سلوا فاتر الأجفان عن كبدي الحرا

وعن در أجفاني سلوا العقد والنحرا

Ask the languid eyelids about my burning liver,

And ask the pearls of my eyelids and my throat necklace.

حبيب إذا ما رمت عنه تصبرا

يقول الهوى لن تستطيع معي صبرا

If I am patient when I stop seeing my beloved,

Passion says I will not be able to be patient with it.

من السمر بالألحاظ إن صال وانثنى

فلا تذكروا من بعده البيض والسمرا

If he visits and turns away with glances and dark complexion,

Then do not mention afterwards the white and the dark brown.

بخيلا غدا بالوصل ما جاء سائلا

له الدمع الا رد سائله نهرا

He has become stingy with the connection, he who came asking,

His tears do not flow unless the asker sends him a river.

له مقلة يعزى لبابل سحرها

كأن بها هاروت قد اودع السحرا

He has an enchanting glance that consoles Babylon for its sorcery,

As if Harut had deposited sorcery in it.

يذكرني عهد النجاشي خاله

واجفانه الوسنى تذكرني كسرى

His forelock reminds me of the era of An-Najashi his uncle,

And his bent eyelashes remind me of Kisra.

تميل به خمر الدلال كأنما

معاطفه من خمر الحاظه سكرى

He inclines with the wine of grace as if

His cloak is drunk from the wine of his cheek.

يرنحه لطف النسيم اذا سرى

ويهدي لنا من طي ايراده نشرا

The gentleness of the breeze makes him swing when it blows,

And it sends us from the good of its income some blossoms.

ويفتر عن ثغر تنظم دره

فلم ادر عقدا مذ تبسم ام ثغرا

And it discloses from his mouth that produces pearls

So I could not tell whether it was a smile or a mouth.

بخديه رحان العذار مسلسل

كأن بها قد خط ياقوته سطرا

On his cheeks, the basil of beauty is garlanded

As if rubies were engraved on them.

ومن اعجب الاشياء ان خدوده

لنا نارها الحمرا بها جنة خضرا

And of the strangest things are that his cheeks,

Their redness is fire and yet with it paradise is green.

تراءى وبدر التم في الافق طالع

فلم ادر مذ شاهدت ايهما البدرا

He appeared and the full moon rose on the horizon,

So I could not tell which of the two was the moon.

ارى سهري قد طال في ليل فرعه

ومن فرقه ما زلت ارتقب الفجرا

I see my night has been long in the darkness of his absence,

And since his separation, I still await the dawn.

وبات يعاطيني كؤوس حديثه

فمت ولم اشرب عتيقا ولا خمرا

And he busied me with the cups of his talk all night,

So I died without drinking old or new wine.

اذا ما بدا شاكي السلاح محاربا

فما اكثر القتلى وما ارخص الاسرا

When the weapons carrier appears fighting,

So many are killed and captivity is cheap.

وان قام حرب للقتال بطرفه

ترى الخد منه حاملا راية حمرا

And if he wages war to fight with his glances,

You see the cheek carrying a red flag from him.

بقلبي هواه قد اقام وكلما

جنى في الهوى ذنبا اقام له عذرا

He has established his love in my heart, and whenever

He commits a sin of passion, he excuses it for him.

لئن ملت يوما عن هواه لسلوة

فلا دمعتي ترقا ولا مقلتي تكرى

If I get bored one day of his love honestly,

May neither my tears flow nor my eyelids shed.

يحذرني عنه العذول بجهله

وعندي تحذير العذول هو الاغرا

His foolishness warns me against him

And for me, the warning of the fool is temptation.

فيا قاتل الله العواذل انهم

اتوا في الهوى شيئا بلومهم تكرا

So oh killer of God, the blamers, they

Came in love with something objectionable in their blame.

يقولون كم هذا التجلد والاسى

ومن بعد حلو الوصل يستعذب الهجرا

They say how long this composure and sadness last,

And after the sweet union, estrangement is pleasant?

فقلت لهم اني على الوصل والجفا

مقيم على السراء في الحب والضرا

So I told them that in connection or alienation

I reside in prosperity in love in good and evil.

وها قصة الشكوى رفعت لعلها

اذا هي وافت كاتب السر ان تقرا

And here is the story of my complaint, perhaps

If it reaches the secret writer, he will be pleased.

هو الفاضل المولى الذي حاز رتبة

تسامت به العليا ونالت به فخرا

He is the prominent Mawla who attained the rank

That the highest summits took pride in and gained pride.

اخو الجود محمود الندى وافر العطا

اذا جاد لا لوما يخاف ولا فقرا

The brother of generosity, Mahmoud the source of bounty and abundant generosity,

When he gives generously he neither fears blame nor poverty.

ولا عيب فيه غير ان بماله

يجود ولا بيضاء يبقي ولا صفرا

And there is no flaw in him except that with his money

He gives generously and does not leave white or yellow.

وتلقاه في سوق المحامد والثنا

بما في يديه يشتري الحمد والشكرا

And you will meet in the market of praise and poetry

What he has in his hands buying praise and gratitude.

على أي حال كان ان جئت سائلا

ترى الوجه منه قد تهلل بالبشرى

However you were, if you came asking,

You will see his face delighted by the good news.

جواد على الشهبا تسامى محله

وليس يجاريه جوادا على الغبرا

A generous one climbing on the meteors is his status,

And no other generous one competes him over dust.

يقولون لي في الارض سبعة ابحر

فمالي اراها من انامله عشرا

They say to me on earth there are seven seas,

So why do I see them from his fingers ten?

الى نحوه فاعطف اذا رمت نائلا

ودع عنك زيد في الانام ودع عمرا

To his path, so make it and if you seek to attain,

Leave behind you Zayd among people and leave Umar.

وان رمت وردا وافر الجود وافيا

فدونك هذا البحر يا قاصدا مصرا

And if you seek abundant generosity and bounty,

There is beyond you this sea, O Seeker of Egypt!

بطلعته الايام نارت وأطلعت

شموسا فاخفى نور بهجتها البدرا

With his appearance, days have shone and suns have risen

That have concealed the light and radiance of the full moon.

حلا لي طباق المدح فيه فكيف لا

بشعري وسجعي ابدع النظم والنثرا

The presentation of the platform of praise suits him, so how not

With my poetry and rhyme, compose the best prose and poetry?

واني وان وسعت نظمي بمدحه

حمدت الطريقين القوافي والشعرا

And even if I expand my poems in his praise,

I praise the two routes, rhyme and poetry .

له قلم ان جاد يوم ترسل

فينظمها عقدا وينثرها درا

He has a pen, if it gave one day,

It will string them into a necklace and scatter them as pearls.

وينشيء منشينا سلافة سجعه

وفي الدهر ينسينا المعتقة البكرا

And will create a happy beginning, smooth is its rhyme

And it reminds us of Egypt and the prominent man of his era

ويذكرنا مصرا وفاضل عصرها

رعى الله ذاك السفح والناس والعصرا

May God guard that plain, the people and the time!

O Moon! Good fortune has risen for him

فيا قمرا اضحى له السعد طالعا

واشرقت الدنيا بطلعته الغرا

And the world has shone with his rising radiance.

To you, so take it from my tongue, a garden

اليك فخذها من لساني حديقة

موشعة الالفاظ مطلعة زهرا

With high quality vocabulary, place of flower blossoms.

A prisoner of thought, if it uncovered its veil

عقيلة فكر ان اماطت قناعها

فتغنى بها عن كل غانية عذرا

It would dispense with every singing damsel as an excuse.

If it repeated its pronunciation in the plants’ hearing

بسمع النباتي لو تكرر لفظها

لانساه يوما سكب مرسلها القطرا

It would not forget it one day when its sender drops rain.

And from it, if the son of Hijja, paused,

ومنها فلو رام ابن حجة وقفة

لجاء بها يسعى وطاف بها شكرا

He would come hurrying and circumambulate it in gratitude.

It came to you as a bride that reveals from her hiding

اتتك عروسا تجتلى من خبائها

فألق عليها من حلي الرضا سترا

So cover her with the garment of acceptance.

And meet scattering pearls the composition of its necklaces,

وقابل ينثر الدر نظم عقودها

عسى منك تلقى في المقابلة الجبرا

Hoping you will receive compensation in the meeting.

It reminds you of the generosity which you deserve,

تذكرك الجود الذي انت اهله

لعل على بعد المدى تنفع الذكرى

Perhaps in the distance of the period, remembrance will be useful

It did not aim for others and has not been disappointed in life

لغيرك لم تقصد وما خاب في الورى

لجدواك من وافى ومن قصد البحرا

For your flowing generosity and he who sought the sea.

So bestow generous giving and extend munificence

فجد ببذل الجود وامدد تكرما

اليّ يمينا لا عدمت لها يسرا

To the right willingly, which did not lack ease.

For me the gift from your help and attainer is enough

فحسبي عطاء من نداك ونائل

وحسبك ان تلقى المثوبة والاجرا

And it is enough for you to receive reward and compensation.

So I have not ceased being praised in every saying

فلا زلت ممدوحا بكل مقالة

وترقى سما العليا وتستخدم الشعرى

And ascended the high sky and wielded the poetic pen.

And with this king you remained a sharpened sword

ودمت لهذا الملك سيفا مهندا

تقلده جيدا وتحمي به ثغرا

Wearing it proudly and defending with it the borders.

And did not stop reciting your praises those

ولا برحت تتلى محامدك التي

مدائحها من بعض آياتها الكبرى

Whose eulogies are some of its greatest verses.

And every peer fell short of your loftiness

وقصر عن علياك كل مماثل

وطول رب العالمين لك العمرا

And may lengthen the life of the Lord of the Universe for you.