أَدار سلاف الراح مِن سَلسبيلهِ
فَيا فَوز نَفس بعتها في سَبيلهِ
The breeze turned the drink from his pure spring,
So what a soul that sold itself for his cause!
وَأَسفَر عَن بَدر التَمام نِقابه
فَأثبت دَعوى حُسنهِ بِدَليلهِ
The full moon lifted his veil,
Proving thereby the truth of his beauty.
وَقابل وَجه البَدر مِنهُ بصورة
لَنا اِنعكست أَنوارها مِن صقيلهِ
His face reflected the moon like a mirror,
Its lights reversed on its burnished surface.
وَعادل غُصن البان في الرَوض فاِزدرى
بِمَيل أَخيه في الرُبى وَعَديلهِ
The supple boughs in the garden vied
With the sway of its branches and its upright stem.
وَعَنّت لَنا أَعطافه في غَلائل
بِها يَرتجي العاني شِفاء غَليلهِ
Their sinuous curves offered themselves to us
As balm to heal the lovesick heart.
وَأنكر قَتلي طَرفه وَبخدِّهِ
دَمي شاهد عَدل بِظُلم قَتيلهِ
His glances and cheeks denied they had killed me.
My blood bore witness to the injustice I suffered.
أُعلّل آمالي بِنَيل وِصالهِ
وَكَم واصل الأَشجان قَلب عَليلهِ
I set my hopes on attaining union with him.
How often anguish pierces the sick man's heart!
شَكا مِن جوار الردفِ ناحلُ خصره
كَشَكوى خَفيف الطَبع جور ثَقيلهِ
His slender waist complained of the breadth of his hips
Like one of delicate nature complaining of hardship.
وَعابوا نُحول الخصر مِنهُ وَما دَروا
بِأَنّ نُحولي في الهَوى مِن نُحولهِ
They blamed his slender waist, not realizing
That I am the one enslaved by his slenderness.
وَما اِستبردوا مِنهُ سِوى خَمر ريقه
وَلا اِستَغلَظوا إِلّا مقرّ حُجولهِ
They derived from him only the wine of his saliva,
And took offense only at his firm reticence.
وَلَيسَ بِقامات القَنا مِن نَظيره
وَلَيسَ بِغزلان النَقا مِن قَبيلهِ
None can compare to him in stature
Or match his tribe in gazelle-like grace.
بِنَفسي الَّذي راعى وِداد محبّه
وَأعرض عَن قال العذول وَقيلهِ
By my life, he who cherished his love
And turned his ear from the censures and gossip,
وَأَقبل وَالإِقبال لي يَستميله
فَقَبّلت فاهُ فَرحة بِقبولهِ
And came to me when I beckoned,
So I kissed his mouth in joy at his consent!
أَنست بِهِ أنس العُلى بِخَليلها
وَكُلّ خَليل أُنسه بِخَليلهِ
I forgot, thanks to him, the intimacy of aspiration with its beloved,
And every friend forgot intimacy with his own beloved!
فَتى زَيَّن الإِحسان حُسن صِفاته
وَزادَ جَمال المَجد فعل جَميلهِ
A knight who adorned his noble traits with benevolence
And increased the beauty of glory by his fine deeds.
يُلام عَلى طَبع السَخاء الَّذي بِهِ
وَطَبع السَخا في فرعهِ وَأُصولهِ
He is blamed for his nature full of munificence
And the root and branches of the munificent nature.
وَيُكثر في بَذل المُروءة عَذله
وَهَيهات أَن يُصغي لِعذل عذولهِ
He is much criticized for his lavish generosity,
Yet vain the criticism of critics toward him!
وَما حيلة اللاحي بِمَن عَمّ فَضله
وَأَضرب صَفحاً عَن سَماع فُضولهِ
What can the powerless one do against the superior one
Whose abundance silences the gossips?
هُوَ المنهل العَذب الَّذي غَير مانع
لِوارده من مانع عَن وُصولهِ
He is the sweet untainted spring from which none can forbid
The one approaching him from arriving at him.
أَخو شِيَم كَالرَوض طيباً وَنضرَةً
وَما الرَوض مِن أَمثالِها وَمَثيلهِ
A brother of noble traits, pure and bright,
None can equal the garden or match it!
وَطَبع كَماء المُزن يحيي كَثيرُهُ
رُسوماً كَما يروي الظما بِقَليلهِ
His nature is like Muzn's life-giving water,
Sustaining many lives with little.
