يملُّ هواهُ كلُّ سرْجٍ وسابحٍ

يملُّ هواهُ كلُّ سرْجٍ وسابحٍ

وتشكوا لياليه جَفاءَ النَّمارقِ

وتشكوا لياليه جَفاءَ النَّمارقِ

Every saddle and swift steed grows weary of his ardor,

His passion excites every saddle and swimmer

And his nights complain of estrangement from cushions.

And his nights complain of the aloofness of the stars

وتأنفُ من سكنى الغمود سيوفُه

وتأنفُ من سكنى الغمود سيوفُه

فتُغمدها هيجاؤهُ في المفَارق

فتُغمدها هيجاؤهُ في المفَارق

And his swords disdain dwelling in their sheaths,

And his swords resent dwelling in scabbards

So his warfare sheathes them in the crowns of heads.

So his valor unsheathes them to clashes

ويمضي رعيل الرأي من قبل جيشه

ويمضي رعيل الرأي من قبل جيشه

فيهزمُ كَبَّاتِ الخطوبِ والطوارق

فيهزمُ كَبَّاتِ الخطوبِ والطوارق

And the vanguard of judgment advances ahead of his army,

And the caravan of his opinion moves ahead of his army

So it routs the onslaughts of calamities and night-time afflictions.

Vanquishing the misfortunes and calamities of war

ويهمي نداهُ والسماءُ بخيلةٌ

ويهمي نداهُ والسماءُ بخيلةٌ

فيكشف غمَّاء السنين البَوارقِ

فيكشف غمَّاء السنين البَوارقِ

And his bounty rains down while the sky is miserly,

His renown assaults as the sky proves stingy

So it dispels the misery of rainless years.

Uncovering the clouds of years gone by

سحابُ بنانِ فيضُ نُعماهُ غيثُه

سحابُ بنانِ فيضُ نُعماهُ غيثُه

وبِشْرُ مُحيَّاهُ مكانَ البَوارقِ

وبِشْرُ مُحيَّاهُ مكانَ البَوارقِ

A cloud of fingertips: the outpouring of his favors is its rain,

The clouds of his generosity rain blessings

And the gladness of his face takes the place of lightning.

And the good tidings of his life replace calamities

إِذا سار في لُوحَيْ نديٍّ ومعركٍ

إِذا سار في لُوحَيْ نديٍّ ومعركٍ

حوى الحمد ما بين الندى والصواعق

حوى الحمد ما بين الندى والصواعق

When he moves in the twin arenas of council and battle,

When he marches between banners and battle

He gathers praise between bounty's dew and thunderbolts.

Praise surrounds him amidst dew and lightning

تصيب يداهُ ثروةَ البأس والغِنى

تصيب يداهُ ثروةَ البأس والغِنى

فيقسمها ما بين عافٍ ومارقِ

فيقسمها ما بين عافٍ ومارقِ

His two hands gain an abundance of martial might and wealth,

His hands attain the wealth of valor and bounty

So he divides it between a petitioner and a rebel.

Which he divides between the healthy and the ill

فيكشف مُغبرَّين عن جونة الضحى

فيكشف مُغبرَّين عن جونة الضحى

بسورة جدبٍ أو بحومةِ مازقِ

بسورة جدبٍ أو بحومةِ مازقِ

So he clears two dusty veils from the morning sun's disk,

Exposing the downcast to the radiance of morn

In drought's fury or in the thick of a perilous battle.

With a chapter of drought or a morsel from meager rations

وزيرٌ تخافُ اللُّدُّ صاخب قولهِ

وزيرٌ تخافُ اللُّدُّ صاخب قولهِ

إِذا ما الفتاوى أقحمتْ بالمضايقِ

إِذا ما الفتاوى أقحمتْ بالمضايقِ

A vizier whose resounding speech stubborn disputants fear,

A minister whose stern voice frightens aggression

When legal opinions are forced into narrow straits.

When opinions thrust into straits

إِذا أوسعوهُ من جِدالٍ بشُبهةٍ

إِذا أوسعوهُ من جِدالٍ بشُبهةٍ

رماهم ببرهانِ النُّهى والحقائقِ

رماهم ببرهانِ النُّهى والحقائقِ

When they ply him with debate based on a specious objection,

When they argue with him through suspicion

He strikes them with the proof of reason and truth.

He repels them with proofs and facts

فأفوْهُهمْ من علمهِ غيرُ أفْوهٍ

فأفوْهُهمْ من علمهِ غيرُ أفْوهٍ

وناطِقُهم من فضله غيرُ ناطِقِ

وناطِقُهم من فضله غيرُ ناطِقِ

Thus their most eloquent is not eloquent before his learning,

Rendering their mouths unlike other mouths

And their spokesman is speechless before his excellence.

And their speech unlike any other speech

أبو جعفرٍ تاجُ الملوكِ ومانعُ ال

أبو جعفرٍ تاجُ الملوكِ ومانعُ ال

نَّزيلِ ومأوى المُرْملين الدرادق

نَّزيلِ ومأوى المُرْملين الدرادق

Abu Jaʿfar, crown of kings and protector of the

Abu Ja'far, crown of kings and protector of refugees

guest, and refuge for destitute little children.

Resident and shelter for the jet-set and the destitute