Sol 6.1

  1. تَذكَّرَ المُنْحَنَى فانْهَلَّ مَدمَعُهُ

    صَبابةً وانحَنَتْ للشَّوقِ أضلُعُهُ

    He remembered the bend, and his tears poured forth

    in yearning, while his ribs bowed with longing.

  2. وباتَ من وَلَهٍ يَرعَى النُجومَ فما

    دَرى أفي الأرضِ أم في الأُفقِ مَضجَعُهُ

    And, distraught with love, he watched the stars all night, unable to

    tell whether his bed lay on earth or on the horizon.

  3. صَبٌّ مَضَى النَومُ من أجفانِهِ فجَرَتْ

    في إثرِهِ عَبرةٌ منها تُشيِّعُهُ

    A lovesick man: sleep left his eyelids, and there flowed

    from them a tear in its wake, bidding it farewell.

  4. إذا سَرَتْ نَسَماتُ الغَورِ خَرَّ لها

    وَجداً فكانَ نَسيمُ الرِّيح يَصرَعُهُ

    Whenever the lowland breezes drifted by night, he fell before them

    in yearning; a breath of wind would lay him low.

  5. يا لابساً كُلَّ يومٍ ثوبَ زَخرفَةٍ

    ألبَستَ مُضناكَ ثوباً ليسَ يَخلَعُهُ

    O you who wear a robe of finery every day,

    you have clothed your wasted lover in a robe he never sheds.

  6. لئِن تَكُنْ نَظْرةٌ جَرَّتْ لهُ ضَررَاً

    مُنذُ القديمِ فتلكَ اليومَ تَنفَعُهُ

    Even if a glance brought him harm

    long ago, that same glance benefits him today.

  7. إذا تَعمَّدَ أنْ ييسلوكَ عارَضَهُ

    قلبٌ إليهِ بذاكَ الحِينِ تَرجِعُهُ

    Whenever he resolves to forget you, he is thwarted

    by a heart you return to him at that very moment.

  8. وكُلَّما أطبَقَتْ للنَّومِ مُقلَتُهُ

    جَفناً بَعَثْتَ خيالاً منكَ يَقرَعُهُ

    And whenever his eye closes for sleep,

    you send a phantom of yourself to knock upon its lid.

  9. ما كانَ يَرضَى حديثاً منكَ عن طَمَعٍ

    فَصارَ يَرَضى حديثاً عنكَ يَسمَعُهُ

    Once, in his craving, he was not content with words from you;

    now he is content to hear words about you.

  10. إن كانَ لا يَملِكُ الظَمْآنُ نهلتَهُ

    مِن المياهِ فقطرُ الماءِ يُقنعُهُ

    If a thirsty man cannot obtain his draught

    of water, a few drops of water will content him.

  11. آمنتُ بالله ما هذا الهوى فلقد

    أذابَ ما ليسَ حَرُّ النَّارِ يلذَعُهُ

    I believe in God! What is this love? For it has

    melted what the heat of fire cannot scorch.

  12. لا تَلَبَسِ الدِّرعَ يا شاكي السِّلاحِ إذا

    زُرتَ الحِمى فلِحاظُ الغِيدِ تقطَعُهُ

    Do not don mail, O armed one, when

    you visit the sanctuary: the glances of graceful beauties cut through it.

  13. كُلُّ البُدورِ التِّي في الشَّرقِ مَطلِعُها

    تَفدِي الأميرَ الذي في الغَربِ مَطلعُهُ

    All the full moons whose rising is in the East

    offer themselves as ransom for the prince whose rising is in the West.

  14. في غَربِ لُبنانَ من أرضِ المَشارِقِ لا

    في مَغرِبِ الأرضِ مَنْشاهُ ومَرْبَعُهُ

    In western Lebanon, in the lands of the East—not

    in the earth's far west—are his birthplace and dwelling.

  15. لهُ الشُّوَيفاتُ بُرجٌ حَلَّهُ قَمَرٌ

    لذاكَ كانَ تُجاهَ البَحرِ مَوقِعُهُ

    Shuwayfat is his tower, where a moon has settled;

    that is why its site faces the sea.

  16. شَهْمٌ يَغارُ على الآدابِ يَجمَعُها

    ولا يَغارُ على الدِّينارِ يجمَعُهُ

    A noble man, he jealously cherishes and gathers the literary arts,

    but does not jealously guard and hoard the dinar.

  17. يسطُو على شَمْلِ بيتِ المالِ مُقتَطِعاً

    كأنَّهُ بيتُ شِعرٍ إذْ يُقطِّعُهُ

    He assails the treasury's gathered wealth, cutting it into portions,

    as though it were a line of verse he was scanning.

  18. ردَّ الزَّمانُ لهُ المَجدَ القدِيمَ كما

    رُدَّتْ على عَقِبِ الكِندِيِّ أدرُعُهُ

    Time restored his ancient glory to him, just as

    al-Kindi's coats of mail were returned to his descendants.

  19. ومَن وَفَى النَّاسَ في ما كان مؤتَمناً

    وَفَى لهُ الدَّهرُ في ما كان يُودِعُهُ

    And whoever is faithful to people in what he holds in trust,

    time is faithful to him in what he deposits with it.

  20. تُرَى مَتَى تَشتفي الحُسَّادُ من رَجُلٍ

    تُرِيدُ خَفضاً لهُ واللهُ يَرفَعُهُ

    When, I wonder, will the envious sate their spite against a man

    they wish to abase, while God exalts him?

  21. إذا قضَى اللهُ أمراً لا يُرَدُّ وإنْ

    أجرَى عَطاءً فمنْ في الأرضِ يمَنعُهُ

    When God decrees a thing, it cannot be reversed; and if

    He grants a bounty, who on earth can withhold it?

  22. مَلائِكُ العرشِ تغدو بالسَّلامِ على

    مُحمَّدٍ ورِضَى الرَحْمنِ يَتبَعُهُ

    The angels of the Throne go forth at dawn, bearing peace to

    Muhammad, and the All-Merciful's favor follows him.

  23. هذا الذي بَعَثَ اللهُ الكرِيمُ بهِ

    للناسِ حتى يقولوا جَلَّ مُبدِعُهُ

    This is the one whom God, the Generous, sent

    to mankind, that they might say, 'Exalted is his Creator!'

  24. لا تَعجَبوا من سَقامٍ قد تَعَوَّدَهُ

    فَمنْ رآهُ يَدُمْ فيهِ تَوَلُّعُهُ

    Do not marvel at an illness that has grown accustomed to him;

    for whoever sees him remains enamored of him.

  25. مَنْ كانَ يَشفِي منَ الأوجاعِ مَنظَرُهُ

    ولُطُفُهُ كيفَ هذا الدَّاءُ يُوجِعُهُ

    He whose very appearance heals pain,

    and whose kindness heals it—how can this illness hurt him?

  26. لا بُدَّ للضِّيقِ أنْ يَمضي إلى فَرَجٍ

    لكنْ لَعلَّ أشَدَّ الضِّيقِ أسرَعُهُ

    Distress must surely give way to relief,

    yet perhaps the severest distress is the swiftest to pass.

  27. إذا كَسا اليومُ نَصْلَ السَّيفِ ثوبَ صَدَا

    رَجَوتُ أنَّ غَداً لا بُدَّ يَنزِعُهُ

    If today clothes the sword's blade in a robe of rust,

    I hope that tomorrow will surely strip it off.