1. أحمد النازحُ المفارق أمرَه

    في النوى واستحبَّ ما كان يكرَه

    The far-off, departing one found his lot praiseworthy

    in separation, and came to love what he once hated.

  2. ملَّكته يدُ الفِراق امتِناناً

    عنده المالكيه في الحب صبرَه

    The hand of parting granted him, as a favor,

    his patience—mastery in love, in his eyes.

  3. كيف يأبى السفارَ من كان يَحظى

    حينَ يهوى بسَلوةٍ كلَّ سفرَه

    How can one refuse travel who used to find,

    while in love, solace on every journey?

  4. عَزمةٌ أقبلت تقودُ سلوّاً

    مثلما قادتِ الصبابة نظرَه

    A resolve came forth, leading forgetfulness,

    just as passionate longing had led his gaze.

  5. ما على كل ذي نشاطٍ وبطشٍ

    من جفونٍ فيهنَّ ضعيفٌ وفترَه

    What harm can befall anyone full of vigor and might

    from eyelids holding weakness and languor?

  6. ومن العجز أن أقولَ غريرٌ

    مرَّ بي فاستفزَّ عَقلي وغرَّه

    And it is weakness for me to say: “A guileless youth

    passed me, unsettled my mind, and beguiled it.”

  7. غير أني أحسُّ بين ضلوعي

    ما أحاشيكَ جمرةً بعد جمرَه

    Yet I feel between my ribs

    —I do not exempt you—ember after ember,

  8. من هوى مَن يظنُّ أني تذكَر

    تُ هواهُ إذاً تناسيت ذكرَه

    from love of one who thinks I remembered

    my love for him, then feigned forgetting to mention him.

  9. صدَّ عني وليس في عَزماتي

    غضبٌ لي وليس فيهنَّ نُصرَه

    He turned away from me; yet in my resolves

    there is no anger on my behalf, nor any aid.

  10. ولئن صدَّ بعد وصلٍ فلِلأي

    يامِ فينا مَساءةٌ ومسرَّه

    And if he turned away after union, the days

    bring us both sorrow and joy.

  11. لستُ أشكو صُروفَها بعدما قا

    مَ أبو غُرَّةٍ عليها وغُرَّه

    I do not complain of their vicissitudes, now that

    Abu Ghurra and Ghurra have taken charge of them.

  12. مَلكاها فأعتَقاها من الذم

    مِ فصارَت بذلكَ الذمِّ حُرَّه

    The two owned them, then freed them from blame,

    so through that blame they became free.

  13. وعليُّ بنُ مُلهمٍ حاز خيرَ ال

    مجدِ عن سائر الأنام وشرَّه

    And Ali ibn Mulhim claimed the best of

    glory, to the exclusion of all humankind, and its worst.

  14. شيمٌ حلوةُ المذاقَةِ في السل

    مِ ونفسٌ عند الكريهَةِ مُرَّه

    Traits sweet to the taste in peace,

    and a soul bitter in battle;

  15. ويدٌ تدفعُ المضرةَ في وق

    تٍ ووقتاً تكون منها المضَرَّه

    and a hand that wards off harm at one time,

    while at another, harm comes from it.

  16. نحنُ خضنا من جوده كلَّ غمرٍ

    ورأيناهُ خائضاً كل غمرَه

    We waded through every depth of his bounty,

    and saw him wading into every perilous depth.

  17. وسَمعنا نِداهُ وهو يُنادي

    ظلمَ الدهر كلُّ من ذمَّ دهرَه

    And we heard his call as he proclaimed:

    “Whoever blames his times has wronged Time.”

  18. ورأينا مسيرَه وهو في كل

    لِ طريقٍ له إلى المجدِ خطرَه

    And we saw his progress: on every

    road he has an impulse toward glory.

  19. سهُلت عنده المسالكُ حتى

    أوصلته إلى العُلى وهيَ وعرَه

    The pathways became easy for him, until

    they brought him to the heights, though they were rugged.

  20. ثم هامت به المعالي فصارت

    تَتقي صدَّه وتحذرُ هجرَه

    Then lofty honors grew enamored of him, and began

    to fear his rejection and dread his desertion.

  21. كلما عزَّ من ذُراها مكانٌ

    جعلَته كما تَرى مستَقرَّه

    Whenever a place among their summits was hard to attain,

    they made it, as you see, his resting place.

  22. يا غماماً ينهلُّ جوداً وبأساً

    وحساماً قد عاينَ الناسُ أثرَه

    O cloud pouring generosity and might,

    and keen sword whose mark the people have witnessed!

  23. خذ لحالي من الزمانِ ذِماماً

    وتوثَّق فلستُ آمنُ غدرَه

    Take from Time a pledge of protection for my plight,

    and seek firm guarantees, for I am not safe from its treachery.

  24. ما على الشاعِر المقصِّر في وَص

    فِكَ لومٌ إن كنتَ تقبل عذرَه

    The poet who falls short in describing

    you bears no blame, if you accept his excuse.

  25. كثرَت هذه المناقبُ حتَّى

    ليسَ يدري ماذا يضمِّنُ شِعرَه

    These merits have grown so numerous

    that he does not know what to put in his verse.