Sol 6.1

  1. خَيالٌ مُلِمُّ أَم حَبيبٌ مُسَلِّمُ

    وَبَرقٌ تَجَلّى أَم حَريقٌ مُضَرَّمُ

    Is it a visiting phantom, or a beloved come to greet?

    And lightning flashing forth, or a fire ablaze?

  2. لَعَمري لَقَد تامَت فُؤادَكَ تُكتَمُ

    وَرَدَّت لَكَ العِرفانَ وَهوَ تَوَهُّمُ

    By my life, Tuktam has indeed enslaved your heart,

    And brought recognition back to you, though it was mere illusion.

  3. تَعودُكَ مِنها كُلَّما اشتَقتَ ذَكرَةٌ

    تَرَقرَقُ مِنها عَبرَةٌ ثُمَّ تَسجُمُ

    A memory of her revisits you whenever you yearn;

    From it a tear wells up, then streams down.

  4. إِذا شِئتَ أَجرَت أَدمُعي مِن شُؤونَها

    رُبوعٌ لَها بِالأَبرَقَينِ وَأَرسُمُ

    Whenever you wish, my tears are drawn from their ducts

    By her dwelling-sites at al-Abraqayn and their traces.

  5. وَقَفتُ بِها وَالرَكبُ شَتّى سَبيلُهُم

    يُفيضونَ مِنهُم عاذِرونَ وَلُوَّمُ

    I stood there while the riders' paths diverged;

    They streamed forth, some excusing me, others reproaching.

  6. هِيَ الدارُ إِلّا أَنَّها لا تَكَلَّمُ

    عَفا مُعلَمٌ مِنها وَأَقفَرُ مَعلَمُ

    It is the dwelling, except that it does not speak;

    One landmark has faded; another lies deserted.

  7. تُقَيَّضُ لي مِن حَيثُ لا أَعلَمُ النَوى

    وَيَسري إِلَيَّ الشَوقُ مِن حَيثُ أَعلَمُ

    Separation comes upon me from where I do not know,

    And longing steals upon me from where I know.

  8. وَإِنّي لَموقوفُ الضُلوعِ عَلى هَوى

    مُبَتَّلَةٍ تَنأى ضِراراً وَتَصرِمُ

    And surely my ribs are held captive by love

    For a perfect beauty who keeps away to hurt me and cuts me off.

  9. خَلَت وَرَأَتني مُغرَماً فَتَجَنَّبَت

    وَشَتّانَ فو حُبٍّ خَلِيٌّ وَمُغرَمُ

    She was free of love; she saw me smitten and shunned me.

    How far apart in love are the heart-free and the love-stricken!

  10. حَلَفتَ بِما حَجَّت قُرَيشٌ وَحَجَّبَت

    وَحازَ المُصَلّى وَالحَطيمُ وَزَمزَمُ

    You swore by what Quraysh made pilgrimage to and guarded,

    And what the prayer-place, al-Hatim, and Zamzam enclosed,

  11. وَأَهلِ مِناً إِذ جاوَزوا الخَيفَ مِن مِناً

    وَهُم عُصَبٌ فَوضى مُحِلٌّ وَمُحرِمُ

    And by Mina's people as they passed al-Khayf in Mina,

    While they were mingled bands, some released from consecration, others still in it,

  12. يُهِلّونَ مِن حَيثُ اِبتَدا الصُبحُ يَرتَقي

    سَناهُ إِلى حَيثُ انتَهى اللَيلُ يُظلِمُ

    Raising the pilgrim chant from where dawn begins to lift

    Its light, to where night reaches, spreading darkness.

  13. لَقَد جَشِمَ الفَتحُ بنُ خاقانَ خُطَّةً

    مِنَ المَجدِ ما يَسطيعُها المُتَجَشِّمِ

    Al-Fath ibn Khaqan has indeed undertaken a course

    Of glory beyond the power of any who would undertake it.

  14. يَبيتُ المَضاهي فاتِرَ الطَرفِ دونَها

    وَيَعجِزُ عَنها المُقتَدى المُتَعَلِّمِ

    The would-be rival spends the night with weary gaze, short of it,

    And the imitative learner is powerless to attain it.

  15. مَتى تَلقَهُ تَلقَ المَكارِمَ وَالنَدى

    وَبَعضُهُمُ في الفَرطِ وَالحينِ يَكرُمُ

    Whenever you meet him, you meet noble virtues and generosity;

    While some men are generous only once in a while.

  16. وَما هَذِهِ الأَخلاقُ إِلّا مَواهِبٌ

    وَإِلّا حُظوظٌ في الرِجالِ تُقَسَّمُ

    These qualities are nothing but gifts,

    And nothing but shares apportioned among men.

  17. تَحَمَّلَ أَعباءَ المَعالي بِأَسرِها

    إِذا حُطَّ مِنها مُغرَمٌ عادَ مَغرَمُ

    He has shouldered the burdens of high attainment, all of them;

    Whenever one costly obligation is discharged, another returns.

  18. وَقامَ بِما لَو قامَ رَضوى بِبَعضِهِ

    هَوى الهَضبُ مِن أَركانِ رَضوى المُلَملَمِ

    He has shouldered what, if Radwa bore a fraction of it,

    Would topple the crags from massive Radwa's flanks.

  19. حُسامُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ الَّذي بِهِ

    يُعالِجُ أَدواءَ الأَعادي فَتُحسَمُ

    He is the Commander of the Faithful's keen sword, with which

    He treats the enemies' maladies, and they are rooted out.

  20. وَما هَزَّهُ إِلّا تَقَرَّرَ عِندَهُ

    قَرارَ اليَقينِ أَيُّ سَيفَيهِ أَصرَمُ

    He never brandishes it without knowing

    With settled certainty which of his two swords is keener.

  21. أَمَدُّ الرِجالِ لُبثَةً حينَ يَرتَأي

    وَأَسرَعُهُم إِمضاءَةً حينَ يَعزِمُ

    Of all men, he pauses longest when deliberating,

    And is swiftest in execution once he resolves.

  22. بِتَسديدِهِ تُلغى الأُمورُ وَتُجتَبى

    وَتُنقَضُ أَسبابُ الخُطوبِ وَتُبرَمُ

    Through his sure guidance, affairs are set aside and selected,

    And the cords of grave matters are unraveled and twisted firm.

  23. رَبا في حُجورِ المُلكِ يُغريهِ بِالحِجى

    خَلائِفُ مِنهُم مُرشِدٌ وَمُقَوِّمُ

    He grew up in the laps of royalty, urged toward wisdom

    By caliphs, some guiding him, others setting him straight.

  24. فَآضَ كَما آضَ الحُسامُ تَرادَفَت

    عَلَيهِ القُيونُ فَهوَ أَبيَضُ مِخذَمُ

    So he turned out as a sword turns out when, in succession,

    Smiths work upon it, leaving it bright-white and keen-edged.

  25. مُدَبِّرُ مُلكٍ أَيُّ رَأيَيهِ صارَعوا

    بِهِ الخَطبَ رَدَّ الخَطبَ يَدمى وَيُكلَمُ

    A realm's steward: whichever of his two counsels they use

    To wrestle with calamity sends it back bleeding and wounded.

  26. وَظَلّامُ أَعداءٍ إِذا بُدِئَ اِعتَدى

    بِموجِزَةٍ يَرفَضُّ مِن وَقعِها الدَمُ

    And a ruthless oppressor of enemies: if attacked first, he strikes back

    With a swift stroke whose impact sends blood gushing.

  27. وَقورٌ يَرُدُّ العَفوُ فَرطَ شَذاتِهِ

    وَفي القَومِ أَشتاتٌ مُليمٌ وَمُحرِمُ

    He is dignified; pardon restrains his fiercest anger,

    Though the people are of many sorts, some blameworthy, some criminal.

  28. مَلِيٌّ بِأَن يَغشى الكَمِيَّ وَدونَهُ

    ظُباً تَتَثَنّى أَو قَناً تَتَحَطَّمُ

    Well able to assail the armored champion, though before him

    Are blades that bend or spear-shafts that shatter.

  29. وَلَو بَلَغَ الجاني أَقاصِيَ حِلمِهِ

    لَأَعقَبَ بَعدَ الحِلمِ مِنهُ التَحَلُّمُ

    Even if the offender reached the furthest limits of his forbearance,

    He would follow forbearance with deliberate self-restraint.

  30. أَرى المَكرُماتِ استُهلِكَت في مَعاشِرٍ

    وَبادَت كَما بادَت جَديسٌ وَجُرهُمُ

    I see noble deeds destroyed among peoples,

    And vanished, as Jadis and Jurhum vanished.

  31. أَراحوا مَطاياهُم فَلا الحَمدُ يُبتَغى

    وَلا المَجدُ يُستَبقى وَلا المالُ يُهضَمُ

    They have rested their mounts: no praise is sought,

    Nor glory preserved, nor wealth diminished.

  32. فَأُقسِمُ لَولا جودُ كَفَّيكَ لَم يَكُن

    نَوالٌ وَلا ذِكرٌ مِنَ الجودِ يُعلَمُ

    So I swear: but for your two hands' generosity, there would be

    No bounty, nor any known record of generosity.

  33. وَما البَذلُ بِالشَيءِ الَّذي يَستَطيعُهُ

    مِنَ القَومِ إِلّا الأَروَعُ المُتَهَجِّمُ

    Giving is not a thing that anyone can manage

    Among men save the noble, boldly venturesome man.

  34. وَيُحجِمُ أَحياناً عَنِ الجودِ بَعضُ مِن

    تَراهُ عَلى مَكروهَةِ السَيفِ يُقدِمُ

    And sometimes some men shrink from generosity—

    Men you see advancing into the sword's dreaded peril.

  35. إِلَيكَ القَوافي نازِعاتٍ قَواصِداً

    يُسَيَّرُ ضاحي وَشيِها وَيُنَمنَمُ

    Toward you the rhymes strain, heading straight for their goal;

    Their gleaming embroidery is striped and finely patterned.

  36. وَمُشرِقَةٍ في النَظمِ غَرّاً يَزيدُها

    بَهاءً وَحُسناً أَنَّها لَكَ تُنظَمُ

    And radiant verses, bright in their ordering, gain

    Splendor and beauty because they are composed for you.

  37. ضَوامِنُ لِلحَجاتِ إِمّا شَوافِعاً

    مُشَفَّعَةً أَو حاكِماتٍ تُحَكَّمُ

    They guarantee that needs are met, either as intercessors

    Whose pleas are granted, or as judges empowered to rule.

  38. وَكائِنٍ غَدَت لي وَهيَ شِعرٌ مَسَيَّرٌ

    وَراحَت عَلَيَّ وَهيَ مالٌ مُقَسَّمُ

    And how many set out for me in the morning as verse sent abroad,

    And returned to me in the evening as apportioned wealth!