يُذكّرني بالغور ما لستُ أنساه

نسيمٌ سرى أحْببْ إليَّ بمسراه

He reminds me of al-Ghour, which I can't forget,

A gentle breeze blew, dearer to me in its joy,

وطيفُ للَيلى العَامرية زارني

وأسفلُه الوعساء والبان اعْلاه

And Layla's specter, from al-‘Aamiriya, visited me,

With disheveled hair above, and a wrap below,

هوىٍ من غضا نجد وبالغور مسكني

وإنّي لاهواه على بُعْدِ مهواه

Yearning from the lush Najd, and my home is al-Ghour,

And I do yearn for him, though far away he roams,

فقابلتُه بالرّحْبِ من كل جانبٍ

وحييتُه في حين لاح محياه

So I met him openly, from every side,

And greeted him when his face appeared smiling,

وأفرشني فوق الوسائدِ شعْرَه

عناقيد فينانا وأرشفني فاهُ

And he laid me down on the pillows of his hair,

Clusters like grapes, and let me taste his mouth,

وشبَّهْتُه بدراً وما البدر مثلهُ

وظبياً لأن عيناه تشبه عيناه

And I likened him to the full moon, though he's unlike it,

And a gazelle, though his eyes are not its eyes,

وأمسيت اشكو البينَ وهو مضاجعي

ويشكو وقد ضمت باحشاي احشاه

And I spent the night complaining of our separation, while he held me close,

And he complained, though I hugged his bosom,

إذا ضلَّ طرفي في حَنَادسِ شَعْره

هَدَاني إليه بارقٌ من ثناياه

When my eyes strayed into the tresses of his hair,

He guided me back with a flash from his ringlets,

يقول رِفاقي لِمْ حملتَ وطالما

شربتَ بليلٍ مُشْبهِ الظَلْمِ ظلماه

My friends say, why did you carry all night long,

A drink like the darkness of night in its darkness,

تَيمْمّ على اسم الله قُلّةَ اشْيح

تلاقى الغِنى مهما نزلت بمغناه

Head with God's name to the abode of love,

You will meet riches no matter how destitute you become,

وناديه يا فضلُ ويا فضلُ واقتنعْ

به عن بني الدنيا فقد عوَّض الله

And call him O Fadhl, O Fadhl, and be content,

With him above all mankind, for God has compensated,

وهذا جمالُ الدين ما شيئت هذه

بوادرُه تُخْشى وتلك عطاياه

And this is Jamal al-Din, though I fear,

His early traits, those are his gifts,

وسنحان سنحان بن عمرو كغمدها

وعز بها والمال والأل والجاه

And Sanhan, Sanhan ibn ‘Amr like its scabbard,

Brought honor, wealth, family, and status through it,

واينَ شْبيهُ الفضل لا مثل حلمهِ

ولا بطشه يُلقى ولا مثل نعماه

And where is Fadhl’s equal, none has his patience,

Nor his might when angry, nor gifts like his,

وأيّة وجهٍ للحياء كوجهِه

فحياه ربُّ العالمين واحياه

And what face is bashful like his face,

So his life was honored by the Lord of the Worlds,

بنَا مجدَ مسعودٍ ومجدَ مظفر

فجملة عَلْيآ القومِ من دون علياه

He built the glory of Mas’ud and the glory of Muzaffar,

And the tribe’s entirety depends on them, not its chiefs,

وحامي حمى سنحان يصرفُ دونها

وجوه العدا لا شلل الله يمناه

Protector of Sanhan’s sanctuary, he wards off,

The enemies’ faces, may God not weaken his right hand,

فلو قام داعٍ خلفَ سبعةِ أبحر

دعا دعوةً يا فضلُ يا فضلُ لبّاه

If one called beyond seven seas,

“O Fadhl, O Fadhl,” he would answer the call,

ولو عاش حتى يدرك الفضل حاتمٌ

لا صبحَ مثلَ العبدِ والفضلُ مولاه

And if one lived to see Fadhl’s demise,

He would not greet morn like a slave, with Fadhl his master,

سَمِعنا به حتى رأينا سماحَه

فزَادتْ على ما قال رأيا لرؤياه

We heard of him until we saw his generosity,

Which exceeded what was said, like sight exceeds hearsay,

فاشرفُ شعرٍ ما نظمنَا لمجده

وأسعدُ يمٍ عندنا يومَ نلقاه

The finest poetry we versified in his glory,

And the happiest day for us is the day we meet him,

خلائق تغنى المرء عن زمن الصِبا

وينسى بها أقداحه ونداماه

Manners that spare one the pains of youth,

And make one forget their drinks and regrets,

وسوح رحيب السوح والصدر ل

م يزل تسر مواليه وَيَرْغضمُ أعداه

And vast plains, with an open heart,

That always delights his friends, and annoys his enemies,

وإنَّا لنكسو مِنْ كساء ابن مظفر

رجالاً ونعطى فضلَ ما كان اعطاه

We wear the cloak of Ibn Muzaffar’s son,

As men, and give Fadhl’s overflowing gifts,

فدامَ جمالُ الدينَ معتمداً لنا

فلم يبقْ مِن مُغلى القضائد إلاّ هُو

May Jamal al-Din remain our pillar,

For none remains of the twisted paths but him.