يَأبَى إذا خَطَرَ العقيقُ ببالِه

إلا اطَّراحَ العَذلِ من عُذَّالِه

He refuses when ambergris comes to mind

Except to shed tears copiously from his eyes

قَسَمَ الدّموعَ على المنازلِ عالماً

أنّ الجوى فيهِنَّ من أنذالِه

He allotted tears to dwellings, knowing

That the best part of him was in those tears

وَهُوَ الكَثِيبُ تلاعَبت أيدي النَّوى

بكثيِبهِ وقضيبِه وهِلالِه

It is the sand dune which the hands of fate

Had toyed with, his member and his crescent

رَاحُوا به واللّحظُ يقدَحُ جُرأةً

فَيكُرُّ بين حُجولِه وحِجالِه

They went with it while a lustful glance

Darted among his cheeks and his sidelocks

والشَّوقُ ينثُرُ دمعَه في خَدِّهِ

فيقَرُّ أو يَجري على جِريالِه

And longing scattered its tears on his cheek

So it flowed or ran down his chin

يادارُ جادَ بها الفِراقُ جَمالَها

فغدا وراحَ على ظُهورِ جِمالِه

O abode generosity left its beauty in

And so it went, on the backs of its camels

ما بالُ رِيمِكِ لا يُتاحُ لِقاؤُه

لمُحبِّه إلا غداةَ زِيالِه

What is it with your camp, its meeting

Is not afforded to a lover except at its departure

فسُقِيتِ رَجعَ حُدوجِه وسقَى الحيا

محتلَّهُ وسُقيتُ عَودَ وِصالِه

So I was quenched, the camels went back

Having watered life, and I was quenched by his return

ورقيقةٍ كالآلِ نادمني بها

كِسرى فرُحتُ كأنَّني من آلِه

And by a gentle song, it blamed me

Like the family of Chosroes, so I rejoiced as if I was one of them

ألقَاه إمَّا حَاسِراً لصَبوحِه

فيها وإمَّا دارعاً لقِتالِه

I will meet him either ruining his morning in it

Or protecting his fight

وأراه ساقَ لنا أداةَ شَمولِه

مجموعةً بيمينِه وشِمالِه

And I see he escorted to us his cudgel

Held in his right hand and his left

أو نابِلاً لمّا تَكامَلَ نَزعُه

لم تتَّصل أغراضُه بِنبالِه

Or an archer when his drawing was complete

His purposes were not linked to his arrows

أتُراه صانَ عن الرَّمِيَّةِ سَهمَه

أم رأفةٌ مَنَعته عن إِرسالِه

Do I see him protect his arrow from throwing

Or did mercy prevent him from shooting it?

عصرٌ مَزَجتُ شَمائلي بشَمولِه

وظِلالُه ممزوجةٌ بشَمالِه

An era whose features were mixed with his cudgel

And his shadows intermingled with his left side

حتَّى حَسِبتُ الوَردَ من أشجارِه

عَبِقاً أو الرَّيحانَ من آصالِه

Until I thought the roses were from his trees

A fragrance or the basil from its stems

وكأنيي لمّا ارتديتُ ظِلالَه

جارُ الوزيرِ المُرتدي بظِلالِه

As if when I wore his shadows

I became the vizier's neighbor wearing his shadows

الواترِ الأموالِ يومَ عَطائِه

والنافضِ الأوتارِ يومَ نِزالِه

The one who tied property on the day of his giving

And played the strings on the day of his fighting

مَلِكٌ تُحاذرُه الملوكُ فمُمسِكٌ

بحبالِه أو هالكٌ بِصِيالِه

A king whom kings fear, so he holds

His reins, or else dies by his sword

أموالُه في السِّلمِ من أنفالِها

ونفوسُها في الحربِ من أنفالِه

His wealth in peacetime is from its spoils

And their souls in war are from its spoils

صُقِلَ الزمانُ فعادَ في أيامِه

كالبُردِ في تفويفِه وصِقالِه

Time polished so it returned in his days

Like the cold in its affliction and its polishing

إن كنتَ تشتاقُ الحِمامَ فعادِه

أو كنتَ تختارُ الحياةَ فوالِه

If you long for doves then court them

Or if you choose life then be loyal to it

يُعطِيك ما يُعطيه كرُّ جيادِه

وشَبا أَسِنَّته وحَدُّ نِصالِه

He gives you what he gives his noble steeds

And young lions with sharp blades

حملَ القنَا فاهتزَّ في مُهتزِّهِ

طرَباً له واختالَ في مُختالِه

He carried the spear so it shook in his shaker

Agitated by him and swayed in its swaying

فأَرى العدوَّ نقيصةً في عُمرهِ

وأرَى الصديقَ زيادةً في حالِه

So I see diminishment in the enemy's life

And increase in the friend's state

بوقائعٍ للبأسِ في أعدائه

ووقائعِ للجود في أمواله

With deeds of might against his enemies

And deeds of generosity with his wealth

عَذَلوه في الجَدوَى وَمن يَثنِي الحيا

أم من يَسُدُّ عليه طُرْقَ سِجالِه

They blamed him for gallantry, but who folds

The paths of his fight or blocks his way?

متشابهُ الطَّرَفينِ أصبحَ عمُّه

في ذُورةٍ لم تَعْدُ ذُروةَ خالِه

His paternal and maternal uncles have become equal

In a heap that is no longer the peak of his maternal uncles

شرفٌ أطالَ قَنا المُهَلَّبِ سَمْكَه

حتَى أظلَّ وعمَّ في إظلالِه

An honor that lengthened the fish hook rope

Until it shaded and spread with its shade

فإذا بدَت زُهْرُ الكواكبِ حولَه

كانَت عمائمُهنَّ من أذيالِه

So when the flowers of stars appeared around him

Their turbans were from the ends of his garment

راحَ المُغِيرةُ وهو من أجوادِه

وغَدا قُبَيصةُ وهو من أبطالِه

Al-Mughira left and he was his noble one

And Qubaysa came and he was his hero

راح المغيرة وهو من أجواده

وغدا قبيصة وهو من أبطاله

Al-Mughira left and he was his noble one

And Qubaysa came and he was his hero

غارَت صدورُ رِماحِكم بصُدورِه

والناسُ مشترِكون في أَكفالِه

The chests of your spears glared at his chest

While people shared in sponsoring him

أما السَّماحُ فقد تبسَّمَ نَوْرُه

بعدَ الذّبولِ وعادَ نُورُ ذُبالِه

As for forgiveness, its light smiled

After wilting, and the light of its lamps returned

أطلقْتَ من أغلالِه وشَفَيتَ من

أَعلاِله وفتحتَ من أقفالِه

You released him from his shackles, healed him

From his illnesses, and opened his locks

إنَّ الوزيرَ دَعا إلى غَمرِ النَّدى

من كان موقوفاً على أوشالِه

The minister has called to the wine of dew

Whoever was dependent on his palm trees

أُثني عليه ثناءَ رَوضً هَزَّه

سَيلُ الحيا فاهتزَّ في إسبالِه

I praise him with a praise that shook a garden

Whose torrents shook its trailing garments

واقولُ للسَّاعي ليُدرِكَ شأوَه

أنتَ الجوادُ ولستَ من أشكالِه

And I say to the one seeking his glory

You are the noble one, not merely resembling him

كَمَلَتْ مَناقُبه فلو زادَ امرؤٌ

بعدَ الكمالِ لزادَ بعدَ كمالِه

His virtues are complete, so if someone

Increases after perfection, it increases his perfection

وغَدَت خَلائقُه أحَقَّ بمنطِقي

فمزَجتُ صفوَ زُلالِها بزُلالِه

And his manners have deserved my words

So I mixed the refined of it with the refined of him

أُهدي له ما رَقَّ من أفوافِه

وأُبيحُه ما رَقَّ من سَلسالِه

I gift him what softened from his necklaces

And make permitted what softened from his chains

ويقولُ لي قومٌ فَضَلْتَ وإنّما

فَضلُ الثَّناءِ عليهِ من إفضالِه

And some people say, you have excelled, but

The excellence of praise is from his excellence

لا حمدَ لي إن راحَ دُرُّ مدائحي

عِقداً وقد فصَّلتُه بخِلالِه

No praise to me if the pearl of my eulogy

Became a necklace after I had threaded its beads