Sol 6.1

  1. لمّا استقلَّ بك الطريقُ إلى العدا

    لا زلتَ تسلُك نحو رُشْدٍ مَسْلكا

    When the road bore you away toward the foe—

    may you ever tread a path toward right guidance—

  2. غشِيتْكَ مِنْ نصرِ الإلهِ سحابةٌ

    نالت حواشِيها وليَّك زيرُكا

    a cloud of God's victory enveloped you,

    whose fringes reached your ally Zirak.

  3. فسما إلى الزَّنْج الأخابثِ سَمْوةً

    كانت لجمعهمُ هلاكاً مُهْلِكا

    So he rose against the vilest Zanj in an onrush

    that brought their host devastating ruin.

  4. وبكيدِهم كِيدُوا له لا كيدِهِ

    واللَّهُ حيَّنَهُم لذاكَ فأوْشَكا

    And their own plotting, not his, ensnared them to his advantage;

    and God doomed them to that fate and swiftly brought it about.

  5. شبُّوا له ناراً فأحرقَهم بها

    ملكٌ إذا طلبَ الأعاديَ أدْرَكا

    They kindled a fire for him, only to be burned with it

    by a king who overtakes his foes whenever he pursues them.

  6. كانتْ أحقَّ من السيوفِ بأخذِهِم

    فحمت مُباحَ دمائهم أن تُسفكا

    It had more right than swords to take them,

    and so kept their forfeit blood from being shed.

  7. رامُوا بكيدِهِمُ وليَّ مُظَفَّر

    لو كاده جبلٌ إذاً لتدكدكا

    They aimed their plotting at a victor's ally;

    had a mountain plotted against him, it would surely have crumbled.

  8. واهاً لها عِظَةٌ لهم ولغَيْرِهِمْ

    حُقَّ امْرؤٌ وعظتْه ألا يُؤْفَكا

    Ah, what an admonition it is for them and for others!

    A man it has admonished ought not to be led astray.

  9. فلْيَصرِفِ الصَّفَّار عنك عِنانَهُ

    وليترِك الغيَّ المبينَ مُتْرَّكا

    So let al-Saffar turn his reins away from you,

    and leave manifest error utterly behind.

  10. وَلْيُبْقِ أن أبْقى على حَوْبائهِ

    وعلى بقيَّةِ سترِه أن تُهْتَكا

    And let him spare—if he would spare—his life,

    and what remains of his veil from being torn.

  11. فلقد رأى ما فيه مُعْتَبَرٌ له

    إنْ عبرةٌ نفعَتْ وإنْ قلبٌ ذَكا

    For he has seen what holds a warning for him,

    if a lesson can avail, and if a heart can discern.