تظلَّمَ شِعري إلى القاسمِ

فأعْدَى على الزمنِ الغاشمِ

My poetry complained of al-Qasim

So he transgressed against the tyrannical time

تطوَّلَ حتى توهمتُهُ

يُطاولُ بدْرَ بني هاشمِ

It extended until I imagined it

Rivaling the full moon of Bani Hashim

ونوَّلَ حتى لقد خِلُتهُ

يُساجلُ فيِّ أبا القاسمِ

And it retreated until I saw it

Contesting with me over Abul Qasim

فتىً نال عافُوهُ مَرْضاتَهُمْ

فجلَّ على مَرْغمِ الراغمِ

A young man who obtained their satisfaction

So he excelled over the reluctant one

نُطيفُ ببَحْرٍ لهُ زاخرٍ

ونأوي إلى جبلٍ عاصمِ

Floating in an abundant sea

And taking refuge on an impregnable mountain

بناهُ الإله لنا مَعْقِلاً

بناءَ المُخلِّدِ لا الهادمِ

Built by God for us as a fortress

A construction of the immortalizer not the demolisher

هو الدهرُ مُصْغٍ إلى سائلٍ

وليسَ بِمُصْغٍ إلى لائمِ

It is time listening to a questioner

And not listening to a blamer

تظلُّ يداه يديْ غارمٍ

وبَهْجَتُةُ بهجةَ الغانمِ

His hands remain the hands of a passionate lover

And his joy is the joy of the winner

وما غارمٌ حَصَّلَتْ كفُّهُ

له الحمدَ والأجرَ بالغارمِ

No passionate lover's palms were emptied

For him is the praise and reward for the passionate one

وما تستفيقُ يدا قاسمٍ

كأنَّ يديْهِ يدا عائمِ

The hands of al-Qasim do not cease

As if his hands are floating hands

يحاذر إن وَنَتَا طَرْفةً

حذارَ امرئٍ حازمٍ عازمِ

He is cautious if he jest for a moment

The caution of a resolute and determined man

ويرهب أحدوثةَ الباخلي

نَ في أزمةِ الزَمنِ الآزمِ

And he fears the stinginess of the miser

During the crisis of pressing time

ومَنْ كفَّ مِنْ زَمن عارمٍ

تسلَّمَ مِنْ زمَنٍ عارمِ

Whoever refrains from a torrential time

Is saved from a torrential time

وليستْ بسيِّدِنا خَلَّةٌ

تُخَوِّفُهُ العَذْمَ من عاذمِ

Our master has no shortcoming

That would frighten him, firm against the threatener

لقد نَصَّهُ اللَّهُ في مَنْصبٍ

سليمٍ من الذامِ والذائمِ

God has placed him in an unsullied position

Safe from blame and from the blamer

فلا عيبَ فيه سوى نائلٍ

يراهُ المُنَوِّلُ كالحالمِ

So he has no flaw but for a complainer

Who sees the grantor as a dreamer

يظلُّ يرى حقَّهُ باطلاً

أطافَ خيالاً على نائمِ

He remains seeing his right as false

Like a mirage circling a sleeper

فلا انْفَكَّ تالِفَ أموالهِ

وقاءً على عِرْضِهِ السالمِ

His wealth has not ceased being agreeable

A protection for his unblemished honor

ولا زال غيثاً على سائلٍ

مُحِقٍّ وغيظاً على ناقمِ

He remains a rain for the questioner

Vanquishing the complainer and enraging the displeased

فما تاجرٌ باعَهُ حَمْدَهُ

بِمُحتقبٍ حَسْرَةَ النادمِ

No trader has sold his praise

For expected regret of the regretful

وإني وقدْ آب لا خائباً

ولا حاملاً ثقَلَ الآثمِ

As for me, I came not failing

Nor bearing the burden of sin

فلا يتوهَّمْ أخو شُبْهةٍ

فلمْ يَبْقَ وهْمٌ على واهمِ

Let no brother suspect ambiguity

For no illusion remains for the deluded one

عجبتُ لمَنْ حَزْمُهُ حزمُهُ

تكونُ يداه يدَيْ حاتمِ

I wonder for one whose resolve is his resolve

That his hands become hands of the final seal

عجبْتُ لمن جودُهُ جودُهُ

تكونُ له عُقدةُ الحارمِ

I wonder for one whose generosity is his generosity

That a miser's knot becomes his

عجبتُ لِمَنْ حِلمُهُ حلمُهُ

تكونُ له صَوْلةُ الصّارمِ

I wonder for one whose patience is his patience

That the violence of a sword becomes his

عجبتُ لمن حَدُّهُ حَدُّهُ

تكونُ له رأفَةُ الراحمِ

I wonder for one whose limit is his limit

That the kindness of the Merciful becomes his

أرى كلَّ ضِدٍّ إلى ضِدِّهِ

من الخير في طبعه السالمِ

I see every opposite leading to its opposite

The good in his nature is secure

إليكمْ جُفاةَ العلى إنَّني

دُفعْتُ إلى مُفضلٍ عالمِ

To you, O stone-hearted elite, I

Was led to al-Mufaddal, the knowing scholar

يُضيء بيوم لهُ شامسٍ

ويسقي بيومٍ له غائمِ

Whose day illuminates with a shining sun

And whose cloudy day waters

يقولُ فيروِي صدَى جاهلٍ

ويُعطي فيروي صدى حائمِ

He speaks, satisfying the echo of the ignorant one

And gives, satisfying the echo of the confused one

قراني قِرَى غيرَ ما عاتم

وليس قِرَى السَّمحِ بالعاتمِ

He gathered me, without being gloomy

And not the gathering of the tolerant with the intolerant

قراني لُهىً وقراني نُهىً

فلستُ لرِفدَيْنِ بالعادمِ

He gathered me in vain and in prohibition

So I am not for the two rivers to neglect

فما لمديحيَ من خاتمٍ

وما لعطاياه من خاتمِ

My praise has no final seal

Nor his gifts a final seal

فتىً لا يُذَمُّ بجودِ المُضِي

عِ كلّا ولا بخَلِ النادمِ

A man not blamed for spending while able

Nor for the stinginess of the regretful

ألا أجرِ مدحكَ في قاسم

فما لحروفِكَ من جازمِ

Indeed, the reward for your praise, O Qasim

For your letters has no binding oath

أمُسْتَكْتِمِي قاسمٌ عُرْفَهُ

أَبَيْتُ على المُحْسِنِ الظالمِ

O Qasim, have you concealed your custom from me?

I refused the injustice of the benefactor

كريمٌ أسرَّ إليَّ الغِنى

وما أنا للْعُرْفِ بالكاتمِ

A generous man confided wealth in me

And I am not one to conceal a favor

وهَبْني كتَمْتُ أتخفى له

بروقُ نداه على الشائمِ

He granted me, I concealed. Do I hide from him

The lightning of his munificence over the critic?

ووسْمُ اليسارِ عل موسرٍ

وسِيما النعيمِ على ناعمِ

The mark of easiness on the wealthy

And the sign of bliss on the blissful

أقاسِمُ يا قاسمَ المُنْفسا

تِ لا زلتَ في جَذلٍ دائمِ

Shares for me, O Qasim, the pleas

You have not ceased in lasting beauty

مدحتك مدحةَ لا باخسٍ

ثناءَكَ حقَّاً ولا زاعمِ

I praised you with praise without stinginess

I truthfully lauded, not pretending

فساجلتُ شيْخَ بني تَغلبٍ

وساجلتُ شيخَ بني دارمِ

So I contested the elder of Bani Taghlib

And contested the elder of Bani Darim

أُجَهِّزُ فيك جميلَ الثنا

إلى حافظٍ وإلى راقمِ

I prepare the beautiful praise for you

For the memorizer and for the transcriber

وحسبي معانيكَ من جَوْهرٍ

وحسبُكَ عبْدُكَ مِنْ ناظمِ

Your meanings are enough jewels for me

And you are enough, your servant, from the composer

ولم أر مثلكَ مِنْ سيِّدٍ

وكم لك مِثْليَ من خادمِ

I have not seen the like of you from a master

And how many like me are your servants

فلا زلتَ غيثاً على سائلٍ

ولا زلتَ غيظاً على راغمِ

You remain a rain for the questioner

And you remain wrath for the displeased

وإن كنتَ أعقبتني جفوةً

وما أنا والله بالجارمِ

If you turned away from me in aloofness

I am not, by God, the offender

وراعيتَ غيري وأغفلتني

خلافاً لميزانِكَ القائمِ

You regarded others and neglected me

Contrary to your established balance

وليستْ بحاليَ من مُسْكةٍ

وإن جَمْجَمَتْ سكتةُ الكاظمِ

My condition is not of continuous silence

Even if the silence of the restrainer frowns

أبى ذاك أنَّكُمُ مَعْشَرٌ

مناعيشُ للرازحِ الرازمِ

That refused, for you are a people

Who provide life to the pleased and resolute

وأنْ ليس للداءِ داءِ الفقي

رِ غيرُكُمُ الدهرَ من حاسمِ

And that the disease of the poor

Has no cure but you, time's decider

ومن تُسْلِموهُ لأيّامِهِ

ففي شظفٍ لازبٍ لازمِ

Whoever you deliver to his days

Remains in miserable, binding poverty

أمِنْ بَعْدِ منزلة المُطْعِمي

نَ أعْدِمْتُ منزلةَ الطاعمِ

After the station of the feeders

Could I lose the station of the fed?

أمِنْ بَعْدِ منعي حريمَ المَضِي

مِ أسلمتموني إلى الضائمِ

After denying me the inviolable path

You delivered me to the lost

فلانتْ قناتيَ للغامزي

نَ وارْفَتَّ عُوديَ للعاجمِ

So my spout became for the scorners

And my tent pole submitted to the non-Arabs

أَلَمْ أك في أُفقٍ مُسْفِرٍ

فماليَ في أُفقٍ قاتمِ

Was I not in a shining horizon?

So what is my place in a gloomy horizon?

ألمْ أكُ جذلان في ظلكم

فماليَ في مَقعَد الواجمِ

Was I not pliant in your shade?

So what is my place in the assembly of the stentorian?

إلى عدلكَ المُشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ

فحَسْبي بعدْلِكَ من حاكمِ

To your justice, all of it appealed

So your justice suffices me for a ruler

وإني لأظلمُ إذْ أشتكي

وعدلُكَ كالكوكبِ الناجمِ

Indeed I am wrong to complain

While your justice is like the shining star