قُل لِلأَميرِ الَّذي قَد نالَ ما طَلَبا

قُل لِلأَميرِ الَّذي قَد نالَ ما طَلَبا

وَرَدَّ مِن سالِفِ المَعروفِ ما ذَهَبا

وَرَدَّ مِن سالِفِ المَعروفِ ما ذَهَبا

Tell the prince who has attained what he sought,

Tell the prince who has attained what he desired,

And restored the bygone goodness that had vanished,

And got his share of past favors that vanished,

مَن نالَ مِن سُؤدُدٍ زاكٍ وَمِن حَسَبٍ

مَن نالَ مِن سُؤدُدٍ زاكٍ وَمِن حَسَبٍ

ما حَسبُ واصِفِهِ مِن وَصفِهِ حَسَبا

ما حَسبُ واصِفِهِ مِن وَصفِهِ حَسَبا

Who has attained such flourishing eminence and noble worth

He who attained noble ancestry and lineage—

That describing him is honor enough for his describer.

His lineage descriptor falls short of describing him.

إِذا المَكارِمُ عُقَّت وَاِستُخِفَّ بِها

إِذا المَكارِمُ عُقَّت وَاِستُخِفَّ بِها

أَضحى النَدى وَالسَدى أُمّاً لَهُ وَأَبا

أَضحى النَدى وَالسَدى أُمّاً لَهُ وَأَبا

When noble virtues are disowned and scorned,

When virtues are scarce and thought little of,

Generosity and beneficence become his mother and father.

Glory and chivalry become his mother and father.

تَرضى السُيوفُ بِهِ في الرَوعِ مُنتَصِراً

تَرضى السُيوفُ بِهِ في الرَوعِ مُنتَصِراً

وَيَغضَبُ الدينَ وَالدُنيا إِذا غَضِبا

وَيَغضَبُ الدينَ وَالدُنيا إِذا غَضِبا

Swords delight in him, victorious amid battle's terror,

Swords are pleased with him in turmoil victorious,

And faith and the world grow angry when he grows angry.

And religion and world wrathful if he is wrathful.

في مُصعَبِيّينَ ما لاقَوا مُريدَ رَدىً

في مُصعَبِيّينَ ما لاقَوا مُريدَ رَدىً

لِلمُلكِ إِلّا أَصاروا خَدَّهُ تَرِبا

لِلمُلكِ إِلّا أَصاروا خَدَّهُ تَرِبا

Among the Musʿabites, who never met anyone seeking ruin

The fate of the two Mus'abs who met a spurner

For the realm without covering his cheek in dust.

Of kingdom was only that his cheek turned dust.

كَأَنَّهُم وَقَلَنسى البيضِ فَوقَهُمُ

كَأَنَّهُم وَقَلَنسى البيضِ فَوقَهُمُ

يَومَ الهِياجِ بُدورٌ قُلنِسَت شُهُبا

يَومَ الهِياجِ بُدورٌ قُلنِسَت شُهُبا

As though they, with helmet-caps above them,

As if they and the white helmets above them

On the day of battle were full moons capped with shooting stars.

On the day of battle were old felt caps.

فِداءُ نَعلِكَ مُعطىً حَظَّ مُكرُمَةٍ

فِداءُ نَعلِكَ مُعطىً حَظَّ مُكرُمَةٍ

أَصغى إِلى المَطلِ حَتّى باعَ ما وَهَبا

أَصغى إِلى المَطلِ حَتّى باعَ ما وَهَبا

May a man granted a measure of nobility be ransom for your sandal—

The ransom of your sandal given is the fortune of one honored—

One who yielded to delay until he sold what he had given.

He listened to blame until he sold what he was given.

إِنّي وَإِن كانَ قَومٌ ما لَهُم سَبَبٌ

إِنّي وَإِن كانَ قَومٌ ما لَهُم سَبَبٌ

إِلّا قَضاءٌ كَفاهُم دونِيَ السَبَبا

إِلّا قَضاءٌ كَفاهُم دونِيَ السَبَبا

Indeed I—though some people have no claim

Truly, though there are people who have no cause

Except fate, which spared them, not me, the need for a claim,

Save destiny that sufficed them without my cause,

وَكُنتُ أَعلَمُ عِلماً لا كِفاءَ لَهُ

وَكُنتُ أَعلَمُ عِلماً لا كِفاءَ لَهُ

أَن لَيسَ كُلُّ قِطارٍ يُنبِتُ العُشُبا

أَن لَيسَ كُلُّ قِطارٍ يُنبِتُ العُشُبا

And though I knew, with knowledge beyond compare,

And I knew a knowledge without peer

That not every rainfall makes grass grow,

That not every train makes the grass grow.

وَرُبَّما عَدَلَت كَفُّ الكَريمِ عَنِ ال

وَرُبَّما عَدَلَت كَفُّ الكَريمِ عَنِ ال

قَومِ الحُضورِ وَنالَت مَعشَراً غَيَبا

قَومِ الحُضورِ وَنالَت مَعشَراً غَيَبا

And sometimes a generous man's hand turns away from the

And sometimes the palm of the generous one turns from

People present, and reaches an absent company—

A people of presence and attains an absent tribe.

لَمُضمِرٌ غُلَّةً تَخبو فَيُضرِمُها

لَمُضمِرٌ غُلَّةً تَخبو فَيُضرِمُها

أَنّي سَبَقتُ وَيُعطى غَيرِيَ القَصَبا

أَنّي سَبَقتُ وَيُعطى غَيرِيَ القَصَبا

Surely harbor a burning thirst that fades, then is rekindled

There is a concealer of rancor that smolders, so he kindles it—

By my having come first, while another is awarded the victor's reed.

I preceded yet another is given the cane.

وَنادِبٌ رِفعَةً قَد كُنتُ آمُلُها

وَنادِبٌ رِفعَةً قَد كُنتُ آمُلُها

لَدَيكَ لا فِضَّةً أَبكي وَلا ذَهَبا

لَدَيكَ لا فِضَّةً أَبكي وَلا ذَهَبا

And mourn the high standing I had hoped for

And a lamenter of high rank I had hoped for

With you; I weep for neither silver nor gold.

From you—neither silver do I weep nor gold.

أَدعوكَ دَعوَةَ مَظلومٍ وَسيلَتُهُ

أَدعوكَ دَعوَةَ مَظلومٍ وَسيلَتُهُ

إِن لَم تَكُن بي رَحيماً فَاِرحَمِ الأَدَبا

إِن لَم تَكُن بي رَحيماً فَاِرحَمِ الأَدَبا

I appeal to you as a wronged man, whose plea is:

I call you the call of a wronged one whose sole means

If you are not merciful to me, then have mercy on literature.

Is that if you are not merciful to me, then have mercy on propriety.

اِحفَظ وَسائِلَ شِعرٍ فيكَ ما ذَهَبَت

اِحفَظ وَسائِلَ شِعرٍ فيكَ ما ذَهَبَت

خَواطِفُ البَرقِ إِلّا دونَ ما ذَهَبا

خَواطِفُ البَرقِ إِلّا دونَ ما ذَهَبا

Honor the claims of verse in your praise; never have

Preserve the ways of poetry in you that have not vanished

Lightning's darting flashes traveled as far as it has.

Except what vanished of the blinks of lightning.

يَغدونَ مُغتَرِباتٍ في البِلادِ فَما

يَغدونَ مُغتَرِباتٍ في البِلادِ فَما

يَزَلنَ يُؤنِسنَ في الآفاقِ مُغتَرَبا

يَزَلنَ يُؤنِسنَ في الآفاقِ مُغتَرَبا

They go forth as strangers through the lands, and never

They go wandering in the lands, yet they

Cease to comfort a stranger across the horizons.

Do not cease comforting in the horizons a wanderer.

وَلا تُضِعها فَما في الأَرضِ أَحسَنُ مِن

وَلا تُضِعها فَما في الأَرضِ أَحسَنُ مِن

نَظمِ القَوافي إِذا ما صادَفَت حَسَبا

نَظمِ القَوافي إِذا ما صادَفَت حَسَبا

And do not let them go to waste: nothing on earth is finer than

And do not place them, for nothing in the earth is better than

The stringing of rhymes, when they meet with noble worth.

The rhyme arrangement when it meets lineage.