1. مَولايَ يا قاضي العَساكر

    يا مِن لِساني نُعماه شاكر

    My lord, O judge of the armies,

    O you whose bounty my tongue gratefully praises,

  2. يا عالِماً جَلّ عَن شَبيهٍ

    وَعَن مَيلٍ وَعَن مُناظِر

    O scholar, exalted beyond any likeness,

    and above bias and above any rival,

  3. وَفائِض الجود مِن أَياد

    تَروي حَديثي عَطا وَجابِر

    overflowing in generosity from hands

    that recount the two traditions of ʿAṭāʾ and Jābir,

  4. مفتنة الفَيض كُلَّ وَقت

    فَالفَضلُ عامر وَالكَفُّ عامِر

    enchanting in their outpouring at every moment:

    bounty flourishes, and the palm is full.

  5. اللَهُ راضٍ عَلى أُناسٍ

    وَلَّيتَهُم ناهِياً وَآمِر

    God is pleased with those people

    whom you govern, forbidding and commanding.

  6. فَالدّينُ أَمسى قَريرَ عَينٍ

    وَالشَرعُ أَضحى ثَناكَ ناشِر

    So faith has become glad of eye,

    and sacred law now spreads your praise.

  7. قَد سِرتَ فيهِ بِهديِ شَيخٍ

    إِمامٍ حَقٍّ لِلدينِ ناصِر

    In it you have followed the guidance of a shaykh,

    a true imam, a champion of the faith.

  8. وَرحتُ في بُردَتي ثِقاةٍ

    تَجُرُّ ذَيلَ العَفافِ ساتِر

    And I went in the two cloaks of the trustworthy;

    you trail chastity’s hem, giving shelter.

  9. ما البَحرٌ زاخِرٌ وَالبَدرُ باهِر

    وَالغَيثُ ماطرٌ وَاللَيثُ خادِر

    What are the surging sea and dazzling full moon,

    the pouring rain and the lion in his lair,

  10. إِذا تَفاخَر إِذا تَسامَر

    إِذا تَكاثَر إِذا تَنافَر

    when he vies in glory, when he converses by night,

    when he vies in abundance, when he contests honor?

  11. مَولايَ يا قِبلَةَ الأَماني

    وَكَعبَةَ الفَضل وَالمَآثِر

    My lord, O qibla of hopes,

    and Kaaba of excellence and noble deeds,

  12. وَمَن لَهُ المَجدُ لا يُسامى

    إِذا تَحدّى لَهُ مَفاخِر

    and you whose glory cannot be rivaled

    when a rival in glory challenges you.

  13. وَالمَنظَر الطَلق راقَ حُسناً

    يُزهى كَزاهي الرِياض ناضِر

    Your cheerful countenance charms with beauty,

    shining, fresh as flourishing gardens;

  14. وَالمَنطِق العَذب رَقَّ لَفظاً

    وَدَقَّ مَعنىً لَكُلِّ ناظِر

    your sweet speech is delicate in wording

    and subtle in meaning to every observer.

  15. وَالنَسَبُ الطهر قَلَّدتهُ

    عُقودُها الأَنجُمُ الزَواهِر

    And your pure lineage is adorned

    with their necklaces by the radiant stars.

  16. وَرِثتَ قِدماً عُلا جُدودٍ

    حَديثُهُم جاءَ في الدَفاتِر

    You inherited long ago the heights of forefathers

    whose story appears in the books.

  17. شادُوا المَعالي سادُوا المَوالي

    بِالسُمرِ طَعناً وَبِالبَواتِر

    They built high honors and ruled over lords,

    thrusting with brown spears and wielding cutting swords.

  18. مِن كُلِّ قَرمٍ وَمِن كُلِّ شَهمٍ

    أَغَرَّ زاهي الجَبين زاهِر

    Every one a chieftain, every one a valiant man,

    noble, with a radiant, shining brow.

  19. أَدناهُم مِنكَ وَهوَ غال

    قُطبُ الأَوائِل غَوثُ الأَواخِر

    The nearest of them to you, though lofty in worth,

    was the pivot of the earlier ones, the succor of the later.

  20. حَباه رَبّي جِنان خُلدٍ

    يُسقى بِها السَلسَبيلَ طاهِر

    May my Lord grant him gardens of eternity,

    where, pure, he is given Salsabīl to drink.

  21. بِحَقِّهِ عالِماً تَقِيّاً

    وَسِرُّ نَجواه فيكَ ظاهِر

    For his sake, as a learned and pious man—

    the secret of his intimate prayer is manifest in you—

  22. إلّا تَعَطفت نَحوَ صَبٍّ

    يَصبُّ غَيثَ الدُموع ماطِر

    I ask only that you turn kindly toward a lovesick man

    who pours down a rain of tears.

  23. فارَقَ بِالشامِ خَيرَ دارٍ

    وَخَيرَ جارٍ وَالربعُ عامِر

    He left in Syria the finest home

    and the finest neighbor, while the homestead flourished.

  24. ماجِنَةُ الخُلدِ تَصطَفيها

    سِوى رِياضٍ بِها نَواضِر

    The garden of eternity you would choose is nothing

    but the flourishing gardens there.

  25. وَلَيسَ ذاتُ العِمادِ إِلّا

    مَغنى حِماها إِن كُنتَ خابِر

    And the city of pillars is nothing but

    the dwelling of her protected domain, if you know.

  26. غَدَت عَلَيها حَوامِل المُز

    نِ في ثَراها يَضعنَ باكِر

    Pregnant rainclouds come upon her at dawn,

    giving birth early into her soil.

  27. وَلا خَلا المَهدُ مِن رُباها

    فيهِ جَنينُ النَباتِ صاغِر

    May the cradle among her hills never be empty:

    within it lies the tiny embryo of vegetation.

  28. تَحنو عَلَيهِ بَناتُ فَخرٍ

    تُرضِعَهُ كَي يَشُبَّ سافِر

    The daughters of glory bend tenderly over it,

    nursing it so it may grow and show itself.

  29. فَكَم مَقيلٍ بِها ظَليلٌ

    وَكَم خَليل تَرَكتُ هاجِر

    How many shady resting places she holds,

    and how many a friend I left behind, forsaking him!

  30. وَكَم مَغانٍ فيها غَوانٍ

    مِن كُلِّ رُودٍ قَيد النَواظِر

    How many dwellings with beautiful women within,

    each a tender maiden, a fetter for gazes.

  31. فارقتُها وَالفِراقُ مُرٌّ

    كَم شَقَّ لِلصَبّ مِن مرآئِر

    I left her, and parting is bitter:

    how many a lover’s gallbladder it has rent!

  32. قالَت وَقَد زُمَّتِ المَطايا

    وَالدَمعُ هامٍ في الخَدِّ هامِر

    She said, when the riding beasts were bridled,

    and tears streamed, pouring down the cheek:

  33. إِن كُنتَ تَبغي العُلا فَبادِر

    حِمى جَوادٍ عَطاهُ وَافِر

    “If you seek high rank, then hasten

    to a generous man’s domain, whose giving is abundant.”

  34. فَرُحتُ أُنضي الرِكابَ نَضّاً

    لا أَعرف الغَمضَ في الدِياجِر

    So I went, wearing the riding beasts to exhaustion,

    knowing no sleep in the darkest nights.

  35. أَجوبُ عَرضَ الفَلاةِ جَوباً

    بِكُلِّ نِهدٍ أَقَبّ ضامِر

    I traversed the breadth of the wilderness

    on every strong-chested, lean-waisted, slender mount.

  36. يَمور مَورَ الظَليم لَيلاً

    يَخوضُ بَحرَ السَراب غامِر

    He surges like a male ostrich by night,

    plunging through the sea of mirage.

  37. يَجري مَعَ الريحِ ثُمّ تَكبو

    حَسرى وَيَمضي لِلغاي حاسِر

    He races alongside the wind; then she stumbles,

    spent, while he presses on to the goal, weary.

  38. جَبينُهُ البَدرُ مِنهُ يَبدو

    وَالنَجمُ مِن غُرَّتَيهِ غائِر

    The full moon appears from his brow,

    and the star fades before his two white blazes.

  39. فَما هِلالُ السَماءِ إِلّا

    نَعلاً رَمَتهُ مِنهُ الحَوافِر

    The crescent of heaven is nothing but

    a horseshoe flung off by his hooves.

  40. وَلا الدَراري سِوى عُقودٍ

    أَمسى لَها مِن حُلاه ناثِر

    Nor are the brilliant stars anything but necklaces

    that he has scattered from his own ornaments.

  41. وَلا نِطاق الجَوزاءِ إِلّا

    ما قَلَّد الجِيد مِنهُ فاخِر

    Nor is Orion’s belt anything but

    a splendid piece of his adorning the neck.

  42. ما زالَ يَرمي بِهِ المَرامي

    وَيَهجُرُ الوِردَ في الهَواجِر

    He kept bearing him toward distant goals,

    shunning the watering place in the midday heats,

  43. حَتّى أَتى بِهِ حِمىً كَريمٌ

    بُحورُ نَعمائِهِ زَواخِر

    until he brought him to a generous man’s domain,

    where the seas of his favors surge.

  44. صَدرَ الأَهالي بَدرَ المَعالي

    ذُخر المَوالي فَخرُ المَفاخِر

    Foremost of his people, full moon of high honors,

    treasure of lords, pride of all glories.

  45. مَولاي عَطفاً عَلى غَريبٍ

    بِالرومِ أَمسى وَلَيسَ زائِر

    My lord, show kindness to a stranger

    who finds himself in Rūm, not as a visitor.

  46. أَخُنتُ عَلَيهِ صُروف دَهرٍ

    وُقيتَ ظُلماً عَلَيهِ جائِر

    The vicissitudes of time have ravaged him,

    unjust and tyrannous toward him—may you be spared.

  47. وَفَرّقت مِنهُ شَملَ دَرسٍ

    كانَ عَليهِ قِدماً يُثابِر

    They scattered the ordered course of the study

    he had long pursued with diligence.

  48. عَطفاً عَلَيهِ فَإِنّ فيهِ

    مَحَلَّ صُنعٍ وَأَنتَ قادِر

    Show kindness to him, for in him there is

    a worthy place for beneficence, and you have the power.

  49. وَأَحبي مِنهُ دُروسَ عِلمٍ

    بِراحَةٍ كَالحَياء هامِر

    And revive in him the lessons of learning

    with a palm like pouring rain.

  50. سَماعُ يا مَن لِسانُ كُلٍّ

    بِكُلِّ مَدحٍ ثَناه ناثِر

    Give ear, O you whose praise every tongue

    scatters abroad in every eulogy.

  51. في يمِّ إِحسانِكَ المُرَجّى

    أَجريتَ فَلَكَ الرَجاءِ سائِر

    Upon the sea of your hoped-for kindness

    you have set the vessel of hope sailing.

  52. وَلَستُ أَخشى عَلَيهِ غَرقاً

    وَرَأى سَعدِي لَهُ مُسامِر

    I have no fear of its drowning,

    and my good fortune saw a night companion for it.

  53. فَمَرَّ كَالريحِ في هُبوب

    يَشُقُّ بِحرَ النَجاةِ ماخِر

    So it sped like wind in a gust,

    cleaving the sea of deliverance as it sailed.

  54. وَعادَ مَشحون سَيبك الغَم

    رِ بِاللآلي وَبِالجَواهِر

    It returned laden with your copious bounty,

    with pearls and with jewels.

  55. بَعثتُ مِنها إِلَيكَ عِقداً

    مُنظَّماً لِلعُقولِ باهِر

    I sent you from them a necklace,

    strung in order, dazzling to minds.

  56. وَسَوفَ أُهدي إِلَيكَ أُخرى

    شهبُ الدَراري لَها ضَرائِر

    And I shall offer you another;

    the blazing, brilliant stars are her rival wives,

  57. حَتّى يَقولَ الأَنام طُرّاً

    ما أَنتَ شاعر بَل أَنتَ ساحِر

    until all mankind says:

    “You are no poet; you are a magician.”

  58. وَهاكَ بِكزاً تَهيجُ ذِكرى

    لِأَرض بُصرى لا شِعبَ عامِر

    Here is a virgin bride, stirring memories

    of Buṣrā’s land, not ʿĀmir’s ravine.

  59. شَآمِيّةَ النَشأ مِن كِرامٍ

    طائيّةُ الأَصل وَالأَواصِر

    Syrian in upbringing, sprung from noble folk,

    Ṭāʾī in origin and ties of kinship.

  60. لَو أَن مِهيارَ شام بَرقاً

    مِن ثَغرِها العَذب ظَلَّ حائِر

    Had Mihyār glimpsed a lightning flash

    from her sweet mouth, he would have remained bewildered.

  61. وَالحاجِري الأَديب صَبا

    أَنسَته بَرقَ الحِما وَحاجِر

    And had al-Ḥājirī, the man of letters, fallen in love,

    she would have made him forget the lightning of the sanctuary and Ḥājir.

  62. خُذها تُجَلّى كَالبَدر تُجلى

    هَيفاءَ قَدٍّ وَطفاءَ ناظِر

    Take her, unveiled like the full moon revealed,

    slender of figure, with thickly lashed eyes,

  63. رُود رداحٍ غَرثى وِشاح

    وَالطَرفُ مِنها سَلِمتَ فاتِر

    supple, full-hipped, her girdle hungry;

    her glance—may you be safe—is languid.

  64. وَأَنتَ كُفؤٌ لَها كَريم

    وَالمَهرُ شَرطٌ وَأَنتَ ماهِر

    You are her worthy match, a generous man;

    the dowry is required, and you are skilled in giving it.

  65. هَذا وَوَعدُ الكَريمِ دَينٌ

    وَالمطلُ شَينٌ مِنَ الأَكابِر

    This said, a generous man’s promise is a debt,

    and delay in payment is a disgrace in the great.

  66. وَاِغنَم دُعاءً وَاِردد ثَناء

    عَلَيكَ مَنّي كَالمِسكِ عاطِر

    So win a prayer, and repeat the praise

    of you from me, fragrant as musk.

  67. وَاِسلم مَدى الدَهر في سُرور

    ما لاحَ بَرقٌ وَناحَ طائِر

    Live safely in joy through all time,

    as long as lightning flashes and a bird laments.