باتَتْ مُعانِقَتِي ولكن في الكَرى

أَتُرى دَرَى ذاكَ الرَّقيبُ لما جَرى

She embraced me, but secretly

Did that watcher realize what happened?

ونَعم دَرى لَمَّا رأَى في بُردَتِي

ردعاً وشمَّ مِن الثِّيابِ العَنْبَرا

Yes he did, when he saw my cloak

Scented with ambergris.

طيفٌ تخطَّى الهولَ حتَّى يَشْترِي

بيتَ الحَشَا وقد اشْتَرى وقد اجْتَرا

A specter crossed terrifying valleys

To buy a love nest, and bought one indeed.

ما زارَ إِلاَّ في نَهارِ جَبينهِ

فأَقولُ سَار ولا أَقولُ له سَرى

He only came at dawn,

So I say he departed, not that he crept away.

يا عينُ صرتِ بمن حَوَيْتِ مَدينةً

ولكم مضَى زَمنٌ وأَنت من القُرى

Oh eye, you were a city for the one you harbored,

Though ages have passed while you are in the villages.

بأَبي وأُمِّي من حَلَمْتُ بذكرها

لمّا انتبهتُ ومُذ رَقَدْتُ تَفَسَّرا

By my father and mother, when I dreamed of them

And woke up, they had wandered far away.

عُلِّقتها بيضاءَ سمراءَ الَّلمى

أَسمعتَ في الدُّنيا بأَبيضَ أَسْمَرا

I imagined her white, tan-skinned,

Did you ever hear of a white, tan woman?

ومِن الْعَجَائِب أَنَّ ماءَ رُضَابِها

حُلْوٌ ويخرجُ حين تبسم جَوْهَرَا

It is wondrous that the water of her mouth

Is sweet, and pearls flow out when she smiles.

إِني لأَعْشَقُها وما أَبْصَرْتُها

فالشَّمسُ يمنعُ نورَها أَن تُبصرَا

I love her without seeing her,

For the sun prevents its light from being seen.

ويَروعُني في كُلِّ وقتٍ دُرُّها

فإِذا اعتنقْنا خِفْتُ أَن يَتَنَثَّرا

Her pearls always startle me,

For when we embrace, I fear they will scatter.

أَشكو إِليها رِقَّتي لِترقَّ لِي

فتقول تطمعُ بي وأَنت كما تَرى

I complain of my weakness so she may have mercy,

But she says, “You want me as you are now?”

وإِذا بكيتُ دماً تقولُ شمتّ بِي

يومَ النَّوى فصبغتَ دمْعَك أَحْمَرا

And when I weep blood, she says, “Be happy,

You dyed your tears red the day we parted.”

من شاءَ يمنحها الغَرامَ فدونَه

هَذِي خَلائِقُها بتخيير الشَّرا

Whoever wants can give her passion—that is her way,

She chooses evil over good.

يا من سبى في الحسنِ عبلةَ عبدةً

رفْقاً عليَّ فليسَ قلبي عنترَا

Oh you who blamed passion itself for my love of a slave girl,

Be gentle with me, for my heart is no warrior.

غادَرْتَنِي والصَّيرُ مَشدودُ الوِكا

وغدرتَ بي والدَّمعُ محلولُ العُرا

You left me while my eyelids were swollen with tears

And betrayed me while my tears flowed.

وجعلتَ قلبي بالهمومِ مُزمَّلاً

إِذْ كان جَفْنُك بالفتورِ مُدثَّرا

You made my heart wrapped in worries

While your eyelids were veiled in indifference.

وفتحتَ أَبواب السُّهادِ لناظري

وجعلتَ ليلي بالنجوم مُسمَّرا

You opened the gates of sleeplessness for my eyes

And made my night starry.

فمتى أَقولُ جوانحي بك قد هَدت

فمدامِعي رجَعت عليك إِلى وَرا

So when can I say my wings have landed on you?

For my tears return to you over and over.

لو شاءَ من ملك الشآم بسيفهِ

لأَراحَني منها بأَحسنَ مَنْظَرا

If the King of Syria willed with his sword,

He could relieve me—that would be the finest spectacle.

بسبيئةٍ سبت النفوسَ لأَنَّها

لم تُسبَ إِلاَّ من مَقاصِر قيصَرا

Sabiya derided souls unworthy of her

For she would not deride any but Caesar’s heirs.

حَميتْ لها الهيجاءُ حتَّى استخرجَت

ظبياً يُدافِع عنه آسادُ الشَّرى

For her the wild beasts roared until

A young gazelle came out, protected by lions.

فإِذا انْثَنَتْ أَبصرتَ منها بانة

وإِذا رَنَت أَبصرتَ منها جُؤذُرا

Bent over, you see in her a crescent moon,

Erect, you see in her a young gazelle.

وإِذا اختبرتَ فقد وجدت مؤَنثاً

وإِذا نَظرتَ فقد نَظَرت مُذكَّرَا

Examined, you find her feminine,

Viewed, you see her masculine.

ويكاد يَجْحدُ خدُّها نسباً لها

إِذ لا يرى لا زال أحمر أصفر

Her cheek nearly denies its lineage to her,

For it sees no mole, red or yellow.

ويعود قلبي بالمرة عامراً

إذ صَارَ قلبي بالملاَحةِ أَعْمَرَا

And my heart becomes full of life again

As playfulness makes my heart grow lively.

وأَفُكُّ عنها القيد وهو ذوائب

أعيت بكثرة شعرها أن تضفرا

I unleash her tresses, though they are plaited,

Tired of gathering her abundant hair to braid.

وتعود في أَسرِ العِناق ومثلُها

ما كانَ إِلاَّ بالعِناق لِيُؤْسَرا

She returns to the prison of my embrace—she is like none but those

Who are destined to be confined in an embrace.

وتُبيحني مِنها الرُّضَابَ لأَنَّها

مِمَّن يدين بأَن يَحلَّ المُسْكِرَا

She allows me to kiss her mouth, for she is one

Who believes wine should be freely tasted.

وأَقومُ من فَرط المسرَّة مُنِشِداً

شِعري وغَايَةُ عاشق أَن يُشعِرَا

I rise drunkenly reciting my poetry,

For a lover's utmost joy is to express passion.

آنستُ نارَ الخدِّ لا نارَ القِرى

وحَمِدتُ صُبحَ الثَّغرِ لا صُبحَ السُّرَى

I delighted in the fire of her cheek, not the fire of encampments,

And I praised the dawn of her face, not the dawn of homelands.

ووصفتُ جودَ أَبي عليٍ وحده

وأَنفتُ أَن أَصِفَ الغمامَ المُمْطِرا

I described the generosity of my father Ali alone,

Refusing to describe even a rain cloud.

ذاك الكريمُ وإِن سمعت بغيرِه

خُذْ ما تراه وعَدِّ عمَّن لا تَرى

That generous man—if you hear of another,

Take what you see and ignore what you do not.

وإِذا سأَلْتَ مَنْ الكريمُ فإِنَّه

عبدُ الرَّحيم وإِنَّه مولى الوَرَى

When asked who is generous, the answer is

The servant of the Merciful, and master of all creation.

يَخْتَارُ أَنْ يهبَ الخريدةَ كَاعِباً

والأَلْفَ أَلفاً والكلامَ مُجَوهَرا

He chooses to give away riches while struggling,

Thousands upon thousands, and his words are jewels.

فسوى مَنائِحه نوالٌ يُجْتَوى

وسوى مدائِحه حديثٌ يُفْتَرى

So his praises are equal to fabricated tales,

And eulogies for him are like foolish talk.

يَقرى الضيوفَ شعاعَ تبرٍ أَحمرٍ

فشعاعُ ذاك التبرِ نيرانُ القِرى

He hosts guests with beams of ruby red amber

And that amber is the fire of encampments.

ولقد سمعتُ وما سمعتُ بواهبٍ

جلَّت مَواهبُ كَفِّه أَنْ تُشْكَرا

Truly, I never heard of one so generous

That his gifts could ever fully be thanked.

ولَقَد رَأَيْتُ وما رَأَيتُ كَقَادِرٍ

يسعى لخِدمَتهِ القضاءُ مُقَدَّرا

Truly, I never saw one so able

That Fate itself eagerly served him.

قمرٌ تُعدُّ له المَجَرَّةُ مورِداً

والأُفقُ داراً والكواكبُ معشراً

A moon for whom the galaxy is a watering hole,

The horizon his abode, and the stars his company.

بلغ السماءَ معالياً ومكارِماً

ظهرت ويبلغُ فوق ذلك مَظْهرا

He reached the heavens in glory and kindness—

Apparent, though he will reach even higher.

فضلَ الملوكَ فصار يُسمى فاضلاً

صَغُروا لديه فصارَ يُدعى الأَكْبَرا

He surpassed kings, so he is called the Excellent,

They seemed small to him, so he is named the Greatest.

ويحطُّ أَلويةَ الملوكِ وإِنَّه

متكبِّرٌ عن أَن يُرى مُتَبختِرا

He lowers the banners of kings—he disdains

To appear a vainglorious boaster.

فبقولِه حَدُّ الحسام مُفللاًّ

وبرأْيه خدُّ الهزَبْر مُعَفَّرا

With his words, the blades of swords are blunted,

With his view, the edges of axes are dulled.

الرأْيُ أَبيضُ واليراع مسوِّدٌ

فيقومُ في حربِ العَدوّ مُشَهَّرا

Opinion is white and perspective is black;

He fiercely brandishes them in the war against the foe.

جَعلت براعتُه الكلامَ للفظه

عبداً ولكنَّا نراهُ محرَّراً

His skill made eloquence a slave to his words,

Yet we see it freed.

وسقى النَّدى من راحتيه يراعةً

فلِذاك أَزْهر بالبيانِ وأَثْمرا

Dew watered resolve from his hand,

Therefore he flourishes with rhetoric and blooms with fruit.

كسر الصليبَ سميُّه من رَأيه

فَسلِ العِدى مَن كان أَصْلب مَكْسِرا

With his judgment he broke the cross—

Ask the enemy who was most staunch in destruction.

ولقد أَقرَّ اللهُ عينَ نبيِّه

بمطهِّر جعلَ الشآمَ مُطَهَّرا

God delighted the Prophet's eye

With one who purified Syria and cleansed it.

ما زال أَو جعلَ الكنيسة جامِعاً

والأَنبلَ المخفوضَ مِنْها مِنْبَرا

He never rested, making churches into mosques

And pulpits of the lowered crosses.

فُتح الشآمُ به وقال زمانُه

إِن كنتَ فاتحه فلن يتَغَيَّر

Syria was opened by him, and his era said,

If you opened it, it will never change.

الشامُ دارُك لو أَردتَ أَخَذْتَه

بالإِرْت عن آبائِكَ الشُّم الذُّرا

O Sham, you are the abode—if you wished, you could take it

By the sword from your fathers, the sharpened blades.

منه بزغْتَ فلا وكنت بدراً نيِّراً

وبه طلعتَ فكنتَ صُبحاً مُسفراً

From it you shone, though you were a brilliant full moon,

And in it you rose, though you were a radiant dawn.

وله ملكتَ فلا برحتَ مُملَّكاً

وبه ظَفِرتَ فلا بَرِحتَ مظفَّراً

You ruled it eternally, never ceasing to reign,

And by it you conquered, never ceasing to triumph.

من مُبلغٌ بَيْسان سيدةَ القرى

أَنَّ الهناءَ أَتَاكَ مِن أُمِّ القُرى

Who can tell Bosra, the mistress of settlements,

That joy has come to you from the mother of settlements?

فلو استطاع البَيتُ أَرسلَ حِجرهُ

وفداً وأَرسلَ بالهناءِ المَشْعَرَا

If only the House could send its stone

As a delegate, and send you greetings scented with musk.

ولقد أَعدتَ لعسقلانٍ رُوحه

ورَفَعْتَ شاهِقَه وكان مُدمَّرا

You restored life to Ascalon’s soul

And raised up its towering height when it lay in ruins.

وأَدَمْتَ راحتَه فدُمْت مخلَّداً

وعمرت ساحَته فَعِشْت مُعمِّرا

You gave permanence to its tranquility, so you remain immortal,

And rebuilt its domain, so you live forever.

كفر الشآمُ وعسقلانٌ مؤمنٌ

حاشاه وهو عرينُه أَنْ يَكْفُرا

Syria committed blasphemy—but Ascalon, never!

Far be it! It is its den, it could not renounce faith.

ولكان مُؤمِنُ آلِ فرعون بهمْ

إِذْ كان يُضمر ضِدَّ ما قدْ أَظْهرا

Just like the believer among Pharaoh’s people kept secret

Beliefs opposed to what he displayed.

فأَغَرْتَ مصرَ به وأَيسرُ حقِّها

أَن لا تغارَ وحقُّها أَن تَعْذِرا

You captivated Egypt with it, though it deserved better,

For it should not resent but appreciate your rights over it.

فارقْتَ مصرَ وما استَحقَّت فُرقَةً

وهجرتَ مِصرَ ومثلُها لَن تُهجَرا

You left Egypt though it did not deserve separation,

You abandoned Egypt, the like of which shall never be abandoned.

وتشوَّقَتْ فتذكَّرت ولقلَّما

يُغني عن المشتاقِ أَنْ يتَذَكَّرا

Egypt longed for you, remembering, though remembering seldom

Relieves one who yearns.

ما أَنتَ سيِّدُ أَهلِ مصرٍ وحدهم

بل أَنتَ سيِّدُ كلِّ من وَطِئ الثَّرى

You are not just the master of the Egyptians,

But the master of all who tread the earth!

حَسَدَت مَعالِيك الكرامُ بياسرٍ

ولطالَما حسدَ المُقِلُّ المُكْثِرا

Your supreme virtues competed with Yasser in excellence—

For the lesser envies the greater.

راموا اللَّحاق به فمنهم من وَنَى

عجزاً ومنهم من جَرى فتعَثَّرا

They aspired to catch up to you, so some fell back, helpless,

While others raced headlong only to stumble.

من رام شَأْو عُلاك عاشَ مغصَّصاً

إِن عاشَ أَو إِن مات مات مُحسَّرا

Whoever aims for your lofty eminence lives embittered,

Whether he lives or dies wretched.

الغيثُ أَنت وأَنتَ أَندى راحةً

والبدرُ أَنت وأَنتَ أَشرفُ عنصراً

You are the rain, the softest hand,

You are the moon, the noblest element.