استخلفَ المَنصورَ في وصاتِهِ
إِن اِختيار المَرءِ مِن حَصاتِهِ
Al-Mansur designated him as his successor in his testament
Indeed, one's choice is made from his pebbles
اِبن أَبيهِ وَسِراج بَيتِهِ
الخُلَفاءُ لَمَحاتُ زَيتِهِ
The son of his father and the lamp of his house
The caliphs are flashes of his oil
حَبرُ بَني العَباس بَحر العلمِ
قُطبُ رحى الحَرب مَدار السِلمِ
The ink of the Abbasids, the sea of knowledge
The axis of war's mill, the orbit of peace
فَلم يَكد بِالأَمر يَستَقلُّ
حَتّى تَلقّى فِتنَةً تُسَلُّ
So he hardly took power
When he met a sedition that makes one slip
قَد فَرَغ الأَهلُ مِن الغَريبِ
وَاِشتَغَل القَريب بِالقَريب
The strangers had their fill of him
And the near ones busied with the near
ثارَ بِعَبدِ اللَهِ ثائِرُ الحَسَد
وَزَعم الغابَ أَتى غَيرَ الأَسَد
The envious revolted against Abdullah
And the absent claimed the lion did not come
وَأَن مَروانَ إِلَيهِ سلَّما
وَأَن يَومَ الزاب يَكفي سُلَّما
And that Marwan surrendered to him
And that the day of Zab is enough as a ladder
اِنقَلب العَمُّ فَصارَ غَمّا
وَفَدح الأَمرُ بِهِ وَطَمّا
The relative became a sorrow and crashed
And the matter exploded and slammed him
جاءَ نَصيبِينَ وَقَد شَقَّ العَصا
فِيمَن بَغى الفِتنَةَ صَيداً وَعَصى
Nusaybin came and the staff was split
Among those who desired sedition as game and disobeyed
ما فلّ حدّهم عَن المَنصورِ
سِوى أَبي مسلم الهَصورِ
None of them could resist al-Mansur
Except Abu Muslim al-Khorasani
سَل عَلَيهِ سَيفَهُ وَرايَه
فَلم تَقف لابن عَليٍّ رايه
He unsheathed his sword and his banner against him
So the banner of the son of Ali did not stand
وَهُزِمَ الطاهِرُ يَومَ النَهرِ
وَعرف القاهِرُ طَعمَ القَهرِ
And al-Tahir was defeated the day of the river
And the conqueror tasted humiliation
وَمَن يُحاول دَولَةً وَمُلكا
يُلاقِ نُجحاً أَو يُلاقِ هُلكا
And whoever aspires for a state and kingdom
Will either meet success or meet demise
وَاستطرد الحَينُ بُنوةَ الحُسن
وَاِجتَمَعوا فَاِمتَنَعوا عَلى الرَسَن
And time drew on the sons of al-Hassan
And they gathered and became strong in al-Rass
وَطَلَبوا الأَمر وَحاوَلَوا المَدى
وَبايَعوا راشدَهم مُحَمّدا
And they sought power and attempted
And pledged allegiance to their guide Muhammad
وَكانَ مِقداماً جَريئاً مِحرَبا
طاحَ عَلى حَدّ الظُبا في يَثرِبا
He was audacious, intrepid, battle-hardened
He fell upon Khaybar in Yathrib
فَثارَ إِبراهيمُ لِلثاراتِ
وَأَزعَج المَنصورَ بِالغاراتِ
So Ibrahim revolted to avenge
And disturbed al-Mansur with raids
فُوجِئَ وَالجُيوشُ في الأَطرافِ
بِنَهضة الدَهماءِ وَالأَشرافِ
He was surprised while the armies were on the outskirts
With the rise of the daring and nobles
اَضطَرب الحِجازُ وَالعِراقُ
وَشَغب الغواةُ وَالمُرّاقُ
Hijaz and Iraq were disturbed
And the rebels and the deviants clamored
فَلم تفُلَّ النائِباتُ عَزمَه
وَلَم يَكِلّ عَن لِقاءِ الأَزَمَه
Yet seditions did not weaken his resolve
Nor did he refrain from facing the crisis
تَدارَكَ الشدةَ بِالأَشدا
مِن كُلِّ مَن لِمثلِها أَعدّا
He countered severity with more severity
Than anyone who prepared for the like of it
وَكانَ يَستَشيرُ في المَصائِبِ
وَهُوَ أَخو الرَأي السَديد الصائِبِ
He used to consult in tribulations
While he was the brother of right, felicitous opinion
أَمرٌ لَهُ كِلاهُما قَد شَمَّرا
وَجَرّدا السَيفَ لَهُ بَأَخمرا
A matter both of them girded up for
And unsheathed the sword for, frowning
فَكانَ بَينَ هاشمٍ مِن حَربِ
ما كانَ بَينَها وَبَينَ حَربِ
So there was between Hashim, from war
What there was between them and war itself
وَكانَ في أَولِها لِلطالب
عَلى قَنا المَنصور عِزُّ الغالِبِ
In the beginning, the seeker had over al-Mansur’s channel
The might of the victor
لَولا المَقاديرُ القَديرةُ اليَدِ
لَأَحرَز السَيّدُ مُلكَ السَيّدِ
Had it not been for the destined, powerful hands
The Master would have seized the rule of the Master
كَرّت عَساكِرُ الإِمام كَرّه
عَلى جُنود الحَسَنِيِّ مُرّه
Al-Imam's armies were repelled in disgust
Against the soldiers of the Hassanid in bitterness
عدته عَن دَعوته العَوادي
وَأَسعف الدَهرُ أَولى السَدادِ
His calling diverted him from his summons
And time assisted the most righteous
وَطابَ لِلشَريف الاستشهادُ
فِيما يَخال أَنَّهُ جِهادُ
And martyrdom was good for the noble one
In what he thought was jihad
فَطاحَ لَم يَنزل عَن الكُميتِ
وَهَكَذا أَبناءُ هَذا البَيتِ
He fell and did not descend from his position
And so are the sons of this house
وَكَثُر القَتلى وَراحَ الأَسرى
عَلى فَوات الوَفَياتِ حَسرى
Many were killed and many taken captive
To the missing of loyalties lamenting
سَيقوا إِلى يَزيدَ أَو زِيادِ
لَكن مِن القَرابَةِ الأَسيادِ
Taken to Yazid or Ziyad
But not like the two Husseins or Karbala
فَلم يَذُق كَالحسنيّين البَلا
وَلا الحُسينيّون يَوم كَربلا
They were hostile, stony-hearted, unmerciful
His kinship did not make him have mercy on them
مُنوا بِقاسي القَلب لَيسَ يَرحَمُ
وَلَيسَ تَثنيهِ عَلَيهُم رَحِم
Had his sons coveted his rule
Their thirst would have been quenched by his executioner
لَو طَمعت في مُلكِهِ أَولادُهُ
شَفاهمو مشن طَمع جَلّادُهُ
This was Abu Muslim lost in his world
Deceived by their state into his world
هَذا أَبو مُسلم التيّاهُ
غرّته في دَولَتِهم دُنياهُ
So his tongue went too far in violating their honors
And his favors did not match his affronts
فَطالَ في أَعراضِهم لِسانه
وَلَم يَقُم بِمَنِّهِ إِحسانُه
And he disputed the family in the glory of fate
And his ambition competed in the chest
وَنازع الآلَ جَلال القَدرِ
وَنافَست هِمّتُه في الصَدرِ
His claim in their state was impudent
Had it not been for him, its sun would have been sickly
دَعواه في دَوعتهم عَريضَه
لَولاه ظَلت شَمسُها مَريضَه
Yet to the merit of the pure he was indebted
For they had no love from people like them
وَهُوَ لِفَضلِ الطاهِرين ناسِ
وَما لَهُم في الحُب عِندَ الناسِ
Nor did they owe him any service
And they made astounding sacrifices
وَما عَلوا لَهُ مِن المُهمَّة
وَبَذَلوا مِن مُدهِشات الهمّه
And Ibrahim's death was ransom for their matter
Out of love for it
وَمَوت إِبراهيم حَتفَ فيهِ
فِدىً لِأَمرِهُم وَحُبّاً فيهِ
So the viceroy harbored malice against him
Appearing gentle while plotting mischief
فَوغِرَ الوالي عَلَيهِ صَدرا
يُظهِرُ عَطفاً وَيسِرَّ غَدرا
And the claimant and petitioner
Strutted in it proudly and arrogantly
وَصاحِبُ الدَعوة ضافي الدَعوى
يَرفُلُ فيها نَخوَةً وَزَهوا
Blood seeks him wherever he turns
Injustice is destined to be overturned
تَطلُبُهُ الدِماءُ كُل مَطلَبِ
لا بُدَّ لِلظُلم مِن مُنقَلَبِ
So how he eluded death many times
And how he shed it on suspicions
فَكَم أَدارَها عَلى المَنون
وَكَم أَراقَها عَلى الظُنونِ
He who protected Umayya’s greatness
Abu Ja'far was most hateful to him
هَذا الَّذي حَمى أُميَةَ الكَرى
كانَ أَبو جَعفَر مِنهُ أَنكَرا
The fox may fall into its traps
And the moth avoids the flames
قَد يَقَع الثَعلَبُ في الحُبَالَه
وَتَتّقِي الفَراشَةُ الذُبالَه
Space has invalidated the cunning of the old
And its winds have uprooted the firmly rooted
أَفنى الفَضاءُ حيلَةَ الخِراسِي
وَعَصفت رِياحُهُ بِالراسي
And time brought him to the Imam
While the soul dreads bloodshed
وَساقَهُ الحَينُ إِلى الإِمامِ
وَالنَفس تَستَجر لِلحِمامِ
He came in a witnessed procession
And protected covenants
فَجاءَهُ في مَوكِبٍ مَشهودِ
وَفي مَدارِعٍ مِن العُهود
Wanting to punish the inviter to misguidance, though he knew not
And every traitor meets one more treacherous
أُريدُ بِالداعي الرَدى وَما دَرى
وَكُلُّ غَدّارٍ مُلاقٍ أَغدَرا
So the swords of India took control of him
And the Franks conquered the Frank
فَمُكِّنت مِنهُ سُيوفُ الهِندِ
وَظَفَر الفِرندُ بِالفِرِندِ
The state was afflicted in its richness
And the builder fell from his building
أُصيبَتِ الدَولَةُ في غِنائِها
وَسَقَط البَنّاءُ مِن بِنائِها
The caliphs, the son of al-Mansur
And his brilliant era, the father of eras
الخُلفاءُ وَلدُ المَنصورِ
وَعَصرُهُ الزاهي أَبو العُصورِ
If his term began with blood
Only his severity protected it from turmoil
إِن اِستَهلَّت بِالدِماءِ مُدَّتُه
فَما وَقاها الهَيج إِلّا شِدتُه
And he who rules his new kingdom
Leads it with silk and iron
وَمَن يَقُم بِمُلكِهِ الجَديدِ
يَقُده بِالحَريرِ وَالحَديدِ
Do not expect leniency from the ruler in sedition
Rulers may be driven by circumstances
لا تَرجُ في الفِتنَة رِفقَ الوَالي
قَد يُدفَع الحُكّامُ بِالأَحوالِ
Consider his remarkable days
And its inclusive shade in the settlements
أُنظُر إِلى أَيامِهِ النَواضِرِ
وَظِلِّها الوَارف في الحَواضِرِ
Twenty years of gentle, secure rule
Bestowing bounty and auspicious fortune
عِشرونَ في المُلكِ رَفَقنَ أَمنا
وَفِضنَ نَعماءَ وَسِلنَ يُمنا
A caliphate whose foundations he strengthened
Then ascending in construction
خِلافَةٌ ثَبّتها قَواعِدا
ثُمَ تَرقّى بِالبِناءِ صاعِدا
More quick to pardon than the clouded sky
Than the stingiest of caliphs
أَدرُّ مِن صَوب الغَمام دَخلا
عَلى أَشَد الخُلِفاءِ بُخلا
He fears Allah in the wealth of servants
He did not follow the world nor toy with it
يَخافُ في مالِ العِباد اللَه
ما تَبع الدُنيا وَلا تَلاهى
The tools of peace and instruments of war
And collecting all of them is gold
لِلسلم آلاتٌ وَلِلحَرب أُهَب
جِماعهن في المَمالك الذَهَب
And al-Mansur changed the course of tradition
He postponed ‘Isa and established al-Mahdi
وَحَوّلَ المَنصورُ مَجرى العَهدِ
أَخَّر عيسى وَأَقام المَهدي
Thus his precedence was reform
And in his sons goodness and prosperity
فَكانَ في تَقديمه الإِصلاحُ
وَفي بَنيهِ الخَيرُ وَالفَلاحُ
Ask not about the ambition of minds
And the rise of reason and tradition
وَلا تَسَل عَن هِمَّةِ العُقولِ
وَنَهضَةِ المَعقول وَالمَنقولِ
And the abundance of transmitters and translators
Of Persian wisdom and Maghribi knowledge
وَكَثرَةِ الناقِلِ وَالمُعَرِّبِ
عَن حِكمَةِ الفُرسِ وَعِلم المَغرِبِ
And he accurately planned Baghdad
An abode for the enduring, gentle rule
وَاِختَطَّ بَغدادَ عَلى التَسديد
داراً لِمُلكِ يسرٍ مَديدِ
It was the mark of the Abbasid days
And festival of their rule and season
كانَت لِأَيام البَهاليل سِمَه
وَمِهرَجانَ مُلكِهم وَمَوسِمَه
In it the fortunate prominent one shone
And the far-drawing jurist was brought up
يَنجمُ فيها النابِغُ السَعيدُ
وَيُنجب المُقتَبس البَعيدُ
