هيّجت أَشجان صَبٍّ لِلرُبوع هَفا
يا ساجِعاً فَوقَ أَغصان الربى هتفا
The passing spring breeze stirred up love's passion,
Calling out to one sleeping atop the tree's branches.
فاِصدح هياماً وَطب نَفساً وَصح طَرَباً
وَاِصدع غَراماً وَهم وَجداً وَزِد كلفا
So break out in song and delight your soul, arouse desire,
Ignite passion, care, fervor - renew your fervor!
ما بي إِلَيك سِوى ذكر الحِمى فَلَقَد
أَقضي أَسىً بِكَ أَو أَقضي بِهِ أَسَفا
I have for you naught but memories of love's sanctuary, which
Bring me sorrow for you or sorrow from you.
سَقى العهاد عُهوداً مِن مَعاهدنا
وَجاده صيّب الأَنواء ما وَكَفا
Time's pact drank from our covenant's cup
While fate's clouds poured down no more than their fill.
أَوقات أنسٍ إِذا ما بتّ أَذكُرُها
ألفَيت مِنها خَيالاً لُبّيَ اِختَطَفا
Times of intimacy - when I spend the night remembering them
I find their specter has stolen into my heart.
أَيّام كانَت غُصون اللَهو دانيةً
ظِلالها وَأَفاويق الوفاق صفا
Days when play's branches were near,
Their shade and wellspring of concord limpid.
كُنّا إِذا ما سَأَلنا اللَه يَمنحنا
عَفواً عَكَفنا عَلى لذّاتنا تَرَفا
When we asked God, He would grant us
Pardons and we would revel in our pleasures.
فَيا رعى اللَه أَوقاتاً لَنا سَلفت
وَيا رعى اللَه عَهداً بِالحِمى سَلَفا
O days of mine, bygone epochs,
O pact with love's sanctuary, bygone epochs!
هِيَ المَنازل عَن عَينيّ ما غربت
إِلّا تَلفَّت قَلبي نَحوَها لَهفا
Abodes from my eyes though gone,
Still my heart turns toward them, yearning.
أَفدي كَواعب غيد في مَرابعها
أَلفتها وَهَواها مُهجَتي أَلِفا
I ransom the gazelles grazing their pastures,
I befriended them - my passions have befriended them.
حَتّى لَوِ القمران النيّران هما
هَمّا بعذل لما كذبت أَن كسفا
Until, by God, those two luminous moons
Had they resolved to veil me, I'd not believe they eclipsed!
مِن كُلّ هَيفاءَ وَطفاء الجُفون إِذا
رنت جَعلت فُؤادي نَحوَها هَدَفا
At the languor of every doe-eyed one, when
She sings, I make my heart her target.
ما كُنت أَعلَم أَن الغُصن قامتها
حَتّى تناوَلت مِن رمّانه تُحفا
I did not know the branch was her stature
Till I plucked fruit from her pomegranate hand.
وَلا شَهدت بِأَنَّ الشَهد ريقتها
حَتّى تَحقّقت فيهِ للأَنام شفا
I witnessed not that her saliva was honey
Till I gained through it, for people, healing.
هَواي ما زالَ بِالآرام مؤتلفاً
وَالجسم ما زالَ بِالآلام مُختَلِفا
My love continues harmoniously while
My body continues diversely anguished.
ما زادَ سَمعي ملاماً عاذِليَّ بِها
إِلّا وَزادَ فُؤادي حُبّها شغفا
No reproacher increased reproaches against her
But that my heart increased its passion for her.
عَواذِلي لَيتَهُم ذاقوا الهَوى فَغَدا
مِنهُم على عذله المَعذول منتصفا
Would that those who reproach me taste passion so that
Among them, the reproached empathize!
كَأَنَّهُم حين َوافوا مَنزِلي نَفرٌ
إِليَّ مِن زاجِلات الجنّ قَد صُرِفا
As if, when they came to me, some tribe
Of demonic singers were set against me.
أَعوذ بِالحُبّ مِمَّن لَم يذُب كَلفاً
بِالغانيات وَلم يَعذر بِها دنفا
I seek refuge in love from one no fervor moved
For singing girls, and who did not excuse their finesse.
وَبي غَزالاً بِجفنيه يُغازلني
حَتّى إِذا اِلتاعَ قَلبي صدَّ وَاِنحَرَفا
I have a gazelle seducing me with his eyes
Until, when he'd had his fill of my heart, he turned away.
واصلته فَجَفا أَخلفتهُ فَوفَى
أَوجَبتهُ فَنَفى أَحببتهُ صَلفا
I kept faith, he broke it; I was true, he betrayed;
I loved him - aloof he remained.
عَذب اللَمى جَوهَريّ الثَغر تَحسبه
كأس الطلا فَوقَهُ درّ الحَباب طَفا
Sweet of glance, quintessence of lips - you'd think him
A cup of wine over which pearl drops sprayed.
مُهفهف القَدّ لَو أَنَّ الصبا عَبثت
بِقَدّه لَثنته نَحوَنا هَيفا
Softly swaying, if the morning breeze toyed
With his locks, it would bend them gently toward us.
أَجني جَنى خَدّه بِاللَحظ ثُمَّ إِذا
ما نمّ نَشر شَذاه جئت مُعتَرفا
I gather the fruit of his cheek in a glance, then when
He sleeps, I scatter his redolence, confessing.
فَيا أَخا العَذل دَع ما تَدّعيهِ عَلى
متيّم ما جَنى ذَنباً وَلا اِقتَرَفا
So O critic, leave off your claims against
Motee, who commits no crime, no disgrace!
ماذا عليَّ وَعِندي لِلهَوى شيم
مِن العَفاف تفيد الأَنفُس الشرفا
What is it to me, when I have a nature
Of chastity from love that nurtures souls nobly?
هِيَ الجَواهر أَخلاقاً يَفوز بِها
مَن جازَ بَحر أَمين اللَه وَاِغتَرَفا
These are souls of noble traits - through them
Is triumph for one who traverses God's safe sea.
مَولىً تَقول إِذا شاهَدت طَلعتهُ
تَبارَك اللَه هَذا أَوحَد الخلفا
My friend, when you see his image, you say
Blessed is God! This one's singular in his successors!
ماتَ السَخاء وَأَهلوه فَلَست تَرى
إِلّا علاه وَإِلّا جوده خَلفا
Generosity has died. Its people mourned it, so you see
No monument to it but its vestiges.
مَناقب فيهِ قَد عزّت مَراتبها
دَعا صَريف بَني الدُنيا بِها خَزَفا
He has virtues raising his rank -
The turns of fate strewn jewels in his path.
مَكارم عَمَّ من قد أمَّ ساحته
نَوالها فاز مَن في بابِهِ وَقَفا
Perfections have encompassed his being's expanse -
Who halts at his door is triumphant.
لَو كانَ ذا حاجة فَوق السُها لَقَضى
أَو سائِلاً لَكَفى أَو مذنباً لَعَفا
Were he in need atop the sky, he would settle it
Were he asked, he would suffice. Were he sinned, he'd pardon.
يعطي الأُلوف وَآلاف الأُلوف ندىً
وَلَيسَ يُنفق تَقتيراً وَلا سَرَفا
He gives thousands and ten thousands in plenty -
Not stingily spending nor extravagantly.
ذاكَ الأَمير بِأَمر اللَه قامَ عَلى
أَقدام إِقدام حَزم بِالنُهى اِتَّصَفا
That prince, by God's command, stood up
On feet firm in resolve, distinguished in prohibition.
لَو جاءَنا بَعد خَير الخَلق ذو نبأٍ
لَأَنزَل اللَهُ في تِمداحه صحفا
Had one come to us after the best of creation with news
God would have sent down scriptures praising him!
لَيث الوَغى سَطوَةً غَيث السَما كَرَماً
بَدر الدُجى طَلعةً شَمس الضُحى شَرَفا
In ferocity, a lion; in bounty, a pouring rain;
In radiance, a rising moon; in nobility, a morning sun.
مَهابة قَد تَراءى لِلعداة بِها
فَكادَ يُرهب في أَصلابها النُطفا
An awe appeared to the enemies through him
That almost terrified the seeds in their loins.
سَل المَواكب وَالبيض القَواضب وَال
جُردَ السَلاهب وَالجَيش الَّذي زَحَفا
Ask of the processions, the whites of lances,
The bared blades, the armies that marched -
تنبيكَ أَخبار فَضل عَن وَقائعه ال
لاتي بِها الدَهر صدقاً طالَما حَلَفا
Reports of his superior merit beyond events
Time has ever sworn to truly.
تُملي عَلَيك أَحاديثاً مُسلسلَةً
بِالدرّ تَملأُ مِن آذانك الصدفا
They dictate to you seamless traditions
With pearls filling up your ears.
وَيَوم بادر لِلهَيجاء مُقتَحِماً
يغشى الهِياج وَلا يَخشى الرَدى تلفا
A day he charged at the excited throng, plunging in,
Submerging the excited without fearing harm befalling.
في عُصبة جارهم ما إِن يُضام وَلَو
سَما العجاج عَلَيهم أَسقَطَت كسَفا
Among a horde attacking their neighbor - if oppressed
The Pleiades, falling, would eclipse them.
مِن كُلّ أَروع شَهم لا يَهاب رَدى
وَلَو تَناول كَأس الحَتف ما أَنفا
Of every most valiant hero who fears no evil,
Even if he tastes destruction's cup, he will not refuse it.
كَأَنَّ لَمع المَواضي مِن صَوارمهم
وَميض بَرق لِأَبصار العِدا خَطَفا
As if the flash of their blades and the glint
Of the lightning were a snatching of their enemies' sight.
جازوا القرى بَعدَما حازوا النُفوس قرىً
كَأَنَّهُم ريح عاد عِندَما عَصَفا
They traversed villages after winning hearts - those villages
As though they were the Wind of Aad when it wreaked havoc.
هُوَ الأَمين عَلَيهم وَالأَمير عَلى
بَني العُلى وَلَهُ ساداتهم حلَفا
He is their trustee, their commander of
The elite - their nobles have pledged to him.
يُؤمّهم باذل المَعروفِ يقدُمهم
غَضَنفراً غَير زَجر الخَيل ما عَرَفا
He leads them, lavish with bounty - not chiding steeds.
They knew no rebuke, marching with heads high.
مَولىً مَحا اللَه آثار البغاة بِهِ
لِيَقطَع اللَه مِن أَسبابهم طَرفا
My lord, may God efface the tyrants' traces through him
To sever the means for them, every last one!
شادَ العلى وَلَقَد سادَ المَلا شَرَفا
وَفَوق قَصر الثُريّا قَد بَنى غرفا
He exalted the sublime - he indeed excelled the exalted.
Above the luxe palace he built chambers.
يا حاتم الجودِ يا قسَّ الفَصاحة يا
قَيس النَباهة بَل يا أَحنَف الحنَفا
O seal of munificence! O spearhead of eloquence!
O summit of sagacity! Nay, O peak of peaks!
إِليكها غادَةً عَذراء ما جليت
عَلى سِواك وَلا عَن وَجهِها كشفا
To you, an untainted maiden who revealed
Her face to none but you and did not unveil it.
لَولا مَديحك يَكسوها الجَمال حلىً
ما رقَّ لُطف مَعانيها وَلا ظَرفا
Without your praise adorning her with beauty's necklace,
The charm of her meaning would not have delighted nor her wit.
وافَت تهنّيك بِالعيد السَعيد كَما
قامَت تهنّي بِكَ المَجد الَّذي شَرفا
She came to give you tidings on the blessed feast
Even as glory, through you, came to congratulate.
لَكَ الهَنا إِن شَهر الصَوم حينَ مَضى
أَهدى التَهاني إِلى علياك وَاِنصَرَفا
For you, congratulations! The fast's month when gone
Sent its greetings to your lofty abode and took leave.
لَو لَم يرح شاهداً لِلفَضل مِنكَ أَبى
أَن لا يجوب مَفاز الأَرض معتسفا
Had no beholder of your merit among men refused
To roam the earth's expanse covered in dust.
فَاِهنأ فديت بعيد الفطر لا بَرحت
أَمثاله بِكَ تهدينا هَناً وَصفا
So congratulations my ransom - you never ceased
Sending the like of it to guide us smoothly.
وَاِرشف كُؤوس سُرورٍ راق منهلهُ
فَيا لَهُ منهلاً عَذباً وَمرتشفا
And sip from cups of joy - pure is its draught!
What a pure, sweet draught to imbibe!
وَدُم عَلى العِزّ وَاِزدد رفعة وَعُلىً
وَحَسبك اللَه فيما نِلتهُ وَكَفى
Endure in honor and increase in rank and heights -
May God suffice you for what you attained; enough!
