أَأَسكُت عَن مَولى الوَرى أَم أُعاتِبُه

وَأُهمِلُ وَعدِي عِندَهُ أَم أُطالِبُهْ

Shall I be silent about the Master of the worlds or blame him,

And neglect my promise with him or demand it?

أَراني بِأَدنى مَطلَبٍ هُنتُ عِندَهُ

وَقَد غَرَّقَت مَن لَيسَ مِثلي مَواهِبُهْ

Do I see myself with the slightest request humiliated by him

While his gifts have drowned those unlike me?

أَترضى أَبا شُكرٍ بِسُحبِ غَمامَةٍ

لِمِثلي وَأَنتَ البَحرُ جاشَت غَوارِبُهْ

Are you pleased with Abu Shukr with drawing a small cloud

For the likes of me while you are the sea with its plunging ships?

أَلِلمدحِ أَم لِلبَيتِ أَم لِسوالِفٍ

عَلَت أَم لِوُدٍّ لَم يحُل عَنهُ صاحِبُهْ

Is it for praise or the house or for chitchat

Exalted or for love from which its companion cannot be detached?

لِمَن تَذخَرُ المصرِيَّ يا اِبنَ مُحمَّدٍ

وَكُلُّ جَوادٍ أَنتَ بِالسَّيفِ كاسِبُهْ

For whom do you hoard, O Egyptian, O Son of Muhammad

While every generous one, by the sword you have defeated?

أَتَخشى هُجومَ الفَقرِ أَم تَطلُبُ الرِّضا

بِهِ مِن عَدُوٍّ أَنتَ إِن شِئتَ غالبُهْ

Do you fear the assault of poverty or seek satisfaction

With it from an enemy whom, if you wish, you could vanquish?

فَلا تَبخَلَن عَنّي بِما أَنا أَهلُهُ

فَكُلُّ نَفيسٍ أَنتَ لا بُدَّ واهِبُهْ

So do not be miserly with me regarding what I deserve

For every precious thing, you must inevitably grant.

فَأجمَلُ ثَوبَيكَ الَّذي أَنا لابِسٌ

وَخَيرُ جَواديكَ الَّذي أَنا راكبُهْ

So the finest of your clothes that I am wearing

And the best of your steeds that I am riding.

وَلا تُرخِصِ الغالي وَقِف عِندَ قَدرِهِ

وَقَوِّمهُ بِالأَوفى فَما اِغتَرَّ جالِبُهْ

And do not make the expensive one cheap, stop at its value,

And evaluate it with the most loyal, for the desirer was not tempted by it.

لعَمرُكَ ما مالُ الفَتى غَيرُ ما اِقتَنَت

ذوو وُدِّهِ أَو وَفدُهُ أَو أَقارِبُهْ

By your life, the wealth of the youth is nothing but what

His loved ones gained or his delegation or relatives.

أَتَحرِمُني ما أَنتَ مُعطيهِ كاشِحاً

عَدُوّاً طوالَ الدَّهرِ تَسري عَقارِبُهْ

Will you deprive me of what you give abundantly to a deceitful enemy

Whose tricks against me have persisted eternally?

وَلَو كُنتَ ذا بخلٍ عَذرتُ وَلَم أَفه

بِحَرفٍ وَأَخفَيتُ الَّذي أَنا عاتِبُهْ

Had you been miserly, I would have excused you and not said a word

And concealed what I blame you for.

وَلَم أُبدِ مِن نَفسي هلوعاً وَلَم أَقُم

مَقاماً مَضى عُمري وَإِنّي لَهائِبُهْ

I would not have shown despair nor taken

A stance - my life has passed and I am confused.

وَلَكِنَّكَ البَحرُ الَّذي كُلَّما طَما

صَفا وَحَلَت لِلوارِدينَ مَشارِبُهْ

But you are the sea, the more cloudy it became

The clearer it was for those arriving to drink.

فَيا اِبنَ المُلوكِ الصِّيدِ وَالذّروَةِ الَّتي

لَها كاهِلُ المَجدِ المُعَلّى وَغارِبُهْ

So O son of Kings, of hunting and the prominence which

Its shoulder of glorious elevation and its setting have.

أُعيذُكَ أَن تَرضى بِنَقصٍ لِماجِدٍ

طَويلِ عِمادِ البَيتِ مَحض ضَرائِبُهْ

I implore you not to accept any deficiency of glorious deeds

The pillars of the house which are purely its earnings.

جُدودُكَ أَربابُ المَعالي جُدودُه

وَقاضِبُكَ المُهدي لَكَ العِزَّ قاضِبُهْ

Your ancestors, the masters of glories, his ancestors

And your ancestor the Guided One, may he bless you, cultivated it.

تَروحُ وَتَغدو بِالثَّناءِ عَلَيكمُ

بِكُلِّ بِلادٍ خَيلُهُ وَنَجائِبُهْ

You roam night and day praising you

In every country, its horses and its ships.

فَكَم سارَ لي في مَدحِكُم مِن غَريبَةٍ

تَروقُ وَأَغلى الشِعرِ مَهراً غَرائِبُهْ

So how much estranged poetry have I composed in praising you

Exquisite, and the finest poetry most expensive in its intricacies.

بِلا مِنَّةٍ أَسدَيتُموها وَلا يَدٍ

إِليَّ وقَولُ المَرءِ أَسواهُ كاذِبُهْ

Without any obligation you granted me, or any hand

Stretching out to help me, yet the saying of a man is most false.

بَلى إِنَّني قاسَيتُ فيكُم مَصائِباً

تَهُدُّ القُوى إِذ أَدرَكَ الثَأرَ طالِبُهْ

Yes, I have suffered tribulations in you

That would shake the resolute when the avenger grasped.

وَلَولا هَواكُم ما شَقيتُ وَلا غَدا

يَصُكُّ بِرِجلي القَيدَ مَن لا أُشاغِبُهْ

Had it not been for passion towards you, I would not have suffered misery nor

Would shackles have chafed my legs by one I do not fight.

وَلا اِجتاحَتِ الأَعداءُ مالي وَلا اِنبَرى

يُطاوِلُني مَن لَيسَ تُحصى مَعائِبُهْ

Nor would enemies have seized my money nor would

He who has countless faults assail me.

وَلا نَبَحَت شَخصي كلابُ اِبنِ ماجِدٍ

غِلاباً ولا بالَت عَلَيَّ ثَعالِبُهْ

Nor would the dogs of the son of Majid have barked at me

Aggressively, nor would his calamities have afflicted me.

وَكانَ اِبن عَمّي دُنيَةً وَمَناسِبي

إِذا نَصَّتِ الأَنسابُ يَوماً مَناسِبُهْ

The son of my uncle would have been a pillar and my compatriots

If genealogy one day matched its compatriots.

فَلا تَرضَ لي غَيراً واِعلَم أَنّني

غَيورٌ وَما ضاقَت بِمِثلي مَذاهِبُهْ

So do not accept for me other than yourself, and know that I

Am jealous, and none like me can tolerate deviation.

فَأَنتَ الَّذي لَم يَبقَ إِلّاهُ سَيِّدٌ

نُناجيهِ في حاجاتِنا وَنُخاطِبُهْ

You are the only master left whom we intimately address

Regarding our needs and speak to.

وَغَيرُكَ قَد عِفتُ الوُقوفَ بِبابِهِ

عَلانِيَةً فَليَرشمِ البابَ حاجِبُهْ

As for others, I have refrained from standing openly at their doors

So let their doors be sealed by their guards.

وَقُلتُ لِعيسي نَكّبي كُلَّ مَورِدٍ

مِنَ الأَجنِ يَزوي الوَجهَ وَالأَنفَ شارِبُهْ

And I said to Isa: “Avoid every deathly spring

From hell that would quench the face and snout of its drinker.”

فَإِن يُنسَ لي في العُمرِ لَم يَبقَ مَأكَلٌ

وَلا مَشرَبٌ إِلّا وَعِندي أَطايِبُهْ

For if I forget in this life, there would be no food left

Nor drink unless I had the finest of it.

لَقَد كُنتُ أَرجو مِنكَ يَوماً أَعُدُّهُ

لِمَولىً أُباهِيهِ وَخَصمٍ أُحارِبُهْ

I used to hope to have a day I prepare

For a master to boast to and a challenger to battle.

وَإِنَّكَ للَملكُ الَّذي تَسلُبُ العِدى

قَناهُ وَلَكِن جُودُهُ الغَمرُ سالِبُهْ

You are indeed the King who can deprive violence

Of its canal, but his generosity is the one depriving it.

وَإِنّي بِمَدحي عَن سِواكَ لَراغِبٌ

وَلَو باكَرتني كُلَّ يَومٍ رَغائِبُهْ

Through my praise, I am averse to any but you

Even if estrangement befalls me every day with its oddities.

فَإِن تَجفُني فَالبَحرُ عِندي كَثيرَةٌ

مَراكِبُهُ وَالبَرُّ عِندي رَكائِبُهْ

If you spurn me, I have aplenty with me

Ships of the sea and land convoys.

وَلا تُنكرَن عتبي عَلَيكَ فَإِنَّهُ

جَميلٌ وَشَرُّ النّاسِ مَن لا تُعاتِبُهْ

Do not deny my reproach upon you, for it is

Beautiful, and the worst of people is he who cannot be blamed.

أُعاتِبُ مَن أَهوى عَلى قَدرِ وُدِّهِ

وَلا وُدَّ عِندي لِلَّذي لا أُعاتِبُهْ

I blame those I passionately love according to my devotion

And I have no devotion to those I do not blame.

وَأَكرَمُ أَبناءِ المُلوكِ سجِيَّةً

كَريمٌ مَتى عاتَبتَهُ لانَ جانِبُهْ

And I treat the noble sons courteously

A generous man, if you blame him, would be pliant.

بَقيتَ وَأُعطيتَ السَّعادَةَ ما شَدا

حَمامٌ وَما لاحَت بِلَيلٍ كَواكِبُهْ

You have remained and been given good fortune whenever

A pigeon has cooed and stars shone at night.