أشارد يا غزال أم وارد

أشارد يا غزال أم وارد

وعابث بالنفوس أم عابد

وعابث بالنفوس أم عابد

Are you straying, O gazelle, or coming to water?

I yearn, O gazelle, has a lover returned

And do you trifle with souls, or are you a worshipper?

Toying with souls or worshipping?

أعند عينيك ان أنفسنا

أعند عينيك ان أنفسنا

حبس على سبل نبلها الصارد

حبس على سبل نبلها الصارد

Do your eyes know that our souls

Do your eyes believe our souls

Are captive in the paths of their piercing arrows?

Are confined to paths of its noble lightning?

بل كثرة العاشقين توهمه

بل كثرة العاشقين توهمه

بأن ماضي نفوسهم عائد

بأن ماضي نفوسهم عائد

Rather, the multitude of lovers makes him imagine

Rather, the multitude of lovers deludes him

That their departed souls are returning.

That the past of their souls will return

مهلا أبا الحسن لا فجعت به

مهلا أبا الحسن لا فجعت به

واستبق منا داع له حامد

واستبق منا داع له حامد

Gently, Abu al-Hasan—may I never be bereft of him;

Gently, Abu Al-Hassan, lest you mourn him

And spare among us one who prays for him and praises him.

And excel me in praying for him, praising

نحن بني نجدة الهوى ولنا

نحن بني نجدة الهوى ولنا

فيه فخار الطريف والتالد

فيه فخار الطريف والتالد

We, the sons of valor in love, possess

We are the sons of passionate love and for us is

Glory in it, both newly won and inherited.

The pride of the gentle and lasting

وكم لنا غارة على ثغر

وكم لنا غارة على ثغر

نصدر عنها بالمغنم البارد

نصدر عنها بالمغنم البارد

And how many a raid we have made upon lips,

And how many raids on the brink

From which we return with cool, effortless spoils.

Do we launch from which we return with the coveted booty

تلك عهود قد كان لا بعدت

تلك عهود قد كان لا بعدت

طرف الليالي عنا بها راقد

طرف الليالي عنا بها راقد

Those were times—may they never grow distant—when

Those were covenants that have not been distant

The eye of the nights slept, oblivious to us.

The edge of nights from us while lying down

ومأسها الدهر عن تفرقا

ومأسها الدهر عن تفرقا

بل ظننا لا لتئامنا واحد

بل ظننا لا لتئامنا واحد

And Time ... concerning separation [text unclear].

And the days have not separated us

Rather, it thought us one through our union [wording uncertain].

Rather, we thought our union is one

ليت دري القاطنون في حلب

ليت دري القاطنون في حلب

حالي وما حال من لهم فاقد

حالي وما حال من لهم فاقد

Would that those dwelling in Aleppo knew

If only the residents of Aleppo would know

My state—and what is the state of one bereft of them?

My state and the state of those who miss them

يرقب وفد الشآم ذا قلق

يرقب وفد الشآم ذا قلق

عسى يراهم بناظر الراقد

عسى يراهم بناظر الراقد

He anxiously awaits the party from al-Sham,

Hopefully watching the delegation of Levant

Hoping to see them with a sleeper's eye.

He may see them with the eye of the sleeper

فارقت منه مثواي في رضا زمن

فارقت منه مثواي في رضا زمن

على ذوي الفضل لم يزال واجد

على ذوي الفضل لم يزال واجد

I left my dwelling there, to the delight of an age

I left it as my abode by consent of a time

That has never ceased resenting men of merit.

That has not stopped being generous to the virtuous

خرجت منه مع البزاة عسى

خرجت منه مع البزاة عسى

تصفو الليالي ويصلح الفاسد

تصفو الليالي ويصلح الفاسد

I left it with the falcons, hoping

I went out with the mail, hoping

The nights would clear and what was corrupt be mended.

That the nights will clear and the corrupt will be fixed

إلى قرار العلا ومصدره

إلى قرار العلا ومصدره

ورد الأماني وبغية القاصد

ورد الأماني وبغية القاصد

For the abode of eminence and its source,

To the settlement of glory and its source

The watering place of hopes and the seeker's desire.

The wishes returned and the goal of the seeker

قرة عين الإسلام مهجته

قرة عين الإسلام مهجته

ومن لدين الهدى غدا عاضد

ومن لدين الهدى غدا عاضد

The delight of Islam's eye, its very lifeblood,

The delight of Islam, its protector

And the man who has become a support to the faith of guidance.

And the supporter of the religion of guidance the next morning

يحي حياة العلوم بهجتها

يحي حياة العلوم بهجتها

فرصة ذي الفضل غصة الحاسد

فرصة ذي الفضل غصة الحاسد

Yahya, the life of learning, its splendor,

It brings to life the splendor of science

The worthy man's opportunity, the envier's choking grief.

An opportunity for the virtuous and agony for the envious

لذت به والفؤاد منصدع

لذت به والفؤاد منصدع

بالضيم من ريب دهري السامد

بالضيم من ريب دهري السامد

I sought refuge with him, my heart split apart

I have delighted in it while my heart is cracked

By oppression from the vicissitudes of my heedless age.

By the injustice of my stagnant fate

فعلت يا دهر ما فعلت فما العذر

فعلت يا دهر ما فعلت فما العذر

لدى اعدل الورى الماجد

لدى اعدل الورى الماجد

You did, O Time, what you did; what excuse have you

You have done, O fate, what you have done, so what is the excuse

Before the most just of mortals, the noble one?

In the presence of the most just of creatures

الحكم العدل من عزائمه

الحكم العدل من عزائمه

قامت على الدهر فاكتفى القاعد

قامت على الدهر فاكتفى القاعد

The just arbiter—some of his firm resolves

Just rule is one of his resolutions

Rose against Time, so even the seated man had enough.

It has triumphed over fate, so the sitter sufficed

وأصبحت حيرة حواسده

وأصبحت حيرة حواسده

كأنها العمى ما لها قائد

كأنها العمى ما لها قائد

And his enviers' bewilderment became

And your enviers have become confused

Like blindness, with no guide to lead it.

As if they are blind without a leader

رب القوافي التي لآلئها

رب القوافي التي لآلئها

تود لو قلدت بها الناهد

تود لو قلدت بها الناهد

Master of the rhymes whose pearls

Lord of rhymes whose pearls

The budding maiden longs to wear as a necklace.

Wish to be adorned by the fasting

إذا تأملتها وجدت فتى

إذا تأملتها وجدت فتى

شهب الدياجي بفكره الصائد

شهب الدياجي بفكره الصائد

When you contemplate them, you find a young man

When contemplated, you will find a young man

Hunting the shooting stars of dark nights with his thought.

With meteors of thought hunting him down

يسبق منه الأنعام سائله

يسبق منه الأنعام سائله

فلا يرى ممطلا ولا واعد

فلا يرى ممطلا ولا واعد

His bounty precedes the one who asks him,

His requesters outpace the cattle from him

And he is never seen stalling or merely promising.

So he is not seen postponing or promising

حاشاه وهو البحر الخضم بأن

حاشاه وهو البحر الخضم بأن

يصدر عنه بالغلة الوارد

يصدر عنه بالغلة الوارد

Far be it from him—he is the vast sea—that

Far from him, as he is the vast sea, to

One who comes to drink should leave him thirsty.

Issue therewith paucity of supply

خلق كروض الربيع باكره

خلق كروض الربيع باكره

نوء من الحلم فاغتدى مائد

نوء من الحلم فاغتدى مائد

A character like a spring meadow, visited at dawn

Created like the meadows of early spring

By a shower of forbearance, until it swayed.

Bending from dream, so he attacked the table

حدث بما شئت عن مكارمه

حدث بما شئت عن مكارمه

عجائب البحر ما لها جاحد

عجائب البحر ما لها جاحد

Say what you will of his noble deeds:

Say what you wish of his virtues

The wonders of the sea have no denier.

The wonders of the sea have no denier

فرع أصول مضوا ومجدهم

فرع أصول مضوا ومجدهم

باق وغابوا وفضلهم شاهد

باق وغابوا وفضلهم شاهد

A scion of forebears who passed away, while their glory

A branch whose origins have passed and their glory

Remains; they are gone, yet their merit bears witness.

Remains and they are gone and their merit witnessed

إليك شيخ الإسلام قد وفدت

إليك شيخ الإسلام قد وفدت

ركائب تحمل الثنا الخالد

ركائب تحمل الثنا الخالد

To you, Shaykh al-Islam, have come

To you, Shaykh of Islam, I have come

Riding camels bearing everlasting praise.

With transports carrying eternal praise

يتبعها خالص الدعاء شج

يتبعها خالص الدعاء شج

هابط حظ وهمه صاعد

هابط حظ وهمه صاعد

A sorrowing man follows them with sincere prayer,

Followed by the purest prayers that descend

His fortune falling, his aspiration rising.

With good fortune while its worry ascended

ألقى عليه الزمان كلكله

ألقى عليه الزمان كلكله

ونال منه بالكف والساعد

ونال منه بالكف والساعد

Time has laid its breast upon him

Time has inflicted its anklets upon him

And assailed him with palm and forearm.

And grasped him with palms and forearms

عسى التفات إليه من طرف الط

عسى التفات إليه من طرف الط

طرف يرى زند جده الصالد

طرف يرى زند جده الصالد

May a glance turn toward him from the corner of the [incomplete word],

Hopefully a glance towards him from an eye of the Most High

An eye that sees the sparkless firestick of his fortune.

An eye that sees his solid grandfather

واسلم لأهل الآداب مستنداً

واسلم لأهل الآداب مستنداً

عوناً على صرف دهرهم عاضد

عوناً على صرف دهرهم عاضد

And remain safe, a support for men of letters,

And I commend to the people of manners, seeking help

A help against the blows of their age, a steadfast ally.

Helping them manage their time, supporting