أَضَاءَ بثغرِك وادي أَضا

وفُضِّضَ بالنُّورِ ذَاك الفَضَا

Your smile illuminated the valley of light

And that space was illuminated with light

وقام الثَّرى لالْتقاءِ الغما

م لمَّا رأَى الْبَرقَ قد أَوْمَضا

And the earth stood to meet the clouds

When it saw the lightning flash

وثَغْرُك كالثَّغرِ من دونه

عِدًى تُتَّقى وظُبىً تُنْتَضَى

And your mouth is like a mouth without equal

An enemy to be feared and a beloved to be wished for

وللفَمِ مِنِّي دُيونُ عليه

بغير الأَسِنَّةِ لا تُقْتَضَى

And my mouth has debts to it

That cannot be paid except by kisses

وأَغيدُ يُنْهضُه قدُّه

فيمنَعُه الرِّدفُ أَنْ يَنْهَضَا

And my throat that raises it by its nape

Is prevented by shyness from rising

قد استيقظ الْحُسن في خَدِّه

فلو أَغْمض الصَّبُّ ما غَمَّضا

Beauty has awakened in his cheek

And if he were to shut his eyes, he would not shut them

وفضَّ وأَذهب عَنِّي نُهايَ

بما منه ذُهِّب أَو فُضِّضَا

Remove and take away my extinction

By that which was removed or illuminated from him

سقى روضةَ الخدِّ ماءُ الجمال

فروَّى كما أَنَّه روَّضا

The water of beauty watered the garden of his cheek

So it was satiated as if it were watered

يتيه وتبصرُه مقبلاً

فيُحسَب من تيهه مُعْرضا

He comes and goes, looking at him approaching

Yet he is thought to be turning away

ويا رُبَّما صرَّح الوصل

فلستُ أُحِبُّ الذي أَبْغَضا

And sometimes he facilitates the connection

Yet I do not love the one who hates

له ناظرٌ يُسقِمُ الناظِرين

ويَكسِفُ منه الوجوهَ الوِضَا

He has a look that makes lookers sick

And before him faces darken

دُعائِي له لا دُعَائِي عليه

بأَلاَّ يصحَّ وأَنْ يَمْرَضَا

My prayer for him is not my prayer against him

Unless he becomes well and falls sick

ومَا لي وللوصل من بعد أَن

نَضَا الشَّيبُ عنِّيَ ما قَدْ نَضَا

What is left between me and connection after

Old age has passed from me what has passed

وكيف يعيشُ سروري وقد

قَضَى الله أَنَّ سرورِي قَضَى

And how can my happiness live when

God has decreed that my happiness has passed

ووسَّخ شعريَ هذا المشيبُ

فأَعْجِب به وَسَخاً أَبيضا

And this old age has stained my hair

Yet I love it stained white

وما حولي انقَضَّ ذاك الغرام

وما انقَضّ إِلاَّ وقد أَنْقضَا

And the passion around me has passed

And nothing has passed except what has passed

ما أَصْطفيه فمدح الصَّفى

هو المُصْطَفى وهو المرْتضى

My praise of the chosen one

He is the chosen one and he is the approved one

شغلتُ بفرضِ مديحي له

وذاك أَحَقُّ بأَنْ يُفرَضا

I was preoccupied with praising him

And that is more deserving to be obligated

وزيرٌ تَخِر له سجَّدا

أُسودُ الملوكِ وأُسْد الْغَضَا

A minister for whom even the fierce lions bow down

The lions of kings and the lions of the wild

وتُبصرُ مجلسَه في سباق

سُجودهم مسجداً مَرْكَضا

And you see his assembly in its swiftness

Their bowing down is a running mosque

تجيءُ الملوكُ له خُشَّعاً

وتَنْقاد في أَمْرِه رُبَّضاً

The kings comes to him humbly

And lead in his matter like captives

وقامتْ له هيبةٌ أَصبحَت

ذكورُ الرِّجال بها حُيَّضاً

And a majesty has stood for him that

The males have become weakened by it

يقولُ فيُمْضِي الَّذِي قاله

سَريعاً وما السَّيفُ إِلاَّ المضَا

He says and carries out what he has said

Quickly, and the sword is but to execute

ويأْتي الزَّمانُ بما قَدْ أَرادَ

ويَقْضي القضاءُ بما قَد قَضَى

And time comes with what he wanted

And destiny rules with what it ruled

له قلمٌ جائلٌ في الطروسِ

فتحسبُه أَرقَماً نَضْنَضَا

He has a wand that wonders among the Pliades

You would think it a twinkling cluster

فكم سلَّ من صارمٍ مُغْمدٍ

وكم أَغمدَ الصَّارمَ الْمُنتَضى

So it has unsheathed many a sheathed sword

And sheathed many an unsheathed one

خطيبُ نحيفٌ وتمضي الحتوفُ

إِذا هو حذَّر أَو حَرَّضا

A slender preacher whom pavilions pass over

When he warns or provokes

بديعُ المقالِ رفيعُ المَقامِ

وما رفعَ اللهُ لَن يُخْفَضَا

Eloquent in speech, noble in station

And that which God has raised will not be lowered

أَعادَ النَّدى بعد أَن كان سا

ر وطنَّبه بعد أَنْ قوَّضا

He restored favour after it had flowed away

And reconstructed it after it crumbled

يُثِيبُ ويُعطي العطاءَ الجزيلَ

بلا مقتضٍ وبلا مُقْتَضى

He rewards and gifts abundant gifts

Without any exigency and without any creditor

يحيِّي وقد غاض ماءُ الكرام

فَتلْقى أَناملَه قَيَّضا

He brings to life favour when its water has receded

And so his fingers pick it up as sparks

فَسِرُّ أَيادِيه لا يَخْتَفي

ومَعنى معالِيه لن يُغْمضا

The favours of his hands do not remain hidden

And the meaning of his highness will not be obscured

أَقلُّ جنودِك خطبُ الزمانِ

وأَدنى عبيدِك صرْفُ القَضا

The least of your soldiers occupies time’s pulpits

And your basest slave controls the disposal of fate

أُودِّع منكَ الحَيَا والحياةَ

وأُودعُ قلبيَ جمرَ الغَضَا

I bid farewell to life and living through you

And I bid my heart farewell to burning coals

وأَذهبَ سخطَك عني رِضاك

فنغَّص بُعْدُك ذاك الرِّضا

And remove your anger toward me by your approval

For your distance embittered that approval

وأَقْرَضني الدَّهرُ ثم استر

دَّ مني السرورَ الَّذي أَقْرَضا

And time lent me then took away

The bliss that it lent

عفوت وبيّضتَ وجه الرَّجا

ءِ فيكَ ومثلُك من بَيَّضَا

You have pardoned and whitened the face of hope in you

And who whitens like you has whitened

وكنتُ كبوتُ فأَنْهضْتَنِي

جميلاً ومثلُك من أَنهضا

I was like an insect but you made me

Beautiful, and who makes beautiful like you has made beautiful

وقلتَ لمن قالَ لي كيفَ أَنْت

أَتى ما أَتى ومَضى ما مَضى

And you said to one who said how are you

What has come has come and what has passed has passed

وقام بظهريَ عفو الوزيرِ

وقَد كان أَعرضَ إِذْ أَعْرضا

And in my support is the pardon of the minister

And he had turned away when he turned away

وسُرَّ عِدايَ وقالوا غَرِمْت

فقلتُ ولكنَّه عَوَّضا

And my crime brought me joy and they said he has fined you

So I said but he has compensated

وأَلْبسَ أَضعافَ ما قَدْ نَضَاه

وفَيَّض أَضْعَافَ ما غيضا

And he clothed multiples of what had passed

And poured multiples of what was poured

زففتُ العروسَ إِلى كُفوها

وصادفتُ يا حسنَه مَعْرِضَا

I escorted the bride to meet her match

And by happenstance, O beauty, met her match

فدُمتَ يُزفُّ إِليكَ المديحُ

وتمنحُ أَضْعاف ما يُقْتَضى

So may praise continue to be escorted to you

And you give multiples of what is sought

وحظُّكَ للملكِ أَنْ يُصْطَفى

وحظُّ عدوِّك أَن يُرفَضَا

Your fate is to be chosen for rule

Your enemy’s fate is to be turned down

وأَمرُ معاليك لا يَنْقَضِي

ومنزل سَعْدك لن يُنقضا

And the matter of your excellence will not expire

And the place of your fortune will not break