سَلوا الأُسودَ الضّواري إِذ تُعاديهِ
في الحَربِ عمّا رَأى منهُ مُلاقيهِ
Ask the fierce lions when they are opposed in war,
What they saw in their opponents who engaged them.
سَلوا الرِّماحَ العَوالي ما الَّذي شَرِبَت
فَقَد سَقاها دَماً أَحشا معاديهِ
Ask the lofty spears what they drank,
For they were given to drink the blood of a vicious foe.
سَلوا السّيوفَ المَواضي ما الَّذي طَعِمَت
فَقَد قَراها قُلوباً مِن أَعاديهِ
Ask the sharpened swords what they tasted,
For they devoured the hearts of enemies.
سَلوا الوَقائِعَ عمّا مِنهُ شاهدهُ
بَنو النُّصَيْرِ بِهِم تَشهَد مَغازيهِ
Ask the battles what they witnessed,
The sons of Nasir bore witness with their conquests.
لَيثُ العَرينِ يَخوضُ الحَربَ هائِجَةً
عَلى اِنبِساطٍ بِلا قَبضٍ يُدانيهِ
The lion of the den wages raging war
Charging forth fearlessly to meet his rivals.
يَصولُ بَينَ الأَعادي لا يَهابُهمُ
كَما إِذا صالَ بَينَ العَنزِ راعيهِ
He attacks the enemies without fear,
As if grazing among the sheep with their shepherd.
وَلَم تَكُن كَثرَةُ الأَغنامِ ترهِبُهُ
أَيُرهب العنزَ لَيثُ الغابِ ضاريهِ
The multitude of sheep does not frighten him,
Would a lion in the forest fear the bleating sheep?
فَإِن رَأَوهُ وَلَو فَرّوا فَإِنّهمُ
جَيشُ العَصافيرِ إِذ يَلقاهُ بازيهِ
If they see him, though they may flee, they are but
An army of sparrows when they encounter a falcon.
شِبْلُ الشّجاعَةِ رَضّاعاً أَصائِلها
وَلَيسَ عَنها فَطيماً إِذ تربّيهِ
A cub nourished on the milk of bravery,
Never weaned from it as he was raised on it.
لَو أَظلَمت بِمُثارِ النَّقعِ معركةٌ
فَنورُ أَسيافِهِ في النَّقعِ يَهديهِ
If darkness descends during fierce combat,
The light of his sword illuminates the darkness.
لا يتبعُ الفَشَلُ المِفرارُ يِقتلهُ
إِنّ الفرارَ لَعارٌ فيهِ يَكفيهِ
Failure and retreat do not follow him,
Retreat is disgraceful, it does not suit him.
وَالقَتلُ عِندَ ذَوي الإِقدامِ أَهونُ مِن
عارِ الفِرارِ وَما أَضحى يُضاهيهِ
To the brave, death is easier
Than the disgrace of retreat, nothing equals it.
ما نازَلَته ضَراغيمٌ وَبارَزَها
إِلّا وَأَقواهمُ أَضحى يُناديهِ
Whenever he engaged the evildoers in combat,
Their mightiest ended up crying out to him.
يا أَيّها الضّيغَمُ الصّمصامِ أَعْطِ لَنا
أَمْناً فَحربك مِثلي لا يكافيهِ
“O lion, stop your ferocious attacks,
For your war is too much for one like me.
قَد كِدتُ أَهلكُ مِن خَوفٍ وَمِن رعب
مِنَ الوَقارِ الَّذي يَعلوكَ زاهيهِ
I almost died of fright and dread
At your awe-inspiring grandeur and glory."
وَالعَفو يُمدَحُ حقّاً عِندَ مَقدِرةً
إِذ تِلكَ تُثبِتُهُ وَالعَجزُ يَنفيهِ
Mercy is rightly praised when one is mighty,
For that affirms it, while weakness negates it.
نَجلُ المُروءَةِ في مَهدِ الفتوّةِ قَد
أَنشاهُ مَولاهُ رَبُّ الخَلْقِ باريهِ
The progeny of chivalry was raised in the cradle of heroism
By his Creator, the Lord of all beings.
شَمسُ العُلى مُصطَفى العَلياءِ مَنْ وَقَفَت
كُلُّ الأماجِدِ طُرّاً عند ناديهِ
The sun of glory, Mustafa the most high, wherever he went
All glory stood aside before his eminence.
بَنى مِنَ المَجدِ وَالعَلياءِ مَنزِلَهُ
وَكانَ فَوقَ سِماكِ العزِّ يبنيهِ
He built his abode with glory and supremacy
And ascended above the sky of honor to construct it.
وَبِالرِّماحِ العَوالي وَالسّيوفِ عَلى
مَناكبِ الفَخرِ تَبنيهِ مَعاليهِ
With lofty spears and swords atop the shoulders of pride
He built his glories.
فَأَصبَحَ الفلَكُ العالي عَلى شَغَفٍ
يَودُّ لَو بُنِيَت فيه مَغانيهِ
Thus the vault of heaven zealously wished
That his melodies would be composed within it.
بَحرُ النّدى مَنْ نَداهُ عَمَّ قاصِدَه
فَكانَ يغرق حقّاً في مَجاريهِ
The sea of genius, whoever calls to it,
Will verily drown in its currents.
عَفُّ الإِزارِ وَإنَّ العَدلَ يَملأهُ
في حُسنِ حِلمٍ بِتَدبيرٍ يُوافيهِ
Lower your robe, and justice will fill it
With the beauty of forbearance and wise governance.
يا سَعدَ ذي العَقلِ إِذْ صافاهُ مُصطحِباً
إِنّ السّعيدَ سَعيدٌ مَن يُصافيهِ
O Saad, blest is the man of reason when befriended,
For the fortunate one is he who befriends him.
يا وَيلَ ذي الجهّار إِذا عاداهُ من سَفهٍ
إِنّ السّعيد شَقيٌّ مَن يعاديهِ
But woe to the foolish one who makes an enemy of him,
For the fortunate one is wretched who opposes him.
بَنو نُصَيرٍ لَقَد تاهوا وَقَد رَكِبوا
مَطِيّةَ الغيِّ تَسري في فيافيهِ
The sons of Nasir have gone astray and ridden
The mare of error running in its wilderness.
وَكَحّلوا قَلبَهم في قُبحِ جَهلهمِ
فَكَحّلوهُ بِما لا شَكَّ يُعميهِ
They blinded their hearts with the ugliness of ignorance,
Blinded with what will undoubtedly make them blind.
ظَنّوا ظُنوناً وَظَنُّ المَرءِ يُكذبُهُ
كَما تُكذّبه خُلْفاً أَمانيهِ
They harbored assumptions, but a man's assumptions belie him,
Just as his fantasies belie him afterwards.
وَصَمَّموا عَزمَهُم في حَربِهِم بَطلاً
ظَلَّت أُسودُ الشّرى خَوفاً تُراضيهِ
They resolved in their war to make him a fallen hero,
While the evildoers cowered in fear to placate him.
ساموهُ حَرباً وَظَنُّوا رِبحَ صَفقَتِهم
فَكانَ قَتلُهمُ ربحاً لهم فيهِ
They named it war and thought their deal was profitable,
Yet their killing was profitable for them therein.
ما بالهُم قاتَلوهُ وَهوَ نَجلُ علي
نَسوا عَليّاً وَمالوا عَن تَولّيهِ
Why did they fight him, he the son of Ali?
They forgot Ali and turned away from befriending him.
خابوا وَقَد خَسِروا أَرواحَهُم وَكَذا
أَموالَهم وَسَروا في مَهْمَهِ التّيهِ
They were denied and lost their souls and wealth,
Journeying into the labyrinth of confusion.
وَالحَمدُ للَّهِ ذي الإِنعامِ سيّدنا
حَمداً نُكرّرهُ حَمداً نُواليهِ
And praise be to Allah, Lord of Bounty, our Master,
Praises we repeat as praises we render to Him.
قَد مَنَّ بِالنّصرِ وَالتّأييدِ مع ظفَرٍ
بِفِتيَةٍ قَد تَبدو مِن أَعاديهِ
He blessed with victory and support, as well as conquest,
Against youths who appeared as enemies.
وَرَدَّ بَدرَ العُلى فَضلاً لِمَنزِله
بِآيةِ النَّصرِ حَيثُ الفَتحُ تاليهِ
He restored the full moon to its abode with blessings,
Where the signs of victory follow one another.
إِنّي أُهَنّيهِ في عَودٍ إِلى وَطنٍ
وَبِالَّذي نالَهُ مِن قَهرِ شانِيهِ
I congratulate him on a return to his homeland,
And for what he attained in vanquishing his detractor.
وَقَد أَنبت بِذا عنّي مُهفهفةً
حَسناءَ ميّادةً تَختالُ مِن تيهِ
This inspired in me an ode, beautiful and graceful,
Swaying in the mind of its composer.
حَوراءَ مَقصورةً في فِكرِ ناظِمها
وَغادةً في نِظامي مِن غَوانيهِ
She came to you, O Father of the Lofty, as a slave girl
Kissing the ground in reverence of the One within it.
جاءَت إِلَيكَ أَبا العَلياءِ جاريةً
تُقبِّل الأرضَ بِالتعظيمِ مِن فيهِ
She hopes for acceptance and hopes to attain thereby,
A dish from the generous kitchen of his slave girls.
تَرجو القَبولَ وَتَرجو أَن تَنالَ به
مِن مَطبَخِ الشّهمِ عَدّاً في جواريهِ
Greetings and happiness upon you in an honor
At the pinnacle of glory in its highest buildings.
وَاِسلَمْ وَدُمْ بِالهنا وَالسعدِ في شرفٍ
مِن ذَروَةِ المَجدِ في أَعلى مَبانيهِ
Contented in life, comfortable in living,
Achieving his aims both near and far.
مُنعَّم البالِ رَغدَ العَيشِ ناعمَه
وَنائِلُ القَصدِ دانيهِ وَقاصيهِ
No branch has swayed, nor has the breeze blown,
Nor has the warbler trilled with melody in his odes.
ما مالَ غُصنٌ وَما هَبَّ النّسيمُ وما
شَدا الهزارُ بِسَجعٍ مِن أَغانيهِ
