صادَتْكَ مهاةٌ لم تُصَدِ

فلواحِظُها شَرَكُ الأُسُدِ

A gazelle turned away from you, that was never turned away,

So watch out for the traps of lions.

مَنْ تُوحي السحرَ بناظرةٍ

لا تُنْفَثُ منه في العُقَدِ

One whose eyes cast a spell,

From which no knots can be untied.

لمياءُ تَضَاحَكُ عن دُرَرٍ

وبروقِ حياً وحَصَى بَرَدِ

The brilliance of her smile shines over pearls,

And flashes of lightning and cold pebbles.

يَندى بِالمِسكِ لِراشِفِهِ

وسلافِ القَهوةِ والشهدِ

The musk scents her cheek,

And the aroma of coffee and honey.

وَذَمَاءُ الليلِ على طَرْفٍ

كترحّلِ روحٍ عن جَسَدِ

And the darkness of night on an eyelid,

Like the soul leaving its body.

ورضابُ الماءِ بفيكِ جَرَى

في جوهره عَرَضُ الصَّرَدِ

And the rhythmic beating of water in a stream,

Its essence is like beads of pearl.

وكَأَنَّ كَليمَ اللَّه بَدا

منه في الأفْقِ بياضُ يَدِ

And as if Moses appeared,

In the horizon with his white hand.

أَسَفي لِفِراقِ زَمانِ صبا

وركوبي قَيْدَ مَهَا الخُرُدِ

Woe to me for the loss of the days of my youth,

And my slavery to the bonds of old age.

مِن كُلِّ مُطابَقَةٍ خُلُقي

بِوَفاءِ سُروريَ أَو كمدي

In all my qualities is my nature,

Either faithful to my happiness or suppressed.

هيفاءُ يُعَجّزُهَا كَفَلٌ

فتقومُ وتقعدُ بالرُّفَدِ

Her cheek cannot be reached,

So she stands and sits arrogantly.

لونُ الياقوتِ وقسوتُهُ

في الوجنةِ منها والكَبدِ

The color of ruby and its hardness,

Are in her gums and liver.

ولها في جيدِ مُرَوَّعَةٍ

حَلْيٌ صاغَتْهُ من الغَيَدِ

And she has on a frightening neck,

Jewelry she crafted from shells.

نَقَضَتْ وصلي بتتيُّعها

بالهجرِ ونَومي بِالسّهدِ

She broke off my relationship by her coquetry,

With separation and my sleep with worry.

وأصابَ السودَ سهامُ البي

ضِ بِبَيْنِ البيض وبالنكَدِ

And the arrows of separation struck me,

Between the white and the toil.

عَجَبي لإصابةِ مُرْسَلِهَا

منْ جَوْفِ ضلوعي في الخَلَدِ

I wonder at the accuracy of her shooting,

From the depths of my ribs to the eternities.

يا نارَ نشاطي أين سنا

كِ وأين لظاكِ بمفتأدي

O fire of my vigor, where is your flame?

And where is your burning brand in my kindling?

زَندي وَلَدتكَ وقَد عَقِمَتْ

عن حَملِ السِّقْطِ فَلَم تَلِدِ

Zend gave birth to you, and she became barren,

Unable to carry miscarriages, so she did not give birth.

أَحيَيتِ بِذِكري مَيْتَ صباً

أَبكيهِ مسايرةَ الأبَدِ

You brought to life my dead youth,

Which I cry over as I go along with eternity.

وطَلَبتِ الضدَّ لأوجِدَهُ

وجموحي في الصدِّ فَلَم أَجِدِ

And you sought the opposite to create it,

While I ardently resist, but do not find.

ولوَ انَّ كَريماً تَفْقدُهُ

يُفْدى بالنفس إذنْ لَفُدي

Had there been a generous one whom you miss,

He would be ransomed with the soul, I would have been redeemed.

أذهبتُ الحزن بمُذْهَبَةٍ

وبها ذَهّبْتُ لُجَيْنَ يدي

I removed sorrow with distraction,

And with it I removed the dirt from my hands.

ولقد نادمْتُ ندامى الرّا

حِ بِمُطّرفي وبِمُتّلَدي

And I have regretted, the regret of the penitent,

With my glances and my pretensions.

بمعتّقَةٍ قَدُمَتْ فأتَتْ

للشَّرْبِ بلذّاتٍ جُدُدِ

With a freed slave girl who came and brought

Drinks of delight renewed.

سُبِيَتْ بِسُيوفٍ من ذَهَبِ

مِن أَهلِ السبتِ أَوِ الأَحَدِ

She was captured with swords of gold,

From the people of Saturday or Sunday.

وإذا ما عُدّ لها عُمُرٌ

مَلأتْ كَفَّيْكَ منَ العَدَدِ

And if her lifetime is counted,

She fills your palms with numbers.

يَطفو في الكاسِ لَها حَبَبٌ

كَصِغارِ مَساميرِ السّرَدِ

There float in her cup seeds,

Like the small nails of a necklace.

وإِذا ما غاصَ الماءُ بِها

في النّار تردّتْ بِالزبَدِ

And when the water sinks with them,

In the fire, it turns into foam.

ونَفَيتُ الهَمَّ بِبِنتِ الكَر

مِ وَنَقرِ العودِ فَلَم يَعدِ

And I dispelled worries with the daughter of the vine,

And the melodies of the lute, so they did not return.

ولَبِثتُ مُشَنَّفَةً أُذُني

بِتَرنُّم ذي النّغَم الغردِ

And I remained with my ears inclined

To the singing of the one with the warbling voice.

فالآن صددتُ كذي حَذَرٍ

عن وِرْدِ اللَّهوِ فلم أَرِدِ

So now I have avoided intoxication,

And did not want the frequenting of vanity.

وطردتُ منامَ الغيِّ عن ال

أجفان بإيقاظِ الرّشَدِ

And I dispelled the sleep of oblivion from the eyelids

By the awakening of integrity.

ونَقَضتُ عُهودَ الشَّربِ فَلا

ودّ أُصفيه لأهلِ دَدِ

And I broke the vows of drinking,

I have no affection left for the people of the monastery.

لا أَشرَبُ ما أَنا واصِفُهُ

فكأنّي بينهمُ قَعَدِي

I do not drink what I describe,

So it is as if I am sitting with them.

وَنَقَلْتُ بعزمي من بَلَدٍ

قَدَمَ الإسْرَاءِ إِلى بَلَدِ

And I moved my determination from a land

Whose feet touched the Divine Throne, to the land

في بَطْنِ الفُلكِ مُصارَعَةً

زَمَني وعلى ظَهْرِ الأُجُدِ

Of the ship’s belly, wrestling

My time and riding high seas.

ووجدتُ الدِّينَ له حسناً

سَنَداً فَلَجئتُ إلى السنَدِ

And I found religion good support,

So I took refuge in faith.

صَمَدَ اللاجونَ إلى مَلِكٍ

مَنصورٍ بالأحَدِ الصّمَدِ

The everlasting leaned on an eternal king,

Aided by the Unique, the Eternal.

كالشمسِ سناها مُقْتَرِبٌ

وذراها مِنكَ عَلى بُعُدِ

Like the sun, one who comes close to it,

Sees its brilliance, and one far sees its light from you.

وَإِذا ما آنَسَ مِنهُ سَناً

مَنْ ضَلَّ بِجُنحِ اللَّيلِ هُدي

And when one who went astray in the darkness of night

Sees its brilliance, they are guided.

خُصَّتْ بِنَوالٍ شيمَتُهُ

عَجِلٍ وكلامٍ مُتّئِدِ

She was distinguished with an integrity,

Of a sincere nature and refined speech.

لا وَعْدَ له بالجود وَمَنْ

يبدأ بعطاءٍ لا يَعِدِ

He makes no promises of generosity, and one who

Begins with a gift does not promise.

وبِنِيّةِ شهمٍ مُنْتَصِرٍ

للَّه جميلِ المُعْتَقَدِ

And with the intention of a victorious valor,

For the beautiful belief in God.

فَيَصونُ العِرضَ بما بَذَلَتْ

لِلوَفدِ يَداهُ مِنَ الصّفدِ

Thus he protects honor with what

His hands offered the delegation from captivity.

وَيسدّ الثغرَ وسيرتُهُ

تَجري في المُلكِ على سَدَدِ

And he closes the breach, and his conduct

Flows rightly in the kingdom.

ويسلّ ظُبَاهُ بِكُلّ وغىً

ويسيلُ نداهُ بِكُلِّ يَدِ

He unleashes his lions against every turmoil,

And his hands flow towards every side.

وَتُريكَ اليَومَ بَصيرَتُهُ

ما يُخْفي عنك ضَميرُ غَدِ

And your insight shows you today,

What the conscience of tomorrow conceals from you.

ولهُ هممٌ تَبْني رُتَباً

خُصَّتْ بِعَلاءٍ مُنفَرِدِ

And he has ambitions that build heights,

Distinguished with lofty uniqueness.

إِلهامَ الدينِ وَحامِيَهُ

قَوِّم بسُطاك ذَوي الأوَدِ

The inspiration of religion and its protector

Straighten your authority, people of affection.

فُتّ السُّبَّاقَ بما كَحَلُوا

بغبارك عيناً في الأَمَدِ

The outstanding by what they have mixed

With your dust, an eye in hopes.

والريحُ وراءَك عاثرةٌ

في الأيْنِ تُكَبّ وفي النُّجُدِ

And the wind behind you is faltering,

Stumbling in the valleys and the highlands.

نَصْرٌ أُيّدْتَ به ظَفَراً

والساعِدُ يُنْجَدُ بالعضُدِ

A victory you were supported with,

And the arm is given relief by the shoulder.

يا غيثَ المحلِ بلا كذبٍ

وشجاعَ الحربِ بلا فَنَدِ

O rain of the homeland, without lies,

And brave of war, without weakening.

لحظاتُ أناتِكَ جانِبُها

أرْسَى في غَيظِكِ من أُحُدِ

The moments of your moaning, their side

Is more bitter than aloes in your anger.

وَلِواؤُكَ تَقْدُمُ هَيْبَتُهُ

بعديدٍ يُلبِكُ في العَدَدِ

And your banner, its awe advances,

With numbers that gather in multitude.

وَكَأنّ عدُوّكَ خافِقُهُ

بِجَناحِ فُؤادٍ مُرتَعِدِ

And it is as if your enemy’s heart

Flutters with the wing of a trembling heart.

إن كنتُ قَصَرْتُ مُحَبَّرَةً

تَسهيمَ المُحكَمِ ذي الجُدَدِ

If I fell short, feathered,

In aiming the conclusive, the renewed.

فَالعَذْبُ يَجِلّ بِقِلَّتِهِ

وعَلَيهِ عِمادُ المُعتَمدِ

Then the little is still good with its scarcity,

And the principle depends on the pillar.

وأُجاجُ الماءِ بِكَثرَتِهِ

لا رَيِّ بِهِ لِغَليلِ صَدِ

And the great mass of water with its abundance,

There is no comfort in it for a thirsty one.

والشِّعر أَجَدتُ بِمَعرِفَتي

تَأنيسَ غَرائِبهِ الشُّرُدِ

And poetry, I found with my knowledge,

A friend against its bizarre perplexity.

لَو شِئتُ لَقُلتُ لِقافِيةٍ

في الوَزنِ تَخِبُّ إِلَيكَ خِدي

If I wanted, I would say to a rhyme

In meter that comes humbly to you my cheek.

بِصَقيلِ اللَّفظِ مُنَقَّحِهِ

لا سَمعَ يَمرّ به بِصَدِ

With refined words, filtered,

No ear passes it with blocking.

لا زيفَ به فيريكَ قذىً

في عَيْنِ بَصيرةِ مُنتَقِدِ

No falsity in it to show you motes

In the eye of a critical observer.

لا يَسمَعُ فيهِ مُستَمِعٌ

زَفَراتُ أَسىً كَالمُفتَقِدِ

No listener hears in it

The groans of sorrow like the seeking one.

فصفيرُ البلبلِ مُطّرَحٌ

في الأيْكِ له صوتُ الصُّرَدِ

So the warbling of the nightingale is relative

In the branches, its voice is like the birds.

تَستَحسِنُ عَودَةَ مُنشِدِهِ

وتقولُ إذا ما زادَ زِدِ

You appreciate the return of its reciter

And you say, when he increases, increase!

فَبِغامُ الرِئمِ حلاوَتُهُ

وجزالتُه زَأرُ الأسدِ

So in the clouds of spring is its sweetness

And its heaviness is the roar of the lion.

وَبِذِلّةِ أهلِ السبت قَضَى

ويذلّ له أهْلُ الأحدِ

And it fulfilled the humiliation of the people of Saturday

And the people of Sunday are humiliated to it.

فَانصُرْ وافخَرْ وأدِرْ وأشِرْ

وَأَبِرْ وأَجِرْ وأَغِرْ وَسُدِ

So help and pride yourself and manage and indicate

And dutiful and generous and overwhelming and bar.