هِيَ الشَمسُ مَغرِبُها في الكِلَل
وَمَطلَعُها مِن جُيوبِ الحُلَل
She is the sun, her sunset in the darkness,
Her rise from the horizons of beauty.
وَغُصنٌ تَرَشَّفَ ماءَ الشَبابِ
ثَراهُ الهَوى وَجَناهُ الأَمَل
A branch sipping the water of youth,
Whose foliage hope has sprinkled and dreams have made green.
تَهادى لَطيفَةَ طَيِّ الوِشاحِ
وَتَرنو ضَعيفَةَ كَرِّ المُقَل
Swaying gently, wrapped in her veil’s folds,
Bending weakly, clasping her garment’s hem,
وَتَبرُزُ خَلفَ حِجابِ العَفافِ
وَتَسفِرُ تَحتَ نِقابِ الخَجَل
She steps out from behind the veil of chastity,
And is unveiled beneath the cloak of shyness.
بَدَت في لِداتٍ كَزُهرِ النُجومِ
حِسانِ التَحَلّي مِلاحِ العَطَل
She appeared in gentle beauty like a blossoming star,
Adorned with the beauty of one dressed up and ready for relaxation.
مَشَينَ يُهادينَ رَوضَ الرُبى
بِيانِعِ رَوضِ الصِبا المُقتَبَل
Strolling slowly through the garden of happiness
In the flourishing garden of blossoming youth.
فَمِن قُضُبٍ تَتَثَنّى بِريحٍ
وَمِن قُضُبٍ تَتَثَنّى بِدَلّ
There branches swaying gracefully.
There flowers scenting delicately with basil.
وَمِن زَهَراتٍ تُنَدّى بِمِسكٍ
وَمِن زَهَراتٍ تُنَدّى بِطَلّ
Guardians keep watch over their tribe
And the square of its encampment remains pitched.
تَعاهَدَ صَوبُ العِهادِ الحِمى
وَلا زالَ مَربَعُها في مَلَل
The goal of love is protecting one’s neighbor,
For him the approach of union has withered.
مَرادٌ مِنَ الحُبِّ غَضُّ الجَنى
لَدَيهِ مِنَ الوَصلِ وِردٌ عَلَل
Nights in which a lover ceased not to send joy,
A companion conversing secretly and a guardian unaware.
لَيالِيَ ما اِنفَكَّ يُهدي السُرورَ
حَبيبٌ سَرى وَرَقيبٌ غَفَل
An era as if the noble Muslim youth—
Its justice encompassed him and so he grew moderate.
زَمانٌ كَأَنَّ الفَتى المَسلَمِيَّ
تَكَنَّفَهُ عَدلُهُ فَاِعتَدَل
It began to restore through its rule,
The glory of religion from the days of loss.
تَدارَكَ مِن حُكمِهِ أَن يُعيدَ
بِهِ عِزَّةَ الدينِ أَيّامَ ذَلّ
And to illuminate the waymarks of piety when forgotten
And to reveal the star of guidance when it had set.
وَيوضِحَ رَسمَ التُقى إِذ عَفا
وَيُطلِعَ نَجمَ الهُدى إِذ أَفَل
We praise the Victorious when he saw
For our Mansur a course of action and so took example.
حَمِدنا المُظَفَّرَ لَمّا رَأى
لِمَنصورِنا سيرَةً فَاِمتَثَل
A sovereign before whom a vision appeared—
He contemplated it carefully and so was admonished.
مَليكٌ تَجَلّى لَهُ غُرَّةً
تَأَمَّلَها غِرَّةً تُهتَبَل
The noblest of people in position,
The most renowned of them in high example.
أَشَفُّ الوَرى في النُهى رُتبَةً
وَأَشهَرُهُم في المَعالي مَثَل
The most deserving of people of command and prohibition,
The most knowledgeable of kings of binding pacts and loosing them.
وَأَحرى الأَنامِ بِأَمرٍ وَنَهيٍ
وَأَدرى المُلوكِ بِعَقدٍ وَحَلّ
Yemen’s is the crown amongst them
Through what its earliest Tubba’s inherited.
يَمانٍ لَهُ التاجُ مِن بَينِهِم
بِما أَورَثَ التُبَّعونَ الأُوَل
Aloft, a banner of glory,
Beneath which enemies remain humbled.
سَنامٌ مِنَ المَجدِ عالي الذُرا
يَظَلُّ العِدا مِنهُ تَحتَ الأَظَلّ
As a babe he lay in the cradle beneath the shade of the banner,
And as a youth he rose up bearing it independently.
تَقَيَّلَ في المَهدِ ظِلَّ اللِواءَ
وَسيمَ النُهوضَ بِهِ فَاِستَقَلّ
His capable supporters took the place
Of his talismans, so he endured.
وَنيطَت حَمائِلُهُ الوافِياتُ
مَكانَ تَمائِمِهِ فَاِحتَمَل
That blood only grew cold when in the cold was
A formidable lion who battled fiercely.
وَما بَلَّتِ البُردَ تِلكَ الدُمو
عُ إِلّا وَفي البُردِ لَيثٌ أَبَلّ
From him we knew noble deeds—
Reports giving us good tidings of bountiful gifts.
عَهِدنا المَكارِمَ فيهِ مَعاني
تُبَشِّرُنا فيهِ مِنها الجُمَل
After glad tidings you will see clouds
Whose lightning has flashed brightly and lit up.
تُرى بَعدَ بِشرٍ يُريكَ الغَمامَ
تَهَلَّلَ بارِقُهُ فَاِستَهَلّ
Confirming what hope told us of him,
Or what fancy informed us, perhaps.
يُصَدِّقُ ما حَدَّثَتنا عَسى
بِهِ عَنهُ أَو أَنبَأتَنا لَعَلّ
What anticipation promised has been fulfilled,
And what the soul stated has been done.
فَما وَعَدَ الظَنُّ إِلّا وَفى
وَلا قالَتِ النَفسُ إِلّا فَعَل
He met his adversary with what would ward him off
And gave his aspirant what he sought.
فَلَقّى مُناوِئَهُ ما اِتَّقى
وَأَعطى مُؤَمِّلَهُ ما سَأَل
How oft were his gifts thanked,
So he continued to bestow favors, one after another.
كَمِ اِستَوفَتِ الشُكرَ نَعماؤُهُ
فَأَقبَلَ يُنعِمُ مِن ذي قَبَل
A raincloud shading, a sun illuminating,
An overflowing sea, and a sword unleashed.
غَمامٌ يُظِلُّ وَشَمسٌ تُنيرُ
وَبَحرٌ يَفيضُ وَسَيفٌ يُسَلّ
Dividing booty with smiles, easy with generosity,
Gentle in discourse, cultivated in debate.
قَسيمُ المُحَيّا ضَحوكُ السَماحِ
لَطيفُ الحِوارِ أَديبُ الجَدَل
His pens adorn rhetoric
Whenever the heart turns its attention to it.
تُوَشّي البَلاغَةَ أَقلامُهُ
إِذا ما الضَميرُ عَلَيها أَمَلّ
An eloquence making clear to listeners
That for sorcery some license is allowable.
بَيانٌ يُبَيِّنُ لِلسامِعي
نَ أَنَّ مِنَ السِحرِ ما يُستَحَلّ
But is there scope for faulting him?
For how many an eye has attained perfection because of him!
أَلا هَل سَبيلٌ إِلى العَيبِ فيهِ
فَكَم عينَ مِن قَبلِهِ مَن كَمَل
If the dominion of kings he donned, wearing it spaciously,
Verily he has trailed behind it a splendid train.
لَئِن لَبِسَ المُلكَ رَحبَ المُلا
إِ فَاِختالَ مِنهُ بِذَيلٍ رَفَل
His preparation for lofty deeds
And his zeal for grand accomplishments—
فَإِنَّ تَزَوُّدَهُ لِلمَعالي
وَإِنَّ تَأَهُّبَهُ لِلأَجَلّ
O best regulator of these affairs
And advisor to the holders of this authority!
فَيا خَيرَ سُوّاسِ هَذي الأُمورِ
وَناسِكَ أَربابِ هَذي الدُوَل
Would that I had fortified the frontiers, then they would not
Have been breached, and restored what had fallen into disrepair.
وَليتَ الثُغورَ فَلَم تَعدُ أَن
رَأَبتَ الثَأى وَسَدَدتَ الخَلَل
Other than you, when entrusted with command he transgressed,
And other than you, if the windfall of booty was possessed by him, he was prodigal.
سِواكَ إِذا قُلِّدَ الأَمرَ جارَ
وَغَيرُكَ إِن مُلِّكَ الفَيءَ غَلّ
A sanctuary, never ceasing, belonging to its settler,
Refuge from nonexistence or dread.
حِمىً لا يَزالُ لِمَن حَلَّهُ
أَمانانِ مِن عَدَمٍ أَو وَجَل
So the stars of their days are auspicious,
And the sun of their time continues rising.
فَأَنجُمُ دَهرِهُمُ سَعدَةٌ
وَشَمسُ زَمانِهِمُ في الحَمَل
O Abu Bakr, hear accounts which if
They were related to the ears of one infirm, he would recover!
أَبا بَكرٍ اِسمَع أَحاديثَ لَو
تُبَثُّ بِسَمعِ عَليلٍ أَبَلّ
I will thank you for elevating me
To the most coveted place and nearest position.
سَأَشكُرُ أَنَّكَ أَعلَيتَني
بِأَحظى مَكانٍ وَأَدنى مَحَلّ
That when I visit, you do not veil yourself
And when I sit with you long, you do not weary.
وَأَنّي إِن زُرتُ لَم تَحتَجِب
وَإِن طالَ بي مَجلِسٌ لَم تَمَلّ
You smiled and then bent the cushion,
So for me that subtle gesture suffices from familiarity.
تَبَسَّمتَ ثُمَّ ثَنَيتَ الوِسادَ
فَحَسبِيَ مِن خَطَرٍ ما أَجَلّ
If dust touched my cheek, it would melt,
And if a shower equaled my gratitude, it would be paltry.
فَلَو صافَحَ التِبرَ خَدّي لَهانَ
وَلَو كاثَرَ القَطرَ شُكري لَقَلّ
With its like, the noble one is flattered
When an aspirant seeks him with other than it.
بِأَمثالِها يُستَرَقُّ الكَريمُ
إِذا مَطمَعٌ بِسِواهُ أَخَلّ
Do not neglect the efforts through which
To the mother of cubs fighting fiercely you have inclined.
فَلا تَعدَمَنكَ المَساعي الَّتي
لِأُمِّ المُناويكَ فيها الهَبَل
For you are the bold one when the lion cubs have fled,
You are the guide when the stars have strayed.
فَأَنتَ الجَريءُ إِذا الشِبلُ هابَ
وَأَنتَ الدَليلُ إِذا النَجمُ ضَلّ
Your son is none but the radiance of eyes
When looking to other than him, one would apply kohl.
وَما اِبنُكَ إِلّا جِلاءُ العُيونِ
إِذا ناظِرٌ بِسِواهُ اِكتَحَل
A suckling of sovereignty at her breast—
She offers him her teat when it has filled.
رَبيبُ السِيادَةِ في حِجرِها
تُدِرُّ لَهُ ثَديَها إِذ حَفَل
He kept to your footsteps in righteous deeds,
Never did he vary from them and never flag.
تَمَكَّنَ يَتلوكَ في الصالِحاتِ
فَلَمّا تَفُتهُ وَلَمّا يَنَل
