصلادماً وقشاعماً وَسَنَوّرا
The war was filled with them—armor,
Shields, helmets, and coats of mail.
جاءت لفيفاً في رواق عجاجةٍ
سوداءَ دَرْهَمَها اللميعُ ودنّرا
They came in throngs in the portico of clanging
Black coins—their mail coats shone brightly.
وبدا عليٌّ في سماءِ قتامها
قمراً وصالَ على الفوارس قَسْوَرا
And ‘Ali appeared in the dark heavens of their darkness
A moon that dawned on the horsemen.
بخطيبِ موتٍ في الوقائع جاعلٍ
لغراره رأسَ المدجَّج مِنْبَرا
With the orator of death in battles making
His own neck for his sermon the pulpit.
بحرٌ إذا ما القرنُ رام عبورَهُ
لم يَلْقَ فيه إلى السَّلامَةِ مَعبرا
A sea—when the centuries desired crossing it
They found no way to safety within it.
عَطِبَتْ به مُهَجُ الجبابِرَةِ الأُلى
بَصُرُوا بِكِسرى في الزَّمانِ وقَيصَرا
The viscera of tyrants became barren through him.
They saw Chosroes in time as well as Caesar.
رسبت بلَجَّتِهِ النُّفوسُ ولو طَفَتْ
لحسبتَهُ قَبْلَ القيامةِ محشرا
Souls were harvested in its torrent, and if they floated
You would think them—before resurrection—mustered.
وَرَدَ النجيعَ وَسَوْسَنٌ جنباته
ثُمَّ استَقَلَّ بِهِنَّ وَرداً أَحمرا
He came to the encampment, and his chest are roses
He then dismounted with them as red roses.
وكأنّما نارٌ تُشَبُّ بمتنه
أبداً تُحَرّقُ فيه روضاً أخضرا
As if a fire perpetually burning
In it kindled a green meadow.
فَتَقَ الرياح بفخره فكأنّما
خُضْنا إليه بالمعاطسِ عنبرا
So the winds burst with his pride as if
We rolled unto him perfumes of ambergris.
رَفَعَ القريضُ به عقَائِرَ مَدحِهِ
فَاهتَزَّ في يَدِهِ النّدى وتَفَجَّرا
Poetry raised through him the sanctities of his praise.
Dew shook in its hand and gushed forth.
وأَتى العَطاءُ مُفَضضاً ومُذهباً
وأتى الثناءُ مسهّماً ومحبَّرا
And bounty came shedding and scattering gold
And praise came adorned and illuminated.
فكأنّما زخرتْ غواربُ دجلةٍ
وكأنّما نُشِرَتْ وشائعُ عبقرا
So it was as if the ships of the Tigris flourished
And as if the rumors of Abqar were published.
يا مَنْ إذا بَصَرٌ رآه فقد رأى
في بردَتَيهِ الأَكرَمينَ مِنَ الوَرى
O you whom when a sighted one saw, it was as if he saw
In your two most generousmantles the rarest of mankind.
وَبَدا لَهُ أَنَّا بِأَلْسِنَةِ العلى
في جَوهَرِ الأَملاكِ نَنظِمُ جَوهَرا
And it became clear to him that our tongues
Compose in the essence of kingdoms essence.
من نُور بِشرِكَ أشرقَ النور الَّذي
بِتَكاثُرِ الأعيادِ عِندَكَ بَشّرا
From the light of your blessedness the light shone
Which, with the frequency of your feasts, gave tidings.
وَاسلَمْ لِملكِكَ في تَقَاعُسِ عِزَّةٍ
وَأَبِدْ بِسَيفِكَ مَن عَدا واستَكبَرا
And submit to your kingdom in neglect of glory
And manifest with your sword those who opposed and grew arrogant.
