لَنَا عَلَى دِجْلَةَ نَخْلٌ مُنْتَخَلْ

نُسْلِفُهُ مَاءً وَيَقْضِيْنَا عَسَلْ

We have, upon the Tigris, a grove of choice palms.

We lend it water, and it repays us with honey.

مُسَطَّرٌ عَلَى قَوَامٍ مُعْتَدِلْ

لَمْ يَنْحَرِفْ عَنْ سَطْرِهِ وَلَمْ يَمِلْ

Ranked in lines, of evenly balanced stature,

never straying from its row, never leaning.

ذُو قَدَرٍ فَلاَ عَلاَ وَلاَ سَفُلْ

يُسْقَى بِمَاءٍ وَهْوَ شَتَّى فِي الأُكُلْ

Of measured height: it neither rose high nor sank low.

Watered by one water, yet diverse in fruit.

كَأَنَّمَا أَعْذَاقُهُ إِذَا حَمَلْ

غَدَائِرٌ مِنْ شَعَرٍ وَحْفٍ رَجِلْ

When it bears, its clusters seem

braids of thick, cascading hair.

وَفِيْهِ عُمْرِيٌّ كَعُمْرٍ مُتَّصِلْ

فِي لَوْنِ دَاءِ العِشْقِ لاَ دَاءِ العِلَلْ

Among them is the ʿUmrī, like a life prolonged,

colored by love’s malady, not by bodily illnesses;

كَالذَّهَبِ الإِبْرِيْزِ لَوْنَاً وَمَحَلْ

يُجَمِّشُ الخَوْدَ بِهِ الصَّبُّ الغَزِلْ

like purest gold in color and in worth.

With it the impassioned lover scratches the maiden.

لَو نَظَمَتْهُ البِكْرُ عِقْدَاً لاَحْتَمَلْ

وَفَاقَ عِقْدَ الدُّرِّ حُسْنَاً وَفَضَلْ

Were a maiden to string it as a necklace, it would serve,

and surpass a necklace of pearls in beauty and worth.

يُمَلُّ إِدْرَاكُ المُنَى وَلاُ يُمَلْ

وَخِيْسُوَانٍ طَعْمُهُ يَشْفِي الغُلَلْ

Fulfilled desires may pall; it never does.

And the Khaysuwān—its taste cures burning thirst,

كَأَنَّهُ أَطْرَافُ رَبَّاتِ الحَجَلْ

لَمْ يَنْدَرِسْ خِضَابُهَا وَلاَ نَصَلْ

as though it were the fingertips of ankleted ladies,

their henna neither worn away nor faded,

يُومِيْنَ بِالتَّسْلِيْمِ إِيْمَاءً بِدَلْ

كَاَنَّ فِي أَعْذَاقِهِ مِثْلَ الشُّعَلْ

beckoning a greeting with coquettish gestures.

As though flames were burning among its clusters:

مَا زَالَ فِي الأَفْيَاءِ يُغْذَى وَيُعَلْ

يُشْمَسُ أَحْيَانَاً وَأَحْيَانَاً يُطَلْ

in the shade it is nourished and given drink;

now exposed to the sun, now bathed in dew;

وَيَكْتَسِي مِنْ صِيْغَةِ البَدْرِ حُلَلْ

كَأَنَّهَا فِي الخَدَّ تَلْوِيْنَ الخَجَلْ

and it dons robes wrought by the full moon,

like blush laying its color upon a cheek.

وَعَظُمَ الأَزَاذُ فِيْهِ وَنَبُلْ

فَأَمْتَعَ الأَفْوَاهَ مِنْهُ وَالمُقَلْ

The Āzādh among them grew great and noble,

delighting mouths and eyes alike.

فِي هَذِهِ لَذَّةٌ وَفِي هَاتِيْكَ جَلْ

مِثْل أَنَابِيْبِ قَنَا الخَطِّ الذُّبُلْ

In this is delight; in that, majesty.

Like the hollow shafts of al-Khatt’s slender spears.

لَوْلاَ النَّوَى يُمْسِكُ مِنْهُ لَهَطَلْ

تَعَاقَبَتْهُ غُدُوَاتٌ وَأُصُلْ

Were its stone not there to hold it together, it would stream away.

Mornings and late afternoons passed over it in succession,

وَجَادَهُ مَاءٌ مَعِيْنٌ وَسَبَلْ

حَتَّى إِذَا قِيْلَ تَنَاهَى وَكَمَلْ

while running water and rainshowers poured generously upon it,

until, when it was said to have reached its utmost and become complete,

جَاءَ بِهِ الخَارِفُ مُنْزُورٌ جَذِلْ

مُحْتَفِلاً أَحْبِبْ بِهِ مِنْ مُحْتَفَلْ

the date-gatherer brought it, lean and jubilant,

in festive array—what a splendid celebration!

فِي سَاعَةٍ أَطْيَبَ مِنْ نَيْلِ الأَمَلْ

حَتَّى مَضَى جَيْشُ الشَّبَابِ فَرَحَلْ

at an hour sweeter than hope fulfilled,

until the army of youth passed by and departed,

وَأَقْبَلَ الصُّبْحُ مُنِيْرَاً فَنَزَلْ

وَخَصِرَ المَلْمَسُ فِيْهِ أَوْ ذَبَلْ

and radiant dawn approached and alighted.

Its touch grew cool—or it withered—

وَشَمِلَ الرُّوحَ وَمَا كَانَ شَمِلْ

فَأَيُّمَا ضَيْفٍ وَجَارٍ لِمْ يَنَلْ

and it encompassed the spirit and all it had not encompassed.

What guest or neighbor failed to receive

مِنْهُ وَكَانَ الزَّادُ عِنْدِي مُبْتَذَلْ

some of it, when my provisions were freely offered?