فَهِمتُ الكِتابَ أَبَرَّ الكُتُب

فَسَمعاً لِأَمرِ أَميرِ العَرَب

I understood the Book, the most righteous of books,

I grasped the missive, the truest of writs,

Listening to the order of the Prince of the Arabs,

With a hearing obedient to the Prince of Arabs' command,

وَطَوعاً لَهُ وَاِبتِهاجاً بِهِ

وَإِن قَصَّرَ الفِعلُ عَمّا وَجَب

Obedient to him and rejoicing in it,

In full compliance to him and rejoicing in him,

Though the doing falls short of what is due,

Even if my deeds fell short of what was due.

وَما عاقَني غَيرُ خَوفِ الوُشاةِ

وَإِنَّ الوِشاياتِ طُرقُ الكَذِب

None hindered me but fear of slanderers,

Nothing hindered me but the fear of slanderers,

For slanders are the paths of falsehood

For slander is indeed a pathway of lies,

وَتَكثيرِ قَومٍ وَتَقليلِهِم

وَتَقريبِهِم بَينَنا وَالخَبَب

And exaggerating some people and belittling others,

Their exaggerating of numbers and their diminishing,

And causing dislike between us and confusion.

Their stirring of trouble between us and their deceit.

وَقَد كانَ يَنصُرُهُم سَمعُهُ

وَيَنصُرُني قَلبُهُ وَالحَسَب

His hearing used to help them,

His ear was wont to lend them support,

While his heart and nobility helped me.

But his heart and noble lineage stand for me.

وَما قُلتُ لِلبَدرِ أَنتَ اللُجَينُ

وَلا قُلتُ لِلشَمسِ أَنتِ الذَهَب

I have not called the full moon a muddy puddle,

I never said to the full moon, "You are silver,"

Nor have I called the sun pieces of gold,

Nor did I say to the sun, "You are gold,"

فَيَقلَقَ مِنهُ البَعيدُ الأَناةِ

وَيَغضَبَ مِنهُ البَطيءُ الغَضَب

So that the far-off man of thin patience

Lest the patient one be agitated by it,

Should be alarmed at it and the slow to wrath be angry.

And the slow-to-anger be roused to wrath.

وَما لاقَني بَلَدٌ بَعدَكُم

وَلا اِعتَضتُ مِن رَبِّ نُعمايَ رَب

No country has met me after you,

No land has suited me since leaving your side,

Nor have I accused my Lord of blessings, my Lord!

Nor have I exchanged the Lord of my bounty for another lord.

وَمَن رَكِبَ الثَورَ بَعدَ الجَوادِ

أَنكَرَ أَظلافَهُ وَالغَبَب

He who rode the ox after the stallion

For he who rides the ox after the steed

Found its withers narrow and its flanks uncomely.

Will loathe its cloven hooves and its dewlap.

وَما قِستُ كُلَّ مُلوكِ البِلادِ

فَدَع ذِكرَ بَعضٍ بِمَن في حَلَب

I have not judged all the kings of countries.

I did not measure all the kings of the lands,

Leave mention of some, with him who is in Aleppo!

So leave mention of some beside him who is in Aleppo.

وَلَو كُنتُ سَمَّيتُهُم بِاِسمِهِ

لَكانَ الحَديدَ وَكانوا الخَشَب

If I had named them by name,

Had I called them by his lofty name,

Iron they would have been, and they wood.

He would be the iron sword, and they but the wood.

أَفي الرَأيِ يُشبَهُ أَم في السَخاءِ

أَم في الشَجاعَةِ أَم في الأَدَب

Can one be compared in opinion or bounty,

Is he resembled in judgment or in generosity?

Or courage or literary skill?

Or in courage, or in culture and grace?

مُبارَكُ الاِسمِ أَغَرُّ اللَقَب

كَريمُ الجِرِشّى شَريفُ النَسَب

Blessed of name, noblest of titles,

Blessed in name, illustrious in title,

Generous of lineage, noble of descent,

Noble in spirit, of lineage high.

أَخو الحَربِ يُخدِمُ مِمّا سَبى

قَناهُ وَيَخلَعُ مِمّا سَلَب

Brother of war, serving those he captured,

A brother of war, he makes servants of captives

Clothing them and divesting himself of what he plundered

By his spear, and gives away what he has stripped.

إِذا حازَ مالاً فَقَد حازَهُ

فَتىً لا يُسَرُّ بِما لا يَهَب

If he gained money he gained it as

If he acquires wealth, he acquires it

A man not pleased with what he does not give.

As a youth who finds no joy in what he does not bestow.

وَإِنّي لَأُتبِعُ تَذكارَهُ

صَلاةَ الإِلَهِ وَسَقيَ السُحُب

I follow mention of him with

And I follow the remembrance of him

The prayer of God and the watering of the clouds,

With prayers to God and the watering of clouds.

وَأُثني عَلَيهِ بِآلائِهِ

وَأَقرُبُ مِنهُ نَأى أَو قَرُب

And I praise him for his kind acts,

I praise him for his bountiful gifts,

Whether near or far from him.

Drawing near to him whether far or close.

وَإِن فارَقَتنِيَ أَمطارُهُ

فَأَكثَرُ غُدرانِها ما نَضَب

If his rains have deserted me,

And should his rains ever part from me,

Most of them pour down when they are not expected.

The greatest of their pools would surely run dry.

أَيا سَيفَ رَبِّكَ لا خَلقِهِ

وَيا ذا المَكارِمِ لاذا الشُطَب

By the sword of thy Lord, not His creation!

O Sword of your Lord, not of His creation,

By the noble one, not by the branch of thorn-trees!

O Possessor of virtues, not merely of blade-ridges,

وَأَبعَدَ ذي هِمَّةٍ هِمَّةً

وَأَعرَفَ ذي رُتبَةٍ بِالرُتَب

He put far away an aspiring soul,

O one of furthest aim among the ambitious,

And knew him who had certain titles by his titles!

And most knowing of rank among those of degree,

وَأَطعَنَ مَن مَسَّ خَطِّيَّةً

وَأَضرَبَ مَن بِحُسامٍ ضَرَب

He pierced whoever touched his honour,

The truest thruster of those who touch a lance,

And struck whoever struck with a sword!

The fiercest striker of those who strike with a sword.

بِذا اللَفظِ ناداكَ أَهلُ الثُغورِ

فَلَبَّيتَ وَالهامُ تَحتَ القُضُب

With this speech the people of the frontiers called you,

With this title the border-folk called out to you,

And you answered though the mysterious voices spoke beneath the bushes.

And you answered while skulls lay beneath the blades.

وَقَد يَئِسوا مِن لَذيذِ الحَياةِ

فَعَينٌ تَغورُ وَقَلبٌ يَجِب

They despaired of the sweetness of life,

They had despaired of the sweet taste of life,

An eye that sunk, a heart that leapt.

With eyes sinking deep and hearts pounding hard.

وَغَرَّ الدُمُستُقَ قَولُ العُداةِ

أَنَّ عَلِيّاً ثَقيلاً وَصِب

The injustice of the enemies was gross

The Domestic was deceived by the enemies' words

In saying that Ali was slow and sluggish.

That Ali was heavy with lingering pain.

وَقَد عَلِمَت خَيلَهُ أَنَّهُ

إِذا هَمَّ وَهوَ عَليلٌ رَكِب

His horses knew that when he determined,

Yet his horses knew well that he,

Though sick, to ride, he rode.

When resolved, would ride even while ill.

أَتاهُم بِأَوسَعَ مِن أَرضِهِم

طِوالَ السَبيبِ قِصارَ العُسُب

He brought them wider than their lands,

He came to them with a host wider than their lands,

Long of stirrup, short of reins,

With long flowing manes and short tail-bones.

تَغيبُ الشَواهِقُ في جَيشِهِ

وَتَبدو صِغاراً إِذا لَم تَغِب

The tall were concealed among his army,

The towering peaks vanish within his army,

And seemed short when they did not disappear.

And appear small if they do not disappear.

وَلا تَعبُرُ الريحُ في جَوِّهِ

إِذا لَم تَخَطَّ القَنا أَو تَثِب

The wind cannot pass in his air

No wind can traverse through its dense air,

Unless it glides through the passes or leaps.

Unless it steps over spears or leaps.

فَغَرَّقَ مُدنَهُمُ بِالجُيوشِ

وَأَخفَتَ أَصواتَهُم بِاللَجَب

He drowned their towns in armies

He drowned their cities in a flood of troops,

And silenced their voices with calamities.

And silenced their voices with the clamor of war.

فَأَخبِث بِهِ طالِباً قَهرَهُم

وَأَخبِث بِهِ تارِكاً ما طَلَب

He did wickedly in attacking them when he wished to conquer them,

How devastating he is when seeking their ruin,

And wickedly when he wished to leave them alone.

And how devastating when leaving what he sought!

نَأَيتَ فَقاتَلَهُم بِاللِقاءِ

وَجِئتَ فَقاتَلَهُم بِالهَرَب

You were far away, so you fought them in person,

You withdrew, so he fought them by meeting them,

And you came near, so you fought them in flight.

You came, so he fought them by taking flight.

وَكانوا لَهُ الفَخرَ لَمّا أَتى

وَكُنتَ لَهُ العُذرَ لَمّا ذَهَب

They had the glory when he came,

They were his pride when he first advanced,

And you had the excuse when he went away.

But you were his excuse when he turned to run.

سَبَقتَ إِلَيهِم مَناياهُمُ

وَمَنفَعَةُ الغَوثِ قَبلَ العَطَب

Their deaths forestalled them before he came,

You raced their own dooms to reach them,

And the benefit of help before the affliction.

For the value of aid lies before the fall.

فَخَرّوا لِخالِقِهِم سُجَّداً

وَلَو لَم تُغِث سَجَدوا لِلصُلُب

They fell prostrate before their Creator,

They fell down prostrate to their Creator,

And had you not helped, they would have prostrated themselves to the crosses.

Had you not saved them, they would have bowed to the Cross.

وَكَم ذَدتَ عَنهُم رَدىً بِالرَدى

وَكَشَّفتَ مِن كُرَبٍ بِالكُرَب

How often did you fend off destruction from them with destruction,

How often you drove death from them with death,

And drive away sorrow with sorrows!

And dispelled distress by inflicting distress.

وَقَد زَعَموا أَنَّهُ إِن يَعُد

يَعُد مَعَهُ المَلِكُ المُعتَصِب

They claimed that if he counted up

They claimed that if he were to return,

The king who seized would count up with him,

The Crowned King would return at his side,

وَيَستَنصِرانِ الَّذي يَعبُدانِ

وَعِندَهُما أَنَّهُ قَد صُلِب

And they two would seek help from Him they worshipped,

Both seeking victory from the One they worship,

And in their view He was crucified,

While believing that He was once crucified!

لِيَدفَعَ ما نالَهُ عَنهُما

فَيا لَلرِجالِ لِهَذا العَجَب

To drive off from them what He suffered for them.

To ward off from them what befell Him before—

Strange are men for this astonishment!

O men! What a wonder is this strange creed!

أَرى المُسلِمينَ مَعَ المُشرِكينَ

إِمّا لِعَجزٍ وَإِمّا رَهَب

I see the Muslims with the polytheists,

I see the Muslims alongside the Polytheists,

Either through incapacity or fear.

Whether out of impotence or out of fear,

وَأَنتَ مَعَ اللَهِ في جانِبٍ

قَليلُ الرُقادِ كَثيرُ التَعَب

While you are with God in a party

While you stand with God on a side apart,

Little of sleep, much of weariness.

With little sleep and enduring much toil.

كَأَنَّكَ وَحدَكَ وَحَّدتَهُ

وَدانَ البَرِيَّةُ بِاِبنِ وَأَب

It is as though you alone made Him one,

As if you alone declared His Oneness,

And mankind altogether surrendered to the Son and Father.

While the rest of creation worshipped a Son and a Father.

فَلَيتَ سُيوفَكَ في حاسِدٍ

إِذا ما ظَهَرَت عَلَيهِم كَئِب

Would that your swords were in a hater

Would that your swords struck the envious one,

When they appear above them piled up!

Who grieves when they shine in victory over them.

وَلَيتَ شَكاتَكَ في جِسمِهِ

وَلَيتَكَ تَجزي بِبُغضٍ وَحُب

Would that your arrows were in his body,

Would that your ailment were in his body,

Would that you might reward hatred and love!

And would that you repaid based on hatred and love.

فَلَو كُنتَ تَجزي بِهِ نِلتُ مِنكَ

أَضعَفَ حَظٍّ بِأَقوى سَبَب

If you rewarded with it, I should obtain from you

For if you repaid thus, I would attain from you

The weakest share with the strongest claim.

The greatest fortune through the strongest bond.