سيرابي فقد أشرق الشرق

وهبت صبا نجد فهاج بي العشق

Take me along, you two, for the East has brightened.

And Najd's east breeze blew, stirring passion within me.

رفيقي جدا بي لنجد نجديه

مقر الهوى والطرف فالجد بي رفق

My two companions, hasten with me to the Najd of a Najdi maiden,

The dwelling of love and the gaze; so haste with me is kindness.

وان لم تسيرا بي دجى خيفة الوحى

اجن الجوى قلبي وأرقني الخفق

And if you will not travel with me through darkness, for fear of haste,

Longing has maddened my heart, and its throbbing kept me awake.

وما بكما وجدي فان تبقيا هنا

ولم تنجدا انجد ولو طالت الطرق

You two do not feel my longing; if you remain here

And do not go to Najd, I shall go, however long the roads.

نعم في فراق الألف والبين كلنا

ولكنما بيني وبينكما فرق

Yes, we all know parting from a beloved and separation,

Yet there is a difference between me and you two.

فان التي قد ودعتني ودعتها

وفي طرفها ودق وفي كيدي حرق

For she who bade me farewell, I bade farewell in turn,

With rain in her eye and burning in my liver.

خريدة خدر غادة يدوية

فريدة عصر ما بيه مثلها خلق

A sheltered virgin, a graceful Bedouin maiden,

Peerless in her age, in which no one like her was created.

قد التبست في اللبس بالغصن وارفا

فكادت عليها وحدها ثقف الورق

In her dress she was mistaken for a luxuriant bough,

So gray doves almost perched upon her alone.

بها من ظباء القاع حسن التفاتة

ورخمة صوت والنواظر والعنق

She has the gazelles of the plain's lovely turn of the head,

Their mellow voice, their eyes, and their neck.

ويسطع منت حت الشفوف شعاعها

كشمس الضحى صيفا إذا غيم الافق

And her radiance shines from beneath the sheer veils,

Like the summer midmorning sun when the horizon grows cloudy.

وتبسم عن در ولله درها

فيلمغ منه خاطفا لبى البرق

And she smiles to reveal pearls—how admirable she is!

From it lightning flashes, stealing my heart.

وان نزل المشروب في جوف حلقها

يكاد لنا يبديه من لطفه الحلق

And if a drink descends into the hollow of her throat,

Her throat almost reveals it to us through its delicacy.

وان لها صدرا اشف من المها

ونهدين كلٌّ من سنا جامد حق

And she has a bosom more translucent than crystal,

And two breasts, each a small casket of solidified radiance.

نوارٌ من النور المجمد جسمها

سرى فرعها الليلي وهو به فرق

Her body is a blossom of light made solid;

Her night-dark hair has spread, and within it lies a parting.

ولو لم يكن مدحي بشيراً بواجب

اطلت بها شرحي ولم ينته النطق

Had praising Bashir not been my duty,

I would have prolonged my description of her, and speech would not have ended.

ولكنه أسدى وأكرم وافيا

وشكري لمن اسدى واكرمني حق

But he has bestowed favors and honored me abundantly,

And my gratitude to one who favored and honored me is his due.

واحسن لي حتى صفت لجنابه

محبة قلبي بل عراني به عشق

And he treated me kindly, until there grew pure toward his noble person

The love of my heart—indeed, passion for him seized me.

بشير بن ناصيف الكريم ابو الندى

اخو الجود من مدحي لأوصافه لبق

Bashir ibn Nasif, the generous, father of bounty,

Brother of generosity, whose qualities my praise aptly suits.

مجيد نعوت المجد من ذاته كما

له اسم من البشرى أو البشر مشتق

Glorious: the attributes of glory spring from his very being, just as

His name derives from glad tidings or good cheer.

جليل جميل الرفق دوماً رفيقه

بسلمٍ كما ان الصديق له الصدق

Illustrious and gracious, gentleness is always his companion

In peace, just as truthfulness is his friend.

ومن وصفه عزم وحزم تواضع

حياء وود والمرؤة والحذق

Among his qualities are resolve, sound judgment, humility,

Modesty, affection, chivalry, and skill.

إذا جال فكري في معاليه خلته

يخوض ببحر ليس يدري له عمق

When my thought roams among his exalted virtues, I imagine it

Wading through a sea whose depth it cannot fathom.

لقد جمعت فيه المكارم كلها

ولا شيء من شين لديه ولا فسق

All noble qualities have indeed been gathered in him,

And in him there is no blemish and no wickedness.

جواد فلو جاراه ابناء عصره

ومن قبلهم في الجود كان له السبق

Generous—were the sons of his age to compete with him,

And those before them in generosity, he would outstrip them.

سحاب سخاء إنما الجود جوده

سماء سماح انما ودقه الورق

A cloud of largesse: generosity is his alone;

A sky of bounty: its rain is nothing but silver.

يجازي على العروف فوق جزائه

ويجزيه عن معروفه شكره الوفق

He rewards kindness beyond its due recompense,

And fitting gratitude repays him for his kindness.

على الجود مطبوع فلا يستفزه

شياطين بخل بل يرى أنهم حمق

Generosity is his nature, so he is not swayed

By demons of avarice; rather, he sees them as fools.

أعيذ نداه من أذاهم بربه

وأرجوه ان يزداد منه له الرزق

I seek his Lord's protection for his bounty from their harm,

And I implore Him that his provision from Him may increase.

أصيل له فرع تسامى إلى العلا

واصل عريق لا يزال له عرق

Of noble stock, he has a branch that has risen to the heights,

And an ancient stock whose root endures.

لقد طاب منه الأصل والفرع والحجا

كذا القول والافعال والخلق والخلق

His root, his branch, and his intellect are indeed excellent,

So too his speech, his deeds, his form, and his character.

شجاع إذا صسلت بحرب سيوفه

فاسياف من عادى تصوم وتنشق

He is brave: when his swords charge in battle,

Then the swords of those who oppose him fast and split apart.

له الراية البيضاء والوجه مثلها

وأعدائه السوداء والأوجه الزرق

His is the white banner, and his face is like it,

And his enemies have the black one, and blue faces.

سعيد لقد عاداه قوم حماقةً

وان معاداة السعيد هي الحمق

Fortunate: people have indeed opposed him out of foolishness,

And enmity toward the fortunate is folly itself.

فيا بحر فخر ليس يدري محبطه

وبابر جود عنده يدرك الرزق

So, O sea of glory whose bounds are unknown,

And O land of bounty, where sustenance is obtained:

اسيرك ذا قد سر ذا الاسر سره

وإن ناله منك الطلاقة والعنق

This captive of yours—this captivity has gladdened his heart,

Even if freedom and release come to him from you.

فلا زلت يا حر المعاني وروحها

تزف لك الالفاظ وهي بها رق

May you ever remain, O freeborn one among meanings and their soul,

With words led to you as brides, though they are slaves to meanings.

ولا زلت تأتيك الرغائب والمنى

وتأتي المنايا في أعاديك والمحق

And may desirable gifts and wishes ever come to you,

And may deaths and destruction come upon your enemies.

ولا زلت مقبول الكلام مظفراً

وضدك مخذولاً له الرد والسحق

And may your words ever be accepted, and you victorious,

And your adversary abandoned, his lot rejection and destruction.

فدم أبداً طلق المحيا نديه

وكفاك كل منهما بالندى طلق

So remain forever cheerful and dewy of countenance,

And each of your two hands open with bounty.

فسعدك يبقى عندك الدهر خادما

كعبد مطيع ما له ابداً أبق

Then your good fortune will remain your servant for all time,

Like an obedient slave who never flees.

ودمت كبدر والبنون كانجم

ودام بافلاك المعالي لكم شرق

May you remain like a full moon, and your sons like stars,

And may your rising endure in the spheres of eminence.