لم يبكني رسم منزل طسما — Abn Rumi

لم يُبكني رسمُ منزلٍ طسما

بل صاحبٌ حال عهدُهُ حُلما

No faded trace of a dwelling made me weep,

but a friend whose old bond became a dream.

خلٌّ جفاني لنعمةٍ حدثت

له فجازته بالذي حكما

A dear friend forsook me because of a blessing that came

to him; it repaid him according to his own judgment.

لم أجنِ ذنباً إليه أعلمُهُ

ولا جناه إلى الذي خدما

I committed no offense against him that I know of,

nor did he against the man he served.

لكن تجنّتْ عليه نعمتهُ

كما تجنَّى عليَّ إذ صرما

But his prosperity wronged him,

just as he wronged me when he severed our bond.

ناكرني ظالماً فناكره

صاحبُه فاستقادَ وانتقما

He disowned me unjustly; then his patron disowned

him, exacting redress and revenge.

لا يخلُ من نعمة وموعظة

تنهى الفتى أن ينفّر النعما

Never devoid of blessing and admonition,

warning a man not to drive blessings away,

دعوة ذي خلةٍ ومَعْتبةٍ

يهوَى اللُّها للصديق لا النقما

is the prayer of one bound by friendship yet reproachful,

who desires gifts for his friend, not punishment.

لم يدعُ إذ فار صدرُه غضباً

إلا بما الحظُّ فيه إن قُسِما

When his breast seethed with anger, he prayed

only for something fortunate, if allotted.

دعا بنُعمى وخاف فِتْنتَها

على أخٍ فابتغَى له العِصما

He prayed for bounty but feared its temptation

for a brother, and sought safeguards for him.

وأحسنُ الظن عند ذاك به

فلم يخَفْ أن يَظُنَّ أو يَهِما

And I think well of him in that regard,

so he had no fear of misjudging or mistaking.

ولا أراه يرى العتابَ من ال

شتم وأنى يظُنُّ من علما

Nor do I think he regards reproach as

abuse; how could a knowing man think so?

ولن يرى المنصفُ المميّزُ مَنْ

عاتب في نبوة كمن شتما

The fair-minded, discerning man will never regard one

who reproaches a lapse as someone who abuses.

فليغْنَ في غِبطةٍ تدومُ له

ووعْظِ بَلْوى تزورُه لَمما

May he grow rich in happiness that endures for him,

with the admonition of affliction visiting only occasionally,

حتى يراه الإلهُ مُعترفاً

بالحقّ يرعى الحقوق والحُرَما

until God sees him acknowledging

the truth, observing rights and sacred bonds.

ولا يراه الذي إذا سبغتْ

عليه نعماهُ نابِذَ الكرما

And may He not see him as one who, when

His bounty abounds upon him, casts nobility aside.

إيهاً أبا القاسمِ الذي ركب ال

غشم جِهاراً ونفسَه غشما

Enough, Abu al-Qasim, who plunged into

open injustice, wronging even himself!

قل ليَ لِمْ لَمْ تَتِهْ بمعرفة ال

حقّ وإحكامِ نفسِك الحِكَما

Tell me: why did you not take pride in knowing

the truth and in your soul's mastery of wisdom,

وتِهتَ أن نِلْتَ رُتبةً وَسطاً

لا شططاً في العُلو بل أَمما

yet grew arrogant because you gained a middling rank,

not remotely lofty, but close at hand?

هل فُزْتَ في الدولة المباركة ال

غرّاءِ إلا بحظِ من سلما

In the blessed, resplendent state, did you win

anything beyond the share of one who came through safely?

لا أصْلَ ديوانها وَلِيتَ ولا

كُنْتَ كمن زَمَّ أو كمنْ خطما

You neither governed its principal bureau, nor

were like one who held the reins or fitted the bridle.

ولم تُفِدْ بالعلاء فائدةً

إلا علاءً بَغيْتَ فانهدما

You gained no benefit through al-ʿAlaʾ

except elevation; you transgressed, and it collapsed.

صحِبْتَه فاعتليْتَ ثم أتى

بغيُك والبغيُ ربما شأما

You accompanied him and rose; then came

your wrongdoing—and wrongdoing sometimes brings ill fortune.

ولو تلقيتَ بالتواضعِ ما

أُوتيت منه لتمَّ والتأما

Had you received with humility what

you were given through him, it would have endured and held together.

حملتَ طغيانك العظيَم على

أمرِك فانهدَّ بعدما اندعما

You loaded your great tyranny upon

your affairs, which crumbled after being shored up.

أصبحتَ أن نِلْتَ فضلَ منزلةٍ

أُنسيتَ تلك المعاهدَ القُدَما

Once you gained a superior station,

you forgot those old bonds,

مُطَّرِحَ الأصدقاء مرتفعَ ال

همَّة عنهم تراهُمُ قُزُما

casting friends aside, raising your

ambition above them, and seeing them as dwarfs.

وإنَّني حالفٌ فمجتهدٌ

مُنكِّبٌ عن سبيل من أثِما

And I swear, with all earnestness,

turning aside from the path of those who sin:

ما رفعَ اللَّه همةً طمحتْ

تلقاءَ غدرٍ أليَّةً قسما

God has never raised an ambition aspiring

toward treachery—I swear it solemnly.

كلا ولا حطَّ هِمّةً جنحتْ

نحو وفاء كزعمِ من زعما

No, nor has He lowered an ambition inclining

toward loyalty, whatever some may claim.

أمحضُك النصحَ غيرَ محتشمٍ

هل ماحِضٌ نصحَه من احتشما

I offer you pure counsel without reserve;

does one who holds back offer sincere counsel?

ذمَّ الأخلاءُ صاحباً حفظ ال

مالَ وأضحى يُضيّع الذمما

Friends condemned a companion who guarded

his money while letting his obligations go to waste.

من لَبِسَ الكِبرَ عند ثروتِه

على أخيه فنفسَه هضما

Whoever dons arrogance in his wealth

toward his brother diminishes himself.

نبَّه مِن قدرِه على صغر

خَيَّله حادثُ الغنى عِظما

He draws attention to smallness in his worth,

which newfound wealth made him fancy was greatness,

كدأْبِ من لم يرثْ أوائِلُه

سابقةً في العلا ولا قَدما

like one whose forebears inherited neither

precedence in glory nor ancient standing.

ضئيلُ شأنٍ أصابَ عارِفةً

ففخَّمتْ كِبرهُ وما فخما

A man of little account received a favor;

it inflated his arrogance, not his true stature.

نَمَّ على نقصِه ويا أسفي

عليه يا ليت أنه كتما

He betrayed his deficiency—alas

for him! If only he had concealed it.

ما هكذا يفعل الأريبُ من ال

ناس إذا كان ناقصاً فنما

This is not how a discerning man among

people behaves when he grows from deficiency.

فكيفَ مَنْ لم يزلْ وليسَ به

نقصٌ ولا كان سافلاً فسما

How much less one who has always had

no deficiency, and never rose from lowliness!

سَقْياً لأيامك التي جمعتْ

إنصافَك الأصدقاءَ والعدما

May rain water those days of yours that combined

fair treatment of your friends with poverty.

ولا سقَى اللَّه برهةً ضمنتْ

ضدَّيهما وابلاً ولا دِيما

And may God not water a time that held

their opposites, with downpour or steady rain.

لا خيرَ في ثروةٍ تحضُّ على ال

غدرِ صُراحاً وتمرِضُ الشيما

There is no good in wealth that openly urges

treachery and sickens one's character.

ناشدْتُك اللَّه والمودّة في ال

لَهِ فإني أعُدُّها رَحِما

I adjure you by God and by affection in

God—for I count it a bond of kinship—

في أن تكون الذي يتيه

من نعمةٍ كمن لؤما

concerning your becoming one who struts

because of a blessing, like a base man:

مثلَ التي ظوهرت ملابسها

وما حلا خَلقُها ولا ضخُما

like the woman whose garments were richly layered,

though her form was neither lovely nor full.

فاستشعرتْ نخوةً وأعجَبها

مرأىً رأته بما اكتستْ غمما

She felt pride, and was delighted by

the sight of herself in the coverings she had donned.

ولم تزلْ قبلَ ذاك ساخطةً

خلقا شهيداً بصدقِ من ذأما

Before that, she had continually resented

a form that testified to the truth of those who faulted it,

لاعنةً وجهها وجاعلةً

صفحتَهُ عُرضةً لمن لطما

cursing her face and making

its surface a target for anyone who slapped.

هاتيك تُزهَى بما اكتستهُ ولا

تُزْهى التي بَذَّ خلقُها الصنما

That woman prides herself on her clothing, whereas

the woman whose form surpasses an idol feels no pride:

ممكورةٌ كالكثيب يفرعهُ

غصنٌ وبدرٌ ينوّر الظُّلما

shapely as a sandhill, surmounted by

a branch and a moon that lights the darkness.

خُذها شروداً بعثتُها مثلاً

تسير لا بل نَصبتُها عَلما

Take this far-roaming verse, sent forth as a proverb

to travel—no, rather, I raised it as a signpost.

فيها عِتابٌ يردُّ عاديةَ ال

جائر حتى يُراجع اللَّقما

It holds reproach that checks the aggression of

the wrongdoer until he returns to the open road.

وكنتُ لا أهملُ الصديق ولا

أعتبُ حتى أُعدَّ مجترما

I have never neglected a friend, nor

reproached him to the point of being deemed an offender.

لكنني قائلٌ له سَدداً

مُنَخِّلٌ في عتابه الكَلما

Rather, I speak rightly to him,

sifting my words when reproaching him.

أعالجُ الصاحبَ السقيم ولا

أخرقُ حتى أزيدَهُ سقما

I treat the ailing companion, and do not

handle him roughly so as to worsen his sickness.

أثقّفُ العودَ كي يقومَ ولا

أعنفُ في غَمزه لينحطما

I straighten the stick so it stands upright, and do not

bend it violently enough to break it.

ولست آسَىَ على الخليطِ إذا اع

تدَّ زِيالي كبعضِ ما غنما

I do not mourn a companion if he

counts my departure among his gains.

لا أجتني من فِراقِه أسفاً

أو يَجْتنِي من جفائه نَدما

I reap no grief from parting with him

unless he reaps remorse from his estrangement.

أَروعُهُ عن هَناتهِ وأُخلْ

ليه إذا ما تقحَّم القُحَما

I frighten him away from his faults, and leave

him alone if he plunges into perils.

فلا تَخلْ أنني أخفُّ ولا

أهلعُ صَدَّ الخليل أو رَئما

So do not suppose I grow flighty or

panic, whether a friend shuns me or shows affection.

إن أنت أقبلتَ لم أطِر فرحاً

وإن تولَّيت لم أَمُت سدما

If you approach, I do not fly for joy;

if you turn away, I do not die of grief.

إني لوصَّال مَنْ يُواصلني

جَذّام حبلِ القرين إن جذما

I steadfastly maintain ties with whoever maintains them with me,

and sever a companion's cord if he severs it.

ولستُ أتلو مُولِّياً أبداً

ولا أنادي من ادّعى صمما

I never follow someone turning away,

nor call to someone who pretends deafness.

قوَّمتَني غير قيمتي غلطاً

شَاور ذوي الرأي تعرف القيما

You mistakenly valued me at other than my worth;

consult men of judgment, and you will know true values.

أمتَّ وُديك عَبطةً فمَهٍ

دَعْهُ على رسله يمت هرما

You killed your loving friend before his time—stop!

Leave him at his ease to die of old age.

هلَّا كمثلِ الحسينِ كنتَ أبي

عبدِ الإلهِ المكشّف الغُمَما

Why were you not like al-Husayn, Abu

ʿAbd al-Ilah, dispeller of sorrows,

الباقطائيِّ ذي البراعة وال

سؤددِ والمحتدِ الذي كرما

al-Baqtaʾi, possessed of brilliance and

lordship, and a noble lineage?

أخٌ دعاني لكي أشاركَهُ

فيما حَوتْه يداهُ محتكما

A brother invited me to share with him

whatever his hands possessed, choosing as I pleased.

دعا فلبّيتُهُ وجئتُ فأل

فيتُ ضليعاً بالمجد لا بَرما

He called; I answered and came, and

found a man strong in glory, not grudging.

لو ساهم الأكرمين كلَّهمُ

في المجد والخير وحده سَهُما

If he competed with all the noblest

in glory and goodness, he alone would prevail.

مُقَبلُ الكفّ غيرُ جامدِها

يَلثُمُ فيها السماحَ مَنْ لثما

His hand is kissed, and it is no withholding hand;

whoever kisses it kisses generosity itself.

لا فُقدتْ كفّهُ ولا برحت

ركناً لعافي النوال مستَلما

May his hand never be lost, nor cease to be

a pillar reverently touched by the seeker of gifts.

يَلقَى الغنى لا الكفافَ سائلُهُ

والنِعمَ السابغات لا النقما

His petitioner finds wealth, not mere sufficiency,

and abundant blessings, not punishments.

يعيدُ ما أبدأتْ يَداهُ من ال

عرف جوادٌ لا يعرف السأما

He renews what his hands first offered of

kindness—a generous man who knows no weariness.

يُتبِعُ وسمِيّه الولِيَّ وقد

أغنى جديب البقاع إن وسما

He follows his first seasonal rain with further rain, though

his first rain has already enriched the barren lands.

ألغتْ مواعيدَه فواضلُهُ

فلم يَقُل قطُّ لا ولا نعما

His bounties made promises needless,

so he never once said either no or yes.

يفعل ما يفعل الكريمُ ولو

رقرَقتَهُ من حيائه انسجما

He does as the generous do; and were you

to make him brim with modesty, he would flow.

محتقراً ما أتى وقد غمر ال

آمال طُولاً وجاوز الهمما

He belittles what he gives, though he has flooded

hopes with bounty and exceeded aspirations.

فتى أخافتنيَ الخطوبُ فَعَوْ

وَلتُ عليه فكان لي حَرما

A young man: calamities frightened me, so I

relied on him, and he became my sanctuary.

موَّلني جُودُهُ فآمنني

حِفاظُه أن أعيش مهتضما

His generosity enriched me, and his loyal care secured me

against living oppressed.

ممنْ إذا ما شهدت أَنَّ له ال

فضلَ نفَى عن شهادتي التُّهما

He is one who, when I testify that he possesses

excellence, dispels suspicion about my testimony.

لو سكتَ المادحونَ لاجتلبَ ال

مدحُ له نفسه ولانتظما

If those who praise fell silent, praise would come

to him of its own accord and arrange itself in verse.

لم أشكُ من غيره عتومَ قِرىً

حتى قراني الغنى وما عتما

I had not complained of another's tardy hospitality

when he feasted me with riches, without delay.

وهل تُسرُّ الرياضُ عارفةَ الْ

غيثِ إذا ما أريجُها فغما

Can gardens conceal the beneficence of

rain when their fragrance fills the air?

أسرَارُه عندنا ودائعُ معْ

روفٍ تَوارَى فتطلعُ الأَكَما

His secrets with us are deposits of

kindness that hides, then climbs the hills.

كم قد كتمنا سَدىً له كنثا ال

مسكِ لدى فتقهِ فما اكتتما

How often have we hidden a favor of his, like the scent of

musk when opened, which could not stay concealed.

يسألُنا دفْنَ عُرفهِ ثِقَةً

بنشره نفْسَهُ وما ظلما

He asks us to bury his kindness, trusting

it to spread itself; he judged rightly.

يغدُو على الجُودِ غادياً غَدِقاً

وربَّما راحَ رابحاً هَزِما

He goes out early with generosity, pouring rain,

and often goes at evening, triumphant and thundering.

لَوْ حزَّ مِنْ نفسه لسائله

أَنْفَسَ أعضائه لما أَلِما

If he cut from his own body for his petitioner

his most precious limb, he would feel no pain.

يفديه مَن لا يفي بفديته

يوماً إذا نابُ أزمةٍ أزما

May he be ransomed by those whose ransom cannot match his worth

on a day when hardship's fang bites down:

من كل كَزّ أبى السماح فما

يمنحُ إلا أديمَهُ الحلَمَا

every miser who refuses generosity and

gives nothing but his skin to the ticks.

لا يبذُلُ الرفدَ مُعْفِياً وإذا

كُلِّمَ فيه حَسبتَهُ كُلِما

He offers no help unasked, and when

spoken to about it, you think he has been wounded.

يا منْ يجاريه في مذاهبه

أمازحٌ أمْ تُراك مُعْتزما

You who would rival him in his ways:

are you joking, or do you really mean it?

حاولتَ ما ليس في قواك مِنَ الْ

أمر فلا تجْشَمنَّ ما جَشما

You have attempted something beyond your powers;

do not shoulder what he has shouldered.

مَسْمعُ معروفه ومنظرُهُ

يكفيك فاقنع ولا تَمُتْ نَهَما

Hearing of his kindness and seeing it

should suffice you; be content, and do not die of greed.

حسبُك من أن يكون مَعْبَداً ال

مُحْسِنَ ترجيعُهُ لك النغما

It is enough, from a man who is Maʿbad the

master singer, that he trill melodies for you.

ويا مُسرّاً له المكايد أم

سيت فلا تكذبنَّ مُجْتَرما

And you who secretly plots against him, you have

become an offender; do not deny it.

قد حَتَمَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يبورَ أعا

ديهِ فأَنّى تردُّ ما حَتما

God has decreed that his enemies

shall perish; how can you reverse His decree?

في كفك السيفُ إن ضربتَ به

نَفْسَك أو مَنْ تريدُها خَذَما

The sword is in your hand: if you strike with it

yourself or another soul you choose, it cuts.

فأغمدِ السيفَ عنك وانْتَضهِ

لمن يعاديك يلحقوا إرما

So sheathe the sword against yourself, and draw it

against your enemies; let them join Iram.

إنَّ أخاك الذي تُزاولُه

ما زال مذ قال أهلُه حَلُما

The brother with whom you contend

has been, ever since his family declared him mature,

سراجَ نورٍ شهابَ نائرة

يَهْدِي ولا يُصْطَلى إذا اضطرما

a lamp of light, a meteor of blazing fire:

he guides, but cannot be approached for warmth when ablaze.

يَنْعَشُ بالرأي والسَّماحِ إذا ارْ

تاحَ ويُغْرَى فيصرع البُهَما

He revives through judgment and generosity when

moved to give; provoked, he fells mighty warriors.

سرْ في سناه إذا أضاء وإي

يَاكَ وأُلْهُوبَهُ إذا احْتَدَما

Walk in his radiance when he shines, and

beware his blaze when he flares.

شاورْهُ في الرأي واستمحهُ وإيْ

يَاكَ وفلقاً منْ كيده رَقَما

Consult his judgment and ask his bounty, and

beware a portent of his guile—a speckled serpent.

سَيّدُ أكفائه وإن عَتَبَ الْ

حاسدُ منْ ذاكُمُ وإنْ أَضما

He is master of his peers, though

the envious man objects and burns with anger.

تلقاه إنْ حاسَنوهُ أَحسنَهُمْ

وَجْهاً وأذكاهمُ هناك دما

If they vie with him in beauty, you find him fairest

of face, and liveliest in blood.

تلقاه إنْ ظارفوه أظرفَ من

رَوْحِ نسيم الصَّبا إذا نَسَمَا

If they vie with him in charm, you find him more charming than

the refreshment of the east wind's breeze when it blows.

تلقاه إنْ جاودوه أجودَهُمْ

بكل مَنْفوسَة يداً وفما

If they vie with him in generosity, you find him most generous

with every precious thing, in hand and mouth.

تلقاه إن شاجعوه أشجعَ مِنْ

قسْوَرَةِ الغيلِ هيجَ فاعتزما

If they vie with him in courage, you find him braver than

a lion of the thicket, stirred up and resolved.

تلقاه إن خاطبوه أصدقَهُمْ

قيلاً وأرخاهُمُ به كَظَما

If they address him, you find him most truthful

in speech, and easiest of throat in uttering it.

تلقاه إنْ كاتبوه آنَقَهُمْ

وَشْياً وأجراهُمُ بهِ قَلَما

If they write to him, you find him most elegant

in embroidery, and most fluent with the pen.

يجلو العمَى خطه إذا كَحَلَ ال

عينَ ويشفى بيانُه القَزَما

His script clears blindness when it anoints

the eye, and his lucid expression cures pettiness.

وهو الذي اختاره العلاءُ أبو

عيسى حكيمُ الإقليم مذ فُطما

He is the one chosen by al-ʿAlaʾ, Abu

ʿIsa, the region's sage from the day he was weaned:

يُمْنَى يَدَيْ ذي الوزارتين وعيْ

نَاه ومُفْتَرُّه إذا ابتسما

the right hand of the Holder of Two Vizierates, his

eyes and his smiling mouth when he smiles.

قائدُ أهل السماح كُلِّهُمُ

يعطونه في يَمينه الرُّمَما

Leader of all men of generosity,

who place their reins in his right hand.

فتى إذا قال أو إذا فعل ال

أفْعالَ ألقى الورَى له السَّلَما

A young man who, when he speaks or performs

deeds, receives the submission of all mankind.

أحسنُ ما في سواهُ من حَسَن

أنْ يَحْكِي الصورةَ التي رَسَما

The finest beauty in anyone else

is to imitate the form he drew.

يرسمُ للعُرْجِ ما يقوّمُهُمْ

تقويمَ كَفّ المقوّم الزُّلَمَا

He marks out for the lame what sets them straight,

as a straightener's hand straightens arrow-shafts.

يقظانُ إنْ نام أو تنبه كال

نار إذا ما حَششتها الضرَّمَا

Alert whether asleep or awake, like

fire when you feed it kindling.

لا يعْزُبُ الرأيُ عن بديهته

يوما إذا ورْدُ حادثٍ دَهَما

Sound judgment never eludes his ready intuition

when the onset of a calamity comes suddenly.

وربما جال فكْرُهُ فرأى الْ

غيبَ وإن كان مُلْبَساً قتَمَا

Often his thought ranges, and he sees

the unseen, even cloaked in dust-darkness.

أحْوَسُ لا يسبق الرَّويَّةَ بال

عزْم ولا يَنْثَني إذا عَزَما

Intrepid, he does not let resolve outrun

deliberation, nor turn back once resolved.

إذا ارتأى خلتَهُ هناك يرى

وهْو كمن يَرْتَئى إذا رَجَمَا

When he reflects, you think he sees clearly;

when he guesses, he is like one who deliberates.

فُضِّلَ حتى كان خالقَه

خَيَّرَه دون خَلْقه القسَما

He was so favored that his Creator

let him choose his share before all His creatures.

كم غمرةٍ لو سواه غامسَها

كانت ضَحَاضيحُها له حُوَما

How many an engulfing peril, had another plunged into it,

would have had its shallows become deep waters for him!

أما وتوفيقُ رأيه لقد اعْ

تَامَ ومَا كان يجهل العَيما

By his rightly guided judgment! He indeed

chose well, and never failed to know what to choose.

أيمنُ ذي طائر وأَجْدرُه

أن تلزَم الصالحاتُ مَنْ لزما

The most fortunate of men of fortune, and most deserving

that good things follow whoever follows him.

الراجح الناصحُ الظّهارة وال

غَيْبِ إذا الصّنْوُ كان مُتَّهَمَا

Sound of judgment, faithful in presence and

absence, when even a brother is suspect.

واهاً لها جملةً كفتْكَ من ال

تفْسير إن كنتَ عاقلاً فَهما

Ah, what a summation! It spares you

explanation, if you are thoughtful and discerning.

خرْقٌ رأى الدهْرَ وهْو يثْلُم في

حَالي فما زال يرتقُ الثُّلَما

A noble man saw Time making breaches in

my condition, and kept mending the breaches.

ثم تلاهُ أبو محمدٍ ال

محمود في فعله فما سَئما

Then Abu Muhammad followed him, the

man praised for his deeds, and never wearied:

الحسنُ المحْسِنُ المحسَّنُ أخ

لاقاً وخَلْقاً برغم مَنْ رَغما

al-Hasan, beneficent, made beautiful in

character and form, to the chagrin of the resentful.

فتى إذا عاقَ جودَهُ عَوَزٌ

فكَّر فيما عناك أوْ وَخما

A young man who, when scarcity impedes his generosity,

thinks about what troubles or burdens you.

للَّه درُّ امرئٍ تيمَّمَ جدْ

واه على أي معدنٍ هجما

Blessed is the man who seeks his

bounty—what a mine he has struck!

يُسْترفَدُ المالَ والمشورةَ وال

جاهَ إذا الخطب شيَّبَ اللِّمَما

He is asked for money, counsel, and

influence when calamity turns forelocks gray.

بحرٌ من الجدِّ والفكاهة وال

نائل تلقاهُ ذاخراً فَعِمَا

A sea of earnestness, good humor, and

gifts, you find him brimming and full.

مَشْهَدُهُ روضَةٌ مُنَوَّرَةٌ

أُرْضعَت الليلَ كلَّه الرّهَمَا

His presence is a flowering garden,

suckled all night on gentle rain.

تعاوراني بكلّ صالحةٍ

لا عَدمَا صالحاً ولا عُدِما

They took turns showering me with every good thing;

may they lack no good, nor ever be lost!

لذاك أضحتْ محامدي نَفَلاً

بينهما بالسَّواء مُقْتَسَما

Thus my praises became a prize

equally divided between them.

وما أبو أحمدٍ بدونهما

لراهبٍ أو لراغب حُرما

Nor is Abu Ahmad beneath the two

as a sanctuary for one in fear or one in hope:

عبدُ الجليل الجليلُ إن طرقَ ال

طارق مُسْتَرْفداً ومُعْتَصما

ʿAbd al-Jalil, noble when a

visitor knocks, seeking aid and refuge.

إخوةُ صدْقٍ ثلاثةٌ جُعِلوا

لكل مَجدٍ مُشَيَّدٍ دِعَما

Three true brothers, made

supports for every lofty glory.

فأنت تَعْتدُّهُمْ ثلاثَة أشْ

خاص وإن تبلُهُمْ تجدْ أُمَما

You count them as three

persons; but test them, and you find nations.

أبقاهُمُ مَنْ أعزَّني بهمُ

ما أفلَ النَّيّران أَوْ نجما

May He who honored me through them preserve them

as long as the two luminaries set or rise:

بَني شَهِنْشَاه الذي وطئتْ

عزَّتُهُ المعرِبينَ والعَجما

O sons of Shahinshah, whose

might trod upon Arabic-speakers and non-Arabs.

إن يَكُ آباؤكم بنوا لكُمُ

طوْداً من المجد يفرَعُ القمَما

If your forefathers built for you

a mountain of glory rising above the peaks,

فقد قضى حقَّهُم فَعالُكُمُ ال

آن بمَحياهُ تلكُمُ الرِّمَما

your deeds have repaid their due

now, reviving those decayed remains with their living vigor.

أحيتْ أفاعيلُكم أوائلَكُمْ

أحسابَهُمْ لا النفوسَ والنَّسَما

Your deeds brought your forebears back to life—

their ancestral honors, not their souls or breath.

وهل يضرُّ امرءاً له حَسَبٌ

حيٌّ أن احْتَلَّ جسْمُه الرَّجَمَا

Does it harm a man whose ancestral honor

lives, that his body dwells beneath grave-stones?

دونكموها وما أَمُنُّ بها

غراءَ تحكي اللآلئَ التُّؤما

Here, take this poem; I claim no credit for it,

radiant, resembling paired pearls.

وكيفَ مَنّي وما رمَمْتُ بها

لكم بناءً وَهى ولا انثلما

How could I claim credit, when with it I have not repaired

for you a building weakened or breached?

مدحتُ منكم مُمَدَّحينَ على ال

دَهر أماديحَ تَقْدُم القِدما

I have praised men among you already praised throughout

time, with praises that precede antiquity itself.

لم أبتدعْ بدعةً بمدحكُمُ

قد قَرَّضَ الناسُ قبلِيَ الأدَمَا

I have invented no novelty in praising you;

people before me have sung the praises of men.