1. طاوِل بِقَدرِكَ مَن عَلا مِقدارُهُ

    فَأَرى العُلا فَلَكاً عَلَيكَ مَدارُهُ

    Vie, with your worth, with whoever stands high in stature;

    for I see glory as a celestial sphere revolving around you.

  2. مَن يَدفَعُ الشَرَفَ الَّذي أوتيتَهُ

    مِن بَعدِ أَن أَعيا الوَرى إِنكارُهُ

    Who can deny the honor you have been granted,

    after mankind has proved unable to deny it?

  3. نَطَقَ الوَلِيُّ بِهِ وَأُسكِتَ حاسِدٌ

    عَن وَصفِهِ وَسُكوتُهُ إِقرارُهُ

    Your ally proclaimed it, while an envier was silenced

    about its qualities; his silence is his acknowledgment.

  4. فَليَعلَمِ الساعي لِيُدرِكَ ذا المَدى

    أَنَّ الطَريقَ كَثيرَةٌ أَخطارُهُ

    Let whoever strives to reach this height know

    that the road has many perils.

  5. وَهِيَ الرِياسَةُ لَن تَبوحَ بِسِرِّها

    إِلّا لِأَروَعَ لا يُباحُ ذِمارُهُ

    It is leadership, which will not reveal its secret

    save to an awe-inspiring man whose protected honor none may violate.

  6. يَحمي حِماهُ قَلبُهُ وَلِسانُهُ

    وَتَذودُ عَنهُ يَمينُهُ وَيَسارُهُ

    His heart and tongue defend his sanctuary,

    and his right and left hands ward off harm from him.

  7. لا العَذلُ ناهيهِ وَلا الحِرصُ الَّذي

    أَمَرَ النُفوسَ بِشُحِّها أَمّارُهُ

    Neither reproach restrains him, nor does the greed that

    bade souls be miserly command him.

  8. لَكَ في الشَجاعَةِ وَالسَماحَةِ رُتبَةٌ

    تَرَكَت عَدُوَّكَ لا يَقِرُّ قَرارُهُ

    You hold a rank in courage and generosity

    that leaves your enemy unable to rest.

  9. لَم يُعطِها عَمرَو القَنا إِقدامُهُ

    قِدماً وَلا كَعبَ النَدى إيثارُهُ

    Amr of the spears was not granted it by his daring

    of old, nor Ka'b of bounty by his selflessness.

  10. تُفني العِدى قَتلاً بِكُلِّ كَريهَةٍ

    لَكَ فَخرُهُ وَعَلَيهِمُ أَوزارُهُ

    You annihilate your foes by slaughter in every dreadful battle:

    its glory is yours, and its burdens theirs.

  11. فَلَطالَما أَضرَمتَ في إِحرازِها

    لَهَباً رُؤوسُ الدارِعينَ شَرارُهُ

    How often, to attain it, you have kindled

    a flame whose sparks are armored warriors' heads,

  12. بِوَغىً يَضِلُّ عَنِ المُثَقَّفِ قَصدُهُ

    في ضَنكِها وَعَنِ الكَمِيِّ شِعارُهُ

    in a battle where the straightened spear loses its aim

    in its crush, and the armored warrior his battle cry.

  13. لِيَدُم لَكَ العِزُّ المُؤَثَّلُ وَليَدُم

    لِمُريدِ كَيدِكَ ذُلُّهُ وَصَغارُهُ

    May your deep-rooted might endure, and may there endure

    the humiliation and abasement of whoever plots against you.

  14. ما فازَ عِندَكَ مَن وَتَرتَ بِبُغيَةٍ

    بَل ضاعَ في تَيّارِ عِزِّكَ ثارُهُ

    No one you bereaved has won his wish against you;

    his vengeance has instead been lost in the torrent of your might.

  15. فَفَداكَ ذو مُلكٍ يُصيخُ لِبَربَطٍ

    شَغَلَتهُ عَن أَوتارِهِ أَوتارُهُ

    May a ruler who listens to a lute be your ransom,

    its strings having distracted him from his blood-feuds.

  16. وَقَضى المُسِرُّ لَكَ العَداوَةَ نَحبَهُ

    غَيظاً عَلَيكَ وَلا اِنقَضَت أَوطارُهُ

    And may he who hides enmity toward you meet his death

    in rage at you, his desires never fulfilled.

  17. يا اِبنَ الأُلى لا يُعظِمونَ عَظيمَهُم

    حَتّى يُجارَ مِنَ النَوائِبِ جارُهُ

    O son of those who do not exalt their great man

    until his neighbor is sheltered from calamities.

  18. قَومٌ إِذا حَمَلوا الوَشيجَ تَطاوَلَت

    أَطرافُهُ وَتَقاصَرَت أَعمارُهُ

    A people whose spears, when they wield them, have farther-reaching

    points and shorter lifespans.

  19. وَنَحَت أَسِنَّتُهُ الصَريخَ كَأَنَّها

    طَيرٌ وَأَفئِدَةُ العِدى أَوكارُهُ

    Their spearheads make for the caller for help, as though they were

    birds, with the enemy's hearts their nests.

  20. كَثَرَت مُنى قُصّادِكُم آلاؤُكُم

    كَرَماً كَما كَثَرَ الحَجيجَ جِمارُهُ

    Your favors outnumber your visitors' wishes

    in generosity, as the pilgrims' pebbles outnumber them.

  21. وَأَبَيتُمُ أَن تَنتَموا إِلّا كَما

    نَسَبَت لَدى الرَوعِ الصَفيحِ شِفارُهُ

    You refused to declare your lineage except as

    a sword's edges proclaim its pedigree amid terror.

  22. وَأَعَدتُمُ عودَ المَكارِمِ أَخضَراً

    لِلَّهِ عودٌ أَنتُمُ أَثمارُهُ

    You have made the stem of noble deeds green again;

    God be praised for a tree whose fruits you are!

  23. شِيَمٌ حَوَت مِن كُلِّ فَخرٍ صَفوَهُ

    وَتَعَقَّبَت مِن بَعدِها أَكدارُهُ

    Traits that hold the purest part of every glory,

    with its impurities following behind them.

  24. فَلِذا تَعُمُّ ذَوي النَباهَةِ عونُهُ

    إِن سامَحَت وَتَخُصُّكُم أَبكارُهُ

    Thus its matrons embrace men of distinction,

    if they give freely, while its maidens are yours alone.

  25. إِنَّ الإِمامَ سَطا بِسَيفِ وَقائِعٍ

    مُذ سُلَّ ما عَرَفَ النُبُوَّ غِرارُهُ

    The Imam has struck with a sword of battles

    whose edge, since it was drawn, has never failed to bite.

  26. شَيَّدتَ حينَ نَصَرتَ دَولَتَهُ لَهُ

    عِزّاً بَنَتهُ لِجَدِّهِ أَنصارُهُ

    When you championed his dynasty, you raised for him

    a glory built for his forefather by that forefather's supporters.

  27. وَنَصَحتَ مُلكَ بَني عَلِيٍّ نُصحَ مَن

    أَربى عَلى إِعلانِهِ إِسرارُهُ

    You faithfully served the kingdom of Ali's descendants as one

    whose private devotion surpassed his public avowal.

  28. أَثنى بِهِ مَنصورُهُ وَعَلِيُّهُ

    وَمَعَدُّهُ وَأَبانَ عَنهُ نِزارُهُ

    Its Mansur and its Ali praised that devotion,

    as did its Ma'add; its Nizar made it known.

  29. شَهِدَ المُشاهِدُ ذا الفَعالَ بِما رَأى

    فيهِ وَصَحَّ لِمُخبِرٍ إِخبارُهُ

    The eyewitness attested to these deeds from what he saw

    in him, and the reporter's account was confirmed.

  30. مَهَّدتَ هَذا الشامَ حَتّى لَاِستَوَت

    في أَمنِها بُلدانُهُ وَقِفارُهُ

    You pacified this Syria, until there were equal

    in safety its towns and its deserts.

  31. لا أَنتَ مُتبِعُ ما صَنَعتَ بِأَهلِهِ

    مَنَّ المُنيلِ وَلا هُمُ كُفّارُهُ

    You do not follow what you did for its people with

    a giver's reproachful reminders, nor are they ungrateful for it.

  32. نُوَبٌ تَطيشُ سِهامُها وَمُنىً يَعي

    شُ يَقينُها وَنَدىً تَجيشُ بِحارُهُ

    Calamities whose arrows miss, and hopes with living

    certainty, and bounty whose seas surge.

  33. ما كانَتِ الغَبراءُ تَحمِلُ باخِلاً

    لَو فُضَّ في سُكّانِها مِعشارُهُ

    The dusty earth would bear no miser

    if a tenth of that bounty were shared among its inhabitants.

  34. في ظِلِّ أَروَعَ أَعجَزَت أَفعالُهُ

    هَذا الأَنامَ وَأَعوَزَت أَنظارُهُ

    Under the shade of an awe-inspiring man whose deeds have baffled

    all mankind, and whose peers are nowhere to be found.

  35. وَمُؤَيَّدِ العَزَماتِ لا إيرادُهُ

    يُدنيهِ مِن ذامٍ وَلا إِصدارُهُ

    And one fortified in resolve: neither his advance

    brings him near a detractor, nor does his withdrawal.

  36. يُغني غَناءَ سُيوفِهِ إيعادُهُ

    وَتَنوبُ عَن نَظَراتِهِ أَفكارُهُ

    His threats serve as effectively as his swords,

    and his thoughts stand in for his glances.

  37. مَلِكٌ مُقيمٌ في دِمَشقَ وَذِكرُهُ

    في الخافِقينِ بَعيدَةٌ أَسفارُهُ

    A king dwelling in Damascus, while his renown

    travels far through East and West.

  38. لَم يَحتَجِب عَن رَبِّ مَسأَلَةٍ وَلا

    سُدِلَت عَلى غَيرِ التُقى أَستارُهُ

    He has never screened himself from a petitioner, nor

    have his curtains been drawn over anything but piety.

  39. جَعدٌ عَنِ الآثامِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ

    مُتَتابِعٌ مَعَ فَقدِها اِستِغفارُهُ

    He is stingy with sins, yet

    despite their absence, his pleas for forgiveness are unceasing.

  40. أَخبارُ مَجدٍ كادَ يَحفَظُها الدُجى

    مِمّا يُكَرِّرُ ذِكرَها سُمّارُهُ

    Tales of glory that darkness almost learns by heart,

    so often do his night companions repeat them.

  41. لَو عاصَرَت كِسرى لَكانَ بِوِدِّهِ

    لَو صيغَ مِنها تاجُهُ وَسِوارُهُ

    Had they lived in Kisra's age, he would have wished

    his crown and bracelet to be fashioned from them.

  42. فَليَيأَسِ المُتَمَحِّلونَ مَحَلَّ مَن

    هَذي مَناقِبُهُ وَذاكَ نِجارُهُ

    Let those scheming for the station of one despair,

    whose virtues are these and whose lineage is such.

  43. خَيرُ البُيوتِ إِذا عَدَونا هاشِماً

    بَيتٌ حَلَلتَ بِهِ وَأَنتَ خِيارُهُ

    The finest house, if we set Hashim aside,

    is the house you inhabit, of which you are the choicest.

  44. بَيتٌ يَحِنُّ إِلى الفَضائِلِ طِفلُهُ ال

    حابي فَتَحسَبُ أَنَّها أَظآرُهُ

    A house whose little child yearns for virtues, still

    crawling, so you would think they were his wet nurses.

  45. ما زالَ بِالحَسَناتِ مُرتَقِياً فَهَل

    فَوقَ المَجَرَّةِ مَنزِلٌ يَختارُهُ

    It has kept rising through good deeds; is there

    a dwelling above the Milky Way it might choose?

  46. وَأَبو عَلِيٍّ مُعرِبٌ عَن مِثلِها

    في كُلِّ فَضلٍ تُقتَفى آثارُهُ

    And Abu Ali gives expression to virtues like these;

    in every excellence his footsteps are followed.

  47. ما حادَ عَن شَرَفِ عَلَوتَ بِهِ الوَرى

    فَيَقولَ مادِحُهُ إِلَيكَ مَحارُهُ

    He has not strayed from the honor by which you surpassed mankind,

    for his praiser to say, 'His return is to you.'

  48. أَعطى فَبَخَّلَ كُلَّ جَودٍ أَثجَمَت

    أَنواؤُهُ وَتَتابَعَت أَمطارُهُ

    He gave, making every bounty seem miserly, though pouring steadily

    were its rain-bearing stars, and its showers fell one after another.

  49. وَسَطا فَما جَرَّ اِغتِرارُ وَلِيِّهِ

    ضَرَراً وَلا نَفَعَ العَدُوَّ حِذارُهُ

    He struck: his ally's overconfidence brought

    no harm, nor did the enemy's caution benefit him.

  50. عَلَمٌ يَدُلُّ عَلَيهِ ساطِعُ نورِهِ

    مِن قَبلِ أَن تَلِيَ الهِدايَةَ نارُهُ

    A landmark revealed by his radiant light,

    before his fire undertakes the work of guidance.

  51. مُتَأَلِّقُ البِشرِ المُبَشِّرِ بِالغِنى

    وَالدَوحُ قَبلَ ثِمارِهِ نُوّارُهُ

    Radiant with a smile that heralds wealth;

    a great tree shows its blossoms before its fruits.

  52. يُرضيكَ إِن رَكِبَ الجِيادَ عُرامُهُ

    عِزّاً وَإِن حَضَرَ النَدِيَّ وَقارُهُ

    His fierceness pleases you when he rides noble steeds,

    as a mark of might, and his dignity when he attends the assembly.

  53. تَأبى لَهُ النَشَواتِ نَفسٌ مُرَّةٌ

    حَتّى يَكونَ مِنَ الثَناءِ عُقارُهُ

    A stern soul denies him intoxication

    until his wine is made of praise.

  54. فَرَأَيتَ إِخوَتَهُ بِمَرآهُ الَّذي

    أَقذَت عُيونَ عَدُوِّكُم أَنوارُهُ

    So you saw his brothers in his likeness,

    whose lights have pained your enemy's eyes.

  55. أُفُقُ المُعالي مُشرِقٌ بِهِمُ فَلا

    أَفَلَت أَهِلَّتُهُ وَلا أَقمارُهُ

    The horizon of high honors shines with them; may neither

    its crescents nor its full moons ever set.

  56. وَأَسيرُ أَنعُمِكَ الثَناءُ فَلا قَضى

    رَبُّ الخَلائِقِ أَن يُفَكَّ إِسارُهُ

    Praise is captive to your favors; never may

    the Lord of creation decree its bonds be loosed.

  57. لَم تُلفَ فيهِ وَهوَ مُلكُكَ شامِخاً

    وَسِواكَ يَستَعلي أَوانَ يُعارُهُ

    You were never found haughty in it, though it is your possession,

    while another grows proud the moment it is lent to him.

  58. وَإِذا أَرَدتُكَ بِالمَديحِ تَفَتَّحَت

    أَغلاقُهُ وَتَسَهَّلَت أَوعارُهُ

    When I intend to praise you, there open

    its locks, and its rough paths become easy.

  59. وَإِذا زَفَفتُ إِلى نَدِيِّكَ كاعِباً

    أَثنى عَلَيَّ بِحُسنِها حُضّارُهُ

    And when I escort a nubile maiden as a bride to your assembly,

    those present praise me for her beauty.

  60. وَالمِسكُ أَوَّلُ مَن يَفوزُ بِعَرفِهِ

    في وَقتِ فَضِّ خِتامِهِ عَطّارُهُ

    As for musk, the first to enjoy its fragrance

    when its seal is broken is its perfumer.

  61. لَولاكَ كانَ الشِعرُ شَيئاً ذاهِباً

    أَو مَذهَباً مُتَجَنَّباً إِظهارُهُ

    Without you, poetry would have been a thing that passed away,

    or a pursuit whose public expression was shunned.

  62. أَكرَمتَ مَثواهُ عَليماً أَنَّهُ

    ضَيفٌ يَشُقُّ عَلى اللِئامِ مَزارُهُ

    You honored its lodging, knowing that it is

    a guest whose visit burdens the ignoble.

  63. فَسَلِمتَ لِلزَمَنِ الفَقيرِ إِلَيكَ ما

    كَرَّت عَلى آصالِهِ أَسحارُهُ

    May you remain safe for the age that needs you, as long as

    its predawn hours return after its evenings.

  64. وَبَقيتَ ما شِئتَ البَقاءَ لِمُنكِرٍ

    تَمتازُ عَنهُ وَسُؤدُدٍ تَمتازُهُ

    And may you live as long as you wish, for the detractor

    from whom you stand apart, and the lordly honor you make your own.