رُدِّي التَّحِيَّةَ يَا مَهَاةَ الأَجْرَعِ
وَصِلِي بِحَبْلِكِ حَبْلَ مَنْ لَمْ يَقْطَعِ
Return the greeting, O Maha of fruitful bosom
And join to your rope one who is not cut off
وَتَرَفَّقِي بِمُتَيَّمٍ عَلِقَتْ بِهِ
نَارُ الصَّبَابَةِ فَهْوَ ذَاكِي الأَضْلُعِ
And show favor to Mutayyam, whom
The fire of youth has kindled, though frail of ribs
طَرِبِ الْفُؤَادِ يَكَادُ يَحْمِلُهُ الْهَوَى
شَوْقَاً إِلَيْكِ مَعَ الْبُرُوقِ اللُّمَّعِ
The heart flutters, love almost bears it away
Yearning for you, amid glancing lightning
لا يَسْتَنِيمُ إِلَى الْعَزاءِ وَلا يَرَى
حَقَّاً لِصَبْوَتِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يَجْزَعِ
It finds no rest or solace and sees
No right for its passion, if you do not respond
ضَمَّتْ جَوَانِحُهُ إِلَيْكِ رِسَالَةً
عُنْوَانُهَا فِي الْخَدِّ حُمْرُ الأَدْمُعِ
Its wings enfold a message for you
Whose title on the cheek is the red of tears
فَمَتَى يَبُوحُ بِمَا أَجَنَّ ضَمِيرُهُ
إِنْ كُنْتِ عَنْهُ بِنَجْوَةٍ لَمْ تَسْمَعِي
So when can it reveal what its conscience has hidden
If you remain heedless, not hearing?
أَصْبَحْتُ بَعْدَكِ في دَيَاجِرِ غُرْبَةٍ
مَا لِلصَّبَاحِ بِلَيْلِهَا مِنْ مَطْلَعِ
After you I dwell in the tents of loneliness
The dawn has no morning to its night
لا يَهْتَدِي فِيهَا لِرَحْلِيَ طَارِقٌ
إِلَّا بِأَنَّةِ قَلْبِيَ الْمُتَوَجِّعِ
No guide can find his way in it
Except by the sighs of my anguished heart
أَرْعَى الْكَوَاكِبَ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَأَنَّ لِي
عِنْدَ النُّجُومِ رَهِينَةً لَمْ تُدْفَعِ
I watch the stars in the sky as though I had
Among the stars a hostage not yet freed
زُهْرٌ تَأَلَّقُ بِالْفَضَاءِ كَأَنَّهَا
حَبَبٌ تَرَدَّدَ فِي غَدِيرٍ مُتْرَعِ
A flower shining in space as though
It were a love fluttering by a meadow's brink
وَكَأَنَّهَا حَوْلَ الْمَجَرِّ حَمَائِمٌ
بِيضٌ عَكَفْنَ عَلَى جَوَانِبِ مَشْرَعِ
As though about the galaxy doves
Hovered, white, upon the edges of their nest
وَتَرَى الثُّرَيَّا فِي السَّمَاءِ كَأَنَّهَا
حَلَقَاتُ قُرْطٍ بِالْجُمَانِ مُرَصَّعِ
And you see the Pleiades in the sky like
Rings of pearls with precious gems adorned
بَيْضَاءُ نَاصِعَةٌ كَبَيْضِ نَعَامَةٍ
فِي جَوْفِ أُدْحِيٍّ بِأَرْضٍ بَلْقَعِ
Dazzling white like the eggs of an ostrich
In the belly of a sandgrouse on dappled ground
وَكَأَنَّهَا أُكَرٌ تَوَقَّدَ نُورُهَا
بِالكَهْرَبَاءَةِ فِي سَمَاوَةِ مَصْنَعِ
As though they were lamps lit
By electricity in a workshop's ceiling
وَاللَّيْلُ مَرْهُوبُ الْحَمِيَّةِ قَائِمٌ
فِي مِسْحِهِ كَالرَّاهِبِ الْمُتَلَفِّعِ
And night, dread and gloomy, stands
Draped in its darkness like a hooded monk
مُتَوَشِّحٌ بِالنَّيِّرَاتِ كَبَاسِلٍ
مِنْ نَسْلِ حَامٍ بِاللُّجَيْنِ مُدَرَّعِ
Clad in nebulae like an armored knight
Of Ham's progeny fully caparisoned
حَسِبَ النُّجُومَ تَخَلَّفَتْ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ
فَوَحَى لَهُنَّ مِنَ الْهِلالِ بِإِصْبَعِ
It deemed the stars delayed its command
So it signaled to them with its crescent finger
مَا زِلْتُ أَرْقُبُ فَجْرَهُ حَتَّى انْجَلَى
عَنْ مِثْلِ شَادِخَةِ الْكُمَيْتِ الأَتْلَعِ
Still I watched for its dawn until unveiled
Like the tall spearwood tree's flowering crown
وَتَرَنَّمَتْ فَوْقَ الأَرَاكِ حَمَامَةٌ
تَصِفُ الْهَوَى بِلِسعانِ صَبٍّ مُولَعِ
And above the couches a dove sang plaintively
Describing passionate love with the crazed utterance of one obsessed
تَدْعُو الْهَدِيلَ وَمَا رَأَتْهُ وَتِلْكَ مِنْ
شِيَمِ الْحَمَائِمِ بِدْعَةٌ لَمْ تُسْمَعِ
Calling to the absent one though unseen—that is
Not the wont of doves, a thing unheard of
رَيَّا الْمَسَالِكِ حَيْثُ أَمَّتْ صَادَفَتْ
مَا تَشْتَهِي مِنْ مَجْثَمٍ أَوْ مَرْتَعِ
Roaming the roads wherever it came upon
What it desired of herbage or meadow
فَإِذَا عَلَتْ سَكَنَتْ مَظَلَّةَ أَيْكَةٍ
وَإِذَا هَوَتْ وَرَدَتْ قَرَارَةَ مَنْبَعِ
When aloft it rested in the shade of a tamarisk
When swooping down it settled by a spring
أَمْلَتْ عَلَيَّ قَصِيدَةً فَجَعَلْتُهَا
لِشَكِيبَ تُحْفَةَ صَادِقٍ لَمْ يَدَّعِ
It prompted me to a poem which I made
A true friend's gift, no pretender he
هِيَ مِنْ أَهَازِيجِ الْحَمَامِ وَإِنَّمَا
ضَمَّنْتُهَا مَدْحَ الْهُمَامِ الأَرْوَعِ
It is of the doves' warblings, and yet
I used it to praise the most splendid soul
هُوَ ذَلِكَ الشَّهْمُ الَّذِي بَلَغَتْ بِهِ
مَسْعَاتُهُ أَمَدَ السِّمَاكِ الأَرْفَعِ
He is that hero whose fame has reached
The furthest range of hearing
نِبْرَاسُ دَاجِيَةٍ وَعُقْلَةُ شَارِدٍ
وَخَطِيبُ أَنْدِيَةٍ وَفَارِسُ مَجْمَعِ
A lamp in the dark and mind of the confused
Speaker of gatherings and knight of the forum
صَدْقُ الْبَيَانِ أَعَضَّ جَرْوَلَ بِاسْمِهِ
وَثَنَى جَرِيرَاً بِالْجَرِيرِ الأَطْوَعِ
The truth of his words made Jorol's name ring out
And matched Jarir in the most eloquent verse
لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ بَدْرَ الْمُقَنَّعِ آيةً
بَلْ جَاءَ خَاطِرُهُ بِآيَةِ يُوشَعِ
He took no model from Badr the Masked
Rather his conception came through Joshua's miracle
أَحْيَا رَمِيمَ الشِّعْرِ بَعْدَ هُمُودِهِ
وَأَعَادَ لِلأَيَّامِ عَصْرَ الأَصْمَعِي
He brought to life the worn-out art of poetry
And restored to the days the Age of Al-A'sha
كَلِمٌ لَهَا فِي السَّمْعِ أَطْرَبُ نَغْمَةٍ
وَبِحُجْرَةِ الأَسْرَارِ أَحْسَنُ مَوْقِعِ
Words with the sweetest sound to the ear
And in the mind's sanctum the fairest cadence
كَالزَّهْرِ خَامَرَهُ النَّدَى فَتَأَرَّجَتْ
أَنْفَاسُهُ بِالْعَنْبَرِ الْمُتَضَوِّعِ
As if the dew had touched a blossom and its
Breath was scented with lingering fragrance
يَعْنُو لَهَا الْخَصْمُ الأَلَدُّ وَيَغْتَذِي
بِلِبَانِهَا ذِهْنُ الْخَطِيبِ الْمِصْقَعِ
The fiercest foe yields to them and the mind
Of the ablest orator feeds on their honey
هِيَ نُجْعَةُ الأَدَبِ الَّتِي مَنْ أَمَّهَا
أَلْقَى مَرَاسِيَهُ بِوَادٍ مُمْرِعِ
They are the feast of literature—he who tastes it
Will cast his anchors in a fecund valley
مَلَكَتْ هَوَى نَفْسِي وَأَحْيَتْ خَاطِرِي
وَرَوَتْ صَدَى قَلْبِي وَلَذَّتْ مسْمَعِي
They captivated my soul, enlivened my thoughts
Quenched the echo of my heart, and delighted my hearing
فَاسْلَمْ ِشَكِيبُ وَلا بَرِحْتَ بِنِعْمَةٍ
تَحْنُو عَلَيْكَ بِأَيْكِهَا الْمُتَفَرِّعِ
Submit, Shakib! Abide in bounty
Inclining over you, branchy and burgeoning
فَلأَنْتَ أَجْدَرُ بِالثَّنَاءِ لِمِنَّةٍ
أَوْلَيْتَهَا وَالْبِرُّ أَفْضَلُ مَا رُعِي
For you are most deserving of praise for a kindness
You have shown, and duty kept is best
أَرْهَفْتَ حَدِّي فَهْوَ غَيْرُ مُفَلَّلٍ
وَرَعَيْتَ عَهْدِي فَهْوَم غَيْرُ مُضَيَّعِ
You sharpened my wit unblunted still
And observed my covenant, unbroken
وَبَثَقْتَ لِي مِنْ فَيْضِ بَحْرِكَ جَدْوَلاً
غَمَرَ الْبِحَارَ بِسَيْلِهِ الْمُتَدَفِّعِ
And channeled from your sea's abundance a stream for me
Its rushing torrent overwhelmed the oceans
عَذُبَتْ مَوَارِدُهُ فَلَوْ أَلْقَتْ بِهِ
هِيمُ السَّحَابِ دِلاءَهَا لَمْ تُقْلِعِ
Sweet are its springs—if the rainclouds had cast
Their water skins into them they would not have left
وَزَهَتْ فَرَائِدُهُ فَصَارَتْ غُرَّةً
لِجَبِينِ كُلِّ مُتَوَّجٍ وَمُقَنَّعِ
And its surging billows became the prime
Adornment for every crowned and turbaned head
هُوَ ذَلِكَ النَّظْمُ الَّذِي شَهِدَتْ لَهُ
أَهْلُ الْبَرَاعَةِ بِالْمَقَالِ الْمُبْدَعِ
That is the poetry which the masters of eloquence
Bore witness was most excellently created
أَبْصَرْتُ مِنْهُ أَخَا إِيَادٍ خَاطِبَاً
وَسَمِعْتُ عَنْتَرَةَ الْفَوَارِسِ يَدَّعِي
Through it I saw Akh of Iyad declaiming
And heard Antarah the knight make his boast
وَحَلَمْتُ أَنِّي فِي خَمَائِلِ جَنَّةٍ
وَمِنَ الْعَجَائِبِ حَالِمٌ لَمْ يَهْجَعِ
And dreamed I was in the gardens of Paradise
Wondrous dreamer, never having slept!
فَضْلٌ رَفَعْتَ بِهِ مَنَارَ كَرَامَةٍ
صَرَفَ الْعُيُونَ عَنِ الْمَنَارِ لِتُبَّعِ
A merit you raised the banner of greatness
Eyes turned from other banners, yours to follow
فَمَتَى أَقُومُ بِشُكْرِ مَا أَوْلَيْتَنِي
وَالنَّجْمُ أَقْرَبُ غَايَةً مِنْ مَنْزِعِي
So when can I give thanks for your favor to me
Though the stars are closer to my reach?
فَاعْذِرْ إِذَا قَصَرَ الثَّنَاءُ فَإِنِّنِي
رُزْتُ الْمَقَالَ فَلَمْ أَجِدْ مِنْ مَقْنَعِ
Excuse me if praise falls short. I made
The attempt but found no means.
لا زِلْتَ تَرْفُلُ فِي وِشَاءِ سَعَادَةٍ
وَحَبِيرِ عَافِيَةٍ وَعَيْشٍ أَمْرَعِ
May you continue to enjoy the joy of happiness
And the comfort of well-being and abundant life.
