أَخِلّايَ بِالفَيحاءِ إِن طالَ بُعدُكُم
فَأَنتُم إِلى قَلبي كَسِحرِيَ مِن نَحري
My friends in al-Fayha, though far away
Are ever present, deep in my heart they stay
وَإِن يَخلُ مِن تِكرارِ ذِكري حَديثُكُمُ
فَلَم يَخلُ يَوماً مِن مَديحِكُم شِعري
If I cease speaking of you time and again
My poetry of praise for you will never wane
فَوَاللَهِ لا يَشفي نَزيفَ هَواكُمُ
سِوى خَمرِ أُنسٍ كانَ مِنكُم بِها سُكري
By God, nothing can assuage my love's outpour
Except the wine of fellowship we shared before
أَرى كُلَّ ذي داءٍ يُداوى بِضَدِّهِ
وَلَيسَ يُداوى ذو الخُمارِ بِلا خَمرِ
I see each sickness has a cure, a remedy
But nothing cures one drunk except for more drinks freely
أُطالِبُ نَفسِيَ بِالتَصَبُّرِ عَنكُمُ
وَأَوَّلُ ما أُفقِدتُ بَعدَكُم صَبري
I bid my soul show patience, perseverance from you abstain
Yet no sooner you left, than all my patience was in vain
فَإِن كانَ عَصرُ الأُنسِ مِنكُم قَدِ اِنقَضى
فَوَالعَصرِ إِنّي بَعدَ ذَلِكَ في خُسرِ
If the days of fellowship are gone, never more to bless
Then, by God, beyond them, only loss and sorrow I confess
بَكَيتُ لِفَقدِ الأَربَعِ الخُضرِ مِنكُم
عَلى الرَملَةِ الفَيحاءِ بِالأَربِعِ الحُمرِ
For you four, once so verdant, now gone, I weep
How can this life go on, now you aren't here
فَكَيفَ بَقِيَ إِنسانُ عَيني وَقَد مَضى
عَلى ذَلِكَ الإِنسانُ حينٌ مِنَ الدَهرِ
After all the years we spent so near and dear
Clouds from Babylon watered Saadi's garden bower
سَقى رَوضَةَ السَعدِيِّ مِن أَرضِ بابِلٍ
سَحابٌ ضَحوكُ البَرقِ مُنتَحِبُ القَطرِ
Lightning smiles, raindrops weep, freshening every flower
'Tween Ramlat al-Zaytun and Jisr al-Hajar, in truth
وَحَيّا الحَيا مَغنىً قَضَيتُ بِرَبعِهِ
فُروضَ الصِبا ما بَينَ رَملَةَ وَالجِسرِ
Many times, the winds from your land by me have passed
Bearing your town's scents, each inhale unsurpassed
وَرُبَّ نَسيمٍ مَرَّ لي مِن دِيارِكُم
فَفاحَ لَنا مِن طَيِّةِ طَيِّبُ النَشرِ
Reminding me of days gone by, though I'd not forgot
Renewing memories already unforgot
وَأَذكَرَني عَهداً وَما كُنتُ ناسِياً
وَلَكِنَّهُ تَجديدُ ذِكرٍ عَلى ذِكرِ
My sheikh, for whom fond love within me dwelt
As though my very soul within your being dwelt
فَيا أَيُّها الشَيخُ الَّذي عَقدُ حُبِّهِ
تَنَزَّلَ مِنّي مَنزِلَ الروحِ مِن صَدري
Yearning pulls me to your lands, while I fear
The enemy's ruses, so wary I must be
تُجاذِبُني الأَشواقُ نَحوَ دِيارِكُم
وَأَحذَرُ مِن كَيدِ العَدُوِّ الَّذي يَدري
Fearing sharp lies upon his tongue will flow
Pretending friendship, while laying traps below
مَخافَةَ مَذّاقِ اللِسانِ يُسَرُّ لي
ضُروبَ الرَدى بَينَ البَشاشَةِ وَالبِشرِ
I'm no reckless fool to throw my life away
Or struggle to reclaim it, though it holds me in its sway
وَيَنثُرُ لي حَبَّ الوَفاءِ تَمَلَّقاً
وَيَنصُبُ لي مِن تَحتِهِ شَرَكَ الغَدرِ
When life's meaning lies in one your heart upholds dear
Wealth is like the alif in amr[i], nothing to fear
وَما أَنا مَن يُلقي إِلى الحَتفِ نَفسَهُ
وَيَجهَدُ في اِستِخلاصِها مِنهُ بِالقَسرِ
In Maridin[ii], staunch friends I claim
Binding me fast when fate unties each other bond and claim
إِذا كانَ ذِكرُ المَرءِ شَيخَ حَياتِهِ
فَإِنَّ طَريفَ المالِ كَالواوِ في عَمرِو
Kings - when time unleashes its arsenal
In each calamity, my bulwark and defence they shall
وَلَكِن لي في مارِدَينِ مَعاشِراً
شَدَدتُ بِهِم لَمّا حَلَلتُ بِها أَزري
However much the days spread harm and sorrow
For every hurt, from time's injustice I shall borrow
مُلوكٌ إِذاّ أَلقى الزَمانُ حِبالَهُ
جَعَلتُهُمُ في كُلِّ نائِبَةٍ ذُخري
When I cry out, needing succor, they will heal my wounds
When poverty comes knocking, gifts shall surround
وَما أَحدَثَت أَيدي الزَمانِ إِساءَةً
وَوافَيتُهُم إِلّا اِنتَقَمتُ مِنَ الدَهرِ
Their resolve is such that cruelty brings no fear
Their bounty is such, no poverty brings them near
إِذا جِئتُهُم مُستَصرِخاً حَقَنوا دَمي
وَإِن جِئتُهُم مُستَجدِياً وَفَروا وَفري
With their open hands they've watered their fathers' sapling tree
And now in its branches, fruits of gratitude flow free
عَزائِمُ مَن لَم يَخشَ بِالبَطشِ مِن رَدىً
وَإِنعامُ مَن لَم يَخشَ بِالجودِ مِن فَقرِ
The Sultan granted me gifts, though difficult to bear
Lightening my burdens, though my back they greatly wear
وَرَوَّوا بِماءِ الجودِ غَرسَ أَبيهِمُ
فَأَينَعَ في أَغصانِهِ ثَمَرُ الشُكرِ
A ruler righteous, bringing ease, relieving every plight
Hardship exchanges for ease; wrongs turn into right
وَقَلَّدَني السُلطانُ مِنهُ بِأَنعُمٍ
أَخَفَّ بِها نَهضي وَإِن أَثقَلَت ظَهري
My hands now clasp victories, life's darkness turned around
After the bitter days he came, my heart in sorrows drowned
هُوَ الصالِحُ المَلكُ الَّذي صَلُحَت بِهِ
أُمورُ الوَرى وَاِستُبدِلَ العُسرُ بِاليُسرِ
The endless nights and more are lost to mem'ry now
In days joy-filled and radiant, my life endows
يَبيتُ بِها كَفّي عَلى الفَتحِ بَعدَما
بَنَت نُوَبُ الأَيّامِ قَلبي عَلى الكَسرِ
I pitched my tent here in lands where joy and goodness flowered
Were it not for him, I never would have from Egypt powered
وَبُدِّلتُ مِن دُهمِ اللَيالي وَغَيرِها
لَدَيهِ بِأَيّامٍ مُحَجَّلَةٍ غُرِّ
Save one, no place brought regret for where I strayed
My life I spent, though in lands that prosperity evade
حَطَطتُ رِحالي في رَبيعِ رُبوعِهِ
وَلَولاهُ لَم أَثنِ الأَعِنَّةَ عَن مِصري
None like Paradise, except his name[iii] and fame
Not really heaven's eternity, but the palace just the same
مَنازِلُ ما لاقَيتُ فيها نَدامَةً
سِوى أَنَّني قَضيتُ في غَيرِها عُمري
A valley, though not where Layla[iv] poured out her woeful strains
But streaming waters flow over rocks untouched by rains
فَلَم يَكُ كَالفِردَوسِ غَيرُ سَميّهِ
مِنَ الخُلدِ لا خُلدُ الخَليفَةِ وَالقَصرِ
As if the clouds are mocking in their thunder, lighting-laced
Only at his command their weeping is replaced
وَوادٍ حَكى الخَنساءَ لا في شُجونِها
وَلَكِن لَهُ عَينانِ تَجري عَلى صَخرِ
Branches entwine, dropping curtains of leaves each dawn
Shielding the gardens in veils of emerald, verdant and fawn
كَأَنَّ بِهِ الجودانَ بِالسُحبِ شامِتٌ
فَما اِنتَحَبَت إِلّا اِنثَنى باسِمَ الثَغرِ
When the sun's ropes o'er it slip off, pulled far away
Its nets of light on his gardens their sparkling jewels lay
تَعانَقَتِ الأَغصانُ فيهِ فَأَسبَلَت
عَلى الرَوضِ أَستاراً مِنَ الوَرَقِ الخُضرِ
Coffee beans from Dayr Shahlan[v] we mill and grind
Presided by the priests' hands, their every movement refined
إِذا ما حِبالُ الشَمسِ مِنها تَخَلَّصَت
إِلى رَوضِهِ أَلقَت شِراكاً مِنَ التِبرِ
When we imbibe its stimulant, senses delight
Secrets rise to peak awareness, our thoughts take flight
تُدارُ بِهِ مِن دَيرِ شَهلانَ قَهوَةٌ
جَلَتها لَنا أَيدي القُسوسِ مِنَ الخِدرِ
We regale with humorous tales and witty banter yet
Grace it with fine poetry and prose, this drink we met
إِذا ما حَسَوناها وَسارَ سُرورُها
إِلى مُنتَهى الأَفكارِ مِن مَوضِعِ السِرِّ
Savoring life's pleasures, each moment a joyous sip
Snatching blissful hours from fated hardship's grip
نُعِدُّ لَها نَقلَ الفُكاهَةِ وَالحِجى
وَنَجلو عَليها بَهجَةَ النَظمِ وَالنَثرِ
In his glory, spring has blanketed us with floral cheer
At first rain, petals and buds always appear
وَنَحنُ نُوَفّي العَيشَ بِاللَهوِ حَقَّهُ
وَنَسرِقُ ساعاتِ السُرورِ مِنَ العُمرِ
Glorious patron, your merit beyond all measure
Eludes full enumeration, transcends words' treasure
وَقَد عَمَّنا فَصلُ الرَبيعِ بِفَضلِهِ
فَبادَرَنا بِالوَردِ في أَوَّلِ القَطرِ
I transmit these verses, so longing you to salute
Though your august qualities no poem can compute
فَيا أَيُّها المَولى الَّذي وَصفُ فَضلِهِ
يَجِلُّ عَنِ التَعدادِ وَالحَدِّ وَالحَصرِ
Most wondrous! Though I'm awake, lucid and bright
I offer you my gems, recite my spells just right
أَبُثُّكَ بِالأَشعارِ فَرطَ تَشَوُّقي
وَلا أَتَعاطى حَصرَ وَصفِكَ بِالشِعرِ
Please, may you always favor me, your grace never sever
Consult your wisdom what action now is clever
وَأَعجَبُ شَيءٍ أَنَّني مَعَ تَيَقُّظي
إِلى مُخلَصِ الأَلفاظِ مِن شَرَكِ الهُجرِ
أَسوقُ إِلى البَحرِ الخَضَمِّ جَواهِري
وَأُهدي إِلى أَبناءِ بابِلَ مِن سِحري
فَمُنَّ فَدَتكَ النَفسُ بِالعُذرِ مُنعِماً
عَلَيَّ وَشاوِر حُسنَ رَأيِكَ في الأَمرِ
