ما هو عَبْدٌ لَكِنَّهُ وَلَدٌ
خَوَّلنيهِ المُهَيْمِنُ الصَّمَدُ
He is no servant, but a son,
He is no slave, but a son.
bestowed on me by the Almighty, the Eternal Refuge.
The Guardian, the Self-Sufficient One, granted him to me
وشَدَّ أَزْريَ بِحُسْنِ صُحْبَتِهِ
فَهو يَدي والذِّراعُ والعَضُدُ
He has strengthened me through his gracious companionship:
and strengthened my back through his good companionship;
he is my hand, my forearm, and my supporting arm.
so he is my hand, my forearm, my upper arm.
صَغيرُ سِنٍ كَبيرُ مَعْرِفَةٍ
تَمازَجَ الضَّعْفُ فيهِ والجَلَدُ
Young in years, yet great in understanding,
Young in years, great in knowledge,
in him frailty and fortitude are blended.
weakness and fortitude have mingled in him.
في سِنِّ بَدْرِ الدُّجى وصُورَتِهِ
فَمِثْلُهُ يُصْطَفى ويُفْتَقَدُ
In age and form he is the full moon of darkness;
In age and form, he is the full moon of night;
one such as he is chosen—and sorely missed.
so one like him is chosen and missed.
مُعَشَّقُ الطَّرْفِ كُحْلُهُ كَحَلٌ
مُعَطَّلُ الجيدِ حِلْيُهُ جَيَدُ
His eyes inspire love; their darkness is natural kohl.
His gaze enchants; his kohl is his eyes' natural dark edging.
His neck needs no adornment: its ornament is its fine length.
His neck is unadorned; its ornament is its graceful length.
ووَرْدُ خَدَّيْهِ والشَّقائِقُ والتْ
تُفاحُ والجُلَّنارُ مُنْتَضِدُ
The roses of his cheeks, the anemones, the
And the roses of his cheeks, anemones, and
apples, and the pomegranate blossoms are arrayed together—
apples and pomegranate blossoms are arrayed together.
رِياضُ حُسْنٍ زَواهِرٌ أَبداً
فيهُنَّ ماءُ النَّعيمِ يَطَّرِدُ
ever-blooming gardens of beauty,
Gardens of beauty, forever flowering,
through which the water of bliss flows on.
in them the water of bliss flows unceasingly.
وغُصْنُ بانٍ إِذا بَدا وإِذا
شَدا فَقُمْرِيُّ بانةٍ غَرِدُ
A willow bough whenever he appears, and when
And a bān-tree bough when he appears; and when
he sings, a willow-dove warbling.
he sings, a tuneful turtledove in a bān tree.
ثَقَّفَهُ كَيْسُهُ فلا عِوَجٌ
في بَعْضِ أَخْلاقِهِ ولا أَوَدُ
His good sense has straightened him, so there is neither crookedness
His good sense has set him straight; no crookedness
in any of his character nor any warp.
in any of his traits, nor any warp.
أُنْسي ولَهْوي وكُلُّ مَأْرَبَتي
مُجْتَمِعٌ فيهِ ومُنْفَرِدُ
My companionship, my diversion, and every need of mine
My solace, my amusement, and all that I desire
are found in him, collectively and severally.
are found in him, together and singly.
ظَريفَ مَزْحٍ مَليحَ نادِرَةٍ
جَوْهَرَ حُسْنٍ شَرارُهُ يَقِدُ
Charming in jest, delightful in anecdote,
Witty in jest, charming in anecdote,
a jewel of beauty whose sparks blaze.
a jewel of beauty whose sparks blaze.
ما غاظَني ساعَةً فَلا صَخَبٌ
يَمُرُّ في مَنْزِلي ولا حَرَدُ
Never has he angered me for an hour; no uproar
Not for a moment has he angered me; no clamor
passes through my house, nor any sulking.
passes through my house, nor any rage.
مُسامِري إِنْ دَجا الظَّلامُ فَلي
مِنْهُ حَديثٌ كَأَنَّهُ الشَّهَدُ
He is my evening companion when darkness deepens, and from him I have
My companion by night, when darkness deepens; I have
conversation as sweet as honey.
from him talk like honey in the comb.
مُبارَكُ الوَجْهِ مُذْ حَظيتُ بِهِ
بالي رَخيٌّ وعيشَتي رَغَدُ
Blessed of countenance: since I was favored with him,
Blessed of face: since I was favored with him,
my mind has been at ease and my life abundant.
my mind is at ease, and my life is comfortable.
خازِنُ ما في يَدي وحافِظُهُ
فَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ لَدَيَّ يُفْتَقَدُ
Treasurer and guardian of all that is in my possession,
Keeper of what is in my hand, and its guardian,
so nothing I own goes missing.
so nothing I possess goes missing.
يَصُونُ كُتْبي فَكُلُّها حَسَنٌ
يَطْوي ثِيابي فَكُلُّها جُدُدُ
He safeguards my books, so all remain in fine condition;
He preserves my books, so all are in good condition;
he folds my clothes, so all remain fresh and new.
he folds my clothes, so all stay new.
وحاجِبي فَالخَفيفُ مُحْتَبَسٌ
عِنْدي بِهِ والثَّقيلُ مُطْرَدُ
He is my doorkeeper: the welcome visitor is kept
And my doorkeeper: the agreeable guest is kept
with me through him, while the tiresome is driven away.
with me by him, the tiresome one driven away.
وصَيْرَفيّ القَريضِ وازِنُ دي
نارِ المَعاني الجِيادِ مُنْتَقِدُ
And he is my assayer of verse, weighing the di-
And my money-changer of verse, weighing the
nars of excellent meanings, a discerning critic.
dinar of fine meanings and assaying it.
ويَعْرِفُ الشِّعْرَ مِثْلَ مَعْرِفَتي
وهو عَلى أَنْ يَزيدَ مُجْتَهِدُ
He knows poetry as well as I do,
And he knows poetry as well as I do,
and strives to know still more.
and strives to know still more.
وحافِظُ الدّارِ إِنْ رَكِبْتُ فما
على غُلامٍ سِواهُ أَعْتَمِدُ
He guards the house when I ride away;
And guardian of the house when I ride out; I do not
I rely on no other young servant.
rely on any servant boy but him.
ومُنْفِقٌ مٌشْفِقٌ إِذا أَنا أَسْ
رَفْتُ وبَذَّرْتُ فَهو مُقْتَصِدُ
He is a concerned steward of expenses: whenever I ex-
And a considerate spender: when I
ceed all bounds and squander, he is economical.
overspend and squander, he is frugal.
وأَبْصَرُ النّاسِ بِالطَّبيخِ فَكال
مِسْكِ القَلايا والعَنْبَرِ الثَّرِدُ
He knows cookery better than anyone: like
And the most skilled of all at cooking: like
musk are the fried dishes, and amber the tharid.
musk are the fried dishes, and like ambergris the bread-and-broth.
وهو يُديرُ المُدامَ إِنْ جُليَتْ
عَروسُ دِنٍّ نِقابُها الزَّبَدُ
He passes the wine around when unveiled—
And he passes round the wine when she is unveiled—
the bride of a wine jar, whose veil is foam.
a wine-jar's bride, her veil the foam.
تَمْنَحُ كَأْسي يَدٌ أَنامِلُها
تَنْحَلُّ من لينِها وتَنْعَقِدُ
A hand offers me my cup, its fingers
My cup is offered by a hand whose fingers
seeming to dissolve from softness, then form again.
unravel in their softness and knot together.
وكَاتِبٌ تُوجَدُ البَلاغَةُ في
أَلْفَاظِهِ والصَّوابُ والرَّشَدُ
And he is a scribe in whose
And a scribe: eloquence is found in
words are eloquence, correctness, and sound judgment.
his words, with correctness and sound judgment.
وواجِدٌ لي مِن المَحَبْةِ والرْ
رَأْفَةِ أَضَعافَ ما بِهِ أَجِدُ
He feels for me, in love and ten-
And he feels for me love and
derness, many times what I feel for him.
tenderness many times greater than I feel for him.
إِذا ابْتَسَمْتُ فَهو مُبْتَهِجٌ
وإِنْ تَنَمَّرْتُ فَهو مُرْتَعِدُ
When I smile, he rejoices;
When I smile, he is delighted;
and if I bristle, he trembles.
and if I grow fierce as a leopard, he trembles.
ذا بَعْضُ أَوْصافِهِ وقَدْ بَقيَتْ
لَهُ صِفاتُ لَمْ يَحْوِها العَدَدُ
These are but some of his qualities; there remain
These are some of his qualities; there still remain
qualities of his beyond all counting.
traits of his that no count can encompass.
Sol 6.1