Sol 6.1

  1. يا صاحِبَيَّ لِمَن هَذِهِ

    الرِكابُ الطَلائِح

    O my two companions, whose are these

    exhausted riding camels,

  2. مِثلُ السَفائِنِ في لُجَّةِ

    الفَلاةِ سَوابِح

    like ships in the depths of

    the desert, swimming?

  3. كَأَنَّهُنَّ دَوانٍ مِنهُ

    وَهُنَّ نَوازِح

    As though they were close to him,

    though they are far away.

  4. يُمسي العُهودُ لَديهِنَّ

    كَالعُهودِ طَوائِح

    By evening, the pledges beside them

    are cast away, like pledges.

  5. وَمَن رَأى دونَ سَلعٍ

    ظِباءَ رَملٍ سَوانِح

    And who has seen, this side of Sal‘,

    gazelles of the sands crossing auspiciously?

  6. عُيونُهُنَّ اللَواتي

    تُدوي القُلوبَ الصَحائِح

    Their eyes are those

    that sicken sound hearts:

  7. جَوارِحٌ يَختَطِفنَ العُقولَ

    خَطفَ الجَوارِح

    wounders, snatching minds away

    as birds of prey snatch.

  8. ما نَفَرَ الشَوقُ إِلّا

    وُرقَ الحَمامِ الصَوادِح

    Longing startled none but

    the singing gray doves;

  9. وَلا اِستخَفَّكَ إِلّا

    هَوى المَنونِ الرَواجِح

    and nothing carried you away but

    the lure of weighty fate.

  10. يا دارُ أَعرِفُها بَعدَهُم

    بِطيبِ الرَوائِح

    O dwelling, I recognize you after their departure

    by the sweetness of your scents.

  11. جادَتكِ إِن لَم يَجُدكِ

    الحَيا الدُموعُ السَوائِح

    May you be watered, if you are not watered by

    rain, by freely flowing tears.

  12. لِلَّهِ سالِفُ عَيشٍ

    قَضَيتُهُ فيكَ صالِح

    How blessed the bygone life

    I lived so well within you!

  13. وَشادِنٍ أَستُرُ الوَجدَ

    فيهِ وَالدَمعُ فاضِح

    And a fawn—I conceal my passion

    for him, while my tears betray me.

  14. أَمسى يُجدُّ بِقَلبي

    صُدودَهُ وَهُوَ مازِح

    He now makes my heart take seriously

    his rebuff, while he himself is jesting.

  15. يَلقاكَ بِاللَحظِ

    وَالقَدِّ وَهُوَ رامٍ وَرامِح

    He meets you with his glance

    and his stature, an archer and a spearman.

  16. ما قامَ مُعتَدِلاً

    فَاِستَمالَني قَولُ كاشِح

    Never, when he stood upright,

    could an ill-wisher's words sway me.

  17. ظَبيٌ أَطَعتُ الهَوى

    فيهِ وَاِتَّهَمتُ النَواصِح

    A gazelle: I obeyed desire

    for him, and distrusted my counselors.

  18. يا فاضِحي وَهُوَ لي بِالمَلامِ

    في زَيِّ ناصِح

    O you who expose me, reproaching me

    in the guise of a counselor,

  19. مَن لي بِكِتمانِ وَجدٍ

    تَضيقُ عَنهُ الجَوانِح

    who can help me conceal a passion

    too great for my ribs to contain?

  20. وَبارِقٍ مُستَطيرٍ

    في لُجَّةِ اللَيلِ قادِح

    And a lightning flash, spreading wide,

    sparking in the depths of night,

  21. دَمّى كُلومي بَعدَ اِندِمالِها

    وَالجَرائِح

    made my gashes bleed after they had healed,

    and my wounds.

  22. وَباتَ يُذكِرُني عَهدَ

    رامَةٍ وَهُوَ طائِح

    And all night it recalled to me the days of

    Ramah, as it faded away.

  23. كَأَنَّهُ وَهوَ مِن أَيمَنِ

    الثَنِيَّةِ لائِح

    As though, while from the right of

    the mountain pass it shone,

  24. مُستعلِياً وَجهُ

    عَبدِ اللَهِ الأَغَرِّ الواضِح

    rising high, it were the face of

    Abd Allah, radiant and bright:

  25. أَلِصاحِبُ القَرمُ

    عِزُّ الدينِ الأَبِيُّ المُسامِح

    Al-Sahib, the noble chief,

    Izz al-Din, high-minded and generous,

  26. أَبو الفُتوحِ وَمَن لا

    يَزالُ لِلخَيرِ فاتِح

    Abu al-Futuh, and he who never

    ceases to open the way to good.

  27. مُحَيِي النوالِ مُميتُ السُؤالِ

    رَبُّ المَنائِح

    Reviver of bounty, slayer of begging,

    lord of gifts.

  28. بِهِ تَليقُ المَعالي

    وَفيهِ تَزكو المَدائحِ

    High honors befit him,

    and in him praises flourish.

  29. الواهِبُ الخُرَّدِ الغيدِ

    وَالعِتاقِ السَوابِح

    Giver of shy, graceful maidens

    and swimming thoroughbred steeds.

  30. شَرى المَحامِدَ غَنماً

    وَمُشتَري الحَمدِ رابِح

    He purchased praise as gain,

    and the buyer of praise profits.

  31. رَآهُ أَبقى عِتادٍ

    وَالمالُ غادٍ وَرائِح

    He deemed it the most enduring provision,

    while wealth comes and goes.

  32. أَعادَ عُقمَ الأَيادي

    وَهِيَ العِشارُ اللواقِح

    He made generous hands barren again,

    though they were she-camels ten months with young.

  33. داني المَوارِدِ يُغنيكَ

    عَن رِشاءٍ وَماتِح

    His watering places are near; he spares you

    a well-rope and a water-drawer.

  34. آلَ المُظَفَّرِ قَرَّبتُمُ

    لَنا كُلَّ نازِح

    House of al-Muzaffar, you have brought near

    to us all that was distant.

  35. سَهَّلتُهُم كُلَّ وَعرٍ

    وَقُدتُّم كُلَّ جامِح

    I smoothed them—every rugged place—

    and you led every unruly steed.

  36. أَيديكُمُ لِرَباحِ الأَرزاقِ

    مِنّا مَفاتِح

    Your hands, for gains in sustenance

    among us, are keys.

  37. إِن أَظلَمَ الخَطبُ

    فَالشُهبُ أَنتُمُ وَالمَصابِح

    If calamity darkens,

    then you are the bright stars and lamps.

  38. أَلموسِعونَ مَقاري الضيفانِ

    وَالصِرُّ نافِح

    Lavish in your hospitality to guests,

    while bitter cold blows,

  39. وَالمُستَعيدونَ لِلطارِقينَ

    وَاللَيلُ جانِح

    and you invite the night-callers back,

    while night is falling.

  40. خُضرُ المَنازِلِ ما اِغبَرَّتِ

    السِنونَ الجَوائِح

    Your dwellings stay green, however dust-gray

    the ravaging years grow.

  41. سودُ النَوافِذِ بيضُ الأَعراضِ

    حُمرُ الصَفائِح

    Black are your windows, white your honor,

    red your sword-blades.

  42. لا عُذرَ لي بَعدَ ما

    قُمتُ فيكُمُ اليَومَ مادِح

    I have no excuse, now that

    I stand among you today in praise,

  43. إِن لانَ عودي لِخَطبٍ

    مِنَ المُلِمّاتِ فادِح

    if my branch yields to a calamity,

    a crushing one among afflictions.

  44. يا اِبنَ المَرازِبَةِ الصَيدِ

    وَالمُلوكِ الجَحاجِح

    O son of proud marzbans

    and mighty kings,

  45. ميزانُ حِلمِكَ ما

    خَفَّتِ المَيازينُ راجِح

    the balance of your forbearance, whenever

    the scales grow light, weighs heavy.

  46. يا مَن إِذا ضَنَّتِ المُعصِراتُ

    وَهِيَ دَوالِح

    O you who, when rain-clouds withhold,

    though heavily laden,

  47. سالَت أَياديهِ لِلمُعتَفينَ

    سَيلَ الأَباطِح

    have gifts that flow to seekers of bounty

    like the torrents of gravelly valleys,

  48. وَمَن أُقارِعُ دَهري

    بِجِدِّهِ وَأُكافِح

    and you—I contend against my age

    with your resolve, and fight back,

  49. مِن بَعدِ ما قَرَعت مَروَتي

    الخُطوبُ الفَوادِح

    after my flint had been struck by

    crushing calamities.

  50. خُذها فَقَد أُتعِبَت بَعدَها

    إِلَيكَ القَرائِح

    Take it: after it, wearied are

    the poetic minds that turn to you.

  51. جاءَتكَ بِالمَدحِ عَذراءَ

    وَالقَوافي نَواكِح

    It came to you in praise, a virgin,

    while other rhymes are wedded women.

  52. غَزيرَةَ الدَرِّ ما أَصفَتِ

    الخَواطِرُ لاقِح

    Rich in milk when they run dry—

    the minds—herself still pregnant.

  53. لَها نَسيمٌ بَرَيّا

    أَخلاقِكَ الغِرُّ فائِح

    It has a breeze, with the scent of

    your radiant character, wafting.

  54. عُرباً هِجاناً إِذا اِستَعجَمَ

    القَريضُ فَصائِح

    Arabian and purebred; when inarticulate grows

    poetry, they are eloquent.

  55. شَوارِداً وَعَلَيها لَكَ

    الوُسومُ اللَوائِح

    Wandering verses; upon them are your

    plainly visible brands.

  56. أَورَدتُّها مِنكَ بَحراً

    مَلآنَ بِالجودِ طافِح

    I brought them to a sea in you,

    full, overflowing with bounty.

  57. نَداهُ يَعذُبُ لِلشارِبَينَ

    وَالبَحرُ مالِح

    Its bounty is sweet to drinkers,

    though the sea is salty.

  58. يا مَن غَنيتُ بِهِ عَنِ

    جودِ الأَكُفِّ الشَحائِح

    O you through whom I have no need of

    the bounty of grudging palms,

  59. وَمَورِدُ البَحرِ غانٍ

    عَنِ الرَكايا النَوازِح

    and the sea's watering place has no need

    of distant wells.

  60. عيدٌ بِطائِرِ يُمنٍ

    عَليكَ بِالسَعدِ سانِح

    A festival, with a bird of good omen,

    comes auspiciously to you with good fortune.

  61. وافى يَقودُ الأَعادي

    نَحائِراً وَذَبائِح

    It has arrived, leading your enemies

    as sacrificial victims and slaughtered offerings.