قارنَها الدّمعُ فبِئْسَ القَرِينْ

وربما قُلتُ فنِعْم المعين

Tears likened her, what an evil companion!

Though I may say, ah, what a good aide!

وحَسْبُ من يعشَقُ هَوْنا بأَنْ

ينتظرَ العَوْنَ بماءٍ مَهِين

It suffices one who loves degradation

To await help through ignoble water.

أَكْمِنُ في كُمِّي دموعي حَياً

فهل عَلِمْتمْ أَنَّ كٌمِّي كَمِين

My tears conceal within my shirt alive,

Have you learned my shirt contains an ambush?

ما أَبعدَ الدَّارَ وأَدْنَى الْجَوى

لمّا نأَى الإِلْفُ وخَفَّ القَطِينْ

How remote my abode and how near my passion

When intimacy grew distant and the heart hardened!

بان عليها الذُّلُّ من بَعْدِهم

وزاد حَتَّى كَادَ أَن لا يَبِين

Disgrace appeared on her after them

Increasing until it almost failed to show.

فإِن تَقُلْ أَين الذينَ اغْتَدَوا

يَقُل صَدَاها لك أَين الذِينْ

If you say, where are those who transgressed?

Its echo says to you: where are those?

فَذَلِك الذُّلُّ وهذَا الصَّدى

ذاكَ ضنىً منها وهذا أَنين

That is the disgrace and this the echo -

One is her disdain and the other a sigh.

وكم خدودٍ وعيونٍ بها

كُسينَ بالأَدمُع حتَى عَرِين

And how many cheeks and eyes through her

Were clad with tears until they flowed!

ورُبَّما صِدْتُ بها ربرباً

وربَّما أَغْنى عن الصَّائدين

And I may ward off the spy because of her

Or render the hunters without need to sing.

تحميه آسادُ شَرًى حوله

فقُلْ كِناسٌ دارُه أَو عرين

The lions guard their den around him,

Say then: is it a church or a lions' den?

عيْشٌ تَقضَّى لي وكم كان لي

قَبْلَ تقَضِّيه إِليه حنين

A life ordained for me - how much before

Its ordination did I yearn for it!

فكلُّ يومٍ مرَّ بل ساعةٍ

يحقُّ لي أَبكي عليها سنين

So each day that passed - nay each hour -

My right to weep for her for years is due.

وجُمْلَةُ الأَمْر فيا أَهيفا

قد أَشبه الصَّعْدَة لَوْناً ولين

The sum, O most passionate one, is that

She resembled the climbing plant in hue and softness.

ومسَّني مسٌّ بمَنْ ثَغْرُهُ

في فَمِه الأَلْعَسِ مِيمٌ وسين

And one who, in his mouth, a mim and a sin,

Afflicted me by one whose lips enchant.

أَفْنَيْتُ بالرَّشْفِ جَنَى ريقِه

وها حَوَاشي شَقَتَيْهِ ضَمِين

I wasted on the red wine of his mouth the fruit of his saliva

And here are the notes in the margins of his two dimples.

أَبانَ رُشْدِيَ سِحْرُ أَلحاظه

يا صِدْقَ من سمَّاه سِحْراً مُبين

His glancing revealed the sorcery of my sanity -

How true is he who termed it evident sorcery!

وأَعدَمَ الناسَ أَماناتِهم

فما ترى فيهم عليه أَمين

And he disappointed people of their trusts,

So you see no trustee among them toward him.

إِنِّي وإِن أَسْرَفَ في صدِّه

به ضنينٌ وعليه ظَنِين

And if he is excessive in his firmness toward me,

In him are sorrow and about him suspicion.

أَشُكُّ لو صُوِّر من مِسْكةٍ

فلا تَقُولُوا لي ماءٌ وطين

I doubt that, were he depicted in musk,

Say not to me: it is water and clay!

لله يا لله في خلْقِه

ما أَوْضَحَ الشَّكَّ وأَبْدَى اليقين

By God! By God! In His creation -

How evident is the doubt and how clear the certainty!

سُبْحَان باريه وسُبْحَانَ مَنْ

خصَّ أَبَا الفضلِ بفَضْلٍ مُبينْ

Glory to Him and glory to the one whom

He singled out with evident favor!

أَبي وحَسْبي نِسبةٌ عِقْدُها

دُرٌّ وذاك الدٌّر درٌّ ثمين

My father and my lineage - its string

Is pearls and those pearls precious.

فبِرُّه لي مع رُشْدِي به

أَلْبَسَني الخَيْرَينِ دُنيا ودِين

His righteousness toward me along with my maturity through him

Has clad me in the two best garments, worldly and religious.

كأَنه إِذ زاد في برِّه

يُعلِّم الآباءَ بِرَّ البَنِينْ

It is as if, when he increased in his benevolence,

He taught fathers the righteousness of sons.

لا تَمْدَحُوني وامْدَحوه فمِنْ

إِنعامِه جُودِي على المجْتَدين

Do not praise me but praise him, for from

His benefaction comes my generosity to the deserving.

بَلْ جُوده أَعْلَى لأَني امروٌ

آخُذُ آلاَفاً وأُعْطِي مِئِينْ

Nay, his bounty is higher because I am but

A taker of thousands and giver of hundreds.

إِنَّ أَعادِيه وحُسَّادَه

أَبْصَرْنَ ذاك الفَضْلَ حتى عَمين

Indeed, his enemies and enviers

Saw that favor until they were blinded.

وغاظَهمْ لمَّا غَدا جالِساً

من المعالِي في مكانِ مَكِينْ

And it vexed them when he came to sit

High in place, in a firm position.

إِن يَلْتَقِ الوفدُ على بَابه

فلا تَسَلْ أَموالَه ما لَقين

When delegations come to his door,

Ask not about his wealth - what he attained.

أَهانَ أَمْوالاً على أَنَّه

لا يَكْرَمُ الإِنسانُ حتى يُهين

He disdained wealth so that he

Would not honor a man until he disgraced him.

كأَنَّما البحرُ شِمالٌ له

وجلَّ قدراً أَن يكونَ اليمين

It is as if the sea on his left

And exalted in rank that it be his right hand.

واصِفُه يُؤْجَرُ في وَصْفِه

لأَنه في قَوْلِه لا يَمِين

His describer is hired to describe him

Because he has in his words no deceit.

وجودُ كفيه لنا دائماً

والغَيث إِن جادَ ففي كُلِّ حين

The open-handedness of his palms is always ours

And the rain, if it flows, flows at all times.

قاضٍ قَضَى اللهُ بأَن لا يُرى

قِرْنٌ له في خَلْقِه أَو قَرِين

A judge decreed that God should not be seen

To have a peer among his creation or a match.

تَوَدُّ عيْنُ الشَّمْسِ لو أَطْرقَتْ

حَيا إِذا أَشرَقَ منه الجبين

The eye of the sun would love, if it blinked,

To live when his forehead shone radiant.

ومن لبدر التم لو أنه

إن بان منه بِشْرُه أَو يَبِين

The full moon too, if it emerged

Revealing his cheerfulness or brightness.

لله ما أَنْعَم عَيْشِي به

لان وحَسْبُ المرءِ عيشٌ يَلين

God, how my life with him blessed me!

For the life of a man is only tender living.

عُمْرِي شبابٌ وحبيبي كما

تَدْري وكأْسُ اللَّهوِ عِنْدِي مَعِين

My life is youth, and my love as you know,

And the cup of joy is my familiar aide.

ورُبَّ آمالٍ تَشَهَّيْتُها

نداك في إِنْجَازها لي ضَمِين

And how many hopes I coveted

Relying on you to fulfill them!

يا سيداً أَدعوهُ في حَاجَةٍ

وهْو بأَنْ يُدْعَى جديرٌ قمين

O lord I call when I have a need,

And he by being called is worthy to be trustee.

حَلَفْت أَنِّي سأَنالُ الغِنى

وأَنْتَ أَولى من يَبَرُّ اليَمِينْ

I swore I would attain wealth,

And you are worthier to fulfill oaths.

فَصُلْ على الدَّهْرِ وأَبْنَائِه

وابْقَ على أَيَّامِه ما بقين

So bestow upon the ages and their sons,

And remain, for its days that remain.

هذا دعائي وجميعُ الورى

تقولُ من بَعْدِ دُعائِي أَمِين

This is my prayer, and all creation

Says after my prayer: Amen.