إنسان عيني ساهر بك سافح

إنسان عيني ساهر بك سافح

يا أيُّها الإنسان إنكَ كادح

يا أيُّها الإنسان إنكَ كادح

The pupil of my eye, wakeful for you, pours forth tears.

The pupil of my eye stays wakeful for you, shedding tears.

O human being, surely you are toiling.

O human being, you are indeed toiling.

وجوانح ملئتْ عليكَ تحسراً

وجوانح ملئتْ عليكَ تحسراً

هذا وهنّ إلى لقاكَ جوانح

هذا وهنّ إلى لقاكَ جوانح

And inward hearts have been filled with grief for you;

And ribs are filled with sorrow for you—

here they are, inclining toward meeting you.

yet still they incline toward meeting you.

يا معرضاً قلبي عليه ومدمعي

يا معرضاً قلبي عليه ومدمعي

هذا مقيم هوًى وهذا نازح

هذا مقيم هوًى وهذا نازح

O you who turn away—my heart and tears are fixed upon you:

O you who turn away, on whom my heart and tears are set:

this one stays, love-bound, while that one travels far.

one abides in love, the other flows away.

يا يوسف الحسن البديع جماله

يا يوسف الحسن البديع جماله

والله ما عيشي بهجرك صالح

والله ما عيشي بهجرك صالح

O Joseph of beauty, wondrous in his loveliness,

O Joseph of beauty, whose loveliness is wondrous,

by God, my life is not sound while you forsake me.

by God, my life is no good while you forsake me.

إن كان وجهك بدر سعد إنَّه

إن كان وجهك بدر سعد إنَّه

من لحظك الفتَّاك سعدُ الذابح

من لحظك الفتَّاك سعدُ الذابح

If your face is the full moon of Saʿd, then surely

If your face is a full moon of good fortune, it is indeed,

your murderous glance is Saʿd al-Dhābiḥ—the Slaughterer.

through your deadly glance, Saʿd al-Dhābiḥ—the Slaughterer's Fortune.

ما ضرَّ مثلك لائم إلاَّ كما

ما ضرَّ مثلك لائم إلاَّ كما

قد ضرَّ أقمار الدجنَّة نابح

قد ضرَّ أقمار الدجنَّة نابح

A censurer can harm one like you only as

A reproacher has harmed one like you no more than

a barking dog can harm the moons of darkness.

a barking dog has harmed the moons of the dark night.

ولقد يجدد فيك جرح حشاشتي

ولقد يجدد فيك جرح حشاشتي

طيرٌ على البان المرنَّح صادح

طيرٌ على البان المرنَّح صادح

Once more it opens the wound of my innermost heart for you—

And indeed, because of you, the wound in my soul is renewed

a bird singing upon the swaying ban tree.

by a bird singing on the swaying bān tree.

يا فرط ضعفي حيث صرت فريسة

يا فرط ضعفي حيث صرت فريسة

وحمام بانات الحمى لي جارح

وحمام بانات الحمى لي جارح

How extreme my weakness, now that I have become prey,

O how great my weakness, now that I have become prey,

and the doves of the sanctuary’s ban trees are birds of prey to me.

and the doves of the sanctuary's bān trees are birds of prey to me!

عجباً لشخصك نافراً جرح الحشا

عجباً لشخصك نافراً جرح الحشا

فهو الغزال لديَّ وهو الجارح

فهو الغزال لديَّ وهو الجارح

How strange your person: fleeing after wounding the heart’s core—

How strange: your fleeing form has wounded the heart;

for to me he is both the gazelle and the hunter.

for to me he is the gazelle, yet he is the predator.

وتغزل الأشعار فيك كواسد

وتغزل الأشعار فيك كواسد

ولهنَّ في مدح الجمال منادح

ولهنَّ في مدح الجمال منادح

Love-poems spun about you lie unsold,

And love-poems about you find no buyers,

while in praising beauty they possess spacious fields.

though they have ample scope for praising beauty.

وفي ابن محمود المحامد حقها

وفي ابن محمود المحامد حقها

فغدت إلى علياه وهي طوامح

فغدت إلى علياه وهي طوامح

And in Ibn Mahmud, praises find their rightful object;

And in Ibn Maḥmūd, praises find their due,

so they turn toward his heights, aspiring.

so they turned toward his eminence, aspiring high.

وزكت أحاديث الورى عن مجدِهِ

وزكت أحاديث الورى عن مجدِهِ

فجميع ما يحكون عنهُ مدائح

فجميع ما يحكون عنهُ مدائح

The people’s accounts of his glory have flourished,

And the tales people tell of his glory are unsullied;

so everything they tell of him is praise.

so all they recount of him is praise.

الكاتم الصدقات وهي شهيرةٌ

الكاتم الصدقات وهي شهيرةٌ

كالمسك يكتم وهو شيء فائح

كالمسك يكتم وهو شيء فائح

He hides his alms, though they are renowned,

He conceals his alms, though they are renowned,

as musk is hidden, though its fragrance spreads.

like musk, hidden though its fragrance spreads.

والقائل الكلمات يقدر قدرها

والقائل الكلمات يقدر قدرها

سوَر الكلام كأنهنَّ فواتح

سوَر الكلام كأنهنَّ فواتح

He speaks words, according each its proper worth:

And he utters words, appraising their worth—

chapters of speech, as though they were Opening chapters.

chapters of speech, as though they were opening passages,

من كلِّ ساجعة السطور كأنما

من كلِّ ساجعة السطور كأنما

همزاتها وُرْقٌ هناك صوادح

همزاتها وُرْقٌ هناك صوادح

From every line of rhymed prose, as though

from every piece whose lines coo, as though

its hamzas were gray doves cooing there.

its hamza marks were grey doves singing there.

وفريدة قد أقرحت عن مثلها

وفريدة قد أقرحت عن مثلها

فطن الورى فلذاك قيل قرائح

فطن الورى فلذاك قيل قرائح

A peerless pearl that, in attempting its like, has wounded

And a peerless gem has made sore, in seeking its equal,

the wits of humankind—hence wits are called qarāʾiḥ.

the wits of humankind—hence their name, qarāʾiḥ, 'creative faculties'.

وَارِي الزنادِ فضائلاً وفواضلا

وَارِي الزنادِ فضائلاً وفواضلا

هذا وما فيه لعمرك قادح

هذا وما فيه لعمرك قادح

His fire-striker flashes with virtues and overflowing gifts,

His fire-sticks blaze with virtues and bounties;

and, by your life, no faultfinder can strike a flaw in him.

yet, for all this, by your life, there is no flaw in him.

يجدي ويسبح في الثناءِ فيحتوي

يجدي ويسبح في الثناءِ فيحتوي

أمد العلى فهو الجواد السابح

أمد العلى فهو الجواد السابح

He bestows, and swims through praise, encompassing

He gives, and swims through praise, encompassing

the furthest reach of glory—the generous steed in full course.

the utmost reach of glory: he is the generous, coursing steed.

ويزين رفعة بيته بجلالهِ

ويزين رفعة بيته بجلالهِ

فكأنَّما هي في السماء مصابح

فكأنَّما هي في السماء مصابح

He adorns his house’s lofty rank with majesty,

And he adorns his house's lofty rank with his majesty,

until it seems like lamps set in the sky.

so it seems like lamps in the heavens.

في كفِّهِ قلمٌ كأنَّ رِشاءه

في كفِّهِ قلمٌ كأنَّ رِشاءه

للرزقِ والدرر النفيسة مائح

للرزقِ والدرر النفيسة مائح

In his hand is a pen whose cord, as it were,

In his palm is a pen, as though its bucket-rope

draws up sustenance and precious pearls.

scooped up sustenance and precious pearls.

خافت مهابته الرماح فأذعنتْ

خافت مهابته الرماح فأذعنتْ

حتَّى تخوّفه السماكُ الرامحُ

حتَّى تخوّفه السماكُ الرامحُ

Spears feared his awe and yielded,

The spears feared his majesty and yielded,

until even al-Simāk the Lancer feared him.

until even al-Simāk al-Rāmiḥ, the Spear-Bearer, feared him.

يا مانحي غرر اللهى متبسِّماً

يا مانحي غرر اللهى متبسِّماً

والعام مغبرّ الأسرَّة كالح

والعام مغبرّ الأسرَّة كالح

O you who grant me the choicest gifts, smiling,

O you who grant me the choicest gifts with a smile,

while the year is dust-faced and scowling.

while the year is dust-browed and grim.

جرَّدتني سيفاً بمدحك قائماً

جرَّدتني سيفاً بمدحك قائماً

حتى تضمّ عليَّ ثرايَ صفائح

حتى تضمّ عليَّ ثرايَ صفائح

You unsheathed me as a sword, standing in your praise,

You have unsheathed me as a sword, upright in praising you,

until the slabs of my earth close over me.

until slabs seal my grave-earth over me.

فلأشكرنَّك في القريض بسبّق

فلأشكرنَّك في القريض بسبّق

مع أنها عمَّا بلغت طلائح

مع أنها عمَّا بلغت طلائح

I shall surely thank you in verse, pressing ever ahead,

So I shall surely thank you in verse with swift racers,

though my verses, short of what you have attained, are worn out.

though they are spent, far short of what you have attained.

ومن المكارم أن تسامح عجزها

ومن المكارم أن تسامح عجزها

إنَّ الكريم ابنَ الكريم مسامح

إنَّ الكريم ابنَ الكريم مسامح

Among noble deeds is pardoning the one unequal to them;

And it is noble to pardon their inadequacy:

surely the generous son of the generous is forgiving.

indeed, the generous man, son of a generous man, is forgiving.