أَجَدَّ الصَبرُ بَعدَكُمُ اِمتِناعا
وَجَدَّ الوَصلُ نَأياً وَاِنقِطاعا
Patience has become utterly unyielding since you left,
And union has become remote and out of reach.
قَضى صَرفُ الزِمانِ لَنا اِفتِراقاً
فَهَل يَقضي الزَمانُ لَنا اِجتِماعا
The passage of time has decreed our separation,
Will time ever decree our reunion?
يَحِنُّ إِلى رِباعِكُمُ فُؤادِي
فَلا بَعُدَت رِباعُكُمُ رِباعا
My heart yearns for your encampments,
Though your encampments are not remote.
وَيَلمَعُ بارِقُها وَاللَيلُ داجٍ
كَما عايَنتَ في اليَمِّ الشُعاعا
And their lightning flashes in the dark night
As you saw the rays in the sea's depths.
سَرى طَيفُ الكَرى يَجتابُ فَرداً
مَهالِكَ تُرهِبُ البَطَلَ الشُجاعا
The specter of fate goes wandering alone
Threatening the brave hero with perils.
إِلى رَكبٍ تَهُزُّهُمُ النَواجي
كَما هَزَّت صَبا الرِيحِ اليَراعا
To a band shaken by the winds
As the zephyr shook the slender branches.
إِذا ما هَوَّمُوا وَضَعوا أَكُفّاً
عَلى الأَسرارِ خَوفاً أَن تُذاعا
When they became excited they placed
Their hands over the secrets, fearing disclosure.
رَجُوا حَلَبَ الغَمامِ فَقُلتُ إِنّي
أَرى حَلَباً أَدَرَّ لَنا اِنتِفاعا
They begged the clouds for rain, so I said:
"I see clouds that have brought benefit to us."
إِذا زُرنا ابنَ فَخرِ الدِينِ بِتنا
رِواءً في مَكارِمِهِ شِباعا
When we visit the son of the pride of the faith,
We quench our thirst with his noble deeds.
فَتىً جَعَلَ البِلادَ مِنَ العَطايا
فَأَعطى المُدنَ وَاحتَقَرَ الضِياعا
A young man who made the lands
Generous gifts, he gave cities but scorned hamlets.
سَمِعنا بِالكِرامِ وَقَد أَرانا
عِياناً ضِعفَ ما وَصَفُوا سَماعا
We heard tell of his nobility, and when we saw
Reality, it was weaker than what we heard.
إِذا حَمَّلتَهُ نُوَبَ اللَيالي
تَحَمَّلَها وَناءَ بِها اِضطِلاعا
When you load him with the misfortunes of the nights,
He bears them, groaning under their weight.
يَرى بِالظَنِّ ما في الغَيبِ حَتّى
كَأَنَّ لَهُ عَلى الغَيبِ اِطِّلاعا
He sees with insight what is hidden
As if he had clear view of the unseen.
إِذا شَهِدَ الوَغا تَرَكَ العَوالي
تَمُجُّ كَعُوبُها العَلَقَ المُتاعا
When he witnesses wantonness he leaves eminence
While its peaks overflow with costly wares.
سَلِ الجَمعَينِ جَمعَ بَني نُمَيرٍ
وَمَن سَكَنَ المُدَيبِر وَالفَراعا
Ask both clans - the Banu Numayr
And those who dwell in Mudaybir and Furʿa,
غَداةَ أَتوا يَهُزّونَ المَواضِي
إِلَينا وَالمُطَهَّمَةَ السِراعا
How the next morning they shook the pastures,
Galloping fiercely toward us.
بِصَحراءِ الفُراتِ وَقَد تَوالَت
تَوالي الكُدرِ تَبتَدِرُ القِراعا
On the Syrian desert, while continuously
Misfortune's sequences hurried to overtake them.
أَرَدَّ جُمُوعَهُم إِلّا ثِمالٌ
وَقَد مَلَأَت جُمُوعُهُمُ الوَساعا
He repelled their crowds except for remnants
As their multitudes had filled the desert.
بِضَربٍ يَصبِغُ الأَمواجَ حُمراً
وَيَحمي دَرَّ مَن صَدَقَ المِصاعا
With a blow that dyed the waves blood-red
And protected the fruits of one who tilled honestly.
رَماهُم بِالسَلاهِبِ مُقرَباتٍ
يُزَلزِلنَ الأَباطِحَ وَالتِلاعا
He pelted them with deadly arrows
That convulsed the dunes and long slopes.
وَحَجَّبنَ السَنا بِالنَقعِ حَتّى
كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ لابِسَةٌ قِناعا
And veiled the brilliance with clouds of dust
As if the sun was wearing a mask.
فَحِينَ تَأَمَّلُوا خَبَبَ المَذاكي
أَطارَ الخَوفُ أَنفُسَهُم شعاعا
When they looked closely at his raging attacks
Fear took wing and flew from their souls.
وَسائِل عَنهُ في حَلَبٍ أُلوُفا
أَبَت أَسوارُهُم إِلّا اِمتِناعا
Ask about him in Aleppo - thousands
Whose walls refused except abstinence.
نَهاهُم عَن مَمالِكِهِ اِقتِساراً
وَقَد مَلَكُوا المَعاقِلَ وَالقِلاعا
He forbade them his realms out of power
While they ruled the citadels and fortified hills.
وَحَطَّهُمُ وَقَد كَرِهُوا المَنايا
وَما كانُوا الظِماءَ وَلا الجِياعا
He subjugated them while they hated death
And were neither thirsty nor hungry.
وَأَحسَنَ بِالمُسيءِ وَكَفَّ عَمّا
تَبِيتُ النَفسُ تَتَبَعُهُ اتِّباعا
He was good to the wrong-doer and ignored
What the soul craves to seek.
وَخَلّى المالَ قَد أَوهى المَطايا
وَلَم يَعصِ الإِمامَ وَقَد أَطاعا
He relinquished wealth that enfeebled the proud
And obeyed the Imam though it was hard.
وَأَطلَقَ جَعفَراً وَبَني أَبيهِ
وَقَلَّدَهُم جَميلاً وَاِصطِناعا
He released Jaʿfar and the sons of his father
Appointing them custodians of the beautiful and refined.
وَمَنَّ عَلى بَني الجَراحِ جَمعاً
وَلَم تَكُ مِنَّةً ذَهَبَت ضَياعا
He bestowed grace on the clan of Jarrah in full
His grace was no fleeting favor.
وَرَدَّ المُلكَ حَتّى ما رَأَينا
لَمُلكٍ غَيرِ ذا المُلكِ اِرتِجاعا
He restored the kingdom until we saw
No rule but his had resurgence.
وَأَمَّنَ خَوفَنا حَتّى أَمِنّا
بِكَثرَةِ ما يُراعي أَن نُراعا
He secured us from fear until we felt safe
With his great heed for our security.
وَسَنَّ العَدلَ في حَلَبٍ فَأَخلَت
بِحُسنِ العَدلِ بُقعَتُها البِقاعا
He instituted justice in Aleppo, so its regions
Emptied through the good of justice.
حَليمٌ عَن جَرائِمِنا إِلَيهِ
وَحَتّى عَن ثَنِيَّتِهِ اِنقِلاعا
Clement, he turns away from our crimes,
Even his reproach he refrains.
إِذا فَعَلَ الكَريمُ بِلا قِياسٍ
فِعالاً كانَ ما فَعَلَ اِبتِداعا
When the noble acts without precedent
His deed is still an innovation.
مَكارِمُ ما اِقتَدى فيها بِخَلقٍ
وَلَكِن رُكِّبَت فيهِ طِباعا
The noble qualities he modeled were not
From a human exemplar but inborn nature.
فَيالَلَّهِ أَنتَ كَريمُ قَومٍ
بِسَيفِكَ أَدرَكُوا الرُتَبَ الرِفاعا
By God, you are the noble one of a people
Who by your sword have attained lofty ranks.
عَلَوتَ إِلى السَماءِ بِكُلِّ فَضلٍ
فَكادَ الجَوُّ يُخفيكَ اِرتِفاعا
You ascended into the sky with every grace
Nearly concealed from view by your towering height.
وَأَحيَيتَ النَدى وَالجُودَ حَتّى
حَسِبنا أَنَّ بَينَكُما رِضاعا
You revived dew and munificence until
We fancied a nurturing bond between you.
إِذا مَدَّت بُغاةُ المَجدِ يَدّاً
إِلى طَلَبِ العَلاءِ مَدَدتَ باعا
When the arrogant stretch out a hand
To seek the heights you instantly extend a forearm.
أَطَعتَ اللَهَ مُنذُ خُلِقتَ حَتّى
غَدَوتَ بِأَمرِهِ المَلِكَ المُطاعا
You obeyed God since you were created
Thus you became the sovereign obeyed.
إِذا طَلَبَ العِدى لَكُمُ اِنحِطاطاً
أَبَت راحاتُكُم إِلّا اِرتِفاعا
When the foe desires your decline into debasement
Your repose refuses all but loftiness.
غَدَوتُم عَن مَكارِهِنا بِطاءً
وَفيما سَرَّنا مِنكُم سِراعا
You evaded our hate gracefully
And whatever delighted us you hastened to.
إِذا ضاقَت مُلِمّاتُ اللَيالي
أَبَت أَخلاقُكُم إِلّا اِتِّساعا
When the nights' afflictions narrow
Your noble ways refuse all but breadth.
فَدَت رُوحي فَتىً ما ضاقَ ذَرعاً
بِنائِبَةٍ تَنوبُ وَلا ذِراعا
May my soul be sacrificed for a young man who never
Was troubled by a misfortune, not one moment.
مَدَحتُ فَما أَضَعتُ المَدحَ فيهِ
وأَولاني الجَميلَ فَما أَضاعا
I praised him and did not diminish the praise,
I inclined to beauty and did not neglect it.
فَلَو داسَ التُرابَ بِأَخمَصَيهِ
وَجَدتُ لِناظِرَيَّ بِهِ اِنتِفاعا
If he trampled dust with his sandals
My eyes still gained benefit from looking on him.
كَلاكَ اللَهُ مِن نُوَبِ اللَيالي
فَإِنَّكَ تَكَلأُ الأَدَبَ المُضاعا
May God shelter you from the nights' afflictions,
For you embody the most refined manners.
وَتَكسُو المَدحَ وَالمُداحَ فَخراً
إِذا أَصغَيتَ لِلمَدحِ اِستِماعا
You clothe praise and praiser with pride
When you lend an ear to hear praise.
