1. يَمَّنَ اللَّهُ طلْعَةَ الموْلُودِ

    وَحَبَا أَهْلَه بطول السعودِ

    May God bless the newborn's appearance,

    and grant his family enduring good fortune.

  2. فهُمُ الضَّامِنون حين تَوَالَى

    مُنْسِيَاتُ العهودِ حِفظَ العهودِ

    They guarantee, when there come in succession

    things that make pledges forgotten, that pledges are kept.

  3. والأُلى إن رعَوْا حَلُوبةَ مَجْدٍ

    لأُولي الأمْر لم تكن بجدُود

    And when they tend a milk-bearing beast of glory

    for those in authority, it never runs dry.

  4. فلْيَقُلْ قائل لذي الصَّدَر الْمَيْـ

    ـمون منْهُمْ في أَمْرِهِ والورود

    Let someone address the man whose departure is auspicious

    among them, in his affairs and his arrival:

  5. أَمْتَعَ اللَّه ذو المواهب بالموْ

    هُوبِ غَيْرِ الْمُخَسَّسِ المنْكُودِ

    May God, the giver of gifts, grant delight in the child

    bestowed, neither diminished nor ill-fated.

  6. بَدْرُ طَلْقٍ وشَمْسُ دَجْنٍ من الأمْـ

    ـلاَكِ جاءا بكوْكَب مَسْعودِ

    A clear-sky full moon and a cloud-sky sun among

    kings have brought forth an auspicious star.

  7. وَافِدٌ زار مُستماحي وفود

    مُرْتجىً منه مُستَمَاحُ وُفُودِ

    A newcomer visiting those whom delegations petition,

    one from whom delegations hope to receive bounty.

  8. سَلَّهُ اللّه للخطوب من الغَيْـ

    ـبِ كَسَلِّ المهنَّدِ الْمغْمُودِ

    God drew him forth for calamities from the unseen,

    as an Indian blade is drawn from its sheath.

  9. فيه عُرْفٌ وفيه نُكْرٌ مُعَدّا

    نِ لأهل النُّهى وأهْل المُرُودِ

    He bears kindness and severity, both prepared

    for people of reason and people of rebellion.

  10. وكمينُ الحريق في العُودِ مُخْفَىً

    وحَقِينُ الرَّحيقِ في العُنْقُودِ

    The latent fire in wood lies hidden,

    and the nectar is stored within the grape cluster.

  11. نَجَلَتْهُ بيضاءُ من مَلِكَاتِ الـ

    ـروم تُدْعَى لقيْصَرٍ معْبُودِ

    A fair woman among the queens of the

    Romans bore him, traced to a worshipped Caesar.

  12. ليلةَ الأربعاء وهو من الأيـ

    ـيامِ يومٌ ما شئتَ من محمودِ

    On Wednesday night—and among

    the days, it is as praiseworthy as you could wish.

  13. كان نحساً على ثَمُودَ وعَادٍ

    وسُعُوداً لصالحٍ ولهودِ

    It was ill fortune for Thamud and 'Ad,

    and good fortune for Salih and Hud.

  14. فالذي فيه إنْ نَظَرْنَا من الشَّر

    رِ لِعادٍ بكُفْرها وثمودِ

    Whatever evil we find in it, if we consider,

    belongs to 'Ad for its unbelief, and to Thamud.

  15. ولَنا خَيْرُهُ وذِرْوةُ مَنْجَا

    هُ لأَنَّا أضْدَادُ أهل العُنودِ

    Its goodness and the summit of its deliverance are ours,

    because we are the opposite of the obstinate.

  16. وَهْوَ يومُ المظَفَّرينَ بني العبـ

    ـباس سَقيْاً لِظِلِّه الممدودِ

    It is the day of the victorious sons of al-'Abbas—

    may its outstretched shade be watered!

  17. يومُ صدْقٍ بَنَتْ يَدُ اللّه فيه

    مُلْكَهُمْ فوق رأسه الموطودِ

    A day of truth, on which God's hand built

    their kingdom upon its firmly established summit.

  18. وطلُوعُ المولود فيه بشَيرٌ

    بسرورٍ لأَهْله مولودِ

    The newborn's appearance upon it heralds

    a new joy born to his family.

  19. عاقِدٌ أمْرَهُمْ بأمر بني العبـ

    ـباس عَقْداً من مُحْكَمَات العُقُودِ

    It binds their affairs to those of the sons of al-'Abbas,

    with a bond among the most firmly secured bonds.

  20. مُفْصِحٌ فأْلُهُ يُخَبِّرُ عنْ أز

    رٍ بأَزْر من شَكْله مشدودِ

    Its omen speaks plainly, announcing strength

    bound to strength of its own kind.

  21. آلَ وَهْبٍ فوزاً لكُم بِسُلَيْمَا

    نَ وكبتاً للحاسد المَفْئُودِ

    House of Wahb, may Sulayman bring you triumph,

    and humiliation to the heartsick envier!

  22. قَدْ بَدَا في فِرَاسَةِ الفارس الطَّا

    لع يُمْنٌ دعْوَاهُ ذاتُ شُهُودِ

    In the physiognomy of the rising horseman has appeared

    good fortune whose claim has witnesses.

  23. وكذا أنتُم لَكُم أَمَرَاتٌ

    يَتَكَلَّمْنَ عَنْكُمُ في المُهُودِ

    So it is with you: you possess signs

    that speak for you while you are in your cradles.

  24. طَلَعتْ منْهُ غُرَّةٌ كَسَنا الفجْـ

    ـرِ وسيما كالمخْلَصِ المنْقُودِ

    A bright forehead appeared upon him like dawn's

    radiance, and a mien like refined, assayed gold.

  25. ثُمَّ سمَّاهُ باسْمِه سَيِّدُ السَّا

    داتِ غيْرَ المدافع المَجْحُودِ

    Then the lord of lords named him with his own name,

    a lord neither gainsaid nor denied.

  26. وقضَى اللّه أنْ يكون سَمِيّاً

    وكَنِيّاً لجَدِّه المَجْدودِ

    God decreed that he should share a name

    and a byname with his fortunate grandfather,

  27. لسُلَيْمَانَ وهْوَ في آل وهب

    كَسُلَيْمانَ في بني داودِ

    Sulayman, who within the house of Wahb

    is like Sulayman among the sons of Dawud.

  28. وَقَع اسْمٌ من السلامة والسِّلـ

    ـمِ عليه وُقُوعَ لا مَقْصُودِ

    A name drawn from safety and peace

    fell upon him without deliberate intent.

  29. بَلْ حَدَتْهُ إليهِ حَادِيَة الحظ

    ظِ حُدَاءَ ابنِ قَفْرَةٍ بقَعُودِ

    Rather, fortune's camel-driver urged it toward him,

    as a desert dweller chants a young camel onward.

  30. يَا لَكَ ابْناً ووَالِدَيْنِ وجَدَّيْـ

    ـنِ يُرَوْنَ الجبالَ في أخْدُودِ

    What a son, two parents, and two grandfathers—

    who see mountains down in a trench!

  31. لحقوا بالكواكب الزُّهْرِ والعَيـ

    ـيُوقُ نائي المَنالِ منْ هَبُّودِ

    They have reached the shining stars, while

    al-'Ayyuq lies far beyond Habbud's reach.

  32. خَيْرُ جُرْثُومَةٍ وأنضْرُ فَرعٍ

    بين هَذِي وذاكَ أنْجَبُ عُودِ

    The finest rootstock and the freshest branch,

    and between these two, the noblest trunk.

  33. ذلكَ العُودُ قاسمٌ كَرُمَ العُو

    دُ ومَرْسى العُرُوقِ غير الصَّلُودِ

    That trunk is Qasim; noble is the trunk,

    and its roots are anchored in no barren rock.

  34. فهو يَهْتَزُّ فوق مَنْصِبِه المَمْ

    هُودِ في ظلِّ فَرْعِهِ اليَمْئودِ

    So he sways above his well-prepared station,

    in the shade of his tender bough.

  35. ولهذا المولود تالٍ من الحُر

    رِةِ إنَّ الرُّكُوعَ فحْوَى السُّجودِ

    This newborn has a successor from the freeborn lady;

    bowing indeed implies prostration.

  36. وكأنْ قد أتى الحسيْنُ بشيراً

    باتِّصالِ الفُتُوح بعد السُّدودِ

    It is as though al-Husayn has already come announcing

    uninterrupted victories after obstructions.

  37. فاسْتُتِمَّتْ يدٌ من الله بَيْضا

    ءُ لبيضاءَ من يديه رَفُودِ

    Thus a white hand of blessing from God completed

    another white, bountiful hand among His hands.

  38. وغدا الصَّقْر ناهضاً بِجَنَاحَيْـ

    ـنِ إلى كلِّ مرقب ذي كُؤُودِ

    The falcon now rises on two wings

    toward every lookout difficult to ascend.

  39. بل غَدَا السيفُ بين حدَّيْهِ عَضْباً

    غيْرَ ذي نَبْوَةٍ ولا محدودِ

    Rather, the sword has become sharp between its two edges,

    never failing to strike, nor deprived of success.

  40. بل غدا الطَّودُ بين ركنين منْهُ

    مشْرفاً رُكْنُه مُنِيفَ الرُّيُودِ

    Rather, the mountain stands between its two buttresses,

    its summit commanding, its ridges soaring.

  41. بَلْ بدا البدر بين سعدين لا يُجْـ

    ـهَلُ عنْد الذَّكِيِّ والمبْلُودِ

    Rather, the full moon appeared between two auspicious stars,

    unmistakable to the clever and the dull alike.

  42. لا عَقِمْتُمْ يا آلَ وهب فما الدُّنْ

    يا لقوم أمثالِكُم بوَلُودِ

    May you never be barren, house of Wahb, for the world

    does not often bear people like you.

  43. كلُّكُمْ ماجِدٌ ولم يُرَ فيكم

    ماجدٌ قَطُّ ذُو أبٍ مَمْجُودِ

    Every one of you is glorious, and among you

    no glorious man was ever seen whose father he outshone.

  44. أنْصُلٌ يُنْتَضَيْنَ من أنْصُلٍ بيـ

    ـضٍ كأمْثَالِهِنَّ لا من غُمُودِ

    Blades drawn forth from bright blades

    like themselves, not from sheaths.

  45. وبُدُورٌ طوالعٌ من بدورٍ

    وشموسٍ لا من دَياجيرَ سودِ

    And full moons rising from full moons

    and suns, not from black darkness.

  46. تَنْجَلِي أنْجُماً وتعْلو بدوراً

    في نظامٍ مُتَابَعٍ مَسْرُودِ

    You shine forth as stars and rise as full moons,

    in an unbroken, closely threaded succession.

  47. مات أسلافُكُمْ فأنْشَرْتُمُوهُمْ

    فهُمُ في القلوب لا في اللُّحُودِ

    Your ancestors died, but you resurrected them;

    they dwell in hearts, not in graves.

  48. لا يَحِلُّونَ مِن خواطر نفسٍ

    مَعَ إحسانهم مَحِلَّةُ مُودِي

    In the thoughts of any soul, they do not take—

    given their beneficence—the place of one who has perished.

  49. لاَيَقِيسَنَّ قائسٌ بِكُمُ قَوْ

    ماً فليس المعْدُوم كالموْجُودِ

    Let no comparer measure any people against you,

    for the nonexistent is not like the existent.

  50. نزل الناسُ بالتَّهَائم كَرْهاً

    ونزلْتُمْ برغمهم في النُّجُودِ

    People settled unwillingly in the lowlands,

    while you settled, despite them, upon the heights.

  51. كم مَذُودٍ بكَيْدِكُمْ عن حِبا المُلْـ

    ـكِ وما مُعْتَفيكُمُ بِمَذُودِ

    How many have your stratagems barred from the gifts

    of kingship! Yet no petitioner of yours is barred.

  52. يفخر الجندُ بالمناقِب والأعْـ

    ـمَالُ أعمالُكُمْ فَخَارَ عَنُودِ

    The soldiers boast of achievements, though the deeds

    are yours: the boast of stubborn pretenders.

  53. مِثْلَ ما تفْخَرُ اليهودُ بموسى

    وهْوَ للمسلمين دونَ اليهودِ

    Just as the Jews boast of Musa,

    though he belongs to the Muslims, not the Jews.

  54. وكأيِّنْ لحيلةٍ ولِرَأيٍ

    مُحْصَدٍ من مُحَيَّنٍ مَحْصُودِ

    How many victims of a stratagem or a judgment

    firmly wrought—doomed men mown down!

  55. ولقد قلتُ قوْلَ صدق سيشفي

    صِدْقُه كلَّ مُدْنَفٍ معْمُودِ

    I have spoken a truthful word whose truth will heal

    every exhausted, afflicted sufferer.

  56. أرْقَدَ السَّاهِرين أنَّ بني وهْـ

    ـبٍ عن النائباتِ غيْرُ رُقُودِ

    The sleepless were lulled to sleep because the sons of Wahb

    do not sleep through calamities.

  57. واسْتَهَبَّ الرُقودُ للشكر فالأمـ

    ـمَةُ من ذي تَهَجُّدٍ أو هُجُودِ

    And sleepers awoke to give thanks; the nation

    comprises those keeping vigil and those asleep.

  58. عَضُدٌ فَعْمَةٌ لمعْتَضِدٍ بالـ

    ـلَهِ بالنُّصْحِ منْهُمُ مَعْضُودِ

    A mighty arm for one who seeks strength in

    God, supported by their loyal counsel.

  59. حُرسَتْ دولةُ الكِرام بني وهْـ

    ـبٍ غِياثِ اللَّهيف والمنْجُودِ

    May the rule of the noble sons of Wahb be guarded,

    the rescuers of the distressed and afflicted.

  60. دولةٌ عاد نرْجِسُ الروْضِ فيها

    من عُيُون وَوَرْدُهُ من خُدُودِ

    A reign in which the garden's narcissus sprang

    from eyes, and its roses from cheeks.

  61. أصْلَحَتْ كلَّ فاسِدٍ مُتَمَادٍ

    بِجُنُودِ الدَّهَاء لا بالجنودِ

    It set right every persistent corruption,

    with armies of ingenuity, not armies of soldiers.

  62. فتحتْ للأميرِ فتْحاً مُبيناً

    كلَّ بابٍ في مُلْكه مسدودِ

    It opened for the prince, with manifest victory,

    every closed door within his kingdom.

  63. أيُّهذا الأميرُ ألبسك اللَـ

    ـهُ بقاءَ الموْجود لا المفقودِ

    O prince, may God clothe you

    with the endurance of the present, not the departed.

  64. أنت بحرٌ وآلُ وهب مُدُودٌ

    عُمِّرَ البحْرُ مُمْتَعاً بالمُدُودِ

    You are a sea, and the house of Wahb its tributaries;

    long may the sea live, sustained by its tributaries!

  65. أبَّدُوا الملْكَ فهو ملكُ خُلودٍ

    لا كعهدِ الكفُورِ مُلْكُ بُيُودِ

    They made kingship everlasting: a kingdom of permanence,

    not like the ungrateful one's reign, a kingdom doomed to vanish.

  66. وجديرٌ بذاكَ ما اسْتُعْمِلَ الرأ

    يُ ويُمْنُ الجدود ذات الصُّعُودِ

    And rightly so, as long as judgment is employed,

    and the auspiciousness of ever-rising fortunes.

  67. ما بِناءٌ بُنَاتُهُ آلُ وهبٍ

    بِوَضِيع الذُّرَا ولا مَهْدُودِ

    No building whose builders are the house of Wahb

    has low summits or lies demolished.

  68. آلُ وهبٍ قوم لَهُمْ عِفَّةُ المغْـ

    ـمِدِ أظفَارَهُ ونفْعُ الصَّيُودِ

    The house of Wahb possesses the restraint of one who sheathes

    his claws, and the usefulness of a hunter.

  69. أرْغَبَتْهُمْ عن القَنَا قَصَبَاتٌ

    مُغْنِيَاتٌ عن كل جيشٍ مَقُودِ

    Reed pens have turned them away from spears,

    dispensing with every army that might be led.

  70. لا تَرَاها تَعِيثُ عَيْثَ الذئاب الـ

    ـطُلْسِ لكنْ تَصِيدُ صَيْدَ الفُهُودِ

    You do not see them ravaging like dusky

    wolves; rather, they hunt like cheetahs.

  71. حينَ لا تُجْتَبَى وظيفةُ بيْت ال

    مال من مُرْهَقٍ ولا مَضْهُودِ

    When the treasury's levy is not collected

    from one overburdened or oppressed,

  72. صُحِّحُوا والمصَحَّحُ الآمِنُ القلْـ

    ـب خِلافُ المبْهرَجِ المزؤُودِ

    they are proved sound; the sound man's heart is secure,

    unlike the counterfeit, terror-stricken.

  73. فلأقلامِهِمْ صَريرٌ مَهيبٌ

    يُزْدَرَى عنده زئيرُ الأُسُودِ

    Their pens have an awe-inspiring scratch,

    beside which the roaring of lions is scorned.

  74. والقراطيسُ خافقاتٌ بأيْدِيـ

    ـهِمْ كمرْهُوبِ خافقاتِ البُنُودِ

    The sheets of paper flutter in their hands

    like the dreaded fluttering of banners.

  75. وهُمُ راكبو النَّمَارِقِ أمضى

    من كُمَاةٍ على خَنَاذِيذَ قُودِ

    Though seated upon cushions, they are more effective

    than armored warriors upon tall, noble stallions.

  76. من أناسٍ قُعُودُهُم كقيام الـ

    ـناس لكنَّهُمْ قليلُو القُعُودِ

    They are men whose sitting equals the standing

    of other men, yet they seldom sit.

  77. لا الذّكاءُ استِعَارُ شَرٍّ ولا الأحْ

    لامُ فِيهِمْ من فَتْرَةٍ وخُمُودِ

    Their intelligence is not the kindling of evil, nor

    is their forbearance born of weakness and dullness.

  78. دِينُهُمْ أنْ يُمَسَّ لِينٌ بِلِين

    ويُصكَّ الجُلْمُودُ بالجلمودِ

    Their creed is that gentleness be met with gentleness,

    and a boulder struck with a boulder.

  79. منْهُمُ الغيْثُ والصَّوَاعِقُ في النَّا

    سِ وفي كلِّ مَحْلَةٍ جَارُودِ

    From them come rain and thunderbolts among

    people, and in every scourging drought.

  80. فلهمْ تَارَةً عِدَاتُ بُرُوقٍ

    ولهم تارةً وَعِيدُ رُعُودِ

    At one time they offer the promises of lightning,

    and at another, the threats of thunder.

  81. ولَقَدْ يُوعِدُونَ ثم يَذُوبُو

    نَ سَماحاً إلى أوان الجمودِ

    They may threaten, then melt

    in generosity until the hour of freezing.

  82. كم وَعِيدٍ لهُمْ تَبَلَّجَ عن صَفْـ

    ـحٍ ومَنْحٍ تَبَلُّجَ الموْعُودِ

    How many a threat of theirs has broken into pardon

    and gifts, brightening like a promise fulfilled!

  83. وَوَعيدٍ لهم تَكَشَّفَ عن بطْ

    شٍ أبى حَدُّهُ اعتداءَ الحُدُودِ

    And many a threat of theirs has disclosed force

    whose bounds refused to transgress due limits.

  84. بَرَّزوا في العُلا ونام رجالٌ

    برَّزُوا في الكرى على عَبُّودِ

    They excelled in loftiness while other men slept,

    outdoing 'Abbud himself in slumber.

  85. إنْ يفُوزُوا بسَبْقِ كلِّ مُجَارٍ

    بجُدُودٍ سعيدةٍ وجُدُودِ

    If they triumph by outstripping every rival,

    through fortunate destinies and grandfathers,

  86. فلقدْ بذَّهُمْ أخوهم بِشَأوٍ

    تَحْسِبُ الريحَ عنده في القُيُودِ

    their brother has surpassed them by a distance

    beside which you would think the wind was chained.

  87. مِدْرَهُ المُلْكِ أمْتِعَتْ قدماه

    بالمُقامِ المُوطَّأ الممهُودِ

    The kingdom's champion—may his feet enjoy

    a dwelling leveled and prepared.

  88. مَهْرَبُ النفس مَطْلَبُ العَنْسِ مُلْقَى

    كُلِّ رَحْلٍ مَحَطُّ كلِّ قَتُودِ

    The soul's refuge, the she-camel's goal, the resting place

    of every saddle, the landing place of every saddle-frame.

  89. ذو الأيادِي على الجميع اللَّوَاتِي

    شَمِلَتْ كُلَّ سَيِّدٍ ومَسُودِ

    The giver of favors to all, favors which

    embraced every master and subject.

  90. من أياديهِ قاسمٌ حسْبُ مَنْ عد

    دَ بذاك المعْدُودِ من مَعْدُودِ

    Among his favors is Qasim; sufficient for the counter

    is that counted gift alone among all gifts counted.

  91. أخْدَمَ المُلْكَ مُرْهَفاً في مضاء الـ

    ـسَيْفِ صَلْتاً وقَدِّهِ المقْدُودِ

    He gave the kingdom a servant keen in a sword's cutting power,

    unsheathed, and in its finely fashioned form.

  92. غَرَضُ العيْنِ غَيْرُ مُنْصَرِفٍ عَنْـ

    ـهُ إلى غيره ولا مَصْدُودِ

    The eye's desire: it neither turns away

    from him to another, nor is turned aside.

  93. وَطَرُ النَّفْسِ غير مُبْتَرَكٍ فِيـ

    ـهِ بِذَمٍّ له ولا مَزْهُودِ

    The soul's desire, never assailed

    with reproach, nor shunned.

  94. فاصطفاه أميرُهُ وجَرى منْـ

    ـهُ وِفَاقاً مَجْرَى الزُّلال البَرُودِ

    His prince chose him, and he flowed in harmony

    with him, like clear, cool water.

  95. وحَبانا به غِياثاً فأحْيَى

    بِرُفُودٍ موصولةٍ بِرُفُودَ

    He bestowed him upon us as a rescuer, who revived us

    with gifts joined to further gifts.

  96. سائلي عن أبي الحسين بدا الصُّبـ

    ـح فأغنى عن جَذْوةٍ في وَقُودِ

    You who ask me about Abu al-Husayn: dawn has appeared,

    dispensing with an ember amid burning fuel.

  97. نورُ عينٍ سُرور نفسٍ وَقَانا

    ربُّنا فقدَه ولو بِفُقودِ

    A light to the eye, a joy to the soul—may

    our Lord spare us his loss, even at the cost of other losses.

  98. صُفِّيتْ نفسُه وظَرْفٌ وَعاها

    فهْو صافٍ كالسَّلسلِ الموْرُودِ

    His soul was purified, and the vessel containing it;

    he is pure as sweet-flowing water one comes to drink.

  99. وألذُّ الشَّراب ما كان منه

    صَافيَ العيْن صافيَ النَّاجُودِ

    The most delicious drink is that which is

    pure at the source and pure in its wine-flask.

  100. لا تَرى القاسم المؤمَّل إلا

    باكرَ الرِّفْد شاكرَ المرْفُودِ

    You never see Qasim, in whom hopes are placed, except

    prompt with gifts, thankful to their recipient.

  101. مُنْشَدَ المدحِ تحت أفْياء عُرْفٍ

    ناشِد طَالِبيه لا منشودِ

    Having praise recited beneath the shade of kindness,

    seeking out his petitioners rather than needing to be sought.

  102. مُسْتَمَدَّاً من فعله كلُّ قولٍ

    قِيل فيه فما له من نُفُودِ

    Every word spoken of him draws its substance

    from his deeds, so that substance never runs out.

  103. ومن السيْف ماؤُهُ ومن الطَّا

    وُوس ذي الوَشْي وَشْيُ تلك البُرودِ

    From the sword comes its sheen, and from the peacock

    with embroidered plumage, the embroidery of those cloaks.

  104. سَيِّدٌ بِرُّه كمحْتُوم أمْرِ الـ

    ـلَه يأتيك غيرَ ما مرْدودِ

    A lord whose kindness, like God's irrevocable command,

    comes to you and cannot be turned back.

  105. تحْسَبُ العينُ بشْرَهُ في نداه

    لَمْعَ بَرْقٍ في عارضٍ مَنْضُودِ

    The eye imagines his cheerful face amid his bounty

    as a lightning flash within a massed raincloud.

  106. ليس يَنْفكُّ داعياً لحقُوقٍ

    تعتَريهِ وناسياً لحُقُودِ

    He never ceases to call for the claims

    that come upon him, while forgetting grudges.

  107. كم رأينا لجُود كفَّيْهِ مَصْفُو

    داً طليقاً من حِلْيَةِ المصْفُودِ

    How many have we seen bound by his hands' generosity,

    yet free of the ornaments of a fettered man!

  108. ما غَلِيلٌ لم يَسْقِهِ بمساعيـ

    ـه وجَدْوَى يديْهِ بالمَبْرودِ

    No thirsty man whom he has not watered through his efforts

    and the bounty of his hands with cooled drink.

  109. صَرَفَتني عن مالِه بَدأَة المُسْـ

    ـرِفِ صَرْفَ الكريم لا المطْرودِ

    His extravagant first gift turned me away from his wealth,

    as an honored man departs, not one driven out.

  110. أَجْزَل البدْء لي فأغْنَى عن العَوْ

    دِ فما بي إلا اخْتِلالُ الوُرُودِ

    He made the first gift ample, sparing me a return;

    nothing ails me except the interruption of my visits.

  111. فقْرُ عيني إلى محاسن ذاك الـ

    ـوَجْهِ فقْرٌ لا ينْطَوِي في الجُحُودِ

    My eye's need for the beauties of that

    face is a need that cannot be concealed in denial.

  112. وابتهاجي به ابتهاجِي بالضو

    ءِ وروحِ النسيم بعد الركودِ

    My delight in him is my delight in light

    and the refreshment of a breeze after stillness.

  113. وحنيني إلى مجالسه الزهـ

    ـرِ حنيني إلى الصبا المعهودِ

    My longing for his radiant gatherings

    is my longing for familiar youth.

  114. واغتباطي بهِ اغتباطيَ بالبُر

    ءِ وعطْف الحبيب بعد الصُّدودِ

    My gladness in him is my gladness at recovery

    and a beloved's affection after estrangement.

  115. غير آتٍ وإن غَنيتُ مَجُوداً

    منه بالمعجزات شكوى المَجُودِ

    I do not, though enriched and showered with bounty

    from him, voice in wondrous terms a rain-soaked man's complaint.

  116. غَتَّني سيْبُه فجاءَ مَجِيءَ الـ

    ـقطرِ والسَّيْل مُقْبلاً من صَعُودِ

    His bounty submerged me, coming like rain

    and a torrent pouring down from high ground.

  117. لستُ أشكُوه غير أنَّ لُهَاهُ

    كَلَّفتني إحصاء رمل زَرُودِ

    I do not complain of him, except that his gifts

    have tasked me with counting the sands of Zarud.

  118. واسْتَكدَّتْ حَسِيرَ شكري فشكري

    يستغيثُ استغاثةَ المجْهُودِ

    They have overworked my weary gratitude; my gratitude

    cries for help like one exhausted.

  119. حَاشَا للّه ليس منِّيَ شَيْءٌ

    في ذُرَاه العَفِيِّ بالمكْدُودِ

    God forbid! Nothing of mine

    beneath his luxuriant shelter is worn out.

  120. أنا مِن قاسم أرُوحُ وأغْدُو

    بمَرَاد من الرَّجَاء مَرُودِ

    With Qasim I come and go

    through a pasture of hope, freely roamed.

  121. في نَسِيم من السَّعَادة مَطْلُو

    لٍ كأنفاس ذات عِطْرَيْنِ رُودِ

    In a dew-moistened breeze of happiness,

    like the breaths of a tender woman wearing two perfumes.

  122. عَزَبَتْ عنه سَيِّئاتِي وإحسْا

    نِي منْه بمنْظَرٍ مرْصودِ

    My faults escape him, but my good deeds

    lie before him, observed attentively.

  123. ردَّ كالبُكْرةِ المطِيرَةِ دهْراً

    كان لي كالظَّهِيرَة الصَّيْخُودِ

    He turned a stretch of time into a rainy morning

    that for me had been like a scorching noon.

  124. فكأني لديه من جَنَّةِ الفرْ

    دوسِ في ظِلِّ سدْرِها المْخضُودِ

    It is as though, with him, I dwell in the garden of

    Paradise, in the shade of its thornless lote trees.

  125. ولهُ بعْدَ نِعْمَة الرِّفْدِ نُعْمَى

    فَوْقَ نُعْمَى الرُّقَاد بعد السُّهُودِ

    Beyond the blessing of his gifts, he grants a blessing

    greater than the blessing of sleep after sleeplessness.

  126. رَاضَني ظَرْفُهُ ويَقَّظَ مني

    عِلْمُهُ فادَّكَرْتُ بعد سُمُودِ

    His refinement schooled me; what awakened me

    was his learning, and I became mindful after heedlessness.

  127. وَغَدَتْ شِيمَتي أَرَقَّ من الكَأْ

    سِ وكانت أجْفَى من الرَّاقُودِ

    My nature became finer than a winecup,

    though it had been coarser than a wine-vat.

  128. غَيْرُ نُكْرٍ حُلُولُهُ من عُيُون

    وقُلوب مَحلَّة الموْدُودِ

    It is no wonder that he occupies, in eyes

    and hearts, the place of one beloved.

  129. هل ترى مثْلَ وجْهه في وجوه الـ

    ـنَاس أو مثلَ ْقَدِّهِ في القُدُودِ

    Do you see a face like his among the faces of

    people, or a stature like his among their statures?

  130. أوْ تَرَى مِثل فضْلِهِ في صُنُوف الـ

    ـفَضْلِ مُذْ حازَ حالة الملْدُودِ

    Or do you see excellence like his in any kind of

    excellence, since he was an infant dosed at the mouth?

  131. أكْبَرَ الحسْنُ قاسماً إذ رآه

    بَدْره فوق غُصْنِه الأمْلودِ

    Beauty revered Qasim when it saw him:

    his full moon above his supple bough.

  132. وغَدَا المجْدُ عبْدَه إذ رآه

    نَشَرتْهُ يداه من مَلْحُودِ

    Glory became his slave when it saw

    his hands resurrect it from the grave.

  133. يا أبا الحُسْنَيَيْنِ فَوْزَةُ عِلْمٍ

    لك نُفِّلْتَهَا وسَبْقَةُ جُودِ

    O father of the two excellences, a triumph in knowledge

    is yours, bestowed on you, and primacy in generosity.

  134. زادَكَ الله فوق صالِحِ ما أعْـ

    ـطاكَ شُكراً وغِبْطَةً في خُلودِ

    May God add, beyond the good He has given you,

    gratitude and blessed joy enduring forever.

  135. وأراك ابْنك السعيد كثيراً

    ببنيهِ في المحْفِلِ المشْهُودِ

    And show you your fortunate son multiplied

    in his sons at the well-attended gathering,

  136. في حياةٍ من الوزير الذي أضْـ

    ـحَى به المُلْكُ مُسْتَقِلَّ العَمُودِ

    during the lifetime of the minister through whom

    the kingdom has come to stand upon its pillar,

  137. والذي اسْتَدْرَكَ السياسةَ بالحزْ

    م وأحيا التدبْير بعد الهُمُودِ

    who restored governance through resolve,

    and revived administration after its torpor.

  138. مَسَدَتْ حَبْلَنا يداه جزى الخيْـ

    ـرُ يَدَيْهِ عن حَبْلِنا المَمْسُودِ

    His hands have twisted our rope firmly; may goodness

    reward his hands for our firmly twisted rope.

  139. لا كَمَنْ كانَ عِلْمُه واقلب العلـ

    ـمَ يُريهِ الذَّبِيحَ كالمفْصُودِ

    Not like one whose learning—read 'learning' backward—

    showed him the slaughtered beast as one merely bled.

  140. وتراهُ من الفُرُوسَةِ يَعْلُو

    خيْلَهُ بالسُّروج قبل اللُّبُودِ

    And you see him, in his horsemanship, mounting

    his horses with saddles before saddlecloths.

  141. فَهَنيئاً وزِيرُنا لِرَعَايَا

    أمْرَعَتْ بعد قاعِها المجْرُودِ

    So congratulations to the subjects on our minister,

    who have flourished after their plain lay bare.

  142. وهنيئاً لكَ العَطاء وما أُرْ

    دفَ مِنْ رَغْمِ شانئٍ وحَسُودِ

    And congratulations to you on the gift and what followed:

    the humiliation of hating and envious men.

  143. يا مُعيري ثَوْبَ الحياة بَل الكَا

    سِيَّ بالطَّوْل حُلَّة المحْسُودِ

    O you who lent me life's garment—rather, who clothed me

    through bounty in the robes of an envied man!

  144. بك صار السَّنيّ حَظِّي وقدْماً

    كان حَظِّي كأُكْلَة المعْمُودِ

    Through you my portion became splendid; once

    my portion was like an invalid's meal.

  145. بك صار المزُور رَحْلي وقَدْ كَا

    نَ بحال المريض غيرِ المَعُودِ

    Through you my dwelling became visited; it had

    been like an ill man's, with no visitors.

  146. ويَميناً بكلِّ شأوٍ بَطينٍ

    من مَسَاعيكَ لي وشَوْطٍ طَرُودِ

    I swear by every far-reaching course

    of your endeavors for me, and every sweeping run:

  147. لقد اخْتَرْتَ ذا وفاءٍ أَلُوفاً

    يُضْحِكُ الدَّهْرَ عن ثَنَاء شَرُودِ

    you have chosen a faithful, devoted man,

    who makes time smile with praise that ranges far.

  148. لم يكُنْ بالكَنُودِ فيما نَثا عَنْـ

    ـكَ ولا كنْتَ في الجَدَا بكَنُودِ

    He was not ungrateful in the praise he spread

    of you, nor were you grudging in bounty.

  149. ولَعَمْرِي لأُمْجِدَنَّكَ مِنْ مَدْ

    حٍ بأسْمَائك العُلى مَعْقُودِ

    By my life, I shall glorify you in praise

    bound to your exalted names.

  150. لك بَحْرٌ يُمدُّ بْحري فيجْري

    غيْرَ ما مُنْزف ولا مَثْمودِ

    Yours is a sea that feeds my sea, so it flows

    neither drained nor depleted.

  151. هَاكَها كاعباً تخوَّنَها الإعْـ

    ـجَالُ تَكْميلَ حُسنِها بالنُّهُودِ

    Take her, a budding maiden robbed by

    haste of her beauty's completion in full-grown breasts.

  152. لمْ يضرْهَا أنْ لَمْ يقلْها النُّوَاسيـ

    ـيُ ولا شَيْخُ بُحْتر بن عَتُودِ

    It does not hurt her that she was not composed by al-Nuwasi,

    nor by the elder of Buhtur ibn 'Atud.

  153. وشُهُودي بما نَحَلْتُكَ شَتَّى

    من حَسُودٍ ومنْ ودُودٍ حَشُودِ

    My witnesses to what I have bestowed on you are various:

    envious men and devoted, affectionate friends.