فيك المدائح تحلو

إذ أنت للمدح أهلُ

Praises of you grow sweet,

for you are worthy of praise.

يجلّ كل فريقٍ

وأنت أنت الأجل

Every general is exalted,

and you—you are the most exalted.

أنت الذي عمّ منه

أهل العراقين فضل

You are the one whose bounty reached

all the people of the two Iraqs.

لك الأكابر تعنو

لك الخصوم تذلّ

The great bow before you;

before you, adversaries are humbled.

بك السياسة تزهو

بك الرياسة تحلو

Through you, statecraft shines;

through you, leadership grows sweet.

مهما يكن من خلافٍ

ففيه قولك فصل

Whatever disagreement there may be,

your word in it is decisive.

ما إن رايت كثيراً

إلَّا وعنك يقل

Never have I seen anything great

that did not seem small beside you.

كم قد فعلت فعالاً

على علاك تدلّ

How many deeds you have done

that attest to your eminence!

الناس منهم جوادٌ

وذو كمال وعدل

Among people is a generous man,

and one endowed with perfection and justice.

لكنما الفرد منهم

عن كل ما فيك يخلو

Yet each individual among them

lacks the full sum of what is in you.

في الكل يوجد جزءٌ

وليس في الجزءِ كلّ

In the whole, a part is found;

but in the part there is no whole.

بغداد أشرف أرضٍ

إذ أنت فيها تحلُّ

Baghdad is the noblest land,

since you dwell within it.

كأنما هي غمدٌ

كأَنما أنت نصل

As though it were a scabbard,

as though you were a blade.

زكوت فرعاً كما قد

زكا لغرسك أصل

You flourished as a branch, just as

the root of your tree had flourished.

أبوك قد كان ليثاً

وأنت لليث شبل

Your father was a lion,

and you are the lion’s cub.

الانتقام ينادي

ويل لخصمك ويل

Vengeance cries out:

“Woe to your adversary—woe!”

ارحم فديتك فخرى

خصما به زلّ نعل

Have mercy, Fakhri—may I be your ransom—

on a foe whose sandal has slipped.

اخلع نعالك يا خص

مُ إنها قد تزلّ

Take off your sandals, O adversary;

for they may slip.

غالبت بالجهل علماً

وليس كالعلم جهل

You tried with ignorance to outmatch knowledge,

yet ignorance is not like knowledge.

لو أذعن الخصم قبلا

لكان للخصم عقل

Had the adversary yielded earlier,

the adversary would have shown sense.

لكنه لم يكن يع

لم اقتدارك قبل

But he did not know

your might before.

فكان حينئذٍ في

كبر له عنك شغل

So at that time he was steeped in

pride that distracted him from you.

عفوت عنه امتناناً

لمّا بدا منه ذلُّ

You pardoned him as a gracious favor

when he showed submission.

يا أيها الخصم صبراً

لا يُفزعَّنك هول

O adversary, have patience;

let no terror frighten you.

فإنما كل خطبٍ

دون المنية سهل

For every calamity

short of death is easy.

له يدٌ ونوالٌ

هما سحاب ووبل

He has a hand and bounty:

they are a cloud and a downpour.

له محيَّا جميلٌ

وصحبة لا تملّ

He has a handsome face

and company one never tires of,

وفكرة بمساعي

ها المشكلات تحل

and a mind, through whose efforts

difficulties are solved.

لولاه ما كان مجمو

عاً للفضائل شملُ

Without him, there would be no united

fellowship of virtues.

يا فخر كل فريقٍ

وعارضاً يستهلُّ

O pride of every company,

and raincloud pouring forth,

قد نلت رتبة مجدٍ

على المراتب تعلو

you have attained a rank of glory

that rises above all ranks.

لما بلغت مداها

وأصبحت بك تغلو

When you reached its utmost height

and it grew more precious through you,

ناديتُ يا مجد أرّخ

فخرى فريق يجلُّ

I cried, “O Glory, mark the date:

‘Fakhri is an exalted general.’”