لعل نفور الجزع يأنس بالورد

لعل نفور الجزع يأنس بالورد

فتشكر عيني ما شكا سفحه خدي

فتشكر عيني ما شكا سفحه خدي

Perhaps the valley's shy gazelle will grow at ease at the watering place,

Perhaps the aversion of grief is comforted by roses

So my eye may thank the tears whose pouring my cheek lamented.

So my eyes thank what my cheek complained of

واني وجود المستحيل وانما

واني وجود المستحيل وانما

تقرب آمالي إلى البعد بالبعد

تقرب آمالي إلى البعد بالبعد

But how can the impossible exist? It is only that

And I, the existence of the impossible, yet

My hopes draw nearer to remoteness through remoteness.

My hopes draw near to the far with the far

مرام نأى عني وعز مناله

مرام نأى عني وعز مناله

فلا بعده يدني ولا قربه يجدي

فلا بعده يدني ولا قربه يجدي

A goal has grown distant from me, and its attainment is hard:

The goal of my desire turned away from me and the reaching of its glory

Neither its distance brings nearness, nor its nearness avails.

So neither does its distance draw near nor its nearness avail

هو الحب لا يرجى أمان مخوفه

هو الحب لا يرجى أمان مخوفه

فلو لم يرعني بالنوى راع بالصد

فلو لم يرعني بالنوى راع بالصد

It is love: no safety from its terrors can be hoped for.

It is love, no security is hoped for from its fear

For if it did not frighten me with separation, it would frighten me with rejection.

So had the shepherd not looked after me with intent, I would have been looked after with indifference

لك الله جفنا لا يجف من البكا

لك الله جفنا لا يجف من البكا

وسكرة قلب لا يفيق من الوجد

وسكرة قلب لا يفيق من الوجد

God be your help, O eyelid that never dries from weeping,

For you are an eyelid that does not dry from weeping

And the drunkenness of a heart that never sobers from passion.

And an intoxication of the heart that does not awaken from passion

وحياك أيام الصبا صيب الحيا

وحياك أيام الصبا صيب الحيا

فبالعين شغل منذ بينك بالسهد

فبالعين شغل منذ بينك بالسهد

And may showers of rain greet you, days of youth,

And your life in the days of youth, the prime of life

For since your departure, my eye has been occupied with sleeplessness.

So my eye was busy since between us with yearning

زمان أنفنا السكر إلا من اللمى

زمان أنفنا السكر إلا من اللمى

وعفنا قطاف الورد إلا من الخد

وعفنا قطاف الورد إلا من الخد

A time when we disdained intoxication except from dusky lips,

A time when we breathed in nothing but the wine of union

And spurned plucking roses except from the cheek.

And picked nothing but the roses of the cheek

فيا زمن اللذات هل أنت عائد

فيا زمن اللذات هل أنت عائد

بما مر في تلك المعاهد والعهد

بما مر في تلك المعاهد والعهد

O time of delights, will you return

So oh time of pleasures, will you return

With what passed in those familiar haunts and bygone days?

With what passed in those dwellings and covenant?

ويا جيرة شطت بهم غربة النوى

ويا جيرة شطت بهم غربة النوى

بعيش الهوى لا تخفروا ذمة الود

بعيش الهوى لا تخفروا ذمة الود

And O neighbors whom the estrangement of separation carried far away,

And oh neighbor whom estrangement of passion carried away

By the life of love, do not betray affection's covenant.

With the livelihood of love, do not violate the pact of affection

ويانسمات الريح من نحو ارضهم

ويانسمات الريح من نحو ارضهم

روائح احبابي ام الشيح والرند

روائح احبابي ام الشيح والرند

And O breezes from the direction of their land,

And oh breezes of the wind from their land

Are these my loved ones' scents, or wormwood and laurel?

Are you the fragrances of my loved ones or musk and basil?

وما حال قلبي في رباهم فأنهم

وما حال قلبي في رباهم فأنهم

اقام بها بعدي وطال به عهدي

اقام بها بعدي وطال به عهدي

And how fares my heart in their uplands? For it [reading uncertain]

And what is the state of my heart in dwelling with them for they

Stayed there after I left, and long have I been apart from it.

Remained with it after me and my covenant with it lengthened

اعاقته الحاظ الظبا بشراكها

اعاقته الحاظ الظبا بشراكها

وخلفنه لم ادر ما حاله بعدي

وخلفنه لم ادر ما حاله بعدي

The gazelles' glances detained it in their snares,

The gazelles hindered it with their snare

And left it behind; I know not how it has fared since I left.

And left it, I know not what its state is after me

الا حاجب للسحر من ناظر الظبا

الا حاجب للسحر من ناظر الظبا

الا قائد للجبر من كاسر الأسد

الا قائد للجبر من كاسر الأسد

Is there no shield against the magic of the gazelles' gaze?

Except an eyebrow enchanting the gazelles with its glance

Is there no guide to mending from the lion-breaker?

Except a leader restraining fate with his lion-breaking

الا مبلغ عني الشهابي إنني

الا مبلغ عني الشهابي إنني

أتيت إليه أزجر الغي بالرشد

أتيت إليه أزجر الغي بالرشد

Will no messenger tell al-Shihabi on my behalf that I

Except one conveying from me the meteor, that I

Have come to him to drive away error with right guidance?

Came to him, deterring caprice with uprightness

إلى منبع العرفان والفضل والعلا

إلى منبع العرفان والفضل والعلا

إلى مطلع الإقبال واليمن والسعد

إلى مطلع الإقبال واليمن والسعد

To the fountainhead of knowledge, bounty, and eminence,

To the spring of knowledge, merit and sublimity

To the rising-place of prosperity, blessing, and good fortune,

To the rising place of grace, prosperity and fortune

إلى منزل البلوى على ساحة العدا

إلى منزل البلوى على ساحة العدا

إلى موقف الجدوى على سبل الحمد

إلى موقف الجدوى على سبل الحمد

To him who sends affliction down upon the enemies' field,

To the abode of ordeals in the field of enemies

To him who stations bounty upon the paths of praise,

To the position of benefit on the path of praise

إلى سيد لم تبق علياه رتبة

إلى سيد لم تبق علياه رتبة

لراق كما لم تبق جدواه مستجدي

لراق كما لم تبق جدواه مستجدي

To a lord whose eminence has left no rank

To a master whom no station remains

For a climber, just as his bounty has left no beggar.

Too lofty just as no effort of his remains fruitless

وما القصد إلا الانتماء لبابه

وما القصد إلا الانتماء لبابه

فإن فاتني هذا فقد فاتني قصدي

فإن فاتني هذا فقد فاتني قصدي

And my only aim is to belong at his door;

And my intention is none but belonging to his court

So if this eludes me, my aim has eluded me.

For if I miss this then I have missed my intention

كأني إذا ما لاحظتني عيونه

كأني إذا ما لاحظتني عيونه

بسيط المني يسري على الأمل الجعد

بسيط المني يسري على الأمل الجعد

It is as though, whenever his eyes regard me,

It's as if when his eyes observe me

I were a smooth expanse of wishes, coursing over tightly curled hope.

My outstretched hope flows on the smooth dune

وقد آب هذا الدهر عن ترهاته

وقد آب هذا الدهر عن ترهاته

وأبدلت أيامي صفاءً عن الحقد

وأبدلت أيامي صفاءً عن الحقد

And this age has turned away from its follies,

And this time has turned away from its delusions

And my days have exchanged rancor for serenity.

And my days changed to serenity from rancor

أخا النسب السامي الذي قد تساقطت

أخا النسب السامي الذي قد تساقطت

لبهجته الأنساب صالدة الزند

لبهجته الأنساب صالدة الزند

O bearer of lofty lineage, before whose

Oh brother of glorious lineage which pedigrees

Splendor other lineages have fallen, their firesticks failing to kindle.

Have inclined towards its splendor, firm as spears

مدحتك لكن مدحي الليث بالسطا

مدحتك لكن مدحي الليث بالسطا

أو البدر بالعليا أو العضب بالحد

أو البدر بالعليا أو العضب بالحد

I praised you, but it is like praising the lion for its prowess,

I praised you but my praise is of the lion with eloquence

Or the full moon for its loftiness, or the keen sword for its edge.

Or the full moon with sublimity or the blade with sharpness

ولو منت عمداً في مديحك مفرطا

ولو منت عمداً في مديحك مفرطا

برغمي انتحيت الصدق في ذلك العمد

برغمي انتحيت الصدق في ذلك العمد

And even if I deliberately lied, praising you to excess,

And if I intentionally exceeded in praising you

Despite myself, I would reach the truth in that very intent.

In spite of me, sincerity in that intention appeared

ورت بك زند المكرمات كما خبت

ورت بك زند المكرمات كما خبت

بنجلك نار الكيد من ضدك الوغد

بنجلك نار الكيد من ضدك الوغد

Through you the firestick of noble deeds has kindled, just as

The arrows of favors revolved around you as

Through your son the fire of your vile foe's scheming has died out.

The fire of plots extinguished against your enemy

نجيب بدت في وجهه سمة العلا

نجيب بدت في وجهه سمة العلا

ولاح لنا من فرقه البارق السعدي

ولاح لنا من فرقه البارق السعدي

Najib, upon whose face the mark of eminence has appeared,

Najeeb appeared on his face the mark of glory

And from whose hair's parting auspicious lightning shone for us.

And the fortunate brilliant star shone for us from his forehead

كأني به والمكرمات توارث

كأني به والمكرمات توارث

يجر على هام العلا فاضل البرد

يجر على هام العلا فاضل البرد

I can almost see him—for noble deeds pass by inheritance—

It's as if I see him while favors are inherited

Dragging his striped cloak's trailing folds over the heads of eminence,

Pulling the reins of glory, the excellent coolness

وينشب في كبد المآثر ظفره

وينشب في كبد المآثر ظفره

وهل تعدل الأشبال عن شيمة الأسد

وهل تعدل الأشبال عن شيمة الأسد

And sinking his claw into the vitals of glorious deeds.

And planting his victory in the liver of glories

And do lion cubs turn aside from the lion's nature?

And do cubs deviate from the nature of lions?

فخذها سطوراً في طروس كأنها

فخذها سطوراً في طروس كأنها

دبيب عذار لاح في أصدغ المرد

دبيب عذار لاح في أصدغ المرد

So take it as lines on sheets, as though they were

So take them as lines in prose as if they are

Beard-down creeping into view on the temples of beardless youths.

The creeping of a fawn that appeared on the cheek of a spear

أتتك بها أبكار فكر تسربلت

أتتك بها أبكار فكر تسربلت

لفقد بياض الحظ حزنا بمسود

لفقد بياض الحظ حزنا بمسود

Maiden thoughts brought it to you, having clothed themselves

They came to you as the prime of thought dressed

In black, grieving for the loss of fortune's whiteness.

In mourning garb for the loss of good fortune with blackness

غوت برهة حتى دعا داعي الهدى

غوت برهة حتى دعا داعي الهدى

إليك فألقت في ذراك عصا الوخد

إليك فألقت في ذراك عصا الوخد

They strayed a while, until the herald of guidance called

They wandered for a time until the caller to righteousness

To you; then in your shelter they laid down the staff of swift travel.

Called to you so they cast in your bosom the staff of resolve