عَجِبتُ لأُسرةِ الحَسَنِ الدُينَا

بِألبَانِ المَذَمَّةِ قَد غُذِّينَا

I am amazed at the family of Al-Hasan Al-Din

Who have been nourished on bitter milk

يَرُومُونَ افتِخَاراً واعتِلاءً

ولَيسُوا الفَاخِرِينَ المُعتَلِينَا

They aspire to pride and arrogance

Yet they are not the proud and arrogant

أفَخرُ بَعدَمَا قد بُلًّغَتهُ

شُهودُ الحَاضِرينَ الغَائِبِينَا

I am still proud after I have clearly revealed it

To those present and those absent as witnesses

فَقَد حَسِبُوا نُفُوسَهُم سِوَاهُم

وقَد حَسِبُوا شَمالِيُهم يَمِينَا

They have considered themselves apart from others

And considered their left to be their right

طَغَوا وَبَغَوا عَلَىَّ فَقُلتُ صَبراً

ولَم نَكُ رُتبَةً فِئِينَا

They wronged me and rebelled, so I remained patient

And we were not of the defeated group

فَظَنُّونَا عَجَزنَا فأَشرَأَبُّوا

وقالوا لَن نَدِينَ ولَن نَلِينَا

They thought we were helpless so they became insolent

Saying we will not submit or be soft

ولَن نَستَعطِفَ الأَعدَاءَ إِنَّا

لَنَحنُ الغَالِبُونَ الغَالِبِينَا

And we will not appease enemies, we

Are the victorious, the triumphant

وظَلُّوا في إفتِخَارِهِم وَباتُوا

ومُلِّىءَ كُلُّهُم لَبَناً سَخِينَا

They remained proud and went to bed

Each filled with warm milk

وَلَمَّا إِن نَظَرتُ الشَّرعَ فِيهُم

وكُنتُ أُرِيدُ مَصلَحَةً ولينا

But when I looked to religious law regarding them

Wanting to be gentle and make peace

بَدَا لِى أن أُذِلَّهُم بِبَطشِى

وكُنتُ بِأن أُذِلَّهُم قَمِينَا

It seemed I should humiliate them with my might

And I was determined to humiliate them

فَجِئتُهُم أُحَاوِلُهُم سُحَيراً

ومَا أَلفَيتُهُم مُتَهَجِّدِينَا

So I came to cajole them gently

But did not find them watchful

فَقَادَتني الخُئُولُةُ لِلمَعَالِي

ومَا كُنتُ الجَبَانَ المُستَكِينَا

Cowardice led me to play along

For I was not a coward or weak

جَعَلتُ بِوَجهِ أطوَلِهِم عِظَاماً

وأعرِقِهم إِذَا جَبَنُوا جَبِينَا

I made their tallest into bones

And their most arrogant into creased foreheads when they cowered

والآمِهم وأجهَلِهِم أُصُولاً

وأخبَثِهِم مَيَادِيناً ودِينَا

And their most foolish and ignorant into leaders

And their most wicked into guides and religion

وأَحمَقِهِم وأكثَرِهِم عُيوباً

وأسوَئِهِم إِذَا صَحِبُوا قَرِينَا

I made their most stupid and flawed

And their worst when accompanying, a mate

جدَاوِلُ لاَتَزَالُ الدَّهرُ فِيهِ

تُقَطِّعُ أَلسُنَ المُتَكَلِّمِينَا

The cycles of time in it

Kept cutting the tongues of the speakers

قَلَّدَ جَمعَهُم في كُلِّ رَاىٍ

كَبِيرَهُم مَحمداً الأمِينَا

I made all of them in every opinion

Follow their leader Muhammad the Trustworthy

شَدَّ عَمَامَةَ المُلِكِ المَفَدَّى

وأطرَقَ يَستَجِمُّ العَقلَ حِينَا

He tightened the turban of the noble king

And bowed his head to reflect for a moment

قَالَ لَهُم مَبَادَرَةُ الهُوينَا

تَجُرُّ لأهلِهَا المَالَ الثَّمِينَا

He said to them, seizing opportunities

Brings a man precious wealth

مَن طَلَبَ المَعَالِى أتعَبتُه

وكَانَ لِمَا لِهِ فِيهَا مُهِينَا

He who seeks the heights I have burdened him

And he was humiliated in them

هُونُوا إِنَّ فِيهِ لَكُم سَدَاداً

وقَد كُنتُم بِهِ مُتَعَلِّمينَا

Be humble, in it lies your rectitude

And you were taught by it

خُنُوا عَهد جَارِكُمُ وكُونُوا

لَهُ في كُلِّ خِصبٍ مُحرِمينَا

Betray your neighbor’s covenant and

In every fertile land, deprive him

ِإن وَافَاكُم ضَيفٌ فَكُونُوا

لِحَقِّ الضَّيفِ مِنهُ مَانِعِينَا

If a guest comes to you, then

Prevent the guest right from him

إِن طَلَبَت عَجَائِزُكُم عِصَاماً

فَكُونُوا لِلعَجَائِزِ قَاتِلِينَا

If your old women ask for support

Then fight and kill the old women

صُونُوا مَالَكُم بِالعِرضِ حتى

تَكُونُوا كَالجُدُودِ مُذَمَّمِينَا

Guard your wealth through honor until

You are like prestigious ancestors

صَونُ المَالِ فِيهِ جَدىً ونَفعٌ

ولَيسَ العِرضُ يَنفَعُ حِينَ صِينَا

Safeguarding wealth brings merit and benefit

But honor brings no benefit when protected

لاَ تَسعَوا لِمَحمَدَةٍ ومَجدٍ

ولاَ تَلِجُوا نَدِىَّ الأَكرِمِينَا

Do not pursue glory and majesty

And do not aspire to the light of the generous

فإِنَّكُمُ إِذَا جَالَستُمُوهُم

ولَو حِينَا أضَرُّوكُم سَنِينَا

For verily when you sit with them

Even for a while, they would curse you for years

تُوقُ نَفُوسُ أسوِئِكِم مَسَاوي

ِإلَى فِعلاَتِهِم فَتَكُونَ فِينَا

The souls of your worst will yearn

To imitate their deeds and so be among them

يَطمَعَ في نَدَانَا الضَّيفُ حتى

يَمُرَّ بِنَا ويَأتِينَا قَطِينَا

A guest hopes for our hospitality until

He passes by us and reaches our valley

فيَفُسَدَ مَالُنَا ونُخِيبَ رَأياً

ونُلفي في المَسَاجِدِ جَالِسِينَا

Then our wealth is corrupted and our view foiled

As we sit idle in the mosques

وكَانَت تَستَقِى فَزَعاً شَدِيداً

أكَابِرُنَا إِذَا سَمِعَت أذِينَا

It used to greatly disturb

Our elders when they heard our ears

وكُنَّا نَحسَبُ القُرآنَ شِعراً

كسته الأوَّلُونَ الآخرِينَا

And we thought the Quran was poetry

Time has covered the early and the late

فَقَالُوا إِنَّ رَأيَكَ لَيسَ يُعصَى

سُتُلفِينَا لأمرِكَ طَائِعِينَا

So they said your view cannot be defied

We will find you obedient

فَقَالَ لَهُم إذَا طَاوَعتُمُوني

سَلَكتُ بِكُم سَبِيلَ الأوَلِينَا

So he said to them, if you obey me

I will take you on the path of the forebears

أوَائِلِنَا الأُلَى قد أَورُثُونَا

شَمَائِلَهُم فَكُنَّا الوَارِثِينَا

Our exemplary early ones bequeathed to us

Their traits, so we were the inheritors

فَألبَسَهُم ردَاءَ البُخلِ حتى

غَدوا مِن فَضلِهِ مُتَجَلِّينَا

He clothed them in the gown of stinginess until

They openly rejoiced in His bounty

فَأصبَحَهُم دِينَهُم في دَنِّ ذُلٍّ

يُرَجِّعُ مِن مَذَلَّتِهِ الأنِينَا

His religion made them dwindle in disgrace

Returning the moan of the complaint

فَقَالَ لَهُم رَضِيتُ أقَد رَضِيتُم

فَقَالُوا نحن مِثلُكَ قَد رَضِينَا

He said to them, I am pleased, are you pleased?

They said we are like you, pleased

ولَكِنَّا أُناسٌ لَو قَدِمنَا

على الكُفَّارِ نَشكُو المُسلِمِينَا

But we are a people who if we came

Upon disbelievers, would complain of Muslims

أعانُونَا وعَلَونَا عَلَيهم

يُعِينُ الكَافِرُونَ الكَافِرِينَا

They would support us and strengthen us over them

The disbelievers support the disbelievers