أَبا القاسِمِ اِسلَم في وُفودٍ مِنَ القَسمِ

أَبا القاسِمِ اِسلَم في وُفودٍ مِنَ القَسمِ

وَلا زالَ مَن حارَبتَهُ دامِيَ الكَلمِ

وَلا زالَ مَن حارَبتَهُ دامِيَ الكَلمِ

Abu al-Qasim, may you remain safe through every visitation of fate,

O Abu al-Qasim, be safe amid delegations of fortune,

and may anyone you fight remain bloodied with wounds.

And may whoever you have fought remain bleeding from his wound.

رَأَيتُكَ تَرعى الجودَ مِن كُلِّ وِجهَةٍ

رَأَيتُكَ تَرعى الجودَ مِن كُلِّ وِجهَةٍ

وَتَبني بِناءَ المَجدِ في خِطَّةِ النَجمِ

وَتَبني بِناءَ المَجدِ في خِطَّةِ النَجمِ

I have seen you nurture generosity from every quarter,

I saw you tend generosity from every quarter,

and build glory’s edifice in the realm of the stars,

And build glory's edifice in the star's domain.

وَذا شِيَمٍ سَهلِيَّةٍ حَسَنِيَّةٍ

وَذا شِيَمٍ سَهلِيَّةٍ حَسَنِيَّةٍ

رَئيسِيَّةٍ صيغَت مِنَ الجَبرِ وَالحَطمِ

رَئيسِيَّةٍ صيغَت مِنَ الجَبرِ وَالحَطمِ

possessed of qualities gentle and lovely,

And endowed with virtues of Sahl and Hasan,

princely qualities, fashioned for mending and for crushing.

Lordly, fashioned from mending and crushing.

إِذا نَوبَةٌ نابَت أَدَرتُ صُروفَها

إِذا نَوبَةٌ نابَت أَدَرتُ صُروفَها

عَلى الضَخمِ آراءً لَدى الحادِثِ الضَخمِ

عَلى الضَخمِ آراءً لَدى الحادِثِ الضَخمِ

When a turn of adversity strikes, you master its vicissitudes

When a calamity struck, I turned its vicissitudes

in the face of a grave affair, with counsels ready for the momentous event.

Over to one mighty in counsel amid a mighty crisis.

يَداكَ لَنا شَهرا رَبيعٍ كِلاهُما

يَداكَ لَنا شَهرا رَبيعٍ كِلاهُما

إِذا جَفَّ أَطرافُ البَخيلِ مِنَ الأَزمِ

إِذا جَفَّ أَطرافُ البَخيلِ مِنَ الأَزمِ

Your hands are, to us, the two months of Rabiʿ—each one springtime—

Your hands are our two months of Rabiʿ, both of them,

when the miser’s fingertips have dried up from famine.

When the miser's fingertips dry up from famine.

أَلَذُّ مُصافاةً مِنَ الظِلِّ وَالضُحى

أَلَذُّ مُصافاةً مِنَ الظِلِّ وَالضُحى

وَأَكرَمُ في اللَأواءِ عوداً مِنَ الكَرمِ

وَأَكرَمُ في اللَأواءِ عوداً مِنَ الكَرمِ

Sweeter in true friendship than shade and morning light,

Sweeter in sincere friendship than shade and morning sun,

and nobler by nature in hardship than the vine.

And nobler in stock, amid hardship, than the grapevine.

فَفيمَ تَرَكتَ النَصفَ في الوُدِّ بَعدَما

فَفيمَ تَرَكتَ النَصفَ في الوُدِّ بَعدَما

رَآهُ الوَرى خَيراً مِنَ النَصفِ في الحُكمِ

رَآهُ الوَرى خَيراً مِنَ النَصفِ في الحُكمِ

Why, then, have you forsaken fairness in affection, after

Why, then, did you forsake fairness in affection, after

all mankind deemed it better than fairness in judgment?

People had deemed it better than fairness in judgment?

أَإِيّايَ جارى القَومُ في الشِعرِ ضَلَّةً

أَإِيّايَ جارى القَومُ في الشِعرِ ضَلَّةً

وَقَد عايَنوا تِلكَ القَلائِدَ مِن نَظمي

وَقَد عايَنوا تِلكَ القَلائِدَ مِن نَظمي

Was it I whom the people wronged in poetry,

Did these men, in folly, try to rival me in poetry,

though they had beheld those necklaces wrought from my verse?

Though they had seen those necklaces of my verse?

طَلَعتُ طُلوعَ الشَمسِ في كُلِّ تَلعَةٍ

طَلَعتُ طُلوعَ الشَمسِ في كُلِّ تَلعَةٍ

وَأَشرَفتُ إِشرافَ السِماكِ عَلى الخَصمِ

وَأَشرَفتُ إِشرافَ السِماكِ عَلى الخَصمِ

You rose as the sun rises over every height,

I rose as the sun rises on every hill,

and towered like the star al-Simāk above your rivals.

And towered over my rival like al-Simak.

وَما أَنا بِالغَيرانِ مِن دونِ جارِهِ

وَما أَنا بِالغَيرانِ مِن دونِ جارِهِ

إِذا أَنا لَم أُصبِح غَيوراً عَلى العِلمِ

إِذا أَنا لَم أُصبِح غَيوراً عَلى العِلمِ

I am no fiercely protective defender of his neighbor

Nor am I a man who jealously defends his neighbor,

unless I become fiercely protective of learning.

If I do not jealously guard learning.

لَصيقُ فُؤادي مُذ ثَلاثونَ حِجَّةً

لَصيقُ فُؤادي مُذ ثَلاثونَ حِجَّةً

وَصَيقَلُ ذِهني وَالمُرَوِّحُ عَن هَمّي

وَصَيقَلُ ذِهني وَالمُرَوِّحُ عَن هَمّي

For thirty years, learning has clung close to my heart,

My heart's close companion for thirty years,

the polisher of my mind and banisher of my care.

And the polisher of my mind and the reliever of my cares.

أَبى ذاكَ صَبرٌ لا يَقيلُ عَلى الأَذى

أَبى ذاكَ صَبرٌ لا يَقيلُ عَلى الأَذى

فُواقاً وَنَفسٌ لا تَمَرَّغُ في الظُلمِ

فُواقاً وَنَفسٌ لا تَمَرَّغُ في الظُلمِ

Such conduct is refused by a patience that, under injury, grants no respite

That is refused by fortitude that will not rest beneath injury,

even for the interval between milkings—and by a soul that will not wallow in wrongdoing.

Even for an instant, and by a soul that will not wallow in oppression.

وَإِنّي إِذا ما الحِلمُ أَحوَجَ لاحِياً

وَإِنّي إِذا ما الحِلمُ أَحوَجَ لاحِياً

إِلى سَفَهٍ أَفضَلتُ فَضلاً عَلى حِلمي

إِلى سَفَهٍ أَفضَلتُ فَضلاً عَلى حِلمي

Indeed, whenever forbearance leaves a reviler in need

And indeed, whenever forbearance drives a faultfinder

of folly, I outdo my forbearance with folly in ample measure.

To folly, I keep a surplus beyond my forbearance.

تَظُنُّ ظُنونَ السوءِ بي إِن لَقيتَني

تَظُنُّ ظُنونَ السوءِ بي إِن لَقيتَني

وَلا وَتَري فيما كَرِهتَ وَلا سَهمي

وَلا وَتَري فيما كَرِهتَ وَلا سَهمي

You harbor evil suspicions of me whenever you meet me,

You harbor evil suspicions of me if you meet me,

though neither my vengeance nor my arrow played any part in what displeased you.

Yet neither my bowstring nor my arrow had a part in what you disliked.

وَتَجزَعُ مِن مَزحي وَتَرضى قَصيدَةً

وَتَجزَعُ مِن مَزحي وَتَرضى قَصيدَةً

وَقَد أُخرِجَت أَلفاظُها مَخرَجَ الشَتمِ

وَقَد أُخرِجَت أَلفاظُها مَخرَجَ الشَتمِ

You recoil from my jest, yet welcome an ode

You are distressed by my jest, yet approve a poem,

whose words have already been cast in the mold of abuse.

Whose words have been cast in the form of abuse.

فَإِن تَكُ أَحياناً شَديدَ شَكيمَةٍ

فَإِن تَكُ أَحياناً شَديدَ شَكيمَةٍ

فَإِنَّكَ تَمحوها بِما فيكَ مِن شَكمِ

فَإِنَّكَ تَمحوها بِما فيكَ مِن شَكمِ

Though at times you are stern and unyielding in resolve,

So if you are sometimes fierce of temper,

you efface that sternness with the restraint within you.

You efface it with the bounty within you.

وَما خَيرُ حِلمٍ لَم تَشُبهُ شَراسَةٌ

وَما خَيرُ حِلمٍ لَم تَشُبهُ شَراسَةٌ

وَما خَيرُ لَحمٍ لا يَكونُ عَلى عَظمِ

وَما خَيرُ لَحمٍ لا يَكونُ عَلى عَظمِ

What good is forbearance unmingled with fierceness?

And what good is forbearance unmingled with fierceness?

What good is flesh if it does not rest upon bone?

And what good is flesh that is not upon bone?

وَهَل غَيرُ أَخلاقٍ كِرامٍ تَكافَأَت

وَهَل غَيرُ أَخلاقٍ كِرامٍ تَكافَأَت

فَمِن خُلُقٍ طَلقٍ وَمِن خُلُقٍ جَهمِ

فَمِن خُلُقٍ طَلقٍ وَمِن خُلُقٍ جَهمِ

Are they anything but noble traits held in counterpoise—

And what but noble traits in mutual balance—

some a temper open and cheerful, others a temper grim?

Some a genial disposition, and some a grim one—

نُجومٌ فَهَذا لِلضِياءِ إِذا بَدا

نُجومٌ فَهَذا لِلضِياءِ إِذا بَدا

تَجَلّى الدُجى عَنهُ وَذَلِكَ لِلرَجمِ

تَجَلّى الدُجى عَنهُ وَذَلِكَ لِلرَجمِ

They are stars: this one gives light whenever it appears;

Are stars? This one is for light: when it appears,

darkness clears before it, while that one is for pelting demons.

Darkness recedes from it; that one is for pelting.

فَإِن لَم تَطيبا لي جَميعاً فَإِنَّهُ

فَإِن لَم تَطيبا لي جَميعاً فَإِنَّهُ

نَهى عُمَرٌ عَن أَكلِ أُدمَينِ في أَدمِ

نَهى عُمَرٌ عَن أَكلِ أُدمَينِ في أَدمِ

So if you are not wholly gracious toward me, then indeed

So if you two are not both pleasing to me, then indeed

ʿUmar forbade eating two condiments on a single leather spread.

Umar forbade eating two relishes on a leather spread.