زارت فكان بأمر الله اسراها

غراء مذ خطرت فالكل أسراها

She visited, and by God's command came her journey by night.

Radiant, she appeared, and all became her captives.

خليلة الوجد قد هام الخليل بها

وبات من وله بالنحو يهواها

A companion of passion: al-Khalil became lovesick for her.

And, out of rapture, spent the night loving her through grammar.

أحيت عروض فواد الصب مذ بسمت

ثغرا وقام ابن بسام لمحياها

She revived the prosody of the lover's heart when she smiled

With her lips; and Ibn Bassam rose before her face.

تروي شقائق خديها ممنعة

عن ثابت وعن النعمان نعماها

The anemones of her well-guarded cheeks recount,

On Thabit's and al-Nu'man's authority, her blessings.

اربت على ابن كثير في محاسنها

حسنا كثيرا وعين اللطف ترعاها

She surpassed Ibn Kathir in her charms,

In abundant beauty, while the eye of grace watched over her.

بكرٌ لمى فمها عذب مراشفه

صافي المودة عند الصب اوفاها

A maiden with dusky lips, her mouth sweet to kiss,

Pure in affection, most faithful to the lover.

لو قابل العامري أسرار طلعتها

لهام في بيتها المعمور اوباهي

Had al-'Amiri encountered the secrets of her appearance,

He would have wandered lovesick in her well-peopled house—or boasted.

رشيقة اللفظ قد جادت وقد سمحت

من البديع بما نالته كفاها

Graceful in expression, she gave generously and freely

Of rhetorical beauties, whatever her hands had attained.

شمس تعبدها العبديّ مذ بزغت

يوما واغنت عن المغني بمغناها

A sun worshipped by al-'Abdi since she rose

One day, and her dwelling made al-Mughni needless.

واستمطرت لؤلوءا من لؤلوء وروى

عن النسيم غصن البان عطفاها

She summoned a rain of pearls from pearls; and a tale was told

Of her two flanks by the ban-tree bough, on the breeze's authority.

كأنما القطر من ترشاف ريقتها

تحيي بمبسمها صبا معنّاها

As though the rain came from sipping her saliva;

With her smile she revives a lover tormented by her.

شهباء وافت من الشهباء ترتع في

برد الجمال فكان القلب مرعاها

A fair one arrived from al-Shahba', grazing in

The robe of beauty, and the heart became her pasture.

غرّ مطالعها زهر مراتعها

بين المضارب من عدنان مرباها

Bright are her rising places, radiant her pastures;

Among Adnan's encampments was her upbringing.

رقت كما رقّ جسمي بالهوى اسفا

لبعد من بلالي نظمها فاها

She grew tender, as my body grew frail with love and sorrow,

For the distance of him who strung her mouth with pearls.

البارع الفاضل الموصوف سيدها

رب المفاخر من بالحسن انشاها

Her master, accomplished, virtuous, much-praised,

Lord of glories, who fashioned her with beauty.

الجحدف السجل بالألفاظ عن زله

ملك المعاني فاقصاها وادناها

The [unclear epithet], lavish with words, free from error,

King of meanings, the remotest and the nearest.

بدا القريض اثينا منه في طربٍ

لما احتسى من كؤوس الفضل اصفاها

Poetry emerged from him in rapture [one word unclear],

When it drank the purest of the cups of excellence.

المشمعل الى الآداب وهي له

عرنا ويزرع في احكام مجراها

He who hastens toward letters, which for him are

[Unclear word]; he sows along their well-ordered course.

سباق غايات نظم فالبروق إذا

جارته اوقفها سيرا وأعياها

First to the finish in verse; the lightning bolts, when

They race him, he halts their course and exhausts them.

في النظم تصفو له اهل القريض وكم

قلائد من لألي النثر وشأها

In verse, the poets show him devotion; and how many

Necklaces of prose-pearls has he embroidered!

تملك الروع مني حبه وبدت

بين الجوانح نار الشوق يصلاها

Love for him possessed my heart, and there arose

Between my ribs the fire of longing in which it burns.

بحبه يا هواه جد بطرق كرى

لعل بالطيف تلك الذات نلقاها

For love of him, O longing for him, grant a visit from sleep,

So that in a dream we may meet that very person.

يا نسيم الصبا ان جزت مربعه

فخبري عن صباباتي وشجواها

O east-wind breeze, if you pass his dwelling,

Then tell of my yearnings and their sorrow.

وان ظفرت بشيء من براعته

فصافحيها وحييني برياها

And if you obtain something of his brilliance,

Then clasp it, and greet me with its fragrance.

قد كاد يتلفني شوقي لطلعته

لو لم يكن في جنان القلب مأواها

My longing for his face almost destroyed me,

Had its refuge not been in the heart's gardens.

سقيت يا حلب الشهباء غيث ندى

وجادك من غوادي البر نداها

May you be watered, O Aleppo al-Shahba', with a rain of bounty,

And may the morning clouds of kindness lavish their dew upon you.

شهباء مذ بزغت خضراء مذ نشرت

قعساء منبت زهر العز صحراها

Fair since she rose, green since she unfurled,

Unassailable; her desert grows the blossoms of glory.

جليلة القدر ذات الفخر معجبة

جلا العيون من الاقذاء مرآها

Great in stature, endowed with pride, inspiring wonder,

The sight of her cleared the eyes of motes.

فاقت على كل مصر وهي مشرقة

ثغرا اضا وبنصر الله منشاها

She surpassed every city, radiant,

Her mouth aglow, her origin through God's aid.

يا سعد من نظرت عيناه روضتها

ونزه الطرف في فياح مغناها

How fortunate the one whose eyes saw her garden,

And delighted his gaze in the wide spaces of her dwelling.

حسناء غارت على الحور الحسان ضحى

فاستخلصت من ثغور الغيد لألاها

A beauty who raided the lovely houris at morn,

And took her pearls from the mouths of graceful maidens.

اني متميها اني المشوق لها

اني المعنى بها اني لمضناها

I am her enthralled lover; I am the one who longs for her;

I am tormented by her; indeed, I am her wasted lover.

يا صاحبيّ اطرباني وانشدا سحرا

وعللا الصب من وجد بذكراها

O my two companions, delight me and recite at dawn,

And soothe the lover's passion with remembrance of her.

عذراء مدت على كل البلاد يدا

مخضوبة الكف واشوقي لحنّاها

A maiden who stretched a hand over every land,

Her palm henna-stained—how I long for her henna!

فاضلا حل في ساحاتها رغدا

بشراك في عزها اذ فيك بشراها

O virtuous one, settled in her courtyards in ease,

Your glad tidings lie in her glory, as hers lie in you.

افت رسالتك الغراء تبسم عن

در تضمن نظما في ثناياها

Your radiant letter arrived, smiling to reveal

Pearls containing verse within her folds.

مدت كؤوسا باسماع الورى شربت

فعطلت كل خمر عند صهباها

She offered cups that were drunk through mankind's ears,

And left every wine idle beside her golden vintage.

بيدت بياتها اللاتي سمت وبدت

فكلنا قاصر عن نيل علياها

[Unclear opening] her verses, which rose high and appeared;

And so we all fall short of attaining her heights.

يا عست فتداني كل مرتفع

لما سما في سما القرطاس بدراها

O 'Ast [uncertain reading], every lofty thing drew low,

When her two full moons rose in the sky of the page.

فاقت على العرب لما اعربت ورووا

عنها البلاغات لما استنطقوا فاها

She surpassed the Arabs when she spoke clearly, and they transmitted

Eloquent sayings from her when they made her mouth speak.

تفاخر البارعون الناظمون بها

والكل يعجز عن ادراك معناها

The accomplished poets vied in boasting of her,

And all are powerless to grasp her meaning.

مني اليك لها اهديك جارية

مغضوضة من قذا النقصان عيناها

In return for her, I offer you a maiden, from me to you,

Her eyes downcast because of the motes of imperfection.

من العدية قدما غرس كرمتها

والآن في روضة الفيحاء سكناها

Her vine's planting came long ago from al-'Adiyya,

And now her home is in the garden of al-Fayha'.

فاسبل عليها ذيول الستر اذ خطرت

ترجو القبول ورفقا عند مسراها

So drape her in the trailing hems of concealment as she appears,

Hoping for acceptance and gentleness on her night journey.

هل ظالع مدرك يوما على عجز

شأو الظليع فعفو عند مرماها

Can a limping one ever, despite weakness, attain

The strong one's reach? Then pardon her aim.

واسلم ودم في هناء غير منتقل

ورتبة فوق مرقى الشهب مرقاها

And remain safe, and endure in unchanging happiness,

And a rank whose ascent is higher than the stars' ascent,

ما قال حبك عن شوق وعن ولهٍ

زارت وكان بنصر الله اسراها

As long as your beloved says, from longing and rapture:

She visited, and through God's aid came her journey by night.