يمينُكَ أوْرَى إنْ قدحتَ من الزّنْدِ

ووجْهُكَ أجْدَى إنْ قَدِمْتَ من السَّعْدِ

Your right hand is more deadly when it draws the sword

And your face more radiant when you advance from Sa'd

وعزْمُكَ أمْضَى حين يَشْتَجِرُ القَنَا

من الأسمرِ الخطّيِّ والأبيضِ الهندي

And your resolve more decisive when the spears clash

With the dark Indian and white Persian

وذكرُكَ أحْلَى أو ألذُّ منَ المُنَى

وإن قيلَ أحلى أو ألذُّ من الشَّهد

And your memory sweeter or more delightful than wishes

Though it be said sweeter or more delightful than honey

وقربُكَ أَوْفَى بالمكارمِ والعُلاَ

من الحر بالمأثور أو كرم العهد

And your nearness more faithful in generosity and nobility

Than the free man with inherited honors or the noble pact

نَهَجْتَ سبيلَ المجدِ من بعدِ ما عَفَتْ

ومحت كما محت وشائع من برد

You have trodden the path of glory after being chaste

And erased as erasements from hail were erased

فلا يَتَعَامَوْا أو فلا يَتَوَاكَلُوا

فقد عَرَفُوا كيفَ الطريقُ إلى المجد

So let them not hesitate or be negligent

For they know the way to glory

ودونهمُ فليقتدُوا بابن حُرّةٍ

أشاعَ الفَعالَ الحرّ في الزّمن العبد

And below them let them follow the example of Ibn Hurrah

Who propagated free heroic deeds in the age of servitude

له آثرٌ في كلِّ شَرْقٍ وَمَغْرِبٍ

به تَهْتَدِي الزُّهْرُ الكواكبُ أو تَهْدي

He has traces in every east and west

By him the flowers of stars are guided or guide

بأروعَ مِنْ سَعْدِ العشيرةِ كاسْمِهِ

وَنِسْبَتِهِ ما أشبَهَ الأبنَ بالجدِّ

With more wondrous than the luck of the happy tribe as his name

And his lineage how much the son resembles his grandfather

نماهُ أبيٌّ لا اعدِّدُ غيرَهُ

وفي شَرَفِ الوُسْطَى يُرَى شَرَفُ العِقْدِ

He was raised by a father I do not enumerate another

And in the nobility of the moderate his nobility of necklace is seen

أإنْ صُلْتَ حتى هابَكَ السيفُ في الغمدِ

وَجُدْتَ فلم تتركْ متاعاً لمن يُجْدِي

When you reconcile until the sword in its sheath dread you

And you were found and left no possession for one who reconciles

مُدِحْتَ فَطَوْراً قيل كالمطرِ الحيا

نوالاً وطوراً قيلَ كالأسَدِ الوَرْدِ

You were praised lavishly, once said like the life-giving rain

Once said like the preying lion

كأنْ لَم يَروْا تلك المواهبَ كالمُنى

ولا شَهِدُوا تلك الخلائقَ كالشَّهد

As though they did not see those gifts like wishes

Nor witnessed those morals like honey

ولا آنسوا نارَيْكَ للحربِ والفِرَى

يمينَكَ في كأسٍ ويسراك في زند

Nor felt the fires of war and redemption in your right hand and your left in the sword

Nor sought refuge in that esteemed tent and easy life

ولا انتجعُوا ذاك الجنابَ فخيَّموا

إلى الكَنَفِ المحلولِ والعيشةِ الرغد

You see them in the narrow and wide space

Slipping from pairs toward him and from individuals

تراهُمْ على ضَيْقِ المجال وَرُحْبِهِ

يُهِلَّون مِنْ مَثْنَى إليه ومنْ فرد

To Majid who does not look at money unless

In it there is a share for the newcomer

إلى ماجدٍ لا يُقْبِلُ المالَ نَظْرَةً

إذا لم يكنْ فيه نصيبٌ لمستجد

A sword but sometimes dew was mentioned

For it, so he doubled the flexing staff of elderwood

حسامٌ ولكنْ ربَّما ذُكِرَ النَّدى

له فثنى عِطْفَيْ قضيبٍ منَ الرّنْد

An ocean but what is life without

The most fragrant for the eyes and roses

وَبَحْرٌ ولكنْ ما الحياةُ هَنِيّةً

بأطيبَ منه للعيونِ وَلِلْورِد

A towering mountain from which the flowers of stars rose in elevation

And it increased over them in belonging to the Azd

وطودٌ نَمَى زُهْرَ الكواكبِ من علٍ

وزادَ عليها بانتماءٍ إلى الأزْدِ

The water of a heaven whenever turbid with it

It runs in supple and solid stone

وماءُ سماءٍ كلَّما انهملتْ به

جرى في القضيبِ اللدنِ والصَّخرَةِ الصلد

With more than aggression and might claim

And more than the effort of my eulogy and my effort

بأكثرَ مما يدّعي البأسُ والنّدى

واكثرَ من جَهْدِ لاقصيدِ ومن جَهدي

Generosities of Qahtani and Mudhiji

Which restore what time has corrupted or redress

مكارمُ قحطانيَّةٌ مَذْحِجِيَّةٌ

تعودُ على ما أفسدَ الدهرُ أو تُعْدي

With them the riders traversed every ascent

When they descended to the depths they rose to Najd

بها قَطَعَ الركبانُ كلّ تَنُوفَةٍ

إذا هَبَطُوا غوراً تسامَوْا إلى نجد

You preceded glory since you reached maturity to glory

By your life you would not have delayed had you been in the cradle

سبقتَ العلا منذ اكتهلتَ إلى العلا

لعمرُك ما أَبْعَدْتَ لو كنتَ في المهد

Verily in the way of God a night you kept vigil

Competing with the starry flowers in the dark gloom

ألا في سبيلِ اللهِ ليلٌ سهرتَهُ

تُساري النجومَ الزُّهْرَ في الظُّلَمِ الرُّبْد

When those thick darknesses gathered you ventured into them

With the intention of injustice and the wish of purpose

إذا اعتكرتْ تلك الغياهبُ جُبْتَها

إلى نِيَّة جَوْرٍ وأُمْنِيّةٍ قصْد

To an image from the covenant of Ma’rib which

Your swords disputed against it with sharp tongues

إلى صورةٍ من عهدِ مأربَ خاصمتْ

سيوفُكُمُ عنها بأَلْسِنةٍ لُدِّ

The flowers of stars have risen from Sura

And your drinking companions in their eyelids the traces of Suhad

وقد طَلَّحَتْ زُهْرُ النجومِ منَ السُّرَى

وَرَابَكَ في أجفانها أَثرُ السُّهد

Space complains to your horses’ tracks

With the effort of its breast what we have spanned of distance

بِطَاءٌ على آثارِ خَيْلِكَ تَشْتَكي

بِجَهْدِ سُرَاها ما طَوَيْنَ من البُعْدِ

Ask the Romans in the day you scrambled

Did they not know that prey is for lions

سلِ الرومَ في أُقليشَ يَوْمَ تَجَايَشُوا

ألَمْ يعلموا أن الفرائسَ للأُسْدِ

They challenged each other to those encampments so ask them

Was there no refuge or escape from them

تبارَوْا إلى تلك الحُتُوفِ فَسَلْهُمُ

أما كانَ عنها منْ محيصٍ ولا بُدِّ

Was there none in Islam showing off

With a palm or peace with an offer to redeem

ألم يكُ في الإسلامِ من مُتَعَرِّضٍ

بكفٍّ ولا في السَّلْمٍ من عَرَضٍ يَفْدي

Nor in God’s troops when they came to you

For them a subduer to ward off mockery with seriousness

ولا في جنودِ ا حين أتتكمُ

لها من قديرٍ يَدْفَعُ الهَزْلَ بالجِدِّ

The morning their shooting made every towering mountain the like

Of snapping reeds and splitting throats

غداةَ رماكمْ كلُّ طودٍ بمثلهِ

من القَصَبِ المنأدِّ والحَلَقِ السَّرْد

Prouder than the hut which cast them with it

So what is with you that you were more lowly than love

اعزّ من الهُضْبِ التي قَذَفَتْ بها

فما بالكمْ كنتمْ اذلّ من الوَهْد

Did you not claim that the cross and verily it

As though you never heard of the eternal spear

ألم تزعموا أنّ الصليبَ وأنَّهُ

كأنكمُ لم تَسْمَعُوا بالقَنَا الملد

Restrain yourselves until you consider how you should cast

Yourselves between permission and prevention

رُويدكمُ حتَّى تَوَوْا كيف تَرْتمِي

بأنفسكمْ بين الإجازة والردّ

Until the horses trample the faces of noble youth

Upon them without ill luck or grief

وحتى تدوسَ الخيلُ أوْجُهَ فتيةٍ

كرامٍ عليها غيرِ شُؤْمٍ ولا نُكْدِ

And emerge from the night of dust and if you were to see

The moustaches drive underneath protection they drive

وَتَخْرُجَ من ليلِ الغُبَار ولو ترى

شوازبَ تَرْدي تحت صمانةُ تردي

With every hardy heroic man who wades into its battles

Against every trained carrier with its loads

بكلِّ فتىً جلدٍ يخوضُ غمارَهَا

على كلِّ نهَّاضٍ بأعبائها جَلْدِ

There you knew where Ahmad is from you

And it would have been right for the structures up to praise

هناك عرفتمْ أين أحمدُ منكمُ

وكان حريّاً بالبِدَارِ إلى الحمد

It eluded with the passage of years and its old age

When it mocked the elders and building waste

فَتَاها على مرِّ السنينَ وكهلُهَا

إذا هيَ جَدّتْ بالمشايخِ والمرد

And its defender protected it the day it tossed and dodged

And its role model in what it repeats and produces

وحامي حماها يومَ ترمي وتتقي

واسْوَتُها فيما تعيدُ وما تُبْدِي

And who was known the features of ministry by his name

As Taima was known for uncommon excellence

وَمَنْ عُرِفَتْ سيما الوزارةِ باسْمِه

كما عُرِفَتْ تيماءث بالأَبْلَقِ الفَرْد

With what tongue or idea do I describe my gratitude or express my affection

You roused Ubayy when his resolve pleased you

بأيِّ لسانٍ أو بأيةِ فكرةٍ

احَبَرُ شكري أو اعبَرُ عن وُدِّي

A sword polished in its scabbard straight of edge

And you were characterized to the evening of spring and its shade

هززتَ أُبيّاً جين أرضاك عَزْمُهُ

حساماً صقيلَ المتنِ مُعْتدلَ الحدّ

So self-sufficient are you from sincerity and cease from cold

They both inherited Abdulmalik’s generosity

وَصِفْتَ إلى مساءِ الربيعِ وَظِلِّهِ

فحسبُكَ مَن صَفْوٍ وناهيكَ من بَردِ

And his help, and this repeats and that produces

So if the spring was sweetened by a deed

هما ورثا عبدَ المليك سَمَاحَهُ

وَنجْدَتَهُ وهذا يُعيدُ وذا يُبدي

Still I have not from its blessings in the season of flowers

And if I talk about Ubayy and his merits

فإن أَنشكَّرْ للربيعِ صنيعةً

فما زلتُ من نعماهُ في زَمنِ الورد

I have from those conversations what I have

To you rhymes like the stars as flowers

وإن اتحدثْ عن أُبيٍّ بفضْلِهِ

فعنديَ منْ تلك الأحاديث ما عندي

In what you have for it from struggle and effort

None will attempt it after you Majid

إليك القوافي كالنجومِ زواهراً

بما لك فيها من جهادٍ ومن جهد

And none will attempt these after me, poet

فما يتعاطى تلك بَعْدَكَ ماجدٌ

وما يتعاطَى هذه شاعرٌ بعدي