طلَبْتَ عظيمَ المجدِ بالهِمّةِ الكُبرى

فأدرَكْتَ في ضربِ الطُّلا الدّولةَ الغَرّا

You sought great glory with strong determination,

And so attained the shining state when still young.

وسِرْتَ على شوكِ العَوالي إلى العُلا

ومَنْ رامَ إدراكَ العُلا يركَبِ الوَعْرا

You climbed the thorns of difficulties to the heights,

And he who seeks the heights must ride the rugged.

لِكَسْبِ الثّنا خُضْتَ الحُتوفَ وإنّما

يخوضُ عُبابَ البحرِ مَنْ يطلُب الدُّرّا

To gain praise you plunged into battles, for

Only he who dares the sea's depths finds pearls.

إذا عرَضَتْ دونَ المُنى لكَ لجّةٌ

منَ الحتفِ صيّرْتَ الحديدَ لها جِسْرا

If a barrier loomed before your goal,

You made iron into a bridge to cross it.

وإنْ غشِيَتْ نورَ البصائِرِ ظُلمةٌ

جلَبْتَ من الرّأيِ السّديدِ بها فجْرا

And if darkness veiled the light of vision,

You lit the way with wise opinion's dawn.

درَى المُلكُ يا يَحْيى بأنّك قلبُه

فضمّكَ حتّى منهُ أسكنَكَ الصّدْرا

The king saw, O Yahya, that you were his heart,

So he embraced you until he lodged you in his breast.

جلَسْتَ على كُرسيّهِ فأزَنْتَهُ

فأصبحْتَ كالتّوريدِ في وجنةِ العَذْرا

You sat upon his throne and balanced it,

Becoming like a bride in her maidenhood.

خلَتْ منه إحدى راحتَيْكَ فحُزْتَهُ

بسعيِك بعد الفوْتِ بالرّاحةِ الأخرى

When one of your hands was gone from it you sought

To replace the loss after the chance had passed.

فخاتَمُهُ لم ينتزع من يَمينِه

سوىً كان بالكفِّ اليَمين أو اليُسرى

His ring was not torn from his right hand,

Whether the right or left hand held the seal.

فما البصرةُ الفيحاءُ إلّا قِلادةٌ

ونحرُك من دونِ النّحورِ بها أحرى

Fair Basra is but a necklace,

And we, beside its pearls, yet more precious.

وما هي إلّا ذاتُ حُسْنٍ تعجّبَتْ

قد اِتّخذَتْ جيشَ الأُسودِ لها خِدرا

It is but beauty incarnate, so wondrous

That it has made the black lions its chamberlains.

حَصانٌ بِهالاتِ الحُصونِ تسوّرَتْ

مُخدِّمةً تستخدمُ البيضَ والسُّمرا

A steed girt with the halo of castles,

Served by the white and the dusky brown.

تَمادى زَماناً وعدُها فتمنّعَتْ

وجادَتْ بوصلٍ بعدَما مطلَتْ دَهْرا

Long it promised, then drew back,

Then yielded union after prolonging estrangement.

ولَجْتَ قُلوبَ البيضِ كالسّرِّ نحوَها

وخُضْتَ بلِمّاتِ الملمّاتِ كالمِدْرا

You stole the hearts of the whites towards it

And plunged into the surging fray like a torrent.

تزوّجْتَها من بعدِ ما فاتَها الصِّبا

فأمْسَتْ لديكَ الآنَ ثيّبُها بِكرا

You wed it after it had lost its youth,

So with you now the widow seems a virgin.

نسجْتَ لها حُمرَ الملابِسِ بالوغى

وألبَسْتَها في سِلمِك الحُلَلَ الخَضْرا

You wove its red garments amidst the fray,

And clothed it in your safekeeping with green robes.

جعلتَ رؤوسَ المُعتدينَ نِثارَها

وأنقَذْتَ من بيضِ الحديدِ لها المَهْرا

You made the heads of the transgressors its sacrifice,

And saved its bride-price from the steel.

دخلتَ عليها بعدما اِنكشفَ الغِطا

فكُنتَ لعوراتِ الزّمانِ لها سِترا

You entered it when the veil was lifted,

Becoming, for the age's shame, its cloak.

رجَعْتَ إليها بالولايةِ بعدَما

عرَجْتَ عُروجَ الرّوحِ في ليلةِ الإسْرا

You returned to it as governor after

You had voyaged the spirit's night journey.

ترحّلْتَ عنها كالهِلالِ ولم تزَلْ

تنقّلُ حتّى عُدْتَ في أفْقِها بَدْرا

You journeyed from it like the new moon, but

Kept coming and going till full moon in its sky.

وفارقَها محروقةَ القلبِ ثاكِلاً

وأُبْتَ فأبدَتْ من مسرّتِها البِشْرا

It parted from you, its heart on fire,

Yet you were blithe - this, in itself, was secret.

لئِنْ منحَتْكَ اليومَ جهراً وصالَها

لقد كان هذا الأمرُ في نفسِها سِرّا

For years she hid her longing for you

And passed her nights sleepless with vigil.

فكم مرّ عامٌ وهي تُخفي حنينَها

إليكَ وتُحيي ليلَها كلَّه سَهْرا

For some reason she would deny

Whenever union with you came due, finding no excuse.

لأمرٍ عَدا كانت تصدُّ إذا رأتْ

لوصلِك وقتاً لم تجِدْ دونَه عُذرا

You smote its cheek's rose with your arrows white,

And played upon its mouth with your mouth's music.

بسُمْر القَنا ورّدْتَ في الطّعنِ خدّها

وبالبيضِ قد رتّلْتَ من ثغرِها الثّغرا

After blindness it saw through you its sight,

Your coming brought magic to its eyes.

لقد أبصرَتْ بعد العَمى فيكَ عينُها

وأحدثَ في أجفانِها فتحُك السِّحرا

About its neck you hung the necklace of glory,

And from it, in your works, bound up the waist.

وقلّدْتَ في عقدِ المكارِمِ جيدَها

ووشّحْتَ منها في صنائِعِكَ الخَصْرا

You made it laugh after weeping with bright blades -

Whenever it smiled in spirit it laughed victory.

وأضحَكْتَها بعدَ البُكا في صوارمٍ

متى اِبتسمت في الروعِ تستضحكُ النّصرا

You pelted it till the dust became its perfume,

Without you it would have turned to barren wastes.

ورشّقْتُها حتّى حكى التِبْر تُربها

ولو لم تكنْ في أرضِها أصبحتْ قَفْرا

When you came to its throne an equal,

Like Joseph when his lord gave him Egypt.

فكُنتَ لها لمّا اِستويتَ بعرشِها

كيوسُفَ إذ ولّاهُ سيّدُه مِصْرا

Never did the cunning achieve by their cunning,

Nor did you dissemble treason against the traitorous.

فلم تجزِ أهلَ الكَيْدِ يوماً بكَيدِهم

ولم تصطَنِعْ غَدْراً بمَن صنَع الغَدْرا

You granted safety to all sinners' souls,

Excusing abundantly, weighing down with thanks.

وهبْتَ جميعَ المُذنبينَ نُفوسَهم

فأوسَعْتَهُم عُذراً وأثقلتَهُم شُكرا

Your presence here delights the faithful,

For you are the full moon and it the flower garden.

وجودُك فيها للعبادِ مسرّةٌ

لأنّك بدرٌ وهيَ بالشّرفِ الزّهرا

You encompassed glory, valor, resolve and reproof,

Earning blessing, pardon, patience and calm.

حوَيْتَ الثّنا والبأسَ والحزْمَ والنُهى

وحُزْتَ النّدى والعفوَ والحِلمَ والصّبْرا

You rebuilt the broken houses of glory,

Restoring, O Yahya, life to their lifeless ruins.

عمَرْتَ بُيوتَ المجدِ بعدَ خرابِها

فجدّدْتَ يا يَحيى لأمواتِها عُمْرا

With your slipper the iron shoe walks -

It surpasses Chosroes' bejeweled crown.

بخُفّيكَ يَمشي النعلُ وهوَ حديدةٌ

يَفوقُ على تاجِ النُّضارِ على كسْرى

And when you trod the dust of Basra,

It grew sublime, nearing the glittering stars.

وفيكَ ثرى الفيحاءِ لمّا حلَلْتَها

تشرّفَ حتّى شارفَ الأنجُمَ الزُّهْرا

It flirted with you in joy, and gave its face,

Laughing, to the kisses of the shining moon.

تَهَنَّ بها مُستَمْتِعاً واِلْقَ وجهَها

ببِشرٍ يسرّي الهمّ عن مُهجةِ الغَرّا

The hands of fate and youth never left

Its cheeks, gathering there dew and embers.

فلا برِحَتْ أيدي المَلاحةِ والصِّبا

على وجنتَيْها تجمَعُ الماءَ والجَمْرا

Choice wine was drunk to the rose of its cheek -

Wine's drinking's sweetest to the ruddy cheek.

وزُفَّ الطّلا واِشرَب على وردِ خدِّها

فشُرْبُ الطِلا يحلو على الوجنةِ الحَمرا

Nor did the limpid breeze blow healthily,

Nor in your era were its languid eyes cleared.

ولا صحّ مُعتلُّ النّسيمِ ولا صحَتْ

بعصرِكَ فيها أعيُنُ الخرّدِ السّكْرى

You remain a pouring rain while it's a meadow

That reaps from its beautiful ones flowers forever.

ولا زِلْتَ غيثاً هامياً وهي روضةٌ

مدى الدّهرِ تَجني من خَمائِلِها الزّهْرا