رُوَيدَكَ أَيُّها المَلِكُ الجَليلُ

رُوَيدَكَ أَيُّها المَلِكُ الجَليلُ

تَأَنَّ وَعُدَّهُ مِمّا تُنيلُ

تَأَنَّ وَعُدَّهُ مِمّا تُنيلُ

Take your time, O majestic king;

Go gently, O noble king

Slow your pace, O majestic King,

linger, and count it among your gifts.

Delay your promise from what you obtain

Tarry awhile, and count this delay as a gift you bestow.

وَجودَكَ بِالمُقامِ وَلَو قَليلاً

وَجودَكَ بِالمُقامِ وَلَو قَليلاً

فَما فيما تَجودُ بِهِ قَليلُ

فَما فيما تَجودُ بِهِ قَليلُ

And be generous by staying, even briefly,

Your generosity, even if little, in this abode

Be generous with your presence, though the stay be brief,

for nothing that you give is little.

For in what you give generously, nothing is little

For nothing you grant can ever be reckoned small.

لِأَكبِتَ حاسِداً وَأَرى عَدُوّاً

لِأَكبِتَ حاسِداً وَأَرى عَدُوّاً

كَأَنَّهُما وَداعُكَ وَالرَحيلُ

كَأَنَّهُما وَداعُكَ وَالرَحيلُ

So I may confound an envier and see an enemy,

So you frustrate the envious and see an enemy

That I may stifle the envious and gaze upon a foe,

as though the two were your farewell and departure.

As if they are bidding you farewell and departing

Who seem to me bitter as your farewell and departure.

وَيَهدَأَ ذا السَحابُ فَقَد شَكَكنا

وَيَهدَأَ ذا السَحابُ فَقَد شَكَكنا

أَتَغلِبُ أَم حَياهُ لَكُم قَبيلُ

أَتَغلِبُ أَم حَياهُ لَكُم قَبيلُ

And so this cloud may subside, for we have wondered:

And this cloud calms down for we doubted

And let this storm-cloud settle, for we have fallen into doubt:

is Taghlib your clan, or is its rain?

Will it overcome or is its life for you a tribe

Is it the Taghlib tribe charging, or is this rain their kin?

وَكُنتُ أَعيبُ عَذلاً في سَماحٍ

وَكُنتُ أَعيبُ عَذلاً في سَماحٍ

فَها أَنا في السَماحِ لَهُ عَذولُ

فَها أَنا في السَماحِ لَهُ عَذولُ

I used to criticize reproach for generosity,

And I used to blame ardour in forgiving

I once found fault with those who censured generosity,

yet here I am, reproaching him for generosity.

Yet here I am in forgiving him, blamer

Yet here I stand, finding fault with such munificence.

وَما أَخشى نُبوَّكَ عَن طَريقٍ

وَما أَخشى نُبوَّكَ عَن طَريقٍ

وَسَيفُ الدَولَةِ الماضي الصَقيلُ

وَسَيفُ الدَولَةِ الماضي الصَقيلُ

And I do not fear your swerving from a path,

And I do not fear your deviating from a path

I do not fear that you might stray from the path,

for Sayf al-Dawla is the keen, polished sword.

And the polished sword of the state of the past

For Sayf al-Dawla is the sharp and polished blade.

وَكُلُّ شَواةِ غِطريفٍ تَمَنّى

وَكُلُّ شَواةِ غِطريفٍ تَمَنّى

لِسَيرِكَ أَنَّ مَفرِقَها السَبيلُ

لِسَيرِكَ أَنَّ مَفرِقَها السَبيلُ

And every noble warrior’s scalp has wished

And every twig of Ghutrif wished

And every noble chieftain’s scalp has surely wished

that its crown were the road for your march.

That for your travel their separation is the way

That the parting of his hair might be the road you tread.

وَمِثلِ العَمقِ مَملوءٍ دِماءً

وَمِثلِ العَمقِ مَملوءٍ دِماءً

جَرَت بِكَ في مَجاريهِ الخُيولُ

جَرَت بِكَ في مَجاريهِ الخُيولُ

And many a place like al-ʿAmq, filled with blood—

And like a deep filled with blood

And through lands like al-Amq, brimming over with blood,

through its channels the horses raced, bearing you.

It flowed through it with you, the horses

Your horses have galloped with you through its crimson streams.

إِذا اِعتادَ الفَتى خَوضَ المَنايا

إِذا اِعتادَ الفَتى خَوضَ المَنايا

فَأَهوَنُ ما يَمُرُّ بِهِ الوُحولُ

فَأَهوَنُ ما يَمُرُّ بِهِ الوُحولُ

When a young man grows used to wading through death,

When the young man gets used to plunging into calamities

When a warrior grows accustomed to wading through death,

mud is then the easiest thing he crosses.

Then the circling vicissitudes are easiest for him

The easiest obstacle he meets is mere mud.

وَمَن أَمَرَ الحُصونَ فَما عَصَتهُ

وَمَن أَمَرَ الحُصونَ فَما عَصَتهُ

أَطاعَتهُ الحُزونَةُ وَالسُهولُ

أَطاعَتهُ الحُزونَةُ وَالسُهولُ

And he who commanded fortresses, which did not defy him,

And whoever commanded the fortresses, they did not disobey him

He who commanded fortresses, and they dared not disobey—

was obeyed by rugged ground and plains.

The rugged and the plains obeyed him

To him, both rugged heights and sweeping plains yield.

أَتَخفِرُ كُلَّ مَن رَمَتِ اللَيالي

أَتَخفِرُ كُلَّ مَن رَمَتِ اللَيالي

وَتُنشِرُ كُلَّ مَن دَفَنَ الخُمولُ

وَتُنشِرُ كُلَّ مَن دَفَنَ الخُمولُ

Do you protect all whom the nights have struck down,

You humiliate everyone whom the nights threw

Do you offer protection to all whom the nights assail,

and revive all whom obscurity has buried?

And uncover everyone whom laziness buried

And raise the dead whom obscurity has buried?

وَنَدعوكَ الحُسامَ وَهَل حُسامٌ

وَنَدعوكَ الحُسامَ وَهَل حُسامٌ

يَعيشُ بِهِ مِنَ المَوتِ القَتيلُ

يَعيشُ بِهِ مِنَ المَوتِ القَتيلُ

And we call you the sharp sword—is there a sword

And we call you the sword, and is there a sword

We call you the Sword, but does a sword ever exist

by which one slain by death can live?

With which the slain can escape death?

By which the slain are brought back from death to life?

وَما لِلسَيفِ إِلّا القَطعَ فِعلٌ

وَما لِلسَيفِ إِلّا القَطعَ فِعلٌ

وَأَنتَ القاطِعُ البَرُّ الوَصولُ

وَأَنتَ القاطِعُ البَرُّ الوَصولُ

A sword has no deed but cutting,

The sword has no deed but cutting

For the blade knows no function but to sever and shear,

yet you sever, show kindness, and sustain ties.

And you are the cutter, the righteous, the reacher

Yet you are the Cutter, the Righteous, the Unifier.

وَأَنتَ الفارِسُ القَوّالُ صَبراً

وَأَنتَ الفارِسُ القَوّالُ صَبراً

وَقَد فَنِيَ التَكَلُّمُ وَالصَهيلُ

وَقَد فَنِيَ التَكَلُّمُ وَالصَهيلُ

And you are the horseman who keeps crying, ‘Stand firm!’

And you are the eloquent knight, patient

You are the knight who cries out 'Endure!'

when speech and neighing have died away.

Speaking and neighing are over

When all speech has failed and the neighing has ceased.

يَحيدُ الرُمحُ عَنكَ وَفيهِ قَصدٌ

يَحيدُ الرُمحُ عَنكَ وَفيهِ قَصدٌ

وَيَقصُرُ أَن يَنالَ وَفيهِ طولُ

وَيَقصُرُ أَن يَنالَ وَفيهِ طولُ

The spear veers from you, though it is straight,

The spear deviates from you while it aims

The spear veers away from you, though aimed with intent,

and falls short of reaching you, though it is long.

And falls short that it reaches you despite its length

And falls short of its mark, despite its great length.

فَلَو قَدَرَ السِنانُ عَلى لِسانٍ

فَلَو قَدَرَ السِنانُ عَلى لِسانٍ

لَقالَ لَكَ السِنانُ كَما أَقولُ

لَقالَ لَكَ السِنانُ كَما أَقولُ

So if the spearhead could wield a tongue,

If the spearheads were able to speak

If the spearhead possessed the power of a tongue,

the spearhead would speak to you as I do.

The spearheads would say to you what I say

It would speak to you the very words I speak.

وَلَو جازَ الخُلودُ خَلَدتَ فَرداً

وَلَو جازَ الخُلودُ خَلَدتَ فَرداً

وَلَكِن لَيسَ لِلدُنيا خَليلُ

وَلَكِن لَيسَ لِلدُنيا خَليلُ

And were immortality possible, you alone would live forever,

And if immortality was possible, you would be immortal alone

Were immortality permitted, you alone would remain,

but the world has no friend.

But the world has no intimate friend

But this world has no constant friend.