محب لبعد الدار عزت رسائله

وليس له يوما خليل يراسله

A lover whose letters have grown scarce because the dwelling is far away.

And he has no friend to correspond with him, ever.

حليف غرام قد جفى جفنه الكرى

ورقت لما يلقى عليه عواذله

A companion of passion—sleep has forsaken his eyelid.

And his reprovers have softened toward him for what he suffers.

غدا وطريق البحث يسلك دمعه

وها قد بدت فوق الخدود تسائله

He went forth at dawn, his tears treading the path of inquiry,

And behold, they have appeared upon the cheeks, questioning him.

ولم يستطع يوما فراغا عن الهوى

وكيف ومن يهواه بالحب شاغله

Never could he find respite from love,

And how could he, when the one he loves keeps him occupied with love?

كلفت به بدرا بديع محاسن

بقلبي وطرفي حل وهي منازله

I am enamored of him, a full moon of wondrous charms;

He dwells in my heart and my eye: these are his homes.

يروقك حسنا لحظه وعذاره

وما هو الا سيفه وخمائله

His glance and cheek-down delight you with their beauty,

Yet it is nothing but his sword and his thickets.

حبيب اذا ماس غصن قوامه

عليه اخو الاهوا تهيج بلابله

A beloved: when the bough of his stature sways,

The lover's anguished longings stir for him.

يشبهه بالغصن قوم لعدله

وعنديَ ان الغصن ليس يعادله

Some liken him to a bough, deeming it his equal,

But in my view the bough does not equal him.

وما البدلا الا ما حواه لثامه

وما الغصن الا ما جوته غلائله

And the [full moon] is only what his face-veil enfolds,

And the bough is only what his gauzy robes [enclose].

تعاطيك كاسات المدام لحاظه

وتغنيك عن فعل الشمول شمائله

His glances offer you cups of wine,

And his charms spare you the need for wine's effects.

الى مقلتيه معظم السحر ينتمي

كأن بها هاروت ابهى بلابله

Most sorcery traces its origin to his two eyes,

As though Harut were there, the fairest of his nightingales [wording unclear].

على البدر حسنا ساد في الوصف مثلما

بمدح خليل ساد في الناس قائله

In the description, he has surpassed the full moon in beauty, just as

Its speaker has risen above others through praise of Khalil.

جواد اذا ما السحب جادت بوبلها

فما هي الا باحتاه ونائله

A generous man: when clouds lavish their heavy rain,

They are nothing but his two courtyards and his bounty.

هو الليث في باس هو الغيث في ندى

اذا حاد يوم الروع او جاد نائله

He is the lion in might, the rain in generosity,

When he contends on the day of terror, or his bounty flows.

هو البحر الا ان مورده حلا

وطابت به للواردين مناهله

He is the sea, except that his watering place is sweet,

And through him his watering places are pleasant to those who come to drink.

ومبتدئا يعطيك قبل سؤاله

علىغير مدح فوق ما انت سائله

And, taking the initiative, he gives you before you ask him,

Without praise, more than you ask of him.

سريع نوال بالعطا متدارك

بسيط مديد وافر الجود كامله

Swift in bounty, prompt with gifts,

Open-handed, far-reaching, abundant and perfect in generosity.

اذا رام امرا كان في الحال ماضيا

وان قال قولا فهو من قبل فاعله

When he intends a deed, he proceeds at once,

And if he says a thing, he has already done it.

هو الصارم الماضي الصقيل وكيف لا

وطابعه الرحمن والمجد صاقله

He is the cutting sword, keen and polished—and how could he not be,

When the All-Merciful is his smith and glory his polisher?

فحيث اقول البيض فهي سيوفه

وحيث اقول السمر فهي عوامله

So wherever I say 'the white ones,' they are his swords,

And wherever I say 'the brown ones,' they are his spear-shafts.

لال شبان شاد بيتا من العلا

رفيع الذرى ليس السماك يطاوله

For Shabban's family he has raised a house of eminence,

Its pinnacles are lofty; al-Simak cannot rival its height.

وليس اخاف الفقر يوما اذا سطا

وجود خليل بالمكارم قاتله

Nor do I ever fear poverty when it attacks,

For Khalil's generosity slays it with noble gifts.

ارى مدحه فرضا عليّ وواجبا

فكم قد صرت منه لى نوافله

I deem praising him my duty and obligation,

For how many of his extra gifts have been bundled up for me!

فيا واحد العليا ويا من نواله

يحلى به جيد الزمان وعاطله

So O peerless one in eminence, O you whose bounty

Adorns the neck of Time, even when it is bare,

لعبدك عجل بالعطاء تكرما

فقد قيل خير البر والله عاجله

Hasten a gift to your servant, in your kindness,

For it is said: the best kindness, by God, is kindness given promptly.

ودونك مدحا قد تنظم دره

فاني منشيه وانك باذله

And take this praise: its pearls have been strung;

For I am its composer, and you its giver.

فلا زال مدحي فيك مسكا ختامه

أواخره تحلو لنا وأوائله

So may my praise of you always have musk for its seal,

Its endings and its beginnings sweet to us.