هل أنت من مرتجيك مستمعُ

يا من إليه يوائل الفزِعُ

Are you listening to the one imploring you,

O you to whom the first cries of distress are directed?

أصغِ إليه فلم يُحابك في ال

مدح ولا قال وهو مخترعُ

Listen to him, though he did not praise you, nor speak while he is devising,

O you whose beauties, when they shine,

يا من إذا أشرقت محاسنه

ظلت رؤوس العداة تنقمع

Leave the heads of enemies eclipsed,

And whose schemes, when they are obscured,

ومن إذا غرَّبت مكائده

كادت قلوب العتاة تنخلع

Nearly wrench out the hearts of the obstinate,

And whose copious rain, when it pours down,

ومن إذا أمطرت فواضله

عاد الصفا وهو معشب مرع

Restores the meadows, lush and grazed.

How can the age be excused in its vacillation

ما أعذر القِرنَ في تذبذبه

يُهوي إليك الشبا وينقدع

When youth swoons toward you and crumbles away?

The age knew by its testing

قد علم القرن عند حيصته

عنك بأي السيوف تضطبع

By which swords you are girded.

And it realized, when its hopes in you failed,

وقد درى حين زال مطمعه

فيك بأي الدروع تدَّرع

By which coats of mail you are armored,

You who have become, by your noble deeds,

أنت الذي أصبحت عوارفه

درعاً له والدروع تنصدع

Armor for it, though armor splits,

And you whose schemes have not ceased to be

وأنت من لم تزل مكائده

سيفاً له والسيوف تنقطع

A sword for it, though swords are blunted.

You fell whom you wish in battle when the brave join together,

تصرع من شئت عند لبسهما

يوم الوغى والجدود تصطرع

On a day of calamity when chests collide.

Eulogy comes easily for others but

يدب في غيرك المديح ولَ

كنا رأيناه فيك ينذرع

We have only seen it fitting for you.

And time showers you steadily with its bounty

وتهطل الدهرَ فيك ديمتُهُ

لكنها عن سواك تنقشع

While it is miserly toward all others.

And where is a Muthanna, happy of heart,

وأين معط وقلبه بهجٌ

ممن تمنى وقلبه وجع

Among those who wished while their hearts ached?

Evil does not cease to be repelled from you

لا يَزَلِ الشرُّ عنك مندفعاً

وسيل خير إليك يندفع

While a flood of good flows to you.

O master, we have not ceased, lacking your care,

يا سيداً لم نزل بعقوته

إذا عدمنا الربيع نرتبع

To grope blindly when we missed the spring,

And we have not ceased, missing your provision,

ولم نزل من ثدِيِّ نعمته

إذا فقدنا الرضاع نرتضع

To suckle desperately when we lacked suckling.

And he whom we have known to follow no precedent

ومن علمناه غير متَّبعٍ

في المجد بل لا يزال يبتدع

In glory, but rather to continuously innovate,

And he whom we have known to be no innovator

ومن عرفناه غير مبتدعٍ

في الدين بل لا يزال يتبع

In religion, but rather to continuously follow tradition.

May God protect you from us seeing you

أعاذك الله أن نراك وأف

عالك بعد العلو تتضع

Or your family abased after elevation!

Return to me, for rejection is not ugly

عد لي فليس الجميل فاحشة

تركبها تارة وتتَّزع

When at times you grant it, at times refrain.

Neither is a path whose dangers you fear,

ولا طريقاً تخاف غَيلته

تركبه تارة وترتدع

So at times you take it, at times hold back.

One who returns to nobility after initiating it

والعائد العرف بعد بدأته

ينفع إخوانه وينتفع

Benefits his brothers and benefits himself.

But one who initiates nobility with no return

والبادئ العرف لا معاد له

يعير إحسانه ويرتجع

Mocks his generosity and takes it back.

If you were one who loved his wealth

لو كنتَ ممن يحب ثروته

أو كنت ممن جداه ممتنع

Or were one whose determination was unshakable,

We would excuse you in delaying it,

إذاً عذرناك في المطال به

لكن عذر الجواد منقطع

But the excuse of the generous one is cut off.

One like me has not held back while the situation demands it

ما دفع مثلي والحال موجبة

والصدر رحب والوجه متسع

And the breast is expansive and the face cheerful.

Do not deprive me of a gift already granted

لا تمنعنِّي لهى مُمَنَّحةً

أضحت عليها الأكفُّ تقترع

Which hands knock to receive!

O you whom I see pleased to take refuge

يا من أراه رضا لمنتجعٍ

إن قال أي الرجال أنتجع

If one says “Which of the men will shelter me?”

Refresh me and you will find me pleased to manufacture

رِشْني تجدني رضى لمصطنع

إن قلت أي الرجال أصطنع

If you say “Which of the men will make?”

How many questioners about your generosity have I told

كم سائل عن نداك قلت له

مُخدَّع بالسؤال منخدع

“Deceived by the question, deceived!”

And questioners about your pilgrimage, I have told them

وسائل عن حجاك قلت له

يحط أمواله ويرتفع

“Empty your money bags and rise up!”

And questioners about your praise, I have told them

وسائل عن ثناك قلت له

لا يسأم الدهر منه مستمع

“Time will never tire of hearing it!”

Yet all of them in their questioning

وكلهم كان في مسائله

أعمى عن الصبح وهو منصدع

Were blind to the dawn though it cracked through.

They try to illuminate the dawn with lamps,

يستوضح الصبح بالمصابح وال

مصباح عند الصباح مختشع

But no lamp is needed when the dawn breaks!

You have remained, as long as you live, a sorrow

لا زلت ما عشتَ للعدوِّ شجىً

في حيث لا يستطيع منتزع

To the enemy, where he cannot snatch you away.

You seize the high ground and pardon when you are able -

تسطو وتعفو وأنت مقتدر

لا ورَعٌ عند ذاك بل ورِع

Not cautious, but caution itself!

How ugly is my brother's blame

ما أقبح المطل من أخي كرم

وعيب من قل عيبه شَنِع

And the fault of one whose fault he exaggerated!

You did not promise me anything - but the wish you promised

ولم تَعِدني بل المنى وعدت

والحرُّ من خُلفِ طيفه جزع

And the free man is anguished when his apparition deserts him.

When did you make excuses? Or when did the cessation

متى تعللت أم متى عرف ال

إقلاع شؤبوب سيبك الهمِع

Of fateful tumult please you?

Are you not the one who ceaselessly

ألست من لم تزل تُحَمِّلُهُ ال

علياء أعباءها فيضطلع

Takes on the lofty their burdens, and shoulders them?

The despairing hope for your good when

ويرتجي خيرَه اليؤوسُ إذا

لم يرجُ ما عند غيره الطمِع

No other's tempting good gives hope,

And the aloof acknowledge your superiority when

ويعتفي فضله العزوف إذا

لم يلتمس فضل غيره الجشِع

No other's greedy superior seeks acknowledgement.

And he who acknowledges it is haughty over him when

ويشمخ المعتفي عليه إذا

لاقى بخيلاً وخده ضرِع

He meets a miser whose cheeks are grimy.

The righteous are divided into factions

تفترق الصالحات في فِرَقٍ

وفيك دون الجميع تجتمع

While in you alone they come together.

Yes, yes! You, you! Do not, do not!

بلى بلى أنت أنت فلا فلا

يقطعك دون التمام مقتطع

Let an arbitrary phrase cut you off from perfection!

O you who remembers the sheep when they yearn,

يا ذاكر الغنم عند مغرمه

وذاكر الريع حين يزدرع

And remembers sustenance when it is planted!

Occupy my discerning self with your open-handedness,

أولعْ بِيَ العارفاتِ في يدك ال

سمحة إن الزمان بي ولِع

For time has fallen in love with me.

And salvation from it is time to end

والغوث منه أوانَ ينتهي ال

شلو ولا غوث حين يبتلع

The helplessness, and there is no salvation when it swallows.

Abu al-Hussein, be moved! For you are not

أبا الحسين اهتزز فإنك لا ال

ناكل في موطن ولا الطبِع

The settler in a place, or natural.

Let a beautiful garment of excellent

ولينعطف منك معطفٌ حسنُ ال

طاعة لا مانع ولا جزِع

Obedience unfold from you, with no objection and no anguish.

You who invited me to wealth, a trace

يا من دعاني إلى الغنى أثرٌ

لطابع الجود فيه منطبع

Of the stamp of generosity is stamped on it.

I testify that I believed you a brother

شهدت أني اعتقدت منك أخاً

لم يخدع الرأيَ فيه مختدع

Whom opinion did not fool in deception.

Enamored of the heights, a brother of passion

متيماً بالعلا أخا شعفٍ

يخطبُ أبكارها ويفترع

Who woos their maidens and savors them.

Joking with generosity, not foolishness, for if he

يمزح بالجود لا السفاه فإن

جدَّ فزولٌ ذو عقدةٍ مَصِع

Is serious, it is pleasurable, with a firm pact.

You have not ceased to permit me

ما زلت بالإذن لي وبالأَذَن ال

مجدى وأي الجميل تتَّدع

Generosity and the ear of glory, and which beauty can match it?

You pave the way for my request for a while,

تمهَدُ لي مطلبي وآونةً

تمهد لي مضجعي فأضطجع

Then pave the way for my resting place so I may rest.

Take it, like the deafness of rocks I have torn away

خذها كصمِّ الصخور أقلعتُها

من جبل شامخ فتنقلع

From a lofty mountain so they tore away!

Your glory, from which that authentic star branched out,

مجدك ذاك الذي أناف على ال

نجم أصيل من طوده فرِع

Is too lofty for the star.

And whoever denies what I say about you -

ومن أبى ما أقول فيك فحي

ياه بموسى قعساء مجتدِع

Rebuke him with Moses of rugged terrain!

Finally, may you be safe from the times,

وبعد فاسلم على الزمان ولا

زالت يد السوء عنك تندفع

And may the hand of evil be repelled from you forever.