شِفاءُ الهُدى يا سَيفَهُ العَضبَ أَن تُشفا

وَكَفُّ الخُطوبِ المُدلَهِمَّةِ أَن تُكفا

The cure of guidance, O sword of wrath, is that you heal,

And stopping the crushing misfortunes is that you stop.

فَجاوَزتَ أَقصى عُمرِ نوحٍ مُعَوَّضاً

عَنِ العامِ مِن أَعوامِ مُدَّتِهِ أَلفا

You have surpassed the utmost age of Noah, compensated

A thousand years from the years of his term.

حَياةُ بَني الدُنيا حَياتُكَ سالِماً

فَلا بُدِّلَ الإِسلامُ مِن قُوَّةٍ ضَعفا

The life of the children of this world is your life in peace,

So Islam was not changed from strength into weakness.

أَنَمتَ عُيونَ الخَلقِ بَعدَ سُهادِها

كَذا كُلُّ جَفنٍ مُذ تَأَلَّمتَ ما أَغفا

You made sleep the eyes of people after their wakefulness.

Thus every eyelid since you became ill has not slept.

إِلى أَن وَقاكَ اللَهُ لُطفاً بِخَلقِهِ

فَلا عَدِموا مِنهُ تَبارَكَ ذا اللُطفا

Until God protected you gently for the sake of His creation,

So they did not miss the blessings of the Lord of gentleness.

وَأَمَّنَهُم فيكَ المَخاوِفَ كُلَّها

كَما أَمِنوا في ظِلِّكَ الجَورَ وَالعَسفا

And He secured them against all fears in you,

As they felt safe in your shade from injustice and despotism.

فَسُرَّت قُلوبٌ شافَهَتكَ بِسِرِّها

عَلى أَنَّهُ ما كانَ فيما مَضى يَخفا

Hearts were delighted which confided their secrets in you,

Despite it had not been hidden in the past.

أَيُجحَدُ ما توليهِ آلاءُ مُنعِمٍ

إِذا جارَ صَرفُ الدَهرِ كانَ لَهُ صَرفا

Can the favours of a Benefactor be denied

If the course of fate changed, it would have a change?

وَذو الأَمَلِ المَغضوضِ قَد عادَ طامِحاً

فَأَوفى عَلى النُعمى وَذو النَذرِ قَد وَفّا

And he of disappointed hope has come back ambitious,

So the grateful fulfilled and the vow-maker has fulfilled.

فَلَو لَم تَكُن فينا لَمُتنا مَخافَةً

وَلَو عَدِمَتكَ الأَرضُ لَم تَأمَنِ الخَسفا

Had there not been fear of death within us,

And had the earth lacked you, it would not have felt safe from sinking.

أَلَستَ تَرى النَبتَ الَّذي أَطلَعَ الحَيا

إِذا ما جَفا صَوبُ الحَيا تُربَهُ جَفّا

Do you not see the vegetation that the snake brought out?

When the snake turns away, its soil dries.

فَلا فَلَّتِ الأَيّامُ عَزماً مَضاؤُهُ

شَفى الحَقَّ مِن أَدوائِهِ بَعدَ أَن أَشفا

So the firm-willed days did not swerve, their purpose cured

Truth from its diseases after it had cured.

وَلا سَكَنَت ريحُ المُظَفَّرِ إِنَّها

إِذا عَصَفَت كانَ المُلوكُ بِها عَصفا

Nor did the wind of victory abate, it surely

Storms while kings are with it stormed.

وَلا بَرِحَت نيرانُهُ كُلَّما طَغَت

سُيولُ الرَدى تَطفو عَلَيها وَلا تُطفا

Nor its fires cease whenever the floods of destruction raged,

The torrents of havoc float upon them and do not extinguish.

لِشَكواكَ أَخفى الجَوُّ عَنّا غَمامَهُ

زَماناً فَمُذ عوفيتَ أَظهَرَ ما أَخفا

Due to your complaints, the atmosphere concealed its clouds from us

For a time, so when you recovered, it showed what it had hidden.

أَرادَ يُرينا اللَهُ جاهَكَ عِندَهُ

وَمَن مِنكَ أَولى بِالمَحَبَّةِ وَالزُلفا

God wanted to show us your high status with Him,

And who is worthier of love and closeness than you?

ظَهَرتَ فَظَلَّت نِعمَتانِ أَظَلَّتا

وَإِن كُنتَ لِلإِمحالِ عَن أَرضِنا أَنفا

Two blessings appeared so you stayed, and though

You were too high to be on our land, you were selfless.

فَدَت أَنفُسُ الأَملاكِ نَفساً شَريفَةً

إِذا اِنفَرَدَت عَنهُم فَسائِرُهُم أَكفا

The souls of angels would ransom a noble soul

If it isolated itself from them while the rest of them sufficed.

وَطَودَ فَخارٍ فَخرُ مَن عَزَّ مِنهُمُ

وَطالَ مَحَلّاً أَن يَكونَ لَهُ الحِفا

The glory of the eminent humbled whoever of them was eminent,

And the high-ranked longed to have precedence.

أَشَدَّهُمُ كَفّاً لِنائِبَةٍ عَرَت

وَأَنداهُمُ إِن سيلَ مَكرُمَةً كَفّا

The strongest of them to ward off an affliction that occurred,

And the most generous if a wave of favors gushed forth.

وَأَروَعَ عَفّى في التَجاوُزِ وَالتُقى

عَلى مَن عَفا بَعدَ اِقتِدارٍ وَمَن عَفّا

And most clement in pardoning and piety

Toward those who pardoned after ability and those who pardoned.

لَقَد مَلَأَت أَخبارُهُ وَهِباتُهُ

أُنوفَ الوَرى عَرفاً وَأَيدِيَهُم عُرفا

Indeed your news and grants have filled

The noses of mankind with honor and their hands with bounty.

فَيا مَن سَقَتنا الأَمنَ وَالعَدلَ وَالغِنى

عَلى ظَمَإٍ أَيّامُ دَولَتِهِ صِرفا

So O you who quenched us with security, justice and wealth

In the days of your rule which alternate between ease and hardship.

وَياذا المَعالي لا يُعَدِّدُ فَضلَها

مَقالٌ أَيُفني البَحرَ وارِدُهُ غَرفا

O you whose glories cannot be counted in speech,

Can the sea drain the water poured into it in cupped hands?

وَعَجزُ المَساعي أَن تَنالَ أَقَلَّها

كَعَجزِ القَوافي أَن تُحيطَ بِها وَصفا

And the inability of efforts to obtain even a little of it

Is like the inability of poems to encompass it in description.

لَئِن جِئتَ في أُخرى الزَمانِ مُعَقِّباً

فَمَجدُكَ لا يَقفو وَلَكِنَّهُ يُقفا

If you come back in the later era, following,

Your glory follows but does not keep pace, rather it surpasses.

وَلا خُلفَ أَنَّ الدَهرَ عادَ بِوَجهِهِ

إِلَيكَ إِلى أَن صارَ قُدّامُهُ خَلفا

And it is inevitable that fate will turn its face

Back to you until its front has become its back.

رَأى مُعجِزاتٍ مِنكَ يا عُدَّةَ الهُدى

تَطَلَّبَها في العالَمينَ فَما أَلفا

It saw miracles from you, O mainstay of guidance,

Which it sought in both worlds but did not find.

وَكَم طالِبٍ ذا المَجدَ حاوَلَ عَطفَهُ

فَلَمّا أَبى عِزّاً ثَنى دونَهُ عِطفا

And how many desiring this glory tried to gain its good graces

But when it refused with pride, he turned aside, bent in humility.

أَباحَتكَ أَقطارُ البِلادِ عَزائِمٌ

كَفَينَ السُيوفَ السَلَّ وَالجَحفَلَ الزَحفا

The borders of the countries made you accessible to firm resolutions

That sheathed swords and softened the hardened heart.

وَأَمطَتكَ أَطرافُ الأَسِنَّةِ رُتبَةً

تَوَدُّ الثُرَيّا أَن تَدومَ لَها إِلفا

And the edges of tongues gave you a position

That the Pleiades desire to last for it as a familiar friend.

مُحَرَّمَةً لَم تَرضَ قَبلَكَ راكِباً

وَأَحرِ بِها مِن بَعدِ أَن تَمنَعَ الرِدفا

Sacrosanct, which before you no rider accepted

And more sacred after you forbade getting on behind.

وَلَو شِئتَ تَدويخَ المَمالِكِ سُرعَةً

لَكُنتَ بِها أَغرى مِنَ النارِ بِالحَلفا

Had you wished to quickly overtake the kingdoms,

You would have been readier than fire for the oath.

لَقَد عَجَزَت أَربابُها أَن تَعُزَّها

مَتى شِئتَها وَالضَيمُ بِالعَجزِ لا يُنفا

Indeed their masters were unable to make them strong

Whenever you willed them while the victim cannot remove the oppression.

وَلَو حَزَموا أَعطَوكَ شَطرَ الَّذي حَوَوا

فَذَلِكَ فَوقَ النِصفِ أَن تَأخُذَ النِصفا

Had they been resolute, they would have given you half of what they possessed,

Yet that is beyond half that you take half.

تَمَهَّلتَ عِلماً أَنَّها لَكَ دونَهُم

وَمُلتَمِسُ المَمنوعِ يَأخُذُهُ خَطفا

You were forebearing, knowing that they are for you against them

While the seeker of the forbidden takes it suddenly.

أَبَحتَنِيَ الإيسارَ عِلماً بِأَنَّني

سَيَبقى عَلى الأَيّامِ ما أودِعُ الصُحفا

You allowed me affluence, knowing that

What I entrust to pages will remain over days.

مَواهِبُ لا أَدرى إِذا أَنا شِمتُها

أَصَوبَ بَنانٍ شِمتُ أَو دِيَماً وُطفا

Gifts which I do not know if I sensed

The aroma of musk or lasting perfume.

فَلا يُلزِمَنّي شُكرُها حَملَ ثِقلِهِ

فَمَن لي بِشِعرٍ حامِلٍ مِنهُ ما خَفّا

So thanking for them does not oblige me to bear their weight,

For who do I have of poetry bearing what it concealed lightly?

وَقَد حافَ دَهرٌ أَلحَقَ الأَبعَدينَ بي

وَعَدلُكَ لا يَرضى وَفَضلُكَ بي أَحفا

And time has come that joined the distant ones to me

While your justice does not accept and your favor distinguished me.

لَعَمري لَقَد خُوِّلتُ ما دونَهُ الغِنى

وَفي عُشرِ مِعشارِ الَّذي نِلتُ ما كَفّا

By my life, I have indeed been given less than affluence

And in a tenth of a tenth of what I attained sufficed me.

وَما حامِلي أَن أَستَزيدَ مُصَرِّحاً

سِوى أَنَفي أَن يَجدَعَ الدَهرُ لي أَنفا

And I have no motive to ask for more declaring,

Except my self-esteem that time split my nose.

تُقارِبُ بَعضُ الخَيلِ في السَبقِ بَعضَها

وَلَن يُلحَقَ الطِرفُ الَّذي يَسبِقُ الطَرفا

Some horses are close in the race, while

The lead will not be reached by whoever lags behind.

أَنا السابِقُ المُهدي إِلَيكَ غَرائِباً

تَدُلُّ مَعانيها عَلى جَوهَرٍ شَفّا

I am the leader guiding you to strange wonders

Whose meanings point to an eloquent core.

فَمَيِّز مَديحاً لَن يَزالَ صَريحُهُ

عَلى ذي العُلا ما عاشَ شاعِرُهُ وَقفا

Distinguish eulogy that will remain straightforward for

The eminent as long as its poet lives and stands firm.

أَأَترُكُ ذا الغَيمَ الرُكامَ مُعَرَّضاً

لِمَن رامَ جَدواهُ وَأَنتَجِعُ الهِفّا

Shall I leave this accumulated cloud exposed

To whoever intended its collection while I moan?

بِبُرئِكَ عافى اللَهُ مِن عِلَلِ المُنى

وَمِن مِنَنِ القَومِ الأُلى بَخِلوا أَعفا

By your probity, God cured illnesses of wishes,

And from the favors of ungenerous people who were stingy and veiled.

فَلا زِلتَ لِلراجينَ في كُلِّ أَزمَةٍ

حَياةً وَلِلأَعداءِ حَيثُ اِنتَحَوا حَتفا

So you always were for seekers in every crisis,

Life, and for enemies wherever they went, death.