إلى الملكِ الوهَّابِ ما في يمينِهِ
ولكنَّهُ بالعِرضِ جِدُّ بخيلِ
To the generous king, what is in his right hand,
Yet with honor he is very stingy.
يمتُّ إذا استَنْسَبْتَهُ بأبوَّةٍ
تمُدُّ بِبَاعٍ في الفخارِ طويلِ
He boasts when you attribute him with fatherhood,
Stretching with a long rope in pottery.
يضمُّ عليّاً في الفخارِ وطَالباً
إلى جعفرٍ أكرِمْ بهِ وعقيلِ
He carries Ali in pottery and Talib
To Ja'far be generous with him and Aqeel.
فيحرزُ غاياتِ العُلاَ بِعُمومةٍ
مُعَرِّقَةٍ في هاشمٍ وخؤولِ
So he secures the heights of glory with generosity
Perspiring in Hashim and Khuza'a.
إذا استُصْرِخُوا كانوا ليوثَ وقائعٍ
أو استسمحوا كانوا غُيوثَ مُحُولِ
If they cry for help, they are lions in battle,
Or if they seek pardon, they are roaring floods.
أولئكَ قَومٌ لا يُناغَى وليدُهم
على مهدِهِ إلاَّ بِرَجْعِ صَهيلِ
Those are a people whose newborn is not lulled
In his cradle unless by the neighing of a steed.
لَهُ عندَ مَسْمُوعِ الثَنا أَرْيحيَّةٌ
ترفُّ على عِرْضٍ أَغَرَّ صَقيلِ
He has, when praised, gentle agreeableness
Floating on honor the face of a filled cup.
ومَشْحُوذُ عَزْمٍ لم يُصِبْ وزنَ فاعلٍ
من الخَطبِ إلاّ ارتَدَّ وَزْنَ فَعيلِ
And resolute determination that has never been equaled
In discourse unless declined like an active participle.
سَلامٌ كما افترَّتْ مَبَاسِمُ روضةٍ
فَجَاءَ بريَّاها نَسيمُ قُبولِ
Greetings like smiles that adorn a garden
When its breeze comes laden with acceptance.
وصفْوُ ثناءٍ ما يغِبُّ كما صَفَا
على صفحاتِ الكَأسِ وَجْهُ شَمولِ
Describe him with praise that does not disappear as clarity
Appears on the surface of a cup and all-inclusiveness.
نزلتُ بهِ والدهرُ حَربٌ كأنّما
تطالبُني أحداثُهُ بذُحُولِ
I descended on him while time is a war as if
Its events require me to fight.
فكانَ نزولي بابْنِ عمٍّ ووالدٍ
وصِنْوٍ ومَوْلَى صَالحٍ وخليلِ
So my descent was to the son of an uncle and father,
Ally, patron, and righteous friend.
أَسَاغَ على رغمِ الحوادثِ مَشربيْ
وبلَّغَني ممّا أُحاولُ سُولي
He made my drinking-place pleasant despite adversities,
And conveyed me what I strive for.
وقرَّ بما أَولاَهُ أعينَ أُسْرَتي
وأَكْمدَ حُسَّادي وأفرحَ جيلي
And brought joy through what he granted to my family,
And disappointed my enviers and delighted my generation.
وأُتبِعُ شُكري شكرَ قَوْميَ فليفزْ
بشكريَ مَوصولاً بِشكرِ قَبيلي
And my gratitude will be followed by my people's gratitude,
Continuous with the gratitude of my tribe.
ويعقبُ مَدْحي فيه مدحَ ثلاثةٍ
مَرَوْا دَرَّ أخلافِ البَيانِ فُحُولِ
And my praise of him will be followed by praising three
Who have excelled the progeny of rhetoric and are masters.
إذا استرسُلوا في حَلْبةِ النظمِ أحْرَزوا
مَدَاها فلم يعلقْ لهم بذُيول
If they let loose in the arena of prosody they gain
Its full extent, with no tails clinging to them.
كَريمٌ متى ألقى العَصَا بفنائِهِ
أخو العُدْمِ لم يأذَنْ له بقُفُولِ
A noble man, when he casts his staff in his courtyard,
His brother nothingness is not allowed to enter.
وإنْ أعثَرَ الدَّهرُ امرءاً فاستقاله
لعثرتِهِ ألفاهُ خَيرَ مَقيلِ
And if time trips up a man, and he falls,
He finds him best at guiding to correct his stumbling.
مُضِيءُ نَوَاحي السَّيل ما أَمَّهُ امرؤٌ
فأحوجَه في قَصْدِه لدَلِيْلِ
Illuminating the regions of torrents, none like the man
Who guided him in his purpose to a guide.
وإنَّ الذي سَمَّاهُ بَدراً لَصَادقٌ
على أنَّهُ لم يُكْسَ ثَوبَ أُفُولِ
And the one called "full moon" spoke truly,
For he has never worn the garb of setting.
صَليبٌ على عَجْمِ الحوادثِ عُودُهُ
جريءٌ على الأعداءِ غَيرُ نَكُولِ
A cross over the non-Arabs, his post
Bold against enemies, not refusing.
إذا اكتنفتهُ النائباتُ نَكَصْنَ عن
نَهوضٍ بأَعْباءِ الخُطُوبِ حَمُولِ
If catastrophes surround him, they recoil from
His standing up with the burdens of difficulties carried.
قريعُ وغَىً لو بارَزَ الموتَ لم يكنْ
ليرجعَ إلاّ في ثيابِ قَتيلِ
A reprimand for disorder, had he confronted death, he would not
Have returned except in the clothes of a slain man.
أخو زَرَدٍ مَوْضُونَةٍ ومَغَافرٍ
وَرَبُّ قَناً عَسَّالةٍ ونُصُولِ
Brother of Zarada and Maghafir
And Lord of Kan horses, swift and attacking.
إذا ضَاقَ بالخيلِ الرجالُ مشَى بها
على مثلِ حَدِّ المشرفيِّ دَليلِ
If the men are too few for the horses, he walks them
On the like of Mashrafi's thin guide rope.
إذا حَرَّ بالضغنِ استراحَ إلى الوغَى
كأنّ هجيرَ الكرِّ بردُ مُقيلِ
If hot zeal tires him, he takes rest in battle,
As if the neighing of the war stallion lulls him.
أخو مَنعةٍ لو تصبحُ الأسْدُ عُوَّداً
بذمتِهِ لم يَعتصِمْنَ بِغِيْلِ
Brother of protection, if lions were accustomed
To his pledge they would not seek refuge in a forest.
ألا هل أتَى بدراً على النأي إنني
أُكابدُ وجداً فيهِ غيرَ قليلِ
Will the full moon come to remote me? I suffer
Separation's love pain not a little.
وإنّيَ ما استحْدثتُ بعد فراقِهِ
خليلاً ولا استبدلتُهُ بِبَدِيلِ
And I have not, since his absence, made
A friend nor substituted him with a replacement
فَصَافَحَهُ عَنّي على بُعْدِ دارِهِ
بِمدحيَ كَفَّا غُدوةٍ وأصيلِ
So greet him from me, though his house is far,
With my praise, morning and evening.
