Sol 6.1

  1. أَعَلِمتُمُ أَنَّ النَسيمَ إِذا سَرى

    نَقَلَ الحَديثَ إِلى الرَقيبِ كَما جَرى

    Did you know that when the breeze traveled by night,

    it carried the tale to the watcher just as it unfolded,

  2. وَأَذاعَ سِرّاً مابَرِحتُ أَصونُهُ

    وَهَوىً أُنَزِّهُ قَدرَهُ أَن يُذكَرا

    and divulged a secret I have never ceased to guard,

    and a love whose dignity I hold above being spoken of?

  3. ظَهَرَت عَلَيهِ مِن عِتابِيَ نَفحَةٌ

    رَقَّت حَواشيهِ بِها وَتَعَطَّرا

    A breath of my reproach touched it;

    its fringes grew tender through it, and it grew fragrant.

  4. وَأَتى العَذولُ وَقَد سَدَدتُ مَسامِعي

    بِهَوىً يَرُدُّ مِنَ العَواذِلِ عَسكَرا

    The reproacher came, though I had stopped my ears

    with a love that repels an army of reproachers.

  5. جَهِلَ العَذولُ بِأَنَّني في حُبِّكُم

    سَهَرُ الدُجى عِندي أَلَذُّ مِنَ الكَرى

    The reproacher did not know that, in loving you,

    wakefulness through the darkness is sweeter to me than sleep.

  6. وَيَلومُني فيكُم وَلَستُ أَلومُهُ

    هَيهاتَ ماذاقَ الغَرامَ وَلا دَرى

    And he blames me for loving you, yet I do not blame him:

    Far from it! He has never tasted passion, nor known it.

  7. وَبِمُهجَتي وَسنانَ لاسِنَةَ الكَرى

    أَوما رَأَيتَ الظَبِيَ أَحوى أَحوَرا

    And with my heart's blood I would ransom one drowsy-eyed, though not from sleep;

    and have you not seen that dusky gazelle with eyes of striking black and white?

  8. بَهَرَت مَحاسِنُهُ العُقولَ فَما بَدا

    إِلّا وَسَبَّحَ مَن رَآهُ وَكَبَّرا

    His charms dazzled minds; never did he appear

    without whoever saw him glorifying God and proclaiming His greatness.

  9. عانَقتُ غُصنَ البانِ مِنهُ مُثمِراً

    وَلَثَمتُ بَدرَ التَمِّ مِنهُ مُسفِرا

    I embraced in him a fruit-bearing bough of the ban tree,

    and kissed in him the full moon, shining clear.

  10. وَتَمَلَّكَتني مِن هَواهُ هِزَّةٌ

    كادَت تُذيعُ عَنِ الغَرامِ المُضمَرا

    And a tremor born of love for him possessed me,

    nearly revealing the passion hidden within.

  11. وَكَتَمتُ فيهِ مَحَبَّتي فَأَذاعَها

    غَزَلٌ يَفوحُ المِسكُ مِنهُ أَذفَرا

    I concealed my love for him, but it was made known by

    love poetry from which richly fragrant musk wafts.

  12. غَزَلٌ أَرَقُّ مِنَ الصَبابَةِ وَالصِبا

    وَجَعَلتُ مَدحي في الأَميرِ مُكَفِّرا

    Love poetry more delicate than longing and youth;

    and I made my praise of the prince an atonement.

  13. وَغَفَرتُ ذَنبَ الدَهرِ يَومَ لِقائِهِ

    وَشَكَرتُهُ وَيَحِقُّ لي أَن أَشكُرا

    I forgave Time its fault on the day I met him,

    and thanked it, as I am right to do.

  14. مَولىً تَرى بَينَ الأَنامِ وَبَينَهُ

    في القَدرِ ما بَينَ الثُرَيّا وَالثَرى

    A lord between whom and humankind you see

    in rank, the distance between the Pleiades and the earth.

  15. بَهَرَ المَلائِكَ في السَماءِ دِيانَةً

    اللَهُ أَكبَرُ ما أَبَرَّ وَأَطهَرا

    He outshone the angels in heaven in devotion:

    God is greatest! How righteous and pure he is!

  16. ذو هِمَّةٍ كَيوانُ دونَ مَقامِها

    لَو رامَها النَجمُ المُنيرُ تَحَيَّرا

    His ambition is so high that Saturn lies beneath it;

    were the shining star to seek it, it would be bewildered.

  17. وَتَهُزُّ مِنهُ الأَريحِيَّةُ ماجِداً

    كَالرُمحِ لَدناً وَالحُسامِ مُجَوهَرا

    And generosity sets his noble self swaying,

    supple as a spear, and like a sword of finely patterned steel.

  18. فَإِذا سَأَلتَ سَألتَ مِنهُ حاتِماً

    وَإِذا لَقَيتَ لَقَيتَ مِنهُ عَنتَرا

    So when you ask of him, you ask of a Hatim;

    and when you confront him, you confront an Antar.

  19. يَهتَزُّ في يَدِهِ المُهَنَّدُ عِزَّةً

    وَيَميسُ فيها السَمهَرِيُّ تَبَختُرا

    The Indian-forged sword quivers proudly in his hand,

    and the sturdy spear sways there with swagger.

  20. وَإِذا اِمرُؤٌ نادى نَداهُ فَإِنَّما

    نادى فَلَبّاهُ السَحابَ المُمطِرا

    And when a man calls upon his bounty, he is only

    calling a rain-bearing cloud that answers him.

  21. بَينَ المُكَرَّمِ وَالمَكارِمِ نِسبَةٌ

    فَلِذاكَ لا تَهوى سِواهُ مِنَ الوَرى

    There is a kinship between this honored man and noble deeds;

    and therefore they love no other among humankind.

  22. مِن مَعشَرٍ نَزَلوا مِنَ العَلياءِ في

    مُستَوطَنٍ رَحبِ القِرى سامي الذُرى

    He comes from a people who descended from lofty heights into

    an abode lavish in hospitality and lofty in its summits.

  23. جُبِلوا عَلى الإِسلامِ إِلّا أَنَّهُم

    فُتِنوا بِنارِ الحَربِ أَو نارِ القِرى

    They were fashioned with Islam in their nature, save that they

    were enamored of the fire of war or the fire of hospitality.

  24. رَكِبوا الجِيادَ إِلى الجِلادِ كَأَنَّما

    يَحمِلنَ تَحتَ الغابِ آسادَ الشَرى

    They rode their steeds into battle, as though

    the steeds bore lions of Shara beneath a thicket of spears.

  25. مِن كُلِّ مَوّارِ العِنانِ مُطَهَّمٍ

    يَجلو بِغُرَّتِهِ الظَلامَ إِذا سَرى

    Each a finely built steed, tossing its reins,

    dispelling darkness with its white forehead-blaze as it travels by night.

  26. وَسَرَوا إِلى نَيلِ العُلى بِعَزائِمٍ

    أَينَ النُجومُ الزُهرُ مِن ذاكَ السُرى

    And they journeyed by night toward high glory with firm resolve:

    how can the shining stars compare with that night journey?

  27. فَاِفخَر بِما أَعطاكَ رَبُّكَ إِنَّهُ

    فَخرٌ سَيَبقى في الزَمانِ مُسَطَّرا

    So take pride in what your Lord has given you: it is

    a glory that will remain inscribed for all time.

  28. لايُنكِرُ الإِسلامُ ما أَولَيتَهُ

    بِكَ لَم يَزَل مُستَنجِداً مُستَنصِرا

    Islam does not deny what you have bestowed upon it;

    it has always called upon you for aid and support.

  29. وَليَهنِ مَقدَمُكَ الصَعيدَ وَمَن بِهِ

    وَمَنِ البَشيرُ لَمَكَّةٍ أُمُّ القُرى

    And may your arrival gladden Upper Egypt and all who dwell there;

    and who will bring the glad tidings to Mecca, Mother of Cities?

  30. فَإِذا رَأَيتَ رَأَيتَ مِنهُ جَنَّةً

    لَم تَرضَ إِلّا جودَ كَفِّكَ كَوثَرا

    So when you look, you behold there a paradise

    that accepts only your hand's bounty as its Kawthar.

  31. وَلَطالَما اِشتاقَت لِقُربِكَ أَنفُسٌ

    كادَت مِنَ الأَشواقِ أَن تَتَفَطَّرا

    And how long souls have yearned to be near you,

    almost bursting from their longing!

  32. وَنَذَرتُ أَنّي إِن لَقَيتُكَ سالِماً

    قَلَّدتُ جيدَ الدَهرِ هَذا الجَوهَرا

    And I vowed that, if I met you safe and sound,

    I would adorn Time's neck with this jewel,

  33. وَمَلَأتُ مِن طيبِ الثَناءِ مَجامِراً

    يُذكينَ بَينَ يَدَيكَ هَذا العَنبَرا

    and fill censers with the fragrance of praise,

    which kindle this ambergris before you.

  34. فِقَرٌ لِكُلِّ الناسِ فَقرٌ عِندَها

    أَبَداً تُباعُ بِها العُقولُ وَتُشتَرى

    Verses beside which all humankind is poor,

    with which minds are forever sold and bought.

  35. تَثني لِراويها الوَسائِدَ عِزَّةً

    وَيَظَلُّ في النادي بِها مُتَصَدِّرا

    They fold cushions for their reciter in honor,

    and through them he holds the foremost seat in the assembly.

  36. مَولايَ مَجدَ الدينِ عَطفاً إِنَّ لي

    لَمَحَبَّةً في مِثلِها لا يُمتَرى

    My lord, Majd al-Din, be kind: I have

    a love whose like admits of no doubt.

  37. يا مَن عَرَفتُ الناسَ حينَ عَرَفتُهُ

    وَجَهِلتُهُم لَمّا نَأى وَتَنَكَّرا

    O you—when I knew you, I knew humankind,

    and knew them no longer when you drew away and became estranged.

  38. خُلقٌ كَماءِ المُزنِ مِنكَ عَهِدتُهُ

    وَيَعِزُّ عِندي أَن يُقالَ تَغَيَّرا

    I have known in you a character like water from the rainclouds;

    and it pains me to hear it said that it has changed.

  39. مَولايَ لَم أَهجُر جَنابَكَ عَن قِلىً

    حاشايَ مِن هَذا الحَديثِ المُفتَرى

    My lord, I did not forsake your presence out of hatred;

    I am innocent of this fabricated tale!

  40. وَكفَرتُ بِالرَحمَنِ إِن كُنتُ اِمرَأً

    أَرضى لَما أَولَيتَهُ أَن يُكفَرا

    And I would be faithless to the Merciful if I were a man

    content to see your favors to him go unacknowledged.