يُقِرُّ لِغُلْيَلْمِ المليكِ بن غُلْيَلْمِ

سليمانُ في مُلْكٍ وداودُ في حُكْمِ

King Guliaylma acknowledges the sovereignty,

Of Sulayman ruling and Dawud judging.

وتخدُمُهُ الأَفلاكُ بالسَّعْدِ في العِدَى

فيسطو بسيف البرق أَو حَرْبَةِ النَّجْمِ

The stars serve him, bringing good fortune against enemies,

Brandishing the lightning sword or spear of a star.

فَأَيُّ هلالٍ ليس كالقوس راشِقاً

بِأَيِّ شهابٍ يَنْفُذُ كالسَّهْمِ

What crescent isn’t like a taut bow,

Or shooting star piercing like an arrow?

وما النصرُ إلاَّ جُنْدُهُ حيثُ ما مضى

على جَبَهَاتِ البَرِّ أَو صَفْحَةِ اليَمِّ

And victory is only his troops wherever they marched,

On the brows of land or the expanse of sea.

له مُقْرَباتٌ يقصُرُ الظَّنُّ دُونَها

إِلى مُنْشآتٍ تستطيلُ على الوَهْمِ

He has intimates beyond what thought can conceive,

Reaching constructions that loom in the imagination.

كِلاَ عَسْكَرِيْهِ كالسحائِبِ لم تَزَلْ

حواصِبُ في حَرْبٍ صَوَائِبَ في سَلْمِ

Both his armies are like clouds that never ceased

To be ready for war or amenable in peace.

يقود إِلى أَعدائِهِ كُلَّ سابِحٍ

فمن عُرُبٍ دُهْمٍ ومن سُفُنٍ دُهْمِ

He leads every swimmer against his enemies,

Whether from Arabs and Persians or ships and crew.

يسيرُ بأَمثالِ اللُّيوثِ ولم يكُنْ

بها قَرَمٌ إِلاَّ إِلى مَلِكٍ قَرْمِ

He marches with lion-like beasts and there wasn’t

Among them a mangy one except toward a mangy king.

تَزَلْزَلُ أَقطارُ الديارِ لِصَوْتِها

فتسلُبُها حُسْنَ العمارةِ في الهَدْمِ

The regions of the world tremble at their sound,

Which robs them of architectural beauty through demolition.

وتَهْتَمُّ في أَخْذِ الثغورِ فَيَغْتَدِي

مُمَنَّعُها مِثْلَ الثغورِ على الْهَتْمِ

They covet taking the castles, so they plunder

Their fortifications like castles in covetousness.

وتَعْنُو له الأَملاكُ حتى كأَنَّها

صغارُ الدَّرارِي قابَلَتْ قَمَرَ التِّمِ

The kingdoms serve him as if they are

Young cubs facing the moon of perfection.

وما المُلْكُ إِلاَّ للَّذي قالَتِ الْعِدَى

هُوَ الغَيْثُ إِذْ يَهْمِي هو الليثُ إِذ يحمي

And kingship belongs only to one who enemies said:

“He is rain when he comes roaring, a lion when he protects.”

فكم من مريضِ القلبِ صحَّحَ عَزْمَهُ

ونفسِ مَرُوعٍ قد أَعادَ إِلى الجسمِ

So he cured the diseased hearts and straightened

The terrified souls he returned to their bodies.

ففازَ بنورِ الرَّبِّ يدعو إِلى الهُدَى

ويُحْيي لنا المَوْتَى ويُبْرِي من السُّقْمِ

He won the light of the Lord calling to guidance

And revives the dead for us and cures the sick.

وزادَ على الفِعْلِ المسيحيِّ بالذي

يُعَلِّمُهُ حَدُّ الحُسامِ من الْحَسْمِ

He surpassed the Messiah’s deeds with what

The edge of his sword taught him of decisiveness.

وقد كانَ دَهراً لا يخُصُّ مصاحِباً

أَتاهُ بما قد خَصَّهُ الربُّ من عِلْمِ

Eras passed without a companion privy

To what the Lord endowed him with of knowledge.

فيّا ملِكَ الدنيا وسائِسَ أَهْلِها

سياسَةَ مَنْ لَمْ يملِكِ المُلْكَ بِالرَّغْمِ

O king of the world and ruler of its people,

Ruling like one who didn’t rule by force.

وهذا يفيدُ السيفَ في الحَرْبِ عَزْمَةً

ويحرِصُ في تبليغِهِ رُتْبَةَ الفَهْمِ

This benefits the sword in war with resolve

And aspires in raising the status of understanding.

ولكنْ بآباءٍ يقر لِمُلْكِهِمْ

وتشهَدُ ساداتُ الملوكِ على عِلمِ

But it acknowledges fathers whose kingship

And the elite of kings attest to his knowledge.

ويعني لهم في الشرقِ والغربِ هَيْبَةً

وقد أَمِنُوا جَوْرَ الظَّلامِ أَوِ الظُّلْمِ

It establishes awe for them in East and West,

And they felt safe from injustice or oppression.

وبدَّلْتَهُمْ أَمْناً من الخوفِ شاملاً

وعدلاً من العَدْوَا وغُنْماً مِنَ الغُرْمِ

You replaced their fear with all-encompassing security

And justice for hostility and war spoils for debt.

وجمَّلْتَ تاجَ المُلْكِ منك بِعِزَّةٍ

يخِرُّ لها تاجُ الزمانِ على الرَّغْمِ

You adorned the crown of kingship with honor from you

Before which the crown of time bows down reluctantly.

وأَرقصْتَ أَعطافَ السَّرِيرِ مَسَرَّةً

غداةَ هَفَا تحتَ السِّياسَةِ والحِلمِ

You made the corners of the throne smile happily

The morning after they frowned under governance and forbearance.

وقلّدتَ أَجيادَ القصورِ جواهراً

من الفضلِ والإِفضالِ مُحْكَمَةَ النَّظْمِ

You adorned the thoroughbreds of the palaces with gems

Of grace and favor, perfectly composed.

فَمَنْ للدَّراري أَن تعودَ مباسِماً

تُشَرِّفُها من رَبِّ بَسْطِكَ باللَّثْمِ

For who else would the cubicles smile for,

Honored by the kiss of your outstretched hand?

ويسجدُ إِذ يبدو مُحَيَّاكَ يَقْظَةً

كما سَجَدَتْ قِدْماً ليوسُفَ في الحُلْمِ

And they bow when your living image appears awake

As Yusuf’s feet bowed to him in the dream.

فتُطْلِعُ منها كوكبَ السَّعْدِ في النَّدَى

وتُرْسِلُ منها في الوَغَى كَوْكَبَ الرَّجْمِ

You reveal through them the star of fortune in the dew

And unleash through them in tumult the star of bombardment.

وتستخدِمُ الأَقدارَ فيما ترومُه

فتجري إِلى ما قد رسَمْتَ على الرَّسْمِ

You harness the fates for what you envision

And they flow toward what you outlined in the design.

أَظُنُّ خُطوبَ الدَّهْرِ وَلَّتْكَ حُكْمَهَا

وآلَتْ يميناً لا خُروجَ عنِ الحكمِ

I think you grasped the affairs of time, ruling them

And they came willingly with no deviating from the rule,

مُصَرِّفُها بالعَدْلِ تصريفِ ماهرٍ

بَصيرٍ بأَعقابِ الأُمورِ أَخِي فَهْمِ

Masterfully directing them with justice

With insight into the outcomes of matters, my wise brother.

إِذا أَشْرَقَتْ آراؤُهُ في مُلِمَّةٍ

تَبَسَّمَ بَعْدَ البِشْرِ في وَجْهِهَا الجَهْمِ

When his opinions shine in grim darkness,

Smiles appear after good tidings in its angry face.

وتَكْشِفُها خَيْلٌ عِتاقٌ كَأَنَّها

وقد عَصَمَتْهَا الذَّابلاَتُ مِنَ العُصْمِ

Horses, seasoned warriors as if

Preserved by the fading of time from decay, reveal them.

عَدَتْ وَهْيَ أَدْرَى بالقتالِ مِنَ العِدَى

فَلَمْ تَتَّشِحْ بالحُزْمِ إِلاَّ على الحَزْمِ

They returned more knowledgeable about war than enemies

So they prided themselves on prudence over imprudence.

وَدُهْمِ أَسَاطيلٍ تُحَاكِي مُتُونُها

أَراقِمَ مِمَّا قد نَفَثْنَ مِنَ السُّمِّ

And the hulls of fleets that mimic

The venom spewed from them in leaks,

إِذا صَبَّحَتْ ثَغْرًا غدا النَّصْرُ مُقْسِماً

بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ مِنْ نَيْلِهِ أَوْفَرَ القِسْمِ

When they besiege a land, victory divides itself

By promising them the greatest share of its gain.

كذا فَلْيَكُنْ عَزْمُ المُلوكِ وَقَلَّمَا

تَرَى مَلِكاً يَأْتِي بِمَا لَكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ

So let the resolve of kings be like this, though rarely

Do you see a king with what you have of resolve.

مَدَحْتُكَ إيقانًا بأَنَّكَ مُلْبِسِي

مِنَ الفَخْرِ ما أَنْجُو بِهِ مِنْ يَدِ الذَّمِّ

I praised you certain that you clothed me

In pride by which I am saved from blame.

فأَصْبَحَ صَرْفُ الدَّهْرِ في طَوْعِ خادِمِي

وقَدْ كانَ يُبْدِي لي مُخَالَفَةَ الخَصْمِ

So the course of fate became obedient to my servant

Though it used to show me the ways of a rival.