Sol 6.1

  1. أَبرق سَرى وَهناً فَهَيج أَشجاني

    أَم الطَير غَنى في الأَراك فَأَشجاني

    Was it lightning that traveled late at night and stirred my sorrows,

    or the bird that sang in the arak trees and saddened me,

  2. وَطارح بِالوَجد المُبرح أَلفهُ

    وَأَبدى فُنوناً في أَرائِكَ أَفنان

    and exchanged songs with its mate in agonizing longing,

    and displayed varied arts upon couches of boughs?

  3. أَم الرَوضة الغَناء لاحَت لِناظِري

    أَم الحلة الفَيحاءِ أَم شَعب بوّان

    Or the lush garden that appeared before my eyes,

    or spacious al-Hillah, or the ravine of Bawwan,

  4. أَم العُرف مِن نَجد وَطيب عِراره

    أَم المسك مِن دارين عُطر أَرداني

    or the scent from Najd and the fragrance of its arar blossoms,

    or musk from Darin that perfumed my sleeves,

  5. أَم الرَوض مَمطوراً تُراوحهُ الصِبا

    فَتَأتي بِنَشر الوَرد وَالنِد وَالبان

    or the rain-drenched garden, where the east breeze comes and goes,

    bringing the fragrance of roses, aromatic incense, and moringa,

  6. أَم الدُرّ في عقد فَريد منضد

    يَفصل بِالياقوت مَع شَذر مُرجان

    or pearls strung in a matchless necklace,

    interspersed with rubies and pieces of coral,

  7. أَم الزَهر في أُفق أَم الزَهر الرُبى

    أَم الشعر في طُرس أَم الراح في حان

    or bright stars on the horizon, or blossoms on the hills,

    or poetry on a page, or wine in a tavern?

  8. أَم الحُب وافى بَعد بعدٍ وَفرقَةٍ

    وَحَيا بِطيب الوَصل مِنهُ فَأَحياني

    Or the beloved who came after absence and separation,

    and greeted me with the sweetness of reunion with him, reviving me?

  9. وَمَنَّ عَلى جسم مِن الروح فارغ

    وَقَلب مِن التَبريح وَالشَوق مَلآن

    And bestowed favor upon a body empty of spirit,

    and a heart full of torment and longing;

  10. وَاترع مِن خَمر المَراشف أَكؤُسي

    وَشَنف أَسماعي بِنَغمة أَلحان

    and filled my cups to the brim with the wine of his lips,

    and adorned my ears with the melody of songs;

  11. وَباتَ عَلى غَيظ الرَقيب منادمي

    أَنعم مِنهُ بَينَ روح وَرَيحان

    and spent the night as my drinking companion, to the watcher's fury.

    I delighted in him amid repose and sweet basil.

  12. يَبيتُ بَقَد يَخجَل الغُصن أَهيف

    رَخيم التَثَني لَين العَطف فَينان

    He spends the night with a slender figure that shames the bough,

    gentle in his swaying, supple of flank, with luxuriant hair.

  13. وَيُبسم عَن طَلع وَيَرنو بِنَرجس

    وَيَنفح مِن وَجناتِهِ مِسك خَيلان

    And he smiles to reveal palm blossoms, and gazes with narcissus eyes,

    and from his cheeks wafts the musk of beauty spots.

  14. وَأَجفانُهُ تَبني عَلي الكَسر دائِماً

    كَما أَعرَبَت بِالفَتح في الليل أَجفاني

    And his eyelids are forever fixed upon lowering (kasra),

    while mine show their inflection by opening (fatha) all night.

  15. فَلا وَأَبي لَم أَدرِ وَرد بِخَدِهِ

    بِهيٌّ جَنيٌّ أَم شَقائق نُعمان

    No, by my father, I could not tell: was that a rose on his cheek,

    radiant and freshly picked, or Nu'man's anemones?

  16. وَلَم أَدرِ لِلبَلور يَنسب جيدُهُ

    أَم الياسَمين الغَض أَم زَهر سَوسان

    Nor could I tell whether his neck was akin to crystal,

    or fresh jasmine, or iris blossoms.

  17. فَقُل في حَبيب زارَ مِن غَير مَوعد

    وَصَب قَرير العَين بِالوَصل جَذلان

    Then speak of a beloved who visited without a tryst,

    and a lovesick lover, his eyes content, jubilant in reunion.

  18. كَأَني قَد شاهَدتُ طَلعة غُرة

    لخدن المَعالي أَحمَدٍ نَجل كِيوان

    It was as though I had beheld the radiant countenance

    of the companion of high honors, Ahmad, son of Kiwan:

  19. خَريدة عقد المَجد بَيت قَصيده

    وَعَين أَهالي الفَضل نَخبة أَعيان

    the pearl of glory's necklace, a verse of its poetry,

    and the foremost of the people of merit, the choice of notables.

  20. مَزاياهُ عِندَ الفَخر قُرة ناظر

    وَحلية أَجياد وَأَقراط آذان

    His merits, when one boasts, are a delight to the eye,

    and ornaments for necks and earrings for ears.

  21. مِن النَفر الغُرّ الذين مقيلهُم

    بِصَدر نَقيّ أَو بِغابة مَرّان

    He is of the radiant company whose midday resting place

    is in a pure breast, or in a thicket of spear-shafts.

  22. رَقوا رتب العَلياء بِالبَأس وَالنَدى

    فَمِن نار هَيجاء إِلى نار ضَيفان

    They climbed the ranks of eminence through valor and generosity,

    from the fire of battle to the fire for guests.

  23. إِذا خاطَبوا أَعداءَهُم فَرِماحَهُم

    تُخاطبهُم عَنهُم بِالسن خَرصان

    When they address their enemies, their spears

    speak to them on their behalf with the tongues of spearheads.

  24. تَفَضل إِذا أَهدى بَديع قَصيدة

    إِلَيَّ وَأَولاني عَواطف إِحسان

    He was gracious when he presented a marvelous poem

    to me, and bestowed benevolent attentions upon me.

  25. فَأَنبَت في رَوض الطُروس أَزاهِراً

    وَأَجرى خِلال الرَوض جَدول عقيان

    Thus he made blossoms grow in the garden of pages,

    and made a stream of pure gold flow through the garden.

  26. وَأَخجَل لَما خَطَ اِبن مُقلة

    وَأَرجاء لَما قالَ شاعر أَرجان

    And, when he wrote, he put Ibn Muqlah to shame,

    and, when he spoke, left the poet of Arjan behind.

  27. تَشابه فيها الحُسن مَعنى وَمَنطِقاً

    وَخَطاً وَطُرساً في لَطائف أَتقان

    Beauty was alike in its meaning and expression,

    and in script and page, in subtle refinements of mastery.

  28. وَغازَلَني مِنها عُيون كَأَنَّها

    عُيون المَها في قَول شاعر بَغدان

    And eyes within it wooed me, as though they were

    the eyes of oryxes in the verse of the poet of Baghdan.

  29. فَنزَهَت فيها الطَرف حَتّى ظَننتُها

    مَعاني حَبيب في بَلاغة سحبان

    So I let my gaze roam through it, until I thought it

    Habib's meanings in Sahban's eloquence.

  30. وَراعَ قُلوب الحاسِدين يَراعهُ

    بِما يَقتَضيهِ مِن بَدائع تِبيان

    And his reed pen terrified the hearts of the envious,

    through the wonders of clear expression it calls forth.

  31. فَلا فَضَ فَوه فَهُوَ مَعدَن دره

    وَلا بَرَّ مِن يَجفوهُ مِن حاسد شاني

    May his mouth remain unharmed, for it is the mine of his pearls,

    and may no envious hater who spurns him prosper.

  32. مَحبَتهُ تَسري خِلال جَوانِحي

    كَمَشي الحميا في مَفاصل نَشوان

    Love for him courses through my breast,

    like strong wine coursing through an intoxicated man's joints.

  33. وَلي أَمَلٌ إِن شاءَ رَبي مُحقق

    لَسَوف يُباري النَجم رفعة أَركان

    And I have a hope, assured if my Lord wills:

    he will surely rival the stars in the loftiness of his pillars,

  34. وَسَوف يُسامي البَدر قَدراً وَيَمتَطي

    مَراتب عزّ فَوقَ رَضوى وَثَهلان

    and rival the full moon in stature, and mount

    ranks of glory above Radwa and Thahlan.

  35. فَلا زالَ في أَوج الفَضائل راقياً

    حَليف نَعيم بَينَ سر وَإِعلان

    So may he never cease rising to the zenith of virtues,

    a companion of bliss in secret and in public,

  36. مَدى الدَهر ما فاهَ اليَراع بِمَدحِهِ

    فَكانَ حليّ الدُر في جيد دِيوان

    throughout eternity, as long as the reed pen speaks his praise,

    and becomes pearl jewelry upon a poetry collection's neck.