شَربتُ شربَ الهيمِ

من فمِ ذاكَ الرِّيم

I sipped the wine of despair

From the mouth of that disgraced one

فضَّ لثمِي الختمَ عن

رحيقهِ المختومِ

So my kiss broke its seal

From his fermented liquor

حتَّى سمعتُ بفمِي

التَّسليمَ من تَسْنِيم

Until I heard with my mouth

The greeting from his breath

كَمْ لي بِذَاكَ الرِّيم من

ريم بِغَيْرِ مِيمِ

How much blame from that disgraced one

Disgrace without guilt

يا عاذِلي في حُكْمه الـ

ـمحكَمِ بالحَكِيمِ

O you who blame me for His firm decree

Decided by the All-Wise

وقَدْ سَقَاني حَبيـ

ـبي بكَأسه حَميم

When He has quenched my thirst

With His chalice of love

أَلْقَى سَفِيهَ عَذْلِه

بِعشْقِيَ الحليمِ

I cast off the ignorance of the blamer

With my gentle passion

حاشايَ من عشقٍ خئو

نٍ أَو هوىً لئيم

Far be it from a deceitful love

Or a base desire

يعذِلُني رخيمُه

في شادنٍ رَخيم

His breeze blames me

In a gentle meadow

كالبدرِ لاَ حَاشَاه مِنْ

خَدٍّ لهَ مَلطوم

Like the full moon, far from Him

Any blemish or stain

وأَيْنَ ذاك القَدُّ مِنْ

عُرجونِه القديم

And where is that tall stature

From his ancient bent loftiness

كالظَّبْي لا حاشَاه مِنْ

فَمٍ له مَهْتُوم

Like a gazelle, far from Him

Any mouth with a twist

قد غُمَّ بدرُ التِّم منـ

ـه فهْو في الغُمُومِ

The full moon of virtue is eclipsed

So it is among the clouds

تلكَ الغُمُومُ هي ما

سمِّي بالْغُيومِ

Those clouds called obscurity

Stung by a scorpion at night

يلدغُنِي عقرب ليْـ

ـلِ صُدْغِه البِهيمِ

So I wore the adornment of His beautiful face

The adornment of His face in the right side of my pure heart

لِذاك قد لبستُ حُلْـ

ـىَ وجُهِه الوَسيمِ

I brought it down in my mind

As a neighbor to my worries

حَلْى حُلاه في يميـ

ـنِ قلبيَ السَّليم

And I inscribed His love

In the heart and in the core

أَنزلْتُه في خَاطري

مُجاوراً هُمومِي

So it became safe from Him

In that inviolable sanctuary

وقد رقمتُ حُبَّه

في القلبِ وفي الصَّمِيمِ

Awake, not asleep

In the cave and the pillar

فصار منه آمِناً

في ذَلِكَ الْحَرِيم

Do not conjure up the specter

Surely the specter is of enemies

مستيْقِظاً لا نَائِماً

في الكهْف والرَّقِيم

It almost denies the sciences of my mind

Out of its ignorance

لا تبعثِ الطَّيفَ فإِ

نّ الطَّيْفَ من خُصوم

To my passion the specter has no meaning

It is not to be understood

يكادُ يَنْفي من مُحا

لِ جَهْلِه عُلومِي

The lover of passion does not say

Of love that it is nonexistent

فالطَّيفُ معنىً عند عشـ

ـقِي ليس بالمفْهومِ

And the heart is not pleased with blame

Instead of the wine

وأَشعَرِيُّ الحبِّ لا

يقولُ بالمعدوم

Oh for the glance of an unjust

In the image of the wronged

والقلبُ لا يرْضَى من الـ

ـغرامِ بالشَّميم

Yet he is the correct one as you see him

Though he appears sick

آهٍ لطرف ظالمٍ

في صُورة المظلومِ

And oh what a time I have turned to

Not ignoble

وهْو الصَّحيحُ ولَقَدْ

تَراه كالسَّقيم

A time of youth that has flown on blessings and bliss

While grey hair blazed like fire in timber

وآهِ من عصرٍ تو

لَّى ليسَ بالذَّميمِ

And my heavenly garden became

Like a saline marsh

عصرِ شبابٍ طار بالنْـ

ـعْمَةِ والنَّعِيم

And my kingdom was removed

From Satan the accursed

واشتَعَل الشَّيبُ كمثـ

ـلِ النَّارِ في الهَشيم

So today I have no intimate friend

No cup, and no companion

وأَصْبحَتْ جَنَّةُ إِطرا

بِيَ كالصَّريمِ

And I became like one accused

Then returned like one innocent

ومُلكي أُزيلَ من

شيطانِيَ الرَّجِيم

The servant of the noble

Is righteous, not wicked

فاليومَ لا إِلْفي ولاَ

كأْسي ولا نَديمِي

His piety saves him

From hellfire

وكنتُ كالمخصومِ

ثُمَّ عُدت كالْمَعْصُوم

That generous one, son of the generous

Son of the generous protector

وخادِمُ الفاضل

بَرٌّ ليسَ بالأَثِيمِ

Who calls Him the Relenting, the Gentle, the Clement

The owner of sovereignty, the ascetic

تُعدِّيه تقواه فتُنْـ

ـجيه مِنَ الجَحيم

Reviver of the state of sciences

And builder of religion and its crumbled pillar

ذاكَ الكريمُ ابنُ الكريـ

ـمِ ابْنُ الكريمِ الخِيم

The granter of thousands to the beseecher and deprived

Originator of generosity overflowing

يدعُوهُ بالأَوَّابِ والـ

ـأَوَّاهِ والْحَليم

With ample bounty

Abolisher of nothingness, so none in creation are devoid

المالِكُ الناسِكُ محـ

ـيي دولةِ الْعُلوم

And the deficient state He cured with plentiful bounty

So He brought us the Messiah from Him

وعامرُ الدِّين وبا

ني رُكْنِه المهدوم

By the hand of the Eternal

Lesser kings humble themselves

والواهِبُ الآلافِ لِلسـ

ــائِلِ والمحْرُومِ

To His great power

As their faces bowed down

وأَوجدَ الجودَ يعمّم

بالنَّدى العمِيمِ

To His noble face

They came to His waters

وأَعدَم الْعُدْمَ فما

في الخلْقِ مِنْ عَديم

Like the very thirsty

And fell upon the Expert and Knower from Him

وأَبرأَ الحالَ النحيـ

ـفَ بالنَّدى الجسيم

He restrains them by His awe

From their tyrannical nature

فجاءَنا المسيحُ مِنـ

ــهُ بيدِ الكَليم

And the unjust gain happiness through Him

In His great kingdom

تَخْفَى الملُوكُ صُغَّراً

لقدرِه العَظيمِ

As He established for them in His bliss

A settled abode

كما عَنَتْ أَوْجُهُهَا

لوجْهِه الْكَرِيمِ

Had He not cared for their kingdom

It would be like crumbling ruins

أَتَت إِلى مَوْرِدِهِ

مثلَ العِطاشِ الهيمِ

And like one stripped bare if not for Him

And as if destroyed

وسقَطَتْ على الخبيـ

ــرِ منْه والعَليمِ

And as if forsaken if He did not call him

Like an orphan

يكفُّها بخوفِه

عن طَبْعِها الظَّلُومَ

So many a pen He has

Ruling over a region

ونِعمَةُ الظَّالمِ بالظَّـ

ـالمِ كالظَّليم

That region from India to the far West

And that bequeathed from His inscribed book

ويُنتج السَّعْدُ لَها

فِي مُلكِهِ العَظِيم

With its prose like strung pearls

My master, the secret of whose blessing cannot be concealed

كما أَقامَتْ مِنْه في

نعيمِها المُقيمِ

My insomniac in thanks to Him, His being lulls me to sleep

I complain - but what do I complain of? I complain of blessings

لَوْ لَمْ يَرُمَّ مُلْكَها

لكان كالرَّمِيم

I complain to You of favors that have filled my insides

They have burdened my back and clothed my life in leather

وكانَ كالمثلوبِ لو

لاَه وكالْمثلُوم

And when I fell short, You became - O praiseworthy one - as one blamed

At times I am drowned more than hailstones by the driving rain

وكان لَو لَمْ يَدْعه

يُدَعّ كاليتيمِ

At times the stars of the horizon return like shooting stars

The least I owe is my recording with reverence

وكَمْ له من قَلمٍ

والٍ على إِقْليمِ

And describing my compilation and scattered works with composed ones

From You is my learning, and what I have understood, with comprehension

وذاكَ إِقليمٌ من الـ

ـهندِ لأَقْصَى الرُّومِ

You made the house of my compositions inhabited with the transcribed

So too my poems have become from You like coveted treasure

وذلِك الموقوفُ مِنْ

كِتَابه المرقُومِ

And if You thank, then all thanks are to You, my days

While for me there are enemies whose breaths are like poison and toxins

ولفظُه المنثورُ مثـ

ـلُ اللؤلؤِ المنظومِ

They are the cause of souls, spirits, and bodies

You have raised me above them from depths to summits

يا سيِّداً سِرُّ ندا

هُ ليسَ بالمكْتُومِ

And their winds recoiled from You like a gentle breeze

You established me, so they retreated

يا مُسْهِرِي بِشكرِه

وجودُه مُنيمِي

To the settled place of their abode

What You willed of delaying them fulfilled

أَشكُو وما أَشكو نَعَمْ

أَشْكُو إِلى رَحيمِ

What You wanted of preceding

And You became the one I serve, so they all became my servants

أَشْكُو إِليك أَنْعُماً

قد مَلأَتْ حَيْزُومِي

Rejoice in the coming of a blessed day

That has reached you with the best arrival

قد أَثْقَلتْ ظهرِي وقدّ

تْ بالْحَيَا أَدِيمي

Bringing to fulfillment hopes and talismans

Reviving through it the way from Your father Abraham

وصرتَ إِذ قصَّرتُ يا

محمودُ كالمَذْمُومِ

Sacrificing through it the enemies as ransom instead of sheep

And resolving gifts even from the reluctant

وربما أغرق مز

ن الغيث بالسجوم

And making the presenting of my garden like an intimate friend

O God's blessing upon the servant of the Merciful, make it last

وربَّما عادَتْ نجو

مُ الأُفْق كالرُّجُومِ

So this is my attempt at an English translation of the Arabic poem, focused on preserving the meaning and poetic structure. Let me know if you need any clarification or have feedback on the translation.

أَقلُّ ما يوليه تبـ

ـجيليَ مَعْ تَعْظيمِي

ووصْفُ تصنيفي ومنـ

ـثوريَ مَعْ مَنْظومِي

ومنكَ تعليمي ومَا

عُلِّمت مَعْ تَفْهيمي

وعَمَّرْتُ دار طرا

زِي منكَ بالمَرقُوم

كذا مُوشَّحاتِي صر

نَ مِنْك كالطَّمِيمِ

وأَنْتَ إِنْ شَكَرْتَ فالشُّـ

ـكْرُ إِليكَ يُومِي

ولي عِدىً أَنفاسُهم

كالسُّمِّ والسُّمُومِ

هُمْ عِلَّة الأَنْفُسِ

والأَرواحِ والجُسومِ

رفَعْتني عنْهم مَن

التُّخومِ للنُّجومِ

ورَكَدَتْ ريحُهمُ

عِنْدَك من نَسيمِ

أَقمْتَنِي فرجَعُوا

في المقْعَدِ المُقيمِ

وقد قَضى تأخيرُهم

ما شئتَ من تَقْديمِ

وصرتَ مخدومِي فصا

رَ كلُّهم خَديمِي

فاهْنَأ بعيدٍ قادمٍ

بأَسعدِ الْقُدومِ

أَتاكَ بالتكْميل للـ

ـآمالِ والتَّتْمِيمِ

تُحيي به السُّنَّةَ من

أَبيكَ إِبْراهيم

وتنحرُ الأَعداءَ فيـ

ـــهِ بدالَ الْقُرومِ

وتعزمُ الهباتِ

والْغرْمُ على الرَّغيم

وتَجعلُ العارِضَ مِنْ

روضِيَ كالْحَميمِ

يا نعمةَ اللهِ علىَ

عبدِ الرَّحيمِ دُومِي