هَلِ النِداءُ الَّذي أَعلَنتُ مُستَمَعُ
أَم في المِئاتِ الَّتي قَدَّمتُ مُنتَفَعُ
Is it my call that the listener declared,
Or is it from the hundreds I presented as benefitted?
إِنّي لَأَعجَبُ مِن حَظٍّ يُسَوِّفُ بي
كَاليَأسِ مِن نَيلِهِ أَن يَجذِبَ الطَمَعُ
I am amazed at luck that procrastinates towards me,
Like despair from attaining it allures greed.
تَأبى السُكونَ إِلى تَعليلِ دَهرِيَ لي
نَفسٌ إِذا خودِعَت لَم تُرضِها الخُدَعُ
Peace refuses to justify my fate,
A soul once deceived is not appeased by deceit.
لَيسَ الرُكونُ إِلى الدُنيا دَليلَ حِجىً
فَإِنَّها دُوَلٌ أَيّامُها مُتَعُ
Sinking into the world is no proof of wisdom,
For its conditions are states whose days pass.
تَأتي الرَزايا نِظاماً مِن حَوادِثِها
إِذِ الفَوائِدُ في أَثنائِها لُمَعُ
Misfortunes come systematically from their events,
As opportunities are radiant amongst them.
أَهلُ النَباهَةِ أَمثالي لِدَهرِهِمُ
بِقَصرِهِم دونَ غاياتِ المُنى وَلَعُ
The wise like me for their time,
Are below the ultimate wishes and passion.
لَولا بَنو جَهوَرٍ ما أَشرَقَت هِمَمي
كَمِثلِ بيضِ اللَيالي دونَها الدُرَعُ
Were it not for the children of valor my ambitions would not have shone,
Like the whiteness of nights beneath the coat of mail.
هُمُ المُلوكُ مُلوكُ الأَرضِ دونَهُمُ
غيدُ السَوالِفِ في أَجيادِها تَلَعُ
They are the kings, kings of the earth beneath whom,
The weaves of narratives with their generosity vie.
مِنَ الوَرى إِن يَفوقوهُم فَلا عَجَبٌ
كَذَلِكَ الشَهرُ مِن أَيّامِهِ الجُمَعُ
If anyone were to surpass them it's no wonder,
Like the month amongst its days is the total.
قَومٌ مَتى تَحتَفِل في وَصفِ سُؤدُدِهِم
لا يَأخُذِ الوَصفُ إِلّا بَعضَ ما يَدَعُ
When describing their munificence if celebrations occur,
The description takes but some of what it leaves.
تَجَهَّمَ الدَهرُ فَاِنصاتَت لَهُم غُرَرٌ
ماءُ الطَلاقَةِ في أَسرارِها دُفَعُ
They frowned at fate, so secrets listened to them,
The water of eloquence in its mysteries gushed forth.
باهَت وُجوهُهُمُ الأَعراضَ مِن كَرَمٍ
فَكُلَّما راقَ مَرأىً طابَ مُستَمَعُ
Their faces shone and modesty from nobleness,
So whenever a glance was cast it was beautiful if heard.
سَروٌ تَزاحَمُ في نَظمِ المَديحِ لَهُ
مَحاسِنُ الشِعرِ حَتّى بَينَها قُرَعُ
Cypress trees vie in weaving eulogies for it,
Until the beauties of poetry amongst themselves clashed.
أَبو الوَليدِ قَدِ اِستَوفى مَناقِبَهُم
فَلِلتَفاريقِ مِنها فيهِ مُجتَمَعُ
Abu Al-Waleed fully enumerated their merits,
So the separations from those in him are collected.
هُوَ الكَريمُ الَّذي سَنَّ الكِرامُ لَهُ
زُهرَ المَساعي فَلَم تَستَهوِهِ البِدَعُ
He is the noble one whom nobleness legislated for,
The flowers of effort so transgression did not allure him.
مِن عِترَةٍ أَوهَمَتهُ في تَعاقُبِها
أَنَّ المَكارِمَ إيصاءً بِها شِرَعُ
From a dynasty that deluded him in its succession,
That virtues were a legacy through it legislated.
مُهَذَّبٌ أَخلَصَتهُ أَوَّلِيَّتُهُ
كَالسَيفِ بالَغَ في إِخلاصِهِ الصَنَعُ
Cultured whom his natural disposition purified,
Like a sword complete in its creation the making.
إِنَّ السُيوفَ إِذا ما طابَ جَوهَرُها
في أَوَّلِ الطَبعِ لَم يَعلَق بِها طَبَعُ
Swords when their essence is good during the first imprint,
No imprint then adheres to them.
جَذلانُ يَستَضحِكُ الأَيّامَ عَن شِيَمٍ
كَالرَوضِ تَضحَكُ مِنهُ في الرُبى قِطَعُ
Jadhlans laughs at days due to traits,
Like a meadow laughs at them during watering from sections.
كَالبارِدِ العَذبِ لَذَّت مِن مَوارِدِهِ
لِشارِبٍ غِبَّ تَبريحِ الصَدى جُرَعُ
Cool and fresh its tastings appealed from its springs,
To a thirsty drinking it the reverberations of echo quenched.
قُل لِلوَزيرِ الَّذي تَأميلُهُ وَزَري
إِن ضاقَ مُضطَرَبٌ أَو هالَ مُطَّلَعُ
Say to the minister whom my ministry hopes for,
If troubled shrinks or hesitates the rising.
أَصِخ لِهَمسِ عِتابٍ تَحتَهُ مِقَةٌ
وَكَلِّفِ النَفسَ مِنها فَوقَ ما تَسَعُ
Ignore the rebuke's whisper underneath which is irritation,
And obligate the self beyond what it can endure.
ما لِلمَتابِ الَّذي أَحصَفتَ عُقدَتَهُ
قَد خامَرَ القَلبَ مِن تَضييعِهِ جَزَعُ
What of the twisting you knitted its knot,
Grief at losing it crept into the heart.
لي في المُوالاةِ أَتباعٌ يَسُرُّهُمُ
أَنّي لَهُم في الَّذي نُجزى بِهِ تَبَعُ
For me in allegiance are followers made happy,
That I for them in what we are rewarded am a follower.
أَلَستُ أَهلَ اِختِصاصٍ مِنكَ يُلبِسُني
جَمالَ سيماهُ أَم ما فِيَّ مُصطَنَعُ
Am I not worthy of exclusivity from you that adorns me,
Either the beauty of its mark or is it in me pretentious?
لَم أوتِ في الحالِ مِن سَعيي لَدَيكَ وَنىً
بَل بِالجُدودِ تَطيرُ الحالُ أَو تَقَعُ
I have not attained in my state from my efforts through you misery,
But in ancestry soars the state or settles.
لا تَستَجِز وَضعَ قَدَري بَعدَ رَفعِكَهُ
فَاللَهُ لا يَرفَعُ القَدرَ الَّذي تَضَعُ
Do not demean the status of my position after you raised it,
For God does not raise a position that you demean.
تَقَدَّمَت لَكَ نُعمى رادَها أَمَلي
في جانِبٍ هُوَ لِلإِنسانِ مُنتَجَعُ
Your favors advanced to me, my hopes returned it,
To a side that for man is a refuge.
ما زالَ يونِقُ شُكري في مَواقِعِها
كَالمُزنِ تونِقُ في آثارِهِ التُرَعُ
My gratitude continues to ripen in its positions,
Like the farm ripens in the traces of irrigation.
شُكرٌ يَروقُ وَيُرضي طيبُ طُعمَتِهِ
في طَيِّهِ نَفَحاتٌ بَينَها خِلَعُ
Gratitude that satisfies, the goodness of its taste,
Amongst its folds the wafts between them split open.
ظَنَّ العِدا إِذ أَغَبَّت أَنَّها اِنقَطَعَت
هَيهاتَ لَيسَ لِمَدِّ البَحرِ مُنقَطَعُ
The enemy thought when they were absent that they were cut off,
Alas, the sea's flow is not cut off.
لا بَأسَ بِالأَمرِ إِن ساءَت مَبادِءُهُ
نَفسَ الشَفيقِ إِذا ما سَرَّتِ الرُجَعُ
No problem if the matter was bad in its beginnings,
The caring soul if it was pleased by the return.
إِنَّ الأُلى كُنتُ مِن قَبلِ اِفتِضاحِهِمِ
مِثلَ الشَجا في لُهاهُم لَيسَ يُنتَزَعُ
The previous kin before their disgrace I was,
Like gum resin in their jaws not extractible.
لَم أَحظَ إِذ هُم عِداً بادٍ نِفاقُهُمُ
إِلّا كَما كُنتُ أَحظى إِذ هُمُ شِيَعُ
I did not notice when hostile enmity was decaying,
Except as I noticed when they were supporters.
ما غاظَهُم غَيرَ ما سَيَّرتُ مِن مِدَحٍ
في صائِكِ المِسكِ مِن أَنفاسِها فَنَعُ
Nothing provoked them except what I circulated in praise,
In your fragrant musk from its breath artistry.
كَم غُرَّةٍ لي تَلَقَتّها قُلوبُهُمُ
كَما تَلَقّى شِهابَ الموقِدِ الشَمَعُ
How many grudges against me their hearts harbored,
As the spark harbored the burning ember.
إِذا تَأَمَّلتَ حُبّي غِبَّ غَشِّهِمِ
لَم يَخفَ مِن فَلَقِ الإِصباحِ مُنصَدِعُ
If you contemplate my love the concealment of their deceit,
It did not escape the dawn's splitting as it cracked.
تِلكَ العَرانينُ لَم يَصلُح لَها شَمَمٌ
فَكانَ أَهوَنَ ما نيلَت بِهِ الجَدَعُ
Those bells were not suited for any scent,
So the easiest thing it obtained with was barrenness.
أَودَعتَ نُعماكَ مِنهُم شَرَّ مُغتَرَسٍ
لَن يَكرُمَ الغَرسُ حَتّى تُكرَمُ البُقَعُ
You made your favors from them the evilest of trees,
The tree will not give fruit until the land is fertilized.
لَقَد جَزَتهُم جَوازي الدَهرِ عَن مِنَنٍ
عَفَت فَلَم يَثنِهِم عَن غَمطِها وَرَعُ
The turns of fate compensated them for blessings,
It was chaste so no devotion from it discouraged them.
لا زالَ جَدُّكَ بِالأَعداءِ يَصرَعُهُم
إِن كانَ بَينَ جُدودِ الناسِ مُصطَرَعُ
Your grandfather continues to fell them with enemies,
If there was contention between people's ancestors.
