لَم أَصحُ مِن لَذَّةٍ لا لا وَلا طَرَبٍ
وَكَيفَ يَصحُ قَرينُ اللَهوِ وَاللَعِبِ
I woke not from pleasure or play, nor from joy or delight,
How could one awake sane from frivolity and fun?
نَفسي تُنازِعُني اللَذّاتَ دائِبَةً
وَإِنَّما اللَهوُ وَاللَذّاتُ مِن أَرَبي
My soul contends with me about pleasures constantly,
Yet frivolity and pleasures are the work of my soul's whim.
كَم لَيلَةٍ بِتُّ مَسروراً وَمُغتَبِطاً
جَذلانَ مُنغَمِساً في اللَهوِ وَالطَرَبِ
How many a night did I spend happy and delighted,
Immersed in frivolity and joy like one bewitched!
إِذا دُعيتُ إِلى لَهوٍ أَجَبتُ وَإِن
لَم أُدعَ لِلَّهوِ وَاللَذاتِ لَم أُجِبِ
When called to frivolity, I answer, and if not called
To play and pleasures on my own, I do not answer.
وَشادِنٍ قالَ هاكَ الكَأسَ قُلتُ لَهُ
هاتِ اِسقِني مِن نِتاجِ الماءِ وَالعِنَبِ
Once, Shadin said "Here is your cup," I said, "Give me
A drink from the produce of water and grapes."
فَقامَ يَسعى إِلى دَنٍّ فَسَلَّلَها
حَمراءَ بِكراً لَها عَشرٌ مِنَ الحِقَبِ
He went to a jar, one unpierced, red, ten years old,
Concealed from people's eyes, of the family of Sasan.
مَحجوبَةً عَن عُيونِ الناسِ لَيسَ لَها
في غَيرِ بَيتِ بَني ساسانَ مِن نَسَبِ
As if it were the dripping of water pearls knocked
By a pearl coming down a golden wire.
كَأَنَّها وَصَبيبُ الماءِ يَقرُعُها
دُرٌّ تَحَدَّرَ مِن سِلكٍ عَلى ذَهَبِ
Its seller did not feed it the summer's heat
Nor nourished it with the sun's heat and flames.
لَم يَغذُها بِمَصيَفِ القَيظِ بائِعُها
وَلا غَذاها بِحَرِّ الشَمسِ وَاللَهَبِ
It was the treasure of a farmer who was stingy with it,
Earned from lawful means, not ill-gotten.
كانَت ذَخيرَةَ دِهقانٍ يَضِنُّ بِها
مَكسوبَةً مِن حَلالٍ غَيرَ مُكتَسَبِ
It was called its father, who fed it, what a wonder,
That a daughter they made the food of her father!
يُدعى أَباها وَيُغذاها فَيا عَجَبا
مِن اِبنَةٍ صَيَّروها غَذيَةً لِأَبِ
As if musk were hidden in it, perfuming it,
Or the Indian ambergris, or perfume from amounts.
كَأَنَّما ضُمِّنَت مِسكاً يَفوحُ بِهِ
أَو عَنبَرَ الهِندِ أَو طيباً مِنَ السَخَبِ
It nearly disappears whenever it is mixed
In the cup, were it not for the wind's traces and dust.
يَكادُ أَن تَتَلاشى كُلَّما مُزِجَت
في الكَأسِ لَولا بَقايا الريحِ وَالهَبَبِ
Fatal to the heart's worries, reviving
To mortals, dispelling of thought and melancholy.
مُميتَةٌ لِهُمومِ القَلبِ مُحيِيَةٌ
لِلبِشرِ نافِيَةٌ لِلفِكرِ وَالوَصبِ
The snatcher of minds runs with it, accomplished,
Perfect in composition and manners.
يَسعى بِها مُخطَفُ الأَحشاءِ مُختَلَقٌ
قَد تَمَّ في حُسنِ تَركيبٍ وَفي أَدَبِ
There is nothing better than it when we drink it
Straight and then after drinking start with snacks.
لا شَيءَ أَحسَنُ مِنها حينَ نَشرَبُها
صِرفاً وَنَبدَأُ بَعدَ الشُربِ بِالنُخَبِ
Do not be lied to, there is no generosity or nobility
Except at your hands, O basil of the Arabs!
لا تُكذَبَنَّ فَلا جودٌ وَلا كَرَمٌ
إِلّا بِكَفَّيكَ يا رَيحانَةَ العَرَبِ
How many favors you have that do not cease
To incur gratitude, and from favors you did not fall short.
كَم نِعمَةٍ لَكَ لا تَنفَكُّ مُوَجِبَةً
شُكراً وَمِن نِعمَةٍ لَم تَنجُ مِن عَطَبِ
When enemies kindled a fire for their tribulation,
You extinguished it with glass and wood.
إِذا العِدا أَوقَدوا ناراً لِفِتنَتِهِم
أَطفَأتَها بِزُجاجِ الخَطِّ وَالقُضُبِ
So whoever wants you for war will gain harm
And whoever came to you for chivalry did not lose out.
فَمَن يُرِدكَ لِحَربٍ يَجتَنَ عَطَباً
وَمَن أَتاكَ لِبَذلِ العُرفِ لَم يَخِبِ
Seeking help, seeking aid, you brought them together,
A man called on them, not forked out.
مُستَذعِنينَ وَمُستَنجِدينَ يَجمَعُهُم
رَجاً إِلَيكَ دَعاهُم غَيرُ مُنشَعِبِ
You sent generosity and grace amongst them, so it passed
Leaving no hardship remaining for the grieved one.
بَعَثتَ جوداً وَفَضلاً فيهِمُ فَمَضى
لَم يَترُكا كُربَةً تَبقى لِذَي كُرَبِ
And against their enemy a sword that judges them,
Thus you destroyed them, with killing and flight.
وَفي عَدُوِّهِمُ سَيفاً يُحاكِمُهُم
فَقَد أَبَدتَهُمُ بِالقَتلِ وَالهَرَبِ
You are the Trustworthy one whose virtues
Encompassed whoever settled on earth, non-Arab and Arab.
أَنتَ الأَمينُ الَّذي عَمَّت مَكارِمُهُ
مَن حَلَّ في الأَرضِ مِن عُجمٍ وَمِن عَرَبِ
So live long, preserving yourself from tribulations,
Secluded from suspicions for days and eras.
فَاِسلَم عَلى الدَهرِ وَالأَيّامِ مُحتَفِظاً
مِنَ الكَريهاتِ مَحجوباً مِنَ الرَيبِ
O adornment of Qusay’s house and his master’s son,
God’s Caliph, O son of the prime masters.
يا زَينَ آلِ قُصَيٍّ وَاِبنَ سَيِّدِهِم
خَليفَةَ اللَهِ يا اِبنَ السادَةِ النُجُبِ
I am the advisor expressing his advice,
Never immature in advice or lying.
إِنّي أَنا الناصِحُ المُبدي نَصيحَتَهُ
ما شُبتُ نُصحاً بِإِبطالٍ وَلا كَذِبِ
So accept my praise of them and listen to a strand
In describing the best of handpicked poems.
فَاِقبَل مَديحِيَ فيهِم وَاِستَمِع نَسَقاً
في وَصفِ أَغلَبَ مِن أَشعارِ مُنتَخِبِ
None like your nephew in advice or manners
Of those related to you or distant.
ما كَاِبنِ عَمِّكَ في نُصحٍ وَلا أَدَبٍ
مِن ذي قَرابَتِكُم أَو غَيرَ مُقتَرِبِ
He loves your love so whatever you hate is discarded
To where the reeds grow.
يَهوى هَواكَ فَما تَكرَه فَمُطَّرَحٌ
ما قَد كَرِهتَ إِلى مُستَنبَتِ القَصَبِ
A young man, if he is advised will have for him
The sincerity of intention in what was the cause.
فَتىً إِذا هُزَّ في نُصحٍ أُصيبَ لَهُ
صِدقُ السَريرَةِ فيما كانَ مِن سَبَبِ
If you increase him in position, he seeks your increase
In advice, he gave you ten positions.
إِن زِدتَهُ رُتبَةً تَبغي زِيادَتَهُ
في النُصحِ أَعطاكُمُ عَشراً مِنَ الرُتَبِ
If his loyalty could be bought or sold
The Ma'mun would have bought it out of desire.
لَو كانَ تُبتاعُ أَو تُشرى مَوَدَّتُهُ
لَاِبتاعَها مِنكُمُ المَأمونُ بِالرَغَبِ
So strengthen the Hashimi grasp, their virtues
Are like the Daruri pearls over Manzurat al-Halab.
فَاِشدُد بِهاشِمَ كَفّاً إِنَّ فَضلَهُمُ
فَضلُ الدَرورِ عَلى مَنزورَةِ الحَلَبِ
None are like them amongst all the people,
Absolutely not, how can the head be like the tail?
ما مِثلُهُم في جَميعِ الناسِ كُلِّهِمِ
لا لا وَكَيفَ يَكونُ الرَأسُ كَالذَنَبِ
