أَبى اللَهُ إِلّا أَن تَسودَ وَتَفضُلا
وَيَبطُلُ كَيدُ الحاسِدينَ وَيُخذَلا
God willed that you prevail and excel
foiling the schemes of enviers, frustrating them
وَقاكَ الَّذي تَخشاهُ مِن كُلِّ حادِثٍ
جَميلٌ رَعاكَ اللَهُ فيهِ تَطَوُّلا
Saving you from all that you fear
Graceful is He who protected you, prolonging (your success)
فَلا أَدرَكَ الحُسّادُ ما فيكَ أَمَّلوا
وَأَدرَكتَ ما فيهِم غَدَوتَ مُؤَمِّلا
So the envious will not attain what they wished of you
And you will attain that which you hoped from them
سَعَيتُ لِأَمرٍ كامِلِيٍّ أَطَعتَهُ
أَطَعتَ بِهِ أَمرَ الإِلَهَ المُنَزَّلا
I have strived for a perfect command obeying it
Through it obeying God's command, revealed
وَكانَ مَسيراً فيهِ أَوفى مَسَرَّةٍ
وَصارَ فُضولُ الحاسِدينَ تَفَضُّلا
My journey therein was the most fulfilling
With the surplus of the envious becoming charity
وَما أَغمِدَ الهِندِيُّ إِلّا لَيُنتَضى
وَما ثُقِّفَ الخَطِّيُّ إِلّا لِيُحمَلا
An Indian sword is only unsheathed to be used
And an Iraqi pen case is only loaded to be carried
فَلِلَّهِ يَومٌ أَنتَ فيهِ مُسَلَّمٌ
وَهَبتَ لَهُ جُرمَ الزَمانِ الَّذي خَلا
So for God there is a day you are surrendered to Him
And you have granted Him the injustice of times gone by
فَإِن ذَكَروا يَوماً أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلاً
فَإِيّاهُ يَعنونَ الأَغَرَّ المُحَجَّلا
If they mention a day that confused an addled man
It is that day they mean – the most confusing day
لَقَد ضَلَّ مَن يَبغي لِنَصرٍ إِساءَةً
وَخابَت مَساعيهِ وَخانَ التَفَضُّلا
Indeed lost is he who seeks through harming victory
His efforts fail him, benevolence betraying him
أَميرٌ لَهُ في الجودِ كُلُّ غَريبَةٍ
بِها يَطرَبُ الراوي إِذا ما تَمَثَّلا
A prince peerlessly generous
at the mention of whom narrators thrill and extoll
أَعَزُّ الوَرى قَدراً وَأَمنَعُهُم حِمىً
وَأَكرَمُهُم نَفساً وَأَرفَعُهُم عُلى
The greatest in status, most protected in sanctuary
noblest in character, highest in renown
وَما قِستُهُ في الناسِ قَطُّ بِماجِدٍ
وَإِن جَلَّ إِلّا كانَ أَزكى وَأَفضَلا
Never have I judged him to the people save with glory
Even if he is distinguished, he is purer and superior
سَواءٌ عَلَيهِ أَن يُجَرِّدَ عَزمَهُ
إِذا نابَ خَطبٌ أَو يُجَرِّدَ مُنصُلا
It matters not to him to ready his determination
whether faced with tribulation or stringing his sword
أَخو يَقظَةٍ لَو أَنَّ بَعضَ ذَكائِهِ
أَلَمَّ بِأَطرافِ الذُبالِ لَأَشعَلا
A brother of Ya’qub – if only some of his intelligence
would set fire to the wicks of events – it would ignite
بِهِ اِفتَخَرَت تَيمٌ وَعَزَّ قَبيلُها
وَأَصبَحَ مِنها مَجدُها قَد تَأَثَّلا
Through him Taym became proud and his tribe honored
by him their glory manifest, emblazoned
أَمَولايَ لُقّيتَ الَّذي أَنتَ آمِلٌ
وَبُقّيتَ لِلراجي نَداكَ مُؤَمَّلا
My Master – you have attained that which you hoped
and you have remained for those who seek you, hoped for
وَهُنِّئتَ أَبناءً كِراماً أَعِزَّةً
رَأَيتَ لَهُم مِثلَ الضَراغِمِ أَشبُلا
You were congratulated with honorable noble sons
you saw them as lion cubs
صِلاتُهُمُ في الجودِ أَضحَت عَوائِداً
وَسائِلُهُم في الناسِ لَن يَتَوَسَّلا
Their habit in generosity has become tradition
their requesting of people will never need lower themselves
إِذا رَكِبوا في الرَوعِ زانوكَ مَوكِباً
وَإِن نَزَلوا في السِلمِ زانوكَ مَحفِلا
If they ride forth their shoulders make your procession vibrate
and if they alight their gathering makes your council quake
بُحورٌ بُدورٌ في النَوالِ وَفي الدُجى
غُيوثٌ لُيوثٌ في المُحولِ وَفي الفَلا
Brides in munificence, grooms in shelter
saviors in dire straits, lions in isolated spots
فَلا عَدِموا مِن فَضلِكَ الجَمَّ أَنعُماً
أَحَلَّتهُمُ رَوضَ السَعادَةِ مُقبِلا
May they never lack your abounding bounty
which has lodged them in the garden of prosperity
عَسى نَظرَةٌ مِن حُسنِ رَأيِكَ صُدفَةً
تَسوقُ إِلى جَدبي بِها الماءَ وَالكَلا
Perhaps a glance of good opinion from you by chance
might bring water and rain to my barren land
فَها أَنا ذا أَشكو الزَمانَ وَصَرفَهُ
وَتَأنَفُ لي عَلياكَ أَن أَتَبَذَّلا
though I disdain, my highest aspirations are to lower myself for you
Resident in a land with no refuge like it
مُقيمٌ بِأَرضٍ لا مُقامَ بِمِثلِها
وَلَولاكَ ما أَخَّرتُ أَن أَتَحَوَّلا
if not for you, I would not have delayed to depart
Show me fine opinion that perhaps
فَجُد لي بِحُسنِ الرَأيِ مِنكَ لَعَلَّني
أَرى الدَهرَ مِمّا قَد جَرى مُتَنَصِّلا
I may see time from what transpired disjoined
It suffices a man as wealth your hands
وَحَسبُ اِمرِئٍ كانَت أَياديكَ ذُخرَهُ
إِذا طَرَقَت أَحداثُهُ مُتَمَوِّلا
when disasters befall structural
And I have not ceased since appearing among the people, seeking
وَما زِلتُ مُذ أَصبَحتُ في الناسِ قاصِداً
جَنابَكَ مَقصودَ الجَنابِ مُبَجَّلا
your noble side, the most noble destination
Could I have been other than the sword mixed with the polisher
وَهَل كُنتُ إِلّا السَيفَ خالَطَهُ الصَدا
فَكُنتَ لَهُ ياذا المَواهِبِ صَيقَلا
so you were the one, O source of gifts, polishing me?
Why would I not rise to every aspiration
وَمالِيَ لا أَسمو إِلى كُلِّ غايَةٍ
إِذا كُنتَ عَوني في الزَمانِ وَكَيفَ لا
if you are my helper in time – and how not?
