داعٍ دَعا بِلِسانِ هادٍ مُرشِدِ
فَأَجابَ عَزمٌ هاجِدٌ في مَرقَدِ
A caller called in the tongue of a gentle guide
An intent listening in the burial place responded
نادى وَقَد نَشَرَ الظَلامُ سُدولَهُ
وَالنَومُ يَحكُمُ في عُيونِ الرُقَّدِ
He called when the darkness had spread its coverings
And sleep had taken control of the eyes of the slumberers
يا ذائِدَ الهيمِ الخَوامِسِ وَفِّها
عِشراً وَوافِ بِها حِياضَ مُحَمَّدِ
O driver away of worries, instill them
With ten pieces of advice and take them to Muhammad's court
يَمدُدنَ لِلشَرَفِ المُنيفِ صَوادِياً
أَعناقَهُنَّ إِلى حِياضِ السُؤدُدِ
They stretch out their necks to the noble, blessed court
Like sheep stretching out to the watering place
وَتَنَبَّهَت فِكَرٌ فَبِتنَ هَواجِساً
في قَلبِ ذي سَمَرٍ بِها مُتَهَجِّدِ
And an idea awoke, perplexed with passions
In the heart of one sleepless with vigilance
لَمّا رَأَيتُكَ يا مُحَمَّدُ تَصطَفي
صَفوَ المَحامِدِ مِن ثَناءِ المُجتَدي
When I saw you, O Muhammad, choosing
The finest of praises from the eulogy of the zealous
سَيَّرتُ فيكَ مَدائِحي فَتَرَكتُها
غُرَراً تَروحُ بِها الرُواةُ وَتَغتَدي
I set my poems praising you in motion
Leaving them as treasures for the reciters to enjoy
مالي إِذا ما رُضتُ فيكَ غَريبَةً
جاءَت مَجيءَ نَجيبَةٍ في مَقوَدِ
What concern of mine if my poetry seems strange about you
It has come like a noble lady looking for her escort
وَإِذا أَرَدتُ بِها سِواكَ فَرُضتُها
وَاِقتَدتُها بِثَنائِهِ لَم تَنقَدِ
And if I wanted it for other than you I would be pleased with it
And emulate his praise without any blemish
ما ذاكَ إِلّا أَنَّ زَندَكَ لَم يَكُن
في كَفِّ قادِحِهِ بِزَندٍ مُصلِدِ
That is only because your fire was not
In the palm of its lighter, cold and solid
صَدَّقتَ مَدحي فيكَ حينَ رَعَيتَني
لِتَحَرُّمي بِالسَيِّدِ المُتَشَهِّدِ
You confirmed my praise of you when you looked after me
To forbid me in the name of the Master witness
وَلَجَأتُ مِنكَ إِلى اِبنِ مَلكٍ أَنبَأَت
عَنهُ خَلائِقُهُ بِطيبِ المُحتَدِ
And I sought refuge in you from the son of a king who informed me
Of his manners with the scent of amber
مَلِكٌ يَجودُ وَلا يُؤامِرُ آمِراً
فيهِ وَيَحكُمُ في جَداهُ المُجتَدي
A king who is generous and does not conspire against a conspirator
Judgment flows from his munificence
وَيَقولُ وَالشَرَفُ المُنيفُ يَحُفُّهُ
لا خَيرَ في شَرَفٍ إِذا لَم أُحمَدِ
And he says, as the noble glory surrounds him
“There is no good in nobility if I am not praised”
وَأَكونُ عِندَ ظُنونِ طُلّابِ النَدى
وَأَذُبُّ عَن شَرَفي بِما مَلَكَت يَدي
And I stand by the suspicions of the seekers of dew
And I defend my nobility with what my hands possess
يَأبى لِعِرضي أَن يَكونَ مُشَعَّثاً
جودٌ وَقاهُ بِطارِفٍ وَبِمُتلَدِ
My dignity refuses to be disheveled
Munificence has protected it with a cutting sword and a sharp blade
وَلِراحَتَيهِ ديمَتانِ قَديمَةٌ
لي بِالوِدادِ وَديمَةٌ بِالعَسجَدِ
And for his rest he has two old companions
One in affection and one in resoluteness
كَم مِن ضَريكٍ قَد بَسَطتَ يَمينَهُ
بَعدَ التَحَيُّنِ في ثَراءٍ سَرمَدِ
How many misfortunes have you undone
With abundant wealth, after testing with patience
وَلَرُبَّ حربٍ حائِلٍ لَقَّحتَها
وَنَتَجتَها مِن قَبلِ حينِ المَولِدِ
And you ignited many a dangerous battle
And seeded it long before its birth
فَإِذا بَعَثتَ لِناكِثينَ عَزيمَةً
عَصَفَت رُؤوسٌ مِن سُيوفٍ رُكَّدِ
So when you unleashed your determination on oath breakers
Heads rolled from rigid swords
إِنَّ الخِلافَةَ لَو جَزَتكَ بِمَوقِفٍ
جَعَلَت مِثالَكَ قِبلَةً لِلمَسجِدِ
The Caliphate, if it rewarded you for your stand
Would make your example the direction of prayer for the mosque
وَسَعَت إِلَيكَ جُنودُها حَتّى إِذا
وافَتكَ خَرَّ لَدَيكَ كُلُّ مُقَلَّدِ
And its armies would hasten to you until when
They reached you, every appointed one bowed down
وَاللَهُ يَشكُرُ وَالخَليفَةُ مَوقِفاً
لَكَ شائِعاً بِالبَذِّ صَعبَ المَشهَدِ
And God is thankful and the Caliph appreciates
Your widely witnessed stand in dire straits
في مَأزِقٍ ضَنكِ المَكَرِّ مُغَصَّصٍ
أَزَزِ المَجالِ مِنَ القَنا المُتَقَصِّدِ
In a narrow, deceitful impasse
The difficult road of the one aiming straight
نازَلتَ فيهِ مُفَنَّداً في دينِهِ
لا بَأسِهِ فَرَآكَ غَيرَ مُفَنَّدِ
You descended on him, destroying his religion
Without his power, so he saw you undestroyed
فَعَلَوتَ هامَتَهُ فَطارَ فَراشُها
بِشِهابِ مَوتٍ في اليَدَينِ مُجَرَّدِ
You raised his ambition so his bedding flew away
With the sparks of death in bare hands
يا فارِسَ الإِسلامِ أَنتَ حَمَيتَهُ
وَكَفَيتَهُ كَلَبَ العَدُوِّ المُعتَدي
O knight of Islam, you protected it
And sufficed it from the attacks of aggressive enemies
وَنَصَرتَهُ بِكَتائِبٍ صَيَّرتَها
نَصباً لِعَوراتِ العَدُوِّ بِمَرصَدِ
And you supported it with battalions you made
An ambush for the vulnerabilities of the enemy in waiting
أَصبَحتَ مِفتاحَ الثُغورِ وَقُفلَها
وَسِدادَ ثُلمَتِها الَّتي لَم تُسدَدِ
You became the key to the frontiers and their lock
And the obstruction of their gap that was not obstructed
أَدرَكتَ فيهِ دَمَ الشَهيدِ وَثارَهُ
وَفَلَجتَ فيهِ بِشُكرِ كُلِّ مُوَحِّدِ
You regained in it the blood of the martyr and his revenge
And you won in it the gratitude of every monotheist
ضَحِكَت لَهُ أَكبادُ مَكَّةَ ضِحكَها
في يَومِ بَدرٍ وَالعُتاةِ الشُهَّدِ
The livers of Mecca laughed their laughter
On the day of Badr and the stubborn tyrants
أَحيَيتَ لِلإِسلامِ نَجدَةَ خالِدٍ
وَفَسَحتَ فيهِ لِمُتهِمٍ وَلِمُنجِدِ
You revived for Islam the aid of Khalid
And you paved in it the way for the suspect and the helper
لَو أَنَّ هَرثَمَةَ بنَ أَعيَنَ في الوَرى
حَيٌّ وَعايَنَ فَضلَهُ لَم يَجحَدِ
If only Harthamah ibn A’yan were alive in the world
And witnessed its superiority, he would not have denied it
أَو شاهَدَ الحَربَ المُمِرَّ مَذاقُها
لَرَآهُ أَقمَعَ لِلعُتاةِ العُنَّدِ
Or witnessed the bitter battle, taste of it
He would have seen it as more silencing to the defiant tyrants
وَأَجَرَّ لِلخَيلِ المُغيرَةِ في السُرى
وَأَذَبَّ مِنهُ بِاللِسانِ وَبِاليَدِ
And provoked the war horses in warfare
And warded it off with the tongue and hand
أَمّا الجِيادُ فَقَد جَرَت فَسَبَقتَها
وَشَرِبتَ صَفوَ زُلالِها في المَورِدِ
As for the steeds, they have raced ahead so you surpassed them
And drank the pure nectar at the water spring
غادَرتَ طَلحَةَ في الغُبارِ وَحاتِماً
وَأَبانَ حَسرى عَن مَداكَ الأَبعَدِ
You left Talhah in the dust and Hatim
While the farthest of your range was revealed
وَطَلَعتَ في دَرَجِ العُلى حَتّى إِذا
جِئتَ النُجومَ نَزَلتَ فَوقَ الفَرقَدِ
You ascended to the highest heaven until when
You came to the stars, you descended above the Pleiades
فَاِنعَم فَكُنيَتُكَ الَّتي كُنّيتَها
فَألٌ جَرى لَكَ بِالسَعادَةِ فَاِسعَدِ
So enjoy, your nickname which you were named
Blessings have flowed to you with good fortune, so be joyful
وَلَقَد وَفَدتَ إِلى الخَليفَةِ وَفدَةً
كانَت عَلى قَدَرٍ بِسَعدِ الأَسعُدِ
And you went to the Caliph, a blessed visit
That was apropos, with Sa’d the most blessed
زُرتَ الخَليفَةَ زَورَةً مَيمونَةً
مَذكورَةً قَطَعَت رَجاءَ الحُسَّدِ
You visited the Caliph, an auspicious visit
Well known, cutting off the hopes of the envious
يَتَنَفَّسونَ فَتَنثَني لَهَواتُهُم
مِن جَمرَةِ الحَسَدِ الَّتي لَم تَبرُدِ
They take breaths so their dreams contract
From the embers of envy that have not cooled
نَفَسوكَ فَاِلتَمَسوا نَداكَ فَحاوَلوا
جَبَلاً يَزِلُّ صَفيحُهُ بِالمَصعَدِ
They envied you so they sought your help so they attempted
A mountain whose surface shakes with the climber
دَرَسَت صَفائِحُ كَيدِهِم فَكَأَنَّما
أَذكَرنَ أَطلالاً بِبَرقَةِ ثَهمَدِ
The sheets of their plots crumbled as if they were
Reminding ruins with an extinguished ember
