يحق لباغي الحب أن يطلب العذرا

ويرضى بما ترضى به الغادة العذرا

The seeker of love is entitled to ask for pardon,

And accept what pleases the graceful virgin.

فلا تعذلوها إن تجنت بل اسألوا

متى نفسها ترضى وترفق بالأسرى

So do not reproach her if she is unjust; rather, ask:

When will her soul be content and deal gently with the captives?

وإن طال سكري فاعذروني فإنني

شربت على ريحان عارضها الخمرا

And if my drunkenness lasts, pardon me, for I

Drank wine beside the basil of her cheek.

بروحي ليلى ثغرُ ليلى وخصرُها

رقيقان لكن قلبها يشبه الصخرا

My soul be Layla's ransom! Layla's mouth and waist

Are delicate, but her heart resembles stone.

تجور وأخشى إن شكوت تذيبها

حرارة أنفاسي فادّرع الصبرا

She is unjust; I fear that, if I complain, she will be melted

By the heat of my breaths, so I don patience as armor.

هويت لعينيها الغزال وفَرقها ال

هلال وخديها الغزالة والبدرا

I loved the gazelle for her eyes, and for her hair's parting the

crescent, and for her cheeks the sun and the full moon.

وأذخرت في قلبي سطور عهودها

ولكنها ما أذخرت للوفا سطرا

I stored in my heart the lines of her pledges,

But she stored not a single line for fidelity.

صغت لعذولي أبعد اللَه داره

وأبعد عن آرائها الصد والهجرا

She heeded my reproacher—may God banish his dwelling,

And banish rejection and abandonment from her thoughts.

فقامت لحربي واستخارت شمائلاً

ضمنت على رغمي لها الفوز والنصرا

Then she rose to war against me and chose charms

That assured her triumph and victory against my will.

وسلت من الألحاظ نحوي صوارماً

علمت يقيناً أنها الفتنة الكبرى

And she drew swords from her glances toward me;

I knew for certain they were the greatest temptation.

وكنت أخال الخال بلبل روضةٍ

تقرب من فيها ليلتقط الدرا

I had thought the beauty mark a garden's nightingale,

Drawing near her mouth to gather pearls.

فلما رأيت الفرع خيم حولها

وأقبل ورد الخد بالراية الحمرا

But when I saw her hair pitch camp around her,

And the rose of her cheek advance with its red banner,

علمت بأن الخال قائد عسكرٍ

تقرب من فيها ليلتمس الأمرا

I knew the beauty mark was an army's commander,

Drawing near her mouth to seek orders.

وقلت لها يا ربة الخال خالفي

عواذلنا الجهال واغتنمي الأجرا

And I said to her: O mistress of the beauty mark, defy

Our ignorant reproachers, and seize the reward.

وواسي وروض الحسن يفتر زهره

فسوف توافي ساعةً تقطف الزهرا

And comfort me while the blossoms of beauty's garden smile;

For you will meet an hour that plucks the flowers.

نود الصفا فيها فيغبرّ كالصفا

ويطلب إبان الشباب له مهرا

We shall wish for sincere affection then, but it will grow dusty like stone,

And the prime of youth will be demanded as its dowry.

هنالك لا بيض الأنوق بممكنٍ

ولا لبن العصفور يا خلف الزهرا

Then neither the vulture's eggs will be attainable,

Nor sparrow's milk, O scion of al-Zahra.

وإن يك لا يرضيك لؤلؤ مدمعي

بساعة وصل تربحين بها الشكرا

And if the pearls of my tears do not please you

In return for an hour of union that earns you gratitude,

فنرحل عن أرض الشآم ونغتني

بنعمة توفيق التي ملأت مصرا

Then we shall leave the land of al-Sham and find wealth

In Tawfiq's bounty, which has filled Egypt.

وأدلج حاديها وجد بنا السرى

إلى ملكٍ أسمى وأسمح من كسرى

And its camel-driver set out by night; night-travel sped us onward

To a king loftier and more generous than Kisra.

غدوت قرير العين تحت لوائه

أتيه على الشعرى وابتكر الشعرا

I became content beneath his banner,

I vaunt myself above Sirius and create new poetry,

وامتدح الملك الذي بيمينه

تهنئنا الدنيا ونملأها بشرا

And praise the king through whose right hand

The world congratulates us, and we fill it with joy.

فما هي إلّا راحة الكرم الذي

يصب على قصاده الورق والتبرا

For it is none other than the palm of generosity, which

Pours silver and gold dust upon his petitioners.

وما هو إلّا أعظم الناس قدوةً

وأوفرهم عرضاً وأتلفهم وفرا

And he is none other than mankind's greatest example,

Their richest in honor and most lavish with wealth,

وأشرفهم جدّاً وأكرهم أباً

وأطهرهم ذيلاً وأطيبهم نشرا

Their noblest in ancestry, with the noblest father,

And their purest of hem and sweetest of fragrance.

تُشرِّح هامات اللئام سيوفُه

وتَشرَح بالإحسان راحته الصدرا

His swords cleave the heads of the vile,

And his palm opens the breast with kindness.

فلو غدت الأفلاك تحت يمينه

وحاولها عافٍ لجاد بها طرّا

If the celestial spheres lay beneath his right hand,

And a supplicant sought them, he would give them all away.

تعوّد أن لا يحرم العبد ناله

إذا كان محتاجاً ولا يحوج الحرّا

He is accustomed never to deny a slave his bounty

When he is needy, nor to leave a free man in want,

وأن لا يعدّ الخير خيراً إذا سطا

وغادر في الدنيا فتىً يعرف الشرا

And not to count good as good if he strikes

Yet leaves in the world a youth acquainted with evil.

به رحم اللَه البلاد وأسعد ال

عباد وأسداها السلامة والفخرا

Through him God had mercy on the lands and gladdened the

servants, and bestowed safety and glory on those lands.

وأبعد عنا الظالمين وصدهم

صدود قطاةٍ شاهدت خلفها نسرا

And drove the oppressors far from us and turned them back,

Like a sandgrouse's retreat on seeing a vulture behind it.

رأوا قمر التوفيق فوق جبينه

يلوح ومن ماضيه يلتمس النصرا

They saw the moon of success above his brow

Shining, with victory sought from his keen blade.

ومن حوله بيض الوجوه كأنهم

ملائك بدرٍ يوم حاربت الكفرا

And around him were white-faced men, as though they were

The angels of Badr on the day they fought unbelief.

فما لبثوا أن خلفوا التل خلفهم

وخلوا عرابي وحده يدخل الخدرا

So they soon left the hill behind them,

And left Urabi alone to enter the private chamber.

وقاه شعار الذل من لهب اللظى

وكان به من كل داهةٍ أحرى

The garb of humiliation shielded him from the fiery blaze,

And suited him better than any other calamity.

ولو تبع المشؤوم أمر مليكه

لسر وما أضحى يُجَرَّ مع الأسرى

Had the ill-fated man followed his sovereign's command,

He would have rejoiced, not ended up dragged with the captives.

فدىً لنعال الخيل فوج عقاربٍ

يُجَرُّ لسيلان التي انتدت البحرا

Let a troop of scorpions be ransom for the horses' shoes,

Dragged to Ceylon, which made the sea its meeting-place;

وفوج أفاعٍ مثله سكن الكُدى

وآخر أشقى منهما سكن القبرا

And a troop of vipers like it dwelt on the rocky hills,

And another, more wretched than those two, dwelt in the grave.

لتقلع أرباب الفساد عن الخنا

وتبعد عما يغضب الملك المثرى

Let the lords of corruption desist from indecency,

And shun whatever angers the wealthy king.

إليك أبا الأبرار وابن عميدها

جلوت من الأشعار مخجلة الشعرى

To you, father of the righteous and son of their chief,

I have unveiled a poem that puts Sirius to shame.

لعلك تهديها التفاتة خيرٍ

تخول مهديها المسرة والفخرا

Perhaps you will bestow on it a kindly glance

That grants its presenter delight and pride,

فيفخر أن أضحى ببابك خادماً

ويعذر أن أفنى بخدمتك العمرا

So he may boast of becoming a servant at your gate,

And be excused for spending his lifetime in your service.

ومثلك من يثنى عليه بحقه

بقيت بقاء الدهر يا خلف الزهرا

And one like you is praised as he deserves.

May you endure as long as time, O scion of al-Zahra.