قل للأمير إذا مثلتَ له

قل للأمير إذا مثلتَ له

يا ركن أهل إقامة الخمسِ

يا ركن أهل إقامة الخمسِ

Say to the prince when you stand before him:

Tell the prince if you meet him,

O pillar of those who observe the five prayers,

O pillar of the people residing in the palace,

يَهنيك أن الفطر حين بدا

يَهنيك أن الفطر حين بدا

نُشِرَ السرور به من الرمس

نُشِرَ السرور به من الرمس

May it gladden you that, when Eid al-Fitr appeared,

May you be congratulated that when spring began

joy was resurrected through it from the grave.

Joy was spread through it from palm trees.

نَطَقتْ بناتُ اللهو فيه معاً

نَطَقتْ بناتُ اللهو فيه معاً

من بعد خفض الصوتِ والهمس

من بعد خفض الصوتِ والهمس

The daughters of revelry all spoke out during it,

The girls of play spoke together in it

after lowered voices and whispering.

After lowering their voices and whispers.

وجرى لنا فَلَك الكؤوس به

وجرى لنا فَلَك الكؤوس به

فأمات هَمَّ النفس ذي الهَجْس

فأمات هَمَّ النفس ذي الهَجْس

And the sphere of cups revolved for us during it,

The stars of cups turned for us in it,

and so slew the soul's brooding care.

So it erased the worries of the anxious soul.

ومنِ السعادةِ أن رأيتَ أبا ال

ومنِ السعادةِ أن رأيتَ أبا ال

عباس ملءَ العينِ والنفس

عباس ملءَ العينِ والنفس

And one good fortune is that you saw Abu al-

And of good fortunes, that you saw Abu Al-

Abbas, filling eye and soul.

Abbas filling the eye and soul.

سَلَّفتَ فيه فراسةً صَدَقتْ

سَلَّفتَ فيه فراسةً صَدَقتْ

فحمدتَ ما سلَّفتَ بالأمس

فحمدتَ ما سلَّفتَ بالأمس

Your earlier discerning judgment of him proved true,

You anticipated in it a sound judgment that

and so you praised what you had offered yesterday.

You praised what you had anticipated yesterday.

أجْنى جنَىً طابتْ مذاقَتُهُ

أجْنى جنَىً طابتْ مذاقَتُهُ

إذ كان غَرسَ مباركِ الغرس

إذ كان غَرسَ مباركِ الغرس

He yielded fruit whose taste was pleasant,

It yielded a harvest whose taste was good

for he was planted by one blessed in his planting.

Since it was planted by the blessed planting.

كم فيه من جدِّيَةٍ عَذَرتْ

كم فيه من جدِّيَةٍ عَذَرتْ

مشتقُّ كنيَتِهِ من العبس

مشتقُّ كنيَتِهِ من العبس

How much seriousness in him has vindicated

How much seriousness in it excused

the one who derived his honorific from frowning!

The derivation of his teknonym from frowning.

ومحامدٍ نادت مُسمِّيَهُ

ومحامدٍ نادت مُسمِّيَهُ

تاللَهِ ما سمَّيتَ بالعكس

تاللَهِ ما سمَّيتَ بالعكس

And praiseworthy traits called out to his namer:

And praises called his namer

"By God, you did not give him a contrary name."

No, you did not name wrongly.

فاسعد بطول حياته أبداً

فاسعد بطول حياته أبداً

يفضي به حَرْسٌ إلى حَرس

يفضي به حَرْسٌ إلى حَرس

So rejoice forever in his long life,

So be happy with the length of his life forever,

as one long span of years leads him into another.

Protected by guards to guards.

واشرب على رغم العدو وما

واشرب على رغم العدو وما

يلقاه من تعس ومن نكس

يلقاه من تعس ومن نكس

And drink, despite the enemy and what

And drink despite the enemy and whatever

he suffers of misery and reversals,

Misery and setback he encounters.

كأساً كأنك حين تشربها

كأساً كأنك حين تشربها

قمر يُقبل عارَض الشمس

قمر يُقبل عارَض الشمس

a cup, as though when you drink it

A cup as if when you drink it,

you were a moon kissing the sun's cheek—

A moon comes to kiss the sun.

مشمولةً كالمسك عاتِقةً

مشمولةً كالمسك عاتِقةً

لطُفتْ عن الإدراك باللمس

لطُفتْ عن الإدراك باللمس

wine cooled by the north wind, musklike and aged,

Enveloped like musk, shouldered,

too subtle to be apprehended by touch.

Delicate beyond touching feel.

لنسيمِها في قلب شاربها

لنسيمِها في قلب شاربها

روح الرجاء وراحة اليأس

روح الرجاء وراحة اليأس

Its breeze holds, within its drinker's heart,

For its breeze in the heart of its drinker

the solace of hope and the repose of despair.

The spirit of hope and relief from despair.

حياك بالشاهِسْفَرَمِّ ضحىً

حياك بالشاهِسْفَرَمِّ ضحىً

والجلّسان ونفحة الكأس

والجلّسان ونفحة الكأس

At midmorning you were greeted with royal basil,

Greetings to you at dawn with wine

and roses and the cup's fragrant breath,

And sweet basil and scent of the cup.

فطرٌ ونيروز يجاوره

فطرٌ ونيروز يجاوره

طلعا معاً بالسعد لا النحس

طلعا معاً بالسعد لا النحس

by Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz, its neighbor:

A feast and Nayrouz next to each other

both rose together in good fortune, not ill.

Rose together with good fortune, not ill fate.

غَدِقَيْن مُخضَلَّين شأنهما

غَدِقَيْن مُخضَلَّين شأنهما

إعمال نفي البؤس والبأس

إعمال نفي البؤس والبأس

Both bountiful and drenched, their task

Two lush, made green, their condition

the active banishment of misery and hardship.

Is negation of misery and distress.

هذا يُبدّي الجلد منك وذا

هذا يُبدّي الجلد منك وذا

يسقيك من صفراءَ كالوَرْس

يسقيك من صفراءَ كالوَرْس

This one bares your skin, and that one

This shows your valor, and that

gives you some wine yellow as wars-dye.

Makes you drink a deep yellow like myrtle.

نضْحٌ ونشحٌ يغمسانك في

نضْحٌ ونشحٌ يغمسانك في

فرحٍ ونُعم أيَّما غمس

فرحٍ ونُعم أيَّما غمس

Sprinkling and sipping immerse you in

Sprinkling and irrigation that immerse you in

joy and bliss—what an immersion!

Joy and blessing - what an immersion!

هذا لذاك ورُبَّ قافيةٍ

هذا لذاك ورُبَّ قافيةٍ

قد قلتُها كالطعنة الخلس

قد قلتُها كالطعنة الخلس

This is for that; and many a rhymed poem

This matches that, and how many rhymes

I have uttered like a stealthy thrust.

Have I said like a hidden stab.

وأقول عَودا قول ذي لسنٍ

وأقول عَودا قول ذي لسنٍ

لم يُؤتَ من عيٍّ ومن ألس

لم يُؤتَ من عيٍّ ومن ألس

And again I speak as one endowed with eloquence,

And I say again the words of one with a sharp tongue

unassailed by inarticulacy or mental derangement:

Who was not given weakness or gentleness.

لولا كلابٌ غيرُ آلِيتي

لولا كلابٌ غيرُ آلِيتي

نبحاً إذا أسْمعتُها جَرسي

نبحاً إذا أسْمعتُها جَرسي

Were it not for dogs that spare me no

Were it not for dogs, not my type,

barking when I let them hear my voice—

Barking when they hear my bells jingle.

متعرِّضٌ للفَرْس نابِحُها

متعرِّضٌ للفَرْس نابِحُها

والليثُ لا يرضاه للفرس

والليثُ لا يرضاه للفرس

their barker courts being torn apart,

Barking at the steed, their barking

yet the lion does not deem it worthy of mauling.

Which even a lion would not accept for a horse.

يؤذي بتكرار النُباحِ وما

يؤذي بتكرار النُباحِ وما

من مَنْهسٍ فيه لذي نَهس

من مَنْهسٍ فيه لذي نَهس

It annoys with repeated barking, and there is

It hurts with repeated barking though there is

no flesh on it for a biter.

No growl in it for one who growls.

فالكَفُّ عن أمثاله غبَنٌ

فالكَفُّ عن أمثاله غبَنٌ

ومِراسُهُ من أعظم الوكس

ومِراسُهُ من أعظم الوكس

So holding back from its like means being cheated,

Refraining from the likes of them is a loss,

and grappling with it is among the greatest losses.

And corresponding with them is a great shame.

كالبيْن بانت عاجَلاً يده

كالبيْن بانت عاجَلاً يده

والبيهقيِّ كبا من التعس

والبيهقيِّ كبا من التعس

Like al-Bayn—may his hand soon be severed!—

The duality of the two hands appeared quickly

and al-Bayhaqi—may he stumble from misfortune!—

And al-Bayhaqi rolled in misery.

وكصاحبٍ لي غيبه دِغلٌ

وكصاحبٍ لي غيبه دِغلٌ

أنا منه في قَرص وفي نخس

أنا منه في قَرص وفي نخس

and like a companion of mine whose hidden nature is deceit:

And a friend whose absence is deceit,

from him I suffer pinches and prods—

I am squeezed and stung because of him.

لولا أولئك غير مُعتذرٍ

لولا أولئك غير مُعتذرٍ

بالعجز عن وَطءٍ ولا ضَرْس

بالعجز عن وَطءٍ ولا ضَرْس

Were it not for those—with no plea

Were it not for those, not apologizing

of inability to trample or bite—

For inability to tread or kick.

أهديتُ قافيةً مصنَّعةً

أهديتُ قافيةً مصنَّعةً

في الخدر قد سيمَتْ مِنَ الحبس

في الخدر قد سيمَتْ مِنَ الحبس

I would have offered a finely wrought poem,

I would have gifted a fabricated rhyme

in the secluded bower, made to endure confinement,

Dyed in wine, imprisoned for some time.

لقريع مجدٍ لا كِفاءَ لَهُ

لقريع مجدٍ لا كِفاءَ لَهُ

من مُصعب للرأس فالرأس

من مُصعب للرأس فالرأس

to a champion of glory who has no equal,

Criticizing glory which has no match,

from Mus'ab, through chief after chief,

Of one who makes heads dizzy, so heads spin.

ممن يُنيلُ وما استُنيل كما

ممن يُنيلُ وما استُنيل كما

يُكسَى المدائحَ غير مُستَكس

يُكسَى المدائحَ غير مُستَكس

one who gives without being asked, just as

One who attains while he was not attained, just as

he is clothed in praises without asking to be clothed.

Praises are clothed, not stripped naked.

أعني عبيد الله خير فتى

أعني عبيد الله خير فتى

بالحق ما في ذاك من لبَس

بالحق ما في ذاك من لبَس

I mean Ubayd Allah, the finest young man,

I mean Obaidullah, the best youth

in truth—there is no ambiguity in that.

In truth, there is no doubt in that.

ذاك الذي يجزي الجزاء فلا

ذاك الذي يجزي الجزاء فلا

يُثني عليه الشعر بالبخس

يُثني عليه الشعر بالبخس

He is the one who gives recompense, so

He who rewards reward, so poetry cannot

poetry does not stint him in its praise.

Praise him inadequately or stingily.

يا من يقولُ بغير مدحتهِ

يا من يقولُ بغير مدحتهِ

البدرُ مُمتنع من اللَّمس

البدرُ مُمتنع من اللَّمس

O you who say, when not praising him,

O you who says without his praise

"The full moon is beyond the reach of touch."

The moon is out of reach of touching!