قَد كَفى اللَهُ وَهوَ نِعمَ الكافي

وَشَفى المَجدَ وَهوَ أَلطَفُ شافِ

God sufficeth, the Best to trust;

Glory cured, the gentlest cure hath 'twas;

جَرَّ ذاكَ الخَوفُ الَّذي نَكَسَ الأَب

صارَ تيهاً قَد بانَ في الأَعطافِ

That fear which made the sire despond is o'er;

Bewilderment, behold, in dust it lies.

نِعمَةٌ أَخلَفَت ظُنونَ الأَعادي

فيكَ دامَت مَظِنَّةَ الإِخلافِ

A gift followed the foes' forebodings fell;

In thee still lasts their constant evil will.

طالَما أَرجَفوا وَكانَت هَوادي

ذي المَذاكي نَتيجَةَ الإِرجافِ

Oft they alarmed, but ne'er was I alarmed

What I to direst stress from them have gained.

يا أَميرَ الجُيوشِ يا عُدَّةَ الظا

هِرِ أَكرِم بِذا النِداءِ المُضافِ

O chief of armies and of all our weal,

Regard this title scarcely can reveal!

لَكَ مِن قَلبِ كُلِّ مَن وَحَّدَ اللَ

هَ مَكانٌ مُشارِكٌ لِلشِغافِ

From every loyal heart one voice and soul

Arise to witness this their strong control.

فَفِداءٌ لِعَدلِكَ المالِىءِ الأَر

ضَ وَكانَت غُفلاً مِنَ الإِنصافِ

To thy fair justice be they sacrified;

But spared that justice aught should know beside.

أُمَمٌ مُذ وَليتَ أَمرَ اللَيالي

آذَنَتهُم صُروفُها بِاِنصِرافِ

Nations have been since thou the helm didst gain;

Their course shall soon be o'er and finished as thy reign.

أَنتَ سَيفُ اللَهِ الَّذي لَيسَ يَحتا

جُ غَداةَ الوَغى إِلى إِرهافِ

God's sword thou art, when comes the battle-day;

No need to turn the edge, to smite and slay.

وَسِراجُ الدُنيا فَدامَت إِلى أَن

تَتَقَضّى مُنيرَةَ الأَكنافِ

Earth's lamp resplendent and while breath is left

Shall blaze, till ended all the days bereft.

إِنَّ رَأيَ الوَزيرِ أَسَّسَ عِزّاً

أَنتَ أَعلَيتَهُ بِذي الأَسيافِ

Thy Vizier's rede first raised the Empire high;

But lofty works alone 'neath lofty heads can lie.

مَن يُضِع أَمرَهُ فَإِنَّ إِمامَ ال

عَصرِ يَدري مَن يَصطَفي وَيُصافي

Whose is the course his proper goal that misses

Thy sovereign rule can tell who merits and who loses.

كُلُّ مَن خالَفَ الخِلافَةَ قَد رَ

أى بِعَينِ اليَقينِ عُقبى الخِلافِ

Each who against the Caliph's rule revolted

Saw in th' offing with what disasters fraught it.

أَسرَفوا ضِلَّةً فَأَسرَفتَ عَدلاً

قَد يُماطُ الإِسرافُ بِالإِسرافِ

To utmost bounds they sinned and so didst thou,

Though to extremes, men by extremes bring low.

وَاِستَعانوا بِنُصرَةِ الرومِ وَالرَو

مُ هَباءٌ تَسفيهِ هَذي السَوافي

And choosing them the Greeks as partisan,

Yet froth of waves could never smooth a craggy span.

جَهِلوا أَمرَهُم فَقَد عَلِموهُ

ذَكَروا البَحرَ عِندَ وِردِ النِطافِ

In their brute zeal they never reasoned why,

But named the sea, while summer heat was nigh.

فَأَتَوا أَروَعاً يَفوقُ البَرايا

بِفَعالٍ موفٍ وَقَولٍ وافِ

So proudly did they come in act and word,

O'er passing in tale that by the noblest told or heard

وَتَلافَوا وَما سِواكَ رَجاءٌ

كَم تَلافٍ ثَنى عِنانَ تَلافِ

And met in many a tribe that never met

Ere this, and never after now shall meet.

فَاِصطَنِع مَن أَتاكَ فَالرُمحُ لا يَن

فَعُ إِلّا مِن بَعدِ عَضِّ الثِقافِ

Who comes to thee, ask aid though lances rest;

Only when dry the boughs will burn the best.

لَيسَ يُنجي الطَريدَ مِن هَذِهِ الهِم

مَةِ غَيرُ الإِرقالِ وَالإِرجافِ

From these harsh pains shall naught the chased ones free

Save seeking mercy and all actively.

فَليُنيبوا فَما لِمَن أَنتَ قافٍ

بِشَبا العَزمِ مَنزِلٌ دونَ قافِ

So let them supplicate, nor thou prohibit,

For grace doth flow even when dimmed a little.

وَليَشيموا نَداكَ فَالوِردُ صافٍ

وَليَفيؤوا إِلَيكَ فَالظِلُّ ضافِ

Let them incline to thee, thy shade is roomy, too;

The rose when freshly plucked is sweeter in its hue.

في رِياضٍ جيدَت بِصَوبِ العَطايا

فَسَوامُ الآمالِ غَيرُ عِجافِ

With rich enclosures where thy bounties dwell

And sweet the note of every living well.

خُلُقٌ لا يَضيقُ إِن ضاقَتِ الأَخ

لاقُ عَمَّن تَضيقُ عَنهُ الفَيافي

No Arabs blood but by the years austere

Is dyed, as though it flowed in sand and sterile.

وَاِعتِزامٌ يَلينُ في الزَمَنِ اللَي

نِ وَيَجفو عَلى الزَمانِ الجافي

I see them coming on the wings of might;

While other men are as the sheep in fright.

كَرَمٌ فائِضٌ وَعِزٌّ بِأَطرا

فِ العَوالي مُمَنَّعُ الأَطرافِ

A folk whose pride ancestral all extols;

For every wrong they prove the ready warrior souls.

ما لِعِرقِ الأَتراكِ لا اِجتَثَّهُ الدَه

رُ وَلا مالَ دَوحُهُ لِاِنقِصافِ

Their glory's based on thy renown the while;

For honoured heads rejoice to share a glorious style.

فَأَراهُم قَوادِماً في جَناحِ ال

عِزِّ وَالناسُ دونَهُم كَالخَوافي

Else had Qureish obstinate withstander been,

Nor bowed to what made Mudhar's fame burn keen.

مَعشَرٌ يُنسَبُ الفَخارُ إِلَيهِم

فَتَكاتٌ لِكُلِّ ضَيمٍ نَوافِ

The more thy attributes I seek and find

The more thy glorious parts pervade my mind.

شَيَّدوا فَخرَهُم بِفَخرِكَ لَمّا

عايَنوا المَجدَ ظاهِراً غَيرَ خافِ

This poem's flow thy stirring soul divined,

Else slumbered in neglect its form designed.

وَقُرَيشٌ لَولا الرِسالَةُ وَالتَن

زيلُ ما أَذعَنَت لِعَبدِ مَنافِ

On gifts distributed by thee, thy slave

For aye will live in verse that will not ever leave

كُلَّما رُمتُ مِن صِفاتِكَ صِنفاً

أَخَذَت بي عُلاكَ في أَصنافِ

The summit aspiration's wings unfurled,

To lift transmitted praise for men unborn.

أَنتَ نَبَّهتَ ذا الكَلامَ فَلا نا

مَت جُفوني إِن نامَ ليلُ القَوافي

Gardens aerial, each one pendant bough

Is plucked in season. Pluckers--where are they now!

عَن مَعانٍ تَكسو المَناقِبَ أَفوا

فَ ثَناءٍ أَبقى مِنَ الأَفوافِ

Vainly the poets have on gifts relied;

Thy lavish bounty hath all wants supplied.

بالِغاتٍ أَقصى الدُنا تُنزِلُ المَش

روفَ أَعلى مَنازِلِ الأَشرافِ

Their praise denied, what praise can I express,

Or how deny, or how at all confess?

قَد سَقَت هَذِهِ اللُهى شَجَراتٍ

كُلَّ حينٍ لَهُنَّ حينُ قِطافِ

Each day I find in what thou grantest me

A boundless sea to which I contributed a droplet.

خابَ سَعيُ القَريضِ إِن مَلَّ مِن إِت

حافِ مَن لا يَمَلُّ مِن إِتحافي

My praise-how can it equal thy deserts?

I never can compare with thy unnumbered benefits conferred on former days.

مُنكِراً عُرفَهُ وَأَيُّ ثَناءٍ

بَينَ إِنكارِهِ وَبَينَ اِعتِرافي

If I complain how poor my thanks abide,

Thou dost redouble favors: I am terrified.

كُلَّما جِئتُ أَشتَكي ضَعفَ شُكري

عَن عَطاياهُ لَجَّ في الإِضعافِ

Though I have ceaselessly my powers outvie,

All my life's garlandings thy virtues never can supply.

وَثَنائي وَإِن عَلا لا يُوَفّي

حَقَّ جَدوى في كُلِّ يَومٍ تُوافي

As thy donations each new need surpass,

My thousands left are units 'fore thy gains amass'd.

كَيفَ يُثني مِن مَكرُماتِكَ بِالحا

ضِرِ مَن لا يَقومُ بِالأَسلافِ

Those fared by wealth thou grantest fare at ease;

But better thrives thy servant, if thou better him shouldst please.

صِرتُ أَبغي فَواضِلَ العَيشِ تَبذي

راً وَما كُنتُ طامِعاً بِالكَفافِ

I asked increase, I feel abased for this;

Such lavish gifts! Nor e'en so much did I dismiss.

لَم أَخَل وَالآحادُ تَنفِرُ مِنّي

أَن تَصيرَ الآلافُ مِن أُلّافي

Each day, each harvest bounty thou wouldst add;

The sum I owed before assumed in thy gift manifold.

كُلُّ عافٍ يَنتابُ فَضلَكَ قَد أَص

بَحَ يَنتابُ فَضلَهُ كُلُّ عافِ

So gifts gave proof of kindness and inclined

True the admirer's praise as of the stars divined.

صَدَّقَت هَذِهِ المَخايِلُ بِالإِح

سانِ قَولَ المُدّاحِ وَالوُصّافِ

And so thy glory lasts and fails it not,

For gifts rain down swift as the thick cars in corn that ripen brought.

فَبَقاءُ المَديحِ ما لَم يَكُن في

كَ بَقاءُ الحَبابِ فَوقَ السُلافِ

Gifts worthy thee those now my thoughts employ,

As fail allcas gifts in copious stream bring joy.

فَحَباكَ الَّذي بَراكَ بِأَلطا

فٍ تَوالى مِن أَنفَسِ الأَلطافِ

Seen, yet unseen, transcending praises won;

On high thy provinces one knows not how by thee undone.

وَعَوافٍ تَترى وَلا رُؤِيَت مِن

كَ رُبوعُ العَليا وَهُنَّ عَوافِ