سَريرَةُ شَوقٍ في الهَوى من أَذاعَها
وَمهجةُ صبٍّ بالنَّوى من أَضاعَها
The secret longing in passion, for whoever divulged it,
And the fervent love in purpose, for whoever wasted it.
أَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ للبعادِ ملمَّةٌ
تُلمُّ بنا لا نَستَطيعُ دفاعَها
Does separation assault us daily
Afflicting us, while we cannot defend against it?
فَلِلَّه جمعٌ فرَّق البينُ شملَه
وإِلفةُ صَحبٍ قد أَباد اِجتماعَها
So for God is the gathering He dispersed,
And the fellowship of companions He made perish.
وَساعاتُ أُنسٍ كان لَهواً حديثُها
سَقى اللَه هاتيك اللَيالي وَساعَها
And hours of intimacy, while its discourse was distraction,
May God water those nights and ordain its hours.
ولا مثلَ لَيلى إِن تبدَّت عشيَّةً
مددتُ لها كفّي أُريدُ وداعَها
And none compares to Layla, if she appears at nightfall,
I extend my palms desiring to bid her farewell.
وَقَد أَقبلَت تُذري الدموعَ تلهُّفاً
إِذا هتفَ الداعي إِلى البين راعَها
And she came, shedding tears profusely,
When the caller calls to separation, awakening its clamor.
أَشاعَت بنا أَيدي الفراق فأَصبحت
تؤمُّ بنا شُمَّ الذُرى وَتلاعَها
The hands of estrangement have dispersed us, so we wake
To the smell of camphor and its dispersion.
نجوبُ قِفاراً ما وقفنا بقاعِها
وَنقطعُ بيداً ما حلَلنا بقاعها
We traverse the barrens whose regions we never stood,
And cross the deserts whose grounds we never trod.
تَميلُ بنا الأَكوارُ لَيلاً كأَنَّنا
نَشاوى سُلافٍ قد أَدَمنا اِرتضاعَها
The horizons incline us at night as though we
Were suckling infants who persisted in suckling.
إِذا نفحتنا نسمةٌ حاجريَّةٌ
أَجدَّت وَهاجَت للنُفوسِ اِلتياعَها
When the morning breeze blows,
It excites and rages, appeasing our souls.
فَمِن مهجةٍ لا يتسقرُّ قرارُها
ومن كبدٍ نَخشى عليها اِنصداعَها
Of a fervor that knows no peace,
And a heart we fear will shatter.
تجاذبُنا فضلَ الأَزمَّةِ ضُمَّرٌ
أَهاج نزاع البين وجداً نزاعَها
The excess of affliction contends us,
Inciting the pain of estrangement and its ardour.
نَقيسُ بها طولَ الفلاة وَعَرضَها
عشيّاً إِذا مدَّت لخَطوٍ ذراعَها
By it we measure the length and breadth of desolation
At night, when it extends its steps an arm’s length.
يَقول أصَيحابي وقد جدَّت السُرى
وأوفتهم أَيدي الركائِب صاعَها
My companions say, when the journey was harsh
And the hands of mounts had burdened them,
أَفيقوا فقد شطَّ المَرامُ ولا نَرى
سوى تَلَعاتٍ قد سَئِمنا اِفتراعَها
“Awaken, for the goal had fled, and we only see
Worn-out camels we have tired of driving.”
فَقُلتُ لهم سيروا سِراعاً وَقلقِلوا
عِرابَ المَطايا واِستحثّوا سِراعَها
So I said, “Hasten, agitate the camels’ gear
And quicken their pace.”
لِنَحظى من الدُنيا بأَوفر حظِّها
وَنشهدَ أَوصافاً عَشِقنا اِستماعَها
That we may gain the most of life,
And hear descriptions we yearned to hear.
وَننزلَ عن أَيدي الركاب نُريحها
وَنشكرَ فينا ما بقينا اِصطناعَها
And dismount, giving our rides rest,
Thanking what remains of our making.
بأَرحب أَرضٍ لا يُسامى عَلاؤُها
وَأَسمى ربوعٍ لا نَملُّ اِرتباعَها
To the most expansive land whose heights are peerless,
And the loftiest meadows whose breadth we never tire exploring.
بسوح نِظام الدين واِبن نظامِه
كَريمٌ به مدَّت يَدُ المجد باعَها
In the plains of governance and its heir apparent
A generous one, through whom the hand of glory extended its reach.
همام إِليه الدَهر أَلقى زمامَه
إِذا عُصي الأَقوامُ كان مُطاعَها
The reins of fate are handed over to him
When people disobey, it is he they obey.
أَنارَت شُموسُ المَكرُمات بأفقه
فأَلقَت على كُلِّ الأَنام شُعاعَها
The suns of favors rise on his horizon,
Shedding their rays on all mankind.
له يدُ فَضلٍ لا تُبارى سَماحةً
إِذا ما نَبا غيثٌ رجون اِندفاعَها
He has a hand of excellence that is unmatched in generosity
Whenever heavy rain pours, they wish for its downpour.
مواهبُ لا تنفكُّ تَحدو مَواهِباً
تَنالُ غمارُ البحر منّا اتِّساعَها
Unending gifts that vie to outdo gifts,
We seek from the sea the breadth of its flow.
إِذا اِنقطَعت يَوماً شآبيبُ مزنةٍ
فأَيدي نَداه لا تخاف اِنقطاعَها
If one day the rainclouds of munificence recede,
The hands of his bounty have no fear of receding.
به أَينعَت روضُ المَكارِم والنَدى
وَشادَت مَباني كلِّ عِزٍّ رباعَها
Through him the meadows of chivalry and dew flourished,
And the structures of glory and might fortified their foundations.
أَعزّ ذَوي الإِفضال والبأس فضلُه
فقل للّيالي لا تغرَّ رَعاعَها
His excellence ennobles the excellent of merit and courage,
So say to the nights, “Do not delude with your brews.”
له أذعَنَت شمسُ العُداة مهابَةً
وَلَم يَخشَ لَو لَم تستذلَّ اِمتناعها
To him the refractory sun yields in awe,
Unafraid even if it disdained to submit.
وَذَلَّت له الدُنيا فأَلقَت قيادَها
لطاعَتِهِ حتّى أَمِنّا خِداعَها
The world yielded to him, handing him its reins,
Until we felt safe from its deceit.
تباري النجومَ الزُهرَ زُهرُ نصالِه
إِذا راحَ يَحمي وقعَها وَقِراعَها
The stars vie with the blossoms of his sword
When it sets out to protect them with its clanking reverberations.
وَتهزأ بالخَطّيِّ أَقلامُ خطِّه
إِذا ما حَوَت يُمناه يَوماً يَراعها
And his pen mocks the transcriber’s
If his right hand encompasses transcribing it one day.
أَربَّ النَدى وَالفضل والمجد والحجا
وَناظمَ أَشتاتِ العُلى وَجِماعَها
He compiled generosity, glory, honor and eminence,
And arranged the dispersed pearls of the sublime and their collection.
لأَنتَ الَّذي أَحرزتَ في الخَلق رتبةً
تودُّ الدراري لَو تَنال اِرتفاعَها
You are the one who attained the highest rank among mankind,
Which the magnificent wish they could attain.
إِليك حَثَثنا كلَّ كَوماء بازلٍ
وَجُبنا القفار البيدَ نبسرُ قاعَها
To you we hurried every wavering, faltering mass,
And traversed the expansive deserts, ravaging its regions.
فَلا غرو فالآمالُ أَنت محطُّها
وَنحوَكَ أَزجت عزمَها وزماعَها
No wonder, for you are the landing of hopes,
And you roused their resolve and driving impetus.
وَفيك حكينا الدرَّ نظماً فهاكَها
خَريدةَ فكرٍ قد أَمطتُ قِناعَها
And in you we recounted virtues in prose, so take them,
The produce of a mind whose mask I removed.
بمدحِك قد نضَّدتُ جوهر عِقدِها
وأَبدعتُ في فنِّ القريض اِبتداعَها
In your praise I strung the pearls of its composition,
And was creative in the art of poetry and its innovation.
فمن لاِبنِ هاني لو يُهنّى بمثلها
وَهَيهات لَو أَن رامَها ما اِستَطاعَها
What can the likes of Ibn Hani do if he is contented with the likes?
Alas, if he envisaged it, he could not accomplish it.
إذا ما حَدا الحادي بها قال قائِلٌ
أَلا فاِشكراها نَغمةً وَسَماعَها
When the reciter recites it, a speaker says,
“Be grateful for it, a melodious listening.”
