سُقِيَتْ ديارُكِ يا ابنةَ الأَقوامِ
وَصَبَا اليها صَوبُ كلِّ غَمَامِ
Your abodes have been watered, O daughter of the nations,
And the direction of every cloud poured towards it.
وَتَزيَنتْ عَرصاتُها ورسومُها
بالنَّور مُطَّلعاً من الاكَامِ
Its yards and drawings were adorned
With light dawning from the peaks.
يا منزلاً عبثَ النسيمُ بتربهِ
لا غيرتْكَ حَوادثُ الأَيَّامِ
O dwellings which the breeze toyed with their soil
Hardships of time did not change you.
وَخَلابِكَ القُمريُّ يَندُبُ شَجوهَ
أَسَفاً على قومٍ نأوكَ كِرَامِ
And your crescent-like beauty laments its passion,
Regretting a people who avoided your generosity.
لا زلتَ تنعم بالنُّعامى والصَّبا
وحنينِ كلِّ مُزَمْزَمٍ بَسَّامِ
You still enjoy youth and the morning breeze,
And the yearning of every murmuring nightingale.
حتى يزيدَكَ بَهْجَةً ونَضَارَةً
مَرُّ الشُّهُورِ عليكَ والأَعوَامِ
Until the passing months and years increase you
In joy and vitality.
انَّ الذينَ بعَقْوَتَيكَ عَهِدْتَهُمْ
تُعدِى أَكفُّهم على الاعدَامِ
Those whom you entrusted with your two valleys,
Their palms transgress against the helpless.
ما شئتَ من شيمٍ تُشَامُ وأَنفسٍ
تَأبى فتكرَه صُحْبَةَ الأَجْسَامِ
Whatever traits you detect and souls you dislike
That dislike the company of bodies.
وكواعبٍ نظرتْ بأَحداقِ المَها
وَتَلفَّتَتْ بسَوالفِ الأَرآمِ
And charming glances that glance with doe eyes
And twinkle with the tales of meadows.
لو كنتُ حراً أَغنُمُ فَقدَهم
ما كنتُ الاَّ هامةً في الهَامِ
If I were free I would enjoy losing them,
I would only be a madly-in-love dove.
فَلشَدَّ ما شرَدتْ صَيودُكَ بعدما
تنقادُ مُصْحَبَةً بغيرِ زِمَامِ
My longing to you was so severe after
My determination was unleashed without a bridle.
عللْ جُفونَكَ بالمَنَامِ فانَّه
ما كانَ ذاكَ العيشُ غَيْرَ مَنَامِ
Relieve your eyelids with sleep, for it
Was not real life but a dream.
وأخالُهُ حُلُماً لكثرةِ ما أَرى
أَيامه فى طارقِ الأَحْلامِ
And I imagine it a dream due to the frequency
Of seeing its days in the darkness of dreams.
وَمُصَمِّمٍ في اللهوِ يَركَبُ رأسَه
لا تَجتديهِ ملامةُ اللُوَّامِ
And a persistent one who rides his illusion,
Whom no blame of blamers deters.
نَبهتُه سَحَراً فقلتُ أَما تَرى
نُور الصَّباحِ يَدُّب في الاظْلامِ
I woke him up at dawn and said, “Do you not see
The light of dawn creeping into the darkness?”
فاهتزَّ كالغصنِ الملاعبِ نفسَهُ
أَو كاهتزازِ الصَّارم الصَّمْصَامِ
So his soul quivered like a twig being played with
Or like the shuddering of a resolute sword.
ومُسَافةِ يرجو برجعِ جَوابِهُ
يومَ الحَفيظةِ أَنْ يقومَ مقامِي
And an interval in which he hopes for the return of his answer
On the day of questioning, that he will stand in my position.
لو كنتُ مثلكَ قلتُ ما قد قلتَهُ
لكنما راميتَ غيرَ مُرَامِ
If I were like you I would have said what you said,
But you have aimed at other than my goal.
لا تلحَ في شُحِّي بِعِرضي اِنَّهُ
حَظٌّ رضيتُ به من الأَقسَامِ
Do not persist in disparaging my honor, it
Is a share I accepted from the divisions.
ولقد زهِدتُ فكنتُ أولَ زاهدٍ
ولقد رغبتُ فَرُمْتُ خيرَ مَرَامِ
And I was ascetic so I was the first ascetic,
And I was desirous so I threw the best of goals.
ومدَحْتُ من وَلدِ الملوكِ متوَّجاً
متقابلَ الأَخوالِ والأعمَامِ
And I praised a king wearing the crown
With uncles and paternal uncles reciprocating.
تَسري قواضبُه الى أَعدائِهِ
حتى تُعَرِّسَ في مَقيلِ الهَامِ
His feet advance towards his enemies
Until they stagger into the resting place of passions.
واذا دعا النِطْلِيسُ خُرْسَ نِصاله
رَدَّتْ جوابَ الأَلثَغِ التَّمتَامِ
And if the tongue-tied calls for the silence of his swords
The eloquent returns the response decisively.
أَعني قوامَ الدينِ حقاً أَنَّهُ
قامتْ عليهِ دعائمُ الاسْلامِ
I mean the pillar of religion indeed he
On whom the pillars of Islam stood.
ذاكَ الذي لو لمتَه أَو عبتَهُ
شبهتَهُ بالغَيثِ والضِّرغامِ
He whom if you blame or denounce
You liken him to pouring rain and drizzle.
أَو رُمْتَ بالتَّعدَادِ أَدنى وَصفِهِ
أفنيتَ أَقصى الصُّحفِ والأقْلامِ
Or if you attempt the least of his description
You exhaust the ultimate of pages and pens.
أَحسنْ به ظنَّاً اذا ما خفتَهُ
يا صاحبَ العَثَراتِ والاجْرَامِ
Think good of him if you fear him,
O owner of sins and crimes.
فَمَنْ الذي يَعفو ويحلُمُ حِلمَهُ
فيما يُحَلُّ له جنى الأقوَامِ
For who forgives and is forbearing like his forbearance
In what is permissible for him to collect from the tribes?
ومن الذي يُغضي ويصبِرُ صَبْرَهُ
ويَضُمُّ جَنبيه على الالآمِ
And who is patient and enduring like his endurance
And who gathers his sides upon sorrows?
وتَخَالُهُ من حزمهِ مُتلوِّماً
في الروعِ وهو السَّيلُ في الاقْدَامِ
You imagine him from his rationality, troubled,
In fear while he is the torrent in legs.
واذا طلبتَ بِضَحْلِهِ تَيَّارَهُ
أَوقعتَ رجلَكَ في العميقِ الطَّامي
And if you seek his currents and tides
You would place your foot in the dark abyss.
يدنو ويبعُدُ فهو لا بِدُنُوِّهِ
يَنهَى تواضعَهُ عن الاعظَامِ
He comes near and moves away yet not by his nearing
Does his humility cease from greatness.
كالشَّمسِ تقبسُها الضياءَ ووجهُهَا
يَغشى تَأَملَ كل طَرفٍ سَامِ
Like the sun whose light is lit from and its face
Covers investigating every noble eye.
عَجَزَتْ عيونُ النَّاسِ عن ادراكِها
وَتَعَذَّرَتْ اِلاَّ على الأَوهَامِ
The eyes of the people were incapable of perceiving it
And it was infeasible except to illusions.
خَطَرَتْ على كَرْمانَ خَيلُكَ خَطْرَةً
قَذَفَتْ أَسافلَها على الأَعْلامِ
Your excellent horses leaped a leap
That threw their bottoms upon the high flags.
لبسوا الحديدَ لها ولم يَلْبَسْ لهم
الا الدياجرَ والعَجَاجَ الدَّامِي
They wore iron armor while only
Breastplates and impenetrable shields were worn for them.
وَتَنَاوَلَ الكُوخيّ من وَسَنَاتِها
يومٌ ينبِّه أَعينَ النُّوَّامِ
And the plebeian took from their sharp blades
A day that awakens the sleeping eyes.
ما زالَ في جُلّ الأُمورِ مسامياً
حتى سما في الجدعِ غيرُ مُسَامِ
He kept excelling in most matters
Until he excelled in pragmatism without equal.
ولها الى الأَجيالِ يوماً عَودُهُ
يَذَرُ السَّلامَ وهُنَّ غيرُ سِلامِ
And for it there is a day to which its return
Spreads greetings while they are not safe greetings.
حتى تَلُفَّ سُهولَها وحُزونَها
لهبٌ من الاسْراجِ والالجَامِ
Until its plains and depressions wrap
A flame from the torches and unquenched fires.
يا أَيُّها المَلِكُ المُصَرِّفُ رأْيَهُ
في الناسِ بالبأساءِ والانعَامِ
O leader wise in his opinion
Amongst the people in affliction and blessing.
ما نالَ قبلَكَ رابضٌ بأَناتِهِ
عُنُفي ولا مَلَكَ العِنانُ لِجَامِي
None settled before you in its rein
My strength nor controlled the bridle my peer.
فاحفظْ ذِمامَ مطامعٍ لكَ صْنُتْهَا
عن هذهِ الحَشَراتِ والأَنعَامِ
So guard the reins of ambitions that you have protected
From these insects and cattle.
ما كانَ مثلُكَ في الملوكِ ولم يكنْ
كأَبيكَ عندَ الحلِّ والابرَامِ
None was like you among kings nor was
Anyone like your father in peace and decisiveness.
لهفي عليه اذا الحُلومُ تناقلتْ
واذا الرؤوسُ سَجَدنَ للأَقْدَامِ
I yearn for him when forelocks exchange
And when heads bow down to feet.
ما زلتَ بالنِعَمِ الجِسامِ تَعُمُّني
وتَخُصُّني بالبِشرِ والاكرَامِ
You have not ceased to overwhelm me with great bounties
And distinguish me with good news and honors.
حتى جرى جِريالُ حُبّكَ في دَمي
وَمَشى ودَادُكَ في مَشاشِ عِظامِي
Until the course of your love ran in my blood
And your affection walked in the joints of my bones.
أَهدى لكَ النيروز الفاً مِثْلَهُ
نَسَقاً كسِمْطِ الدُرِّ في اِنظَامِ
The Nayrouz gifted you a thousand like it
Arranged like a pearl necklace in composition.
وبقيتَ تِربَ الدَّهرِ تَرضَعُ ثَديَهُ
وتنالُ لذَّتَهُ بغيرِ فِطَامِ
And you remained suckling the breast of fate
And attaining its pleasure without weaning.
كلُّ الجديدِ وانْ تطاولَ لبثُهُ
يَبلي وأَنتَ على الحوادثِ نَامِ
Everything new, no matter the prolonging of its stay
Wears out, while you triumphed over events.
في ظلِّ مُلكٍ لا تَحُوْكُ ودولةٍ
كَمُلتْ فما تَزدادُ غَيرَ دَوَامِ
In the shade of a kingdom that has no worries
And a state fulfilled without increase but continuity.
