سِوى حُسنِ وَجهِكَ لَم يَحلُ لي
وَغَيرُكَ في القَلبِ لَم يَحلُلِ
None but the beauty of your face is lawful for me,
Nor is there in my heart a place for another.
فَكَيفَ سَلوّي وَلي طينَةٌ
عَلى غَيرِ حُبِّكَ لَم تُجبَلِ
How then to console myself when I was created
Of clay that solidifies not but by your love?
أَتَزعُمُ أَنّي أُطيعُ الوُشاةَ
وَأَصغي إِلى عَذَلِ العُذَّلِ
Do you suppose I would obey the slanderers
Or listen to the censure of the censurers?
لَقَد نَصَلَ الدَهرُ صَبغَ الشَبابِ
وَصَبغُ المَحَبَّةِ لَم يَنصُلِ
Time has dyed youth and dyed too
The dye of love that does not fade.
عَجِبتُ لِقَدِّكَ مَع لينِهِ
يُرينا اِعتِدالاً وَلَم يَعدِلِ
I wonder at your softness despite your potency
Showing temperance, though not tempered.
يَلينُ وَفي فَتكِهِ قَسوَةٌ
وَذَلِكَ شَأنُ القَنا الذُبَّلِ
It is soft, yet in its deadliness potent
Such is the nature of the supple bow.
وَعَيناكَ قَد فَوَّقَت أَسهُماً
فَمَن دَلَّهُنَّ عَلى مَقتَلي
Your eyes unleashed arrows to my doom,
So who guided them to my death?
وَخَدُّكَ موقَدَةٌ نارُهُ
وَقَلبي بِجُذوَتِها يَصطَلي
Your cheek is an ignition, its flames
Setting my heart aflame.
أَيا ما طِلاً لِوُعودِ الوِصالِ
وَوَعدُ تَجافيهِ لَم يَمطُلِ
Oh night of promised union, prolonged,
The promise of your separation unfailing.
بَخِلتَ وَقَد حُزتَ مُلكَ الجَمالِ
وَمَن مَلَكَ المُلكَ لَم يَبخَلِ
You refused though you owned all beauty.
And how can one who owns refuse?
فَهلاً تَعَلَّمتَ فَضلَ السَماحِ
مِن راحَةِ المَلِكِ الأَفضَلِ
Had you learned generosity
From the disposition of the noblest king:
مَليكٌ إِذا هَطَلَت كَفُّهُ
تَصاغَرَ قَدرُ الحَيا المُسبِلِ
A king whose palm rains bounty
Belittling the gifts of the stretching hand.
يَشيدُ العُلى بِاليَراعِ القَصيرِ
وَيَفخَرُ بِالطَرَفِ الأَطوَلِ
He boasts of the short spear above power.
Taking pride in the longer eyelash.
تَلاقيهِ في الحَربِ صَعبَ المِراسِ
وَفي السِلمِ ذا الخُلُقِ الأَسهَلِ
Meeting him at warring is hard,
While in peace he is of easiest nature.
أَخَفُّ إِلى الحَربِ مِن ذابِلٍ
وَأَثقَلُ في الحِلمِ مِن يَذبُلِ
Lighter in going to war than a fading leaf,
And weightier in clemency than the wilting.
يُضيءُ لَنا في ظَلامِ الخُطوبِ
وَيُشرِقُ في حِندِسِ القَسطَلِ
In darkness of afflictions he gives light
Rising in the night of shackles.
فَسَيلُ عَطاياهُ لِلمُجتَدي
وَنورُ مُحَيّاهُ لِلمُجتَلي
To the bold his bounty is a torrent
And the light of his smile to the wretched.
يُرَمِّلُ بِالدَمِ شِلوَ الكَمِيِّ
وَيَحنو عَلى البائِسِ المُرمِلِ
He honors the blood-stained garment
And feels for the naked pauper.
مَناقِبُ مَعروفُها تالِدٌ
مُحَمَّدُ أَورَثَها مِن عَلي
Known merits continued through offspring.
Mohammed inherited them from Ali.
إِلى آلِ أَيّوبَ يُغزى الفَخارُ
في كُلِّ ماضٍ وَمُستَقبَلِ
To the Ayyubid household belong victories
In every past and every future.
مُلوكٌ لَهُم شَرَفٌ آخَرٌ
يُخَبَّرُ عَن شَرَفٍ أَوَّلِ
Kings of second glory
Told from first glories.
يَنُمُّ بِهِم جودُهُم مِثلَما
تَنُمُّ الرِياحُ عَلى المَندِلِ
Their munificence grows as grows
Wind upon the pendulum.
أَيا ناصِرَ الدينِ يا اِبنَ الَّذي
بِهِ أَصبَحَ المُلكُ في مَعقِلِ
Oh aide of the faith, son of him who
With it the rule gained footing:
حَباكَ المُؤَيَّدُ تَأيِيدَهُ
كَذا هِمَّةُ اللَيثِ في الأَشبُلِ
Al-Muʿtaḍid favored you with his support
As the lion’s spirit in the cub.
وَلَولا وَجودُكَ كانَ السَماحُ
تَحتَ الصَفائِحِ وَالجَندَلِ
And were it not for your existence
Munificence would be beneath the shrouds.
فَعَلتَ مِنَ الجودِ ما لَم تَقُل
وَغيرُكَ قالَ وَلَم يَفعَلِ
You accomplished through gifting what none stated
While others stated but did not accomplish.
فَقَلبي بِإِحسانِكُم فارِغٌ
وَكَفّي بِإِنعامِكُم مُمتَلي
So my heart is free of your benefaction
And my palm filled with your boons.
سَمَحتَ اِبتِداءً وَلَم أَمتَدِح
وَأَنعَمتَ عَفواً وَلَم أَسأَلِ
You gifted ere I praised
And favoured without my asking.
وَوالَيتَ بِرَّكَ حَتّى رَحَلتُ
حَياءً وَلَولاهُ لَم أَرحَلِ
Your righteousness persisted until I departed
Out of propriety, else I would not have.
وَلَو شِئتُ نَهضي إِلى قَصدِكُم
لَخَفَّفتُ عَن ظَهرِيَ المُثقَلِ
Had I wanted to journey to you
I would have eased my heavy load.
فَأَهمَلتُ واجِبَ سَعيي إِلَيكَ
وَما كُنتُ عِندَكَ بِالمُهمَلِ
But I neglected the effort towards you
When I was never neglected by you.
وَكَفَّرتُ عَن زَلَّةِ الإِنقِطاعِ
بِأَحسَنِ مَن كانَ في مَنزِلي
And I made up for the lapse in correspondence
With the best I had in my abode.
فَأَرسَلتُهُ راجِياً أَنَّهُ
يُمَحِّصُ عَن زَلَّةِ المُرسِلِ
So I sent him hopeful
He'd clarify the fault of the sender.
فَإِن لاحَظَتهُ عُيونُ الرِضى
لَكَ الفَضلُ في ذاكَ وَالفَخرُ لي
If his qualities attracted pleased attention
Yours would be the merit and mine the pride.
وَإِن لَم يَكُن غايَةً في الجَمالِ
وَبَدرُ مَعانيهِ لَم يَكمَلِ
If he was not most fair
Nor his words full-orbed:
فَإِنَّ لَهُ غايَةً في الذَكاءِ
وَلُطفَ البَديهَةِ وَالمِقوَلِ
He has the height of wit
And subtlety of instinct and speech---
وَبِكرٍ خَدَمتُ بِها عاجِلاً
وَسيفُ القَريحَةُ لَم يُصقَلِ
A virgin service I hastened with
Ere the sword of talent were drawn.
أَرومُ إِقامَةَ عُذري بِها
وَأُثني عَلى فَضلِكَ الأَكمَلِ
I aim through it to plead excuse
And praise your greatest merit.
وَمِثلُكَ مَن قَبِلَ الإِعتِذارَ
وَصَدَّقَ قَولَ المُحِبُّ الوَلي
And one like you accepts apology
And believes his lover's words.
فَوا ضُعفَ حَظّي وَفَوتَ المُنى
إِذا كانَ عُذرِيَ لَم يُقبَلِ
So pity my ill-fate and loss of wishes!
Were my excuse to be refused.
