Sol 6.1

  1. كَرِهَ اللَهُ ما أَحَبَّ الأَعادي

    وَأَبى ما أَرادَ أَهلُ العِنادِ

    God abhorred what the enemies loved,

    And refused what the obstinate desired.

  2. وَأَرى الفاسِقينَ كَيدَهُم أَو

    هَنَ مِن أَيديهِمُ غَداةَ جِلادِ

    And showed the wicked their plotting was weaker

    Than their hands on the morning of combat.

  3. قَدَّرُوا مِن سِفاهِهِم أَنَّ بِالمَي

    نِ بُلوغُ المُنى وَنَيلُ المُرادِ

    In their folly they reckoned that through falsehood

    They could attain their wishes and gain their desire.

  4. وَرَجَوا أَن تَزولَ بَعدَ ثُبوتٍ

    قَدَمٌ أُبهِجَت سَبيلَ الرَشادِ

    And hoped that, after standing firm, it would slip—

    A foot made glad upon the path of right guidance.

  5. قُتِلُوا كَيفَ قَدَّرُوا ذاكَ مَعَ خَي

    رِ إِمامٍ مُرٍّ إِلى خَيرِ هادِ

    Perish they! How could they reckon thus, with the finest

    Of imams—formidable, and the finest of guides?

  6. وَمُحالٌ أَن تَستَخِفَّ مِحالٌ

    طَودَ حِلمٍ عَلى عَلى الأَطوادِ

    It is impossible for guile to unsettle

    A mountain of forbearance towering above the mountains.

  7. لَيتَ شِعري ما يَنقِمُونَ عَلى المَل

    كِ التَّقيِّ الحُرِّ الخَبيرِ الجَوادِ

    Would that I knew what they resent in the king,

    Pious, noble, discerning, generous.

  8. أَتقاهُ لِلّهِ أَم عِلمُهُ البَا

    هِرُ أَم حُسنُ حِفظِهِ لِلوِدادِ

    Is it his piety toward God, or his dazzling knowledge,

    Or how faithfully he preserves affection?

  9. أَم حِجاهُ أَم حِلمِهِ حينَ يَهفوُ

    حِلمُ قَيسٍ وَحِلمُ ذي الأَطوادِ

    Or his wisdom, or his forbearance, when even

    Qays's forbearance and that of the lord of the mountains falter?

  10. أَم مَقالاتُهُ وَآراؤُهُ اللّا

    تي تَرُدُّ المِئينَ في الآحادِ

    Or his sayings and his judgments, which

    Reduce hundreds to single units?

  11. أَم بِناهُ لِجامِعٍ لَم يَدَع لل

    قَولِ مَعنىً في وَصفِ ذاتِ العِمادِ

    Or his building of a congregational mosque that left no scope

    For words to praise the city of pillars?

  12. أَم لِأَن شَيَّدَ المَدارِسَ وَالرُّب

    طَ وَدارَ المَضيفِ لِلوُفّادِ

    Or because he built the schools and lodges,

    And the guesthouse for visitors?

  13. وَحَشا تِلكُمُ المَدارِسَ بِالكُت

    بِ الشَريفَةِ الصَحيحَةِ الإِسنادِ

    And filled those schools with books,

    Noble, with sound chains of transmission?

  14. أَم بِنا السُورِ الَّذي صارَ مُذ تَم

    مَ قَذىً في عُيونِ أَهلِ الفَسادِ

    Or building the wall, which, from its completion,

    Became grit in the eyes of the corrupt?

  15. أَم لِأَن حَفَّ ذَلِكَ السُورَ بِالخَن

    دَقِ حِفظاً مِن أُسودٍ في السَوادِ

    Or because he ringed that wall with a moat,

    As protection against lions in the Sawad?

  16. أَم عمارَةُ السُوقِ الَّتي صَغَّرَت

    سوق ثُلثا بغدادَ في بَغدادِ

    Or his building of the market, which dwarfed

    Baghdad's Tuesday Market, in Baghdad itself?

  17. أَم لِقِيامِهِ بِالقِسطِ أَيّامَ لِلجَو

    رِ خُيولٌ تَجُولُ في كُلِّ وادِ

    Or for his upholding justice in days when oppression's

    Horses roamed through every valley?

  18. في زَمانٍ لا تَسمَعُ الأُذنُ فيهِ

    غَير صَوتِ الصُراخِ في كُلِّ نادِ

    In a time when the ear could hear

    Nothing but the sound of screaming in every gathering?

  19. أَم لِأَن شَيَّدَ المَرَستانَ لِلزَم

    نى وَحِفظِ العُقولِ وَالأَجسادِ

    Or because he built the hospital for the chronically ill,

    And for preserving minds and bodies?

  20. أَم قِراهُ لِلضَيفِ أَم ضَربُهُ بِال

    سيفِ فَوقَ الطُلا وَتَحتَ الهَوادي

    Or his hospitality to guests, or his blows with the

    Sword, above the throats and below the necks?

  21. أَم صِيامٌ يَتلوهُ طولُ قِيامٍِ

    فَهوَ في الدَهرِ ساهِرُ الطَرفِ صادِ

    Or fasting followed by long standing in prayer,

    So that he is ever wakeful-eyed and thirsty?

  22. أَم لِأَن يَكفُلَ اليَتامى وَيَهدي

    مَن تَعامى وَأَيُّ كافٍ وَهادِ

    Or because he supports orphans and guides

    Those who feign blindness—what a provider and guide!

  23. أَم جَلاءُ الشُراةِ أَم أَمنُهُ السُب

    لَ بِقَتلِ اللُصوصِ وَالمُرّادِ

    Or his expulsion of the Shurat, or his securing the roads

    By killing thieves and rebels?

  24. أَم إِقامَةُ الحُدودِ وَقَد صي

    حَ بِتَعطيلِها بِكُلِّ النَوادي

    Or his enforcing the prescribed penalties, when cries were raised

    For their suspension in every gathering?

  25. أَم لِأَن صَيَّرَ البَطائِحَ جَنّا

    تٍ وَساوى بَينَ الرُبى وَالوِهادِ

    Or because he turned the marshlands into gardens,

    And leveled the hills and hollows?

  26. حَسَدوهُ فَزَخرَفُوا فَرَمى ذُو ال

    عَرشِ ما زَخرَفُوا بِسُوقِ الكَسادِ

    They envied him and dressed up lies; the Lord of the

    Throne cast their fabrications into the market of no demand.

  27. وَأَراهُم أَعمالَهُم حَسرَةً وَال

    لَهُ لِلظّالِمينَ بِالمِرصادِ

    He showed them their deeds as a source of regret; and God

    Lies in wait for the wrongdoers.

  28. أَتراهُم يُؤدِّبُهُمُ العَدلُ لا كا

    نُوا أَمنَ الوَرى وَخِصبَ البِلادِ

    Do you think them chastened by justice—may they be no more!—

    By humankind's safety and the land's abundance?

  29. أَم تَرى في طِباعِهِم غَرزَ اللُؤ

    مِ وَحُبَّ الفَسادِ وَالإِلحادِ

    Or do you see, rooted in their natures, baseness

    And love of corruption and impiety?

  30. لَهُم الوَيلُ مَن يَكونُ كَشَمسِ الد

    دينِ في الفَضلِ وَالتُقى وَالسَدادِ

    Woe to them! Who could equal Shams al-Din

    In excellence, piety, and sound judgment?

  31. عَصَفَت ريحُ صِدقِهِ في بِناهُم

    عَصفَةً كانَ عِندَها كَالرَمادِ

    The wind of his truthfulness blasted their edifice

    With a blast that left it like ashes.

  32. مَلِكٌ لَيسَ في المُلوكِ لَهُ ثا

    نٍ وَإِن قيلَ وائِلٌ في إِيادِ

    A king without a second among kings,

    Even if Wa'il be named among Iyad.

  33. هُوَ أَحنى عَلى الرَعايا وَإِن عَق

    قَتهُ مِن والِدٍ عَلى الأَولادِ

    He is tenderer toward his subjects, even if they spurn

    Him, than a father toward his children.

  34. مَلِكٌ لا يَعُدُّ مالاً سِوى ما

    حازَ أَجراً بِهِ وَأَودى مُعادِ

    A king who counts nothing as wealth except what

    Wins him reward and brings an enemy to ruin.

  35. لِلإِجازات وَالجَوائِزِ يُمنا

    هُ وَبيضِ الظُبا وَسُمرِ الصِعادِ

    His right hand is for grants and rewards,

    And for gleaming sword-edges and tawny spear-shafts.

  36. وَلِضَبطِ القِرطاسِ في الخَطِّ يسرا

    هُ وَتَصريفِ طرفِهِ لِلطَرادِ

    And his left is for holding paper as he writes,

    And for directing his steed in mounted combat.

  37. لا لِكاسٍ وَلا لِآسٍ وَلا قُف

    فازِ بازٍ وَلا لِضَمِّ خِرادِ

    Not for a cup, nor myrtle, nor a glove

    For a hawk, nor for embracing bashful maidens.

  38. قَسَماً إِنَّ مَن أَرادَ بِهِ كَي

    داً لَيُوفي شُؤماً كَأَحمَرِ عادِ

    I swear: whoever intends a plot against him

    Will prove as ill-omened as Ahmar of 'Ad.

  39. أُلبِسَت في مَغيبِهِ البَصرَةُ الفَي

    حاء بَعدَ الضِياءِ ثَوبَ حِدادِ

    In his absence, spacious Basra was clothed,

    After radiance, in a robe of mourning.

  40. آهِ يا وَحشَةً عَرَتها وَما جا

    زَت بِهِ المنشَئاتُ نَهرَ زِيادِ

    Ah, what desolation overtook her, even before

    The lofty ships bore him across the River of Ziyad!

  41. ثُمَّ زالَت تِلكَ الكَآبَةُ إِذ عا

    دَ إِلَيها وَآذَنَت بِبِعادِ

    Then that gloom vanished when he returned

    To her, and the gloom announced its departure.

  42. وَاِكتَسَت نضرَةً وَحُسناً بِمَرآ

    هُ عَلى رَغمِ أَنفِها الحسّادِ

    She clothed herself in freshness and beauty at the sight

    Of him, despite the humbled noses of the envious.

  43. يا لَها نِعمَةً تُعجِبُ كُلَّ ال

    خَلقِ مِن بَردِها عَلى الأَكبادِ

    What a blessing, astonishing all

    Creation with its coolness upon their livers!

  44. نِعمَةٌ ساقَها إِلَيها الَّذي ما

    زالَ يُدعى بِالمنعِمِ العَوّادِ

    A blessing brought to her by Him who has

    Always been called the Benefactor, the Giver time and again.

  45. فَعَلَينا لِلّهِ حَمداً نُوالي

    هِ عَلَيها ما إِن لَهُ مِن نَفادِ

    So we owe God praise, which we keep offering

    For this blessing, praise that has no end.

  46. وَلَعَمري لَمَقدَمُ الملكِ الصا

    لِحِ خَيرٌ مِن مَقدَمِ الأَعيادِ

    By my life, the arrival of the righteous king

    Is better than the arrival of festivals.

  47. عِشتَ ياباتَكينُ المَجدِ ما غَر

    رَدَ حادٍ وَما تَرَنَّمَ شادِ

    May you live, O Batakin of glory, as long as

    A camel-driver chants and a singer sings,

  48. في نَعيمٍ وَخَفضِ عَيشٍ وَفي عِز

    زٍ عَزيزٍ باقٍ عَلى الآبادِ

    In bliss and ease of living, and in honor,

    Mighty and enduring through endless ages.

  49. وَرَمى اللَهُ مَن يَكيدُكَ بِالبُؤ

    سِ وَذُلِّ المَحيا وَسُوءِ المَعادِ

    May God strike whoever plots against you with misery,

    Humiliation in life, and an evil final return.