مَحَاسِنُ العِيدِ يَومَ أنْ صَفَا الزَّمَنُ

أما وُجُودُكَ فَهْوَ الدَّائِمُ الحَسَنُ

The joys of Eid when time is serene,

Your presence is ever beautiful and fair.

وَلَو سَألنَا بِكَ الأعيَادَ مَا حَكَمَتْ

إلاَّبِأنَكَ رُوحٌ أوْ هِيَ البَدنُ

If we ask for you in festivals, it would only judge

That you are a soul, nay, you are the body.

فَهْيَ المُهَنَّاةُ إذ كُنْتَ الحَيَاةَ لَهَا

وَإنْ جَرَى بِخِلاَفِ ذَلِكَ السنَنُ

The festivals rejoice for you are their life.

Though fate may run its contrary course.

فَاهْنَأ بِعِيدٍ تَمَامُ العَشرِ لَيلَتُهُ

وَصُبْحُهُ بِافْتِتَاحِ اليُسرِ مُقْتَرِنُ

So celebrate an Eid whose eve is the night of full moon

And its dawn coupled with propitious ease.

نُعطِيكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ الأيامُ بَالِغَةً

لِمِثْلِهِ مِنَناً فِي إثرِهَا مِنَنُ

After it days will give you more

Of similar gifts following in succession.

تَنَالُ مِنهُ الجَدِيدَ الليْنَ تَلبَسُهُ

عَفواً وَيَنحطُّ عنك الدَّارِسِ الخَشِنُ

You will get the gentle new

Forgivingly and the harsh thorns will fall off you,

حَتى تَرَى منْ سُلَيْمَان وَتَابِعِهِ

مُحَمدٍ مَا تَلَذُّ العَيْنُ وَالأذُنُ

Until you see from Solomon and his successor

Muhammad what delights the eye and ear,

وَتَرْتَقِي بِأبِي عَمرٍو لِغَايَتِهِ

وَمَا يَخَافُ عَلَى المَأمونِ مُؤتَمَنُ

And rise to the heights attained by Abi Amr

Where nothing is feared for Al-Mamun the trusted,

أفلاَذُ قَلبِكَ هم في نفس وَامِقِهِمْ

شَأنٌ وَفِي عين مَنْ يَشناهُمُ شَجَنُ

The apples of your heart they are, in the core of their being

Of an essence, and in the eye of those who envy them, poignant.

مِنْ كُلّ أروَعَ يَستَشفَى بِطَلعَتِهِ

وَيَسْتَجِيرُ بِهِ مَنْ هَمَّهُ الإحَنُ

The choicest of the splendid who heal by their rising

And who give refuge from anguish brought by time.

أعِزَّةٌ لِمَقَامِ المُلكِ رَشَّحَهُمْ

لَهُ ذكَاؤُهُمُ مِنْ بَعدِ مَا خُتِنُوا

Nobles fit for kingship, their intelligence rendered them

Eligible, after their early training.

بل ما استهَلَّ لدى الميلاَدِ صَارِخُهُمْ

إلاَّ وَعَقدُكَ مِنْ كَفيهِ مرتهَنُ

Rather, none cries out at birth

Except your writ is hostage in their grip.

تبادروه فلا في كف حامله

منهم نكول ولا في طبعه ددن

They rush to you, none of their ilk

Ever failed, nor is fickleness in their nature.

تَوَدُّهُمْ صَهَواتُ الخَيلِ حِينئذٍ

وَهُمْ عَلى الرَّكضِ في الأرحَامِ قد مرَنُوا

Then, the neighing of steeds is their desire

When they are yet in wombs they have been trained to gallop.

وَقَولَ وِحشَةَ قَولِ الناسِ مُنفَرِد

وَقَولهُم سَرحَةٌ مَا إنْ بِهَا غُصُنُ

Theirs is the speech of loners, not of the vulgar throng

Theirs is poetry without any twig in it.

همْ جَمَالكَ إنْ بَاهَيتَ مُفتَخِراً

وَهُم سُيوفُكَ لا مَرَّتْ بك الفِتَنُ

They are your beauty when you walk proud

They are your swords if sedition comes your way.

وَهم على الدَّهرِ سَوطٌ إن بَغَى حَرَناً

وَحْيثُ يَجْمَحُ هُمْ فِي رَأسِهِ رَسَنُ

And they are on time a scourge if it runs rough

Wherever it rages they are a piercing spearhead.

فما تُخالِفُ عن مرضَاكَ نَاظِرَةٌ

إلاَّ وَمِنهُمْ عَلَى أعنَاقِهَا شَطَنُ

So no glance opposed to your pleasure

Except from them comes a blow upon its neck.

وَمِثلُهُمْ لَيسَ قَدرُ السِّنّ يَرفَعُهُ

بَلِ الشمَائِلُ وَالأحسَابُ وَالفِطَنُ

And the like of them is not raised in merit by years

But by noble traits, pedigree and discernment.

يَقولُ فِيهُمْ مَدِيدُ اللَّحظِ يَبسُرُهُمْ

إذا تَفَرَّسَ عِلقٌ مَا لَهُ ثَمَنٌ

Of them the discerning says, when his eye lights up,

This is priceless, though the vile know no value.

وَمَنْ تَكُنْ أبهُ استَغْنَى بِجوهَرِهِ

عَنِ المَزِيدِ وَأرضَى كلَّ مَنْ يَزِنُ

He whose father is most glorious, is enriched by his jewel

Needless of increase, pleasing every weigh-master.

تِلكَ المَكَاسِبُ لاَ تَأتِي بَهَا إبِلٌ

مِنَ القَصِيّ وَلاَ تَأتِي بِهَا سُفُنُ

These gains come not with caravans from Yemen

Nor do ships bring the likes of them.

كَسَبَتْهُمْ بَعْدَمَا عَمرْتَ غَامِرَةً

مِنَ الفَيافي وَشَابَ الرَّأسُ وَالذَّقنُ

You reaped them after you had lived opulently

Your hair turning gray and your beard growing.

وَخَضْتَ بَحراً مِنَ الأهوَالِ سَاحِلُهُ

حَينٌ وَلُجَّتُهُ الآفَاتُ وَالمِحَنُ

You sailed a sea of horrors, its coast

At times turbulent with tribulations and trials.

مَا تَستَقِلُّ بِأرضٍ تَبتَغِي سَكَناً

إلاَّ رَمَتْكَ بِأرضٍ مَا بَهَا سَكَنُ

You found no peace inhabiting any land

Except you were pelted in it with no peace.

وَحَيثُمَا لاَحَ وَجْهُ الضَّيْمِ في وَطَنِ

كَانَتْ ظُهورُ المَذَاكِي عندكَ الوَطَنُ

Wherever the face of injustice loomed in a homeland

The backs of your steeds were home.

قَطَعْتَ أحقْافَ سوفٍ وَهي مَجْهَلَةٌ

لاَ تَستَقِرُّ بها الأحقافُ وَالثِّفنُ

You crossed the wastes of Sowf though unexplored

No wastes can settle them nor does familiarity make them cloy.

وَفِي مَهَامِهِ تَقُّرْتٍ وَفَدفَدِهَا

كَلَّتْ سوَاك أولو الأبدانِ وَالبُدُنُ

In its coarse terrain and treacherous straits

All but you, the able men, shirked.

وَبَعْدَ كَشفِكَ ما بِالزَّابِ من طُرُقٍ

دَعَاكَ نَاجٍ وَنَاجٍ كَاسْمِهِ حَسَنُ

After you uncovered what lay obscure in the thickets

Many a whisperer, well-named Hasan, called you.

فَزُرْتَهُ وَعَلَى خَيرَانَ مَا نَكَصَتْ

بِكَ العِتاقُ وَلاَ وَلَّى بِهَا العْطَنُ

So you visited him, resolved on only the best,

Neither did loyalty to you there swerve, nor temper give way.

وَقَدْ تَرَقَّيْتَ فِي أعْلاَمِ نَازِيةٍ

مَنَازِلاً ما بها مِن طَيرِهَا وُكَنُ

You climbed the heights of Naziat persistently

Unto stations no fowl of hers inhabited.

وَجِئْتَ أورَاس تَطوِي كل شاسِعَةٍ

تَمُر فِيهَا بك الأظلاَلُ وَالدّمَنُ

You came to Awras leveling each rugged tract

Where shadows and wild beasts pass you.

مَدَاحِضٌ قَلَّمَا يَنْفَكُّ سَالِكُهَا

عَنِ التوَرُّطِ أوْ يَنْجُو بِهَا القَنِنُ

Defiles few escape getting entangled in

Or come out safely from their twisting routes.

يَرتَاعُ مِنْ وَصفِهَا مَن جَاءَ يَسمَعُهُ

فَكَيفَ مَنْ جَالَ فِيهَا وَهوَ مُمتَحَنُ

One who hears them described is filled with dread

How then one who travels them while being tested?

وَأنتَ تَمْرَحُ فِيهَا غَيْرَ مُكتَرِثٍ

بِحَيثُ تَعْجَبُ مِنكَ الغُورُ وَالقُنَنُ

While you nonchalantly roam them as if

The caves and burrows there marvel at you.

فَلاَيَصُدُّكَ حَرُّ الشمس عنْ غَرَضٍ

وَلاَ يَرُدُّكَ عَنْهُ العَارِضُ الهَتِنُ

So neither does the sun’s heat stop you from a purpose

Nor does a temporary impediment make you turn back.

وَتُؤثِرُ الليلَ عَنْ سَيرِ النَهارِ بِهَا

كَأنمَا أنتَ فِي جَفْنِ الدُّجَى وَسَنُ

You prefer the night to travel by day through them

As if you are hidden in the night’s eyelid and protected.

يَخَافُكَ الخَوفُ إنْ نَازَلْتَ مُعضِلَةً

هَذا وَعَرضُكَ صَافٍ مَا بِهِ دَرَنُ

Fear itself fears you if you confront a dilemma

While your manner is smooth, in you no deceit.

حَتى ظَفِرتَ بِإرثٍ كُنتَ تَطْلُبُهُ

وَكَانَ مَا كَانَ مِما عِلمُهُ عَلَنُ

Until you obtained an inheritance you sought

And what transpired was known to all.

لا يحسبِ المجد مَن يبغيه مَأدُبَةً

سُكنَى الجِنانِ شُهيٌ دُونهُ الجَنَنُ

Let not one who desires glory count it a pleasure feast

Dwelling in gardens is mediocre sans madness.

يَا مُوسِعَ الخَلقِ مِنْ إشرَاقِ هِمَّتِهِ

إلاَّ أنا فَنَصِيبِي مِنهُ مُمْتَهَنُ

O opener of the cosmos with the radiance of his ambition

I alone reap but a handful of its harvest.

إنْ كَانَ حُبُّكَ يُدنِي مِنكَ مَنزِلَةً

فَإننِي قَبلَ مَنْ يُدنَى بِهِ قَمِنُ

If your love raises one in rank

Then I, before the raised one, am most lowly.

هَذي نَتَائِجُ فِكرِي قَد أقَمْتُ بِهَا

دَلِيلَ صِدقٍ لِمَنْ يَبلُو وَيَمتَحِنُ

These are the fruits of my thoughts which I have erected

As proof of sincerity for one who tests and examines.

أخَذتُهَا مِنكَ إلاَّ أنَّ حِليَتَهَا

يَصُوغُهَا كَيفَ شِئْتَ الحَاذِقُ اللسِنُ

I took them from you except that their adornment

Is wrought by you, O eloquent craftsman of speech.

كَفَتْكَ أنْ تَرتَجِي تَعدِيلَ شَاهِدِهَا

لاَيَسْطَعُ الطِّيبُ ما لم تُصلحِ الجُوَنُ

It suffices you to refine the witness to their truth

Musk smells not sweet unless the pods are set right.

فَلْتَجْزِنِي بَعْضَ وِدّي كي أقول لِمَنْ

يَسُومُنِي أنَّ بَيعِي مَا بِهِ غَبَنُ

So grant me some affection that I may say to him

Who accuses me that my sale involved no fraud.

فَإنَّ حُبكَ شَيءٌ إنْ سَمَحْتَ بِهِ

زَكَتْ به النفس وَانقادتْ به السِّحَنُ

For your love is such that if you allow it

The soul is purified and wild cows submit.

وَلاَ يَقِلُّ قَلِيلٌ أنتَ وَاهِبُهُ

يُضِيءُ بِالقَبسة الرُّسْتان وَالمْدُنُ

A little, gifted by you, illuminates the garden and cities

So greet me, cheerful, at peace and secure.

وَاسلَمْ هَنِيئاً قَرِيرَ العَينِ في دَعَةٍ

وَدُمْ كما دام في هَذا الدُّنا حِصَنُ

And live long, so long as you are in this world, protected.