اِسْلَمِي يَا كَثِيْرَةَ الإِعْرَاضِ
وَأْمَنِي أَنْ تُرَوَّعِي بِفِرَاقِ
Surrender, O oft-turning away!
And let my hopes make you quake with parting.
قَدْ سَئِمْتُ الهَوَى وَأَدْأَبْتُ فِي السَّيْ
رِ جُسُومَ المُضَمَّرَاتِ العِتَاقِ
I'm weary of passion and ply my mornings
To the veiled, emancipated, aloof.
وَسَلَكْتُ بِيَ الْمَوَامِي فَأَخْلَقْ
تُ وَفِي ذَاكَ كَثْرَهُ الإِخْلاَقِ
The nights have led me to dignity
Abundant in noble traits.
وَهِلاَلُ السَّمَاءِ أَسْرَعُ سَيْرَاً
وَهْوَ أَشْقى نُجُومهَا بِالْمُحَاقِ
Though the new moon journeys swiftest
It is the unhappiest of stars in conjunction.
لَوْ بِحَقٍّ تَنَاوَلَ النَّجْمَ خَلْقٌ
نِلْتُ هَذِي النُّجُومَ بِاسْتِحْقَاقِ
If the stars justly gained their places,
I would gain these stars in merit!
أَوَ لِيْسَ اللِّسَانُ مِنِّي أَمْضَى
مِنْ ظُبَاتِ المُهَنَّدَاتِ الرِّقَاقِ
Is not my tongue more piercing
Than the swords of the well-honed blades?
وَيَدِي تَحْمِلُ الأَنَامِلُ مِنْهَا
قَلَمَاً لِيْسَ دَمْعُهُ بِالرَّاقِي
My hand bears fingers that for me
Are reed-pens unsated with fluid.
أُفْعُوَانَاً تُهَالُ مِنْهُ الأَعَادِي
حَيَّةً يَسْتَعِيْذُ مِنْهَا الرَّاقِي
Serpents from which enemies recoil,
A snake from which the watcher takes refuge.
مُطْرِقَاً يُهْلِكُ العَدُوَّ عِقَابَاً
وَيَريْشُ الْوَلِيَّ ذَ الإِخْفَاقِ
A lightning-bolt that destroys the foe in punishment
And feathers the ally in victory.
وَتَرَاهُ يَجُودُ مِنْ حَيْثُ تَجْرِي
مِنْهُ تِلْكَ السُّمُومُ بِالدِّرْيَاقِ
You see it bountiful wherever
That venom flows in rivulets.
وَسُطُورٍ خَطَطْتُهَا فِي كِتَابٍ
مِثْلَ غَيْمِ السِّحَابَةِ الرَّقْرَاقِ
Lines I inscribed in a book
Like the patter of raindrops.
صُغْتُ مِنْهُ مِنَ البَيَانِ حُلِيَّاً
بِاخْتِرَاعِ البَدِيْعِ لاَ بِاشْتِقَاقِ
From it I fashioned eloquence
By reinventing tropes, not coining words.
وَقَوَافٍ كَأَنَّهُنَّ عُقُودُ الدُّ
رِّ مَنْظُومَةٌ عَلَى الأَعْنَاقِ
Rhymes like necklaces of pearls
Strung and placed around necks.
عُزَزٌ تُظْهِرُ المَسَامِعَ تِيْهَاً
حِيْنَ يَسْمَعْنَهَا عَلَى الأَحْدَاقِ
Delights that leave hearing bewildered
When they hear them recited.
وَيَحَارُ الفَهْمُ الرَّفِيْقُ إِذَا مَا
جَالَ مِنْهُنَّ فِي المَعَانِي الرِّقَاقِ
Understanding is baffled by their delicacy
When it wanders among the subtle meanings.
ثَاوِيَاتٌ مَعِي وَذِكْرِيَ قَدْ سَيَّ
رَهَا فِي نَوَازحِ الآفَاقِ
My boon companions journeying with my remembrance
Which my yearnings have sent roaming the horizons.
وَإِذَا مَا أَلَمَّ خَطْبٌ فَرَأْيِي
مِنْهُ مِثْلُ الشِّهَابِ فِي الإِغْسَاقِ
Whenever cares afflict me my opinion
Flashes like lightning in the dark.
وَإِذَ شِئْتُ كَانَ قَوْلِي أَحْلَى
مِنْ حَدِيْثِ الْقِيَانِ وَالعُشَّاقِ
And when I wish, my words are sweeter
Than the talk of singers or lovers.
حِلْفُ مَشْمُولَةٍ وَزَيْنُ غَوَانٍ
أَسَدٌ فِي الحُرُوبِ غَيْرُ مُطَاقِ
The oath of she who is bedecked and the grace of a coquette,
A lion in battles who never wavers.
اِصْصِبَاحِي تَنْفِيْذُ أَمْرٍ وَنَهْيٍ
وَمِنَ الرَّاحِ بالعَشِيِّ اغْتَبَاقِي
My mornings are spent acting and forbidding
And snatching pleasure from the evening breeze.
وَوَقُورُ النَّدِيِّ لاَ أُخْجِلُ الشَّا
دِيَ فِيْهِ وَلاَ أَذُمُّ السَّاقِي
Dignified without shaming the cupbearer,
Or rebuking she who pours the drinks.
أُتْرِعُ الْكَأسَ إِنْ شَرِبْتُ وَأَسْقِيْ
هَا دِهَاقَاً صَحْبِي وَغَيْرَ دِهَاقِ
I quaff the wine-cup if I drink, and serve it
Overflowing to my comrades and others too.
وَمُعِدٌّ لِلْصَّيْد مُنْتَخَبَاتٍ
مِنْ أُصُولٍ كَرِيْمَةِ الأَعْرَاقِ
I ready myself to hunt the choicest
Of noble stocks and flawless pedigree.
مُضْمَرَاتٍ كَأَنَّهَا الْخَيْلُ تُطْوَى
كُلَّ يَوْمٍ بُطُونُهَا لِلْسِّبَاقِ
Beauties concealed as if horses tucked away
Each day, their bodies readied for the race.
رَائِقَاتِ الشَّبَابِ مُكْتَسِيَاتٍ
حُلَلاً مِنْ صَنِيْعَةِ الخَلاَّقِ
Gazelles of youth adorned in the dress
Tailored by the Exalted Craftsman.
تَصِفُ البِيْضَ وَالْجُفُونَ إِذَا مَا
أَخْرَجَتْ أَلْسُنَاً مِنَ الأَشْدَاقِ
Describing the white and the eyelids when
They unveil tongues from between the lips.
وَكَأَنَّ الْمَهَا إِذَا مَا رَأَتْهَا
حَذَرَاً واسْتِكَانَةً فِي وَثَاقِ
As if the full moons when they see them
Recoil in caution and submission.
فَتَرَاهَا تَضُمُّ مَا حُزْنَ مِنْهَا
ضَمَّةَ الإِلْفِ إِلْفَهُ لِلْعِنَاقِ
You see her gather what saddens her
In an embrace, drawing her beloved close.
وَتَرَانَا فِي الجَدْبِ نَخْصِبُ مِنْهَا
بِقِرىً يَسْتَعِدُّ لِلْطُّرَّاقِ
In barrenness we thrive on her
Like a meadow thriving in the first rains.
وانْكِفَائي إِذَا صَدَدْتُ عَنِ الصَّيْ
دِ إِلَى القَاسِن أَوْ إِلَى بُولاَقِ
My refusal, when I turn from the hunt
To the music, or chess, or backgammon,
مَعْ نَدَامَى كَأَنَّهُمْ لِلْتَّصَافِي
خُلِقُوا مِنْ تَأَلُّفٍ وَاتِّفَاقِ
Is with boon friends who seem created
For harmony and solidarity.
ذَا وَعِنْدِي لِذِي المَوَدَّةِ حِفْظٌ
وَوَفَاءٌ بِالْعَهْدِ وَالْمِيْثَاقِ
This, along with my keeping true
To the loyal, honoring pacts.
أَتَوَخَّى رِضَاهُ جُهْدِي فَإِمَّا
مَسَّهُ الضُّرُّ مَسَّهُ إِرْفَاقِي
I strive to please them, wherever
Harm has touched them, there touches my care.
تِلْكَ أَخْلاَقُنَا وَنَحْنُ أُنَاسٌ
هَمُّنَا فِي مَكَارِمِ الأَخْلاَقِ
Such are our morals, and we are a people
Concerned with the noblest of traits.
