يا عليّ العلا ابن قاسمٍ القا

سم في طالبي النوال نوالَهْ

O Ali, the sublime, son of Qassim the divider

Among my seekers of bounty, grant them your bounty

وابن مارمَّة الذي يَضرِبُ المج

دُ به أو بمثلِه أمثالَهْ

And son of Marmarah, who strikes glory

With him or the like of him as examples

والذي أضحتِ المروءةُ والخي

رُ حليفيْهِ والحقوقُ عيالَهْ

And the one whom manliness and goodness

Became allies, and rights became his children

والذي بذلُه بغيرِ ابتذالٍ

والذي طَوْلُه بغير استطالهْ

And the one whose giving was without meanness

And whose nobility was without pretentiousness

والذ لم يرثْ كريم المساعي

والعلا وابتناءها عن كَلالهْ

And the one who did not inherit the fruits

Of noble efforts and loftiness without weariness

والذي يأمن المِطَال مرجِّي

ه ولا يأمنُ المجاري مطالهْ

And the one who fears extended hopes in him

Yet does not fear the courses of his demands

والذي لا يزالُ كلُّ حكيمٍ

راشدِ الأمرِ يستعين مثالهْ

And the one whom every wise guide

Still seeks as an example in good counsel

ما ترى في اصطناع حرٍّ شكور

قد أراه الرجاءُ مالَكَ مالَهْ

What do you see in the making of a grateful free man

Whom hope has made your possession, your wealth?

ساقهُ نحوك الزمانُ وقادت

ه أفاعيلُ كفّك الفعَّالهْ

Time has led him to you, and the deeds

Of your hand have guided him, O doer of great deeds

وعلى ظهره من الدَّيْن ثِقْلٌ

يرتجى أن تحطَّهُ لا محالَهْ

And on his back is a weight of debt

Which it is hoped you will unload, without fail

واعتقادُ الرجاءِ يوجبُ حقاً

عند من هذّب الإلهُ خصالهْ

And believing in hope obligates truly

For the one whom God has refined in traits

ومعي ذاك والمودةُ والشك

رُ ضميراً مجمجماً ومقالهْ

And with me in that are affection and thanks

Sincerely, utterly, and in speech

وشهدي على رجائك أنْ لم

أتوسل وأنْ تركتُ الإطالهْ

And my witness to your hope is that I have not

Begged, and I have avoided prolonging

وإذا المستقِي دنا مستقاه

فحقيقٌ أن لا يطيلَ حبالهْ

And when the asker comes to the asked

It is right that he not lengthen his rope

وكفاني من الوسائل أخلا

قُك يا أيّها القريبُ المنالهْ

And your morals suffice me for intercession

O you who are near, easy to attain

فأدِلني على الزمانِ فما زل

تَ على صرِفه كريمَ الإدالهْ

So admit me into the times, for you have not

Ceased to be generous in admission

وأجِرني من أن يقولَ حسودٌ

خابَ أو أن يقولَ لي أولى لهْ

And save me from an envier saying "he missed"

Or saying "he was more deserving of it" than me

فلأَنت الذي إذا أمَّه الآ

ملُ عُدَّتْ آمالُه أموالَهْ

For you are the one whom when hopes equip

His hopes are counted as his riches

والذي يشتري الثناء فَيُغْلي

حين لا يسأل النجار الإقالهْ

And the one who buys praise and then values it

When the carpenter does not hasten to lower his price

لك مني جمَّ البديهة بالشك

رِ على الحادثات باقي العُلالهْ

For you from me are all spontaneity in thanks

For events, lasting high evaluation

وقليلُ الخلافِ يصلح إن شئ

تَ جليساً ويرتضَى للوكالهْ

And seldom opposition, you can amend, if you wish

As a companion, and be content with the agency

إن تجالسْهُ فالدماثة منه

أو توكِّله تَبْلُ منه جزالهْ

If you keep his company, amiability is from him

Or if you entrust him, gravity comes from him

مستقلٌّ متى عبأْتَ عليه

عبءَ دهرٍ لم تذممِ استقلالهْ

Independent, whenever you tasked him

With the burden of an era, you did not blame his independence

فيه أشياءُ لا يدعنَ ملولاً

يتجنّى عليه ذنبَ الملالهْ

In him are things no protector would allow

To rebuke him for the sin of boredom

فاختبرْه في الحالتين جميعاً

تجدِ الجدَّ عنده والبطالهْ

So test him in both conditions entirely

You will find seriousness with him and invalidation

واعتقلْه فإنه أيها السيْ

يِدُ إن بُرْتَه أطلْتَ اعتقالهْ

And detain him, for O chief

If you extend his innocence, you extend his detention

وعزيزٌ عليَّ مَدْحِيَ نفسي

غير أني جُشِّمتُه للدلالهْ

And praising myself is hard for me

Except that I made it clear to point it out

وهْو عيبٌ يكادُ يسقط فيه

كلُّ حرٍّ يريدُ إظهارَ آلَهْ

And that is a fault which nearly causes

Every free man who wants to show his family to fall into it

واعتسافي العيوبَ حرصاً على قر

بك حقٌّ إنْ لم ترد إبطالهْ

And my seeking out faults diligently for your sake

Is a right, if you do not want to invalidate it

يا محبَّ الجمالِ ليس جميلاً

بجميلٍ ألّا يريك جمالهْ

O lover of beauty, nothing beautiful is

With a beauty unless it shows you its beauty

وإذا المرء لم يلوح بما في

ه تخطاه رائدٌ بجهالهْ

And when a man does not display what is in him

A guide passes him by in ignorance of him