أَبُثُّكِ وَجدي لَو أَصَختِ لِمَعمودِ
وَكَيفَ يُرجى عَطفُ صَمّاءَ صَيخودِ
I confide my passion to you though you are deaf to my complaints,
How can I expect sympathy from one so indifferent?
لَقَد سَئِمَ العُوّادُ فيكَ شِكايَتي
وَما سَإِمَت فيكِ العَواذِلُ تَفنيدي
My friends are wearied of hearing my laments for you,
Yet I am not tired of singing your praises.
فَإِن يَذوَ عودي في هَواكِ فَرُبَّما
عَلِقتُكِ فَينانَ الصِبى مورِقَ العودِ
If my affection for you remains unquenched,
I shall hang like a necklace on the slender neck of the beloved.
لَيالِيَ لَم يُخلِق رِداءُ شَبيبَتي
وَلَم تُخلِفِ البيضُ الحِسانُ مَواعيدي
Nights of my vanished youth will never return
Nor broken vows of love keep their trysts with me.
وَإِذ أَنا مِن وَصلِ الَّذي غَيرُ مُضمِرٍ
إِياساً وَعَن بابِ الهَوى غَيرُ مَطرودِ
Since reunion with my love seems unattainable
And the door of desire barred to me,
فَيا قَلبُ إِن تَجزَع لِماضٍ مِنَ الصِبى
حَميدٍ وَعادٍ مِن هَوى الخُرَّدِ الغيدِ
My heart, do not grieve for lost youth,
For sweet memories of loves now faded.
فَلَيسَت لَياليكَ الأولى بِرَواجِعٍ
عَلَيكَ وَلا عَصرُ الشَبابِ بِمَردودِ
Your first nights of love and rapture
Can never come back to you, nor youth itself.
وَهَل نافِعٌ قَولي جَوىً وَصَبابَةً
لَيالي الهَوى إِن عادَ عَصرُ الصِبى عودي
What use recalling the nights of desire
If the springtime of life comes not back to me?
وَأَرَّقَني في اللَيلِ تَرجيعُ وادِعٍ
مِنَ الوُرقِ في فَرعٍ مِنَ البانِ مَكدودِ
At night the rustling of leaves
In the gently waving branch of the wild plum tree
يَنوحُ وَلَم يُضمِر غَرامي ضُلوعُهُ
وَلا عادَهُ فيمَن كَلِفتُ بِهِ عيدي
Kept me awake, though from his bosom
Came no echo of my love, no hint of my loss.
وَلا حَكَمَت في شَملِ أُلفَتِهِ النَوى
وَلا قَضَتِ الأَيّامِ فيها بِتَبديدِ
The clustering stars reunited not those
Parted by fate, nor did the nights join us.
أَقولُ وَليلي قَد أَظَلَّ صَباحُهُ
وَأَجفانُ عَيني قَد كُحِلنَ بِتَسهيدِ
I say this while dawn dispels the night
And sleep seals my eyes weighed by its touch.
أَمِن غَدرِ مَن أَهواهُ ياليلَ هَجرَةٍ
خُلِقتَ لَنا أَم مِن غَدائِرِهِ السودِ
O night of cruel separation, did you come
By his betrayal, or your own dark destinies?
وَلَيلٍ بِطيءِ النَجمِ قَصَّرتَ طولَهُ
بِوارِدَةِ الفِرعَينِ ناعِمَةٍ رودِ
O long night of tardy stars, your length shortened
By two waving branches of the wild plum, delicate and slender.
لَهَوتُ بِها حَتّى تَجَلّى ظَلامُهُ
تَجولُ يَدي بَينَ القَلائِدِ وَالجيدِ
I toyed with them until the darkness lifted,
My hands wandering over necklaces and plaits.
بِمُرتَشَفٍ كَالأُقحُوانَةِ بارِدٍ
وَمُعتَنَقٍ كَالخيزُرانَةِ أُملودِ
Sipping from a cup as cool as crystal,
Embracing a form slender as a sapling.
إِذا ما أَظَلَّتني عَناقيدُ فَرعِها
سَقَتني بِكَأسِ الثَغرِ ماءَ العَناقيدِ
When her tresses cast shadows over me,
Her lips gave me wine from the cup to drink.
وَباتَت تُعاطيني عُقاراً كَأَنَّها
خَلائِقُ مَجدِ الدينِ ذي البَأسِ وَالجودِ
She made me taste a magic potion
As if she were a houri of Paradise, heavenly and pure.
فَتىً أَقسَمَت مِن حُبِّها الجودَ كَفُّه
لِسُؤآلِها أَن لا تَضَنَّ بِمَوجودِ
A prince whose generous hand swore
To grant her whatever she asked.
رَفيعُ عِمادِ البَيتِ يَأوي مِنَ العُلى
إِلى كَسرِ بَيتٍ بِالسَماحَةِ مَعمودِ
Of lofty lineage, a pillar of his house,
Generous, open-handed, a castle of munificence.
أَحَدُّ مِنَ البيضِ الرِقاقِ عَزائِماً
وَأَمضى جَناناً مِن أُسودِ الشَرى السودِ
Braver than the keenest blade, resolute in purpose,
More decisive in judgement than even the swarthy fates.
يَضيقُ إِذا سارَ الفَضاءُ وَإِنَّهُ
لَأَرحَبُ صَدراً في سُراهُ مِنَ البيدِ
The horizons narrow when he travels on his way
Though his heart is broader than the wilds themselves.
وَيَلقى الجِبالَ الشُمَّ مِن عَزَماتِهِ
بِأَثبَتَ مِن أَطوادِها الشُمَّخِ القودِ
He shatters mountains as effortlessly as
Their summits, firm-rooted, cleave the skies.
مِنَ القَومِ لا سَعيُ الرَجاءِ بِمُخفِقٍ
لَدَيهِم وَلا بابُ العَطاءِ بِمَسدودِ
For him no gates of favour remain closed
Nor doors of bounty locked, by that noble people,
كِرامُ المَساعي يَستَهِلُّ نَوالُهُم
إِذا سُؤِلوا الجَدوى كِرامُ المَواليدِ
Whose generous nature overflow their gifts
As freely as the new-born's innocence.
تَشيمُ إِذا اِستَجدَيتَهُم واكِفَ الحَيا
وَتَدعو إِذا اِستَنجَدتَهُم بِالمَناجيدِ
They respond at once when you call them
And run to help when you need their aid.
وَهوَ الصاحِبُ اِبنُ الصاحِبِ القَرمُ مُغمِدُ
الصَوارِمِ في هامِ الكُماةِ الصَناديدِ
He is the son of heroes, swords sheathed
In the shoulders of warriors gigantic in frame.
رَأَتهُ لَها بَغداذُ أَمنَعَ ذائِدٍ
فَأَلقَت إِلى تَدبيرِهِ بِالمَقاليدِ
Baghdad saw in him her staunchest defender
And gave over her affairs to his sound judgement;
أَعادَ لَها بِالعَدلِ أَيّامَها الأولى
فَأَضحَت بِهِ غَنّاءَ مَورِقَةَ العودِ
He restored her former glory through justice
And her voice grew sweet as the lute.
فَعَبَّدَ لِلمُستَرفِدينَ طَريقَها
وَوَطَّدَ مِن أَكنافِها أَيَّ تَوطيدِ
He opened the roads for those seeking relief
And strengthened her walls on every side,
وَرَدَّ لِحاظَ الدَهرِ عَنها كَليلَةً
وَكانَت لَها أَحداثُهُ بِالمَراصيدِ
Saving her from the blows of fate.
Through him she foresaw whatever was to come.
عَلى أَنَّهُ لَم يَعلُ إِلّا بِنَفسِهِ
فَأَربى عَلى عَلياءِ آبائِهِ الصيدِ
Yet he relied not on others but on himself
To raise his fathers' glory yet higher;
وَلَم يَقتَنِع مِنهُ بِما شادَ قَومُهُ
وَما أَحكَموهُ مِن بِناءٍ وَتَشيِيدِ
Nor was he content to live as his people had,
Or build and manage as they did.
أَبا الفَضلِ ما مَأثورُ فَضلٍ وَسُؤدَدِ
خُصِصتَ بِهِ بَينَ الأَنامِ بِمَجحودِ
Abu'l Fadl, your excellence remains unmatched,
Your peerlessness acknowledged by all mankind.
عَتادُكَ لِلأَعداءِ كُلُّ مُهَنَّدٍ
وَمُطَّرِدٍ لَدنِ الأَنابيبِ أُملودِ
To your enemies you are death, irresistible,
Pursuing them relentlessly, allowing no escape.
وَلا حِقَهُ الإِطلَينِ مِن نَسلِ أَعوَجٍ
وَمُحكَمَةُ السَردَينِ مِن نَسجِ داوُودِ
No tribe of misshapen outcasts can equal you
Nor human artifacts match God's flawless design.
يِبيدُ العِدى في كُلِّ جَأواءَ فَيلَقٍ
وَيُجري النَدى في كُلِّ شَهباءَ جارودِ
You destroy all hostile hosts,
And defeat each attacking army.
فَيَومِ سَماحٍ بِالنَدى لَكَ شاهِدٍ
وَيَومِ كِفاحٍ في العِدى لَكَ مَشهودِ
You are mild when peaceful, a gift of God,
And fierce when warlike, leading the brave.
فَنَدعوكَ يَومَ السِلمِ ياواهِبَ اللُهى
وَيَومَ الوَغى ياقائِدَ الضُمَّرِ القودِ
So I string these feeble verses
To make a necklace praising you alone
فَدونَكَ مِن رِقراقِ شِعري قَلائِداً
مِنَ الحَمدِ لَم يُنظَم لِغَيرِكَ في جيدِ
And tell of your magnificence, weakening not
In relating the noble deeds I have heard.
أَحاديثَ مَجدٍ عَن عُلاكَ رَوَيتُها
فَما ضَعُفَت فيهِنَّ طُرقُ أَسانيدي
My hesitant and stumbling words cannot capture
The sublime beauty of your noble qualities.
كَرائِمُ لَم تُخلِق نَضارَةَ حُسنِها
ضَراعَةُ تِسآلٍ وَخَجلَةُ تَرديدِ
I have compared you to none but yourself,
For none can equal your unmatched excellence.
عَدَلتُ بِها عَمَّن سِواكَ وَلَم يَكُن
سِوى جودِكَ المَأمولِ كُفؤٌ لِتَجويدي
So spare no effort in your generosity,
For I have strained my utmost in praising you.
فَلا تُبقِ في الإِحسانِ جُهداً فَإِنَّني
بَذَلتُكَ في التَقريظِ غايَةَ مَجهودي
Live on shedding luster on the nights
In a glory and fame that will never fade,
وَعِش مُخلِقاً ثَوبَ اللَيالي مُجَدِّداً
لِباسَ المَعالي في بَقاءٍ وَتَخليدِ
Showing might beyond all reverse,
Power unlimited by hostile forces.
مُظاهِرَ عِزٍّ لا يَرِثُّ جَديدُهُ
وَمُلكٍ عَلى رَغمِ العِدى غَيرِ مَحدودِ
