أبل خير الملوك من ألمه — Ibn Abi Hussaynah

أَبَلّ خَيرُ المُلوكِ مِن أَلَمِه

وَصَحَّ جِسمُ الزَمانِ مِن سَقَمِه

The best of kings has recovered from his pain,

and time's body has recovered from its sickness.

لا العِزُّ أَمسى قَفرَ الجَنابِ وَلا المُل

كُ غَدا مائِلاً عَلى دَعَمِه

Glory's precinct has not grown desolate, nor has kingship

come to lean upon its supports.

إِن غابَ في قَصرِه فَلا عَجَبٌ

مَغيبُ لَيثِ العَرينِ في أَجَمِه

If he is absent within his palace, it is no wonder:

the lion of the lair withdraws into his thickets.

قَد تَكمُنُ الشَمسُ في الغَمامِ وَقَد

يَحتَجِبُ الصُبحُ في دُجى ضلَمِه

The sun may hide within the clouds, and

dawn may be veiled in the depths of its darkness.

ثالِمٌ ما زَرى الأَميرَ وَفَخرُ السَي

فِ ما في ظُباهُ مِن ثُلَمِه

No affliction has diminished the prince; the sword's pride

lies in the notches along its blades.

صَحَّ فَصَحَّ النَدى وَقامَ بِهِ

رُكنُ العُلا بَعدَ رَجفِ مُدَّعَمِه

He recovered, so generosity recovered; through him rose

the pillar of eminence, after its support had trembled.

كَأَنَّما المَجدُ باتَ مُمتَزِجاً

بلَحمِه طِيبُ لَحمِهِ وَدَمِه

It is as though glory had become mingled

with his flesh—such is the purity of his flesh and blood.

وَتَحتَ مُلقى نجادِه مَلِكٌ

أَمسَت مُلوكُ الزَمانِ مِن خَدَمِه

Beneath his hanging sword-belt is a king;

the kings of the age have become his servants.

إِن تَلقَه تَلقَ مِنهُ كَنفَ نَدىً

يُبري نَداهُ العَديمَ مِن عَدَمِه

If you meet him, you find in him generosity's shelter;

his bounty cures the destitute of destitution.

يَملا يَدَي جارِهِ وَيَمنَعُهُ

كَأَنَّما جارُهُ أَخو حُرَمِه

He fills his neighbor's hands and protects him,

as though his neighbor were a brother to his womenfolk.

أَمَّنَ أَهلَ البِلادِ قاطِبَة

كَأَنَّ أَهلَ البِلادِ في حَرَمِه

He has made all the people of the land secure,

as though the people of the land were within his sanctuary.

كُلُّ جَوادٍ تَجُودُ راحَتُهُ

يَجودُ مِن جُودِهِ وَمِن كَرَمِه

Every generous man whose palm gives freely

gives from his bounty and his generosity.

لا تَحمَدِ العُشبَ في مَنابِتِهِ

وَاحمَد غَماماً سَقاه مِن دِيَمِه

Do not praise the grass where it grows;

and praise a cloud that watered it with its steady rains.

شَيَّد بِالمُرهَفَين مُنذَ نَشا

مَجدَينِ مِن سَيفِهِ وَمِن قَلَمِه

Since his youth, with two keen instruments, he has raised

two glories—from his sword and from his pen.

يَحتَقِرُ النائِلَ الجَسيمَ وَيَس

تَصغِرُ قَدرَ العَظيمِ مِن عِظَمِه

He considers a great gift trifling, and

deems the mighty small beside his own greatness,

كَالجَبَلِ الشاهِقِ الهِضاب إِذا

أَشرَفتَ مِن رُعنِهِ عَلى أَكَمِه

like a mountain of towering ridges, when

you look down from its jutting peak upon its hillocks.

لا يُفسِدُ الوَعدَ بِالمِطالِ وَلا

يُخِلُّ عَقدَ الوَفاءِ مِن ذِمَمِه

He does not spoil a promise by delay, nor

breach the bond of fidelity in his covenants.

يُقسِمُ مَن قالَ لا شَبيهَ لَهُ

يَمينَ بَرِّ اليَمينِ مِن قَسَمِه

Whoever says he has no equal swears

the oath of one true to the oath he swears.

أَكرَمُ مَن في زَمانِهِ وَأَعفُّ ال

خَلقِ مِن عُربِهِ وَمِن عَجَمِه

The most generous of his age, and the chastest of

all people, Arab and non-Arab.

يُنهِلُ مِن فَضلِهِ وَنائِلِهِ

ثَناءَ نَبتِ الحَيا عَلى رِهَمِه

He gives drink from his favor and bounty,

winning the praise plants give rain for its gentle showers.

وَيُصدِرُ العِيسَ غَيرَ ظامِئَةٍ

عَن مَورِدٍ بارِدِ النَدى شَبِمِه

And sends the pale camels away, no longer thirsty,

from a watering place whose bounty is cool and icy.

مُعطَّراتِ الرِحالِ قَد عَبِقَت

بِالمِسكِ مَما يُفَتّ في خِيَمِه

Their saddles perfumed, already fragrant

with musk from what is crumbled in his tents.

يَأرِجُ في الحَزنِ مِن حَقائِبها

ما فاحَ مِن رَندِهِ وَمِن نَشَمِه

Across the rugged ground, from their saddlebags, wafts

the scent of his laurel and his nasham wood.

يَقولُ صَحبي وَقَد كُسِيَت بِالن

نورِ غُبرُ الفِجاجِ مِن أُمَمِه

My companions say, as light has clothed

the dusty passes through their nearness to him:

هَذا جَنابُ المُعِزِّ لاحَ لَنا

قَد رُفِعَت نارُه عَلى عَلَمِه

'This is al-Mu'izz's domain, appearing before us;

his beacon-fire has been raised upon his hilltop.'

فَقُلتُ سِيروا فَإِنَّه مَلِكٌ

يَضيقُ وُسعُ الزَمانِ عَن هممِه

I said, 'Travel on, for he is a king

whose aspirations the breadth of time cannot contain.'

كَأَنَّ ريحَ الصَبا إِذا نَفَحَت

تَنفَحُ مِن خُلقِهِ وَمِن شِيَمِه

It is as though the east wind, when it blows,

wafts from his character and his noble traits.

كَأَنَّما ماتَ أَحمَدٌ وَغَدا

مُخلِفَهُ بِالجَميلِ في أُمَمِه

It is as though Ahmad had died, and he became

his successor in goodness among his peoples.

وَأَبلَجٌ مِثلُ الصَباحِ رُؤيَتُهُ

تَشفي حَليفَ السَقامِ مِن سَقَمِه

And a radiant man, like morning, whose very sight

cures one bound to sickness of his sickness.

مُلتَزِمٌ بِالجَميلِ يَفعَلُهُ

وَغَيرُهُ باتَ غَيرَ مُلتَزِمِه

Committed to goodness, he practices it,

while others have remained uncommitted to it.

يُفديهِ في الدَهرِ كُلُّ ذي صَعَرٍ

مَن لا يُساوي الشِراكِ في قَدَمِه

May every haughty man throughout time be his ransom—

one not worth the sandal-strap upon his foot.

تَراهُ لا يَطلُبُ العَلاءَ وَلا

يَبرَحُ عَبداً لِفَرجِهِ وَفَمِه

You see him seek no greatness, nor

ever cease to be a slave to his genitals and mouth.

يُعرِضُ عَن ضَيفِهِ وَيُعجِبُهُ

ما زادَ في ذَودِهِ وَفي غَنَمِه

He turns away from his guest, and takes delight

in whatever increases his camels and his sheep.

ما شافَ شَوفَ المُعِزِّ ناظِرُهُ

وَلا اِهتَدى أَن يَسِيرَ في لَقَمِه

His eye has never aspired as al-Mu'izz does,

nor found the way to travel along his path.

مُتَوّجٌ مِن بَني المُلوكِ لَهُ

كَفٌّ تَكُفُّ الظُنونَ عَن تُهَمِه

A crowned scion of kings, he has

a hand that keeps suspicions from accusing him,

وَهِمّةٌ في الزَمانِ ما اِشتَغَلَت

إِلّا بِصَوتِ الرئبالِ مِن قُحَمِه

and a resolve that has never, in all time, been busied

except with the lion's roar amid the perils he braves.

يا مَلِكاً كُلُّ حِكمَةٍ نَطَقَت

بِها البَرايا تُعدُّ مِن حِكَمِه

O king, every word of wisdom spoken

by humankind is counted among his wise sayings.

كَم لَيلَةٍ بِتُّ لا أَذُوقُ كَرىً

حَتّى أَبَلَّ الأَليمُ مِن أَلمِه

How many a night I passed without tasting sleep,

until the sufferer recovered from his pain!

حُبّاً قَسَمناهُ في القُلوبَ فَأَع

طَتني لُهاكَ الجَزيلَ مِن قِسَمِه

Out of love we shared among our hearts; so

your gifts gave me an ample share of it.

ما كُلُّ حُبٍّ يَموتُ صاحِبُهُ

وَهوَ مُبَقّىً عَلَيكَ في رِمَمِه

Not every love survives the death of its bearer,

still preserved for you within his mouldering bones.

فَاسلم وَلا زِلتَ خالِداً أَبَداً

خُلودَ ما صاغَ فيكَ مِن كَلِمِه

So live unharmed, and may you remain immortal forever,

as immortal as the words he has fashioned in your praise.