دَقَّ شَوّالُ في قَفا رَمَضانِ

وَأَتى الفِطرُ مُؤذِناً بِالتَهاني

Shawwal knocked on the back of Ramadan

And Eid came announcing congratulations

فَجَعَلنا داعي الصَبوحِ لَدَينا

بَدَلاً مِن سُحورِهِ وَالأَذانِ

So we made the dawn caller our entertainer

Instead of its breakfast and call to prayer

وَعَزَلنا الإِدامَ فيهِ وَلُذنا

بِقَنانٍ مَصفوفَةٍ وَقِيانِ

And we secluded alcohol in it and indulged

In goblets arrayed and pitchers

وَنَحَرنا فيهِ نُحورَ زِقاقٍ

وَضَرَبنا بِهِ رِقابَ دِنانِ

And we slaughtered in it the sacrifices of alleys

And struck with it the necks of loans

وَاِستَرَحنا مِنَ التَراويحِ وَاِعتَض

نا بِخَفقِ الجُنوكِ وَالعيدانِ

And we rested from the Tarawih and were busy

With the fluttering of the spears and festivals

فَالمَزاميرُ في دُجاهُ زُمورٌ

وَالمَثاني مَثالِثٌ وَمَثاني

So the musical instruments in its darkness are psalms

And the songs are trinities and octets

كُلَّ يَومٍ أَروحُ فيهِ وَأَغدو

بَينَ حورِ الجِنانِ وَالوِلدانِ

Every day I go and return

Between the houri of paradise and the boys

لا تَراني إِذا رَأَيتَ نَقِيِّ ال

خَدِّ أُثني طَرفي إِلى لِحياني

Don’t see me when you see the clear cheeked one

Turn my gaze to my beard

مَنظَرُ الصَومِ مَع تَوَخّيهِ عِندي

مَنظَرُ الشَيبِ في عُيونِ الغَواني

The sight of fasting with its precaution for me

Is like seeing white hair in the eyes of the flirts

ما أَتاني شَعبانُ مِن قَبلُ إِلّا

وَفُؤادي مِن خَوفِهِ شَعبانِ

Shaban has never come to me before

Except my heart feared it Shaban

كَيفَ أَستَشعِرُ السُرورَ بِشَهرٍ

زَعَمَ الطِبُّ أَنَّهُ مَرَضانِ

How can I feel happy in a month

Medicine claimed it’s sickly

لا تَتِمُّ الأَفراحُ إِلّا إِذا عا

دَ سَنا بَدرِهِ إِلى نُقصانِ

Happiness is not complete unless its crescent

Returns to us decreasing

فيهِ هَجرُ اللَذّاتِ حَتمٌ وَفيهِ

غَيرُ مُستَحسَنٍ وِصالُ الغَواني

It necessarily requires abstinence from pleasures

And the union of flirts in it is undesirable

وَقَبيحٌ فيهِ التَنَسُّكُ إِلّا

بَعدَ سِتّينَ حِجَّةً وَثَماني

And asceticism in it is ugly

Except after sixty pilgrimages and eight

فَاِسقِني القَهوَةَ الَّتي قَيلَ عَنها

إِنَّها مِن شَرائِطِ الشَيطانِ

So serve me the coffee that is said about it

That it is one of the conditions of Satan

خَندَريساً تَكادُ تَفعَلُ بِالعَق

لِ فِعلَ النُعاسِ بِالأَجفانِ

Khandarisa that almost does to the mind

What drowsiness does to the eyelids

بِنتُ تِسعينَ تُجتَلى في يَدي بِن

تِ ثَلاثٍ وَأَربَعٍ وَثَمانِ

A ninety year old served in my hand by

A thirty four or thirty eight year old

كُلَّما زادَتِ البَصائِرُ نَقصاً

خَطَبوها بِوافِدِ الأَثمانِ

The less insight the sought her

With the newly arrived valuables

شَمسُ راحٍ تُريكَ في كُلِّ دَورٍ

بِبِدورِ السُقاةِ حُكمَ قِرانِ

A resting sun that shows you in every house

The ruling of the water-carriers' buckets

ذاتُ لُطفٍ يَظُنَّها مَن حَساها

خُلِقَت مِن طَبائِعِ الإِنسانِ

A gentle being whom whoever feels her

Thinks she is created from human nature

سِيَّما في الخَريفِ إِذا بَرَدَ الظِل

لُ وَصَحَّ اِعتِدالُ فَصلِ الزَمانِ

Especially in autumn when the shade cools

And the season's weather becomes moderate

وَاِنتِشارُ الغُيومِ في مَبدَإِ الفَص

لِ وَشَمسُ الخَريفِ في الميزانِ

And the clouds begin to spread in the season

And the autumn sun is in Libra

وَبِساطُ الأَزهارِ كَالوَشيِ وَالغَي

مُ كَثوبٍ مُجَسَّمٍ مِن دُخانِ

And the flower bed like brocade and haze

Like a broidered smoky gown

في رِياضِ الفَخرِيَةِ الرَحبَةِ الأَك

نافِ ذاتِ الفُنونِ وَالأَفنانِ

In the spacious beautiful gardens of Fakhriyya

Of diverse arts and talents

فَوقَ فُرشٍ مَبثوثَةٍ وَزَرابِي

يٍ عِتاقٍ وَعَبقَرِيٍّ حِسانِ

Above scattered furnishings and antique

And marvelous silk rugs

صَحَّ عِندي بِأَنَّها جَنَّةُ الخُل

دِ وَفيها عَينانِ نَضّاخَتانِ

It is true to me that it is the garden of eternity

In it two gushing springs

وَكَأَنَّ الهِضابَ بيضُ خُدودٍ

ضَرَّجَتها شَقائِقُ النُعمانِ

And it is as if the slopes are cheeks of white

Dotted with anemone of Nu'man

وَكَأَنَّ المِياهَ دَمعُ سُرورٍ

وَكَأَنَّ الرِياحَ قَلبُ جَبانِ

And it is as if the water is tears of joy

And it is as if the winds are the heart of the coward

وَشُموسُ المُدامِ تُشرِقُ وَالصَح

بُ بِظِلِّ الغَمامِ في صيوانِ

And the wine suns shine while the morning

Is in the shade of clouds in goblets

فَاِسقِني صِرفَها فَإِنَّ جَديدَ ال

غَيمِ يَدعو إِلى عَتيقِ الدَنانِ

So serve me its drink for the new

Cloud calls to the aged presses

وَلَكَ الرُتبَةُ الَّتي قَصَّرَت دو

نَ عُلاها النيرانُ وَالفَرقَدانِ

And you have the rank that fires fell short

Of its sublimity and meteors

وَالحُسامُ الَّذي إِذا صَلَّتِ البي

ضُ وَصَلَّت في البَيضِ وَالأَبدانِ

And the sword which when the whites reconciled

They reconciled in the whites and bodies

قامَ في حَومَةِ الهِياجِ خَطيباً

قائِلاً كُلُّ مَن عَلَيها فانِ

It stood in the fury of the frenzy as an orator

Saying all upon it will perish

وَاليَراعُ الَّذي يَزيدُ بِقَطعِ ال

رَأسِ نُطقاً مِن بَعدِ شَقِّ اللِسانِ

And the mace which increases eloquence

By cutting off the head after the slitting of the tongue

لَم يَمَسَّ التُرابَ نَعلاكَ إِل

لا حَسَدَتهُ مَعاقِدُ التيجانِ

Your slipper has not touched the dust

Except envied by the crowns

شِيَمٌ لَم تَكُن لِغَيرِكَ إِلّا

لِمَعالي شَقيقِكَ السُلطانِ

A quality that did not belong to other than you

Except for the virtues of your brother the Sultan

جَمَعَ اللَهُ فيكُما الحُسنَ وَالإِح

سانَ إِذ كُنتُما رَضيعَي لِبانِ

God combined beauty and benevolence in you two

As you were two sucklers of milk

وَتَجارَيتُما إِلى حَلبَةِ المَج

دِ فَوافَيتُما كَمُهرَي رِهانِ

And you raced to the field of glory

So you reached like the two racing horses

ثُمَّ عاضَدتُهُ فَكُنتُ لَهُ عَي

ناً وَعَوناً في كُلِّ حَربٍ عَوانِ

Then I supported him so I was to him

An eye and a help in every hostile war

فَتَهَنَّ بِالعيدِ السَعيدِ وَإِن كا

نَ لِكُلِّ الأَنامِ مِنهُ التَهاني

So congratulate on the happy Eid even

Though congratulations are for all people from it

لَيسَ لي في صِفاتِ مَجدِكَ فَخرٌ

هِيَ أَبدَت لَنا بَديعَ المَعاني

I have no pride in describing your glories

They have revealed to us the wonders of meanings

كُلَّما أَبدَعَت سَجاياكَ مَعنىً

نَظَمَت فِكرَتي وَخَطَّ بَناني

Whenever your traits create a meaning

My thought composes and my fingertip writes

لا تَسُمني بِالشَعرِ شُكرَ أَيادي

كَ فَما لي بِشُكرِهِنَّ يَدانِ

Do not name me in poetry grateful for your favors

For I do not have hands for their gratitude

لَو نَظَمتُ النُجومَ شِعراً لَما كا

فَيتُ عَن بَعضِ ذَلِكَ الإِحسانِ

If I strung the stars into poetry

I still would not suffice from some of that benevolence