هم الزمان بها فمنذ كفلتها

هم الزمان بها فمنذ كفلتها

أضحى يوالي نصرها ويوالي

أضحى يوالي نصرها ويوالي

Time threatened her; but since you took her into your care,

Time has tested her, so since I took care of her

it has kept bringing her victory and standing by her.

It began to support her victory again and again

وأجبت داعية الفرنج بديهة

وأجبت داعية الفرنج بديهة

قبل الروية بارتجال رجال

قبل الروية بارتجال رجال

And you answered the Franks' summons without hesitation,

And I responded to the call of the Franks with eloquence

before deliberation, with an impromptu muster of men.

Before thinking through it, with the spontaneity of men

أطفأت جمرتها بإخوتك الألى

أطفأت جمرتها بإخوتك الألى

يتسنمون غوارب الأهوال

يتسنمون غوارب الأهوال

You quenched its ember with your brothers, who

Your noble brothers extinguished its embers

scale the crests of terrors.

As they assumed the mantles of horrors

لم أدر والتشبيه يقصر عندهم

لم أدر والتشبيه يقصر عندهم

أغيوث نزل أم ليوث نزال

أغيوث نزل أم ليوث نزال

I could not tell—for comparison falls short of them—

I did not know, and analogy falls short with them

were they showers descending, or lions in combat?

Did helpers descend or did lions attack?

طالت بأيديهم قصار صوارم

طالت بأيديهم قصار صوارم

باتت بها الأعمار غير طوال

باتت بها الأعمار غير طوال

Short, keen swords grew long in their hands;

Their short swords became long in their hands

through them, lifespans became anything but long.

Lifetimes became brief through them

وخلطتم أنصاركم بنفوسكم

وخلطتم أنصاركم بنفوسكم

والناس من مولى لكم وموالي

والناس من مولى لكم وموالي

And you mingled your supporters with your very selves,

And you mixed your supporters with your own souls

and the people are made up of your clients and your allies.

While people belonged to you, loyal and bonded to you

يا صاحبي وفي السؤال شفاء ما اس

يا صاحبي وفي السؤال شفاء ما اس

تخبرت عنه إن أجيب سؤالي

تخبرت عنه إن أجيب سؤالي

O my companion, in asking lies a cure for what I

My friend, asking brings healing. What have I

have inquired about, if my question is answered.

Learned about it, if I answer my question?

هل للوزارة حاجة أو حجة

هل للوزارة حاجة أو حجة

ترجو تتمة بعضها بكمال

ترجو تتمة بعضها بكمال

Does the vizierate have a need or a claim

Does the ministry have any need or argument

some part of which it hopes to see perfectly fulfilled?

That it hopes to complete, some of it, fully?

هذا الذي ما زال طرفك دائماً

هذا الذي ما زال طرفك دائماً

يرنو إليه في الزمان الخالي

يرنو إليه في الزمان الخالي

This is the one on whom your gaze has always

This one, who your gaze still constantly

rested longingly in times gone by.

Yearns for him in the empty present

هذا الذي عضلوك عنه لتخرجي

هذا الذي عضلوك عنه لتخرجي

من عزة حرمت ومن إجلال

من عزة حرمت ومن إجلال

This is the one they barred you from marrying, to leave you

This one, whom they prevented you from

deprived of dignity and reverence.

To exit the honored, sanctified glory

وأحق من وزر الخلافة من مشى

وأحق من وزر الخلافة من مشى

في حضرة الإعظام والإجلال

في حضرة الإعظام والإجلال

And the worthiest of the caliphate's viziers is one who has walked

And who is more right to be the caliph's minister than one who walked

in the court of veneration and reverence,

In the presence of reverence and majesty

واختص بالخلفاء وانكشفت له

واختص بالخلفاء وانكشفت له

أسرارها بقرائن الأحوال

أسرارها بقرائن الأحوال

and been close to the caliphs, and to whom were revealed

And was drawn close to the caliphs, and secrets

its secrets through the clues of circumstance.

Were unveiled to him through signs of the circumstances

وتصرف الوزراء عن آرائه

وتصرف الوزراء عن آرائه

كتصرف الأسماء بالأفعال

كتصرف الأسماء بالأفعال

And the ministers' actions follow his counsels,

And the ministers turned away from his views

as nouns are governed by verbs.

As names turn through verbs

يا ابن الأئمة والثناء عليكم

يا ابن الأئمة والثناء عليكم

يختال بين مفصل وطوال

يختال بين مفصل وطوال

O son of the imams, praise of you

Oh son of imams, and praise of you

walks proudly through the short surahs and the long.

Struts between joint and bone

ما تخجل الدنيا وأنت إمامها

ما تخجل الدنيا وأنت إمامها

ووزيرك الهادي أبو الشبال

ووزيرك الهادي أبو الشبال

The world need not blush when you are its imam,

The world is not ashamed while you lead it

and your vizier is al-Hadi, Abu al-Shibal.

And your guiding minister is Abu Shubal