محبٌّ يمنى نفسَهُ ويسوّفُ

بعودٍ إلى العهد الذي كانَ يعرفُ

A lover who wishes for his soul and procrastinates

About returning to the covenant that he used to know

ويدري بما قد صحَّ من صدقِ ودهِ

لديهم فيرجو أن يرقوا ويعطفوا

And is aware of the sincerity and affection between them

So he hopes that they will be kind and show affection

جفوْهُ وهم أدرى بأن فؤاده

مع الحبِّ عن حمل القطيعة أَضعفُ

But they turned away while fully aware that his heart

Is too weak to carry resentment along with love

وحاشا لحرٍّ أَن يرى من يحبه

مُضاماً فيثني الطرف عنه ويصرفُ

It would be a disgrace for a free man to see his beloved

Wronged, yet turns away his gaze and abandons him

ولو مت وجداً ما أسفت لمهجتي

ولكنْ عليكم دونها أتاسَفُ

And if I died with sorrow for my beloved,

I would not grieve for myself but for you I would grieve

ولو كنت أَدري كيف ترضون لم أَكن

عن الموتِ في مرضاتكم أتخلفُ

And If I knew what pleases you I would not

Refrain from death to please you

فليس ركوب السيف والسيف مرهفٌ

إِلى وصلكم فيه عليُّ تكلّفُ

It is not an obligation for me to mount a sharp sword

To reach you while great effort is required of me

أَحبتنا مالي إِ الأَينِ فيكم

صروف الليالي والليالي تعجرْفُ

My dear ones, why do nights among you

Make the nights go by while they scorn me

تقر لخصمي بالذِي لي عندها

وتنكرني ما استحق وتحلفُ

You believe my opponent in what he claims against me

And you deny what I rightfully deserve and swear it untrue

وتلبسُ غيري ما أشتهى من محاسني

وتلقي مساويه عليَّ وتُضعفُ

And you dress another in the beauty that I yearn for

And accuse me wrongfully and devalue me

وهذا لَعمري حالُ من جارَ حظَهُ

عليه وجوْرِ الحظَّ ما منه منصفُ

By my life, such is the state of one whose luck

Works against him, and misfortune is never just

رضيتُ وقد يرضى على رغم أَنفه

ملاقي صروف مالها عنه مصرفُ

I am content, though he is discontent

Facing the turns of fate from which he cannot escape

ظلمتَ امرءًا يا دهرُ في نحسِ حظهِ

وأكثرت حتى قيل إِنك مُسرفُ

O time, you have wronged a man in his misfortune

And exceeded such that you are said to be excessive

زعمتَ بأن الشمس أخفى من السَها

وأَن الثرى أجرى من الماءِ وأَلطفُ

You claimed the sun is more hidden than the stars

And that the earth flows faster than water and is smoother

فيا أَيُّها الأَيام مهلاً فإِنني

بردِّ صروفِ الدهر أَدري وأَعرَفُ

So O days, wait, for I am aware and know

The turns of fate and its cold blows

ولو صحْتُ صوتاً واحداً يا لأحمدٍ

لظلّتْ عليك الخيلُ والرجل توجفُ

And if I raised one voice, O Ahmad

The horses and men would stand still in awe of you

ومن يدعُ ما أَدعوه للدهر إِنْ طغى

يُجبهُ فتىً يأَبى عليه ويأنفُ

And whoever appeals what I appeal to time against its tyranny

Would be answered by a young man who refuses and disdains

إِذا سار سالت بعده الأَرض بالقنا

فما هي إِلاَّ ذابلٌ ومثقَّفُ

When he walks, the land pours canals behind him

For it is nothing but barren and drying

وإن قال شدّوا ارتاعت الوحشُ بالفلا

وظلَّ فؤاد الشرق والغرب يرجفُ

And if he said tie them up, the beasts would shake in fear

And the hearts of east and west would tremble and quiver

تساعدهُ الأَقدار فهي جنودُهُ

يروم بها ما يستحيل فيسعفُ

Fate assists him for it is his troops

With which he accomplishes the impossible and is successful

له كل يومٍ في العلا خرقُ عادةٍ

تناطُ بِأُخرى بعد أُخرى وتردفُ

Each day the Most High makes an exception for him

Which is linked to another and another in succession

سمعنا وأبصرنا الملوك فلم يكن

على الأَرض منهم من بفضلك يوصَفُ

We have heard and seen kings but none among them

Were described to possess a merit equal to yours

لعمري لقد اوتيتَ ما ليس ينبغي

من الملك والعزمِ الذي لا يسوّفُ

By my life you have been given what no other king deserves

Of power and determination that does not delay

والقى عليك الله منه محبة

تهيم بها فيك القلوب وتشغف

And God endowed you with a love from Him

That makes hearts obsessed and passionately love you

تخفُّ حلومُ العالمين إِذا بدى

محياك مثلَ البدرِ والبدرُ منصفُ

The flesh of all people trembles when

Your noble face appears like the full moon at its clearest

وتشخصُ أبصار وتلقي سلاحها

أيادٍ بها تومي إِليك وأكففُ

And sights stare while hands cast their weapons

Reaching out longingly to you

فلا مقلةً إِ لها فيك حيرةٌ

ولا مهجة إلا بحبك تكلفُ

So no eyelid but is confused by you

And no beloved but aspires to your love

سما بكَ إسماعيل والدك الرضى

ووالدهُ العباسُ والجدُّ يوسفُ

Your father named you Ismail and his father approved

And his father Al-Abbas and the grandfather Joseph

وهم فخر من فوق الترابِ وتحتَه

ملوك الورى والدهرُ في المهد يحرفُ

They are the pride of all above and beneath the soil

The kings of people while time itself was an infant

بكم تفخرُ العليا ولولا سيوفُهم

لما كانتِ العلياءُ ولا الفخر يعرفُ

The Most High boasts through them and were it not for their swords

The Most High would not be, nor would pride be known

فلا برحت للملك منك قوائمٌ

يقوم عليها هكذا ليس يضعفُ

So the pillars of your kingdom will never weaken

For this is how it will remain and will not decline