سللن ظباة العيون الكحال

وصلن بسمر القدود العوال

They drew the blades of their kohl-dark eyes,

And charged with the dusky spears of their towering forms.

وقد برزن لآل الهوى

بها وصحن النزال النزال

And they came forth against the people of love,

With these, crying: 'To battle! To battle!'

كواعب حسن ملكن الحشى

وصدن اسود الوغا والقتال

Full-breasted beauties conquered the heart,

And hunted the lions of war and combat.

من كل شمطاء ان أسفرت

تزري بشمس الضحى والهلال

Each a gray-haired woman who, if she unveils,

Puts the forenoon sun and the crescent moon to shame.

أو خطرت قال غصن النقا

لله حسبك هذا الدلال

Or when she sways, the bough upon the dune says:

For God's sake, enough of this coquetry!

وان رنت صاح كل الورى

كفاكٍ بالله رشق النبال

And if she casts a glance, all mankind cries:

For God's sake, enough of shooting arrows!

في كلهنّ لقيتُ البلا

وقتلي بهن على كل حال

In all of them I encountered affliction,

And at their hands I am slain, in every case.

علقت بعشق سليمى وما

أورثني العشق الا النكال

I became bound by love for Sulayma, and

Love bequeathed me nothing but torment.

جفتني سليمى ومن بعدها

عدمت التصبر والاحتمال

Sulayma shunned me, and thereafter

I lost patience and endurance.

ما مثل حسن سليمى وما مثلي بعت

بتلك الربوع وطيب الوصال

None equals Sulayma's beauty, and I have sold none like me

For those dwellings and the sweetness of union.

وظبية الانس ما بيننا

تسعى بكاس مدامٍ حلال

And a gazelle in human form, there among us,

Goes about with a cup of lawful wine.

تسطو بصارم لحظٍ إذا

ما صال أتنساك ضرب النصال

She strikes with the keen sword of a glance that, when

It charges, makes you forget the blows of blades.

وتسلب اللب بريحانةٍ

مدّت على الخد من حولها الخال

And she steals the mind with a sprig of basil

Spread across the cheek, with a beauty spot around it.

ومبسمٌ سكريّ اللما

حوى نظيم عقود اللؤال

And a smiling mouth with sugar-sweet, dusky lips

Held well-strung necklaces of pearls.

لم اسلُ تالله عنها سوى

في مدحُ حّرٍ حميد الخصال

By God, I never forgot her, save

In praising a noble man of praiseworthy character.

أمين العلوم همامٌ رقى

بذورة الفضل أوج الكمال

Amin, custodian of learning, a noble soul who rose

To excellence's summit, the zenith of perfection.

ندبٌ بفن البديع جلى

بيان المعالي بدون اختلال

An accomplished man, through rhetorical ornament he revealed

The expression of lofty merits, without a flaw.

لو شاء اشحن كل الورى

صحفاً من النظم بالارتجال

If he wished, he could supply all mankind

With pages of verse composed on the spot.

فاق الاوايل علماً ومن

بالدهر سار على ذا المثال

He surpassed the ancients in learning, and all who

Have followed this example through the ages.

مقام حمصٍ به قد زها

فهنّه في علا قدر ما نال

Homs's standing has gained splendor through him;

So congratulate him on the lofty rank he has attained.

وبشّر الدير مذ جاءَ ها يبث

جوهر حسن المقال

And give al-Dayr glad tidings, since he came there spreading

The jewel of beautiful speech.

جاء بمدح أمير الملا

شديد العزايم ليث النزال

He came bearing praise of the prince of the people,

Strong in resolve, a lion in battle:

بشير السعادة خير الورى

شهاب المعالي وبحر النوال

Bashir, herald of happiness, the best of mankind,

Shihab, meteor of high honors, and a sea of bounty.

انعم به الله من شاعر

مهذّب الخلق من خير آل

God has blessed us with him, a poet

Of refined character, from the finest family,

ذو الحزم افضل أهل الحجى

بهيّ الصفات حميد الخصال

Possessed of resolve, the best of those endowed with reason,

Splendid in attributes, praiseworthy in character.

مولاي مذ لاح لي منكم

بها محاسن تلك الخصال

My lord, since there shone for me, from you,

The splendor of the beauties of those traits,

أنشدتها فيك تركّيةً

منظومة الوزن ذات اعتدال

I recited it in your honor, a Turkian ode,

Its meter ordered and well balanced,

من المتقارب تهدي الثنا

لبحر علوم رحيب المجال

In the mutaqarib meter, offering praise

To an ocean of learning, vast in scope.