1. شَاقَتْكَ آرَامُ إِلْفِ

    بَيْنَ الْعُذَيْبِ وَحِقْفِ

    The gazelles of a beloved stirred your longing,

    Between al-ʿUdhayb and a sand dune,

  2. إِذْ وَاصَلَتْكَ الأَمَانِي

    بَيْنَ ارْتِقَابٍ وَخَوْفِ

    When wishes came to join you,

    Between anticipation and fear,

  3. فِي مَا حَوَى نُعْمَ عَيِنٍ

    وَرَوْحَ أُذْنٍ وَأَنْفِ

    Amid what held delight for the eye

    And solace for ear and nose,

  4. مِنْ جَنَّةٍ ضَحِكَتْ مِنْ

    بُكَاءِ أَجْفَانِ وُطْفِ

    From a garden whose laughter came from

    The weeping of long-lashed eyelids.

  5. إِنْ غَنَّتِ الْوُرْقُ فِيهَا

    أَذْكَتْ مَجَامِرَ عَرْفِ

    If the gray doves sang within it,

    They kindled censers of fragrance.

  6. وَأَوْجَسَ الْغُصْنُ أُنْساً

    فَهَزَّ عِطْفاً لِعَطْفِ

    And the branch sensed companionship,

    So it swayed one flank toward another.

  7. وَنَبَّهَ الطَّلُّ نَوْراً

    يَرْنُو بِأَجْفَانِ خِشْفِ

    And the dew awakened blossoms

    Gazing with a fawn's eyelids.

  8. خَلَعْتُ فِيهَا عِذَارِي

    بَيْنَ اجْتِنَاءٍ وَقَطْفِ

    There I cast off my bridle,

    Between gathering and plucking,

  9. وَلَثْمِ خَدٍّ لِوَرْدٍ

    وَرَشْفِ خِلْفٍ لِقِطْفِ

    And kissing a rose's cheek,

    And sipping from a cluster's teat.

  10. وَرُضْتُ فِيهَا غَرَامِي

    يَقُودُهُ طِرْفُ طَرْفِي

    And there I tamed my passion,

    Led by the steed of my gaze.

  11. رَاقَتْ فَرَاقَ نَسِيبِي

    فَهَامَ وَصْفِي بِرَصْفِي

    It was pleasing, and so was my love-prelude;

    So my description was enamored of my phrasing.

  12. فَمَا التَّخَلُّصُ مِنْهَا

    فِي وُسْعِ حِذْقِي وَظَرْفِي

    Thus a transition away from it would not be

    Within my skill and refinement,

  13. لَوْلاَ مَدِيحُ هُمَامٍ

    مِنَ الْغَبَاوَةِ يَشْفِي

    Were it not for praise of a noble man

    Who cures dullness.

  14. لأِنَّهُ ذُو ذَكَاءٍ

    مُبْدٍ لِمَا أَنْتَ تُخْفِي

    For he possesses keen intelligence,

    Revealing what you conceal,

  15. وَشَمْسُ عِلْمٍ وَفَهْمٍ

    وَظَرْفُ ظَرْفٍ وَلُطْفِ

    And is a sun of learning and understanding,

    And a vessel of refinement and gentleness:

  16. مُحَمَّدُ الْحَبْرُ الأَسْمَى ال

    فَاسِي الْمُحَلِّي لِوَصْفِي

    Muhammad, the most exalted scholar, al-

    Fasi, who adorns my description.

  17. بَدْرٌ بَدَا نُورُهُ مِنْ

    شُمُوسِ عِلْمٍ وَكَشْفِ

    A full moon whose light appeared from

    Suns of learning and unveiling,

  18. مَنْ قَدْ رَوَى عَنْ أَبِيهِ

    مِنَ الْعُلاَ كُلَّ صِنْفِ

    One who has transmitted from his father

    Every kind of high distinction.

  19. وَصَافَحَتْهُ صَغِيراً

    أَكُفُّ أَمْرٍ وَكَفِّ

    And he was greeted, while still young,

    By the hands of command and restraint.

  20. وَسَرْبَلَتْهُ السَّجَايَا

    مِنَ الثَّنَاءِ بِزَعْفِ

    And his innate virtues clothed him

    In chain mail wrought of praise.

  21. يَرْتَاحُ إِنْ عَنَّ بَحْثٌ

    مِنْ ذِي ذَكَاءٍ وَظَرْفِ

    He rejoices when an inquiry arises

    From one of intelligence and refinement.

  22. وَيَزْدَهِيهِ ابْتِهَاجٌ

    كَالْخَرْقِ يَحْظَى بِضَيْفِ

    And joy elates him,

    Like a generous man blessed with a guest.

  23. يُبْدِي بِأَعْذَبِ لَفْظٍ

    مَا لاَ يُؤَدَّى بِأَلْفِ

    He reveals, in the sweetest wording,

    What a thousand cannot convey,

  24. إِلَى شُمُوسِ بَيَانٍ

    تَضِيءُ مِنْ كُلِّ حَرْفِ

    Along with suns of eloquence

    Shining from every letter.

  25. بَيْنَ الْهُدَى وَنُهَاهُ

    فِي النَّصْرِ أَوْثَقُ حِلْفِ

    Between right guidance and his reason

    Lies the firmest pact of mutual support.

  26. وَبَيْنَ مَا يَقْتَفِيهِ

    وَالْعُحْبِ غَايَةُ خُلْفِ

    And between what he follows

    And conceit lies utter opposition.

  27. شَيْخٌ غَذَتْهُ الْمَعَالِي

    بِدَرِّ أَفْضَِلِ خِلْفِ

    A shaykh whom lofty virtues nourished

    With milk from the finest teat;

  28. فَهْيَ بِهِ خَيْرُ رِيمٍ

    لِأَنَّهُ خَيْرُ خِشْفِ

    So through him they are the finest gazelle,

    For he is the finest fawn.

  29. يُبْدِي شَمَائِلَ زُهْراً

    لِذِي خَلاَئِقَ غُلْفِ

    He displays radiant traits

    To one of uncultivated character.

  30. مَا إِنْ يَغِيظُ حُلاُهُ

    وَهْوَ الأَذَى بَحْثُ جِلْفِ

    His gracious nature is never angered

    By a boor's questioning—an affront though it is.

  31. بَلْ وَجْهُهُ يَتَلاَلاَ

    بِشْراً عَلَى كُلِّ عَوْفِ

    Rather, his face shines

    With cheer for every guest,

  32. كَالشَّمْسِ تَقْذِفُ نُوراً

    لِذِي ثَنَاءٍ وَقَذْفِ

    Like the sun casting light

    On those who praise and those who slander.

  33. نَعَمْ إِذَا سَامَ أَمْرٌ

    حَقَّ الإِلَهِ بِخَسْفِ

    Yes, when some act subjects

    God's right to abasement,

  34. تَهْفُو رِيَاحُ انْتِصَارٍ

    مِنْهُ بِعَصْفٍ وَقَصْفِ

    Winds of vindication blow

    From him, with gusts and crashing blasts;

  35. وَيَمْتَطِي طِرْف رَدْعٍ

    وَيَنْتَضِي سَيْفَ عُنْفِ

    And he mounts the steed of deterrence,

    And unsheathes the sword of violence.

  36. سَجِيَّةٌ قَدْ حَوَاهَا

    عَنْ كُلِّ أَرْوَعَ عِفِّ

    A disposition he has acquired

    From every admirable, chaste man

  37. مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ قَدْ أَحَاطُوا

    بِكُلِّ مَدْحٍ وَوَصْفِ

    Of a company who have encompassed

    Every praise and description.

  38. مُذْ أَسْرَجُوا لِلْمَزَايَا

    مِنَ الْهُدَى كُلَّ طِرْفِ

    Since they saddled, for noble merits,

    Every steed of right guidance,

  39. وَظَاهَرُوا بَيْنَ زَعْفِ

    مَجْدٍ وَزُهْدِ وَخَوْفِ

    And layered coats of mail of

    Glory, asceticism, and fear,

  40. فَأَوْقَعُوا بِالْمَخَازِي

    وَالُّلؤْمِ فِي كُلِّ زَحْفِ

    So they struck down disgrace

    And baseness in every advance.

  41. أَوْتَادُ فَاسٍٍ فَفَاسٌ

    تَلُوذُ مِنْهُمْ بِكَهْفِ

    The tent-pegs of Fez—thus Fez

    Takes refuge in a cave among them,

  42. لأَِنَّهُمْ قَدْ حَمَوْهَا

    بِالْعِلْمِ مِنْ كُلِّ رَجْفِ

    For they have protected it

    With learning, from every tremor.

  43. فَلَمْ يَهُمُّوا بِنَقْصٍ

    وَلَمْ يَفُوهُوا بِخَلْفِ

    So they never contemplated a failing,

    Nor uttered any falsehood.

  44. وَمَا ابْتَغَوْا قَطُّ أَمْراً

    يَحْكِي سَحَابَةَ صَيْفِ

    And never did they seek a thing

    Resembling a summer cloud.

  45. بَلْ حَرَّرُوا كُلَّ عَدْلٍ

    مِنَ الْخِلاَفِ وَصَرْفِ

    Rather, they freed every just principle

    From dispute and distortion,

  46. وَأَوْضَحُوا لِلْمَعَالِي

    كُلَّ اصْطِلاَحٍ وَعُرْفِ

    And clarified, in service of excellence,

    Every technical term and convention.

  47. حَلَّوْا صَحِيحَ الْبُخَارِي

    بِحَلْيِ أَنْفَسِ صُحْفِ

    They adorned Sahih al-Bukhari

    With ornaments of the most precious writings.

  48. فَهْوَ بِهَا خَيْرُ أًذْنٍ

    لأَِنَّهَا خَيْرُ شَنْفِ

    So with them it is the finest ear,

    For they are the finest earring.

  49. وَهْوَ بِهَا خَيْرُ زَنْدٍ

    لأَِنَّهَا خَيْرُ وَقْفِ

    And with them it is the finest forearm,

    For they are the finest bracelet.

  50. وَأَنْجَبُوا بِإِمَامٍ

    أَبْدَى سَنَاهُ بِضَعْفِ

    And they begot an imam

    Who displayed his radiance through weakness.

  51. يَضِيقُ عَنْ عُشْرِ مَا قَدْ

    حَوَى رَوِيِّي وَحَرْفِي

    Too narrow for a tenth of what he has

    Encompassed are my rhyme-letter and my wording,

  52. لأَِنَّ مُجْتَثَّشِعْرِي

    يُدْلِي بِعَيِّي وَضَعْفِي

    For my verse's Mujtath meter

    Reveals my inarticulacy and weakness.

  53. أَبْقَى سِيَادَتَهُ مَنْ

    يَبْقَى بِلاَ نَقْصِ كَفِّ

    May his eminence be preserved by Him who

    Abides, His hand undiminished.