يَهنِي إِمامَ الفَضلِ فَضلُ إِمامِهِ
وَسِجِلُّهُ بِعِراقِهِ وَبِشامِهِ
The excellence of the Imam of excellence is proven by his own excellence,
And his register in Iraq and Syria.
إِنَّ الَّذي قَد فاضَ مِن غُفرانِهِ
أَضعافُ ما قَد فاضَ مِن إِنعامِهِ
Indeed, that which has overflowed from his forgiveness,
Is multiples of what has overflowed from his bestowal.
خَيرٌ لَهُ مِن رِفدِهِ وَعَطائِهِ
إِخلاصُ نِيَّتِهِ وَعَقدُ ذِمامِهِ
His sincerity of intention and holding fast his reins,
Is better for him than his gifts and his bounty.
لا شَيءَ أَنفَعُ مِن تَعَطُّفِ قَلبِهِ
وَرُجُوعِهِ عَن عَتبِهِ وَمَلامِهِ
Nothing is more beneficial than the kindness of his heart,
And his withdrawing from reproach and blame.
يا فَخرَ مُلكِ بَني الفَواطِمِ وَالَّذي
أَولاهُمُ في المَهدِ قَبلَ فِطامِهِ
O pride of the kingdom of the Fatimids, he who
Endowed them the cradle before weaning,
لا يَبعُدَنَّ مُرسَلٌ أَرسَلتَهُ
فَأَتى يَقُودُ لَكَ الغِنى بِزِمامِهِ
May no messenger you send return,
Except one who comes leading prosperity by its reins.
ما كانَ مِن طَلَبَ النجاحَ تَبَجُّجاً
في قَولِهِ وَفَعالِهِ وَمَرامِهِ
Whatever was done seeking success pretentiously,
In word, deed or purpose,
إِنَّ الَّذي يَرمي السِهامَ نَوافِذاً
يَرمي وَلَيسَ تُصِيبُ كُلُّ سِهامِهِ
Verily the one who shoots penetrating arrows,
Shoots though not all his arrows hit.
مُستَوجِبٌ ساعٍ يَزيدُكَ سَعيُهُ
نَفعاً إِذا ما زِدتَ في إكرامِهِ
One who strives seeking your increase deserves
To benefit, if you increase his honor.
وَمِنَ الرِجالِ ذَوِي المَحَبَّةِ ساهِرٌ
يُلهِيهِ مَدحُكَ عَن لَذيذِ مَنامِهِ
And among the loving men is one sleepless,
Whom your praise distracts from sweet slumber.
لَو ماتَ وَانكَشَفَ الثَرى عَن رَمسِهِ
لَوَجَدتَ حُبَّكَ في رَميمِ عِظامِهِ
If he died and the earth uncovered his remains,
You would find your love in the rubble of his bones.
أَولَيتَهُ الحَسَنَ الجَميلَ فَشُكرُهُ
لَكَ واجِبٌ كَصَلاتِهِ وَصِيامِهِ
You granted him beauty and he is thankful,
As obligatory as his prayers and fasts.
يُثني بِفَضلِكَ ما اِستَطاعَ وَمالَهُ
شَيءٌ يُساعِدُهُ سِوى أَقلامِهِ
With your favor he lauds what he can,
For he has naught to aid him but his pens.
سِر حَيثُ شِئتَ مِنَ البِلادِ تَجد بِها
لَكَ عِقدَ حَمدٍ مِن غَريبِ نِظامِهِ
Travel wherever in the lands, and you will find there,
For you a pearl necklace of strange composition,
أَذكى نَسيماً في الفَلا مِن رَندِهِ
وَعَرارِهِ وَبَهارِهِ وَبَشامِهِ
More aromatic than the breeze in meadows
Of al-Rand, al-‘Arar and Bahrain and Syria.
إِنَّ البِلادَ إِذا أَرادَ مُلُوكُها
عِطراً يَدُومُ تَعَطَّرُوا بِكَلامِهِ
When the lands want a lasting fragrance,
Their kings perfume themselves with his speech.
وَعَلى سَريرِ المُلكِ أَروَعُ ماجِدٌ
تُغَضي لَهُ الأَبصارُ مِن إِعظامِهِ
And on the throne of the kingdom a magnificent glorious king,
Before whose awe eyes are downcast.
أَلشُّهبُ ما زادَت عَلى أَوصافِهِ
وَالأُسدُ ما قَدِرَت عَلى إِقدامِهِ
By the meteors! He surpasses all description!
By the lion! None can match his daring!
لَو أَنَّ هَمّاماً رَآهُ لَصَدَّهُ
عَن بِشرِهِ وَوَليدِهِ وَهِشامِهِ
If Hammaam had seen him, he would have left
Bashar, Waleed and Hisham.
أَو كانَ في زَمَن ابنِ أَوسٍ ما سَما
بِفَعالِ حاتِمِهِ وَلا ابنِ أُمامِهِ
Or if he lived in the time of Ibn Aws none would have,
Equaled his deeds, not even the son of Umamah.
كَرَماً مَحا ذِكرَ الكِرامِ فَلَم يَدَع
في كُلِّ عَصرٍ قِيمَةً لِكِرامِهِ
Generosity that erased the mention of generosity,
Leaving no worth for generosity in any age but through him.
أَوفى عَلى لُقمانِهِ وَعَلا عَلى
نُعمانِهِ وَسَطا عَلى بِسطامِهِ
More perfect than Luqman, higher than
Numan, more just than Bistam.
وَهُمُ المُلوكُ الضارِبُونَ مِنَ العُلى
بِأَكُفِّهِم في غَرزِهِ وَسَنامِهِ
They are the kings who from the highest heavens,
With their palms strike its nodes and stars.
أُنظُر إِلَيهِ تَرَ الضِياءَ مُشَعشِعاً
في دَستِهِ مِن حُسنِهِ وَوَسامِهِ
Look at him and you see a blazing light,
In his hand from his charm and decorations.
لَبِسَ العِمامَةَ لا يُشَكُّ بِأَنَّها
تاجٌ عَلى كِسراهُ أَو بِهرامِهِ
He wore the turban—no doubt it is
A crown on top of his Kisra or his Khosroe.
زَحَمَ السَماءَ بِها فَوَدَّ هِلالُها
لَو كانَ مَوضِعَ طَوقِهِ وَلِثامِهِ
He competed with the sky wearing it—the crescent wished
It could take the place of his collar and scarf.
طَوقٌ عَلى عُنُقِ السِماكِ يُقِلُّهُ
جَبَلٌ يَرى الأَجبالَ مِن آطامِهِ
A collar on the neck of the sublime that lessens
A mountain that sees mountains as small.
هُوَ هالَةٌ كَالبَدرِ بَدرِ عَشِيرَةٍ
أَمِنُوا غَياهِبَ ظُلمِهِ وَظَلامِهِ
It is an aura like the full moon of a tribe
Who by its darkness and gloom feel safe.
صاغُوهُ مِن سامِ النُضارِ لِماجِدٍ
كَفّاهُ حَربٌ مُنذُ كانَ لِسامِهِ
They fashioned it from the youth of brilliant ones, for the glorious one
War sufficed since the days his sword was tied to his waist.
وَالدُرُّ مُشتَبِكٌ عَلَيهِ كَأَنَّهُ
حَبَبٌ طَفا مِن فَوقِ كاسِ مُدامِهِ
And pearls are strung on it as if
Beads of wine spilling over the rim of his cup.
كَم في الرِقابِ مِنَ الصَنائِعِ مِثلُهُ
لِأَغَرَّ يَبني عزَّهُ بِحُسامِهِ
How many are the collars like it on necks
To lure youth with his blade.
وَتَقَلَّدَ الصَمصامَ أَروَعُ سَعدُهُ
يُغنِيهِ في الهَيجاءِ عَن صَمصامِهِ
And he wore the double-edged sword—his good fortune enriches him,
Making him independent in battle of the double-edged sword.
وَهَفَت عَلَيهِ عَلامَةٌ مَعقُودَةٌ
بِالعِزِّ وَالتَأييدِ مِن عَلّامِهِ
And waving on it is a knotted insignia
With might and support from its maker.
كَالرَوضَةِ الغَنّاءِ إِن نُشِرَت وَإِن
طُوِيَت فَمِثلُ النَورِ في أَكمامِهِ
Like an orchard, whether spread or folded,
The light within its sleeves is like the light at its fullness.
بَيضاءُ مِن صافي اللُجَينِ كَأَنَّها
عِرضُ الأَميرِ مُنَزَّهاً عَن ذامِهِ
Pure white like the sheen of a blade, as if
The chest of the prince untouched by blemish.
وَتَهادَتِ النُجُبُ الضِخامُ تَهادِياً
بِفِنائِهِ مِن خَلفِهِ وَأَمامِهِ
The thick stars came and went humbly
In his courtyard, behind and before him.
وَرَأَيتُ سَبعَةَ أَنجُمٍ في وَسطِها
بَدرٌ يَفُوقُ البَدرَ عِندَ تَمامِهِ
I saw seven stars in its midst
And a moon surpassing the moon at its peak.
لَمَعَ الطَميمُ عَلَيهِمُ فَكَأَنَّهُ
خَمرٌ يُحَسَّرُ عَنهُ ثَوبُ قَتامِهِ
Dust shone upon them as if
Wine whose robe hides its darkness.
مُتَوَقِّداً لَولا سَحابُأَكُفِّهِم
يُطفيهِ لالتَهَبُوا بِلَفحِ ضِرامِهِ
Blazing were it not for the clouds of their palms
That extinguish it, else they would have burned from its flaming sparks.
سَجَدُوا لأَعلامِ الإِمامِ وَإِنَّما
سَجَدُوا لِما كَتَبُوا عَلى أَعلامِهِ
They bowed down to the flags of the Imam though verily
They bowed to what they wrote on his standards.
يَومٌ أَغَرُّ وَنِعمَةٌ مَشكُورَةٌ
عَضَّ الحَسُودُ بِها عَلى إِبهامِهِ
A day most splendid and a favor thanked,
At which the jealous one bites his fingers.
لا يَعدَمُوهُ بَنُو أَبِيهِ فَإِنَّهُم
في نِعمَةٍ وَدَوامُها بَدَوامِهِ
May his sons never be devoid of it, for they
Are in a continuing favor for all time.
لَولا الفَخارُ بِما أَتاهُ لَخِلتُها
تُحَفاً تَقِلُّ لِعَبدِهِ وَغُلامِهِ
If not for pride in what came to him, I would consider them
Rarities too paltry for his servant and slave.
لَكِنَّها تُحَفُ الإِمامِ وَبَعضُها
كافٍ وَلَو لَم يَأتِ غَيرُ سَلامِهِ
But they are the treasure of the Imam, and some of it
Would suffice though only his peace came.
أَليَومَ عَزَّ المُسلِمونَ وَنَكَّبَت
أَعداءُ هَذا الغِيلِ عَن ضِرغامِهِ
Today the Muslims are honored and the enemies
Of these lofty deeds are turned from their envy.
وَأَظَنُّ مَلكَ الرُومِ لَيسَ يَرى لَهُ
حِصناً يُحَصِّنُهُ سِوى إِسلامِهِ
I reckon the king of Rome sees for himself
No fortress to defend him but his Islam.
يا مَن يَجُودُ عَلى الوُفُودِ بِمالِهِ
جُودَ السَحابِ عَلى الرُبى بِرهامِهِ
O you who gives to delegations with his wealth
Like the raincloud gives rain to the meadows with its showers!
تَمِّم جَميلَكَ بِاستاعِ غَرائِبي
إِنَّ الجَميلَ جَمالُهُ بِتَمامِهِ
Perfect your favor by listening to my strange wishes
For the beautiful is made more beautiful by its perfection.
وَانهَ الحَوادِثَ أَن تُلِمَّ بِساحَتي
فَالنَبتُ لا يَسقِيهِ مِثلُ غَمامِهِ
And forbid misfortunes from visiting my courtyard
For plants are not watered by the like of its clouds.
يا سامِعَ الأَصواتِ بقِّ عَدُوَّهُ
في هَذهِ الدُنيا بَقاءَ سَوامِهِ
O Hearer of voices, silence his enemy
In this world for the lifespan of insects.
وَأَمِت بِلُطفِكَ ضِدَّهُ وَحَسُودَهُ
يا رَبِّ مَوتَ البُخلِ في أَيّامِه
And destroy his opposite and his envier with Your kindness,
O Lord, death of greed in his days.
وَاحرُسهُ لَلإِسلامِ في يَقظاتِهِ
وَمَنامِهِ وَمَسيرِهِ وَمَقامِهِ
And protect him for Islam while wakeful,
And asleep and on his travels and settled,
مُتَمَتِّعاً طُولَ الحَياةِ بِيَومِهِ
وَبَأمسِهِ وَبِشَهرِهِ وَبِعامِهِ
Delighting for long in his day
And last night and this month and this year.
