أخافُ إذا أشارَ براحتَيه

أخافُ إذا أشارَ براحتَيه

لِعِلمي أنَّ رُوحي في يَدَيه

لِعِلمي أنَّ رُوحي في يَدَيه

I fear whenever he gestures with his palms,

I fear when he gestures with his two palms,

for I know my soul is in his hands.

For I know that my soul is in his two hands.

يَخفِقُ عِندَ نَظْرتهِ فُؤَادي

يَخفِقُ عِندَ نَظْرتهِ فُؤَادي

لأَنَّ سَوادَهُ من مُقلتَيهِ

لأَنَّ سَوادَهُ من مُقلتَيهِ

Beneath his gaze my heart flutters,

My heart flutters at his glance,

for its darkness comes from his pupils.

For its dark core comes from his two eyes.

رَشاً أَلِفَ النِّفارَ وليسَ بِدْعٌ

رَشاً أَلِفَ النِّفارَ وليسَ بِدْعٌ

فقد خُلِقَ النِّفارُ لِمَعْطِفَيهِ

فقد خُلِقَ النِّفارُ لِمَعْطِفَيهِ

A fawn accustomed to flight—and no wonder:

A gazelle-fawn accustomed to fleeing—no wonder,

flight itself was created for his eyes.

For skittishness was created for his two flanks.

يُعاهِدُ كُلَّ يومٍ كلَّ عَهدٍ

يُعاهِدُ كُلَّ يومٍ كلَّ عَهدٍ

ويَغدُرُ بالنبيِّ وصاحبيْهِ

ويَغدُرُ بالنبيِّ وصاحبيْهِ

Each day he makes every kind of pledge,

Each day he makes every pledge,

then betrays the Prophet and his two Companions.

And betrays the Prophet and his two companions.

أُريدُ سُلوَّهُ من كلِّ قلبي

أُريدُ سُلوَّهُ من كلِّ قلبي

وقلبي لا يُطاوِعُني عليهِ

وقلبي لا يُطاوِعُني عليهِ

With all my heart I wish to forget him,

I want to forget him with all my heart,

but my heart will not obey me where he is concerned.

But my heart will not obey me in this.

وهيهاتِ السُلوُّ وقد ظَلِلْنا

وهيهاتِ السُلوُّ وقد ظَلِلْنا

وظَلَّ الغُنجُ يَعْقِدُ حاجبَيهِ

وظَلَّ الغُنجُ يَعْقِدُ حاجبَيهِ

How far off is forgetting, when we have lingered on,

And far off was forgetting, as we lingered,

and coyness has kept knitting his brows.

And coquetry kept knitting his two brows.

وما طُفنا البلادَ ولا رأَينا

وما طُفنا البلادَ ولا رأَينا

مَقامَ المجدِ والدُّنيا لديهِ

مَقامَ المجدِ والدُّنيا لديهِ

We have not roamed the lands, nor have we seen

We have not roamed the lands, nor have we seen

the dwelling-place of glory, with the world at his command.

The abode of glory—and the world is with him.

لديهِ الفاضلُ البحريُّ بحرٌ

لديهِ الفاضلُ البحريُّ بحرٌ

تَضيقُ بِحارُنا في جانبَيهِ

تَضيقُ بِحارُنا في جانبَيهِ

In his court al-Fāḍil al-Baḥraynī is an ocean;

With him, the eminent al-Bahri is an ocean,

between his shores, our seas grow narrow.

Our seas grow narrow within his two shores.

أَصَحُّ الكاتبينَ يداً وفكراً

أَصَحُّ الكاتبينَ يداً وفكراً

وأَضبَطُ حاسِباً من كاتبَيهِ

وأَضبَطُ حاسِباً من كاتبَيهِ

The most faithful of scribes in hand and thought,

The most accurate of writers in hand and thought,

more exact in reckoning than his two recording angels;

And more precise a reckoner than his two scribes.

وأَمضَى من ذُبابِ السيفِ رأُياً

وأَمضَى من ذُبابِ السيفِ رأُياً

وأَجملُ طَلعةً من صَفْحتَيهِ

وأَجملُ طَلعةً من صَفْحتَيهِ

keener in judgment than the sword’s point,

And sharper in judgment than the sword's edge,

and fairer in countenance than its two faces.

And fairer in appearance than its two faces.

بيَحيَى تَلهَجُ الفُضَلاءُ طُرّاً

بيَحيَى تَلهَجُ الفُضَلاءُ طُرّاً

كما لَهِجَ النُحاةُ بِسيبَويْهِ

كما لَهِجَ النُحاةُ بِسيبَويْهِ

All men of excellence chant Yahya’s name,

All the learned speak eagerly of Yahya,

as grammarians have chanted Sibawayh’s.

As grammarians spoke eagerly of Sibawayh.

وتُثنِي المكرُماتُ عليهِ ممَّا

وتُثنِي المكرُماتُ عليهِ ممَّا

يُعظّمُها وتَحمَدُ أَصغَرَيهِ

يُعظّمُها وتَحمَدُ أَصغَرَيهِ

Noble deeds themselves praise him for the way

And noble deeds sing his praises for the way

he magnifies them, and they commend his heart and tongue.

He exalts them, and praise his heart and tongue.

أقولُ لمُقلتي لمَّا رأَتهُ

أقولُ لمُقلتي لمَّا رأَتهُ

أَهذا مَن رَجَونا أن تَرَيْهِ

أَهذا مَن رَجَونا أن تَرَيْهِ

I said to my eye when it beheld him:

I say to my eye when it sees him:

“Is this the man whom we had hoped you would see?

Is this the one we hoped you would see?

لكِ البُشرَى بهِ فاهنَيْ وقِرّي

لكِ البُشرَى بهِ فاهنَيْ وقِرّي

بمن يُنسِي المُسافرَ والدَيْهِ

بمن يُنسِي المُسافرَ والدَيْهِ

Glad tidings are yours in him—rejoice and rest content

Glad tidings of him are yours: rejoice and be content,

with one who makes the traveler forget his parents.”

With one who makes the traveler forget his parents.

دعوتُ من الطريقِِ أَبا سليمٍ

دعوتُ من الطريقِِ أَبا سليمٍ

فلبَّاني وأَبرَزَ مِعْصَمَيهِ

فلبَّاني وأَبرَزَ مِعْصَمَيهِ

From the road I called Abu Sulaym;

From the road I called to Abu Salim,

he answered my call and bared his wrists.

And he answered me and revealed his two wrists.

فَرُحتُ وقد ضَرَبتُ الدَّهرَ صَفْحاً

فَرُحتُ وقد ضَرَبتُ الدَّهرَ صَفْحاً

وراحَ الدَّهرُ يَضرِبُ أَصدَرَيهِ

وراحَ الدَّهرُ يَضرِبُ أَصدَرَيهِ

I rejoiced, having brushed Fate aside,

So I went away, having brushed Time aside,

while Fate went off beating both sides of its breast.

And Time went off, beating its two shoulders.

سيعلمُ أَهلُ لُبنانٍ بأنّي

سيعلمُ أَهلُ لُبنانٍ بأنّي

فتىً وَطِئَ السِّماكَ بأَخمَصَيهِ

فتىً وَطِئَ السِّماكَ بأَخمَصَيهِ

The people of Lebanon shall know that I am

The people of Lebanon will know that I am

a youth who trod the star al-Simāk beneath both soles.

A youth who trod al-Simak with the hollows of his feet.

ويَحسُدُني الذينَ حَسَدتُ قبلاً

ويَحسُدُني الذينَ حَسَدتُ قبلاً

على وَطَرٍ نَزَلتُ بأَسوَدَيهِ

على وَطَرٍ نَزَلتُ بأَسوَدَيهِ

Those whom I envied before will envy me

And those I once envied will envy me

for a wish fulfilled, in whose twin black depths I have lodged.

For a goal at whose heart and liver I alighted.

أَلِفتُ الصَّبرَ حتى صِرتُ صبراً

أَلِفتُ الصَّبرَ حتى صِرتُ صبراً

ولكن كُنتُ أطوَلَ شُقَّتيهِ

ولكن كُنتُ أطوَلَ شُقَّتيهِ

I grew accustomed to patience until I became patience itself,

I grew accustomed to patience till I became patience itself,

yet I proved longer-enduring than either of its two stretches.

Yet I was the longer of its two halves.

وشَيَّبَ عارضَيَّ وليسَ بِدعٌ

وشَيَّبَ عارضَيَّ وليسَ بِدعٌ

إذا شابَ الكريمُ بعارِضيهِ

إذا شابَ الكريمُ بعارِضيهِ

My temples turned gray—and no wonder:

And it grayed both sides of my beard—no wonder,

when a noble man grays, he grays at both temples.

If a noble man grows gray along both sides of his beard.

وَصَلتُ بهِ إلى وَطَرٍ كريمٍ

وَصَلتُ بهِ إلى وَطَرٍ كريمٍ

على الأَوطارِ يَعقِدُ خِنصِرَيهِ

على الأَوطارِ يَعقِدُ خِنصِرَيهِ

Through him I attained a noble desire;

Through it I reached a noble goal,

he curls his little fingers around all desires.

That folds its two little fingers over all other goals.

كريمٌ من كريمٍ حين يبدو

كريمٌ من كريمٍ حين يبدو

تَرى الأَبصارَ شاخصةً إليهِ

تَرى الأَبصارَ شاخصةً إليهِ

A noble man, son of a noble man: when he appears,

A generous man born of a generous man—when he appears,

you see every gaze fixed upon him.

You see eyes fixed upon him.

رَفَعتُ إليهِ دعوَى الحُبِّ شَرْعاً

رَفَعتُ إليهِ دعوَى الحُبِّ شَرْعاً

وهذي العينُ أَعدَلُ شاهدَيهِ

وهذي العينُ أَعدَلُ شاهدَيهِ

I laid love’s suit before him in due legal form,

I brought before him love's claim in legal form,

and this eye is the more just of its two witnesses.

And this eye is the truer of its two witnesses.