ليس لِي مِنهُ سِوَى لاَ

كلَّما زدتُ سُؤَالا

I have nothing of him but "no"

Whenever I ask more, he grows aloof

يَتَعالى ولقد حُقـ

ـق له أَنْ يَتَعالاَ

He has the right to be aloof

By my father, he is a crescent

بِأَبِي منه هلاَلٌ

صيَّر الشمسَ هِلاَلاً

That has made the sun a crescent

A gazelle, we have never seen

وغزالٌ ما رأَيْنَا

مثلَ عَينيه غَزالا

Eyes like his, a gazelle

Dressed the moon in pallor

أَلْبَس البدرَ شُحوباً

وكسا الغصنَ هُزَالاً

And clothed the branch in lean

Set up excuse as a snare

نَصَبَ الفخَّ عِذاراً

تَحتَه الحبَّةُ خَالا

Under it the love as prey

With him I have languished and raved

فبه أَضنى وأَصْبَى

وبه صَادَ وصَالا

With him I have hunted and joined

With glances of delight

وبأَعطافٍ نِشاط

وبأَجْفانٍ كَسَالى

And with melting eyelids

The wind sports on my cheek

تعلبُ الريحُ بصدغيـ

ـه يميناً وشمالا

Right and left

They are the shadow's extent

فهما الظلُّ امتداداً

وهما الظَّلُّ انْتِقَالا

They are the shadow's transit

In him, in my misery

أَنا فيه بِشَقَائِي

أَنعمُ العالَمِ حالا

I enjoy the world's comfort

And if I die frustrated

ولَئن مِتُّ صُدوداً

فَلَكَمْ عِشْتُ وِصَالاَ

How long I have lived joined

How often my night has shortened

ولكم قَصَّر لَيْلِي

بنعيمٍ منه طالا

In bliss lasting from him

And we embraced hearts

وتعانَقْنا قلوباً

وجدها النار اشتعالا

Burning them is fire's feeding

And we mingled tears

وتشاكينا دموعاً

طَلُّها الْوبْلُ انْهمَالا

Their dripping the soil's flooding

Passion took unlawfully

أَخذ الرَّاح حَرَاماً

وتحاشَاهاَ حَلاَلاً

And avoided the lawful

My cheeks' fire cooked it

طبَّختها نارُ خَدّيـ

ـيهِ بنورٍ يَتَلاَلاَ

With gleaming light

O you who restores union

أَيها المسترجعُ الوصـ

ـلَ دَلالاً أَوْ مَلالاً

A guide or weary

You are like the sun but your epoch is the noon of decay

أَنت كالشمسِ ولكن

دَهرُك الظُهْرُ زوالا

Pass me amidst your folds

As I have become shreds

مُرَّ بي بين ثَنايا

كَ فقد صرتُ خِلاَلا

Or bring me with your eyes

As I have become a specter

أَوْ فأَحضرني بعينيـ

ـكَ فقد عُدْتُ خيالا

Or I have let myself go

And cut the bonds

أَوْ فإِنِّي قد تَسيَّبْـ

ـتُ وقَطَّعْتُ الحبالا

With greying that has spread

Till it has covered the head with inflammation

بمشيبٍ عَمَّ حتَّى

عمَّمَ الرأَسَ اشْتِعَالا

So when the cupbearer says “haha”, I say “no no”

An old man acting coy

فَمَتى ما قال ساقي الـ

ـراحِ هَاهَا قلتُ لاَ لاَ

Is like rubbish wriggling

Greying has let me down but

إِنَّ شَيْخاً يَتَصَابى

مثلَ غثٍّ يتحَالَى

With Ali I rise

With him I prevail over fate

حطَّني الشَّيْبُ ولكن

بِعليٍّ أَتَعالَى

When fate acts prolonged

With him I pardon fate

وبه أَسْطُو على الدَّهـ

ـر رضي الله عنه إِذا الدهرُ اسْتَطالا

When fate acts curtailed

With him I spend on others

وبه أَعْفُو عن الدَّهْـ

ـر رضي الله عنه إِذا الدَّهْر اسْتَقَالا

When the rain pours continuously

Through him I borrow riches

وبه أَسْخُو إِلى القَطْـ

ـرِ إِذا القطر توالى

When riches amass

A king who revived bestowal

وبه أستلفت المـ

ـل إذا ما المالُ مَالاَ

As he had destroyed armaments

He established Islam but

مَلِكٌ أَحْيَا نَوالاً

مِثْلَمَا أفْنَى نِصَالا

After having dispelled misguidance

And he truly supported God's cause

شيَّدَ الإسلامَ لكن

بَعْدَ أَن هدَّ الضَّلالا

With war and combat

He protected religion from enemies

ولقد قامَ بنصر الـ

ـله حرباً ونِزَالا

And sufficed people fighting

He has a thousand domains

فَوقَى الدِّينَ الأَعَادِي

وكفى الخَلْقَ القِتالا

Where no domain is found

Warfare wearied but

وله أَلفُ مجالٍ

حيث لا يَلْقَى مجالا

It did not fatigue him

Residence ended but

كلَّتِ الحَرْبُ ولكن

ما شكا منها كَلاَلاَ

He never intended to move

His war with enemies

وخَلَتْ داراً ولكن

ما نَوى عنها انْتِقَالا

Was never mere wrangling

But he had victory over them

حرْبُه بينَ عِدَاه

لم يَكُنْ قطُّ سِجَالا

Every prolonged day

They had come as mountains

بل له النَّصْرُ علَيهم

كُلَّ يوم يَتَوَالَى

With him they returned as sands

Through him they became women

ولقد جاءُوا جِبالاً

وبه عادُوا رِمالا

When they had been men

He routed the Indian's load

وبه صارُوا نِساءً

ولقد كَانُوا رِجَالا

And confined the Byzantine

His is the unsheathing of striking

أَنْحلَ الهنديَّ حملا

والرُّدينيَّ اعتِقَالاَ

And his is the stab of improvising

He possessed fate tyrannically

وله الضَّربُ ابْتِداراً

وله الطَّعْنُ ارْتِجَالا

With highest feats not trickery

We saw fate in his

مَلَك الدهر اقتساراً

بالعوالِي لا احتيالا

Grasp wearing the crown of conceit

You made fate your abode

ورأَينا الدهرَ في عِطْ

فَيْهِ بالملْك اختِيَالاَ

And people your dependents

And religion became protected

قد جعلتَ الدَّهر داراً

لك والخَلْقَ عِيَالا

Through you and riches debased

You gave people justice abundantly

وغدا الدِّنُ مَصوناً

بك والمالُ مُذَالا

Making fate upright

How often you took a stand

وَوسِعْت الخلقَ عَدْلاً

قوَّم الدَّهْرَ اعْتِدالا

That silenced people's speech

Who rises in your lofty qualities

ولَكَمْ قُمْتَ مقَاماً

أَفْحَمَ الْخَلْقَ مقالا

Is unlike those who do not rise

مَنْ تَعَالى في معاليـ

ـكَ كَمَنْ لاَ يَتَعَالى