بَدَت لَنا الراحُ في تاجٍ مِنَ الحَبَبِ
فَمَزَّقَت حالَةَ الظُلماءِ بِاللَهَبِ
The breeze appeared to us in a crown of seeds
So it ripped through the state of darkness with flames
بِكرٌ إِذا زُوَّجَت بِالماءِ أَولَدَها
أَطفالَ دُرٍّ عَلى مَهدٍ مِنَ الذَهَبِ
Early in the morning, when married to water, it gave birth
To children of pearls on a cradle of gold
بَقِيَّةٌ مِن بَقايا قَومِ نوحٍ إِذا
لاحَت جَلَت ظُلمَةَ الأَحزانِ وَالكُرَبِ
A remainder from the remnants of Noah's people, if
It appears, the darkness of sorrows and troubles disappears
بَعيدَةُ العَهدِ بِالمِعصارِ لَو نَطَقَت
لَحَدَّثَتنا بِما في سالِفِ الحِقَبِ
Distant in keeping up with the wine press, if it spoke
It would tell us about what is in bygone eras
باكَرتُها بِرِفاقٍ قَد زَهَت بِهِمُ
قَبلَ السُلافِ سُلافُ العِلمِ وَالأَدَبِ
I woke up early with friends who blossomed with them
Before feathers, feathers of knowledge and literature
بِكُلِّ مُتَّشِحٍ بِالفَضلِ مُتَّزِرٍ
كَأَنَّ في لَفظِهِ ضَرباً مِنَ الضَرَبِ
With everyone dressed in virtue and clad
In eloquence, as if his words were a kind of rhythm
بَل رُبَّ لَيلٍ غَدا في الآهِباتِ غَدَت
تَنقَضُّ فيهِ كُؤوسٌ وَهيَ كَالشُهُبِ
But many a night has passed in which cups
Were destroyed appearing like comets
بَذَلتُ عَقلي صَداقاً حينَ بِتُّ بِهِ
أُزوِّجُ اِبنَ سَحابٍ بِاِبنَةِ العِنَبِ
I gave my mind as a dowry when I stayed with it
Marrying the son of clouds to the daughter of grapes
بِتنا بِكاساتِها صَرعى وَمِضرَبُنا
يُعيدُ أَرواحَنا مِن مَبدَإِ الطَرَبِ
We stayed up with its cups lying defeated and our
Gathering restores our souls from the source of bliss
بَعثٌ أَتانا فَلَم نَدرِ لِفَرحَتِنا
مِن نَفخَةِ الصورِ أَم مِن نَفحَةِ القَصَبِ
A joy came upon us, we could not tell
If it was from the blowing of the bugle or the flute’s breath
بِرَوضَةٍ طَلَّ فيها الطَلُّ أَدمُعَهُ
وَالدَهرُ مُبتَسِمٌ عَن ثَغرِهِ الشَنِبِ
In an orchard where the sprig wept its tears
And time smiles from its mustache
بَكَت عَلَيهِ أَساكيبُ الحَيا فَغَدا
جَذلانَ يَرفُلُ في أَثوابِهِ القُشُبِ
The vines of life wept over it and it became
A fawn frolicking in its yellow dress
بُسطٌ مِنَ الرَوضِ قَد حاكَت مَطارِفَها
يَدُ الرَبيعِ وَجارَتها يَدُ السُحُبِ
An expanse of the orchard whose edges
Were sewn by the hand of spring and its neighbor, the clouds
باتَت تَجودُ عَلَينا بِالمِياهِ كَما
جادَت يَدُ المَلِكِ المَنصورِ بِالذَهَبِ
It stayed raining on us with water as
The generous hand of king Al-Mansour rained gold
بَحرٌ تَدَفَّقَ بَحرُ الجودِ مِن يَدِهِ
فَأَصبَحَ المُلكُ يَزهو زَهوَ مُعتَجِبِ
An ocean of generosity flowed from his hand
So kingship blossoms with the bloom of arrogance
بادٍ بِبَذلِ النَدى قَبلَ السُؤالِ وَمَن
في دَولَةِ التُركِ أَحيا ذِمَّةَ العَرَبِ
One who is quick to give dew before being asked and one who
Revived the covenant of Arabs in Turkish rule
بَدرٌ أَضاءَ ثُغورَ المُلكِ فَاِبتَسَمَت
بِهِ فَكانَ لِثَغرِ المُلكِ كَالشَنَبِ
A full moon lit up the horizons of the kingdom, so
The mustache of kingdom smiled like a mustache
بَنى المَعالي وَأَفنى المالَ نائِلُهُ
فَالمُلكُ في عُرُسٍ وَالمالُ في حَرَبِ
He built supreme deeds and spent money, its earner
So the kingdom is in a wedding and money is at war
بِبَأسِهِ أَضحَتِ الأَيّامُ جازِعَةً
فَلا تُصاحِبُ عُضواً غَيرَ مُضطَرِبِ
With his might, days became fearful
So they don’t accompany a body except one that trembles
بَأسٌ يُذَلَّكُ صَعبُ الحادِثاتِ بِهِ
فَأَصبَحَ الدَهرُ يَشكو شِدَّةَ التَعَبِ
A might that humiliates the mighty events with it
So time complains of severe fatigue
بِهِ تَناسَيتُ ما لاقَيتُ مِن نَصَبٍ
وَلَذَّةُ الشِبعِ تُنسي شِدَّةَ السَغَبِ
With it, I forgot the ordeals I faced
And the pleasure of contentment makes one forget severity of hunger
بادَرتُهُ وَعُقابُ الهَمِّ يَطرُدُني
فَاليَومَ قَد عادَ كَالعَنقاءِ في الهَرَبِ
I confronted it while the claws of worries expel me
So today it has come back like an ostrich fleeing
بِكُم تَبَلَّجَ وَجهُ الحَقِّ يا مَلِكاً
بِهِ تَشَرَّفَ هامُ المُلكِ وَالرُتَبِ
How many glories shine on the face of truth, O king
It has honored the turban of kingship and ministries
بَنَيتَ لِلمَجدِ أَبياتاً مُشَيَّدَةً
وَلَم يُمَدُّ لَها لَولاكَ مِن طُنُبِ
You built towers of glory for magnificence
And had it not been for you, no bricks would have been laid for it
بَسَطتَ في الأَرضِ عَدلاً لَو لَهُ اِتَّبَعَت
نَوائِبُ الدَهرِ لَم تُعذَر وَلَم تَنُبِ
You spread justice in the land, if
The world’s afflictions pursued it, they would not be excused or pardoned
بَلَّغتَ سَيفَكَ في هامِ العَدوِّ كَما
أَنشَيتَ سَيفَ العَطا في قِمَّةِ النَشَبِ
You delivered your sword to the neck of the enemy as
You planted the sword of generosity at the top of the tall tree
باشِر غَرائِبَ أَشعاري فَقَد بَرَزَت
إِلَيكَ أَبكارُ أَفكاري مِنَ الحُجُبِ
Review the curiosities of my poetry for the innocent minds of my thoughts Have come out to you from behind the veil
Innovations of poetry, if I came up with them
بَدائِعٌ مِن قَريضٍ لَو أَتيتُ بِها
في غَيرِكُم كانَ مَنسوباً إِلى الكَذِبِ
In other than you, it would be attributed to lying
You remain what you are as long as the orbits are in blessings
بَقيتَ ما دارَتِ الأَفلاكُ في نِعَمٍ
مَحروسَةٍ مِن صُروفِ الدَهرِ وَالنُوَبِ
Protected from the vicissitudes of fate and afflictions
