إِذا كانَ مَدحٌ فَالنَسيبُ المُقَدَّمُ
أَكُلُّ فَصيحٍ قالَ شِعراً مُتَيَّمُ
If praise is the theme, the love-prelude comes first; / Yet is every eloquent man who recites verse truly enslaved by love?
Love for Ibn Abd Allah is more fitting, for with him / The mention of beauty begins and with him it ends.
لَحُبُّ اِبنِ عَبدِ اللَهِ أَولى فَإِنَّهُ
بِهِ يُبدَءُ الذِكرُ الجَميلُ وَيُختَمُ
I obeyed the fair maidens before my gaze aspired / To a vision beside whom they seem small, while he is vast.
Sayf al-Dawla has confronted the entirety of Time, / Striking at its very joints, unyielding in resolve.
أَطَعتُ الغَواني قَبلَ مَطمَحِ ناظِري
إِلى مَنظَرٍ يَصغُرنَ عَنهُ وَيَعظُمُ
So his authority has passed even over the sun, / And upon the full moon, his brand is clearly seen.
It is as if the enemies, in their own lands, are his deputies: / If he wills, they gather wealth; if he wills, they surrender it.
تَعَرَّضَ سَيفُ الدَولَةِ الدَهرَ كُلَّهُ
يُطَبِّقُ في أَوصالِهِ وَيُصَمِّمُ
He holds no correspondence but the Mashrafiyah swords, / And no messengers but the vast, tumultuous army.
No one with a hand is ever left without his aid, / And no one with a mouth is ever left without his praise.
فَجازَ لَهُ حَتّى عَلى الشَمسِ حُكمُهُ
وَبانَ لَهُ حَتّى عَلى البَدرِ مَيسَمُ
No wood of a pulpit is empty of his names, / Nor is any dinar, nor any dirham found void of him.
A striker of blows when the space between swords is narrow, / Sharp-sighted when the dust between heroes is dark.
كَأَنَّ العِدا في أَرضِهِم خُلَفاؤهُ
فَإِن شاءَ حازوها وَإِن شاءَ سَلَّموا
His horses race the shooting stars every night— / Stars of his own, some roan-colored, some dark as night.
They trample heroes whom they never carried, / And shatter lances that could not be straightened.
وَلا كُتبَ إِلّا المَشرَفِيَّةُ عِندَهُ
وَلا رُسُلٌ إِلّا الخَميسُ العَرَمرَمُ
With the wolves in the wilds, they are swift lances, / And with the whales in the water, they are swimmers.
With the gazelles in the valley, they lie in ambush, / And with the eagles on the peaks, they hover high.
فَلَم يَخلُ مِن نَصرٍ لَهُ مَن لَهُ يَدٌ
وَلَم يَخلُ مِن شُكرٍ لَهُ مَن لَهُ فَمُ
When men bring forth hollow spears for war, he / Smashes them with these steeds and upon their chests.
By his blaze he is known in war, peace, and wisdom, / In the giving of gifts, in praise, and in glory.
وَلَم يَخلُ مِن أَسمائِهِ عودُ مِنبَرٍ
وَلَم يَخلُ دينارٌ وَلَم يَخلُ دِرهَمُ
Even he who loves him not admits his merit, / And he who reads no stars decrees his good fortune.
He has tyrannized the Days, until I imagined / The ancient tribes of 'Ad and Jurhum demanding restitution.
ضُروبٌ وَما بَينَ الحُسامَينِ ضَيِّقٌ
بَصيرٌ وَما بَينَ الشُجاعَينِ مُظلِمُ
Misguided is this wind—what does it desire? / And guided is this torrent—what goal does it seek?
Did the downpour that sought to turn us back not ask / So the notched iron blades could tell it of you?
تُباري نُجومَ القَذفِ في كُلِّ لَيلَةٍ
نُجومٌ لَهُ مِنهُنَّ وَردٌ وَأَدهَمُ
And when the clouds met you with their rain, / One higher of heel and more noble met them in turn.
It touched a face that lances have long caressed, / And dampened clothes that blood has long drenched.
يَطَأنَ مِنَ الأَبطالِ مَن لا حَمَلنَهُ
وَمِن قِصَدِ المَرّانِ ما لا يُقَوَّمُ
It followed you—as some rains follow others— / From Syria, as a clever student follows the master.
It visited the grave your horses visited with you, / Burdened by the longing that you yourself bore.
فَهُنَّ مَعَ السيدانِ في البَرِّ عُسَّلٌ
وَهُنَّ مَعَ النينانِ في الماءِ عُوَّمُ
And when you reviewed the army, its splendor lay / Upon the horseman with the trailing turban-end.
Around him surged a sea of armor-clad steeds, / Carried forward by a wild, stampeding charge.
وَهُنَّ مَعَ الغِزلانِ في الوادِ كُمَّنٌ
وَهُنَّ مَعَ العِقبانِ في النيقِ حُوَّمُ
Through him the regions were leveled, as if he / Were gathering scattered mountains and stringing them together.
Every youth made for war bears upon his brow / A line of script from the sword, punctuated by spear-points.
إِذا جَلَبَ الناسُ الوَشيجَ فَإِنَّهُ
بِهِنَّ وَفي لَبّاتِهِنَّ يُحَطَّمُ
A lion stretches his hands within the chainmail, / And from beneath the helmet, the eyes of a serpent watch.
Like their breeds are their banners and their slogans, / And what they wear, and the poisoned weaponry.
بِغُرَّتِهِ في الحَربِ وَالسِلمِ وَالحِجا
وَبَذلِ اللُها وَالحَمدِ وَالمَجدِ مُعلَمُ
Long fighting has schooled them, so his glance / Signals to them from afar, and they understand.
They answer him with deeds, knowing no spoken word, / And he commands them with a look, saying nothing.
يُقِرُّ لَهُ بِالفَضلِ مَن لا يَوَدُّهُ
وَيَقضي لَهُ بِالسَعدِ مَن لا يُنَجِّمُ
They veer away from the right, as if they / Feel tenderness for Mayyafariqin and mercy.
Yet had they crowded it with their shoulders in the press, / It would have known which of its walls was weak and ruined.
أَجارَ عَلى الأَيّامِ حَتّى ظَنَنتُهُ
تُطالِبُهُ بِالرَدِّ عادٌ وَجُرهُمُ
Upon every lean steed is a lean rider, as if / He is given blood to drink or fed upon flesh.
In the tumult, they wear the guise of knights, / For every horse is armored and veiled in mail.
ضَلالاً لِهَذي الريحِ ماذا تُريدُهُ
وَهَدياً لِهَذا السَيلِ ماذا يُؤَمِّمُ
This is not out of stinginess with lives against spears, / But the collision of iron against iron is more decisive.
Do the white blades of India think your origin is theirs, / And that you are of them? How poorly they imagine!
أَلَم يَسأَلِ الوَبلُ الَّذي رامَ ثَنيَنا
فَيُخبِرَهُ عَنكَ الحَديدُ المُثَلَّمُ
If we named you 'Sword,' we would fancy our blades / Smiling within their scabbards out of pride.
We have never seen a king addressed by something less than himself / And be pleased—but they are ignorant, and you are forbearing.
وَلَمّا تَلَقّاكَ السَحابُ بِصَوبِهِ
تَلَقّاهُ أَعلى مِنهُ كَعباً وَأَكرَمُ
You have seized every mountain pass against the enemy; / From life you give to whom you wish, and withhold.
There is no death but that which is feared from your spear, / And no sustenance but that which your right hand divides.
فَباشَرَ وَجهاً طالَما باشَرَ القَنا
وَبَلَّ ثِياباً طالَما بَلَّها الدَمُ
تَلاكَ وَبَعضُ الغَيثِ يَتبَعُ بَعضَهُ
مِنَ الشَأمِ يَتلو الحاذِقَ المُتَعَلِّمُ
فَزارَ الَّتي زارَت بِكَ الخَيلُ قَبرَها
وَجَشَّمَهُ الشَوقُ الَّذي تَتَجَشَّمُ
وَلَمّا عَرَضتَ الجَيشَ كانَ بَهاؤُهُ
عَلى الفارِسِ المُرخى الذُؤابَةَ مِنهُمُ
حَوالَيهِ بَحرٌ لِلتَجافيفِ مائِجٌ
يَسيرُ بِهِ طَردٌ مِنَ الخَيلِ أَيهَمُ
تَساوَت بِهِ الأَقطارُ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ
يُجَمِّعُ أَشتاتَ الجِبالِ وَيَنظِمُ
وَكُلُّ فَتىً لِلحَربِ فَوقَ جَبينِهِ
مِنَ الضَربِ سَطرٌ بِالأَسِنَّةِ مُعجَمُ
يَمُدُّ يَديهِ في المُفاضَةِ ضَيغَمٌ
وَعَينَيهِ مِن تَحتِ التَريكَةِ أَرقَمُ
كَأَجناسِها راياتُها وَشِعارُها
وَما لَبِسَتهُ وَالسِلاحُ المُسَمَّمُ
وَأَدَّبَها طولُ القِتالِ فَطَرفُهُ
يُشيرُ إِلَيها مِن بَعيدٍ فَتَفهَمُ
تُجاوِبُهُ فِعلاً وَما تَعرِفُ الوَحى
وَيُسمِعُها لَحظاً وَما يَتَكَلَّمُ
تَجانَفُ عَن ذاتِ اليَمينِ كَأَنَّها
تَرِقُّ لِمِيّافارِقينَ وَتَرحَمُ
وَلَو زَحَمَتها بِالمَناكِبِ زَحمَةً
دَرَت أَيُّ سورَيها الضَعيفُ المُهَدَّمُ
عَلى كُلِّ طاوٍ تَحتَ طاوٍ كَأَنَّهُ
مِنَ الدَمِ يُسقى أَو مِنَ اللَحمِ يُطعَمُ
لَها في الوَغى زِيُّ الفَوارِسِ فَوقَها
فَكُلُّ حِصانٍ دارِعٌ مُتَلَثِّمُ
وَما ذاكَ بُخلاً بِالنُفوسِ عَلى القَنا
وَلَكِنَّ صَدمَ الشَرِّ لِلشَرِّ أَحزَمُ
أَتَحسِبُ بيضُ الهِندِ أَصلَكَ أَصلَها
وَأَنَّكَ مِنها ساءَ ما تَتَوَهَّمُ
إِذا نَحنُ سَمَّيناكَ خِلنا سُيوفَنا
مِنَ التيهِ في أَغمادِها تَتَبَسَّمُ
وَلَم نَرَ مَلكاً قَطُّ يُدعى بِدونِهِ
فَيَرضى وَلَكِن يَجهَلونَ وَتَحلُمُ
أَخَذتَ عَلى الأَعداءِ كُلَّ ثَنِيَّةٍ
مِنَ العَيشِ تُعطي مَن تَشاءُ وَتَحرِمُ
فَلا مَوتَ إِلّا مِن سِنانِكَ يُتَّقى
وَلا رِزقَ إِلّا مِن يَمينِكَ يُقسَمُ
