تعوّد الطردَ بها والطِرادْ

أيُّ جوادٍ فوق متنِ الجوادْ

He was accustomed to being driven away and driving others away

What horseman atop the back of a steed?

وكفّ بالنجدةِ أعطافَه

وإنما النجدةُ حيثُ النِجادْ

And suffice with saving its sides when needed

For help comes only when desperately needed

إن لم يشِبْ فَوْداهُ من هولِها

فدونَها ما شابَ منهُ الفؤادْ

If its love for her didn't turn white from fright

Then there's nothing that didn't turn his heart white

لله ما أسْرى أحاديثَه

بين حِدالٍ سنّهُ أو جِلادْ

By God, he didn't recount his tales

Between a coquette whose teeth he filed or a tormentor

إما معان مُروَياتُ الحَيا

أو عزَماتٌ مُورَياتُ الزِنادْ

Either the cups of life are passed around

Or the resolves of the wine-pourers are passed around

قد سمعَ الليلُ بأخبارِه

مشروحةً من لهَواتِ الوهادْ

The night heard his news

As they flowed from the whispers of the lovesick

حيثُ امتطى النكْباءَ ذيّالةً

واحتقَبَ الغيمُ عليها مزادْ

Where it mounted the star Al Nakeeb fascinately

And the cloud above it took the ladder scornfully

والجوّ في مأتمِ إصباحِه

قد لبسَ الليلَ عليه حِدادْ

And the weather during its morning mourned

Having dressed the night in black

هذا هو المجدُ ومن ذا الذي

سادَ وقد لازم طيَّ الوِسادْ

This is glory, and who is it

That ruled when he kept to his pillow?

بالله يا شوكَ السِبال احتجِبْ

عن ناظرٍ مُعرىً بشوكِ القتادْ

By God, O thorns of the roads, conceal yourself

From a bare observer, armed with the thorns of spears

لا رأيَ في الغيّ له بعدَما

شادَ معاليْهِ بأيدي الرّشادْ

After he established his glories with the hands of integrity

There is no view for the misguided concerning him

ما أبعدَ النُقصانَ من حامدٍ

لأحمدَ الكافلِ بالازديادْ

How far misfortune is from one who praises

Ahmad the Sponsor of Increase

أيُّ فَخارٍ قد عَلا متنَهُ

فجاوزَ النجمُ عليه وكادْ

What pride has mounted its back

And surpassed the star, and almost reached?

نادِ بأعلى الصوتِ إن زُرْتَه

بك المعالي عسرَتْ كلَّ نادْ

Call out loudly if you visit him

By God, the glories have made every companion deaf

في طيّ يُمناهُ مَرادُ الغِنى

فاستَهْدِ من ذاك المَرادِ المُرادْ

In the folds of its prosperity lies the purpose of wealth

So seek that intended purpose

متّقدٌ منتَقِدٌ يا له

من انتقاد كامنٍ في اتّقادْ

Aflame, critical - oh what

Hidden criticism lies in his flaming

لا يرسلُ الأسنادَ إلا إذا

كان له بالهاشميّ استِنادْ

The backings are not sent

Unless they depend on the Hashimite

روايةٌ مطّرّدٌ متنُها

في صحةِ الإتقانِ أيَّ اطّرادْ

A consistent narration whose text

In the soundness of its precision - what momentum!

وإنما فُتياهُ فهيَ التي

تحكُمُ منا عُقَدَ الاعتقادْ

And only its outstanding ones, they are the ones

Who judge for us the knots of belief

يرقِمُ من راحتِه أرقَمٌ

يمجّ في الطُرْسِ لُعابَ المِدادْ

It scrawls from its tranquility scribbles

That plunge in the inkpot the saliva of pens

مسفِّعُ الأقلامِ فيما حبَتْ

ظبى السُيوفِ المُرهَفاتِ الحِدادْ

That unsheathe sharp swords

The Sultan pursues his purposes

يتّبِعُ السلطانُ أغراضَهُ

فردّهُ الحاكمُ فيما أرادْ

So the Ruler appeases him in what he wants

If an early time contained him

فلو حَواهُ زمنٌ أولٌ

مع أنّه الأولُ في الاعتمادْ

Despite his being first in reliance

He would have interceded for Al-Nu'man

لكان للنُعمانِ مُستَشْفِعاً

بذكرِه فيما حباهُ زيادْ

With a mention of him in what Ziyad bestowed

This is the eloquent tongue pouring forth

هذا لسان الطُرسِ مسترسِلٌ

يخبِرُنا عمّا أحنّ الفؤادْ

Informing us of what saddened the heart

The Most Fortunate clothed his words with it

ألبسَهُ الأسعدُ ألفاظَهُ

فانصرفَ الحبُّ له عن سُعادْ

So love for him turned away from bliss

And look at Suhban in Wael

وانظُرْ الى سحبانَ في وائلٍ

منه وقسٍّ خاطباً في إيادْ

What harshness addressing restoration!

An eloquence that almost

فصاحةٌ كادت لإفراطها

تهزُّ بالنشوةِ عِطفَ الجَمادْ

Shook with rapture the cliff of the inanimate

This is news that spread when they

ذا خبرٌ شاعَ وقد عايَنوا

إذ حضروا ما زادَ عنه وزادْ

Witnessed what surpassed and excelled it

The companions did not present

ما قدّم الأصحابَ إلا اسمَهُ

ومعشراً ذكرُهُمُ لا يُعادْ

Except his name, though repeating their mention is not repeated

They drew near a King whose soul

تقرّبوا من ملِكٍ رُوحُه

من روحِه دانيةٌ في البِعادْ

Was gentle from his soul even when distant

And a speaker said, why have you not aligned

وقائلٌ ما لكَ لم ينتظِمْ

في سِلْكِ مَنْ مرّ كريماً وعادْ

Yourself with the path of one who passed nobly and justly?

I said to him, my excuse is that I am a man

قلت له عُذريَ أني امرؤ

له على حكمِ الزّمانِ انقِيادْ

Who must obey the judgment of time

And the saying of intimidation - do not cast

وقولُ رعبٍ لا ترُمْ إننا

نخفى إذا ما أضمرتْكَ البِلادْ

We hide if the countries conceal your thoughts

Take them, for they have come to you from a mind

خُذها فقد جاءَتْكَ من خاطرٍ

يهيمُ من حُبِّك في كلّ وادْ

That raves with love for you in every valley

From a sea of flowery speech which overflowed

من بحرِ تحريرٍ سَجا فاغْتَدى

بحرانُ تحريرٍ لديهِ ثَمادْ

And took two seas of flowery speech as loot