هبّ النسيم على الرياض مع السَحَرْ

فاستيقظت في الدوح أجفان الزَهَرْ

The breeze blew over the gardens at dawn,

So the eyelids of the flowers awoke in the valley.

ورمى القضيب دراهماً من نوْرِهِ

فاعتاض من طل الغمام بها دُرَرْ

And dawn threw its shining coins,

With the clouds intercepting its scattering pearls.

نشر الأزاهر بعدما نظم الندى

يا حسن ما نظم النسيم وما نَثَرْ

The flowers spread out after the dew had adorned them.

How excellent is what the breeze composed and scattered!

قُمْ هاتها والجو أزهرُ باسمٌ

شمساً تحلُ من الزجاجة في قَمَرْ

Come now, as the air is most verdant,

A sun dissolving out of its bottle into a moon.

إن شجها بالماء كفُّ مديرها

ترمي من شُهب الحباب بها شَرَرْ

If you shake it with water, stay the hand of its wielder,

It casts sparks from its bubbles wherever it is seen.

ناريةً نوريةً من ضوئها

يقدح السراج لنا إذا الليل اعتكرْ

Fiery and luminous in its radiance -

The lamp kindles light for us when the night grows dark.

لم يُبقِ منها الدهرُ إلا صبغة

قد أرعشت في الكأس من ضعف الكِبَرْ

Time left of it only a trace

Which trembled in the cup out of feebleness and old age.

من عهد كسرى لم يُفضَّ ختامُها

إذ كان يدخر كنزها في ما دَخَرْ

Since the days of Chosroes its seal has not been broken,

As he hoarded its treasure among what he stored away.

كانت مذاب التُبْر فيما قد مضى

فأحالها ذوبَ اللجين لمن نظرْ

It had been liquid amber long ago,

But the melting of bitumen made it for one who saw.

جدّدْ بها عرس الصبوح فإنها

بكر تحييها الكرام مع البُكرُ

With it renew the wedding of morn, for it

Is a virgin the generous revive at dawn,

وابلُلّ بها رمق الأصيل عشيةً

والشمس من وعد الغروب على خطَرْ

And with it moisten the spirit of the noble in the evening,

When the sun is nearing its promised setting.

محمرة مصفرة قد أظهرتْ

خجلَ المريب يشوبه وَجَلُ الحَذِرْ

Rosy, yellow - it revealed

The shame of cowardice mixed with caution and fear.

في كف شفَاف تجسّد نوره

من جوهرِ لألاءُ بهجته بَهَرْ

In the palm of a delicate hand its light embodied,

Dazzling in its essence, its splendor spellbinding.

تهوى البدور كماله وتودُّ أن

لو أوتيت منه المحاسن والغررْ

The full moons crave its perfection and wish

That they were given its beauties and pearls.

قد خَطّ نونَ عذاره في خده

قلمان من آس هناك ومن شعر

It traced the letter Nun of its tenderness on its cheek,

With a pen of myrtle there and one of hair.

وإلى عليك بها الكؤوس وربما

يسقيك من كأس الفتور إذا فَتَرْ

Offer it in cups again and again,

It may give you to drink from the cup of weariness if it rests.

سُكْرُ النّدامى من يديه ولحظه

متعاقب مهما سقى وإذا نظَرْ

The intoxication of the repentant is in its hands, however much it pours when it looks.

Where the murmuring joins the murmur, so the birds sing without strings in the branches,

حيث الهديلُ مع الهدير تناغيا

فالطير تنشد في الغصون بلا وترْ

And the twigs lean to embrace, as though they are

A deputation of loved ones arriving from a journey,

والقضبُ مالتْ للعناق كأنها

وفد الأحبة قادمين من السَفَرْ

Playing with their trinkets, the roses cleverly

Stand in for their bracelets, being fair in their stead,

متلاعبات في الحلي ينوب في

وجناتهنَّ الوردُ حسناً عن خَفَرْ

And the dewy narcissi turn amorously toward them,

Tears of dew pouring from them profusely.

والنرجس المطلول يرنو نحوها

بلواحظ دمعُ الندى منها انهمَرْ

And the river, its blade polished, when you wish,

The coat of mail of its pool clashing in it,

والنهر مصقول الحُسام متى تَرِدْ

درعُ الغدير مصفقاً فيها صَدَرْ

Runs over the pebbles that are like jewels,

Crashing over them no matter how much it stumbles.

يجري على الحصباء وهي جواهرٌ

متكسِّراً من فوقها مهما عَثَرْ

Is this or is it the garden of good tidings,

In which there are lessons for the discerning?

هل هذه أم روضة البشرى التي

فيها لأرباب البصائر مُعتَبَرْ

I do not know, from passion for it and for this,

Which of the two has seduced hearts and captivated souls.

لم أدرِ من شغفٍ بها وبهذه

من منهما فَتَن القلوب ومن كَسَرْ

The eyelids brought it brimming with breasts,

Brimming with thoughts, hearing, and sight,

جاءت بها الأجفان مِلْءَ ضلوعها

مِلْءَ الخواطر والمسامع والبصَرْ

And a voyager on the sea, his sail filled,

Attained, with clear conquest, his destined fortune.

ومسافرٍ في البحر مِلْء عنانه

وافى مع الفتح المبين على قَدَرْ

It led him bridled toward you, as though he were

A camel driven toward leadership, having set out.

قادته نحوَك بالخِطام كأنه

جَمَلٌ يساقُ إلى القياد وقد نفَرْ

And religion shows him the might of its people in you,

O most compassionate of the capable, when it determines.

وأراه دينُ الله عزّةَ أهله

بك يا أعفَّ القادرين إذا قدرْ

O pride of Al-Andalus and safeguard of its people,

A secret of your distinction for people has become clear.

يا فخر أندلس وعصمة أهلها

للناس سرُّ في اختصاصك قد ظهرْ

How many insoluble problems of its woes have you treated,

Curing them with construction and restoration!

كم معضل من دائها عالجتَه

فشفيتَ منه بالبدار وبالبدِرْ

What might the eloquent describe? A caliph

Whose days are nothing but bounty.

ماذا عسى يصف البليغ خليفة

واللهِ ما أيامه إِلاَّ غرَرْ

You inherited, O guiding king, this pride

From each one who gave shelter to the Prophet and gave him victory,

وُرَّثتَ هذا الفخرَ يا ملك الهدى

من كلِّ من آوى النَّبِيَّ ومن نَصَرْ

Whoever wishes to know their pride and perfection,

Let him read the revelation of God concerning them and the biographies.

من شاء يعرفُ فخرهم وكمالهم

فليتلُ وحي الله فيهم والسَّيَرْ

Their sons, the sons of victory after them,

With their swords the religion of God is victorious.

أبناؤهم أبناء نصر بعدهم

بسيوفهم دين الإله قد انتصرْ

My lord, may your morning be happy, and the two are alike,

Both widely celebrated among all creation.

مولاي سعدُك والصباح تشابها

وكلاهما في الخافقين قد اشتهرْ

This is the minister of the west, the faithful servant,

None but you has carried his burdens in hardships.

هذا وزير الغرب عبد آبق

لم يُلفِ غيرَك في الشدائد من وَزَرْ

Ungrateful is he whom you granted favors from your bounty—

And God has ordained punishment for the ungrateful.

كفر الذي أوليته من نعمة

واللهُ قد حتم العذابَ لمن كفرْ

If he does not die by the sword, he dies of rage,

Praying regretfully, anguished, and brooding.

إن لم يمت بالسيف مات بغيظه

وصَلّى سعيراً للتأسّف والفِكرْ

He rode escape as a mount to deliver him,

But it carried him until he settled upon hellfire.

ركب الفِرارَ مطيَةً ينجو بها

فجرتْ به حتى استقر على سَقَرْ

Thus did his father, who was his dove,

Cooing while he clung to life on the edge of peril.

وكذا أبوه وكان منه حِمامُهُ

قد حُمَّ وهُوَ من الحياة على غَرَرْ

You informed him—and God is greatest as Witness—

However He willed, honoring a land and abandoning it.

بلّغتَهُ واللهُ أكبرُ شاهدٍ

ما شاء من وطن يعزّ ومن وَطرْ

Until when he who was granted bounty disbelieved,

The events left nothing of him and spared naught.

حتى إذا جحد الذي أَوْلَيْته

لم تُبق منه الحادثات ولم تذَرْ

In his case, by God, is the greatest moral

For a servant in destiny who might be admonished.

في حاله واللهِ أعظم عِبرةٍ

لله عَبدٌ في القضاء قد اعتبرْ

So be patient—you will attain the likes of it in the likes of him.

Surely for those who endure, consequences are best in matters.

فاصبرْ تنلْ أمثالها في مثله

إن العواقب في الأمور لمن صبَرْ

Turn away wherever you wish justified in turning away.

God suffices you in turns of fortune and in breasts.

رِدْ حيث شئت مسوَغاً وِرد المنى

فالله حسبك في الورود وفي الصَّدَرْ

You remain guarded by an eye that never sleeps

As long as the eye of the sun closes in seeing.

لا زلتَ محروساً بعين كلاءةٍ

ما دام عين الشمس تعشي من نَظَرْ