Sol 6.1

  1. أَراها بَدَت تَختالُ في حلل الخزِّ

    مهفهفة صادَت فُؤاديَ بِالغَمزِ

    I see her appear, swaying proudly in silken robes,

    Slender-waisted, she captured my heart with a wink.

  2. وَصالَت عَلى العُشاق مِنها بِقامة

    هِيَ الرمح في حسن اِعتِدال وَفي وَخز

    And she assailed the lovers with that figure of hers,

    A spear in its graceful straightness and piercing thrust.

  3. وَحاوَلت العذال منيَ سَلوةً

    فَباتوا عَلى نار مِن الهَمز وَاللَمز

    And the reproachers tried to make me forget her,

    So they spent the night upon a fire of slander and mockery.

  4. وَأَضحوا بِما نالوا مِن الخزي في لَظىً

    يسعِّرها ما في القُلوب مِن الأَزِّ

    And morning found them in a blaze for the disgrace they incurred,

    Stoked by the agitation within their hearts.

  5. خَليليَّ إِني قانع مِن وصالها

    وَلَو زادَ وَجدي بِالإِشارة وَالرَمز

    My two friends, in place of union with her I am content—

    Even if my yearning grows—with a gesture and a hint.

  6. وَإِني لَأَعدو خَلفَها في مَهامهٍ

    بِها الريم يَطوي الأَرض بِالوَثب وَالأبز

    And indeed I run after her through trackless wastes,

    Where the white gazelle folds up the earth in leaps and bounds.

  7. فَما حيلَتي في القُرب مِنها وَإِنَّها

    عَلى ما بِها مِن خالص الودّ في حَجز

    What recourse have I to draw near her, when she—

    Despite her pure affection—is kept in seclusion?

  8. وَفي خدرها أُسدُ الشَرى يَحرسونها

    بِبيض وَسُمر لا تردّ عَن الحفز

    And in her bower the lions of al-Shara guard her,

    With bright swords and tawny spears, unchecked in their thrusting.

  9. وَحول حِماها أَلف واشٍ تجرّدوا

    بِأَلسنة شبه الأَسنة في النَخز

    And around her sanctuary a thousand slanderers stand armed,

    With tongues like spearheads in their piercing.

  10. وَلَكنهم لا يَقدرون بِجمعهم

    وَلَو أَقبَلوا بِالمرهفات عَلى فَزِّ

    But with all their numbers they cannot—

    Even if they come with sharpened blades—make me flinch.

  11. أَنا المُغرم الولهان أَوّل عارف

    بِما في الهَوى العُذريْ مِن الحُلو وَالمِزِّ

    I am the impassioned, love-distraught lover, foremost in knowing

    The sweetness and tartness that chaste love holds.

  12. وَما ليَ عَنهُ شاغل غَير خدمتي

    لِدَولة إسماعيل جَوهَرة الكنز

    And nothing distracts me from it except my service

    To Ismail's realm, the treasure's jewel;

  13. لِدَولة إسماعيل خَير مملك

    عَلى العرب أَرباب البَراعة وَالأَرز

    To Ismail's realm, the finest ruler enthroned

    Over the Arabs, masters of skill and strength.

  14. مَليك بِنَصر اللَه عادَ مؤيداً

    إِلى مَصر مِن دار الخِلافة في حرز

    A king who returned, upheld by God's aid,

    To Egypt from the seat of the Caliphate, in safety.

  15. فَزادَت بِتَوفيق المهيمن رفعة

    تَدوم لَها مِنهُ بِهمة مُعتز

    So by the Guardian's favor she rose in eminence,

    An eminence he sustains for her through his proud resolve.

  16. وَسادَت عَلى الأَمصار في ظل عَدله

    بِحَزم هزبرٍ وافر العَزم في الوَكز

    And she rose above the cities in the shade of his justice,

    Through the firmness of a lion, full of resolve when striking.

  17. وَمدّت بِهِ نَحوَ المَعارف باعَها

    بِقوّة تَحصيل تُصان عَن العَجز

    And through him she extended her reach toward learning;

    Through vigorous study she is safeguarded from incapacity.

  18. فَفازَت بِسَبق في مَيادين حكمة

    كَساها بِها بُرداً قَشيباً مِن البز

    So she won first place in wisdom's arenas;

    With it he clothed her in a new mantle of fine cloth.

  19. وَحَسبك مِنهُ بِالرَعية رَأفةً

    صُدورُ مَراسيم التَعادل بِالفَرز

    And enough to show you his compassion for his subjects is

    The issuing of decrees for equitable apportionment.

  20. وَلاحَت بِهِ للناظِرين كَأَنَّها

    عَروس كنوز في الملاحة وَالطرز

    And through him she shone before onlookers, as though she were

    A bride of treasures in loveliness and adornment.

  21. وَلما بَدا مِن آسِتانة أَشرَقَت

    بِأَنواره الأَرجاء في السَهل وَالوَفز

    And when he emerged from Asitana, there shone

    With his radiance the regions, on plain and high ground.

  22. وَكانَ عَلى الأَيّام وَعدٌ فَأَنعمت

    عَلى الوَطن المَألوف مُذ آب بِالنَجز

    And the days had a promise to keep, so they blessed

    The familiar homeland with fulfillment upon his return.

  23. وَأَنشد مَجدي في القدوم مؤرخاً

    أَتى مَصر إِسماعيل بِالسَعد في عز

    And Majdi recited a chronogram for the arrival:

    Ismail came to Egypt with good fortune, in glory.