تَتَفاوَحُ العَرَصاتُ طِيباً كُلَّما
عَفَّرنَ وَشياً فَوقَها وَبُرُودا
The meadows spread fragrance whenever
Dew droplets and cool mists cross over them.
بِيضٌ يَرَونَ السُودَ بِيضاً نُصَّعاً
وَالبِيضَ حُمّا في المَفارِقِ سُودَا
To the crows, the ostriches seem white,
And to the white, the crows seem black when they part.
مَن لِي بِرَدِّكَ يا شَبابُ فَأَبتَغِي
مِنهُنَّ مِثلَكَ نائِلاً مَردُودا
Oh youth, show me your radiance again so I can find
One like you, though I am rejected and turned away!
نَزَلَ المَشِيبُ بِعارِضَيَّ فَلا الصِبا
أَبقى عَلَيَّ وَلا الكَعابَ الرُودا
Old age has descended upon my temples so neither my youth
Remains for me, nor the easy life.
لا أَبعَدَ اللَهُ الشَبابَ فَإِنَّهُ
وَلىّ حَمِيدا وَاِستَعَضتُ حَمِيدا
May Allah not remove my youth since it went well for me,
And I found a good substitute for it.
ما فاتِنِي طَلَبُ السَعادَةِ مُذ رَأَت
عَينايَ هَذا المُقبِلَ المَسعُودا
Seeking happiness has not eluded me since my eyes saw
This approaching, blessed one.
لا أَحمَدُ الأَيّامَ حَتّى أَوصَلَت
عَني مُعِزَّ الدَولَةِ المَحمُودا
I do not praise the days until they have connected me
To the supporter of the state, the praiseworthy one.
فَوَصَلتُ حينَ وَصَلتُ أَشرَفَ عامِرٍ
خِيماً وَأَفخَرَ مَنصِباً وَجُدُودا
So I attained, when I attained, the most honorable of the prosperous,
A lofty pavilion and the most superior rank and nobility.
مَلِكٌ إِذا وَقَفَ المُلُوكُ أَمامَهُ
جَعَلُوا سَلامَهُمُ عَلَيهِ سُجُودا
A king, when other kings stand before him,
Make their greetings to him like prostration.
نَظَرَت مَكارِمُهُ إِلَيَّ فَمَزَّقَت
عَدَمِي وَلَكِن ما عَدِمتُ حَسُودا
His virtues looked upon me and tore up
My nonexistence, though no one envied me.
وَوَجَدتُ أَوصافَ الأَميرِ جَواهِراً
فَنَظَمتُهُنَّ تَمَائِماً وَعُقُودا
And I found the traits of the Emir like precious gems
So I strung them into amulets and necklaces.
سارَت مَسِيرَ النَيَرَينِ وَطَبَّقَت
ثَغرَ البِلادِ تَهائِماً وَنُجُودا
He marched with the steps of the two lucky stars
And spread smiles across the land, freely giving.
ما لِي إِلى شَيمِ الغَمائِمِ حاجَةٌ
ما دُمتُ أَشرَعُ حَوضَهُ المَورُودا
I have no need to wait for rain clouds
As long as I can fish in his pond brimming with gifts.
أَندى المُلُوكِ يَداً وَأَرجَحُ في النَدى
وَزناً وَأَصلَبُ في النَوائِبِ عُوَدا
The most generous of hands, the heaviest in generosity,
The firmest in calamities - a strong, upright palm tree.
صَلتُ الجَبِينِ تَرى لِمَوضِعِ تاجِهِ
نُوراً يَسِيرُ بِهِ الرِكابُ بَرِيدا
I touched my forehead to the place of his crown
And saw a light walking ahead of travelers.
تَندى يَداهُ فَلَو يَمَسُّ بِنانُهُ
جُلمُودَ صَخرٍ أَنبَتَ الجُلُمودا
His hands are so generous that if his fingers
Touched solid rock, they would make the solid soft.
أَفَنى الكُنُوزَ وَبَدَّدَت نَفَحاتُهُ
ما فِي خَزائِنِ مالِهِ تَبديدا
He spent treasures, and his outpourings scattered
What was in his treasuries, not hoarding.
حَتّى لَظَنَّ الناسُ أَنَّ لِكَفِّهِ
إِحَناً عَلى أَموالِهِ وَحَقُودا
Until people thought his palm regretted
His money and clung tightly to it.
كَرَماً وَجُودا لَم يَدعَ مِن قَبيلِهِ
كَرَماً يُعَدَّدُ لِلرِجالِ وَجُودا
A generosity and munificence - he left no generosity
Among his tribe that can be counted as generosity.
لا تَسمَعَنَّ بِحاتِمِ وَفَعالِهِ
وَخُذِ الفَعالَ الظاهِرَ المَوجُودا
Do not listen to [stories] of Hatem and his deeds -
Take this obvious, present-day deed.
خَيرُ الحَديثِ إِذا جَلَستَ مُحَدِّثاً
ما لا يُرِيدُ دَلائِلاً وَشُهُودا
The best talk, when you sit conversing,
Is what requires no evidence or testimony.
وَبِجانِبَي حَلَبٍ أَغَرُّ مُتَوَّجٌ
قَد حالَفَ الإِقبالَ وَالتَأييدا
And beside Aleppo I see a crowned one
Who has allied with success and support.
يُمسِي وَإِكِليلُ النُجُومِ مُقارِنٌ
في جَوِّهِ إِكلِيلَهُ المَعقُودا
He retires while the crown of stars keeps him company,
Their crown braided with his in the sky.
مِن مَعشَرٍ نَزَلوا اليَفاعَ وَخَلَّفُوا
لِلعالَمينَ أَباطِحاً وَوَهُودا
They are a people who descended from the Yafa tribe and left
Encampments and oases for the world.
جُبِلُوا عَلى كَرَمِ النُفوسِ وَأَصبَحُوا
أَوفى البَرِيَّةِ ذِمَةً وَعُهُودا
They were created with noble spirits and so they became
The most faithful of people in fulfilling pacts.
فَإِذا سَأَلتَهُمُ سَأَلتَ غَمائِماً
وَإِذا أَثَرتَهُمُ أَثَرتَ أُسُودا
If you ask them you ask rainclouds,
And if you seek them out you seek lions.
قَد أَدمَنُوا لُبسَ الدُرُوعِ كَأَنَّما
يَجِدُونَ في عَدَمِ الحَياةِ خُلُودا
They are accustomed to wearing armor as if
They find there is no life without it.
فَإِذا هُمُ اِعتَقَلُوا الرِماحَ رَأَيتَهُم
مِثلَ الرِماحِ سِواعِداً وَقُدُودا
So when they take up spears, you see them
Like spears - arms and palms.
أَيمانُهُم مِثلُ البُحُورِ وَإِنَّما
جَعَلُوا لَها مَدَّ الأَكُفِّ مُدُودا
Their oaths are like seas except
They made the span of their palms its length.
يَستَقبِلُونَ وَفُودَهُم فَكَأَنَّهُم
سارُوا إِلى زُمَرِ الوُفُودِ وُفُودا
They go to welcome their guests as if they
Were delegations visiting other delegations.
قَد غَرَّبُوا أَهلَ البِلادِ وَأَتعَبُوا
غُبرَ السَمالِقِ وَالمَهارى القُودا
They have outdone the people of the land and exhausted
The dusty nomads and hardened desert-dwellers.
حَتّى أَبادَ بَناتِ أَرحَبَ خَبطُها
جُنحَ الظَلامِ إِلَيهِمُ وَالبِيدا
Until the beating of their wings destroyed
The daughters of Arhab in the darkness of night.
يا مُنتَهى الكَرَمِ الَّذي لَو أَنَّهُ
طَلَبَ المَزيدَ لَما أَصابَ مَزِيدا
O ultimate peak of nobility, if it
Sought more, it would not obtain more.
لا خَلقَ أَعَدَلُ مِنكَ إِلّا واصِفٌ
لَكَ لا يَقيسُ بِكَ المُلُوكَ الصِيدا
No creature is more just than you except one who
Describes you, not comparing you to lesser kings.
أَصبَحتُ مَحسوداً عَلَيكَ فَعِشتَ لي
حَتّى أَعِيشَ مُنَعَّماً مَحسُودا
I became envied for your sake, so may you live for me
Until I can live in comfort, envied.
عِيدُ الرَعِيَّةِ أَن تَدُومَ عَلَيهِمُ
فَيَكُونَ وَجهُكَ كُلَّ يَومٍ عِيدا
The holiday of the citizens is that your face
Continues for them every day like a holiday.
فَاسعَد بِهِ فَسَعادَةُ الدنيا وَمَن
فِيها إِذا ما كُنتَ أَنتَ سَعيدا
Be happy with it - the happiness of life
And whoever is in it is when you are happy.
وَاسمَع لَهُ كَلِماً وَحِيداً صُغتُهُ
لِأَغَرَّ أَصبَحَ في المُلُوكِ وَحِيدا
And listen to it for a rare, singular word I formed
For the most dashing of kings, unique among them.
مدحاً تَكادُ إِذا تَضَوَّعَ نَشرُها
أَن لا تُرِيد مِن الرُواةِ نَشِيدا
It is praise which, when its spreading is adorned,
Nearly makes the reciters no longer desire a new poem.
يَبلى الزَمانُ وَلا يَزالُ حَدِيثُها
حَتّى تَزُولَ الراسِياتُ جَديدا
Time passes but its legend remains
Until the mighty works wear out and are renewed.
