نَهَتِ الكواشحَ عنه والعُذّالا

فَكَأنَّما ملأتْ يديه وصالا

The gazelles prohibited him, and the reproachers,

So it was as if he filled his hands with union.

أَتَظُنّها رَحِمَتْهُ من أَلمِ الجَوَى

بِمُخَلخَلٍ يَستَرحِمُ الخِلخَالا

Do you think her pity for the pain of love

With the tinkle of bangles pleading for peace?

ظَمآنُ يَستسقي أُجاجَ دموعِهِ

من عارِضِ البَرِد الشنيبِ زلالا

A thirsty man seeking water from his flowing tears

From the lips of cold iron fresh and pure.

حَتّى إذا لَذَعَ الغَرامُ فؤادَهُ

شربَ الغليلَ وأُشرِبَ البِلبالا

Until when love's sting pierced his heart,

He drank anguish and was given confusion.

مُضْنىً أزارتْهُ خيالاً عائداً

فكأنّما زارَ الخيالُ خيالا

Grieving, his imagination clothed him with a returning phantom,

So it was as if the imagination visited a phantom.

لا يستجيبُ لسائلٍ فكأنّهُ

طَلَلٌ وهل طللٌ يجيبُ سُؤالا

He does not answer a questioner, as if he,

Were ruins - and do ruins respond to questions?

كَم سامِعٍ بِالعَينِ مِن آلامِهِ

قِيلاً بأفواهِ الدموعِ وقالا

How many listeners with eyes from his pains

Say with the mouths of tears and speak.

إِنّي طُرِفْتُ بِأَعينٍ في طَرفِها

سِحْرٌ يَحُلُّ مِنَ العقولِ عِقالا

I was captivated by eyes in whose glance

Is magic that melts reason.

وَفَحَصتُ عَن سَببٍ عَصَيتُ بِهِ النّهى

فَوَجدتُهُ ذُلّاً يُطيعُ دلالا

And I examined the reason for which I disobeyed the prohibition

And found it to be baseness obeying coquetry.

وَأَنا الَّذي صَيَّرْتُ عِلْقَ صبابتي

بصبابَتي للغانِيات مُذالا

And I am the one who made the wit of my youth

For the singing girls despicable.

فتَصيَّدَتنِي ظبيةٌ إنسِيّةٌ

وَأَنا الَّذي أَتَصَيَّدُ الرّئبالا

So I was hunted by a human gazelle,

While I am the one who hunts predators.

تُجري الأراكَ على الأقاح وظَلمُها

ريقٌ أذُقْتَ الشَّهدَ والجِريالا

She makes the white oryx run on barren land, and her injustice

Is a saliva whose sweetness you have tasted and become confused.

وتريكَ ليلاً في الذوائب يجتلي

نوراً عليك ظلامُهُ وصقالا

And she shows you at night in the darknesses illumination

Upon you - its darkness refined and polished.

وإذا تداولتِ الولائدُ مَشْطَهُ

عَرُضَ السُّرى بالمشطِ فيه وطالا

And when the combs took turns at his hair,

The Pleiades appeared in the comb repeatedly.

وتَنَفَّسَتْ بِالندِّ فيهِ فَخَيَّمتْ

نَارٌ مواصِلَةٌ بِهِ الإِشعالا

And it breathed with scent upon it, so it hovered

A lasting fire it kept aflame.

يا هَذِهِ لَقَدِ انفَرَدتِ بِصورَةٍ

لِلحُسنِ صُوِّرَ خَلقُها تِمثالا

O you who alone possess a picture

Of beauty - its creation a statue depicted.

أمّا الجفونُ فقد خَلَقْنَ مقَاتِلاً

مِنّي فَكَيفَ خَلَقْنَ مِنكِ نِبالا

As for the eyelids, they were created as my warriors,

Then how did they create warriors from you?

هَل تطلعينَ عليَّ بدراً عن رضىً

فأراكِ عن غضَبٍ طلعتِ هلالا

Will you look upon me with a full moon of pleasure

That I see you look with anger a crescent?

ألفيتُ بَرْقَكِ في المَخِيلَةَ خُلّباً

ويمينَ عَهدكِ في الوفاءِ شمالا

I was accustomed to the flashing of your lightning in imagination deceptive,

And the oath of your right hand in loyalty false.

ما هذه الفتكات في مهجاتنا

هَل كانَ عِندَكِ قَتلهنَّ حلالا

What are these murders in our passions -

Was their killing made lawful to you?

لِم لا ترقُّ لَنا بِقَلبِكَ قَسوَة

أَخُلِقْتِ إِلّا غادَة مِكسالا

Why is your heart not softened toward us,

Were you created only wild and apathetic?

وظُباكِ تصرعُ دائباً أهلَ الهَوى

وَظُبا عليٍّ تَصرَع الأبطالا

And your oryx fells the roamer of love,

While Ali's oryx fells heroes.

مَلكٌ لِنصر اللَّه سَلَّ مجاهداً

عَضْباً تَوَقّدَ بالمتونِ وسالا

A king for God's victory - may he be safe - waged holy war,

Kindling a blazing rage in the text.

وإذا شدا في الهام خلتَ صليلَهُ

عمَلاً وَهَزّ غِرارِهِ استِهلالا

And when he tightened the reins it was as if

He set the water-skin in order and brandished his sword to start.

وَكَأنَّهُ مِن كُلِّ دِرعٍ قَدَّها

يُغْري بأحداقِ الجرادِ نَمالا

It was as if he gathered from every coat of mail he donned

Locusts to stir up the valley's torrent.

مَلكٌ إِذا نَظَمَ المِكارِمَ مَثَّلتْ

يدُهُ بها التتميمَ والإيغالا

A king, when he composes virtues, his hand

Adorns them with amulets and plunges ahead.

فَدَعِ الهبات إِذا ذَكَرْتَ هِباته

تُنْسي البحورُ بِذِكرها الأوشالا

So leave donations when you mention his donations -

The oceans forget their depths remembering them.

ماضٍ على هَوْلِ الوقائعِ مُقْدِمٌ

كَالسيفِ صَمّمَ وَالغَضَنفرِ صالا

Advancing into the horror of events

Like the sword - determined, and the lofty spear, raised.

يرمي بثالثَةِ الأثافي قِرْنَهُ

فَالأَرْضُ مِنها تَشتَكي الزلزالا

He shoots with his three spears their points -

The earth complains to him of quaking.

فَبِأَيِّ شَيءٍ تَتَّقي من بأسِهِ

ما لو رَمَى جبلاً به لانهالا

With what thing can you be wary of his power

When if he shot a mountain it would be leveled?

يصْلى حرورَ الموْت مَنْ مَدّتْ له

يمناهُ من وَرَقِ الحديدِ ظلالا

He prays the noon prayer of death upon those

Whose right hand was extended by the iron leaf's shade.

هَدّ الضّلالَ فلم تقُمْ عُمُدٌ له

وأقامَ من عمد الهدى ما مالا

He led misguidance astray but no pillars remained for it,

And made pillars that do not lean from the pillars of guidance.

من سادةٍ أخلاقُهُمْ وحلومُهُمْ

تتعرّضانِ بسائطاً وجبالا

From masters whose manners and disposition

Offer openly both plain and mountain,

أقْيَالُ حِمْيَرَ لا يَرُدّ زمانُهُمْ

لَهمُ بما أمرُوا بِه أقْوَالا

Donkeys they bridle - time does not return them -

For the command they were ordered speechless.

وإذا الكريهةُ بالحتوفِ تسعّرَتْ

وغدتْ نواجذُها قناً ونصالا

And when horrors blaze with hot anger

And their fangs become bows and spears,

واستَحضَرَ اللَّيلُ النّهارَ بظلمةٍ

طلعتْ بها زُهْرُ النجوم إلالا

And the night brings out day with its darkness,

In it the flowers of stars blossomed, sparkling,

نَبذوا الدّروعَ وقاربت أعمارهم

نيل اللّهاذم والظُّبا الآجالا

They cast off their armor, and their lifespans

Drew near attaining God's punishment and destiny.

حَتّى كَأَنَّهُمُ بِهَجرِ حَياتِهمْ

يَجِدونَ مِنها بالحِمامِ وِصالا

Until it was as if by leaving their lives

They found in pigeons union.

فهمُ همُ أُسْدُ الأسود براثناً

وأرقّ أبناءِ الملوكِ نِعالا

For they are the lions of lions with sharp teeth

And the gentlest sons of kings with soft sandals

يا مَنْ تَضَمّنَ فضْلُهُ إفْضالَهُ

والفضلُ ما يَتَضَمّنُ الإفضالا

O you whose merit includes his endowment

And merit is that which includes endowment

عَيّدْتَ بالإسْلامِ مُهْتبِلاً لهُ

في زينةٍ خلعتْ عليه جمالا

You renewed Islam, entering it splendidly

In finery on which you bestowed beauty.

ولبستَ فيه على شِعارِكَ بالتُّقى

من ربّكَ الإعظامَ والإجْلالا

And you wore over your banner reverently

From your Lord grandeur and veneration.

قدّمْتَ عدّ بنيك فيه لمن يَرى

ليثَ الكفاح يُرَشّحُ الأشبالا

You presented your tall sons in it - whoever sees

The lion of battle training the cubs.

في جحفلٍ ملأ الهواءَ خوافقاً

والسّمْعَ رِكْزاً والفَضاءَ رعالا

In a huge army that filled the air with standards

And the hearing with pounding and the space with neighing,

وكأنّ أطراف الذوابلِ فوقَه

تُذْكي لإطفاءِ النّفوس ذُبَالا

And it was as if the ends of the banners above it

Kindled fires to extinguish souls.

بالخَيْلِ جُرداً والسيوف قواضباً

والبزْلِ قُوداً والرماح طوالا

With bare cavalry, swords at the ready,

Corpses, reins, and long spears,

وبعارِضِ الموتِ الذي في طيِّهِ

وَبْلٌ يَصُبُّ على عِداكَ وبالا

And with the aspect of death which in its folds

Pours out upon your enemies a flood and affliction.

تَرَكَتْ ثَعابينُ القفارِ شِعابَها

وأُسودُها الآجام والأغيالا

The serpents of the wilderness left their lairs

And their sturdy, brutal lions.

وأتت معوّلةً على جيفِ العدى

وحسبنَ سِلْمَكَ بالعجاج قتالا

And they came relying upon the corpses of the slain

Deeming your peace with them battle enough.

خَفَقَتْ بنودٌ ظَلَّلت عَذَباتها

بُهَماً سيوفُها الضُّلّالا

Flags fluttered, their good fortune shaded,

By the misguidance, their swords, wandering.

من كلّ جسمٍ يَحتْسي من ريحِهِ

روحاً يقُيم بخلقهِ أشكالا

From every body warmed by its fragrance

A spirit it erects, creating forms.

وكأنّ أجياداً حباك جيادَهُ

فكسوتَهُنّ من الجَلالِ جُلالا

And it was as if you had lovingly clothed its steeds

In the finery of majesty, beauty atop beauty.

من كلّ وَرْدٍ رائقٍ كسميِّهِ

فتخالُ من شَفَقٍ له سربالا

From every delicate blossom like its mark

Enchanted from the red sky in its strap,

أَو أَشقَرٍ كَالصبحِ يَعقِلُ رادعاً

هَيْقَ الفلاةِ وجأبها الذيّالا

Or blond like the dawn, restraining

The panic of the wilderness, making it manageable,

أو أشعلٍ كالسّيد عَرّضَ سابحاً

فحسبته بالأيطلَينِ غزالا

Or aflame like the leader displayed swimmingly

You would think it, in the deserts, a gazelle

أو مُشْبِهٍ لعس الشفاهِ فكُلَّما

رَشَفَتْهُ بالنّظَرِ العيونُ أحالا

Or resembling the sword of lips - so whenever

Eyes moistened it with a glance, they wavered

أو لابسٍ ثوباً عليه مُرَيَّشاً

وصلتْ قوائمه به أذيالا

Or wearing a garment with silver embroidery upon it

Its legs' hems connected by trains

أَو أَدهَمٍ كاللَّيلِ أَمّا لونه

فَلَكَم تَمنّى الحسنُ منه خيالا

Or black like the night - as for its color

How much beauty wished for its imagination!

يَطَأُ الصفا بالجزع منه زبرجدٌ

فيثيرهُ في جوّه قَسْطالا

It walked on the plain with pride - from it an emerald

Stirring the air within it into agitation

والبُزْلُ تجنحُ بالقِبابِ كأنّها

سُفُنٌ مدافعةٌ صَباً وشمالا

And the corpses with domed howdahs as if they were

Ships repelling the winds, north and south

وكأنّما حملت رُبى قد نوّرَتْ

وَسُقِينَ من صَوْبِ الربيع سجالا

And as if they carried rubies which gleamed

And chrysolites watered from the downpour of spring,

وَكَأَنَّما زُفَّتْ لَهُنَّ عَرائِساً

لِتَحلّ مَغْنَى عِزِّك المحلالا

And as if they were led to them brides

To dissolve your glorious pride in pleasure

بَكَرَت تَعالى للهِلالِ وما انثَنَتْ

حَتّى رَأيتَ لَها الهلالَ تَعالى

The new moon rose for the crescent and did not bow

Until you saw it rise to the crescent.

صَلّيتَ ثمَّ نحرتَ في سُنَنِ الهدى

بُدْناً كنحرِكَ في الوغى الأقتالا

You prayed and then slaughtered in the ways of guidance

Bodies like your slaughter in the clash of battle

وَتَبِعتَ سُنَّةَ أَحمدٍ وأريتنا

مِنْ فِعْلِهِ في الفعلِ منك مثالا

And you followed the way of Ahmad and showed us

From his action through your action an example.

ثمَّ انصرفتَ إلى قصورك تبتني

مجداً وتهدمُ بالمكارمِ مالا

Then you returned to your palaces, achieving

Glory and destroying with virtues wealth.

وتؤكّد الأسماءَ في ما تشتهي

من هِمَةٍّ وَتُصَرِّفُ الأفعالا

You confirmed names in what you desired

Of resolve and directed deeds.