قُلْتُ وَأَقْوَالِي يَسُؤْنَ الكُشَّحَا

لَها إِذا حاوَلْتُ نَحْواً مُنْتَحا

I said, and my words annoy misers

When I try a new style, they banish graceful ones

تَطْرُدُ مِنْها سائِراتٍ جُنَّحا

مَعْرُوفَةً مِنَ القَوافِي وُضَّحا

Recognized for their elegant rhymes and themes

I will weave a praise - and more praises -

لأَنْسِجَنَّ مِدَحاً وَمِدَحَا

كَرِيمَةً تَأْتِي امْرَأً مُمَدَّحا

Noble, for a praised man

A saying - when I let it loose, it frolics

قَوْلاً إِذَا سَرَّحْتُهُ تَسَرَّحا

كَالعَصْبِ ذِي التَرْقِيمِ أوْ مُوَشَّحا

Like an embroidered gown or a brocade

Easy, when I polish it, it shines

سَهْلاً إِذا مَايَحْتُهُ تَمَيَّحا

أَشْعَرَ مِن أَشْعارِهِمْ وَأَنْجَحا

More eloquent than their poems and more successful

Praise brings profit to a man of dignity

وَالمَدْحُ رِبْحٌ لاِمْرِءٍ تَرَبَّحا

مَنَحْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْهَا مِنَحا

I have granted Abdullah some of it

He has an advantage and splendor

إِنَّ لَهُ مَزِيَّةً وَمَسْبَحا

وَغايَةً تُرْبِي الرِجَالَ أُنَّحا

And a goal that raises men high

Without your goals, prolonged sorrow

مِنْ دُونِ غاياتِكَ حَسْرَى بُلَّحا

أَزْهَرَ مِن أَلِ عَلِيٍّ أَفْيَحا

He blossomed from the family of Ali, most fragrant

The purely glorious and the most noble wine cup

المَحْضَ مَجْداً وَالرَغِيبَ مِقْدَحا

ما وَجَدَ العَدَّادُ فِيهِ جَحْجَحا

The enumerator found no defect in him

Mightier in helping and most generous

أَعَزَّ مِنْهُ نَجْدَةً وَأَسْمَحا

ما النِيلُ مِنْ مِصْرَ إِذا تَبَطَّحا

Not like the Nile of Egypt when it floods

Meandering, fleeting or strolling

مُغْتَدِياً يَسْتَنُّ أَوْ تَرَوَّحا

تَزْفِي أَوَاذِيه السَفِين الطُفَّحا

Its laden ships sway

With a peer of his, contention stirred up

بِعادِلٍ مِنْهُ سِجالاً نُفَّحا

هَنَّا وَهَنَّا وَغُيُوثاً سُمَّحا

And after help, advice perpetual

Until the earth beams with the light of dawn

وَدِيَماً بَعدَ الغُيوثِ نُصَّحا

حَتَّى تَمُجَّ الأَرْضُ نُوْراً أَصْبَحا

And I said, sincere advice from a counseling brother

Whose heart almost feared being wounded

وَقُلْتُ نُصْحاً مِن أَخٍ تَنَصَّحا

قَدْ كادَ يَخْشَى قَلْبُه أَنْ يَقْرَحا

But God accomplished a most upright reconciliation

The two parties which came to terms

فَأَدْرَك اللَّهُ بِقَصْدٍ أَسْجَحَا

إِنَّ الفَرِيقَيْنِ اللَّذَيْنِ اصْطَلَحا

And united a group and reformed

And they became, by His blessing, safe by night and day

فَأَجْمَعَا جَمَاعَةً وَأَصْلَحا

وَأَمْسَيَا بِنِعْمَةٍ وَأَصْبَحا

No enemies could plot against them

If they had obeyed the envious ones, they would have fallen

لا يَكْدَح الأَعْدَاءُ فِيهِمْ مَكْدَحا

وَلَو أَطاعَا الحاسِدِين انْتَطَحا

And separated us into groups and fragments

But those guided by God succeeded

فَقَسَمَانَا فِرَقاً وَطَحْطَحا

وَمَنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ اهْتَدى وَأَفْلَحا

Examples before us will not be erased

And we saw the kingdom of a people tossed about

وَالمَثُلاتُ قَبْلَنَا لَنْ تُمْتَحا

وَقَدْ رَأَيْنا مُلْكَ قَوْمٍ فِي رَحَا

Foolish people who ruined their kingdom

So they became owning not even a field

طَحَّانَةٍ حَزَّتْ حَلاقِيمَ اللَّحَا

قَوْماً تَغالَوْا مُلْكَهُمْ فَاسْتَجْرَحا

And good turned to evil in them

Quenching the sincere thirst for evil until they were sated

فَأَصْبَحُوا ما يَمْلِكُونَ مَسْرَحا

وَانْقَلَبَ المَحْضُ بِهِمْ مُضَيَّحا

They fell into the abyss of defeat, forced down

And he who strives in vain wanders confused

يَسْقي صَرِيحَ الشَرِّ حَتَّى صَرَّحا

طاحُوا بِمَهْوَى الخافِقِيْنِ رُزَّحا

Alas! Alas! Degraded for them

They were left surrendered, wingless

وَمَنْ سَعَى في غَيِّهِ تَطَوَّحا

أَيْهَاتَ أَيهاتَ لَهُمْ مُطَرَّحا

And wailing women and corpses lamented

And the destroyed in hell, scalded

فَتُرِكُوا مُسْتَسْلِمِينَ جُنَّحا

وَحَوْتَكَاتٍ وَنِسَاءً نُوَّحا

And God's kingdom became a growing kingdom

And they became inheritors, kept away

وَمُهْلَكِينَ فِي الجَحِيمِ كُلَّحا

وَعَادَ مُلْكُ اللَّهِ مُلْكاً مُنْدَحا

Colonizers and vulgar pilgrims

You see for them the light of a shining glow

فَأَصْبَحُوا مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ رُجَّحا

مُسْتَعْمِرِينَ وَحَجِيجاً شُبَّحا

And the two moons and orbiting stars

The generosity of Abdullah in what he blew away

تَرَى لَهُمْ ضَوْءَ ضِياءٍ مُضْرَحا

وَالقَمَرَيْنِ وَالنُجُومَ اللُوَّحا

Giving horses and noble steeds their fodder

And the camels carrying the luggage, prepared

وَجُودُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِيمَا نَفَّحا

يُعْطِي القِيانَ وَالجِيادَ القُرَّحا

From battalions and infantry rubbed

That fold when the fifth of them rests

وَالعِيسَ يَنْتُقْنَ الرِحَالَ رُشَّحا

مِنَ الدُفُوفِ وَالذَفارَى نُتَّحا

Leading, challenging the dust driven away

Your ransom is an inseparable, unfailing tie

تَطْوِي إِذا ما خِمْسُها تَمَتَّحا

قُوداً يُعارِضْنَ وَغُبْراً نُزَّحا

It does not pardon evil, unobstructed

Its traces accursed and despised

فَداكَ وَخْمٌ لا يَنِي مُشَحشَحا

لا يَفْسَحُ السَوْءَةَ عَنْهُ مَفْسَحا

When rights are dying around it

It grows more stale when it coughs weakly

مَلْعُونَةً آثارُهُ مُقَبَّحا

إِذا الحُقُوق احْتَضَرَتْه أَوْكَحا

And Abdullah assailed a poisoned people

With hurling warriors attacking most directly

يَزْدادُ إِبْلاساً إِذا تَنْحْنحا

وَصَكَّ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ قَوْماً طُمَّحا

If they had stirred the calm of Safa, it would have screamed

Whoever wanted to repel him recoiled

بِقاذِفاتٍ يَبْتَدِرْنَ رُضَّحا

لَوْ رُمْنَ صَمّانَ الصَفَا تَصَيَّحا

And feared a lion, and rams butting

From the Abbasids and raging young lions

وَمَن أَرادَ دَفْعَهُ تَزَحْزَحا

وَخافَ أُسْداً وَكِباشاً نُطَّحا

While lions frighten yapping dogs

So God cooled the minds set right

مِنْ آلِ عَبّاسٍ وَعَضْباً مِجْوَحا

وَالأُسْدُ يُخْشِينَ الكِلابَ النُبَّحا

And the traces of some people were erased

How many skulls of enemies did he crush!

فَبَرَّدَ اللَّهُ الجُيُوبَ النُصَّحا

وَأَصْبَحَتْ آثارُ قَوْمٍ مُصَّحا

And he took from them a slaughtered butcher

So they became wandering blindly confused

كَمْ مِنْ عِدىً جَمْجَمَهُمُ وَجَحْجَحَا

وَاعْتاضَ مِنْهُمْ جَزَاراً مُذَبَّحا

Meeting much evil and distress from the evils drawn in

Evil is pulled in when it flares up

فَأَصْبَحُوا يَزْقُونَ هاماً ضُبَّحا

لاقَوْا مِن الشَرِّ عُراماً أَكْبَحا

It harms most those with whom it mates

A flame consuming the page of whoever examines carefully

وَالشَرُّ مَجْلُوبٌ إِذا تَكَفَّحا

بِأَهْلِه أَزْرَى بِهِمْ وَلَقَّحا

I swear by God who appointed the morning brightness

And raised up the heavens and spread out the earth

شَهْباءَ تَوهِي صَفْحَ مَنْ تَصَفَّحا

حَلَفْتُ بِاللَّه الَّذِي سَمَّى الضُحَا

And remember when the great matter shakes the foundations

Even if some fearful or suspicious ones shake

وَالرافِعِ السَماءَ وَالأَرْضَ دَحَا

وَاذْكُرْ إِذَا الأَمْرُ الجَلِيُّ جَلَّحا

That the Book of God in what it foretold

Is unrelenting, driving joy and delight away

وَإِنْ تَخْشَّى خائِفٌ أَوْ شَحْشَحا

أَنَّ كِتابَ اللَّهِ فِيمَا قَدْ وَحَا

While birds flow to the fortunate effortlessly

And the wretched drive away the spotted owl

ماضٍ يَسُوقُ فَرَحاً وَتَرَحا

وَالطَيْرُ تَجْرِي لِلسَعِيدِ سُنُحا

Generosity only brings profit to the generous

While evil is drawn towards the shameless

وَالأَشْقِياءُ يَزْجُرُونَ البُرُحَا

وَالجُودُ لا يَنْزِعُ إِلّا مُرْبِحا

And prevents honor from those made righteous

And no leader of a people remained unperturbed

وَالشَرُّ مَجْلُوبٌ عَلَى مَن أَوْقَحا

وَيَمْنَع الأَعْراضَ مَن تَصَحَّحا

He shook with enmity of foes what he shook

He left by the Martyrs and the Two Fortresses a protected meadow, bloodied

وَلَمْ يَدَعْ رَئِيسَ قَوْمٍ مِتْيَحا

كَوَّحَ مِنْ بَغْيِ العِدَا مَا كَوَّحا

And Marwan saw when they poisoned

Lightning bolts from it and a piercing stab

غادَرَ بِالمَرْجَيْنِ مِمّا سَدَّحا

قَتْلَى وَبِالحِصْنَيْنِ حَوْذاً مِذْوَحا

وَقَدْ رَأَى مَرْوانُ حِينَ سَمَّحا

صَواعِقاً مِنْهُ وَطَعْناً رَنَّحا