الحمد لله المعز الخافض — Abdulrahman Alsuwaidi

الحمد لله المعزّ الخافضِ

إذ بات ذو التقوى بعيشٍ خافضِ

Praise be to God, the Exalter, the Abaser,

For the God-fearing now enjoys a life of ease,

المؤمن المهيمنِ الستارِ

والملك المقتدر القهّار

The Giver of security, the Guardian, the Concealer of faults,

And the King, the All-Powerful, the Subduer.

أحمده وهو حَرٍ بكل ما

يحمده العبد على ما أنعما

I praise Him, for He deserves all that

A servant praises Him for, on account of His gifts.

وهو الذي أنقذنا من كل شر

ومن ظلومٍ بأسه قد أنتشر

He is the One who rescued us from every evil,

And from a grievous oppressor whose might had spread.

ثم الصلاة والسلام الأسنى

على الذي ربي عليه أثنى

Then the most radiant blessings and peace

Upon the one whom my Lord praised,

من بالعطايا قد غدا محبورا

من ربّه وبالصَّبا منصورا

Who became gladdened by gifts

From his Lord, and aided by the east wind,

كذاك بالرعب إذا الخَطبُ هجم

وعثير الوغا علاثمّة أزدحم

Likewise by terror when calamity struck

And battle-dust rose there and thickened,

محمد ذي المكرمات والوفا

وآله المستكملين الشرفا

Muhammad, possessed of noble deeds and fidelity,

And his family, who attained honor in full,

وصحبه الذين فضلهم أتى

في النظم والنثر الصحيح مثبتا

And his companions, whose excellence is recorded

And established in verse and authentic prose.

قد جاهدوا لنصر دين اللَه

ودافعوا عنه بلا اشتباه

They struggled to uphold God's religion

And defended it beyond all doubt.

في وقعة الأحزاب يوم الخندق

كم تركوا عدوّهم في حنق

At the Battle of the Confederates, on the day of the Trench,

How often they left their enemy seething,

وهو إذاً بكل بلوى قد بُلي

مروّع القلب قليل الحِيَل

Afflicted then by every tribulation,

His heart terrified, his resources few!

كم حافظوا وشيّدوا الثغورا

فالدين لم يبرح بهم منصورا

How diligently they guarded and fortified the frontiers!

Through them the faith remained victorious.

وسهروا الأعين في الحنادس

حتى أبانوا قبساً عن قابس

They kept their eyes awake through the darkest nights

Until they revealed a flame from its kindler.

فعَّم فضلُهم على الترتيب

وناف قدرُهم على القريب

Their excellence thus spread in its proper order,

And their stature rose above those near them.

فلم يكن في الخَلق من رفيق

أولى به الفضل من الصدِّيق

Among all creation there was no companion

More entitled to excellence than al-Siddiq.

وفضله لمن تصدى للإبا

ميّز كأكرم بأبي بكر أبا

His excellence, for anyone inclined to deny it,

Discern—as in: how noble a father is Abu Bakr!

كذلك الفاروق ذو الشجاعة

والمنطق العدل وذو البراعة

Likewise al-Faruq, possessed of courage,

Just speech, and consummate skill:

فاق على أمثاله إفضالُه

وقد مضت محمودةً أفعالهُ

His generosity surpassed that of his peers,

And his deeds passed into memory with praise.

أن كنت ترجو يا فتى أن تغنما

فلهما كن أبداً مقدِّما

If, young man, you hope to gain,

Always give precedence to those two.

كذاك ذو النورين والإحسان

زاكي النجار جامع القرآن

Likewise the possessor of the Two Lights and beneficence,

Of pure lineage, the compiler of the Quran:

وكل لفظ صيغ للمفاخر

كطاهر القلب جميل الظاهر

Every expression fashioned for glorious qualities,

Such as pure-hearted and fair in appearance,

فهو به يا صاح أولى وأحَق

كما لسان فضله بذا نطق

He, my friend, deserves more than anyone,

As the tongue of his excellence has declared.

كذلك أبن عمّ خير الرُسُلِ

الباسل الصنديد مولانا علي

Likewise the cousin of the best of messengers,

The valiant champion, our master Ali,

أثبتُ في الهيجاء يا ذا من أُحُد

أردى كماة الكفر كأبن عبدِ وُد

Firmer in battle, my friend, than Uhud,

Who slew champions of unbelief, such as Ibn Abd Wudd.

فكن على غيرهمُ مفضلاً

وركّه تزكية وأجمِلا

So prefer them above others,

And commend him with praise, speaking graciously.

كذاك باقي الصَّحب والقرابة

أهل الثبات صاحبي الإصابة

Likewise the remaining companions and kinsfolk,

People of steadfastness and sound judgment:

فَفضلُهم لقد أتى وهو العلي

في الخبر المُثبتِ والأمر الجلي

Their lofty excellence has indeed been recorded

In established reports and manifest affairs,

ما بقي الإسلام في ظهور

كذا مدى الأحقاب والدهور

As long as Islam remains ascendant,

And throughout the ages and the passing years.

بعد السلام الوافر الغزير

على النجيب الحافظ البصيري

After abundant, plentiful greetings

To the noble memorizer, al-Basiri,

أشعَر أهل العصر والأوان

أفصح من قسّ ومن سحبان

The finest poet of this age and time,

More eloquent than Quss and Suhban,

إنّي قد اشتقتُ إلى لقاهُ

وقد وددتُ أنني أراهُ

I have indeed longed to meet him,

And have wished that I might see him,

حتى بدت لفضله أوصافُ

يعجز عن إحصائها الوُصّافُ

Until descriptions of his excellence appeared

That even skilled describers cannot enumerate.

وقائل تسمع بالمُعيدي

خير من الرؤية يا سُوَيدي

Someone said: 'Hearing of al-Mu'aydi

Is better than seeing him, al-Suwaydi.'

فقلت ما تعني بذا وفضلهُ

محقّق عندي وهذا قوله

I said: 'What do you mean by that? His excellence

Is certain to me, and this is his speech.'

قد صرت أنهي مدحه مفصّلا

للمح ما قد كان عنه نقلا

I have come to convey his praise in detail,

To glimpse what had been related of him.

يا أيها البارع يا من قد سما

وقد حوى الافضالَ والتقدّما

O accomplished one, you who have risen high

And attained generosity and precedence!

ما هذه الأرجوزة السنيّة

ما هذه الرائقة الشهيّة

What a splendid poem in rajaz!

What a delightful, pleasing composition!

تكاد أن تكون في ذا الرَّبط

فائقةً ألفية أبن معطي

In this arrangement it almost

Surpasses Ibn Mu'ti's Alfiyya.

نافت على أشعار مصقاع العرب

كذا على أنثار أصحاب الأدب

It rose above the poems of the Arabs' eloquent spokesman,

And likewise above the prose of literary masters.

والحشوَ في بيانها لم تُحرز

تقرّب الأقصى بلفظٍ موجز

Its exposition admitted no padding;

It brings the remotest matters near in concise language.

فكل لفظٍ مفرزِ معناه عَم

وكلمةٍ بها كلام قد يؤم

Each distinct expression has comprehensive meaning,

And a single word may convey a whole discourse.

وهي لدى بيان ذي القضيّة

مقاصد النحو بها محويّة

As it explains this subject,

The purposes of grammar are contained within it.

فهي إذاً عن فضلها لم تُفرد

يحقُّ أن نكتبها بالعسجد

Thus it has not been stripped of its distinction;

It deserves to be written in gold.

ذكرتَ فيها وقعة الأحزاب

فهي تحاكيها بلا ارتياب

You mentioned the Battle of the Confederates in it,

And this battle resembles it beyond doubt.

وأنت فيما قلته مُصدَّق

فذاك عندي ما هو المحقّق

You are believed in what you have said;

That, to me, is what stands established.

نعم أتتكم الجنود الباغية

ويّممتكم الفئات الطاغية

Yes, the aggressing armies came upon you,

And the tyrannical bands made for you.

ودخوا بعزمهم قراكم

وأسَروا نساء مَن والاكم

With their resolve they overran your villages

And captured the women of those allied with you.

لم يتركوا من آخرٍ وسابقٍ

وشدقم وهيلة وواشق

They left none behind, whether latecomer or forerunner,

Nor Shadqam, Haylah, or Washiq.

وحاصروكم حصاراً أشتهر

ناوين معنى كائنٍ أو أستقر

They subjected you to a renowned siege,

Intent on a purpose to be realized or established.

ودام ضرب الطوب والمدافع

بينكمُ بغير ما مدافع

The firing of cannon and artillery continued

Among you, with no one to ward it off.

وأرسلوا قُنبُرَهم مثل المطر

ولم يكن عدده قد انحصر

They sent their shells like rain,

Their number beyond reckoning.

تصدُق إذ أخبرتنا جهاراً

دنوا فأمطروا علينا نارا

You speak truth when you tell us openly:

'They approached and rained fire upon us.'

وبقروا بأرضكم لقوما

ليهتكوا عرضكم المكتوما

And they tore into your land for a people—wording unclear—

To violate your closely guarded honor.

ورفعوا إليكمُ السلالما

ووجّهوا إليكمُ الضياغما

They raised ladders toward you

And directed lion-like warriors against you.

ورطنوا ما بينهم وحاصوا

وبالدِّلاص المسردات غاصوا

They jabbered among themselves and darted about,

Plunging forward in closely linked armor.

ثم دنوا منكم ليبتغوا الظَفَر

وكانت الساعة أدهة وأمَر

Then they approached you seeking victory,

And the hour was more dreadful and bitter.

وأنتم أثبت من ثَهلان

مرابطين ذِروة الجدران

Yet you stood firmer than Thahlan,

Holding your posts atop the walls.

قد حرضتكم غيدكم على المقَر

في يا أبن أُمّ يا أبن عمّ لا مفر

Your graceful women urged you to stand firm,

Saying: 'O mother's son, O cousin, there is no fleeing!'

فقُمتم كالأُسد من شَراها

تاللَه أنتم كَهَيَ في حماها

You rose like lions from their thickets;

By God, you were like them within their sanctuary.

ودام فلق البيضِ في الجماجم

وهامِ كل كافر مقاوم

The bright swords kept cleaving skulls

And the heads of every resisting unbeliever.

واشتدت الحرب على أربابها

وأنتمُ دون الورى أدرى بها

The war grew fierce upon its participants,

And you knew it better than anyone else.

صرعتم الكفار بالرواصعِ

وبالمهند الصقيل القارع

You felled the unbelievers with piercing weapons

And with the polished, striking Indian sword.

أزلتم الهام عن الجثمان

من العدى في لُجَّة الميدان

You severed heads from the bodies

Of enemies in the midst of the battlefield,

في قاعة جَرت بها الدماء

جداولاً عيونها الأعداء

Upon a plain where blood ran

In streams whose springs were the enemies,

ومهمهٍ مغبّرةٍ أرجاؤه

كأن لونَ أرضه سماؤه

And a wilderness whose expanses were dust-covered,

Its sky seeming the color of its earth.

واللَه قد حفكّم بالنصر

فزال عنكمُ جميعُ الضُرّ

God encompassed you with victory,

And every harm departed from you.

فولّوا الأعداء عنكم هربا

وما قضوا من الدنوّ أربا

The enemies turned from you in flight

Without attaining their purpose in approaching.

وأشتد حزن الشاه عن فليلِ

ولم يزل مستتراً بالفيل

The shah's grief deepened over his shattered band,

And he remained concealed behind the elephant.

قد كان قبلاً في الحروب حقاً

يغلب لكن ليس مستحقا

Previously, in wars, he had indeed

Prevailed, though undeserving.

والآن أهل الدين والأعرفُ به

بعكس ذاك استعملوه فأنتبه

Now the people of faith, and those who know it best,

Have employed it in reverse—take heed!

ظَنَّ الغادر اللئيمُ

الفاجر المحارب الظلومُ

The treacherous, base man imagined,

The wicked, warring, grievous oppressor,

أن يغلب السلطان قدراً وعُلى

ويأخذ البلاد حتى المَوصلا

That he would surpass the sultan in standing and eminence,

And seize the lands as far as Mosul,

ويأسر النساء والصبيانا

ويقتل الرجال والشبّانا

And capture the women and children,

And kill the men and youths.

قد خاب ظنّه مدى الزمان

ما دلّه إلاّ على خسران

His expectation failed for all time;

It led him only to loss.

يا أيها الأعاجم الزعانفُ

والمعتدون الأرذلون أنصفوا

O foreign rabble,

And vile aggressors, be fair!

هل أنتمُ مثل بني عثمانا

أو تعرفون الضرب والطعانا

Are you like the sons of Uthman,

Or do you know striking and thrusting,

حتى ترموا منهم المبارزة

في لجة الهيجاء والمناجزة

That you should seek single combat with them

Amid the tumult of battle and direct engagement?

تحكَّكت عقربكم بالأفعى

واستنت الفصال حتى القرعا

Your scorpion has challenged the viper,

And even the bald camel calves have begun to frisk.

هذا وأهل الموصل الحدباء

قد جلبوا لكم جميع الداء

Meanwhile, the people of Mosul al-Hadba

Have brought every affliction upon you.

وسكن الأكثر منكم في الحفر

أكتع والنادر منكم في ضرر

Most of you have settled in pits,

Every last one; the few remaining are afflicted.

فكيف لو جاءتكم الجحافل

كأنها الأطواد والمعاقل

What, then, if the great armies came upon you,

Like towering mountains and fortresses?

كأنهم في الحرب والمصادمة

ليوث غاب خرجت لمغنمة

In warfare and collision they are like

Lions of the forest emerging for plunder.

خميسهم يوم الوغى لا يغلب

وجمعهم منه الأعادي تهربُ

Their army is not defeated on battle day,

And enemies flee from their assembled host.

أولئكم قوم لدى الهيجاء

كم سفكوا من أحمرالدماء

Those are a people who, amid battle,

Have shed so much crimson blood.

أيّدهم ربّ العباد بالظَفَر

ولم يزل حافظهم من كل شَر

The Lord of His servants supported them with victory

And has always guarded them from every evil.

فالسيف أن تسأله فضلهم نطق

والغرض الآن بيان ما سبق

Ask the sword about their excellence, and it will speak;

The purpose now is to explain what preceded.

أحسنتمُ يا أهل تلك المَوصل

في قصّكم جناح هذا الأخيل

Well done, people of that Mosul,

For clipping the wing of this woodpecker!

قريتم الطير بأشلاء العدى

والوحش لم يبرح شكوراً أبدا

You entertained the birds with the enemies' torn limbs,

And the wild beasts have remained forever grateful.

أحسنتم في جعلكم قبورا

لهم وحوش الأرض والطيورا

Well done in making graves

For them of the earth's beasts and birds!

حفظتمُ طهارة الصحراء

عن جثث البغاة والأعداء

You preserved the desert's purity

From the corpses of aggressors and enemies.

بشراكم قد نلتم من ربّكم

جزاء أخبارٍ بهذا فعلكم

Good tidings to you! You have received from your Lord

A reward for tidings through this deed of yours.

حميتم الإسلام بالأسلام

بل بالردينيّ وبالحسام

You protected Islam with stones,

Rather, with the Rudayni spear and the cutting sword.

وصنتمُ عِرضَكمُ عن الأذى

فلم يزل منزّهاً عن القذى

You protected your honor from injury,

And it has remained free of blemish.

حفظتم بالرمح والصقيل

نحرَ فتاةٍ أو فتىً كحيل

With spear and polished blade you protected

The throat of a maiden or a kohl-eyed youth.

للّه درّكم ودرّ قرمكم

رئيسكم أبي مرادٍ شهمكم

God bless your excellence and your champion's excellence,

Your leader Abu Murad, your valiant man!

كم جرَّع الأعداءَ كأس الحتف

حين دنوا منكم بلا تخفّي

How often he made the enemies drink the cup of death

When they approached you without concealment!

ولم تَرُعه الحادثات والنُوَب

بل لم يزل جلداً مكابد الكرب

Events and calamities did not frighten him;

He remained steadfast, enduring distress.

كذاك تِربُه الوزير الكاملُ

الفاتك الليث الجسور الباسل

Likewise his peer, the accomplished minister,

The deadly lion, bold and valiant:

توافقا شجاعة بل أسما

وحَسَباً من النجوم أسمى

They matched in courage, indeed in name,

And in lineage loftier than the stars.

وأقترنا في الحفظ والحراسة

والجدّ والحزم كذا السياسة

They joined together in protection and vigilance,

In earnestness, resolve, and statecraft.

فلا يزالون مجاهَدين

ويعملان الخفض مصدرَين

Thus they remain engaged in struggle,

And the two bring about ease as its twin sources.

جدّا بحفظ الغانيات الهيَّفِ

بكل بتّار صقيلٍ مرهف

They strove to protect the slender beauties

With every keen, polished, cutting blade.

فما هما إلاّ كليث ذي لبد

محافظاً شراه عن كل أحد

The pair are nothing but a thick-maned lion

Guarding his thicket against everyone.

ولا يزالون على الطعان

بالسمهريّ الأسمر السنان

They persist in spear-thrusting

With the brown Samhari spear and its point,

وبالبنادق الشداد الحارقة

وبالسيوف الفالقات البارقة

And with powerful, fiery muskets,

And with flashing, cleaving swords,

إلى أن أشتدّ الوغى وامتدّا

وقائلٍ واعبديا واعَبدا

Until the battle grew fierce and prolonged,

And someone cried: 'O my Abd! O Abd!'

تولّيا الميدانَ والأعداءُ

قد هربوا إذ سُفِكَ الدماء

The two took command of the battlefield, while the enemies

Had fled when blood was shed.

خُصَّهما بالفضل والمباهلة

وما سواهما فوسِطَه صلة

Single out those two for distinction and mutual challenge;

Whatever is besides them, place midway as a link.

فَضلَهما ذكرتَ يا أبا النظر

لكن ما ذكرتَ غشوماً أشتهر

You mentioned their excellence, Abu al-Nazar,

But left unmentioned a fierce man of renown.

بشراكمُ قد حُمِدت عقباكمُ

وقد أزيلت عنكم أسواكمُ

Good tidings to you! Your outcome has earned praise,

And your troubles have been removed.

وافتخروا فخراً مدى الزمانِ

على جميع المدن والبلدان

Boast for all time

Over every city and country,

إلاَ علينا يا أولي الشجاعة

لاتفخروا في هذه الصناعة

Except over us, possessors of courage:

Do not boast over us in this craft,

لأنكم منّا لقد عُلّمتم

حسنَ الثبات بل قد استفدتم

For from us you were taught

Fine steadfastness—indeed, you benefited.

نحن فتحنا لكم ذا البابا

لا شكَّ في هذا ولا ارتيابا

We opened this door for you;

There is no doubt or uncertainty in this.

وقد يُخَصّ في أناس لم تجد

ذا الباب وهو عِند قوم يطَّرد

It may be exceptional among some people: you do not find

This rule there, while among others it holds regularly.

حُزنا الفخار بل جميع الشِّيمَ

لأن كل الفضل للتقدُّم

We attained glory, indeed every noble quality,

For all distinction belongs to precedence.

ثباتُنا يوم الحصار الأكبر

أريتم أمثاله في الأعصر

Our steadfastness during the greater siege—

Have you seen its like through the ages?

حيث العدوّ قد أحاط بالبلد

وطوبه حاص علينا ورَعَد

When the enemy surrounded the city

And his cannon surged against us and thundered,

فصدَّرته سُمرنا عن بيضنا

وردعته البيض عن حضيضنا

Our brown spears drove him from our fair women,

And our bright swords repelled him from our low ground.

والطوب والقُنبرُ منا لم يَزَل

يقصِم من أعدائنا كل بطل

Our cannon and shells continually

Shattered every champion among our enemies.

وكل يوم نحن في قتالِ

معهم بفارسَين أو رجالِ

Every day we were in combat

With them, with two horsemen or men on foot.

ونحن في الهيجاء تحت العثير

في عزمة الهرقل والإسكندر

Amid battle, beneath the dust, we stood

With the resolve of Heraclius and Alexander.

ونحن في هذا الحصار الأعسر

محافظون السورَ سبعة أشهر

During this most difficult siege we

Guarded the wall for seven months.

ونفذ الزاد ومات الأكثرُ

جوعاً ولم نَذِلَّ بل لا نضجر

Provisions ran out, and most died

Of hunger; yet we did not submit, nor grow weary.

وقد عَدِمنا حفنتين بُرّا

ومنوَين عسلاً وتمرا

We lacked even two handfuls of wheat

And two manns of honey and dates.

فأكلُنا للخيل والجمال

كذاك للحمير والبغال

Thus we ate horses and camels,

Likewise donkeys and mules.

هذا وأمّا في الحصار الأصغرِ

فقد رأينا فيه كل الكدَرِ

As for the lesser siege,

We experienced every hardship in it.

ولم نر الخمولَ والفتورا

بل دائماً محافظون السورا

We showed neither idleness nor slackness,

But constantly guarded the wall.

وكيف نخشى صولة الأعادي

وعندنا الشجاع ذوا الأيادي

How could we fear the enemies' assault

With the brave man of beneficent deeds among us?

وكيف نخشى سربهم وإن دنا

ورجلٌ من الكرام عندنا

How could we fear their host, even if it approached,

With a man of noble character among us?

وكم بأقوال نفاخر العِدا

فما لنا إلا أتّباع أحمدا

How often we boast against the foes in words!

Yet we have only followed Ahmad.

ثباتكم في ذا الحصار الهائِل

وحربكم لجملة القبائلِ

Your steadfastness in this terrible siege

And your war against all the tribes

سنّة خير الوزراءِ أحمدا

وكل قَرم بخصاله أقتدى

Follow the practice of Ahmad, the best of ministers;

Every champion has emulated his qualities.

وشهمكم في فعله الفعلَ الحَسن

راعى في الاتباع المحلَّ فحسن

Your valiant man, in performing his noble deed,

Observed the proper place for imitation, and did well.

لأحمَد الأفعال فيما أسّ َسا

فهو به في كل حكمٍ ذو اتسّا

To Ahmad belong the deeds in what he founded;

Thus he takes him as his model in every ruling.

قد فاق كلَّ ملكٍ وزيرِ

في حُسن سيرةٍ وفي تدبير

He surpassed every king and minister

In fine conduct and governance.

لِذلك السلطانُ راعى فضله

وفوّض الأمر إليه كُلّه

Therefore the sultan acknowledged his excellence

And entrusted the entire affair to him.

وأختار ما يختاره أبن الحَسنِ

أحمدُ أفعالٍ فريدُ الزمن

He chose what Ibn al-Hasan chooses,

Most praiseworthy in deeds, unique in his age,

من سلمٍ أو حربٍ على الذي يجب

وكونه أصلاً لهذين انتُخب

Whether peace or war, according to what is required.

He was chosen as the foundation of both.

حوى ثلاثَ شيمٍ لا توجَدُ

في غيره فهو بها منفرد

He possessed three qualities not found

In another, and is unique in them:

السيفَ والتدبيرَ والمكارما

ثلاثُهنّ تقضي حكماً لازما

The sword, governance, and noble generosity.

The three compel an inescapable judgment.

فكن له في فضله موَحّدا

وَثَنِّ وأجمع غيره وافردا

So acknowledge him as unique in his excellence;

Rank others second, group them, or count them singly.

وإن عَددتَ الصيد في حُسنِ الشيم

والحسب العالي الرفيع والكرم

If you enumerate noble lords for their fine qualities,

Their lofty, elevated lineage and generosity,

فابدأ بذكر الملك المفضال

وقَدّمِ الأخصَّ في اتّصالِ

Begin by mentioning the generous ruler,

And give precedence to the closest connection.

فهو الذي بنفسه حَمانا

قِدماً وعادى كلَّ من عادانا

He is the one who personally protected us

Long ago, and opposed everyone who opposed us.

وهو بحفظه لنا عن الأذى

لقد سما على العدى مستحوذا

By protecting us from harm, he

Rose above the enemies, gaining mastery.

فأقبل حديثي قد أتاك مُثبَتا

وما روَوا من نحو رُبَّهُ فتى

Accept my account: it has come to you established,

And what they related, such as: 'Many a youth

سطا على أعدائه في جحفل

وشُغِلَت يمينهُ بالأسَلِ

Assailed his enemies amid a mighty army,

His right hand occupied with spears.'

في يوم حرب الشاه غزوة العجم

فكم أباد بطلاً وكم قصَم

On the day of war with the shah, the campaign against the Persians,

How many champions he destroyed, how many he shattered!

وقامت الحرب على ساقٍ حُسِر

وما لا تَقِس على الذي منه أُثِر

War rose upon an uncovered shin;

Do not measure anything against what is related of him.

فكم له نظم ونَثرٌ في العدى

وكم سقاهم كأسَ حتفٍ ورَدى

How much verse and prose he made against the foes!

How often he gave them the cup of death and destruction!

كم راعهم حين أتاهم يرعد

في نحو خير القول فيَّ احمدُ

How often he terrified them, coming upon them thundering,

As in: 'The best word about me is Ahmad.'

إذ ولج الميدان كالطود أنغَرَس

ولّوا وظَلَّ الشاه يحمى بالفَرَس

When he entered the field, planted like a mountain,

They turned away, and the shah remained shielded by his horse.

وهرب الكلّ بلا تواني

كالفضل والحارث والنعمان

All fled without delay,

Like al-Fadl, al-Harith, and al-Nu'man.

كم غزوة غزا البغاة فنُصِر

وكم سرّية بها الباغي قهر

How many campaigns he waged against aggressors and was victorious!

How many expeditions in which he subdued the aggressor!

حكى أباه في الوغى وفي الكرم

ومن يشابه أبَه فما ظلم

He resembled his father in battle and generosity;

Whoever resembles his father has done no wrong.

تاهت به إذ أمِنت بغدادُ

وحَسَدتها المدن والبلاد

Baghdad took pride in him when it became secure,

And cities and countries envied it.

إن كنتَ تبغي وصف ذا الإمامِ

من هذه السطور والأرقام

If you seek a description of this leader

From these lines and written marks,

فعُشرُ عُشرِ فضله ما حصَّلَت

وإن نعوتٌ كثرت وقد تلت

They have not captured a tenth of a tenth of his excellence,

Though descriptions multiplied and followed one another.

لكن أردتُ دون أظهاري النعم

تبيينيَ الحقَّ منوطا بالحِكَم

But rather than displaying the blessings I received, I intended

To make the truth clear, linked to wisdom.

فكلّ مالك وكل أصيَدِ

بنسبةٍ إليه هم كالحَشد

Every sovereign and every proud lord,

Compared with him, are merely an assembled crowd.

ونادرٌ وذو اضطرارٍ غير ما

قدّمّته أو لأناسٍ انتما

And Nadir, and one under compulsion, are outside what

I have set forth, or affiliated with other people.

لا زال محفوظاً مدى الزمان

من شرّ كل حاسدٍ معيان

May he remain protected for all time

From the evil of every envious giver of the evil eye.

ثم من الصلاة والسلام

أزكاهما على النبي الإمامِ

Then, of blessings and peace,

The purest of both upon the Prophet, the leader,

محمد المحبور بالسكينة

وكل من حاضر في المدينة

Muhammad, gladdened with tranquility,

And everyone present in Medina,

وتابعيهمُ على التوالي

كذا على ناظم ذي اللآلي

And their followers in succession,

Likewise upon the composer of these pearls,

راجي ثواب الملك المنان

نجل السويدي عابد الرحمن

Who hopes for the reward of the King, the Bountiful Giver,

The son of al-Suwaydi, worshipper of the Merciful,

ما قامت الفرسان للمجادلة

لنصر دين اللَه في المباهلة

As long as horsemen rise to contend

To uphold God's religion in mutual imprecation.