عَدَّ نُصحاً مَلامِيَ العُذّالُ

فَمُحالٌ عَنها السُلُوُّ مُحالُ

My blamers count advice as fault

So being forbearing with them is impossible

أَينَ مِنّي السُلُوُّ لا أَينَ رَعيُ ال

عَهدِ كَلّا كِلاهُما لا يُنالُ

Where is my forbearance? Nay, where is the one who keeps pacts?

Neither can be attained

نَم خَلِيّاً وَخَلِّني فَبِقَلبي

في الهَوى لا بِقَلبِكَ البَلبالُ

Sleep alone and leave me be, for in passion, not in your heart, is turmoil

Do not count her nearness and distance as equal

لا تُعَدِّد دُنُوَّها قَد تَساوى ال

هَجرُ عِندي في حُبِّها وَالوِصالُ

In my love for her, nearness and distance are the same

My wasting away proves I melt with longing for her

كَفِلَت أَنَّني أَذوبُ نُحولاً

في هَواها الخُصورُ وَالأَكفالُ

Both my intimate and stranger friends know this

And the beloved who is coy and gently refuses

وَحَبيبِ الإِعراضِ حُلوِ التَجَنّي

فيهِ تيهٌ مُعَشِّقٌ وَدَلالُ

Bewilders the lover and is tempting

She enslaved me though I was no slave

عَبَّدَتني لَهُ وَما كُنتُ عَبداً

صِحَّةٌ في جُفونِهِ وَاِعتِلالُ

There is health in his eyelids and frailty

He was unjust to me and inclined to the weakness in love, his bending down

جارَ جورِيَّهُ وَمالَ عَلى ضَع

فِيَ في الحُبِّ قَدُّهُ المَيّالُ

My eyes were confused - was it clear sky,

A gazelle's sighting, or a fawn?

حارَ طَرفي فيهِ أَبَدرُ سَماءٍ

هُوَ أَم خوطُ بانَةٍ أَم غَزالُ

He visited me weakening my resolve and hiding his ankle-bracelets

Wavering as thoughts occurred to me of a train on a northern pond

زارَني موهِناً تَنُمُّ وِشا

حاهُ عَلَيهِ وَيَكتُمُ الخَلخالُ

His glances made me hurry though his steps were heavy

I stay up complaining to him of my heart's anguish

يَتَهادى تيها كَما خَطَرَت غِب

بَ قُطارٍ عَلى غَديرِ شِمالُ

and his sweet mouth could ease my pain if he wished

He yielded compassionately, reclining, and for him, love's stumbling is unavoidable

أَعجَلَتني أَناتُهُ حينَ أَسرى

وَاِستَخَفَّت حِلمي خُطاهُ الثِقالُ

He gave me to drink from his palm, his cheeks, his imagination

A coffee in his eyelids, a pleasure from him and pearls from his cheek

بِتُّ أَشكو إِلَيهِ غُلَّةَ صَدري

وَبِفيهِ لَو شاءَ عَذبٌ زُلالُ

O matchless one, passion left me, though in you examples are given

The expert in beauty openly admits your merit, beauty bears witness

فَحَنا عاطِفاً مُقيلاً وَكانَت

عَثرَةُ الحُبِّ عِندَهُ لا تُقالُ

A trust lies with you that you have become over them a disputant prince

If you surpass in beauty, the excellent son of the victorious surpassed

وَسَقاني مِن كَفِّهِ وَثَنايا

هُ وَمِن طَرفِهِ وَفيهِ الخَيالُ

The loyal, when contrary ones fail,

Secure lodging and neighborhood despite the earth's burden

قَهوَةً في جُفونِهِ نَشوَةٌ مِن

ها وَفيها مِن خَدِّهِ جِريالُ

Among their steeds are dark ones, and mountains are among their litters

By their pens and swords, sustenance and terms flow

يا بَعيدَ المِثالِ غادَرَني الشَو

قُ وَفي فيكَ تُضرَبُ الأَمثالُ

On the day of fighting, lean frames that stand firm

And, on the day of contention, heavy bodies

قَد أَقَرَّ المِلاحُ بِالفَضلِ طَوعاً

لَكَ وَالحُسنُ شاهِدٌ وَالجَمالُ

With the pillar of the faith, the protector of my fortune gained

And hopes were realized

عُهدَةٌ في يَدَيكَ مِنها بِأَن صِر

تَ أَميراً عَليهِمُ إِسجالُ

Aspirations caught with him, though to my spirit they are burdens

He surpasses people in generosity, and merit lies only with the magnanimous

إِن تَفُقهُم حُسناً فَقَد فاقَ في الإِح

سانِ وُلدُ المُظَفَّرِ الأَقيالُ

He follows words with action, unlike every speaker

An inner self darkened him, though tribe and in-laws enriched him

الوَفِيّونَ بِالعُهودِ إِذا الأَخلا

فُ آبَت مِنها القُوى وَالحِبالُ

Combining, alongside the first freshness of youth, an opinion and determination thus completed while still a crescent

He took the course of clouds among people, his range being every place

كَفَلوا لِلنَزيلِ وَالجارِ بِالخِص

بِ وَقَد طَبَّقَ الثَرى الإِمحالُ

He spends wealth praising knowledge, knowing that praise is wealth

Tell whoever hopes to attain his goals, can the sky be attained?

في ظُهورِ الجِيادِ مِنهُم أُسودٌ

وَصُدورِ الدُسوتِ مِنهُم جِبالُ

O most generous, pure of gifts that seek recompense, when the seeker of gifts causes bitterness

You have enriched me and healed my poverty with kindness

فَبِأَقلامِهِم وَأَسيافِهِم طُر

راً تَدُرُّ الأَرزاقُ وَالآجالُ

while poverty is an hardy illness

I cannot count the praises due to your palm

نَهَضاتٌ يَومَ الجِلادِ جِفافٌ

وَحُلومٌ يَومَ الجِدالِ ثِقالُ

for who can count the sands?

God granted you perfection—none can match you but forms and shapes

بِعِمادِ الدينِ اِستَقادَ حَرونُ ال

حَظِّ لي وَاِستَجابَتِ الآمالُ

For the refugee, you are a neighbor; for the seeker, a refuge; for the orphan, a guardian

You are for the miserable pauper, should he arrive destitute, a haven

لَقِحَت عِندَهُ الأَماني وَعَهدي

بِأَماني الصُدورِ وَهيَ حِيالُ

And for the outcast, a place of return

You are the family of the naked—God sent you as a mercy, while others are kin

فَضَلَ الناسَ بِالسَماحِ وَلَيسَ الفَ

ضلُ إِلّا لِمَن لَهُ الإِفضالُ

O Abu Nasr, the hoped-for, when no people remain hopeful of bounty

In but a little while, between the bare and the cold will be unrelenting war

يُتبِعُ القَولَ بِالفِعالِ لِراجي

هِ وَما كُلُّ قائِلِ فَعّالُ

For it they readied quivers of deadly firm arrows that slip out

With that shameless, left-facing cheek, my excuse if they confronted me

سَوَّدَتهُ نَفسٌ لَهُ غَنِيَت عَم

ما أَتَتهُ الأَعمامُ وَالأَخوالُ

So aid me with a coat I can call to witness the war before the fighting intensifies

Its warp waves with dew when the breeze blows, a protection, and in its woof is beauty

شابَ مَعَ غُرَّةِ الحَداثَةِ رَأياً

وَاِعتِزاماً فَتَمَّ وَهوَ هِلالُ

Neither have the congratulations around your abode ceased, nor the destitute camped at your door

Reaching, in the branches of your overflowing palace, the height of hopes

سارَ سَيرَ السَحابِ في الناسِ جَدوا

هُ فَمِنهُ في كُلِّ أَرضِ سِجالُ

Lions are wary of your roar, and cubs gather around your den

In lastingness, without loss, and bliss, without decay

يُتلِفُ المالَ في الثَناءِ عَلى عِل

مٍ يَقينٍ أَنَّ الثَناءَ المالُ

قُل لِمَن رامَ أَن يَنالَ مَساعي

هِ مَتى كانَتِ السَماءُ تُنالُ

يا بَريءَ العَطاءِ مِن كَدَرِ المَط

لِ إِذا كَدَّرَ العَطاءَ المِطالُ

أَنتَ أَغنَيتَني وَداوَيتَ بِالمَع

روفِ فَقري وَالفَقرُ داءٌ عِضالُ

لَستُ أُحصي عَلى مَواهِبِ كَفَّي

كَ ثَناءً وَكَيفَ تُحصى الرِمالُ

خَصَّكَ اللَهُ بِالكَمالِ فَلَم يُع

وِزكَ إِلّا الأَضرابُ وَالأَشكالُ

أَنتَ لِلمُستَجيرِ جارٌ وَلِلرا

جي مَلاذٌ وَلِليَتامى ثِمالُ

أَنتَ لِلبائِسِ الفَقيرِ إِذا أَم

لَقَ مالٌ وَلِلطَريدِ مَآلُ

أَنتَ آلُ العُفاةِ أَرسَلَكَ اللَ

هُ لَنا رَحمَةً وَغَيرُكَ آلُ

يا أَبا نَصرِ المُرَجّى إِذا لَم

يَبقَ خَلقٌ يُرجى لَدَيهِ النَوالُ

عَن قَليلِ بَينَ العُراةِ وَبَينَ ال

بَردِ حَربُ لا تُصطَلى وَنِزالُ

قَد أَعَدّوا لَهُ جُيوباً مِنَ الرَع

دَةِ مُلساً تَزِلُّ عَنها النِصالُ

مِن عَذيري مِنها إِذا ما تَلَقَّت

ني بِذاكَ الوَجهِ الوَقاحِ الشَمالُ

فَأَعِنّي بِجِبَّةٍ أَشهَدُ الحَر

بَ بِها قَبلَ أَن يَجِدَّ القِتالُ

هُدبُها في النَدى إِذا نَفَحَ الصِر

رُ مِجَنٌّ وَفي النَدِيِّ جَمالُ

لا عَدَت رَبعَكَ التَهاني وَلا زا

لَ مُنيخاً بِبابِكَ الإِقبالُ

وَهُنا الناسَ عيدُهُم بِكَ فَالنا

سُ عَلى جودِ راحَتَيكَ عِيالُ

بالِغاً في غُصونِ دَوحَتِكَ الغَن

ناءِ أَقصى ما تَنتَهي الآمالُ

تَتَّقي زَأرَكَ الأُسودُ وَتَستَأ

سِدُ مِن حَولِ غيلِكَ الأَشبالُ

في بَقاءٍ لا يَقتَضيهِ اِنقِضاءٌ

وَنَعيمٍ لا يَعتَريهِ زَوالُ