وافتكَ وَالزُهر في روض الدُجى زَهَرُ
وَالفجر نَهرٌ على الظَلماء منفجرُ
You came, and the flowers in the garden of night bloomed,
And dawn was a river bursting over the darkness.
فأَقبلت هي وَالصبحُ المُنيرُ مَعاً
حتّى تحيَّر في ضوأيهما النَظرُ
She came, along with the brilliant dawn,
Until eyes were dazzled by their radiance.
وأَسفرَت عن سَنى وجه أَبانَ لنا
بدرَ التَمام ولكن ليلُه الشَعَرُ
She revealed a face whose full moon shone for us,
Though its darkness was her hair.
غَرّاء لَولا اِتضاحُ الفَرق لاحَ لنا
ما شَكَّ ذو بصرٍ في أَنَّها القَمَرُ
Lovely one, were it not for the clear distinction,
No one with sight would doubt she was the moon.
إِن تجلُ غرَّتَها فالصبحُ متَّضحٌ
أَو تُرخِ طرَّتها فالليلُ مُعتكِرُ
When she unveils her brightness, dawn lights up,
Or she lets down her tresses, and night grows dark.
هنديَّةٌ فعلت منها اللِحاظُ بنا
ما لَيسَ تفعلهُ الهنديَّةُ البُتُرُ
An Indian beauty whose glances
Do what no maimed Indian girl can do.
حَوراءُ ما بَرِحت من سحر مُقلتها
تَسبي العقول بطرفٍ زانه حَوَرُ
A houri who with the magic of her amorous glance
Enslaves minds, adorned with languishing eyes.
تُديرُ من ثَغرها راحاً معتَّقةً
كأَنَّما ثغرُها للراح مُعتَصرُ
She exhales perfumed breath from her mouth
As though her mouth were a press for perfume.
هَيفاءُ مائسةُ الأَعطافِ ما خطرت
إلّا وَكان لنا من عشقها خَطَرُ
A gazelle whose graceful neck has never stirred
Without awakening love’s passion in us.
لَم تَخشَ ثأراً بما أَردت لواحظُها
دمُ المحبّين في شَرع الهَوى هَدَرُ
She did not fear vengeance for desiring her lovers’ blood—
For lovers, bloodshed is lawful in love’s domain.
كانَت لَيالي الهوى من مَصلها غُرراً
حَتّى تَناءَت فأَمسى دونها غَرَرُ
Nights of love were treasures because of her,
Until they outshone all other treasures.
يا ربَّةَ الحسنِ مَهلاً قد أَسأت بِنا
ما لي عَلى كُلِّ هَذا البين مُصطَبرُ
O beauty, go gently, for you have wronged me.
I cannot be patient with all this estrangement.
أَما لِقُربِك من وَعدٍ أُسرّ به
حتّامَ لا وَطَنٌ يَدنو ولا وَطرُ
Is there no promise you made by which I might live near you,
No homeland to approach, no abode?
نأيت هجراً فَلا وَصلٌ ولا سَبَبٌ
وَبنتِ داراً فَلا عَينٌ ولا أَثَرُ
You shun me, no union, no means to reach you,
And build a house, no eye can see, no trace.
إن تُعتبي لا تُحيليني عَلى قَدرٍ
ما كُلُّ هَذا الجفا يَجري به القَدَرُ
If you reproach me, do not blame me for fate.
Not all this cruelty is fated to be.
فاِقضِ الَّذي شئت من صدٍّ ومن بعدٍ
ذَنبُ الحَبيب عَلى الحالينِ مُغتَفَرُ
Judge what you will of rejection and distance—
For lovers, sins are forgiven in any case.
كَم عاذِلٍ ظَلَّ يَلحوني فَقُلتُ له
حظّي هَواها وَحَظُّ العاذلِ الحجَرُ
How many cynics persisted in blaming me, but I said:
“My lot is her love, the cynic’s lot is stone.”
فَقال عشقُك هَذا كلُّه عبَثٌ
فَقُلتُ عذلُكَ هَذا كلُّه هَذَرُ
One said: “All this love of yours is nonsense,”
And I replied: “All this blame of yours is babble.”
يا لائمي غيرُ سَمعي للمَلامِ فَلي
حبّ تَوازَرَ فيه السَمعُ والبَصَرُ
O you who blame me, turn a deaf ear to blame, for I have
A love where hearing and sight conspired together.
إِن كانَ لي من هواها لا بليتَ به
وِزرٌ فَلي من عَليٍّ في العُلى وَزَرُ
If her love burdens me with any fault,
I have a greater merit with the Most High.
الماجِدُ النَدسُ السامي برتبته
أَبو الحسين السريُّ الصارم الذكرُ
The illustrious, high-minded, lofty in rank,
Father of al-Husayn, vigilant in recollection,
الموسويُّ الَّذي واست مكارِمُه
عفاته وهمى من كفِّه المطرُ
The Mūsáwī, whose virtues have been steeped
In his chastity, who strikes water from his palm,
مهذَّبٌ نالَ من أَسنى العُلى رُتباً
قد رامَها قبله قَومٌ فما قدروا
Cultured, attaining the highest ranks,
Which others sought but could not obtain,
فضمَّ شملَ المَعالي يافِعاً وحَوى
من المحامد ما لم يَحوِهِ بَشرُ
Embracing all glory in his youth,
Containing praises no mortal else contains.
إِن ساد آباؤُهُ قِدماً فبينهما
فَرقٌ كَما اِفترق الأَشجار وَالثمرُ
If his forefathers were eminent, still between them
Is a difference like the fruits and the trees.
يولي الجَزيلَ ولا يَمنُن بكَثرته
وَيوسعُ الضَيفَ إن قَلّوا وإن كثروا
He bestows bounty without displaying his plenty,
And hosts guests, whether few or many.
اِسمَع مدائحَهُ واِنظر إِليه تَجِد
وَصفاً تَطابَق فيه الخُبر والخَبرُ
Listen to his praises and look at him—you’ll find
Reports conforming with actual deeds.
ما رامَ حصرَ مَعاليه أَخو لَسَنٍ
إِلّا اِعتَرى نُطقَه من دونها حَصَرُ
No brother of eloquence ever encompassed
His virtues without rhetoric falling short.
وَما عَسى يبلغُ المُطري مديحَ فَتىً
مطوَّل المدح في عَلياه مختصرُ
What might the eulogist attain in praising a man
Whose abundant praise is brief in the sublime?
ما مُهدياً ليَ نظماً خلتُه دُرَراً
يشنِّفُ السَمعَ لا بل دونها الدُرَرُ
He endowed me with a gift I cannot thank enough,
Even if nomads and city-dwellers helped me.
قلَّدتَني مِنَناً لا أَستَطيع لها
شُكراً ولو ساعدتني البَدوُ والحضرُ
Take for yourself a bride whose poems
Will make the dawn envy my night.
فَخُذ إِليك عَروساً بتُّ أَنظمُها
لَيلاً فيحسد لَيلي عندَها السَحرُ
She will praise you as I praise the hand
That scattered roses from gardens of fragrance,
تُثني عليك كَما أثني لشكر يَدٍ
عَلى الحَيا من رياض نشرُها العطرُ
And you will live forever blessed
With good fortune and life.
ولا برِحتَ مَدى الأَيّام في دَعةٍ
يمدُّك المُسعِدان السَعدُ والعُمُرُ
