أرسلها ترعى أَلاءً ونَفَلْ

تامكةً بين الجبالِ كالجبلْ

She sends her grazing Ala', perfect

Among the mountains like a mountain.

حنّ لها نبتُ الخُزامى باللّوى

وشبّ حَوْذانُ العميم واِكتَهلْ

The blossoms of Khuzama bowed to her

And the rain of Umaym grew full and matured.

مِن يَعْمَلاتٍ ما وردن عن هوىً

ولم تَبِتْ مِن شلّها على وَجَلْ

With virtues not motivated by passion,

Nor did any defect in her ever appear.

كرائمٌ يبذلن للضّيف قِرىً

ودونهنّ البيضُ تدمى والأَسَلْ

Virtues they offer to the guest generously,

While they bleed the white camels and sheep.

يوسعْنَنَا الرَّسْلَ مقيمين وإنْ

سرنا فيوسعن الرّسيمَ والرَّمَلْ

They make us comfortable if we stay

And if we leave they make the breeze and sands comfortable.

كَمَلْن حتّى ما يُعَيَّرْن إذا

جدّ فخارٌ بسوى قربِ الأجلْ

They reached perfection, so they cannot be reproached

If seriousness nears death's appointment.

قد قلتُ للسّارين يبغون العُلا

وربّ سارٍ عَمِيَتْ عنه السُّبُلْ

I said to the travelers seeking glory

While many travelers' paths were blinded.

في مَهْمَهٍ مُلتَبسٍ أقطارُه

لو نَسَلَ الذّئب به صبحاً لَضلْ

In confusing vast lands

Even a wolf would get lost wandering them at dawn.

يسترجف الطِّرْفَ إذا خبّ به

غبَّ السُّرى ريح النّعامى والشَّمَلْ

Eyes glance around when the beloved is hidden

The bird's nest is demolished by the breeze.

أمّوا بها مالكَ أملاكِ الورى

عمادَ هذا الدّين سلطانَ الدُّوَلْ

They protected the owner of earthly kingdoms

The pillar of this religion, the sultan of states.

حيث تُرى الهامُ إليه سجّداً

وأرضُه معمورةٌ من القُبَلْ

Where pride bows down before him

And his land is populated from all directions.

والسُّؤْدُدُ الرَّغْدُ وأموالُ الغنى

تُهان في عِراصِهِ وتُبتَذَلْ

Endowments of bliss, wealth of bounty

Debased in his yards and made common.

وَمَنبتُ الجود الّذي نُوّارُه

يُمطَرُ في كلّ صباحٍ ويُطَلْ

The source of his generosity, its lights

Rain every morning and night.

الثّابتُ العزمِ إذا طيشٌ هفا

والواجدُ الرّأي إذا الرّأي بَطَلْ

Firm in resolve when others are frivolous

Wise in opinion when opinions fail.

ذو فكرةٍ تُنير كلَّ ظلمةٍ

كأنّها جَذوة نارٍ تشتعلْ

With an idea that illuminates every darkness

As if it were an igniting ember.

ظَلْتَ بحرّ الحرب في عصابةٍ

يُحرّمون الطّعنَ إلّا في المُقَلْ

You remained in the sea of war among men

Who only stab with thin, fine spears.

من كلّ سيّارٍ إلى الذّكرِ وإنْ

شتّتَ ذاك الذّكرُ شملاً أو قُبَلْ

Gathering all those scattered in remembrance

Whether that gathering disperses or meets.

كأنّه أَقنى على مَرْقَبةً

يُدمِي إذا ضمَّ وإنْ أُدْمِي نَشَلْ

As if leaning over a watchtower

Staining it with blood if compact and tearing it down if ruined.

حتّى حميتَ جانبَ الملكِ وقد

خِيف عليه ثَلَلٌ بعد ثَلَلْ

Until you protected the state’s flank when

It was endangered by setback after setback.

لَولا مداواتُك مِن أمراضهِ

بالضّربِ والطّعنِ جميعاً ما أبَلْ

If not for your treatment of its afflictions

With blows and stabs, it would not have thrived.

كم صعبةٍ ركبتها معضلةٍ

تُطعمها الريثَ إذا أكدَى العَجَلْ

How many stubborn problems you have mounted.

Feeds them careful steps when haste stumbles.

وطامحٍ بغير حقٍّ للعُلا

زحزحتَه عن التّراقي فنزَلْ

And an ambitious one without rightful claim to glory

You pushed him away from climbing, so he slipped.

وجامحٍ إلى الهوى ومائلٍ

عن النُّهى رددتهَ عن المَيَلْ

And one rushing to passion, leaning

Away from propriety, you returned him from his leaning.

أيُّ فتىً من قبل أنْ أرشدتَه

قعقع أبوابَ المعالي فدخَلْ

Which young man did you guide

Before he knocked on the doors of glory and entered?

وأيُّ خرقٍ عَبَقَ الجود به

لم يُسألِ المعروفَ يوماً فبذَلْ

And which threadbare soul did generosity perfume

That was never asked for kindness yet gave?

وَأَيُّ ماشٍ في مزلّاتِ الرّدى

جاز ولم يُخش عليه مِن زَلَلْ

And which walker in the slips of vileness

Crossed over and had no fear of stumbling?

وأين ما حُمّل ما حُمّلتَه

بين عظيمٍ وجسيمٍ فحملْ

And what heavy load did you bear

Between the mighty and strong, yet you carried it?

مِن معشرٍ ما خُلقتْ إلّا لهمْ

أَسِرَّةُ الملكِ وتيجانُ الدُّوَلْ

Among a people created only for them,

The elite of the kingdom and crowns of the state.

ما وُلدوا إلّا وفي أيديهمُ

أزمّةُ الدَّوْلاتِ مِن عَقْدٍ وَحلْ

Born only with the crises of kingdoms

In their hands, from knots and solutions.

في حُلَلِ الملك لهمْ كاسيةً

أجسادَهمْ مَنْدوحةٌ عن الحُلَلْ

Wearing the garments of the kingdom, their bodies

Shed of garments.

قد جاءني ما كنتَ تهديه على

شَحْطِ النّوى طوراً وفي قربِ النَّزَلْ

What you used to send me came to me

Sometimes from burning passions, sometimes in near lodging.

قولٌ وفعلٌ ألحقاني بالعُلا

والماءُ قَد يلحق غصّاً بالطُّوَلْ

Words and deeds made me reach glory

And water can sometimes reach foam in rising high.

فضّلتني على الورى وكلُّ مَنْ

فضّلته على الورى كلّاً فَضَلْ

You favored me over all people and whoever

You favored over all people, you favored.

وقلتَ ما حَلَّيْتَنِي الدّهَر به

وكم ثويتُ موسعاً من العَطَلْ

And you told me what you adorned me with in life

And how I complained, seeking respite in my dismissal.

كَم لكَ عِندي نِعَمٌ فُتن المُنى

ولم تنهلنّ بُنيّاتُ الأَسَلْ

How many blessings you have with me that elated wishes

And did not quench the thirst of aspiring souls!

أرفلُ منهنّ وكم ماشٍ أرى

على الثّرى في مثلهنّ ما رَفَلْ

I boast of them while I see many a walker on earth

In the like of them did not boast.

يا أيّها المالك منّي رِبْقَةً

أعيتْ على الشُّمِّ العرانين الأُوَلْ

O you who possess me, a fleet

That exhausted the first camels in the Syrian lands.

كَم رامَ منّي بعضَ ما أجرَرْتُه

مَن مدّ ضَبْعَيه له فما وَصَلْ

How much I held back of what I pulled

Whoever stretched out their arms for it did not reach!

أَيقَظتني على القريض بعدما

نكّب غاويه طريقي وعَدَلْ

You awakened me to poetry after blindness

Led my passionate astray and turned away.

وقال في مجدك إنْ كنتَ تفي

عقدتَ أنْ لا تقرضَ الشّعرَ فَحَلْ

And he said of your glory, if you are true

You tied yourself from composing poetry, so untie!

فخذ كما أثَرْتَها قافيةً

كأنّما شيءٌ سواها لم يُقَلْ

So take it as you deemed its rhyme

As if nothing else was ever said.

نزّهتُها لمّا أردتُ سَوْقَها

إلى علاك من نسيبٍ وغَزَلْ

I purified it when I wanted to take it

To your glory from a beloved and amorous one.

كأنّما هشّتْ وقد صِيغتْ بها

حَبُّ القلوب من سرورٍ وجَذَلْ

As if it glistened and was cast with it

The love of hearts of bliss and affection.

لا ملّك اللّهُ لنا غيرَكمُ

ولا نأى عزّكُمُ ولا اِنتقلْ

God did not allow us other than you

Nor did your glory recede or move away.

ودارُ ملكٍ أنتَ فيها لم تزلْ

مأهولةً من الوفود والخَوَلْ

The house of a kingdom which you remain in

Was always filled with delegations and roams.

ودرّتِ النُّعمى عليكمْ ثَرَّةً

ونلتموها عَلَلاً بعد نَهَلْ

The clouds poured abundantly upon you

And you obtained them in waves after waves.