الأَصلُ في كُلِّ بِنايَةٍ حَجَر
وَإِن زَهَت بِالشُرُفات وَالحُجَر
The essence of every building is stone
Though adorned with parapets and stone
مُعتَمدُ الأَركان وَالقَواعِدِ
وَسَنَدُ العالي بِهن الصاعِدِ
The pillars and foundations rely upon it
As do the towering heights ascending with it
فَإِن وَقَفتَ مُطرِيَ البِناءِ
فَاعطِف عَلى الأَساسِ في الثَناءِ
So if you stand praising the builder
Turn your eulogy to the foundation with favor
وَهَذِهِ الدَولَةُ قَد دَعا لَها
وَقادَ في ظُهورِها رِعالَها
And this state for which he called
And led its steeds in its emergence
أَغَرُّ مِن سِوابق الإِسلامِ
فَوارسِ اللِقاءِ وَالكَلامِ
More audacious than early Islam’s cavaliers
The knights of encounter and discourse
اِختَلَفوا في أَصلِهِ وَفَصلِهِ
وَالسَيفُ يَومَ النَسَب اِبنُ نَصلِهِ
They differed regarding his origin and ancestry
While the sword on the day of lineage is the son of its blade
فَقيل حُرٌّ عَرَبيُّ الوَادي
وَقيل عَبدٌ مِن بَني السَوادِ
Some said he was a free Arab of the valley
Others, a slave from the people of the black land
وَقيل كانَ يَدّعي العباسا
وَيَرتَدي لِهاشِمٍ لِباسا
And some claimed he alleged ties to Al-‘Abbas
And donned for Hashim a garment
خاضَ الخَراسانّي في العشرينا
عَلى بَني أُميّةَ العَرينا
He plunged into the Umayyads in his twenties
Against the lair of the stripped hyenas
فَلقيت دَعوَتُه رَواجا
وَدَخلت فيها القرى أَفواجا
His call found popularity
And the villages entered in droves
وَقوبِلَت في الفرس بِالمُحبّذِ
مِن كُلِّ دهقانٍ وَكُلِّ موبِذِ
It was welcomed by the Persians
Of every farmer and every magnate
لِبخل مَروانَ عَلَيهُم بِالنِعَم
وَتَركهم سُدىً كَإِهمال النَعم
Due to Marwan’s stinginess with gifts upon them
And leaving them neglected like disregarding a blessing
وَقَرَعَ الساقَ لَها مِن العرب
من لاله في الأَمويين أَرب
And he struck for it many of the Arabs
Who found fault with the Umayyads
رَبيعة اِنحازَت إِلَيها وَيَمَن
أَظهرتا مِن ضَغَنٍ ما قَد كَمَن
Rabee’ah allied with him as did Yemen
Revealing the rancor they had concealed
فَكَم جَفاهُما بَنو مَروانا
وَاِصطَنَعوا مِن مُضَرَ الأَعوانا
So oft did the Marwanids wrong them
And they adopted allies from Mudar
وَبالَغوا في البِرِّ وَالقِيامِ
وَشاطَروها نِعَم الأَيام
Excelling in righteousness and propriety
Sharing with it the blessings of the days
وَهِيَ لَما يَقتَرِحون أَجرى
وَهِيَ عَلى بَني النَبيّ أَجرا
Acceding to all they proposed
And bestowing upon the Prophet’s family their dues
جاءَ أَبو مسلم الخِراسِنِي
أَبدلها مِن رائِقٍ بآسنِ
Abu Muslim al-Khurasani came
Changing its savor to bitterness
رُمُوا بِماضي الحَدِّ لا يَمينُ
داهِيَةٍ في رَأيِهِ كَمين
Hurling the arrows of fate without hesitation
A cunning genius in his view
تَقتَبِسُ الشبّان مِن مَضائِهِ
وَتَنزِلُ الشِيبُ عَلى قَضائِهِ
With the youths kindling from his embers
And old age descending upon his judgments
يَصيدُ بِالصَلاة وَالصِلاتِ
وَيَقنصُ الولاةَ بِالولاةِ
Hunting with prayer and connections
And capturing governors with governors
يُعينُهُ قحطبةٌ ذو الباس
أَولُ قُوادِ بَني العَباس
Aided by Qahtabah, formidable in might
The first of the Abbasid commanders
بِخَيلِهم جابَ البِلادَ وَفَرى
قامَ بَعدَهُ اِبنُهُ مُظفّرا
With their horses he combed the lands and fled
After him ruled his son, al-Muzaffar
