أَمَولايَ إِسماعيلُ غِبَّ تَحيَّةٍ
تَضُوع كَأَزهار الرُبى إِثرَ تَهطالِ
O my lord Isma‘il—following a greeting
O my lord Ismail, after a greeting
fragrant as upland flowers after a downpour—
that wafts fragrance like the flowers of the hills after a downpour:
لَقَد خُلِّيَت مِن فَضَّةِ الخُرجِ ساحَتي
كَما عُمّرت مِن فَضّة الثَلجِ أَطلالي
my courtyard stands emptied of the moneybag’s silver,
My courtyard has indeed been emptied of the saddlebag’s silver,
even as my ruins fill with the silver of snow.
just as my ruins have been filled with the silver of snow.
فَجُد عاجِلاً لا عاجَلَتكَ يَدُ النَوى
بِنَأيٍ عَلى الدَاعي بِمَعلوم شَوّالِ
So give, and quickly—may separation’s hand not hasten
So give generously at once—may the hand of parting never overtake you
to bear you far from your petitioner like a shawwāl, a porter.
with estrangement—to the supplicant the allotted stipend for Shawwal.
Sol 6.1