عِش مِن صُروفِ الدَهرِ في أَمانِ
وَابقَ لَنا يا مَلِكَ الزَمانِ
Live safely through the vicissitudes of fate,
And remain for us, O king of time.
وَاسلَم رَفيعَ القَدرِ وَالمَكانِ
في نِعمَةٍ ثابِتَةٍ الأَركانِ
And keep safe the one of high worth and station,
In a stable blessing, steadfast.
كَأَنَّها حُبُّكَ في جَناني
يا مَلِكَ الدُنيا العَظيمَ الشانِ
As if it were your love in my soul,
O great king of the world.
وَيا كَريمَ اليَدِ وَاللِسانِ
لَو قيلَ لِلبَأسِ وَلِلإِحسانِ
O generous in giving and in speech,
If harm and benevolence were asked,
هَل يُجمَعُ الجِنسانِ في إِنسان
قالا جُمِعنا في أَبي العُلوانِ
“Can the two kinds be joined in a human?”
They would say, “We were joined in Abu Al-Ulwan.”
أَفرَسِ مَن عُدّ منَ الفُرسانِ
وَأَغزَرِ الناسِ نَدى بَنانِ
The noblest horseman counted among horsemen,
And the most generous of people in dew of munificence.
فَاعجَب لِطَعامٍ بِها طَعّانِ
فَلِلقَرى طَوراً وَلِلأَقرانِ
So it is a wonder, food for the voracious,
The towns get a turn, and so do contemporaries.
فَردٌ فَهَل تَأَتي لَهُ بِثاني
لا وَإِلهِ الشُحُبِ الأَبدانِ
So he is unique, can any match him?
No, by the God of everlasting bodies.
المُشبِهاتِ كُتَبَ الشِنانِ
الواشِحاتِ أَوجُهَ الغِيطانِ
The dark-eyed virgins are books of mischief,
The languid-eyed ones, faces of the young lambs,
وَالكاسِياتِ قُللَ الرِعانِ
ضَرائِبَ العَطبِ مِنَ الارسانِ
And the veiled ones, hills of the pasture.
The platoons of death march from the horsemen
تَهوي بِشُعثٍ نُزّحِ الأَوطانِ
مالُوا عَلى مَقادِم الكِيرانِ
Swooping down in disheveled exile.
They leaned on the fore parts of the warships
كَأَنَّهُم ضَربُ الجَريدِ الفاني
حَتّى إِذا رَأَوا فَتى الفِتيانِ
As if they were a vanishing palm-frond,
Until they saw the youth of youths
أَنقَذَهُم مِن رِبقَةِ الهَوانِ
فَأصبَحُوا في أَكرِمِ المَغاني
Who saved them from the disgrace of humiliation.
So they woke to the most honorable songs
كَأَنَّهُم في نُضرَة الجِنانِ
عِندَ الفَتى المَنّانِ لا المنّانِ
As if they were in the blossoms of gardens,
With the gentle, not rough, youth
مُعِزِّ قَيسٍ وَفَتى قَحطانِ
لا لِحَزِ الكَفِّ وَلا هِدّانِ
Helper of Qais and youth of Qahtan
Not for grasping hands or deceit.
أَبيَضُ مِثلُ الصارم اليَماني
كَالبَدر ذي سِتٍ وَذي ثَمانِ
White like a Yemeni sword,
Like the full moon, now waxing, now waning.
يا مُنتَهى الآمال وَالأَماني
وَياغِنى القاصي وَرِيفَ الداني
O climax of hopes and wishes,
O wealth of the far and near settled one.
أَنتَ الَّذي ذَلَّلتَ لي زَماني
وَأَنتَ أَرهَفتَ شَبا سِناني
You are the one who has humbled my time for me,
And you are the one who sharpened my youthful vigor.
وَفَضلُكَ الغامِرُ قَد أَغناني
فَما أَرى الفَقرَ وَلا يَراني
Your abounding grace has enriched me,
So I no longer see poverty, nor does it see me.
فَما الَّذي يَطلُبُ مِنّي الشاني
عِلمُكَ بِالحاسِدِ قَد كَفاني
What does the critic seek from me?
Your knowledge of the envious has sufficed me.
فَسَوفَ أَبني لَكَ مِن لِساني
غَرائِباً لَم يَبِنهِنّ باني
So I will build from my tongue for you
Wondrous things no builder has built.
فَاستَغنِ بي تُغنِكَ ذي المَعاني
مِن حَسَنٍ عَن حَسَنٍ بنِ هاني
So suffice yourself, enriching the meaningful,
With the beauty of beauty of Ibn Hani.
