إِلَيكَ التَهاني تستحث وُفودُها
وَفيكَ القَوافي يُستَمالُ شُرودُها
To you congratulations hasten their delegations,
And in you rhymes are gently stirred their inspirations.
وَتُسلِكُنا فيها مَعانيكَ هَينَةً
إِذا اِستَصبَحَت أَقبالُها وَنُجودُها
Through them your gentle meanings guide us easily,
When their rises and gifts dawn in the morning's radiations.
تُعاتِبُ عَزمي فيكَ كُلَّ خَليقَةٍ
عَلَيها سَرابيلُ العُلى وَبُرودَها
My determination in you reproaches every being,
Over it the garments of highness and its coldness.
كَأَنّي قَرَضتُ الشِعرِ قَبلَ زَمانِهِ
لِيوجِبَ في يَومٍ عَلى نَشيدِها
As if I had borrowed poetry before its time,
To oblige it one day for its chant.
وَكُنتُ إِذا ما اِعتَمتُ صَمتي عَنِ الثَنا
أُكَلِّفُ نَفسي خُطَّةً ما تُريدُها
And if I was silent from praise,
I would assign myself a plan that it wants.
فَإِن كُنتُ لِلحُسنى عَميداً وَصاحِباً
فَإِنّى مَديحاً صَبَّها وَعَميدَها
So if I am a pillar of beauty and its companion,
Then I am the praise it poured and its pillar.
وَإِن صيغَ عِقدُ المَدحِ فيكَ فَطالَما
تَحَلَّت بِكَ العَلياءَ وَاِزدانَ جيدُها
And if the contract of praise is forged in you,
The sublime adorned itself with it and its necklace shone.
كَأَنَّكَ مِن ماءِ الشَهامَةِ مَنهَلٌ
تَظَلُّ العُلى حَرى إِلَيهِ كُبودُها
As if you are from the water of glory a spring,
To which the lofty necks yearn, and its camels.
لَقَد شَمِلَت مِنكَ الجَميعُ بِلُطفِها
شَمائِلَ يُزري بِالشُمولِ وُرودُها
From you all creation is included in its kindness,
Attributes that eclipse the inclusion and its roses.
وَقَد فُزتُ حَظّاً بِالمُعَلّى مِنَ العُلى
فَتَقَدَّحَ ناراً في يَدَيكَ صُلودُها
And I have won the supreme share of the supreme,
So its embers blazed in your hands fiercely.
حَصَلتُ عَلى شَمِّ المَعالي فَلَم يَزَل
بِأُفقِ العَنانِ البَدرَ وَهوَ حَسودُها
I attained the scent of glories, so it never ceased
At the horizon of possibilities to envy the full moon and its enviers.
صَبَوتُ إِلَيها وَهيَ نَحوَكَ قَد صِبتُ
فَلا غَروَ أَن تَفتَنَّ بِحُسنِكَ غيدُها
I poured to it while it poured to you,
So no wonder its affection is tempted by your beauty.
غَلَبتُ القَوافي كُلَّها وَسَبَقتُها
وَإِن يَزرُ بِالدرِ النَضيدِ نَضيدُها
I overcame all rhymes and preceded them,
Even if the rare pearl rivals its matcher.
بِهِمَّةِ مِقدامِ العَزيمَةِ لا تَرى
عَياءَ وَلا وَقعُ الصِعابِ يَؤودُها
With the resolve of steadfast determination, it does not see
Disgrace, nor the impact of difficulties subdue it.
وَأَخلاقُ مَيمونِ النَقيبَةِ ما يَني
يَصوبُ بِها غَيثُ الثَنا وَيجودُها
And the morals of the auspicious leader what wishes
Its praise rain pours and bestows.
فَتى لَو أَعارَ الشَمسَ ضَوءَ جَبينِهِ
لَمّا ساغَ تَحتَ الدَجُنِّ يَوماً رُبودُها
A youth, if the sun borrowed the light of his forehead,
The darkness would not have endured its coldness any day.
وَلَو لا بَسَ الظَلماءَ نورَ جَنانِهِ
لَما اِحتيجَ مِن نورِ الصَباحِ وَقودُها
And if he had not dressed the darkness with the light of his soul,
The light of dawn would not have needed fuel.
وَلَو مَزَجَ اللَهُ الحَياةَ بِلُطفِهِ
لَمّا اِحتَمَلَت سَقمَ الجُسومِ جُلودِها
And if God had mixed life with his kindness,
Diseased bodies would not have endured their skins.
نَشا كَلَفاً بِالمَكرُماتِ فَلَم تَزَل
لَهُ نَفَحاتٌ لَيسَ يَجحَد جودُها
He grew accustomed to generosity so its fragrant breezes never ceased,
Which no ingrate can deny its munificence.
إِلى الغايَةِ القُصوى مَنازِعُ هَمِّهِ
فَأَقرَبُ هاتيكَ المَغازي بِعيدِها
To the farthest extent the concerns of his resolve,
So near are those conquests to its hands.
توليهِ ذاتَ الأَروعِيَّةِ نَفسَهُ
عَلى عَقَباتٍ لا يُرامُ كُؤودِها
Entrusting the holder of the most honorable self,
Over obstacles whose knobs are not desired.
يَهتِكَ أَستارَ المَغالِقِ حَزمَهُ
لَدى مُعضِلاتٍ لا يُنادي وَليدُها
His rationality tears the veils of dilemmas,
By predicaments whose newborn cannot be called upon.
إِذا اِعتَرَضَت دَهمُ عَوابِسٍ في الوَرى
فَمِنهُ لَهُم مَهديها وَرَشيدُها
Whenever the attacks of frowning misfortunes confront,
He is their guide and their well-guided one.
عَلى مُلتَقى سُبُلِ المَعاني تَخالُهُ
فَمُبتَدِرٌ مِن كُلِّ صَوبٍ يَصيدُها
At the crossroads of meanings' paths his wit meets them,
So from every direction comes one who hunts them.
أَما لَت لَهُ كُلِّ القُلوبِ مِنَ الوَرى
مَكارِمٌ تَترى في القُلوبِ قُيودَها
Do not all hearts in existence for him
Have generosities that shackle their hearts?
لَقَد أَلِفَ الأَفضالَ وَهوَ رَبيبُهُ
وَهَل تَألَفِ الأَغيالَ إِلّا اِسوَدَّها
He befriended virtues and he is their ward,
And do despicable deeds befriend except their blackened?
وَلا قَت بِهِ زَهرَ السُعودِ جُدودَهُ
كَما تَتَلاقى في البُروجِ سُعودَها
Neither did his ancestral nobility match the flower of bliss,
As they come together in the constellations their felicity.
رَعى اللَهُ مَن يَرعى المَوَدَّةَ وَالوَلا
بِباصِرَةٍ ما يَطَّبيها هُجودَها
May God guard one who guards affection and loyalty,
With insight that cannot be disturbed by its rejection.
أَيا حَسَناً لَم يَبقَ حَسَناً لِغَيرِهِ
بِرِفعَةِ شَأنٍ لَم يَزَل يَستَزيدَها
O beauty that has left no beauty for others,
With the elevation of rank that never ceases to increase it.
وَيا مَخولاً لا تارِكاً طارِفَ العُلى
إِذا كانَ أَولاكَ الغِناءَ تَليدَها
O bestower, not one who deprives the lofty of joy,
When the beautiful melody makes it an heir.
عَشِقنا مَعانيكَ الحِسانَ وَإِنَّها
وَحَقُّكَ عَينٌ لا يُطاقُ صُدودَها
We loved your beautiful meanings, and it is true about you an eye
That cannot be resisted closing its lids.
تَضاحَكَ ثَغرُ الأُقحُوانِ ثُغورَها
وَتَفضَحُ وَاللَهُ الشَقيقُ خُدودَها
The cheeks of gorgeousness smile, revealing their moles,
And by God, the radiant blush their cheeks.
تَباهَت بِكَ الأَقلامُ أَنَّكَ رَبَّها
وَأَنَّكَ مَطبوعُ المَعاني مَجيدُها
The pens took pride that you are their nurturer,
And you are the imprinter of meanings, their magnificent one.
فَخُذها مِنَ الشِعرِ العِراقي غادَةً
تَناهَت إِلى ماءِ السَماءِ جُدودَها
So take them from the Iraqi poetry, an antelope
That attained the water of the sky, their loftiness.
عَلى غَيرِ عَهدٍ بِالثَناءِ وَلَم يَكُن
حِداها إِلى ناديكَ إِلّا عُهودَها
Without being accustomed to praise, and it was not
Their limit to your association except their pledge.
وَقَد أَنفَذَتها نَحوَ مَدحِكَ هِمَّةً
تَجاذَبَها إِقدامُها وَقُعودَها
And they sent it to your praise with an ambition
That dragged them, its bravery and its stillness.
أَخا الحُسنِ فَاِهنَأ بِالزَفافِ الَّذي زَها
وَدامَت لَكَ الدُنيا وَأَنتَ سَعيدُها
O brother of beauty, so congratulate this wedding that beautified,
And may the world last for you while you are its happy one.
وَدُم بِهَنا هَذا القَرانَ مُمَتَّعاً
قَرينُكَ مِن هَذي الحَياةِ غيدُها
And may this pairing last with joy,
Your partner from this life, her necklace.
بَقيتَ بَقاءَ الدَهرِ فَخراً لِأَهلِهِ
وَخُلِّدَت لَو نَفسٌ يَرجى خُلودُها
You remained for eternity pride of its people,
And if a soul was immortalized, its eternity would be hoped for.
وَلا زِلتَ بَدرَ الشَرقِ ماذَرَّ شارِقٌ
وَما طَلعَةَ الإِصباحِ لاحَ عَمودُها
And you always were the full moon of the east whenever an appearer gleamed,
And the rising of dawn, its pillar shone.
