سَقى صَوبُ الحَيا دِمَناً

بِجَرعاءِ اللِوى دُرَسا

The destiny of life watered our blood

With drafts of torment and misery

وَزادَ مَحَلَّكِ المَأنو

سَ يا دارَ الهَوى أَنَسا

And your abode increased, O house of passion

O comfort of loves past

لَئِن دَرَسَت رُبوعُكِ فَال

هَوى العُذرِيُّ ما دَرَسا

Though your meadows are deserted

My virginal love is not forsaken

بِنَفسي جيرَةٌ لَم يُب

قِ فيَّ فِراقُهُم نَفَسا

My soul is neighbored by those

Whose parting does not trouble my breath

نَشَدتُ اللَهَ حادِيَهُم

فَما أَلوى وَلا حَبَسا

I implored God against their guide

Neither did I waver nor hesitate

وَسارَ بِهِنَّ في الأَظعا

نِ حُوّاً كَالدُمى لُعُسا

And he led them into plains

Like a driven camel herd

تِخالُ هَوادِجاً رُفِعَت

عَلى ظَبياتِهِم كُنُسا

Their litters borne on camels

As if a caravan took rest

وَفي الغادينَ مائِسَةٌ

تُعيرُ البانَةَ المَيَسا

Among the departing are censuring glances

Mocking the languid gazelle

تُريكَ الظَبيَةَ الأَدما

لا حَمشاً وَلا خَنَسا

Showing you a fawn without

Blemish or fault

سِهامُ جُفونِها دونَ ال

مَراشِفِ تَمنَعُ اللَعَسا

The arrows of their eyes beneath

The canopies deny all sleep

عَسى الأَيّامُ تَسمَحُ لي

بِرَدِّ الظاعِنينَ عَسى

May time allow me

To return the slanderers' harms

وَلَيلاتٍ سَرَقنا العَي

شِ مِن أَوقاتِها خُلَسا

And nights we stole from their time

Surreptitiously and furtively

فَيا لِلَّهِ ما أَشأَر

نَ عِندي مِن جَوىً وَأَسا

Oh God, how much intimacies and pleasure

I have treasured and kept

وَدَيرٍ قَد حَلَلتُ بِهِ

وَرَبُّ الدَيرِ قَد نَعَسا

In a monastery I lodged

While its monk was asleep

فَقامَ إِلَيَّ مِن سِنَةِ ال

كَرى عَجلانَ مُقتَبِسا

And from the inebriation of old age

One came to me holding a lantern

كَأَنَّ بِهِ وَقَد عَقَلَ

الشَرابُ لِسانَهُ خَرَسا

As if the wine had bound

His tongue into silence

وَجاءَ بِها كَأَنَّ الشَم

سَ في كاساتِها غَلَسا

And he brought cups as though

The sun was immersed in their wine

فَلا ما كَستُهُ وَزناً

وَلا هُوَ كائِلاً بَخسا

I weighed not their worth

Nor did he diminish the price

عُقاراً مِثلَ ما شَعشَع

تَ في جُنحِ الدُجى قَبَسا

A potion like the scintillating

Sparks in the wing of night

لَها أَرَجٌ كَما اِستَقبَل

تَ مِن رَوضِ الحِمى نَفَسا

Bearing the scent as though it came

From the meadow's breath

كَأَنَّ ذَكِيَّ نَفحَتِها

خَلائِقُ سَيِّدِ الرُؤَسا

As if the soul of his draughts

Were the best of humanity

جَلالِ الدينِ وَالموفي

لِآمِلِهِ بِما اِلتَمَسا

The majesty of religion and the faithful

To his hopeful with what he sought

إِذا غَرَسَت يَداهُ نَداً

سَقى بِالبِشرِ ما غَرَسا

If he plants his hand in moisture

He waters with good tidings what was planted

وَلَو لَمَسَت يَداهُ صَفاً

لَأَعشَبَ مِنهُ ما لَمَسا

If his hand touches barrenness

He makes it grow where he touched

تَكَفَّلَ حينَ يَبسِمُ بِال

غِنى وَالمَوتِ إِن عَبَسا

He guaranteed, whenever he smiles, bounty

And death when he frowned

وَأُقسِمُ أَنَّهُ ما خا

بَ راجيهِ وَما أَيَسا

And I swear he never disappointed

A hopeful nor despaired one

وَلا عَشَرَ المُؤَمِّلُ جو

دَ كَفَّيهِ وَلا تَعِسا

The expectant never suffered

The tightfistedness of his palms or misery

أَعادَ زَمانُهُ المَعرو

فَ غَضّاً بَعدَما يَبِسا

His time made the noble traits

Flourish after their death

وَأَحيا مِن رُسومِ مَعا

لِمَ الإيمانِ ما طَمَسا

And revived what symbols faded

Of the tenets of faith

وَقورٌ يَومَ جِلسَتِهِ

إِذا هَفَتِ الحُلومُ رَسا

Solemn is he when beasts settle

And crawl humbly

وَتَلقاهُ غَداةَ الرَو

عِ في الهَبَواتِ مُنغَمِسا

And you meet him in the morn

Immersed in thoughts and contemplation

فَليثُ شَرىً إِذا أَسرى

وَطَودُ خِمىً إِذا جَلَسا

A lion stalking prey

And a towering minaret when settled

إِذا جادَت أَنامِلُهُ

حَسِبتَ الغَيثَ مُنبَجِسا

When his fingers give generously

You'd think the rain was pouring

فَإِن مَحَضَ الرِجالُ الرَأ

يَ أَعياهُم وَقَد خَرِسا

For the men of opinion wearied them

And they fell silent

يُبَخِّلُ جودُهُ صَوبَ ال

حَيا الساري إِذا رَجَسا

The flowing of his munificence spares

The protected path if it became sullied

وَيُنسي المَكرَ خيفَتُهُ

ذِئابَ الرَدهَةِ الطُلُسا

And his cunning makes him forget

The wolves of wickedness and villains

وَيَحسُنُ في قَضِيَّتِهِ

إِذا صَرَفَ الزَمانُ أَسا

He renders fairly his judgment

When fate alternates

ضَحوكاً في النَدِيِّ وَفي ال

وَغى مُتَنَمِّراً شَرِسا

Laughing in amity, and in battle

Baring fangs and ferocious

بَلا مِنهُ الخَليفَةُ في ال

أُمورِ مُدَرَّباً مِرَسا

Thus the Caliph benefits from him

In matters well-trained and proficient

فَما اِختَلَطَ الصَوابُ عَلى

بَديهَتِهِ وَلا اِلتَبَسا

Never did right mix with

His discernment or confuse him

جَوادٌ ما جَرى رِزقي

عَلى كَفَّيهِ ما اِحتَبَسا

A stalwart whose sustenance

Did not tarry from his palms or cease

وَلَمّا أَن حَلَلتُ بِهِ

وَيَومي دامِسٌ شَمِسا

For when I sought his company

With my gloomy day sunny

وَذَلَّلتُ الزَمانَ بِهِ

فَأَصحَبَ بَعدَ أَن شَمَسا

I tamed time through him

And after sunrise he accompanied

فَطالَ مَدى البَقاءِ لَهُ

تَمَتَّعَ فيهِ ما لَبِسا

Thus his survival was prolonged

As he enjoyed what he wore

تَرِقُّ غُصونُ دَولَتِهِ

إِذا عودُ الزَمانِ عَسا

The branches of his rule thrive

When the time's peg is firm

يَرى في كُلِّ يَومٍ لِل

هَناءِ بِرَبعِهِ عُرُسا

Every day he sees in his comfort

A quarter of celebration

يُغاديهِ السُرورُ كَما

يُراوِحُهُ صَباحَ مَسا

Felicity alternates him

Like the morning breeze refreshes him

عَلَيكَ اِبنَ البُخارِيِّ ال

جَوادَ الماجِدَ النَدِسا

Upon you, son of Bukhari

The generous, glorious, and chaste

جَلَوتُ البِكرَ طالَ ثَوا

ؤُها في خِدرِها عَنَسا

A barren she-camel whose resting

In her enclosure was prolonged

حَصانُ الحَبيبِ ما جُلِيَت

عَلى الخُطّابِ وَالجُلَسا

The steed of the Beloved that was not revealed

To the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the settled

حَصانُ الحَبيبِ ما جُلِيَت

بِها شُبثاً وَلا نَجَسا

The steed of the Beloved that was not revealed

Defiled or impure

مِنَ الكِلَمِ الَّتي ما عَي

بَ قائِلُها وَلا وُكِسا

Of words that were not

Flawed by their speaker or wretched

قَوافٍ ما لَبِسنَ بِمَد

حِ غَيرِكَ مَلبَساً دَنِسا

Meters that did not dress

Another with over-praised attire

وَلا زاحَمنَ دونَ الرِف

دِ حَجّاباً وَلا حَرَسا

Nor competed below the full moon

Veils or guards

نَظَمنَ لَكَ المَديحَ حِلىً

وَحِكنَ لَكَ الثَناءَ كِسا

They wove for you Eulogies as jewelry

And threaded for you Praise as a necklace