سَل ابنْةَ القَومِ هل تَدري بما صَنَعتْ

سَل ابنْةَ القَومِ هل تَدري بما صَنَعتْ

ألحاظُها بفُؤادٍ فيهِ قد رَتَعَتْ

ألحاظُها بفُؤادٍ فيهِ قد رَتَعَتْ

Ask the daughter of her people: does she know what

Ask the tribe's daughter whether she knows what was done

Her glances have done to my heart, where they have freely grazed?

by her glances to a heart where they grazed at will.

مَليحةٌ قَطَعَتْ من مُهجتي طَرَفاً

مَليحةٌ قَطَعَتْ من مُهجتي طَرَفاً

ولَيْتَها حاسَبَتْني بالذي قَطَعَتْ

ولَيْتَها حاسَبَتْني بالذي قَطَعَتْ

A lovely one: she severed a portion of my very soul;

A beauty has cut away a portion of my lifeblood;

Would that she had settled accounts with me for what she severed.

and would that she had settled accounts with me for what she cut away!

صُبحٌ إذا سَفَرَتْ غُصنٌ إذا خَطَرَتْ

صُبحٌ إذا سَفَرَتْ غُصنٌ إذا خَطَرَتْ

ظَبْيٌ إذا نَفَرَتْ مِسكٌ إذا سَطَعَتْ

ظَبْيٌ إذا نَفَرَتْ مِسكٌ إذا سَطَعَتْ

Dawn when she unveils; a bough when she sways;

Dawn when she unveils her face, a bough when she sways;

A gazelle when she starts away; musk when her scent spreads.

a gazelle when she shies away, musk when she gives forth fragrance.

أجفانُها خَلَعَتْ سُقْماً علَيَّ ولا

أجفانُها خَلَعَتْ سُقْماً علَيَّ ولا

لَوْمٌ عليها فمِن أثوابِها خَلَعتْ

لَوْمٌ عليها فمِن أثوابِها خَلَعتْ

Her eyelids bestowed sickness upon me—yet there is no

Her eyelids have clothed me in sickness, and no

Blame upon her: from among her robes she bestowed it.

blame is hers, for she bestowed it from her own robes.

لَئنْ تَكُنْ عن سَوادِ العينِ غائبةً

لَئنْ تَكُنْ عن سَوادِ العينِ غائبةً

فإنَّها في سَوادِ القلبِ قد طَلَعَتْ

فإنَّها في سَوادِ القلبِ قد طَلَعَتْ

Though she be absent from the black pupil of my eye,

Even if she is absent from the eye's dark pupil,

Within the heart’s black core she has risen.

yet she has risen in the heart's dark core.

وإن أتى من شِهابِ الدِّينِ مُقتَبَساً

وإن أتى من شِهابِ الدِّينِ مُقتَبَساً

كِتابُ أنُسٍ وقد غابَتْ فلا رَجَعتْ

كِتابُ أنُسٍ وقد غابَتْ فلا رَجَعتْ

Though from Shihab al-Din there came a borrowed light—

And if there comes, as light borrowed from Shihab al-Din,

A book of companionship—she vanished and never returned.

a letter of solace while she is away—then may she never return!

حَيَّا الحَيا أرْضَ زَوْراءِ العِراقِ ضُحىً

حَيَّا الحَيا أرْضَ زَوْراءِ العِراقِ ضُحىً

فتِلكَ أرضٌ لأهلِ الفضلِ قد جَمَعَتْ

فتِلكَ أرضٌ لأهلِ الفضلِ قد جَمَعَتْ

May the life-giving rain revive, at morn, al-Zawra in Iraq;

May rain greet the land of Zawra in Iraq at midmorning;

That is a land that has gathered the people of merit.

for that is a land that has gathered people of excellence.

لَئنْ مَضَت دَولةُ المُلكِ القديم بها

لَئنْ مَضَت دَولةُ المُلكِ القديم بها

فدَولةُ العِلمِ منها قَطُّ ما انقَطَعتْ

فدَولةُ العِلمِ منها قَطُّ ما انقَطَعتْ

Though the dominion of ancient kingship has passed away there,

Though the dominion of ancient kingship there has passed away,

The dominion of learning has never once been severed from it.

yet the dominion of learning has never been severed from her.

فيها الرِّجالُ المَشاهِيرُ الذينَ بهِمْ

فيها الرِّجالُ المَشاهِيرُ الذينَ بهِمْ

مَنارةُ العِلمِ فوقَ النَّجمِ قد رُفعتْ

مَنارةُ العِلمِ فوقَ النَّجمِ قد رُفعتْ

There are the renowned men through whom

Within her are the renowned men through whom

Learning’s beacon has been raised above the stars—

the beacon of learning has been raised above the stars:

من كُلِّ أبلَجَ واري الزَّنْدِ في يَدهِ

من كُلِّ أبلَجَ واري الزَّنْدِ في يَدهِ

أقلامُ صِدقٍ بأمرِ اللهِ قد صَدَعَتْ

أقلامُ صِدقٍ بأمرِ اللهِ قد صَدَعَتْ

Each one radiant, his fire-striking flint aflame, in whose hand

each a bright-faced man, his fire-stick alight, holding in his hand

Are truthful pens that have proclaimed the command of God.

pens of truth that have proclaimed God's command.

كلُّ البِلادِ وإن جَلَّتْ مَحاسِنُها

كلُّ البِلادِ وإن جَلَّتْ مَحاسِنُها

عِقْدٌ فَريدَتُهُ بغدادُ قد وُضِعَتْ

عِقْدٌ فَريدَتُهُ بغدادُ قد وُضِعَتْ

All lands, however magnificent their beauties,

All lands, however splendid their beauties,

Are a necklace in which Baghdad is set as the peerless pearl.

are a necklace, with Baghdad set as its peerless jewel.

تَسَعى إليها القوافي السَّائراتُ كما

تَسَعى إليها القوافي السَّائراتُ كما

تَسعَى إلى الكَعْبةِ الحُجَّاجُ حينَ سَعَتْ

تَسعَى إلى الكَعْبةِ الحُجَّاجُ حينَ سَعَتْ

Traveling rhymes hasten toward her, just as

Far-ranging rhymes hasten to her, just as

Pilgrims hasten toward the Kaaba when they set forth.

pilgrims hasten to the Kaaba when they set forth.

أرضٌ تَتُوقُ إلى مَرأى مَحاسِنها

أرضٌ تَتُوقُ إلى مَرأى مَحاسِنها

عيني لكَثْرةِ ما أُذْني بها سَمِعَتْ

عيني لكَثْرةِ ما أُذْني بها سَمِعَتْ

A land whose beauties my eye yearns to behold,

A land whose beauties are a sight yearned for

So much has my ear heard tell of them.

by my eye, for all that my ear has heard of her.

حَسِبتُها فَلَكاً إذْ قِيلَ إنَّ بِها

حَسِبتُها فَلَكاً إذْ قِيلَ إنَّ بِها

ذاكَ الشِّهابَ الذي أنوارُهُ لَمَعَتْ

ذاكَ الشِّهابَ الذي أنوارُهُ لَمَعَتْ

I thought it a firmament when I was told that within it was

I thought her a celestial sphere when told that within her was

That Shihab whose lights flashed.

that meteor whose lights have shone.

ماذا أقرِّظُ من ذاكَ المقَامِ على

ماذا أقرِّظُ من ذاكَ المقَامِ على

تَقريظِهِ لمقاماتي التي طُبعَتْ

تَقريظِهِ لمقاماتي التي طُبعَتْ

What praise can I give that exalted personage in return for

What can I say in praise of that exalted station, in return for

His commendation of my Maqāmāt, which have now been printed?

his praise of my maqamat tales, which have been printed?

ليسَ الشَهادةُ من ضُعفي بنافعةٍ

ليسَ الشَهادةُ من ضُعفي بنافعةٍ

لكن شَهادَتهُ تلكَ التي نَفَعَتْ

لكن شَهادَتهُ تلكَ التي نَفَعَتْ

A testimonial from one as weak as I could not benefit him;

My testimony, given my weakness, is of no use;

It was his testimonial, rather, that benefited me.

but his testimony is the one that has proved useful.