نَعم هِي سُعدي وهْيَ لِي قَمرٌ سَعْدُ

وِصَالٌ ولا صدُّ وقُرْبٌ ولا بُعْدُ

Yes, my happiness is her and she is my moon of bliss

Union, no rejection, nearness, no distance

وما غَدَرتْ ما أَخْلفَت ما تشَبَّهت

بِغَانيةٍ مَا كُلُّ غَانية هِنْدُ

She did not betray, did not break her word, did not pretend

To be a singing girl, not every singing girl is lovely

يُعانقها مِن دُونِيَ العِقْدُ وحْده

فيا عَجَباً يا قومِ لِمْ يَلْتَق العِقْد

The necklace embraces her without me

How strange, O people, that the necklace should meet

هي البدْرُ إِلاَّ أَنَّه كلَّه سَنىً

هِي الغُصْنُ إِلا أَنَّه كُلَّه وَرْدُ

She is the full moon except that she is all delight

She is the branch except that she is all rose

ولو أَبْصرَ النَّظَّامُ جوهَر ثَغْرِها

لما شَكَّ فيه أَنَّه الجوهَرُ الفَرْد

If the gem expert saw the essence of her mouth

He would not doubt it was the unique gem

توطَّن ذاكَ الثَّغْرَ عِشْقِي ولم يزل

على باب ذَاكَ الثَّغرِ من قلبي الرِّفدُ

My love settled in that mouth and did not cease

To flow from my heart to the door of that mouth

وبُرْدُ يزيدِ بن المفرَّغِ فارغٌ

وتلكَ الَّتي مِنْ حُسنها مُلِئَ البُردُ

The poetry of Yazid ibn al-Mufarrag is empty

And that one whose beauty filled poetry

مشت قِبَلي غَوراً ونَجْداً بِحُسنها

فَغَوْرٌ ونجدٌ سُرَّةٌ فوقَها نَهْدُ

She walked to me, the beautiful one, with her beauty

So it was beautiful mountains and valleys above her, a breast

ومِنْ قال إِنّ الخيزرانةَ قَدَّها

فقولوا لَه إِيَّاك أَنْ يَسْمَع القَدُّ

Whoever said the cistern surpassed her

Say to him, beware lest the excellent one hear you

على فَمِها خالٌ من النَّدِّ سَاكِنٌ

وما كُلُّ خالٍ من مَساكِنه الخَدُّ

On her mouth is a beauty spot free of blemish

Not every spot free from blemish adorns the cheek

رسولٌ من المِسكِ احتذَى الفمُ طيبَه

وفيه يزيدُ المسكُ يُستخدَم النَّدُّ

A messenger of musk marked her mouth with its fragrance

And through it musk increases, ambergris is sought

وليلٍ كَساه شعرُها ثوبَ لَوْنِه

فلا نُورُه يَخْفَى ولا شُهْبُه تَبْدُو

A night whose hair clothed it in the color of its darkness

So its light does not fade and its stars do not appear

رأَيت عليَّ الشَّمسَ رُدّت فآمِنوا

بِعشقِي فَهذا مُعجِزٌ مَا لَه رَدّ

I saw the sun return because of her so believe

In my love, for this is a miracle that has no refutation

ونهرٍ بظلِّ الكرم أَسودَ فاحِم

كشَعْرِك حَتَّى أَنَّه مِثْلُه جَعْد

And a river blackened by the shadow of vineyards

Like your hair so that it is just like it, curly

بكيت عليه دُرَّ دَمعي كأَنَّما

تعلَّق مِنِّي في ضَفائرِه عِقدُ

I wept on it pearls of my tears as if

From me a necklace clung to its curls

بكيتُ لبينٍ مَا أَتى ولِهجرة

ستأْتي وأُخرى ما أَتى وقتُها بَعْد

I wept for separation that had not come and for separation

That would come, and its time had not come yet

ولابدَّ مِنْ أَن يدخلَ البينُ بينَنا

فليسَ له مِنْ بيننِا أَبداً بُدُّ

Inevitably separation will come between us

For between us it can never have a substitute

وفاءُ اللَّيالِي أَن تَخونَ وعَهْدُهَا

كما عُهِدَتْ أَلاَّ يدومَ لها عَهْدُ

It is the loyal way of nights to betray and their pact

To break as they were expected not to break their word

رَمانِي زَمانِي بالمكارِه والأَذى

ومَا زال يُؤْذِي الحُرَّ ذا الزَّمنُ الوغْدُ

My time has harmed me with troubles and injuries

And that despicable time did not cease harming the free man

وإِني أَكيلٌ للزَّمانِ بصرفِه

ومن عَجبٍ أن يأكل الصارم الغمد

And I face time with its turns

And how strange for the executioner to devour the scabbard

ولا عجباً إن قلت إني صارم

فرب حسام ليسَ تَطْبَعه الهِنْدُ

It is no wonder I said I am a sword

For many a sword was not forged in India

وإِنِّي على وعْدٍ من الله في الَّذي

أُريدُ وعنْدِ الله لا يُخْلَفُ الوَعْد

And I am true to a promise from God in what

I want, and with God no promise is broken

وجَهْدُ الفَتى شَكْوى اللَّيالي وذَمُّها

وهَذَا لَعمْري جَهْد من لا لَهُ جُهدُ

The efforts of the youth are to complain of nights and blame them

And this, by my life, is the effort of one who has no effort

وسَعْدُ الفَتى مَدْحُ الأَجلِّ وحَمْدُه

وإِنْ جلَّ عما قَاله المدحُ والحَمْدُ

And the youth’s bliss is to praise fate and thank it

Even if praise and thanks fall short of what he said

وماذا يقولُ المادحون وإنَّما

مدائِحهم جزْرٌ ومعروفُه مدُّ

What can praisers say when their praises

Are scant and their bounty is an ebb

له العِزَّة القعساءُ والحسبُ العِدُّ

له الفضْل يعْيا أَنْ يُحيط بِه العدُّ

To him belongs towering glory and countless nobility

To him belongs virtue that number cannot encompass

له المجْدُ حقاًّ بالأُخُوَّةِ إِنَّما

إِلى ابنِ أَبي المجْدِ انْتمى صِنْوهُ المجْدُ

To him belongs glory in truth through brotherhood

The progeny of the father of glory are affiliated with its essence

له الدّهْرُ عبدٌ ما عصى قطُّ أَمْرَه

ويا رُبَّ موْلىً لم يُطع أَمرَه العْبدُ

Time is his servant, it has never disobeyed his command

And oh Lord, what servant did not obey his master's command

له آيةٌ والخلقُ فانٍ مُخلَّد

أَلم يعلمُوا أَنَّ الَّثناءَ هو الخُلْدُ

He has a sign and creation is transient

Did they not know that praise is eternity

له آيةٌ ما لا تُحدّ جلالةً

وأُبَّهةً ما كُلُّ شيءٍ له حدُّ

He has a sign that has no limit in majesty

And glory, not everything has a limit

وزيرٌ ولكن في السَّماءِ سريرُه

أَميرٌ ولكنَّ القضاءَ له جُند

A minister but his throne is in the heavens

A ruler but destiny is his army

سنحْيا لنُقْبِل واردين جنابه

لقد كرُك المثْوى وقدْ عذُبَ الوِرْدُ

We will live to come to him in deputations

How long the abode seemed and the roses were tortured

فأَيْسرُ ما يُهدي لوفدِهمُ الهُدى

وأَيْسر ما يُسرِي سُراتهم الجِدُّ

The easiest gifts to present to their delegation is guidance

And the easiest manner for their caravans is seriousness

إِذا أَجْدبتْ آراؤهم من سُعودِها

فمِنه ومِنْ آرائِه ينْبُتُ السَّعْدُ

When their opinions were barren of prosperity

Then prosperity sprouted from him and his opinions

يُعيدون أَو يُبدون قبْل حضوره

فإِنْ كان فيهمْ لم يُعيدُوا ولم يُبْدوا

Before his presence they renew or initiate

For if it existed in them, they would not renew or initiate

فمِنْ خوفهِ يستغفِر الدَّهرُ ذنْبه

ومِنْ بأْسِه يسْتذْئِب الأَسدُ الوَرْدُ

Out of fear of him time seeks forgiveness for its sin

And out of dread of him the lion becomes a tender gazelle

به يستوي المعوج من بعد قولهم

متى يسْتوي هل يسْتوي الصَّابُ والشَّهدُ

Through him the crooked becomes straight after their saying

When will it be straight, can poison and honey be equal?

يهونُ عليه الأَمْرُ والأَمرُ مُعْضِلٌ

ويشْرقُ عنه الدَّهرُ والدَّهْر مُزْبِد

The matter is easy for him though the matter is difficult

And from him the time gleams though time is gloomy

تأَلَّفت الأَضدادُ فيه كرامةً

فدُنْيا وأُخرى والوزارةُ والزُّهْدُ

Opposites are united in him out of generosity

So this world and the next and rule and asceticism

فينظرُ للدُّنيا بعينِ بصيرة

يرى مُلْكها هزْلاً فيملكه الجدُّ

He looks at the world with the eye of insight

Seeing its possession as jest so seriousness possesses it

رأَيت عيون الشُّهْبِ مِنْ نُورِ وجْههِ

فأَكثرُها عُمْيٌ وسائِرُها رُمْدُ

I saw the stars dimmed by the light of his face

So most of them are blind and the rest bleary

متى نشَّأَتْ مِنه سحائِب كُفِّه

فلا وعْدُه برْقٌ ولا منُّه رعْدُ

Whenever the clouds of his palm gathered

His promise is no lightning and his bounty no thunder

وأَنْضمت عطاياه السُّرى لِعُفاتِه

فتِلْك العطايا لا يجِفُّ لها لبدُ

And his hidden gifts joined his chastity

So those gifts will never dry for him

فأَيُّ كبيرٍ ما جداك مِهادُه

وأَيُّ وليدٍ ما نداك له مهْدُ

Which great one did you not cradle in infancy?

And which infant did you not call to his cradle?

ملكت البرايا هيبةً ومحبَّةً

فباعِثُ ذِي التَّقْوى وباعِثُ ذِي الرِّفْد

You ruled minds with awe and love

The guide of the pious and supporter of the helpless

إِذا قُلتُ قَولاً أَعجز الخلق قولُه

ففي مسمعِي نارٌ وفي كبدي برْدُ

When I say a saying that makes all of creation's sayings weak

Then in my hearing is fire and in my liver is cold

أُحِبُّك للفضلِ الذي أَنْت أَهْلُه

وللجودِ حتَّى ليس عندي له عبْدُ

I love you for the merit you possess

And for generosity until I have no equal to you

وأَشْكو إِليك الحاسدين عليك لِي

وإِنْ كان يبدو مِنْهمُ الحُبُّ والوُدُّ

And I complain to you of those envious of you and me

Even if love and affection appears from them

وما كلَّمونِي باللِّسانِ وإِنَّما

تكلَّم منهم في وُجوهِهمُ الحِقْدُ

They did not speak to me with the tongue but

Envy spoke from their faces

وما جاهروني بالنَّصالِ وإِنَّما

عقاربهم في السِّر تسْرى وتحْتدُّ

They did not confront me with swords but

Their scorpions in secret crawl and scratch

وجوهُهم كالزَّند برداً وظُلْمةً

وإِن أَضمروا لي مثلي ما يُضمر الزَّنْد

Their faces are like tinder, cold and dark

And if they harbored for me what tinder hides

وأَلوانُهم تبْيضُّ إِن كنتُ غائِباً

وإِن كنتُ فيهم حاضِراً فهي تسودُّ

And their colors whiten if I am absent

And if I am present among them they blacken

وما منهمُ إِلاَّ أَسيرُ كآبةٍ

وربَّ أَسيرٍ ليس في عُنْقِه القيْدُ

None of them but a prisoner of gloom

And how many prisoners have no chains on their necks

يموتُون غيظاً كلَّما عشتُ غِبْطةً

فقد ضمَّنِي قصْرٌ وقد ضمَّهم لحْدُ

They die of rage whenever I live in joy

For I am embraced by a palace and they by a grave

بنقصِهمُ قّدْ بان فضْلي ورُبَّما

شكرتُهمُ والضِّدُّ يُظهرُه الضِّدُّ

Through their deficiency my merit appeared and sometimes

I thanked them, for opposite reveals opposite

أَغبَّ مديحي هيبةً ثم زاره

ولابُدَّ ببورقاءِ بالطَّبعِ أَنْ تشْدو

My praise distanced awe then it visited him

And it must, the nightingale sings by nature

يصُدُّ دلالاً كي يطيبَ مزارُه

وأَطيبُ وصْل كان من قبله صدُّ

It wards off visitors so that his dwelling may be pleasant

And the sweetest union was estrangement before it

ولمَّا التقيْنا كان فينا تجاذُبٌ

كما يلْتقي في المقْلةِ النَّومُ والسُّهدُ

When we met there was pulling between us

As sleep and wakefulness meet in the eyelid

ولو رشَدُوا كانُوا رَضوا بالَّذي قَضَى

به الله لكن رُبَّما خفِي الرُّشْدُ

If they were rightly guided they would approve what

God ordained but perhaps wisdom is hidden

وإِني لفِي شُغْلٍ بنعْماك عنْهُم

فلا يشْتغِلْ بي لا سعيدٌ ولا سْعدُ

I am busy with your blessings from them

So neither happy nor blessed busies himself with me

حَسودِي بك الحيرانُ حالي بِك الرِّضا

زمانِي بك النَّشوانُ عيْشِي بك الرَّغْدُ

My enviers confused through you, my state pleased through you

My time joyous through you, my life comfortable through you

ومالِي على أَلاَّ أُحبَّك قدرةٌ

ومِنْك دمِي واللَّحمُ والعظْمُ والجِلْدُ

I have no power but to love you

My blood, flesh, bone and skin are from you

جهلتُ ملوكَ الأَرْضِ لمَّا عرفْتُه

فما لِي إِليْهم لا قصيدٌ ولا قصْدُ

I was ignorant of earth's kings when I knew him

So I have for them neither ode nor purpose