خَطَرَت وَفي قَلبي لِذاكَ خُفوقُ
وَرَنَتْ فَكُلُّ الصاحِبين رَشيقُ
She appeared, and my heart fluttered for her,
And she sang, so all friends became enchanted.
هَيفاءُ مالَ بصَبِّها سُكُر الهَوى
لَمَّا تَمايَلَ عِطفُها المَمشوقُ
Swaying with the drunkenness of passion,
When her supple side bent around.
قاَمت تُديرُ لَنا الرَّحيقَ وَلَيتَها
طَلَبَت مُجانَسَةً فَدارَ الرِّيقُ
She got up to serve us the wine, if only
She had sought company, the saliva would have flowed.
وَشَدَت فَأَطرَبَتِ الجَمادَ وَهَيَّجَتْ
حَتَّى عَلِمنا كَيفَ يُحيِي البوقُ
She played the instruments, exciting the inanimate,
Until we knew how the horn gives life.
ناظرتُها فَسكرتُ مِن لحَظاتِها
وَشَرِبتُ خَمرتَها فَكَيفَ أُفِيقُ
I looked at her and got drunk on her glances,
And I drank her wine, so how could I sober up?
وَرَأَيتُ رِقَّةَ خَصرِها فَوَهَبتُها
قَلبي فَإِنَّ كِلَيهِما لَرَقيقُ
I saw the softness of her waist, so I gave her
My heart, for both are delicate.
غَيداءُ آنِسةٌ نَفُورٌ عِندَها
يَحيا الرَّجاءُ وَيُقتَلُ التَوفيقُ
A coquette, a companion, aloofness in her,
Hope lives, but compatibility is killed.
كَالآلِ يُطمِعُ لامِعاً مُتَقرِّباً
وَلِمَن أَتاهُ زُفرَةٌ وَشَهيقُ
Like a glowing ember, flashing, drawing near,
And sighing heavily for whoever comes to it.
قالتْ وَقَد غازَلتُها متصبِّباً
لَيسَ الصَّبابَةُ بِالمَشِيبِ تَليقُ
She said, as I had flirted with her excessively:
“Playfulness does not suit white hair.”
هَيهاتِ ما كِبَراً مَشِيبي إِنَّما
هَذا الدَّلالُ إِلى المَشيبِ يَسُوقُ
“Far from it! My white hair is not from old age,
This coquetry leads my hair to whiteness.”
إِني أمرُوءٌ طَرِبٌ عَلى غَزَلِ المَهى
وَعلى مُناظَرَةِ الحِسانِ مَشُوقُ
“I am a man enchanted by the flirtation of passions,
And the sight of beauties makes me yearn.”
حَجَّتْ إِلى قَلبي العُيونُ فَإِنَّهُ
بَيتٌ وَلَكنْ لا أَقولُ عَتيقُ
Eyes have pilgrimaged to my heart, for it is
A home, though I won't say an old one.
يا رَبَّةَ الحُسنِ العَزيزِ لَكِ الحَشا
مِصرٌ غَلا فَسَطا عَلَيهِ حَريقُ
O lady of precious, glorious beauty, for you applause,
Egypt has spread out, with a blaze over it.
نُعمانُ خَدِّكِ في الرِّياضِ وَمَدمَعي
هَذا لَها خالٌ وَذاكِ شَقيقُ
The moisture of your cheek in the gardens, and my tears,
One has a mole, the other a brother.
دَمعي حَدِيثٌ لا يَزالُ مُسَلسَلاً
أَبَداً وَقَلبي بِالغَرام خَليقُ
My flowing tears persist forever,
And my heart is inclined to love.
قَلبٌ كَخالكِ في المَحبَّةِ طَيِّبٌ
لَكنَّ ذا مسكٌ وَذاكِ فتيقُ
A heart like your mole in goodness, fragrant,
Though one is musk, the other crumbs.
هُوَ شافِعِيٌّ عِندَهُ حُسنُ الوَفا
لابنِ الكَرامةِ سُنَّةٌ وَحُقُوقُ
He is my intercessor, in him is loyalty
To the son of nobility, a sunna and rights.
وَمَتى الوَفاءُ وَكُلَّ يَومٍ بَرَّةٌ
لَكَ في المحاسنِ لِلوَفاءِ سَبُوقُ
When is loyalty? For you, everyday
Excellences of loyalty come first.
تَأتي النَفائِسُ مِنكَ لا مَطروقَةً
مِن دُونِهِنَّ الدِّرهَمُ المَطروقُ
Choice things come from you, not solicited,
Unlike the minted coin.
اللَهُ أَكبَرُ في الأَيمَّةِ فَردُها
وَلَفيفُها المَقرونُ وَالمَفروقُ
God is great in the leadership, driving it away,
And its entourage, together and apart.
رَجلٌ وَماذا وَصفُهُ وَكَفى بِهِ
رَجُلٌ لَهُ المَفهومُ وَالمَنطوقُ
A man, what can describe him? It's enough that he is
A man of implied and spoken meaning.
حَسَنُ المَعاني وَالبَيانِ كَلامُهُ
جَزلٌ وَمَعناهُ الرَّقيق دَقيقُ
The meanings and eloquence of his words
Are weighty, and their sense delicate and precise.
فَإِذا تَكلَّمَ راحَ يَفعَلُ لَفظُهُ
ما راحَ يَفعَلُ بِالنُّهى الرَّاووقُ
So when he speaks, his words immediately
Do what admonition by the preacher cannot do.
حيِّ القَريضَ وَآخذِيهِ وَقُل لَهُ
قَد كانَ مُقتَرَضٌ وَأَنتَ طَليقُ
Revive poetry and its practitioners, and say to him
“It was borrowed before, while you are free.”
ها أَنتَ في يَدِهِ رَقيقٌ أَن تَحُل
عَنها فَإِنَّكَ آبقٌ مَسروقُ
You are in his hand, too weak to
Escape it, for you are a fugitive slave, stolen.
لَكَ مِن قَريحَتِهِ السَّليمةِ صِحَّةٌ
وَطِرازُ وَشيٍ لا يَرِثُّ أَنيقُ
You have from his sound talent correctness
And a style no effeminate can inherit.
هِيَ ذَلِكَ الإِكسيرُ صُنعُ اللَهِ لا اُل
إِكسيرُ مِمَّا يَصنَعُ الإِنبيقُ
That is the elixir, made by God, not an
Elixir made by the perfumer.
تُلقي الهِلالَ فَيَستَحيلُ بِها إِلى
شَمسٍ لَها عِندَ الأُفولِ شُروقُ
You cast the crescent, and it becomes through you
A sun, rising again even as it sets.
يا بُطرسُ الشَّهمُ الكَريمُ مَكانُهُ
وَبنانُهُ وَلِسانُهُ المِنطيقُ
O Peter, the generous, noble one, his place
And structure, his tongue precise.
أَنتَ الكَرامَةُ وَاِبنُها وَأَبٌ لَها
نَسَبٌ كَريمٌ في الكِرامِ عَريقُ
You are nobility, and its son, and a father to it,
A noble lineage in generosity, long-established.
طُفتُ البِلادَ وَقَد جَلَستُ إِلَيكَ لا
سَفَرٌ وَلَم تَمنُنْ عَلَيَّ النُوقُ
I toured the lands, and sat with you without
Travels, and the she-camels did not favor me.
ما فاتَني أَنَّ الأَوائلَ قَد مَضَوا
وَبَقِيتَ أَنتَ ولي اليكَ طَريقُ
It did not escape me that the ancients are gone,
And you remained, to you is my path.
