1. The sapling showed its blade's sharpness,
And the branch reveals the root's goodness,
١. أَبْدَى الفِرِنْدُ نجابَةَ النَّصْلِ
والفَرْعُ يُظْهرُ طِيبَةَ الأَصْل
2. Nobility has shed its bashfulness
By the hand of integrity, directing the aim.
٢. والنِّبْلُ قد نَفَضَتْ كِنَانَتَهُ
بِيَدِ السَّدادِ مسدِّدَ النَّبْل
3. Be not surprised at the lion when it attacked,
Its paws knotted on a cub,
٣. لا تَعْجَبُوا لِلَّيْثِ حينَ غَدَا
وَيَدَاهُ قَد عَقَدا على شِبْلِ
4. In the sun and the shining moon, when
A star comes whose lineage is sound.
٤. فِي الشمس والبدرِ المينرِ إِذَا
جاءَا بِنجمٍ صِحَّةُ النَّسْلِ
5. Supremacy continues smoothly in its compatibility
Until in him it culminates, the father of supremacy,
٥. والفضلُ مَا اضطردَتْ مناسِبُه
حتى انْتَهَتْ منه أَبَا الفضلِ
6. He appears like his father, a sea of bounty,
Its first rain being more generous than drizzle.
٦. ثَمَدْ يُرى كأَبِيهِ بَحْرَ نَدَّى
والوَبْلُ أَوْلُهُ مِنَ الطَّلِّ
7. You see his lineage and pedigree
Both preceding, by an argument's grace,
٧. فَتَرى أَسِرَّته وأُسْرَتَه
متقدِّمَيْنِ بحُجَّةٍ فَصْلِ
8. The Bani Hajar are ennobled by him
With a rock that makes the eyes of generosity gush forth.
٨. زيدَتْ بنو الحَجَرِ الكرامُ بِهِ
حَجَراً يُفْجِّرُ أَعيُنَ البَذْلِ
9. Welcome and greetings, nay he says to him
It suffices to meet his family and ease,
٩. أَهلاً وسهلاً بل يقِلُّ له
أَن يلتقي بالأهلِ والسهلِ
10. Good fortune and favor are his ascendant stars
And so they said to him before me,
١٠. السعدُ والإِقبالُ طالَعُه
وهما كذا قالا له قبلي
11. He came in fulfillment, and the crescent fulfilled it together,
So the envious were sentenced to peerdom,
١١. وافَى وقد أوفَى الهلالُ معاً
فقضى الحسودُ برُتْبَةِ المِثْل
12. I do not liken him to his cub,
For he is nobler than the sole of a foot,
١٢. أَنا لا أُشَبِّهُهُ بغُرَّتِه
فأَجَلُّ منه إِخمَصُ الرِّجْل
13. The rain is his father's defender, its hands
Were sharpened by the sword of bounty for the abode,
١٣. والغيثُ صِنْوُ أَبيهِ قد شَحَذَتْ
كفَّاهُ سيف الخصبِ للمحلِ
14. The land has stripped off its braids,
There is no rancor in breasts against it,
١٤. والأَرضُ قد نزَعَتْ غلائلُها
ما في الصدورِ لها من الغِلِّ
15. Time has set right its government,
For long it had not ruled justly,
١٥. والدهرُ قد عَدَلَتْ حكومتُه
ولطالَ ما عَدَلَتْ عن العَدْلِ
16. He filled the abode with his cub’s good omen,
So all of that emanates from him,
١٦. مَلأَ الملاَ بسعيدِ غُرَّتِه
فجميعُ ذلك عنه يستملي
17. When you see beauty from a beautiful person
Be elated at the name and deed's sincerity,
١٧. وإِذا رأَيت الحُسْنَ من حَسَنٍ
فاطْرَبْ لصِدْقِ الإِسْمِ والفعلِ
18. A sea whose compatibility is to a rock
Whose glories are nurtured on sand,
١٨. بحرُ مناسِبُه إِلى حَجَرٍ
تُرْبِي مفاخِرُهُ على الرَّمْل
19. Their fathers varied in qualities
And he is titled the unifier,
١٩. آباؤهُمْ شَتَّى فضائِلُهُمْ
وهو المُلَقَّب جامِعَ الشملِ
20. In the lands his tents of bounty pitched
Whose sides are where the roads converge,
٢٠. وعلى البِقاعِ له خيامُ ندّى
أَطنابُها مستجمَعُ السُّبْلِ
21. Through him Quraish renewed a nobility
That was built by the Seal of Messengers,
٢١. وبه قريشٌ جدَّدَتْ شرفاً
قد كانَ شِيدَ بِخاتَمِ الرُّسْلِ
22. If I said to the pursuer to reach him
Turn back, you are blind to the path of heedlessness,
٢٢. لو قلتُ للساعي ليدرِكَه
ارْجِعْ عَمِيتَ بمَسْلَكٍ غُفْلِ
23. This valor without its determination
Whatever you wish from an abstainer of valor.
٢٣. هذِي البسالَةُ دونَ نهضَتِها
ما شئتَ من مُتَمَنِّع بَسْلِ
24. The predecessors halted before his limit
And he proceeded to ascend above the summits,
٢٤. وقف السوابِقُ دونَ غَايَتِه
ومضَى على الغُلَوَاءِ يَسْتَغْلِي
25. They bowed down so they stood under his obedience
When they saw him standing with composure,
٢٥. حَطُّوا فقاموا تحتَ طاعَتِه
لما رأَوْهُ قامَ بالتِّقْلِ
26. He has a cloud that descended at his position
So it clung to the elder and child,
٢٦. وله سحابٌ نزلت بمَنْصِبِه
فتعلَّقَتْ بالشَّيْخِ والطِّفل
27. Thus if you tested, you would find a knowledge
Whereupon the youth in it becomes the peer of the old.
٢٧. فإِذا اختَبَرْتَ وجَدْتَ معرفةً
صارَ الفتى فيها أَخا الكَهْلِ
28. If part of the people, when they see
For there is part, yet he is the whole,
٢٨. إِن كانَ بعضُ الناسِ حين يَرَى
فلُرَّب بعضٍ وهو كالكُلُ
29. A discernment that complexities become clear through,
And they depart unfettered by form,
٢٩. فِقْهٌ تَبِينُ المُشْكِلاتُ به
وتروحُ مُطْلَقَةً من الشُّكْل
30. A clear guidance that left no brother
To ignorance, even if he is the father of ignorance,
٣٠. وهُدىً مُبِينٌ لم يُخَلِّ أَخا
جَهْلٍ ولَوْ أَضْحَى أَبا جَهْل
31. A script that by its beauty's perfection
Suffices over diacritics and shape,
٣١. وكتابَةٌ من حُسْنِ صُورَتِها
تُغْنِي عن التَنْقِيطِ والشَّكْلِ
32. The stillness of one who fears, formed from calm deliberation,
From it a stirring formed from composure,
٣٢. وسكونُ خاشٍ صِيغَ من مَهَل
منه حَراكٌ صِيغ من مُهْل
33. And many hollow interiors in him have a rattling,
As you know the slits of drums,
٣٣. ولَرُبَّ أَجوافَ فيه قعقعةٌ
وكما عَلِمْتَ مَخارِقُ الطَّبْل
34. O you whom a year returned me to
It was miserly in counting, so it was for me,
٣٤. يا مَنْ أَعادَتْنِي له سَنَةٌ
ضنَّتْ عَلى عِدَة فَكانَتْ لِي
35. I prayed in your brother's name while praising
So I was saved from burning passion's flames,
٣٥. صلَّيْتُ باسْمِ أَخيكَ ممتدِحاً
فَنَجوْتُ من لَهَبِ الهوى المُصْلِي
36. And I praised you in the fold of praising him
Judiciously, when I shot with aim,
٣٦. ومدحْتُكُمْ في طَيِّ مِدْحَته
حُكْماً ولَمَّا أُبْلَ بالنَّبْلِ
37. Now my duty to you is complete
And I obtained some bonus and favor,
٣٧. والآنَ تَمَّ لديكَ مُفْتَرَضِي
وأَصَبْتُ من نَفَلٍ ومن نَفْل
38. I saw your position so I said about it
What was not opposed in it by deed,
٣٨. ورأَيتُ منصِبَكُمْ فقلتُ له
ما لَمْ يُخَالَفْ فيهِ بالفِعْلِ
39. While people other than you came to superfluity
You came alone, you, for merit,
٣٩. والناسُ غَيْرَكَ للفضولِ أَتَوْا
وأَتَيْتَ وَحْدَكَ أَنْتَ للفَضْلِ