Sol 6.1

  1. Say to the breeze, when dawn has given it another draught,

    and to the lightning, which the clouds sheathe and draw:

  2. The two tug at the meadow, sharing its reins—

    that one awakens it, and this one wets it.

  3. Turn aside toward the homeland of longing and youth,

    with a greeting embracing the place and its people.

  4. And bear from me the greeting of a yearning lover

    whom longing for reunion has left with little of himself.

  5. I love al-‘Aqiq and its inhabitants; and I only

    love the abode for the sake of whoever has dwelt there.

  6. Between al-Busayla and al-Majaz lie vistas

    where I have left all my delight since I departed.

  7. Old dwelling-sites: whenever a steed seeks to traverse them,

    it will not approach without renewing its horseshoe.

  8. Their watering places were gentle, offering rest;

    and their flourishing growth became its refreshment.

  9. And their blossoms followed one another without a break,

    until it seemed that dawn had fettered its night.

  10. And in their city—the very height of splendor—

    dwells a friend whom I found all people befriending.

  11. He is like spring: you never lack, at any time,

    his twin graces, either his dew or his shade.

  12. I praise him for his words and deeds;

    the heart preserved his eloquence and then dictated it.

  13. And I witness his kindness and keep his covenant,

    [...] his memory, and I thank him for his bounty.

  14. May the virtues rejoice that he became their bearer,

    rather than other worthies, and became his own attribute.

  15. And Time casts aside the noble, yet sometimes

    it breaks its habits—rarely—and honors him.

  16. Yet he has supposed that his friend,

    since parting from him, has replaced him and wearied of him.

  17. No—by those bygone nights and their beauty,

    for I have never beheld their like, nor his!

  18. My eyes have seen no friend whom his servant

    could take in his stead, nor did they see one before him.

  19. Trust me: my eye is sore for you,

    my side cannot rest, and my heart is distraught.

  20. O Abu Muhammad, faithful despite separation

    to a brother whom Loyalty and its people deem a brother:

  21. Time’s ways, as you know, bring separation;

    and perhaps it will reunite us afterward—perhaps it will.

  22. I drew this poem forth in haste from a mind

    that, for lack of you, laments its companions and its dwelling.

  23. She came to you, Ibn Qalaqis dancing round her

    in rapture, and jeering at the great al-Ablah.

  24. A virgin bride: I judged you her match above all others;

    and it is fitting that like should meet its like.

  25. So remain safe despite Time’s vicissitudes, attaining

    the utmost of your wishes in high station—and savor it.

Sol 6.1