1. رأتْ واللّيْلُ قد سَدَلَ الرِّواقا

    شُعاعَ البرْقِ يأتَلِقُ ائْتِلاقَا

    She saw, when night had lowered its canopy,

    the gleam of lightning flashing brilliantly.

  2. وحقّقَتِ الوَميضَ وميضَ نجْدٍ

    فهاجَ فؤادَها نجْدٌ وشاقَا

    And she recognized the flash as the flash of Najd;

    so Najd stirred her heart and awakened longing.

  3. ونازَعَها الزِّمامُ فَما ثَناها

    وعارَضَها العِقالُ فما أطاقَا

    And the rein resisted her, but did not turn her back;

    and the hobble opposed her, but could not withstand her.

  4. تَقولُ ليَ السُّراةُ وقدْ أجَدَّتْ

    أخَبْلاً تشْتَكي قُلْتُ اشتِياقا

    The night-travelers say to me, as she presses on:

    'Is it madness she suffers?' I said, 'Longing.'

  5. إلى عُمَرَ بن عبْدِ اللهِ حنّتْ

    رِكابِي فهْيَ تسْتَبِقُ اسْتِباقا

    Toward Umar ibn Abd Allah yearned

    my mounts; they race one another eagerly.

  6. إلى الغَيْثِ الذي إنْ شحّ غيْثٌ

    فمِنْ يمْناهُ ينْدَفِقُ انْدِفاقا

    Toward the rain that, if rain is scarce,

    pours forth in torrents from his right hand.

  7. إلى اللّيْثِ الذي راعَ الأعادِي

    وأمّنَ رِفْقُ سِيرتِهِ الرِّفاقا

    Toward the lion who terrified his enemies,

    and whose gentle conduct kept companions safe.

  8. إلى حبْرِ السّياسَةِ لا يُجارَى

    ولا يَبْغِي مُعارِضُهُ اللِّحاقَا

    Toward the sage of statecraft, whom none can rival,

    nor does his challenger seek to catch him.

  9. إلى الفَطِنِ الذي لوْلا نَداهُ

    إذا ما جُسْتَهُ خِفْتَ احْتِراقا

    Toward the keen-witted one: were it not for his dew,

    if you probed him, you would fear burning.

  10. إلى قمَرِ الوِزارَةِ جلّلَتْهُ

    إياةُ السّعْدِ نوراً واتّساقَا

    Toward the moon of the vizierate, enveloped by

    good fortune's radiance in light and fullness.

  11. وَحيدُ الفضْلِ مُشتَرَكُ الأيادِي

    بمَيْدانِ العُلا حازَ السِّباقا

    Peerless in merit, his favors shared by all,

    in the arena of glory he won the race.

  12. إذا نسَقَ الحَديثَ الرّطْبَ قُلْنا

    أهَذا الشّهْدُ أمْ أحْلَى مَذاقا

    When he strings together his fresh words, we say:

    'Is this honey, or something sweeter to the taste?'

  13. وإنْ ذُكِرَتْ مَفاخِرُهُ ابْتَدَرْنا

    مهَبَّ الطّيبِ يُنْتَشَقُ انْتِشاقا

    And if his glorious deeds are mentioned, we hasten

    to where perfume wafts, breathing it in deeply.

  14. مَرينِيُّ النِّجارِ فَلا ادِّعاءً

    تَقولُ إذا مدَحْتَ ولا اخْتِلاقا

    Marinid in lineage: no unfounded claim

    do you utter when praising him, nor any fabrication.

  15. ومَنْ كأبِيهِ عبْدِ اللّهِ رأياً

    إذا ما المُعْضِلُ انْطَبَقَ انْطِباقا

    And who equals his father Abd Allah in judgment,

    when a knotty problem closes tightly in?

  16. لَعَبْدُ اللّهِ في الوِزارَةِ مهْما

    تُذوكِرَ خيْرُ مَنْ ركَضَ العِتاقَا

    Indeed, Abd Allah as vizier, whenever

    he is recalled, is the best to spur on noble steeds:

  17. ظَهيرُ الأمْرِ والقِدْحُ المعَلّى

    وأكْرَمُ مَنْ نَضا البِيضَ الرِّقاقَا

    the mainstay of rule, the highest-valued lot-arrow,

    and the noblest to draw white, slender swords.

  18. غَدَتْ عُلْياهُ فوْقَ البَدْرِ تاجاً

    وللجوْزاءِ قدْ مثَلَتْ نِطاقَا

    His eminence became a crown above the full moon,

    and appeared as a girdle for al-Jawza.

  19. لقدْ غَدَتِ الوِزارةُ منْكَ تُزْهى

    بمَنْ رقّتْ سَجاياهُ وَراقا

    Indeed, through you the vizierate has grown proud

    of one whose traits are gentle and who charms.

  20. وسيْفُ المُلْكِ أنتَ وأيُّ سيْفٍ

    كَفى الأزَماتِ دونَ دَمٍ أراقَا

    And you are the sword of the realm—what a sword,

    that warded off crises without shedding blood!

  21. ركِبْتَ الهَوْلَ في سُبُلِ المَعالي

    فَلُقّيتَ السّعادَةَ والوِفاقَا

    You rode terror along the paths to greatness,

    so you were granted happiness and concord.

  22. ضرَبْتَ الصّخْرَ فانْفجَرَ انْفِجاراً

    ضرَبْتَ البَحْرَ فانْفرَقَ انْفِراقا

    You struck the rock, and it burst wide open;

    you struck the sea, and it parted wide.

  23. وِزارَتُكَ التي حقّاً تُهنَّى

    فَما هَدَراً وَلِيتَ ولا اتِّفاقا

    Your vizierate is what truly deserves congratulations,

    for you assumed office neither in vain nor by chance.

  24. فلَمْ تَزْدَدْ برُتْبَتِها عُلُوّاً

    ولمْ تزْدَدْ بنِعْمَتِها ارْتِفاقَا

    So you rose no higher through its rank,

    nor gained greater ease through its bounty.

  25. ولكِنْ بعْضُ حقِّكَ قُمْتَ فِيهِ

    بحقِّكَ بعْدَما استُرِقَ اسْتِراقا

    Rather, you took your place in a portion of your due,

    rightfully, after it had been stealthily stolen.

  26. خطَبْتُ عُلاكَ قبلَ اليوْمِ وُدّاً

    بذَلْتُ منَ الوَفاءِ لهُ صَداقا

    I wooed your eminence before today with love;

    I offered it a dowry drawn from loyalty.

  27. وأوْعَدْتُ الزّمانَ بِكَ انتِصاراً

    وأرْغَمْتُ الخُطوبَ بكَ اعْتِلاقا

    And I threatened Time with you, seeking victory,

    and humbled calamities by holding fast to you.

  28. فسامِحْني فعُذْري غيْرُ خافٍ

    إذا ما العُذْرُ في التّقْصيرِ ضاقَا

    So pardon me, for my excuse is plain,

    when the excuse for falling short wears thin.

  29. شَكَوْتُ لكَ التّغرُّبَ قبْلَ هَذا

    وها أنا بعْدَهُ أشْكُو الفِراقَا

    I complained to you of being far from home before this;

    and here I am afterward, lamenting separation.

  30. فلَوْلا ما تَوالَى منْ حَديثٍ

    بعِزِّكَ لمْ أكُنْ ممّنْ أفاقَا

    But for the tidings that arrived in succession

    of your glory, I would not have recovered.

  31. فقَرِّرْ حالَتي منْ غيْرِ لُبْثٍ

    هَناءً واحْتِراماً وانْطِلاقا

    So settle my affairs without delay,

    in well-being, honor, and freedom to depart.

  32. ركِبْتَ الدّهْرَ مُنْقاداً ذَلولاً

    بحُرْمَةِ مُصْطَفَى ركِبَ البُرَاقا

    May you ride Time, obedient and tame,

    by the sanctity of Mustafa, who rode al-Buraq.