أصلٌ نما بك ربُّه فَرْعَهْ

من بعدما التمس العدى قَلْعَهْ

A root whose branch their Lord grew

After seeking to uproot the enemy

يا من تجلت الوجوه به

بعد السواد تشوبه سُفعَهْ

O you whose face makes faces radiant

After the darkness that stained it is removed

ما ينقم الحساد منك سوى

أمنٍ شننت عليهم درعه

What the envious resent you for

Is the safety whose coat of mail you donned

بل عز مثلك لا كفاء له

بنَّيت بعد حفوفه ربعه

Rather, glory like yours has no match

You rebuilt its quarters after ruins

مُلكٌ شرَوه من عدوِّهمُ

سفهاً فكنت أحق بالشفعه

A kingdom whose price was paid by their enemy

Foolishly, so you were most deserving of intercession

ورياسة كانت مطلَّقةً

منهم فكنت أحق بالرجعه

And leadership that was freely theirs

So you were most deserving of returning

يا آخراً أضحى لأوله

كالسجدة اتصلت بها الركعه

O you who became last after being first

Like prostration adjoined by bowing

قد قلتُ حين ملكت أمرهم

شمل أراد مليكهم جمعه

I said when I took charge of their affairs

A cloak whose wearer desired to gather

يا من إذا دعي المديح له

لبى الدعاة وجاء في سُرعه

O you, when praised, the praisers

Respond and come quickly

هُنِّئتَ ما أوتيت مغتبطاً

بمزيد رب شاكراً صنعه

You were congratulated, happily receiving

From your Lord a gift, thanking His making

وفَّيتَ حق الشرطتين وما

وُفِّيتَ حقك لا ولا ربعه

You fulfilled the right of both conditions, and not

Fulfilled was your right, no, not even a quarter

لكنها باكورة بكرت

مما نؤمل فانتظر ينعه

But it is the first fruits of an untouched virginity

Of what we hope for, so wait for it to ripen

واسلم على ريب الحوادث ما

سجع الحمام مرجعاً سجعه

And submit what stirs fear to the Lord of events

Like the cooing of doves returning coo

الآن نام الخائفون وما

كانت تذوق عيونهم هجعه

Now those who feared sleep, while

Their eyes never knew sleep

لم تمس عين الله راعية

أحداً يبيت وأنت لم ترعه

No watchful eye of God overlooked

Anyone who sleeps while you did not watch over him

أضحى عبيد الله سيدنا

في المجد وتراً لا يرى شفعه

Dawn made our master glory's lute

With no string seen out of tune

يغري خطوب الدهر منصلتاً

كالسيف أحمدَ ضاربٌ وقعه

He tempts the blows of fate like a sharp sword

Ahmad striking and slamming its impact

يقع الربيع وجود سيدنا

فإليه تصرف دونه النجعه

Your generosity makes spring, my master

So to you returns, without you, no meadow

جود يزيد الله صاحبه

وثوابه المذخور لا السمعه

Your generosity increases him who owns it

While its hidden reward not reputation

وله إذا ما الرأي حيره

خطبٌ يشنِّع ورده قرعه

And if opinion bewilders him

There are speeches that correct its deafness

رأي كأن الدهر أطلعه

من سر كل خفيَّةٍ طلعه

An opinion as if fate revealed to it

The secret of every hidden rising

فتَّاقُ ما يعيا الدهاة به

رتاق ما لم يَرتُقوا صدعه

A piercing wit the ignorant cannot attain

A towering ascent they never climbed

كم غبطة لمعاشر صدرت

عنه وكم لمعاشر فجعه

A king whose fire is raging embers

Remaining warm without burning

فالناس طراً بين مرتقب

سطواته ومؤمل نفعه

But if his blaze is kindled against some

Then there you will not be safe from his slam

كالعارض التهبت صواعقه

وسقى البلاد فلم يدع بقعه

Robed in a clemency lined with

Glory, and no weakness exists in him

أحذاه عبد الله شيمته

والأصل يسقي ماؤه فرعه

He gives life and death, able

Sweetly frowning, killer of beasts

يندى ويصلب عوده فترى

لَدنَ المهزة صادق المنعه

Doer, savior, annihilator

Speaker, both without baseness

كالخيزران لعاطفيه وإن

عجمته نائبة فكالنبعه

His logic does not fault the helpless

No, nor does he insult her hearing

ملك يباشر ناره صَرَدٌ

فتظل مُدفِئةً بلا لذعه

The vast actions suffice him not

Nor are his gifts limited to his capacity

فإذا اصطليت حريقه بطراً

فهناك لست بآمن سفعه

The prince came, he strove and strived

His strivings unbeholden to any rising

متسربل حلماً بطانتُهُ

عزٌّ وليس بكائن فقعه

And Abu Al-Abbas strove after him

Saying: do this, so listen to him

يحيي ويردي وهو مقتدر

حلو المجاجة قاتل السبعه

A son who delighted his father's eye

With him was his father's joy prolonged

فعّال منقذة ومهلكة

قوّال مثلهما بلا قذعه

His hands warded off what he fears

Of our time, excelling in their warding

لا يرأمُ العوراءَ منطقُه

كلا وليس يعيرها سمعه

He did not neglect guarding his subjects

As a shepherd, nor subdued the enemy harshly

يسع الجسيم من الفعال وما

يرضى نداه لقدره وُسْعه

Wondrous is a party who compare him

To one in no way his match or equal

وأتى الأمير لقد جرى فسعى

مسعاه غير مطالعٍ طِلعه

How can a fading spark be compared

To the sun in its rising and loftiness?

وجرى أبو العباس يتبعه

سعياً فقال ألا كذا فاسْعَه

A people who, fully desiring otherwise,

Sought one whose stumblings reject loftiness

ولدٌ أقرَّ لعين والده

طالت لوالده به المتعه

Harboring latent spite toward him

Raised their shoulders from crookedness

وزعت يداه ما يحاذره

من دهرنا فأجادتا وزعه

And over them is the awe of glory

After humility had burdened them

لم يرعَ سرحَ الملك رعيته

راعٍ ولا قمع العدى قمعه

They inclined with hatred toward a man

Who made humiliation law for his family

عجباً لطائفةٍ تقيس به

من لا يوازنه ولا شِسعه

His stumbling prolonged with them, so he fell

And they fell, each rider of checking

أنى تقاس شُعيلةٌ خمدت

بالشمس في الإشراق والرفعه

Plunging into an abyss he cast them in

From his right hand which saves from it

قوم بغوا بيقينهم بدلاً

ممن أبت سقطاتُه رفعه

Until he rescued them and delivered them

The blessed brow dispelling evil

مستبطني ضغنٍ له وبه

رفعوا جنوبَهمُ من الصرعه

Had he opposed the equals all together

The lots would have fallen in his favor

وعليهم للعز أبهة

من بعد ما رهقتهم الخشعه

So they dug for him a pit

The Protector drew him away from it

مالوا بودِّهمُ إلى رجلٍ

جعل البوار لأهله شرعه

And denied what had been their pasture

For their brother with problems sown

طالت به عثراته فكبا

وكبوا وكلٌّ راكبٌ ردعه

Indeed, the follower finds in his like, instead

Of one who desires a precious pearl, forsaking

يهوون في أهويَّةٍ قَذَفٍ

من يمن صاحبه بها ينعه

O their beauty when their ill omen

Was disgrace while the nose is no merchandise

حتى تداركهم فأنقذهم

صلت الجبين مبارك الطلعه

They witnessed when their shame was mended

That you were gracious and did no mending

لو قارع الأكفاء كلهم

عن سؤدد وقعت له القرعه

O Bayhaqi, leave poetry to one whose

Expertise aids his natural gift

فجزوه أن حفروا له حفراً

جذب المهيمن دونها ضَبعه

So bury a weapon you kept arming

With what is in you, no impulse to draw it

وأبيهم ما كان ريعهمُ

لأخيهم بمشاكلٍ زرعه

You erred in the opening verse

And came, though you finished it poorly

إن المريد بمثله بدلاً

لكمن يريد بدرَّةٍ ودعه

You rested a meem unvoweled

And made your Lord asterisks seven

يا زينهم إذ كان أشأمهم

شيناً وليس الأنف كالسلعه

You made it one who, were it to form

A crown, it's like I'd say: take it off!

شهدوا غداة رقعت وهيَهُمُ

أن قد أجدت ولم تُسِئ رقعه

And claimed our master the prince appointed

Generosity until handshake browned

يا بيهقيُّ دع القريض لذي

حذقٍ يعاون علمُه طبعه

While he who brought his footsteps down

Above the one you named and fluttered about

فادفن سُلاحاً ظلت تسلحه

من فيك لا استك دُفعةً دفعه

And made the utmost you're generous with

For the parasite his gulping the swig

أخطأت في المصراع مفتتحاً

وأتيت إذ عجَّزتَه بِدعه

Nonsense over nonsense you placed therein

And placed, after the rubbish of vessels

سكنت ميماً غير ساكنة

وجعلت ربَّك أنجماً سبعه

One like you among his party

Has become of value his head a mere coin

حكَّمتها في من لو انتظمت

تاجاً لقل لمثله خِلعه

And complained of your hunger during the offspring of a king

So you broke your praise of him with disparagement

وزعمتَ سيدَنا الأمير سما

بالجود حتى صافح الهَقعه

You came complaining of the length of his hospitality

Seeking from a slapper a slap

وهو الذي أدنى مواطئه

فوق الذي سميت والهنعه

So the reward of your like: a most deceiving slap

Rather, a spit in the face, or even a cough

وجعلت أقصى ما تجود به

للمستميح نواله الجُرعه

You never ceased to be admonished and in

Expression rebuked, like your saying "hyena"

ثَلطٌ على ثلط وضعت به

ووضعت بعد هدائل القصعه

And mentioned a folk, nine who mangled

The nose of the slain, so they bloodied the mangle

من كان مثلك في جماعته

أضحى وقيمة رأسه قرعه

Yet made their companion long

While long did not meet those nine

وشكوت جوعك في ذرى ملك

فنقضت مدحك فيه بالشُّنعه

Why not "stirrup" you made their ninth

The cutting of its strap like a cutting of shave?

أقبلت تشكو في ضيافته

طول الطوى متمنِّياً نجعه

And mentioned the beauty with a lance

And described her so made her a quarter

كذباً عليه بعد زعمِكَهُ

نصب الجفان بربوة تلعه

And made her flirtation with you

As if to say: answering your pulling

أقبح بإفك في مناقضة

كالنبذة الشمطاء في الصلعه

And described a cup none rivals

So made it blonde like a tear

وحكيت أنك مذ أطفت به

في عيشة تقتاتها لمعه

No blonde tear we know

Except your blood, fighter, bursting vessels

وزعمت صرتك اغتدت عطلاً

لا درهم فيها ولا قطعه

And described the dawn light gloriously

So made it like the light of a candle

وهو الذي يضحي مجاوره

من جنة الفردوس في ترعه

وجعلت ذكر الصفع خاتمة

مسترزقاً من صافع صفعه

فثواب مثلك صفع أخدعه

بل بصقة في الوجه بل نخعه

ما زلت في معنى يحاك وفي

لفظ يساء كقولك الضبعه

وذكرت رهطاً تسعةً جدعوا

أنف القتيل فأوعبوا جدعه

فجعلت صاحبهم طويسَ وما

لاقى طويسُ أولئك التسعه

أفلا قُدار جعلتَ تاسعهم

كَسْعُ استِ قاطعِ زبرِها كَسعه

وذكرت بالحولاء بحربة

ونعتَّها فجعلتها ربعه

وجعلت تحفتها مغازلة

لك أن تقول مجيبة نزعه

ووصفت كأساً لا يشاكلها

فجعلتها صهباء كالدمعه

لا دمعةٌ صهباء نعلمها

إلا دم استِك خاضباً فُصعه

ووصفت ضوء الصبح محتفلاً

فجعلته كإضاءة الشمعه