يَرُوعُ الذئبُ حيثُ سِواكَ راعِ

ويُثْلَمُ غَيْرُ نَصْلِكَ بالقِراعِ

The wolf is frightened wherever but you it harries,

And blades other than yours are nicked by the swordplay.

ويُخْدِعُ بالمُنَى من بات يرجو

تناوُلَ شَأْوِ عِزِّكَ بالخِداعِ

And trickery ensnares whoever spends the night hoping

To obtain your glory’s height by guileful way.

وما المغرورُ إِلاَّ مَنْ تَعَاطَى

مداكَ وما مداكَ بمُسْتَطاعِ

None’s deluded but who assays your gifts to gain

Which his means cannot obtain in any way.

يحاول نُهْزَةَ الإِطراقِ عنه

وللوَثَبَاتِ إِطراقَ الشُّجَاعِ

From his shoulders he tries the cloak’s clasp to doff

While for leaping valiantly the clasp holds sway.

فساقَ إِليكَ كُلَّ أَسيرِ حَتْفٍ

دَعَتْهُ إِلى مَتَالِفِهِ الدَّواعي

So to you every captive of fate is led

By the motives that guide him to find soothe and stay.

وقام السَّعْدُ يُنْشِدُ رُبَّ أَمرٍ

أُتِيح لقاعدٍ بِمَسيرِ ساعِ

And fortune stands reciting the verse of a Lord

Whose sitting a rising for walking makes way.

فَقَلَّصَتِ الرَّعارِعُ جانبَيْها

مُنّزَّهَةَ المَقَامِ عَنِ الرِّعاعِ

So the commoners hemmed in their sides,

Lofty of station, aloof from the rabble in every way.

وما الحَشَرَاتُ مَعْ نَزْوَاتِ كَيْدٍ

بجاهلةٍ مُنَاجَزَةَ السِّباعِ

While insects with wiles of deceit plot in vain,

Ignobly trying the lions to assay.

فأَينَ متونُ مُشْرَعَةِ العوالى

وأَينَ بطونُ عالية الشِّراعِ

Then where are the tall ships of sublime emprise?

And where are the navies with sails in full array?

رأت ذاتَ القلوعِ لك احْتِفالاً

أَرَتْهُمْ مثلَهُ ذاتَ القِلاعِ

The hill-forts espied your celebrations, they saw

The likes of them owning the citadels’ gray.

وكايلَتِ المواضِيَ بالمَوَاضِي

مكايَلَةَ الرِّضا صاعاً بِصاعِ

And the meadows were vying with meadows in plenty

Barter for peace and contentment their produce and pay.

وإِن ذَمُّوا المِصاع لِحَرِّ بأْسٍ

فقد حمدوكَ في ذَمِّ المصاعِ

And if they dispraised the sword arm’s heat

Then they praised you amid dispraise I say.

وكم حفِظَتْ سيوفُكَ من دماءٍ

أُضيعَتْ عند أَبناءِ الضِّياعِ

And how many bloods have your swords defended

Wasted by folks who good faith betray.

رعيتَ اللَّه والإِسلامَ فيهِمْ

وكنتَ لِذَا وذلك خَيْرَ راعِ

You tended God’s law and the Muslim’s creed in them

And were for that, best of shepherds alway.

وربَّت فارسٍ أَمْسَى مَرُوعاً

وإِنْ أَضْحَى على خِصْبِ المَرَاعي

And a valiant horseman is frightened at dusk

Despite grazing on meadows at break of day.

طَرَحْتَ عنانَهُ لِيَدَيْهِ فيها

وليسَ يخيبُ عندك ذو انتجاعِ

You dropped his reins in pastures to roam untethered

For the charger you never frustrate or lead astray.

فإِن أَشبعته وخلاكَ ذَمٌّ

فكَمْ أَشْبَعْتَ من أُمَمِ جِياعِ

And if you’ve sated him, though blame comes your way

How many nations of starving you’ve sated I say!

ولمَّا اسْتَرْفَدُوكَ جَرَيْتَ فيهم

على المحمودِ من كرم الطباعِ

And when they sought you, to them you raced with

Praiseworthy munificence, nature's display.

رضعتَ الجودَ في سلْمٍ وحربٍ

وحرَّمت الفِطامَ على الرَّضاعِ

You suckled generosity in peace and war alike

And suckling's weaning for you I forbid and gainsay.

وصُنْتَ بوارق الأُمراءِ عن أَنْ

تَمُدَّ لها الخطوبُ طويلَ باعِ

The standards of princes you kept from extending

Though time makes them wave high and stretch far away.

رفعتَ لهم سماءَ المَجْدِ حتى

سَكَبْتَ المجد دعوى الارتفاعِ

For them you raised glory's starry roof until

You poured glory out haughty pretentions to allay.

وسُمْتَ مقامَ داعِي الدِّينِ فيهمْ

فكلٌّ للَّذِي أَوْلَيْتَ داعِ

And you held the place of religion's summoner,

Each calling to what you allotted, your array.

ولو أَدركْتَ تُبَّعَ مالَ فخراً

إِلى التَّقديمَ عندَكَ باتِّباعِ

And had you overtaken Tubba in pride

He would have followed to you without delay.

يضيقُ بك الزمانُ الرّحبُ ذَرْعاً

وعزمُكَ فيه مُتَّسِعُ الذِّراعِ

Strait is time though so wide for your grit

While your resolve in it is of arms widespread sway.

وكم وَطِئَتْ مساعِيكَ السَّوامي

بأَخْمَصِها على لِمَمِ المساعي

And how your endeavors the summits have trod

Stamping them with the heels in their lofty survey!

تَبِعْتَ أَباكَ في جودٍ وبأْسٍ

وزِدْتَ على اتِّباعِ بابْتِداعِ

You followed your father in munificence and courage

And exceeded mere following with magnificent display.

بني شرفَ الفخارِ على يَفَاعٍ

فكنتَ النارَ في شَرَف اليَفَاعِ

You built high renown’s edifice on the heights

Becoming the flame at the peak of the massif in every way.

ومثلُكَ بالوزارةِ ذو اضطلاعٍ

على من جاد فيها ذو اطلاعِ

And the like of you in leadership is seasoned,

Well-informed of the learned man's knowledgeable way.

بِنهضتِكَ ارتجعتَ لها بلالاً

أَباكَ وليس يَوْمَ الإِرْتِجاعِ

With your rise you brought fresh life back to it

Unlike the day of this bringing, your glorious display.

فما نلقَى به إِلاَّ بشيراً

كأَنَّ المَيْتَ لم يندُبْهُ ناعي

So we have not faced through it but good news

As though the dead were not mourned when folks passed away.

وحقَّ لنا بياسرٍ ارْتِياحٌ

عزيزٌ أَنْ يُعَارَضَ بِارْتياعِ

And we deserve solace in al-Yasir truly

Whose equal is hard to find, I dare say.

سمعنا عن عُلاهُ وقد رأَينا

سما قدرُ العِيانِ على السَّماعِ

We heard his repute but then saw his essence,

For sight outweighs hearsay in evident convey.

وصارَعْنَا الخطوبَ إِلى حماهُ

فكانَ لنا به غَلَبُ الصِّراعِ

And we battled disasters to shield his sanctuary,

And thereby won at wrestling struggles, no nay.

وفارَقْنَا إِليه الأَهلَ علماً

بأَنَّ به دوامَ الإِجْتِماعِ

And we parted from family in seeking his side

Knowing in him lasts the kinship display.

بَدَأْنا بالتدَّاعي للتَّدانِي

فأَسرعْنَا التَّداني بالتَّداعي

We commenced with mutual calls to get nearer,

Quickly getting nearer through mutual calls' sway.

فأَوْرَدَنَا نَدَاهُ البَحْرَ شُدَّتْ

قُرَاهُ بالمَذَانِبِ والتِّلاعِ

So his sympathy led us to seas the flood tide

Had hemmed in with edges and capes far away.

وَمَلَّكَنا ربوعَ المجدِ حتَّى

نَظَمْنَاهُنَّ في تلك الرِّباعِ

And we owned the realms of glory until

We threaded them through in that wide array.

وأَقْطَعَنَا اقْتِراحاتِ الأَماني

وما الإِقطاعُ منهُ بذِي انْقِطاعِ

And we parceled out wishes’ ventures and none

From him meets denial or loss of grant I say.

فأَصبحَ باسْمِهِ ديوانُ شِعْرِي

على التَّحرِير عالي الإِرْتِفاعِ

So my poetry scrolls came to bear his name

Towering exalted in unfurling display.

وكانت دَوْلَةُ الإِقتار عندي

فقامَ لنا نداهُ باخْتِلاعِ

While my state was poverty's shroud

His sympathies lifted that shroud right away.

وصارَتْ رُقْعَةُ الدنيا بكفِّي

بما أَولاهُ من مِنَنِ الرِّقاعِ

And the world's patch was held in my palms

With what he conferred of missives, his royal display.

ولولا من حَطَطْتُ قِناعَ خدِّي

لعِلَّةِ صَوْنِهِ تَحْتَ القِناعِ

And had I not lowered my cheek's mask

To spare it beneath the mask in every way,

وذكرَى عاوَدَتْ كَبِدِي فعادَتْ

وليْسَ سِوى شَعاعٍ في شَعَاعِ

And memory returned to claw my bosom so returned

Naught but a ray in a ray, I say.

ضَرَبْتُ بِظِلِّهِ أَوتادَ رَحْلِي

وقُلْتُ أَمِنْتُ عادِيَةَ اقْتِلاعِ

I pitched by his shadow my journey's poles

And said, “From uprooting now I am safe and secure.”

سلامٌ أَيها الملكُ المُعَلَّى

بلفظٍ يستقيلُ من الوداعِ

Peace unto you, O supreme exalted king,

In words absolved of all farewells at end of day.

سلامٌ كالنسيمِ الرَّطْبِ ساعٍ

بخَطْوٍ من تَأَرُّجِهِ وَسَاعِ

Peace like the gentle pluvial winds' stir

In steps of its wisps’ and zephyrs’ soft play.

فإِنْ ضاعَفْتَ في حقِّي اصطِناعاً

فقَدْ ألْفَيْتَ أَهلَ الإِصْطِناعِ

For if you redoubled your patronage toward me

Then you befriended all who such patronage relay.

وإِن وفَّرْتَ فِيَّ الجودَ إِني

لأَرحلُ عنكَ بالشكرِ المُشَاعِ

And if you lavished generosity on me,

Then I’ll depart you with thanks commonplace.

ثناءٌ تَعْيَقٌ الأَقطارُ منه

وتُخْضَبُ منه ما حِلَةُ البقاعِ

Praise that makes regions shackled by its flood

And dyes thereby whatever gowns terrains array!

متى غنَّتْ به نَغَمُ الوَافِي

هَفَتْ طرباً لها نَغَمُ السَّماعِ

Whenever the sincere melody sings it

Entranced, the melody of hearing sways.

إِذا ما المجدُ لم يُضْبَطْ بشعرٍ

فقد أَضحى بِمَدْرَجَةِ الضِّياع

If glory cannot be contained in verse

Then it is lost on the road of loss, I say.