أَرَأيُكَ أَمضى أَم حُسامُكَ يَقطَعُ

وَمرآكَ أَبهى أَم حَديثُكَ يُسمَعُ

Do I see your resolution or your sword cutting sharper,

And your visage more splendid or your conversation more heard?

وَكُلٌّ لَهُ في جانِبِ المُلكِ مَسلَكٌ

كَريمٌ وَمِن نَفسِ الإِمارَةِ مَوقِعُ

Each has its own path to rule’s portion,

Noble and from the very emirate esteemed.

لَكَ الخَيرُ ما أَهداكَ وَالسَهمُ صائِبٌ

يَطيشُ وَما أَعداكَ وَالخَيلُ تُمزَعُ

Good is what it gives you, and the arrow hits true,

It goes astray, and what opposes you, while the horse is pulled apart.

وَلا غَيرَ أَطرافِ الأَسِنَّةِ مِقوَلٌ

يُبينُ وَلا غَيرَ الفَرائِصِ مِسمَعُ

And nothing but the tongues’ edges speaks,

And nothing but the precepts is heard.

وَما الوَشيُ حُسناً غَيرَ بيضِ مَحاسِنٍ

لَبِستَ عَلى عِطفَي عُلاكَ وَتَخلَعُ

Nor is the night beautiful but for white beautiful things

You wore on your shoulders, slipping off.

وَلا النَجمُ نَأياً غَيرَ ذُروَةِ مَعقِلٍ

تَذودُ العِدى عَن جانِبَيهِ وَتَمنَعُ

Nor is the star lofty but for the peak of a fortress

Repelling harm from its sides, refusing and preventing.

تَفوتُ رَجاءَ المُرتَجينَ وُعودُهُ

وَيَدنو بِهِ سَعدُ الأَميرِ فَيَطمَعُ

It misses the hope of the hopeful, while the fortune

Of the prince approaches it, so he aspires.

أَحَطتَ بِهِ حَصرَ الإِحاطَةِ مُضعِفاً

تُزَلزِلُ مِن أَركانِهِ وَتُضَعضَعُ

You have surrounded it with repeated encompassing,

Shaking its pillars so they tremble.

وَأَمطَرتَهُ غَيثاً مِنَ العَيثِ واكِفاً

يُظاهِرُهُ وَبلٌ مِنَ النُبلِ يَهمَعُ

And you have rained on it copious, deadly rain,

Assailing it while the arrows in multitude rush.

تَضُمُّ جَناحَ الجَيشِ حَولَيهِ ضَمَّةً

تَكادُ بِها أَضلاعُهُ تَتَقَعقَعُ

You fold the wing of the army around it with a fold

By which its ribs almost crack.

فَكَم ضَربَةٍ فَوهاءَ ثَمَّ وَمُقلَةٍ

جَرَت هَذِهِ تَدمى وَهاتيكَ تَدمَعُ

So how many a hollow blow, then a stroking one

This runs red and that one bleeds!

وَلا بَأسَ إِلّا مِن سُيوفِكَ تُنتَضى

وَلا سَعدَ إِلّا في رِماحِكَ تُشرَعُ

And no harm but from your swords removed,

And no fortune but by your spears deployed.

وَهَل أَنتَ إِلا رَحمَةُ اللَهِ تَنكَفي

عَذاباً عَلى أَهلِ المَعاصي فَتَقمَعُ

And are you not but God’s mercy holding back

Torment from the disobedient, so it is suppressed?

فَكَم حِرزِ عِزٍّ قَد غَشيتَ بِبَطشَةٍ

تُصِمُّ العِدى رَجّاتُها حينَ تُسمَعُ

So how many a fortress of glory you have covered with a blow

That deafens the foe when it is heard!

وَغادَرتَهُ مِن مَعقِلٍ وَهوَ مَعقَرٌ

لِمُعتَقِديهِ مَصنَعاً وَهوَ مَصرَعُ

And you have left it a refuge, while it is a death-trap

For those believing it a manufactory, and it is their grave.

فَأَنجَزَ فيهِ مَوعِدَ السَيفِ فاتِكٌ

يَهونُ عَلَيهِ الجانِبُ المُتَمَنِّعُ

So the promise of the sword was fulfilled by a conqueror in it

The side resisting submission seems slight to him.

وَأَهوى بِهِ طيبُ الحَديثِ فَنَشرُهُ

يَخُبُّ بِهِ رَكبُ الثَناءِ وَيوضَعُ

And the aroma of praise captured it, so its renown spreads

Dispelling the mount of praise and casting it down.

إِذا هَزَّ أَعطافَ المَعالي حَسِبتَهُ

يُديرُ بِها كَأساً عَلَيهِ تُشَعشَعُ

When the summits of glory shake, you deem them

Turning a cup on high, trembling.

وَحَسبُكَ مِن فَلجٍ لِأَبيَضَ واضِحٌ

يُعيدُ وَيُبدي في المَعالي فَيُبدِعُ

And your white, shining swords suffice against Abīyad,

Repeating, displaying glories, excelling.

وَيا رُبَّ جَيشٍ لِلعَدُوِّ كَأَنَّهُ

عُبابُ خِضَمٍّ قاد طَمى يَتَدَفَّعُ

And O Lord of an army to the foe as though it were

Throngs of a flood the darkness led, seething.

عَرَضَت لَهُ وَاللَيثُ دونَكَ جُرأَةً

فَأَجفَلَ إِجفالَ النَعامَةِ يَجزَعُ

It showed him boldness, while you are its lion,

So he recoiled, startled like an ostrich, frightened.

وَلَقَّيتَهُ ريحَ المَهابَةِ بارِحاً

فَأَقلَعَ إِقلاعَ الغَمامَةِ تَقشَعُ

And you met him with the wind of awe last night

So he fled the fleeing of a cloud dispersing.

وَأَدبَرَ لا يَلوي عَلى مُتَعَذِّرٍ

حِذارَ فَتىً يَسري إِلَيهِ فَيُسرِعُ

And he turned his back, not turning to one retreating,

Fearing a stalwart approaching him, hastening.

وَقَد جالَ دَمعُ القَطرِ في مُقلَةِ الدُجى

وَلَفَّت نَواصي الخَيلِ نَكباءُ زَعزَعُ

And the tear of the Pleiades flowed in the darkness of night,

And the mane of the horses tossed in stamping tumult.

لَهُ مِن صُدورِ الأَعوَجِيَّةِ وَالقَنا

شَفيعٌ إِلى نَيلِ الأَماني مُشَفَّعُ

He has from the breasts of the crooked ones and Qana

An intercessor for attaining hopes, pleading.

وَظَفَّرَهُ في مُلتَقى الخَيلِ ساعِدٌ

أَلَفُّ وَقَلبٌ بَينَ جَنبَيهِ أَصمَعُ

And the left hand aided him when the horses met,

A thousand, while stout hearts filled his sides.

وَأَبيَضُ يَتلو سورَةَ الفَتحِ يُنتَضى

وَيَستَقبِلُ الفَرق الكَريمَ فَيَركَعُ

And Abīyad reciting Sūrat al-Fatḥ unsheathed,

And the noble squadrons bowed down kneeling.

وَمُنجَرِدٌ ضَخمُ الجُزارَةِ أَوحَدٌ

يَطيرُ بِهِ تَحتَ العَجاجَةِ أَربَعُ

And Munjarrid, huge, alone, peerless,

Flying beneath the cloud-like pinions four.

وَحَصداءُ تَزري بِالسِنانِ حَصينَةً

وَوَجهٌ وَقّاحٌ بِالحَديدِ مُقَنَّعُ

And Ḥaṣdā’ clad with spears, impregnable,

And a shameless face masked in iron.

رَتَعَت عَلى حُكمِ السَماحِ بِرَبعِهِ

وَمَربَعُ أَبناءِ السَماحَةِ مَرتَعُ

They grazed in the judgment of generosity on its plains,

And meadows for the generous sons to graze.

وَعُجتَ عَلَيهِ عَوجَةَ الصَبِّ شاقَهُ

بَريقٌ تَراءى آخِرَ اللَيلِ يَلمَعُ

And you roamed its wandering with the zeal of youth,

A lightning glimpsed late in the night, flashing.

وَلَم أَرِدِ الأَوشالَ أَنقَعُ غُلَّةً

وَيُمنى أَبي إِسحاقَ لِلبَحرِ مَنبَعُ

I did not want the steeds’ trappings richly adorned

While the sea is a fountain for my father Isaac.

وَهَضبَتُهُ أَحمى جَناباً لِخائِفٍ

وَأَبطَحُهُ أَندى مُراداً وَأَمرَعُ

And its ridge hotter to the fearful side,

And its plain pleasanter for the seeker swifter.

فَمَن مِثلُ إِبراهيمَ وَالصُبحُ أَبلَجٌ

وَمَن مِثلُ إِبراهيمَ وَالحَقُّ أَصدَعُ

So who is like Isaac, and the dawn whitest,

And who like Isaac, and the truth most plain?

إِمامٌ تَدانى رَأفَةً وَسَما بِهِ

إِلى المَجدِ بَيتٌ طاوَلَ النَجمَ أَروَعُ

A leader brought near in kindness, and a house led him

To glory, towering above the stars, most splendid.

تَجَلّى وَمِن بَطحاءِ مَكَّةَ حَنَّةٌ

إِلَيهِ وَلِلبَيتِ الحَرامِ تَطَلَّعُ

It manifested, and from Mecca’s plain a warmth

To it, and the Sacred House it longs for.

تَرى لِقُرَيشٍ فيهِ بَرقَ مَخيلَةٍ

يَلوحُ وَعِرقاً لِلخِلافَةِ يَنزَعُ

You see for Quraysh in it the flash of an idea

Beaming, and a lineage for the caliphate contending.

أَما وَأَيادٍ أَنطَقَتني بِحَمدِهِ

وَقَد طَوَّقَتني وَالحَمامَةُ تَسجَعُ

Verily, by hands that spoke my praise of him

While the dove encircled me, moaning.

لَئِن هُزَّ مِن أَرجاءِ حِمصَ مَسَرَّةً

حَديثٌ بِمَلقاهُ إِلَيها يُرَجَّعُ

If a joyful event shakes Homs’ environs,

A tale with its encounter to it turns.

لَقَد نابَ مِنّا وَالخُطوبُ مُمِضَّةٌ

وَشيكُ نَواهُ وَالحَوادِثُ توجِعُ

He has turned from us, and calamities persist,

His doom is nigh, and sorrows wound.

وَفارَقَني صَبري لِذِكرى فِراقِهِ

وَشافَهَني قَبلَ الوَداعِ تَوَدُّعُ

My patience at his parting’s memory left me,

And saying farewell, he bade me farewell before departure.

وَكُنتُ جَمادَ العَينِ أَجهَلُ ما البُكى

فَعَلَّمَني داعي النَوى كَيفَ تَدمَعُ

I was tear-ducts’ stones, ignorant of weeping,

Until the call of passion taught me how tears flow.

فَأَستَودِعُ اللَهَ الأَميرَ وَمُهجَةً

أُشَيِّعُها في مَن هُناكَ أُشَيِّعُ

So in God I trust the commander, and a love

I bid farewell, and those yonder I bid farewell.

وَهُنِّئتَها مِن دارِ مُلكٍ وَهُنِّئَت

بِهِ مَلِكاً وَاللَهُ يُعطي وَيَمنَعُ

And it congratulated a home of rule, and was congratulated

By a king, as God gives and forbids.