شَطَّتْ لِلَيْلَى بِالَّلوَى
دَارٌ وَكَانَتْ لاَ تَشُطْ
She moved to Layla with grace,
A house though she did not settle.
وَطَالَمَا عِشْنَا مَعَاً
كُلٌّ بِكُلِّ مُغْتَبِطْ
And long we lived together,
Each of us content.
أَيَّامَ لا تَسُومُنَا الأَ
يَّامُ فِي العَيْشِ شَطَطْ
Days that do not rate us,
In living wildly we ramble.
والغُصْنُ نَضْرٌ والشَّبَا
بُ شَعْرُهُ جَعْدٌ قَطَطْ
The branch is green and youth’s hair
Is curly locks and ringlets.
وَكَوكَبُ السُّرُورِ فِي اسْ
تِقَامَةٍ لَمْ يَنْهَبِطْ
And the star of joy upright
Has not lost its angle.
والدَّهْرُ لَمْ يَنْشَطْ لِمَا
لَهُ مِنَ الغَدْرِ نَشِطْ
Fate’s betrayal cannot dilute
Its own joy a single jot.
ذَاكَ وَقَدْ أَغَدُو وَلِي
فِي الغَدَوَاتِ مُغْتَبَطْ
That’s how I start my day,
At dawn in joy I amble.
واللَّيْلُ كَالشَّعْرِ فَشَا
فِيْهِ مِنَ الشَّيْبِ وَخَطْ
The night like hair turns hoary,
With strands of white entangled.
والصُّبْحُ كَالْقَسِّ بَدَا
مِنْ فَتْقِ مَسْحَيْهِ الشَّمَطْ
The morn peers like a bowl,
With the burnish of its rim dazzled.
وَالنَّجْمُ كَالْقُرْط وَهَى
عِنْدَ العِنَاقِ فَسَقَطْ
The stars like earrings drop
During passionate embrace they dangle.
فِي فِتْيَةٍ غُرٍّ لَهُمْ
فِي المَجْدِ بَاعٌ مُنْبَسِطْ
Amongst gallant youths, glory expands
For them plains without wrinkle.
لا زَلَلاً يَخْشَى النَّدِيْ
مُ مِنْهُمُ وَلاَ سَقَطْ
No slippery patch they fear,
Nor have they lost their footing.
وَلاَ حِجَابَاً دَونَهُ
حَوَاجِبُ القَوْمِ تُمَطْ
No veil before them,
كَالأُسْدِ بَأْسَافِي الوَغَى
والغَيْثِ إِنْ عَمَّ القَحَطْ
The eyebrows of the tribe they paddle.
Like lions in fierce foray,
والدُّرِّ والزَّهْرِ مَعَاً
شِعْرَاً وَأَلْفَاظَاً وَخَطْ
Or rain when drought destroys the cattle.
Like pearls and flowers in one,
تَنْفَسِحُ الآمَالُ فِي
أَمْثَالِهِمْ وَتَنْبِسِطْ
In verse, idiom and tablet.
Hopes through their likes relax
مَا فِيْهِمُ عَيْبٌ سِوَى الإِ
فْرَاطِ فِي الجُودِ فَقَطْ
And sprawl without a shackle.
No blame except excess
تَشَاكَلُوا فَأَشْكَلُوا
فَهُمْ كَأَسْنَانِ المُشُطْ
In munificence they dabble!
Resembling they confused,
تَرَى حَدِيْثَ الشَّرْبِ يُطْ
وَى بَيْنَهُمْ طَيَّ البُسُطْ
Like teeth arranged on a comb they straddle.
You see the tale of drink is spun
وَإِنْ هَفَا خِلٌّ تَلاَ
فَوْا وَأَقَالُوهُ الغَلَطْ
Amongst them, while the carpet they unravel.
Should a boor interfere,
وَعَنْ يَسَارِي مِنْ سُيُو
فِ الهِنْدِ ذُو شَطْبِ سَبْطِ
They quickly set him right, his prattle.
On my left, swords from India glance,
كَأَنَّ بَرْقَاً لاَمِعاً
مِنْ جَفْنِهِ إِذَا اخْتُرِطْ
With tempered steel they dazzle.
Like sparks that brightly shine
كَأَنَّ نَمْلاً دَارِجاً
صَاعَدَ فِيْهِ وانْهَبَطْ
Whenever drawn from scabbard they crackle.
Like ants milling up and down,
مَاضٍ تَرَى فِي مَتْنِهِ
مَاءً بِنَارٍ مُخْتَلِطْ
Ascending and descending without tackle.
Ready to slash, in its blade,
كَأَنَّمَا دِيْفَ بِهِ
سُمٌّ الضَّئِيْلاَتِ الرُّقُطْ
Water with fire seems to dabble.
As if packed with deadly poison,
يَقُدُّ إِنْ أَعْمَلْتَهُ
طُوَلاً وَإِنْ عَارَضَ قَطْ
Even for sparrows too fatal a swaddle.
Wield it straight or transverse,
وَتَحْتَ سَرْجِي سَابِحٍ
أَجْرَدُ رَهْوٌ ذُو مَعَطْ
It cuts through all with no scramble.
Under my saddle a stallion frolics,
تَقْصُرُ عَنْهُ الرِّيْحُ فِي
إِعْنَاقِهِ وَمَا انْبِسَطْ
A swift steed with muscles that ripple.
The winds cannot catch up,
يَرَاهُ مُسْتَقْبِلُهُ
أَوْفِى عَلَى الطَّوْدِ الأَشَطْ
His long neck they never throttle.
Front on he appears the stoutest hill,
حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَدْبَرَهُ
ظَلَّ يَرَاهُ مُنْهَبِطْ
Till you get behind he seems to crumble.
As if when the saddle’s removed,
كَأَنَّ مَتْنَيْهِ إِذَ
مَاعَنْهُمَا الجُلُّ كُشِطْ
His back with scrub seems to be speckled.
A smooth surface well-oiled,
مُلاَءَةٌ مَوْشِيَّةٌ
فِيْهَا مِنَ التِّبْرِ نُقَطْ
With spots of dust seems to be spackled.
His ears as if when alert,
كَأَنَّ أُذْنَيْهِ إِذَا
رِيْعَ بِشَخْصٍ فَاخْتَلَطْ
Are halves of shield joined in the middle.
Better than all books, are friends
أَحْسَنُ مَا يُكْتَبُ فِي ال
قِرْطَاسِ مِنْ لا إِذْا تُخَطُّ
Linked together with bonds that never curdle.
With she-mules whose halters
فَحَبَّذَا مُسْتَصْحِبَاً
ذَاكَ وَهَذَا مُرْتَبَطْ
Are strapped, and the cinches well buckled.
Their ribs seem like stone font
بِأكْلُبٍ مَنُوطَةٍ
بِهَا السُّيُورُ والمُقُطْ
From which water in plenty bubbles.
Their pupils gleam like mirrors
كَأَنَّمَا ضُلُوعُهَا
قِسِيُّ نَبْعٍ لَمْ تُخَطْ
With fresh mercury fully lacquered.
Their interiors concealed,
كَأَنَّمَا أَحْدَاقُهَا
لَمْعُ الدُّبَالِ المُسْتَلِطْ
As if no grain have they gobbled.
Their ears as if they are
مُضْمَّرٌ أَحْشَاؤُهَا
كَأَنَّهَا لَمْ تَغْدَ قَطْ
Semi-circles finely chiselled.
So, sorrel like a hornet bound tightly,
كَأَنَّمَا آذَانُهَا
أَنْصَافُ دِرَّاتِ الشُّرَطْ
And yellow as if richly saffroned.
Red like an ostrich drenched in blood
فَمِنْ خَلَنْجِيِّ كَمِثْ
لِ العَضْبِ مَوْمُوقِ الخُطَطْ
With belly gashed and legs buckled.
Stout forearms, huge saddle,
وَأَصْفَرِ اللَّونِ كَمَا
أُشْبِعَ بالوَرْسِ النَّمَطْ
With deep curved waist for our revels.
As if a vision Jinn has seen,
وَأَحْمَرٍ مِثْلَ الذَّبِيْ
حِ فِي الدِّمَاءِ مُنْشَحِطْ
Or a madman in chaos garbled!
Our comfort on them incumbent,
عَبْلِ الذِّرَاعَيْنِ عَظِيْ
مِ الزُّوْرِ مَخْطُوفِ الوَسَطْ
As if a duty non-negotiable.
Wild creatures panic on seeing them,
كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ مَرَحٍ
بِعَاتِقِ الرَّاحِ اسْتُعِطْ
And flee with reins tightly tethered.
Even fleet creatures acknowledge,
أَوْ شَخْصُ مَجْنُونٍ رَأَى
عَارِضَ جِنٍّ فَاخْتَلَطْ
Seeing them, that they'll be throttled.
They fling away what's despised,
كَأَنَّمَا نَعِيْمُنَا
فَرْضٌ عَلَيْهِ مُشْتَرَطْ
And pick out the best when grovelled.
Increase our catch manifold -
تَبَلَّدُ الوَحْشُ إِذَا
عَايَنَّهُ وَتُرْتَبَطْ
Roasted, grilled or fried and jumbled!
A falcon aloft ready to swoop
وَتُوقِنُ العُصْمُ إِذَا
رَأَتْهُ أَنْ سَوْفَ تَحُطْ
On birds, with talons sharpened.
Like a shooting star or arrow
يَنْثُرُ مَا يُنْفَى وَمَا
يُخْتَارُ مِنْهَا يُلْتَقَطْ
From taut bow that has just unravelled.
A Roman eagle woven as design,
تُوسِعُنَا صَيْدَاً فَمَطْ
بُوخٌ وَمَشْوِيٌّ خَمِطْ
On a carpet's pattern subtly scribbled.
Its claws as if carved in pure amber,
وَبَاشِقِ ذِي نَخْوَةٍ
عَلَى الطُّيُورِ ذُ سَخَطْ
Then polished and nicely chiselled.
Swooping together on birds,
كالْكَوْكَبِ المُنْقَضِّ أَوْ
سَهْمٍ مِنَ القَوْسِ انْخَرَطْ
Then rising high and descending gently.
He attacked and felled many,
كأنما جؤجؤة
وشي محوك في نمط
Partridges, larks and doves too huddled.
And more of geese, pigeons and grouse,
كَأَنَّمَا مُقْلَتُهُ
فَصٌّ مِنَ التِّبْرِ خُرِطْ
Till we had our fill of revels and jumbles.
Then we were struck by a cloud,
يَهْبِطُ بِالطَّيْرِ مَعَاً
إِذَا عَلاَ ثُمَّ هَبَطْ
That shattered all of our dreams in one garble!
غَزَا فَأَرْدَى حَجَلاً
مِنْهَا وَدُراَّجَاً وَبَطْ
وَفَائِقاً مِنَ الإِوَزِْ
والحَمَامِ والحَبَطْ
حَتَّى إِذَا نِلْنَا بِهِ
أَوْطَارَ لَهْوٍ وَغِبَطْ
أُبْنَا بِغَيْمٍ لَمْ يَشُبْ
رَجَاءَنَا فِيْهِ قَنَطْ
