أتَتْني بلا وَعْدٍ من المَنزلِ الأسنى

رَبيبةُ خِدرٍ تَجمَعُ الحُسْنَ والحُسنَى

She came to me unbidden from the most exalted abode,

A doe-eyed darling combining beauty and more beauty still.

فَرَشْتُ لَها بِيضَ القُصورِ مَطارِفاً

فلم تَرْضَ إلاّ أسودَ القَلبِ للسُكنى

I spread out for her the egg-shell fineries of palaces,

Yet she was pleased with only my black-heartedness for habitation.

رَقيقةُ مَعنىً صَيَّرَتْني رقيقَها

لِما أبْرَزَت من رِقَّةِ اللّفظِ والمَعْنَى

Delicate of meaning, she made me her delicate one

For what she displayed of the softness of phrase and significance.

دَنَتْ فَتَدَلَّتْ دانياتُ قُطوفِها

عليَّ فكانت قابَ قَوْسينِ أو أدنَى

She drew near and clusters of her ripening fruits

Inclined onto me until she was but two bow-lengths away or less.

أتَتْنا تَخُوضُ البَحرَ جَاهَدَةَ السُّرَى

من البَحرِ لكنْ صادَفَتْ عندَنا حَزْنا

She came to us, braving the ocean depths,

Yet from the sea she met only grief with us

وَفاتتْ مياهَ النِّيلِ تطلُبُ قفْرةً

تُعيضُ الصَّدَى عن ذلك المَورِدِ الأهنَى

And missed the waters of the Nile seeking barren ground

Which would turn away the echo from that woeful spring.

مُخدَّرَةٌ لَميْاءُ غَرْثى الوِشاح لو

رأى قَيْسُ لُبْنى حُسنَها صَدَّ عن لُبْنى

Languorous are the clear waters of Future’s white robe if

Qais had seen her beauty he would have turned away from Layla.

لَقد أُلبِسَتْ ثوبَ البياضِ وَخُتِّمَتْ

عَقيقاً بهِ عن ظَرْفِ أخلاقها يكْنى

She was clad in robes of whiteness and sealed

With carnelian thereby hinting at the refinement in her nature.

عقيلةُ قومٍ زَفَّها اليومَ عاقلٌ

كريمٌ يَشوقُ القلبَ والعينَ والأُذْنا

A kinswoman of folk whom an intelligent, noble one has married today,

One who stirs the heart, the eye and the ear to passion.

أتَتْني على بُعدِ المَزارِ تَعُودُني

وقد عَلِمتْ أنّي لوَجْدِي بهِ مُضَنى

She came to visit me from afar, restoring me

Though she knew that seeing her would pain me.

كريمُ الثَّنا أثنَى عليَّ بوَصفِهِ

ومَن لي بأنْ أُثْني عليهِ كما أثْنَى

Noble in his description of her, how can I describe him

As he described her? I am incapable yet the eye of love

أنا الآلُ لكنْ لا أقولُ غَرَرتُهُ

ولكنَّ عينَ الحُبِّ قد تَخلُقُ الحُسنا

Can imagine beauty. We found him perfectly faithful—

Our hopes were not set on ghouls or the Elephant.

وَجدَنا بهِ الخِلَّ الوفيَّ فلم تكن

عن الغُولِ والعَنقْاءِ أطماعُنا تُثَنى

His affection lasts beyond the length of ages

And grows like plants in a delightful garden.

يَزيدُ على طول الزَّمانِ وِدادُهُ

فينمو نُموَّ الغَرْسِ في الرَوضةِ الغَنَّا

He is cultured, intelligent, a poet and prose stylist whose

Jeweled verses buildings are constructed upon.

أديبٌ لبيبٌ شاعرٌ ناثرٌ لهُ

جَواهِرُ أبياتُ القَريضِ بها تُبَنى

The charm of his meaning is subtler than the morning breeze

And more pleasurable than the voice of one singing gaily.

لَطائِفُ مَعناهُ أرَقُّ منَ الصَبا

وأطرَبُ من صَوتِ الهَزارِ إذا غَنَّى

Good fortune grasped his right and left hands so

The left became fortunate and the right successful.

أصابَتْ يداهُ اليُمنَ واليُسرَ في الوَرَى

فأيَمَنتِ اليُسَرى وأيسَرَتِ اليُمنى

He is the Ummari, pure of lineage whom

Has enjoyed kindnesses from He who bestows favors.

هو العُمَرِيُّ الطَّاهرُ النَسَبِ الذي

تَمتَّعَ بالألطافِ مِنْ مَنِّ مَنْ مَنَّا

I guaranteed to keep safe the bonds of affection willingly

And entrusted that heart into his hands in surety.

ضَمِنتُ لهُ حِفظَ المَوَدَّةِ طائعاً

وأودَعتُ ذاك القلبَ في يدهِ رهنْا