أَيُّ المُلوكِ سَعى فَأَدرَكَ ذا المَدى
أَو حازَ ما حازَ المُعِزُّ مِنَ النَدى
Which king has endeavored and attained this glory,
Or gained what Al-Muizz has of splendor?
قَصُروا وَطالَ وَجَوَّزوا هَدمَ العُلى
وَبَنى وَضَلّوا في المَكارِمِ وَاِهتَدى
They fell short while he excelled, renewing supremacy,
And built, while they went astray in virtues, rightly guided.
كُلٌّ بِما صَنَعَ الأَوائِلُ يَقتَدي
وَبِجودِهِ لا بِالأَوائِلِ يُقتَدى
Each emulates the ancients in what they did,
Yet through his benevolence, not theirs, is he emulated.
مازِلتَ تَفعَلُ كُلَّ فِعلٍ مُفرَدٍ
في المَجدِ حَتّى صِرتَ أَنتَ المُفرَدا
You have continuously done each singular deed
In glory, until you became peerless.
بَدَّدتَ مالَكَ غَيرَ مُحتَفِلٍ بِهِ
وَجَمَعتَ شَملاً لِلعَلاءِ مُبَدَّدا
You lavished your wealth uncaring for it,
And gathered a dynasty for the exalted, dispersed.
وَلَقيتَ فيما قَد كَسِبتَ من العلا
تعبا فألقيت القوافي الشرّدا
You faced weariness in what you gained of eminence,
So you cast aside the far-flung rhymes.
وغدا بنو الآمال خلفك في الفلا
غَضَباً يُزَجونَ المَطِيَّ الوُخَّدا
And tomorrow the hopeful race behind you in glory,
Angrily riding the quick-striding steeds.
قَد طَيَّبوا مِن طِيبِ ذِكرِكَ مَعلَماً
أَو مَخرِماً أَو سَبسَباً أَو فَدفَدا
They have delighted in your fragrant fame,
Riding a docile camel, lively mare, or jogging mule,
يَقتادُهُم حُسن الرَجاءِ وَمَقصِدٌ
أَعنى إِلَيكَ الناجِعينَ القُصَّدا
Led by the fine hope and purpose
Of seeking you, O pursuers of the paths.
حَتّى إِذا وَصَلوا إَلَيكَ وَعَقَّلوا
في جَوزَتيكَ الحائِماتِ الوُرَّدا
Until when they reach you and dismount
At your overflowing fragrant bowers,
أَصدَرتَها بِهِمُ مُنَدَّبَةَ الذُرى
مِن ثِقلِ ما أَسدَيتَ ناقِعَةَ الصَدا
You send them forth, bent by the weight
Of your gifts, staggering from their heaviness.
رَيّانَةً لَو أُبرِكَت في جَدجَدٍ
صَلدٍ لأَوجَلتِ المَكانَ الجَدجَدا
Watered, were they blessed in rocky, barren land,
They would transform the place into verdant meadows.
حَمَّلتَ مَن حَمَلَت إِلَيكَ صَنائِعاً
تُوهي الجِمالَ بَلِ الجِبالَ الرُكَّدا
You burdened those who carried to you masterpieces
That would shame beauty, even rugged mountains.
وَمَحامِداً مَلَأَت مَسامِعَ ضارِبٍ
في الأَرضِ إِمّا مُتهِماً أَو مُنجِدا
And praises filling the ears of a wanderer in the land,
Either blaming or defending.
يا مَن يُشَيِّدُ ما تَهَدَّمَ بِالقَنا
لا خَلقَ أَقدَرُ مِنكَ هدَّ وَشَيّدا
O you who builds anew what time has ruined
No being is more capable to destroy or rebuild.
أَتعَبتَ نَفسَكَ في بِناءِ مَجالِسٍ
لَم تَبنِها حَتّى بَنَيتَ السُؤدُدا
You wearied yourself erecting councils
That you did not finish building until you established clouds.
وَمَلَأتَ أَكثرَ ما مَلأتَ أَساسَها
قِمَماً فَما احتاجَ الأَساسُ الجَلمَدا
You filled most of what you filled in their foundations
With stars, so solid rock was unneeded for the base.
وَجَلَستَ في دَستِ الخِلافَةِ جلسَةً
نَظَرَت إِلَيكَ بِها الكَواكِبُ حُسَّدا
You sat in the seat of the caliphate, in a sitting
At which the planets looked upon you, envious.
في سَفحِ شاهِقَةِ البُروجِ كَأَنَّما
يَكسُو جَوانِبَها الرَبيعُ زَبَرجدَا
On the slope of the towering constellations, as though
Spring adorns their edges with emerald.
مَوصولَةٌ بِالجَوِّ تَحسَبُ ضوءَها
ساري الدُجُنَّةِ كَوكَباً أَو فَرقَدا
Joined to the heavens, you would think their light
To be Aldebaran rising or Vega descending.
رَفَعَت مَشاعِلُها الدُخانَ فقنعت
وَجهَ السَماءِ بِهِ قِناعاً أَسوَدا
Their torches raised smoke, so the sky's face
Was veiled by it with a black mask.
نَظَروا إِلى مَن فَوقَها في بُعدِهِ
وَإِلى عُلاكَ فَكُنتَ فيهِ الأَبعدَا
They looked to Him beyond them in His distance,
And to your exaltation - you were the most distant.
وَرَأَوكَ في صَدرِ الإِوانِ فَعايَنوا
نُوراً أَنارَ وَبَحرَ جُودٍ أَزبَدا
And they saw you in the heart of the atmosphere, so they witnessed
A light that illuminated and an ocean of generosity that surged.
سارَت بِذا طُلَلُ الرِكابِ وَغَرَّقَت
أَمواجُ ذا بِالمَكرُماتِ الوُفَّدا
With this the convoys of riders paraded,
And the waves of this overwhelmed with gifts unstinting.
يا ساكِنَ القَصرِ المُجَدَّدِ لِلعُلى
يَهنيكَ إِنعامُ الإِمامِ مُجَدَّدا
O dweller of the palace renewed for supremacy,
The favor of the Imam renews congratulations unto you.
قُبٌّ مِنَ الخَيلِ العِتاقِ ضَوامِرٌ
قِيدَت مُحَمَلَةً إِلَيكَ العَسجَدا
A herd of thoroughbred steeds, adorned,
Were led loaded to you, their briskness humbled.
أَوهى مَناكِبَها الحُلِيُّ كَأَنَّما
يَمشي الجَوادُ بِما عَلَيهِ مُقَيَّدا
Their shoulders were burdened with jewelry as though
The stallion walked carrying what adorned it.
وَمَطارِدٌ لَمّا سَجَدتَ أَمامَها
كادَت تَخِرُّ لَكَ المَطارِدُ سُجَّدا
And they raced when you bowed before them,
Nearly prostrating to you out of reverence.
وَلَقَد نَزَلتَ وَما نَزَلتَ وَإِنَّما
ذاكَ النُزولُ مُحَقِّقٌ أَن تَصعَدا
You descended, but did not really descend -
That descent affirms your subsequent ascent.
وَلَبِستَ مِن حُلَلِ المَعَدِّ مَلابِساً
فَضَحَ النُضارُ بِها السَعيرَ المُوقَدا
You wore robes of preparation, splendid attire
In which glistening youth shone like flaming fire.
وَشَبيهَةً بِالتاجِ حَلَّت مَوضِعاً
لِحُلولِ ما شَبِهَ الشَبيبَةَ مِقوَدا
Resembling a crown, it assumed a place
For that resembling the starry diadem to alight.
مَنسوجَةً بِالتِبرِ خَصَّ بلِبسِها
مَن لَيسَ يَنفَدُ هَمُّهُ أَو يَنفَدا
Woven of gold, it particularly clothed
One whose concerns do not cease or diminish.
جادَ الهُمامُ بِها لِأَكرَمِ مَن مَشى
فَوقَ التُرابِ مِنَ المُلوكِ وَأَجوَدا
Valor bestowed it upon the most generous of those who walked
Upon the earth of kings and the most open-handed.
وَرَآكَ ماضي الشَفرَتَينِ مُهَنَّداً
فَكَساكَ ماضي الشَفرَتَينِ مُهَنَّدا
When he of the sharp blades saw you brought down,
He clothed you in what he of the sharp blades brought down.
وَلَكَ الفَضيلَةُ لا لِسَيفِكَ إِنَّني
لَأَراهُ أَحرى أَن يُذَمَّ وَتُحمَدا
But the merit is yours, not your sword's -
I see it more fitting to blame it and praise you.
إِنَّ الحُسامَ إِذا تُلِمُّ مُلِمَّةٌ
أَصبَحتَ مَسلولاً وَأَصبَحَ مُغمَدا
Truly, when a sword is nicked,
It becomes flawed while he becomes sheathed.
تُحَفٌ تُشَرِّفُ مَن تَراهُ مُشَرَّفاً
وَحبىً تُسَوِّدُ مَن تَراهُ مُسَوَّدا
Gifts honoring one seen honored,
And garments blackening one seen blackened.
وَمَدائِحٌ ما زِيدَ مَمدوحٌ بِها
شَرَفاً عَلى الشَرَفِ الَّذي قَد وُطِّدا
And praises by which no one praised is elevated
In nobility beyond the secure nobility.
إِنَّ الشَجاعَةَ في الشُجاعِ غَريزَةٌ
مِثلُ الأُسودِ غَنِيَّةُ أَن تُوسَدا
Truly, bravery in the brave is instinctive,
Like lions whose nature is to pounce.
يا مَن غَدَوتُ مُقَيَّداً بِجَميلِهِ
يَفديكَ مَن قَيَّدتَهُ فَتَقَيَّدا
O you whose kindness I am devoted to,
May he you devoted to you be ransomed.
أَصبَحتُ مَحسوداً عَلَيكَ وَواجِبٌ
مَن كُنتَ أَنتَ نَصيبَهُ أَن يحسَدا
I have become envied for you, and it is deserved -
He whose fortune was you must be envied.
ما كُنتُ آثَمُ لَو عَبَدتُكَ مُنعِماً
إِن جازَ واهِبُ نِعمَةٍ أَن يُعبَدا
I would not have sinned had I worshiped you, O benefactor,
If the granter of blessing may be worshiped.
نَظَمَ اِمتِداحَكَ غَيرُ مَن هُوَ ناظِمٌ
وَأَجادَ فيكَ القَولَ مَن ما جَوَّدا
One not a composer has composed your praise,
And one not generous has well spoken of you.
لا فَخرَ إِلّا حينَ تُصبِحُ سامِعاً
هَذا الثَناءَ وَحينَ أُصبِحُ مُنشِدا
I take no pride unless you hear
This praise and I recite as a panegyrist.
إِن كُنتَ في شَرَفِ المَناقِبِ واحِداً
فَلَقَد أُقِمتُ لَها الخَطيبَ الأَوحَدا
If you are peerless in the most noble virtues,
Then for them I have stood as the unmatched orator
في مَوقِفٍ كَالعِيدِ سَرَّ مُوالياً
لَكُمُ فَكانَ كَأَنَّهُ قَد عَيَّدا
In a stance like a holiday, happily loyal to you,
As though it were a celebration.
عِش خالِداً عُمرَ المَديحِ فَإِنَّني
لَأَراهُ ما خَلَدَ الزَمانُ مُخَلَّدا
Live eternal the age of praise, for I see
It enduring as time endures.
وَاسعَد بِما مَلَكَت يَداكَ ذَخيرَةً
دُنيا سَعادَةُ أَهلِها أَن تَسعَدا
And delight in what your hands possess as wealth
A world whose happiness for its people is delight.
