سُقيا لِحَيٍّ بِاللِوى عَهِدتُهُم

مُنذُ زَمانٍ ثُمَّ هذا رَبعُهُم

I made them drink the juicy wine long ago,

Then this was their time of spring.

عَهِدتُهُم وَالعَيشُ فيهِ غِرَّةٌ

وَلَم يُناوِ الحَدَثانُ شَعبَهُم

I knew them when living with them was joy,

Neither did the two censures hurt their reputation,

وَلَم يَبينوا لِنَوىً قَذّافَةٍ

تَقطَعُ حَبلي مِن وِصالِ حَبلِهِم

Nor did they show any desire for a glancing coquette

Who would sever my tie from their kinship.

فَلَيتَ شِعري هَل لَهُم مِن مَطلَبٍ

أَو أَجِدَنَّ ذاتَ يَومٍ بَدلَهُم

So I wonder if they have any wish

Or I shall find one day instead of them,

أَوَ يُعذَرَنَّ بِالبُكاءِ إِن بَكى

صَبٌّ مُعَنّىً مُستَحَقٌّ إِثرَهُم

Or if a youth who weeps is excused

If he is a concerned, deserving successor of them.

مُكَلَّفٌ بِالشَوقِ لا يَنساهُمُ

يَمنَحُهُم وُدّاً وَيرعى عَهدَهُم

Obliged with yearning, he does not forget them,

Grants them love and keeps their covenant,

وَيُنذِرُ النُذورَ إِن رَآهُمُ

وَعادَ يَوماً عَيشُهُ وَعَيشُهُم

And fulfills vows when he sees them

And one day his living and their living return.

وَلا وَرَبِّ العَرشِ لا يَلقاهُمُ

وَلا يَعودُ عيدُهُ وَعيدُهُم

No, by the Lord of the Throne, he will not meet them

Nor will his feast and their feast return.

وَكَيفَ يَلقاهُم كَبيرٌ سِنُّهُ

وَقَد مَضى الدَهرُ وَطاحَ نَجمُهُم

And how can an old man meet them

When time has passed and their star has fallen?

هَيهاتَ عَدِّ النَفسَ عَن ذِكراهُمُ

وَاِقصِد لِنَحوِ آخَرينَ غَيرِهِم

Stop counting yourself among their mention

And aim towards others besides them.

هَذا وَقَد أَرَيتُني فَلَم أَلُم

رَأيي إِذا لامَ الرِجالُ رَأيَهُم

This, and I have seen myself, so I have not blamed

My opinion when men blame their opinion.

أَدعو بنَ سَهلٍ حَسناً وَمَجدَهُ

حينَ تَعَيّا بِعَيالي أَمرُهُم

I call on Ibn Sahl, his glory,

When my family's matter has burdened me.

أَظَلُّ أَدعو بِاِسمِهِ وَدونَهُ

قَومٌ كَثيرٌ رَغبَةً تَرَكتُهُم

I remain calling his name and besides him

Are many people whom I have left.

تَخَيُّراً اِختَرتُهُ عَلَيهِمُ

وَلا بِهِم بَأسٌ وَلا ذَمَمتُهُم

I chose him over them,

And they have no fault and I do not blame them.

ناموا فَلَمّا أَن رَأَيتُ نَومَهُم

عَنّي تَحَمَّلتُ فَما أَيقَظتُهُم

They slept, so when I saw their sleep

I endured it and did not wake them up.

يا اِبنَ كِرامٍ كابِراً عَن كابِرِ

زانوكَ زَيناً باقِياً وَزِنتَهُم

O son of honorable parents, great over the great,

Your knee adorned with lasting beauty and their weight,

كانوا هُمُ الأَشرافُ سادوا كُلُّهُم

ما في جَميعِ العالَمينَ مِثلُهُم

They were the nobles who conquered all,

None in the two worlds are like them.

بَنَوا جَميعَ المَجدِ فيما قَد مَضى

وَأَنتَ تَبنيهِ كَذاكَ بَعدَهُم

They built all the glory in the past

And you build it likewise after them.

في شَرفٍ مُؤَيَّدٍ أَركانُهُ

لَم يَبنهِ بانٍ سِواهُم قَبلَهُم

In a noble, supported honor,

No builder built it but them before them.

فَيا اِبنَ سَهلٍ وَاِبنَ آباءٍ لَهُ

كانوا مَناجيبَ قَديماً فَضلُهُم

So O son of Sahl, and son of forefathers whom

Were intimate friends long ago, so their excellence,

وَاللَهِ ما تُصبِحُ بَينَ مَعشَرٍ

إِلّا وَأَنتَ شَمسُهُم وَبَدرُهُم

By Allah, you do not spend a morning among a people

Unless you are their sun and their full moon.

وَالناسُ آخاذٌ وَماءٌ ناقِعٌ

وَغُدُرٌ تَجري وَأَنتَ بَحرُهُم

And people are grasping, like stagnant water,

And continuous treason, while you are their sea.

وَالناسُ أَجناسٌ كَما قَد مُثِّلوا

وَفيهُمُ الخَيرُ وَأَنتَ خَيرُهُم

And people are races, as they are portrayed,

Among them is good, and you are their good.

حاشا أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ إِنَّهُ

خَليفَةُ اللَهِ وَأَنتَ صِهرُهُم

Far from it! O Commander of the Faithful! He is

The Caliph of Allah and you are their in-law.

فَأَحسَنوا التَدبيرَ لَمّا ناصَحوا

وَأَمَّنوا العَتبَ فَطالَ نُصحُهُم

So they managed well when they gave advice

And secured reproach, so their advice was long.

إِلَيكَ أَشكو صِبيَةً وَأُمَّهُم

لا يَشبَعونَ وَأَبوهُم مِثلُهُم

I complain to you of young children and their mother

Who are never satisfied, and their father is like them.

قَد أَكَلوا الوَحشَ فَلَم يُشبِعهُمُ

وَشَرِبوا الماء فَطالَ شُربُهُم

They have eaten game but it did not satisfy them

And drank water but their drinking was long.

وَاِمتَذَقوا المَذقَ فَيا دُنياهُمُ

وَالمَضغُ إِن نالوهُ فَهُوَ عُرسُهُم

They tasted taste, oh their life!

And if they got to chew, it would be their wedding.

لا يَعرِفونَ الخُبزَ إِلّا بِاِسمِهِ

وَالتَمرُ هَيهاتَ فَلَيسَ عِندَهُم

They do not know bread but by its name

And dates! Never, they do not have any.

وَما رَأَوا فاكِهَةً في عيصَها

وَلا رَأَوها وَهِيَ تَهوي نَحوَهُم

They have not seen fruit hanging in its branches

Nor have they seen it falling towards them.

وَما لَهُم مِن كاسِبٍ عَلِمتَهُ

عَلى جَديدِ الأَرضِ غَيرُ جَحشِهِم

They have no known earner

In the farmland except their calf.

وَجَحشُهُم قَد باتَ مَنهوبَ القِرى

وَمِثلُ أَعوادِ الشُكاعى كَلبُهُم

And their calf has spent the night devastating towns

And their dog is like tree stumps.

كَأَنَّني فيهِم وَإِن وَليتُهُم

كانوا مَوالِيَّ وَكُنتُ عَبدَهُم

It is as if I am one of them and if I gain them

They would be my patrons and I their slave,

مُجتَهِداً بِالنَصرِ لا آلوهُمُ

أَدعو لَهُم يا رَبُّ سَلِّم أَمرَهُم

Striving for victory, never betraying them,

I pray for them, O Lord, make their matter sound.

وَتارَةً أَقولُ مِمّا قَد أَرى

يا رَبُّ باعِدهُم وَباعِد دارَهُم

And sometimes I say from what I see,

O Lord, distance them and their homes.

يَأوونَ بِاللَيلِ إِذا ما أُحرِجوا

إِلى ذُرى اللُهَيمِ وَهيَ قِدرُهُم

They take shelter at night when they are distressed

To the cooking pots of ashes, and those are their pots.

بِها يَطوفونَ إِذا ما اِجرَنثَموا

وَهيَ أَبوهُم عِندَهُم وَأُمُّهُم

Around it they wander when they squat

And it is to them their father and mother.

زُغبُ الرُؤوسِ قَرِعَت هاماتُهُم

مِنَ البَلا وَاِستَكَّ مِنهُم سَمعُهُم

The foreheads of the heads knocked together out of misery

And their hearing is muffled.

كَأَنَّهُم جَنابُ أَرضٍ مُجدِبٌ

مَحلٌ فَلَو يُعطَونَ أَوجى سَهمُهُم

As if they are the progeny of barren land,

A place so if they are given arrows their arrowheads are blunt.

بَل لَو تَراهُم لَعَلِمتَ أَنَّهُم

قَومٌ مَساغيبُ قَليلٌ نَومُهُم

Rather, if you see them you would know they are

A people slight of sleep.

وَكَالسَعالى في مُسوكِها

فَلَو يَعَضّونَ لَذَكّى سمّهُم

And like deadly snakes in their burrows

If they bite their poison would burn.

قَد جَرَّسوا الدَهرَ وَقَد بَلاهُمُ

هذا وَهذا دَأبُهُ وَدَأبُهُم

They have challenged fate, and it has tested them,

This is its habit, and their habit.

وَلا يَعيشونَ بِعَيشٍ سابِغٍ

وَلا يَموتونَ وَذاكَ قَصرُهُم

They do not live a plentiful life,

Nor do they die, and that is their shortage.

وَقَد رَجَونا يا اِبنَ سَهلٍ نائِلاً

مِنكَ يَرُمُّ فَقرَهُم وَبُؤسَهُم

And we hoped, O son of Sahl, for gain

From you that lessens their poverty and misery.

فَإِنَّما أَنتَ حَيا أَمثالِهِم

فَجُدلُهُم بِنائِلٍ لا تَنسَهَم

For you are the life of their like

So be generous with gain, do not neglect them

وَأَسدِ نُعماكَ إِلَيهِم وَاِتَّخِذ

حَمداً وَشُكراً كُلَّ ذاكَ عِندَهُم

And give them your bounty and make

All that, praise and thanks, with them.

هذا وَأَنتَ قَد حُرِمتَ حَظَّهُم

فَلا تَجودَنَّ لِخَلقٍ بَعدَهُم

While you have been deprived of their fortune

So do not be generous after them to creation.