Sol 6.1

  1. بِوُدِّيَ لَو يَهوى العَذولُ وَيَعشَقُ

    فَيَعلَمَ أَسبابَ الهَوى كَيفَ تَعلَقُ

    I wish the reproacher would love and feel passion,

    so he might learn how the bonds of love take hold.

  2. أَرى خُلُقاً هُبِّي لِعَلوَةَ دَأماً

    إِذا لَم يَدُم بِالعاشِقينَ التَخَلُّقُ

    I regard my [love] for ʿAlwa as an enduring disposition,

    when affectation does not endure among lovers.

  3. وَزَورٍ أَتاني طارِقاً فَحَسِبتُهُ

    خَيالاً أَتى مِن آخِرِ اللَيلِ يَطرُقُ

    And a visitor came to me by night; I thought him

    a phantom coming in the late night to knock.

  4. أُقَسِّمُ فيهِ الظَنَّ طَوراً مُكَذِّباً

    بِهِ أَنَّهُ حَقٌّ وَطَوراً أُصَدِّقُ

    I waver in my judgment of him, at times denying

    that he is real, and at times believing.

  5. أَخافُ وَأَرجو بُطلَ ظَنّي وَصِدقَهُ

    فَلِلَّهِ شَكّي حِينَ أَرجو وَأَفرَقُ

    I fear and hope for my surmise to prove false or true;

    what doubt is mine, by God, as I hope and fear!

  6. وَقَد ضَمَّنا وَشكُ التَلاقِي وَلَفَّنا

    عِناقٌ عَلى أَعناقِنا ثَمَّ ضَيِّقُ

    And our sudden meeting drew us together; we were enfolded

    there in a tight embrace around our necks.

  7. فَلَم تَرَ إِلّا مُخبِراً عَن صَبابَةٍ

    بِشَكوى وَإِلّا عَبرَةً تَتَرَقرَقُ

    You saw only one speaking of yearning

    through lament, or a tear shimmering.

  8. فَأَحسِن بِنا وَالدَمعُ بِالدَمعِ واشِجٌ

    تَمازُجُهُ وَالخَدُّ بِالخَدِّ مُلصَقُ

    How lovely we were, tears with tears entwined

    in their mingling, and cheek pressed to cheek.

  9. وَمِن قُبَلٍ قَبلَ التَشاكي وَبَعدَهُ

    نَكادُ لَها مِن شِدَّةِ الوَجدِ نَشرَقُ

    And kisses, before our shared lament and afterward,

    almost choked us with the intensity of passion.

  10. فَلَو فَهِمَ النَاسُ التَلاقِي وَحُسنَهُ

    لَحُبِّبَ مِن أَجلِ التَلاقي التَفَرُّقُ

    If people understood reunion and its beauty,

    separation would be cherished for reunion's sake.

  11. إِذا قُرِنَ البَحرُ الخِضَمُّ بِأَنعُمِ ال

    خَليفَةِ كادَ البَحرُ فيهِنَّ يَغرَقُ

    If the vast ocean were compared with the favors of the

    caliph, the ocean would almost drown in them.

  12. مَواهِبُ أَعدادُ الأَماني وَخَلفَها

    عِداتٌ يَكادُ العودُ مِنهُنَّ يورِقُ

    Gifts as numerous as wishes, and behind them

    promises that could almost make a stick put forth leaves.

  13. بِهِ تُعدَلُ الدُنيا إِذا مالَ قَصدُها

    وَيَحسُنُ صُنعُ الدَهرِ وَالدَهرُ أَخرَقُ

    Through him the world is set straight when its course deviates,

    and time's handiwork becomes fair, though time is clumsy.

  14. قَضى اللَهُ لِلمُعتَزِّ بِاللَهِ أَنَّهُ

    هُوَ القائِمُ العَدلُ الرَشيدُ المُوَفَّقُ

    God has decreed for al-Muʿtazz bi-llāh that he

    is the just ruler, rightly guided and granted success.

  15. مَحَبَّتُهُ فَرضٌ مِنَ اللَهِ واجِبٌ

    وَعِصيانُهُ سُخطٌ مِنَ اللَهِ موبِقُ

    Love for him is an obligatory duty from God,

    and disobeying him incurs God's ruinous wrath.

  16. بَقيتَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ مُؤَمِّلاً

    فَلِلمُلكِ نورٌ ما بَقيتَ وَرَونَقُ

    May you endure, Commander of the Faithful, hopeful;

    for kingship has light and splendor as long as you remain.

  17. لَقَد أَقبَلَت بِالأَمسِ خَيلُكَ سُبَّقاً

    وَأَنتَ إِلى العَلياءِ وَالمَجدِ أَسبَقُ

    Indeed, yesterday your horses came in the lead,

    while you are swifter toward eminence and glory.

  18. وَوافاكَ بِالنَيروزِ وَقتٌ مُحَبَّبٌ

    يَظَلُّ جَنِيُّ الوَردِ فيهِ يُفَطَّقُ

    And at Nawruz a cherished season came to you,

    when fresh roses keep unfolding.

  19. فَلازِلتَ في ظِلٍّ مِنَ اللَهِ سابِغٍ

    فَظِلُّكَ رَوضٌ لِلبَرِيَّةِ مونِقُ

    May you ever remain in God's ample shade,

    for your shade is a delightful garden for humankind.

  20. تَجانَفَ بي نَهجُ الشَآمِ وَطاعَ لي

    عِنانٌ إِلى أَبياتِ مَنبِجَ مُطلَقُ

    The road of Syria bore me aside, and I was obeyed

    by a rein let loose toward the dwellings of Manbij.

  21. أَسُرُّ صَديقاً أَو أَسوءُ مُلاحِياً

    وَأَنشُرُ آلاءً بِطولِكَ تَنطِقُ

    I delight a friend or displease a faultfinder,

    and proclaim favors that speak of your bounty.

  22. وَإِنّي خَليقٌ بَل حَقيقٌ بِعُقبِ ما

    يُغَرِّبُ شَخصي أَنَّ شَوقي يُشَرِّقُ

    And it is fitting for me—indeed certain—that, just after

    my person goes west, my longing goes east.

  23. وَمِن أَينَ لا يَثني الرَجاءُ مُعَوَّلي

    عَلَيكَ وَيَحدوني إِلَيكَ التَشَوُّقُ

    And how could hope fail to turn my reliance

    toward you, while yearning drives me to you?

  24. وَأَنتَ الَّذي أَعلَيتَني بِصَنيعَةٍ

    هِيَ المُزنُ تَغدو مِن قَريبٍ فَتُغدِقُ

    You are the one who raised me through a favor—

    it is rainclouds arriving from nearby at dawn, then pouring abundantly.

  25. وَعارِفَةٍ فاتَت صَفاتي فَلا الثَنا

    يُقارِبُ أَقصاها وَلا الشُكرُ يَلحَقُ

    And a kindness beyond my descriptions: neither praise

    approaches its furthest reach, nor does gratitude catch up.

  26. حَمَلتَ عَلى عَشرٍ مِنَ البَردِ مَركَبي

    عِجالاً عَلَيهِنَّ الشَكيمُ المُحَلِّقُ

    You supplied ten post-mounts for my riding,

    swift, with ringed bits upon them.

  27. وَأَكثَرتَ زادي مِن بُدورٍ تَتابَعَت

    بِجودِكَ فيهِنَّ اللُجَينُ المُطَرَّقُ

    And you increased my provisions with moneybags, following one another

    through your bounty, with hammered silver inside them.

  28. وَمُنتَسِباتٍ لِلوَجيهِ وَلاحِقٍ

    كُمَيتٌ يَسُرُّ الناظِرينَ وَأَبلَقُ

    And steeds descended from al-Wajih and Lahiq:

    a dark bay delighting onlookers, and a piebald.

  29. وَمِن خِلَعٍ فازَت بِلُبسِكَ فَاغدى

    بِها أَرَجٌ مِن طيبِ عَرفِكَ يَعبَقُ

    And robes of honor graced by your wearing them, so now

    a scent from your sweet fragrance clings to them.

  30. عَلَيها رِداءٌ مِن حَمائِلِ مُرهَفٍ

    صَقيلٍ يَزَلُّ الطَرفُ عَنهُ فَيَزلَقُ

    Over them lies a mantle: the baldric of a keen blade,

    so polished that the gaze slips off it and slides away.

  31. فَهَل أَنتَ يا اِبنَ الراشِدينَ مُخَتِّمي

    بِياقوتَةٍ تَهى عَلَيَّ وَتُشرِقِ

    Will you then, son of the rightly guided, fit me with a ring

    with a ruby that [gleams] upon me and shines?

  32. يَغارُ اِحمِرارُ الوَردِ مِن حُسنِ صِبغِها

    وَيَحكيهِ جادِيُّ الرَحيقِ المُعَتَّقِ

    The redness of roses envies the beauty of its hue,

    and the saffron hue of aged wine resembles it.

  33. إِذا بَرَزَت وَالشَمسُ قُلتَ تَجارَتا

    إِلى أَمَدٍ أَو كادَتِ الشَمسُ تَسبِقُ

    When it appears beside the sun, you would say they raced

    toward a finish, or that the sun almost came first.

  34. إِذا اِلتَهَبَت في اللَحظِ ضاهى ضِياؤُها

    جَبينَكَ عِندَ الجودِ إِذ يَتَأَلَّقُ

    When it blazes before the gaze, its radiance rivals

    your brow as it shines at the moment of giving.

  35. أُسَربَلُ مِنها ثَوبَ فَخرٍ مُعَجَّلٍ

    وَيَبقى بِها ذِكرٌ عَلى الدَهرِ مُخلِقُ

    Through it I am clothed in a robe of immediate pride,

    and through it a remembrance remains, wearing out time.

  36. عَلامَةُ جودٍ مِنكَ عِندي مُبينَةٌ

    وَشاهِدُ عَدلٍ لي بِنُعماكَ يَصدُقُ

    A clear token of your generosity held by me,

    and a just witness for me, speaking truly of your favor.

  37. وَمِثلُكَ أَعطاها وَأَضعافَ مِثلَها

    وَلا غَروَ لِلبَحرِ اِنبَرى يَتَدَفَّقُ

    And one like you has given it and many times its like;

    no wonder that the sea surges forth, flowing in torrents.

  38. لَئِن صُنتُ شِعري عَن رِجالٍ أَعِزَّةٍ

    فَإِنَّ قَوافيهِ بِوَصفِكَ أَليَقُ

    If I have withheld my poetry from mighty men,

    its rhymes are surely fitter to describe you.

  39. وَإِن وَلِيَ العُمّالُ مِنّي مَبَرَّةً

    فَمُستَعمِلُ العُمّالِ أَحرى وَأَخلَقُ

    And if officials have received kindness from me,

    the one who appoints officials is worthier and more deserving.