اضربْ بسيفِ العزم أَعناق الكرى

اضربْ بسيفِ العزم أَعناق الكرى

وانظم شتات الأرض في سلك السرى

وانظم شتات الأرض في سلك السرى

Strike the necks of slumber with the sword of resolve.

Strike with the sword of determination the necks of troubles

And string the earth's scattered reaches on the thread of night travel.

And unite the dispersed parts of the earth in the chain of secrets

واجسر على فَقدِ الأَحِبّةِ إِنه

واجسر على فَقدِ الأَحِبّةِ إِنه

من خافَ من مرَصين داوى الأَخطرا

من خافَ من مرَصين داوى الأَخطرا

And bravely face the loss of loved ones, for indeed,

And build bridges over the loss of loved ones, for he

Whoever fears two ailments treats the more dangerous.

Who feared the twists of fate cured the most dangerous ills

لله أنت فأي خطبٍ طارقٍ

لله أنت فأي خطبٍ طارقٍ

علقٍ دعيت لفَتحه فتعسّرا

علقٍ دعيت لفَتحه فتعسّرا

God bless you! What sudden calamity,

O God, you are my Lord, so what ill-fated troubles

However grave, were you called to resolve that proved too hard?

Have befallen me, that I was called to resolve but failed?

أخبرت عنه ولم أقل في وصفه

أخبرت عنه ولم أقل في وصفه

زوراً ولم أخلق حديثاً مفترى

زوراً ولم أخلق حديثاً مفترى

I told of him, and in describing him uttered no

I spoke of them but did not lie in describing them

Falsehood, nor did I invent a fabricated tale.

Nor did I invent false tales

بلغ السيادة من يد وسِياسةٍ

بلغ السيادة من يد وسِياسةٍ

ما انفكَّ مؤمراً ومؤزّرا

ما انفكَّ مؤمراً ومؤزّرا

He attained leadership through generosity and statecraft,

He reached the heights of leadership through governance

Always vested with command and strengthened by support.

And never ceased plotting and conspiring

اقصد فناهُ إذ اعترتكَ ملمةٌ

اقصد فناهُ إذ اعترتكَ ملمةٌ

فالصَّيدُ كلُّ الصيدِ في جوفِ الفرا

فالصَّيدُ كلُّ الصيدِ في جوفِ الفرا

Seek his courtyard when calamity befalls you,

Seek his demise when misfortune befalls you

For the game—all the game—is in the wild ass's belly.

For all game is to be found in the belly of the wild beast

إنْ ارجُ خيراً فابن عباس يدي

إنْ ارجُ خيراً فابن عباس يدي

أو خفت شراً كان حصني الأكبرا

أو خفت شراً كان حصني الأكبرا

If I hope for good, Ibn Abbas is my hand;

If I hope for good then Ibn Abbas is my hand

Or if I fear harm, he is my greatest fortress.

Or if I fear evil, my greatest fortress

أعرضتُ عن لغوِ الرجال تنزهاً

أعرضتُ عن لغوِ الرجال تنزهاً

وتركتُهم خلفي وعفتُ الأكثرا

وتركتُهم خلفي وعفتُ الأكثرا

I turned away from men's idle talk, keeping myself above it.

I turned away from the vanity of men in chastity

And I left them behind me and shunned the majority.

And left them behind me, shunning the majority

وطرقته طفل الهمومِ تهزني

وطرقته طفل الهمومِ تهزني

نوب إِذا طرقت مكاناً أقَفَرا

نوب إِذا طرقت مكاناً أقَفَرا

And I came to him, a child of cares, shaken

Yet I was struck by childhood’s arrow of sorrows, shaking me

By calamities that leave a place desolate when they strike.

Whenever it struck a desolate place

وقصدت منصبه لخطبة وده

وقصدت منصبه لخطبة وده

ونقدته مدحي السوائر ممهرا

ونقدته مدحي السوائر ممهرا

And I sought his station to woo his affection,

I sought his position for a matter of love

And paid him my far-ranging praises as a bridal dower.

And offered him the flowing praise of my poetry

فإذا فتى لم يروِ وجهَ صنيعه

فإذا فتى لم يروِ وجهَ صنيعه

دوني ولا رمق الغنى فاستكثرا

دوني ولا رمق الغنى فاستكثرا

And behold, a young man who did not ponder the manner of his kindness

But instead a boy came who never saw my service

Before me, nor eye wealth and deem it abundant.

Beside him, nor valued the wealth of favor

بل جاءَ ينزعُ من بطينةِ مقلتي

بل جاءَ ينزعُ من بطينةِ مقلتي

سهم الزمانِ وكان دوني محجرا

سهم الزمانِ وكان دوني محجرا

Rather, he came to draw from my eyeball's little hollow

Rather he came to pull from the scabbard of my resolve

The arrow of Time, and shielded me like an eye socket.

The arrow of time, though he was unworthy of me

وشكوت إِن الجهر فلَّ غضارتي

وشكوت إِن الجهر فلَّ غضارتي

فأ قالني لما كبوت على الحرا

فأ قالني لما كبوت على الحرا

And I complained that loud speech had blighted my bloom.

I complained that my openness was my undoing

So he helped me up when I stumbled on the open ground.

So he rebuked me for what I berated myself over

وكذا الكريمُ إِذا علقت بحبلهِ

وكذا الكريمُ إِذا علقت بحبلهِ

يكفيك أمراً سائباً ومدبرا

يكفيك أمراً سائباً ومدبرا

Such is the noble man: when you cling to his rope,

Such is the noble one, if I cling to his rope

He handles your affairs, adrift and going awry.

He suffices me, managing a drifting affair

لا زالَ محذور العقابِ إذا سطا

لا زالَ محذور العقابِ إذا سطا

ركّاب أعناق النجوم مظفّرا

ركّاب أعناق النجوم مظفّرا

May his punishment ever be dreaded when he strikes,

The fear of punishment never leaves when he extends

Riding the necks of the stars, victorious.

The necks of the stars as his mounted soldiers