إنْ تُحْيَ آمالي بِرُؤْيَةِ عيسى

فَلطالما أَنْضَتْ إليه العِيسا

If you revive my hopes by seeing Jesus

The branches have long leaned towards him

وحَظِيتُ بَعْدَ اليَأْسِ بالخِضرِ الَّذي

ما زالَ يَرْقَى أَوْ حَكَى إدْرِيسا

And I was blessed after despair with the green one

Who kept ascending and narrating about Idris

لولا وُجُودُ الصَّاحِبَينِ كِلَيهِما

صارتْ بُيُوتُ العالَمِينَ رُمُوسا

If it were not for the existence of the two friends

The houses of both worlds would become desolate

كَم قُلتُ لَمَّا أَنجَبَ الأبُ ابنَهُ

لا غَروَ أَن يَلِدَ النَّفِيسُ نَفِيسا

How much I said when the father begot his son

It’s no wonder the precious begets the precious

للَّهِ شَمْسُ الدِّينِ شَمْسٌ أَطلَعَت

فينا بُدُوراً لِلْهُدَى وَشُمُوسا

For God the sun of religion is a sun that rose

Among us cycles of guidance and suns

رَدَّتْ لنا يَدُهُ الغضُوبَ وأَسكَنَت

بالعَدْلِ آرامَ الكِناسِ الخِيسا

His hand returned us and settled with justice

The quarrelsome miscreants

أَغْنَتْ مكارِمُهُ الفقيرَ وَأَطعَمَت

مَنْ كانَ مِنْ خَيْرِ الزَّمانِ يَؤُوسا

His generosity enriched the poor and fed

Those who were hopeless in the good days

حبرٌ تَصَدَّرَ لِلنَّوالِ فَلَم يَزَل

يَتلو عليه مِنَ المَدِيحِ دُرُوسا

An ink that took the lead in gifts and continued

Reciting lessons about it from praise

دُعِيَ ابنُ سِينا بالرَّئِيسِ وَلوْ رَأَى

عيسى لَسَمَّى نَفْسَهُ المَرؤُوسا

Ibn Sina was called the Chief and had Jesus seen

He would have called himself the subordinate

وَحَسِبْتُهُ مِنْ بأَسِهِ وَذَكائِهِ

بَهْرَامَ قارَنَ في العُلا بَرجِيسا

And I reckoned him by his courage and intelligence

Like Bahram who equaled Burjīs in elevation

مِن مَعشَرٍ لَيُسَارِعُونَ إلى الوَغَى

مُتنازِعِينَ مِنَ الحِمامِ كُؤُوسا

They are a group who hasten to chaos

Quarrelling over the dovecote like pigeons

لُدُّ الخِصامِ إذا تَشاجَرَتِ القَنا

لَمْ يَجْعَلوا لهُمُ الحَديدَ لَبُوسا

The chuckles of discord when the feathers clash

They did not make iron their armor

وأَخُو البَسَالَةِ مَنْ غَدا بِذِراعِهِ

لا دِرْعِهِ يَوْمَ الوَغَى مَحْرُوسا

And a brother of chivalry is one who goes out bare-armed

On the day of battle not guarded

يُوفُون ما وعَدُوا كَأَنَّ وُعُودَهم

كانَتْ يَمِيناً بالوفاء غَمُوسا

They fulfill what they promise as if their promises

Were an oath sworn to fulfillment

يَا أيُّها الموْلَى الوَزِيرُ ومَنْ لَهُ

حِكَمٌ أغارَتْ منه رَسْطاليسا

O my master, O minister, and whoever

Has wisdom that surpassed Aristotle’s

هُنِّيتَ تَقْليداً أتاكَ مُجَدِّدَاً

لِلناسِ مِنْ سُلطانِهم نامُوسا

You were assigned leadership renewing

For the people their law from its origin

أُرسِلتَ منه لِلخَلائِقِ رَحْمَةً

عَمَّتْ قِياماً منهمُ وجُلوسا

You were sent as a mercy from it to all creatures

Encompassing their standing and sitting

وكأنَّ قارِئَهُ بِيَوْمِ عَرُوبَةٍ

لَكَ يُعْرِبُ التَّسْبِيحَ والتقْدِيسا

And it is as if its reader sees you one day

Arabizing the glorification and sanctification

ونَظمتَ شَملَ المُلكِ بالقَلَمِ الّذي

حَلَّيْتَ منه للسُّطورِ طُروسا

And you united the realm with the pen you adorned

The lines with for official correspondence

وبِسَتْرِكَ العَوْراتِ قد كَشفَ الوَرَى

لَكَ بالدُّعاءِ المُسْتَجابِ رُؤُوسا

And by covering faults the deluded ones revealed

To you in prayer responding heads

مِنْ كُلِّ مَشْدُودِ الخِناقِ بِكُرْبَةٍ

نَفَّسْتُ عنه خِناقَهُ تَنْفِيسا

I sighed in relief for everyone choked by distress

His strangling I relieved with release

أَطفَأتَ نِيرانِ العَداوةِ بَعْدَما

أوطَأتَ منها المُوقِدِين وَطيسا

You extinguished the fires of enmity after

You had trampled their igniters and rubble

وَأَرَحتَهُم مِن فِتنَةٍ تَحيي لهُم

في كُلِّ يَوْمٍ داحِساً وبَسُوسا

And gave them rest from the tribulation that revived for them

Every day a Dahis and Basus

هَلَكَتْ جَدِيسُ وطَسْمُ حِينَ تعادَتا

وكأَنَّ طَسْماً لَم تكن وجَدِيسا

Jadis and Tasm perished when they opposed

And it is as if Tasm did not exist and Jadis

يا ابنَ الذي يَلقَ الفَوارِسَ باسماً

حاشاكَ أنْ تَلْقَى الضُّيوفَ عَبُوسا

O son of one who meets cavaliers with a name

Far be it from you to meet guests with frowning

سَعِدَتْ بِكَ الجُلساءُ فاحذَر بَعْضَهُم

فَلَرُبَّما أعْدَى الجَليسُ جَليسا

The companions were fortunate through you so beware some of them

For perhaps the companion does injustice to a companion

بَخَسُوا ضيوفَ اللَّهِ عِنْدَكَ حَظَّهُم

لا كانَ حَظُّكَ عندهم مَبْخُوسا

They diminished the share of God’s guests with you

While your share with them was diminished

وأُعِيذُ مَجْدَكَ أنْ يكونَ بِطائِفٍ

مِنْ حاسِدٍ بِنَمِيمَةٍ مَمسوسا

And I seek refuge for your glory from being in a group

Of enviers with insinuations from a demon

فاللَّهُ عَلَّمَ كلَّ عِلمٍ آدَماً

وأطاعَ آدَمُ ناسِياً إبلِيسا

For God taught Adam every knowledge

And Adam obeyed, neglecting Iblees

إنَّ المُرَاحِلَ مَنْ أَضاعَ أُجُورَهُ

واعتاضَ عنها بالنَّفيسِ خسيسا

Indeed, time wastes the rewards of one who loses them

And is distracted from them by the precious miserable

فارغَب إِلى حُسْنِ الثَّنَاءِ فإِنَّه

لا يستوي في الذِّكْرِ نِعمَ وبِيسا

So turn to good praise, for they are not equal in mention

Good and miserable

ما أنتَ مِمَّن تَستَبِيحُ صُدُورُهُم

حِقْداً ولا أعراضُهُم تَدْنِيسا

You are not one who takes liberties with their innards

Out of hatred, nor one who dishonors their honour

أدعُوكَ لِلصَّفحِ الجَميلِ فإن تُجِب

أحكَمتَ بُنياناً عَلا تَأسِيسا

I call you to beautiful reconciliation, so if you respond

You will establish a lofty building on a foundation

ومِنَ السياسةِ أنْ تكونَ مُراعياً

للصالِحينَ تَبَرُّهم وتَسوسا

And of politics is to watch over

The righteous, absolving and pardoning them

قَوْمٌ إذا انْتُدِبوا لِيُوْمِ كَرِيهَةٍ

ألْفَيْتَ واحِدَهُمْ يَرُدُّ خَمِيسا

A people, if appointed to an arduous day

You would find one of them turn back a fifth

تَاللَّهِ ما خابَ امْرُؤٌ مُتَوَسِّلٌ

بالقَوْمِ فِي النُّعْمَى ولا في البُوسَى

By God, one who pleads for them in ease or hardship will not fail

And do not leave my words about them doubtful and presumptive

ولقد أتَيْتُكَ باليَقِين فلا تَخَل

قَوْلِي ظُنُوناً فيهم وحُدُوسا

And I saw in them what I did not see in others

And stayed amongst them a lifetime as a spy

وَرَأيتُ منهم ما رأيتُ لِغَيرِهم

وأقَمْتُ دَهراً بينهم جاسوسا

One confused by their talk

I removed from it the obscurity

مَنْ كانَ مُلْتَبِساً عليه حدِيثُهم

أَذهبتُ عنه منهمُ التَّلبِيسا

The denials of the adversary did not harm them

For they are, by their actions, the strongest in resolves

ما ضرَّهم قول المُعانِدِ إنهمْ

بِفِعَالِهِم أقوى الأنامِ نُفُوسا

How much they were blamed in ignorance and their state denied

By people who wear out judgment and teaching

كَم ذَمَّهُم جَهلاً وَأَنكَرَ حالَهُم

قَوْمٌ يَلُونَ الحُكْمَ والتَّدرِيسا

So I rebutted their words, setting as an example

Upon Al-Khidhr peace and Moses

فَرَدَدْتُ قَوْلَهُم بِقوْلِي ضارِباً

مَثَلاً على الخَضِرِ السَّلامُ وموسى

And upon Solomon the prophet for he

Swayed his mount towards Bilqis

وعلى سُلَيْمانَ النبيِّ فإنَّه

أغْرَى رِحالَيْهِ على بَلقِيسا

And upon the young man of beauty whose assaults

Passed by the enemies like a dangling hair

وَعلى فَتَى الحَسَنِ الذي سَطَوَاتُهُ

مَرَّت على الأَعداءِ مَرَّ المُوسى

O Lord of knowledge who saw my advice to him

So he answered me, would Galen approve?

يا رُبَّ ذِي عِلْمٍ رَأى نُصْحِي لَهُ

فأجابَني أتُطِبُّ جالِينُوسا

He did not know that whenever I appealed to him

It was iron and I was a magnet

لَمْ يَدْرِ أنّي كلَّما اسْتَعطَفْتُهُ

كانَ الحَديدَ وكنتُ مِغْناطِيسا

If I were pleased with the ignorance like him

I would have dictated what fills hearts with pit fire

لو كُنتُ أَرْضَى الجاهليَّة مِثْلَهُ

أَمْلَيْتُ ما مَلأَ القلوبَ نَسِيسا

And ignited the fire of enmity that cannot be put out

Rather, not even the enemy can stand its heat

وَنَفَخْتُ نارَ عَداوةٍ لا تُصْطَلَى

بَلْ لا يُطِيقُ لها العَدُوُّ حَسيسا

The fear of the Hereafter did not leave for me an adversary

To provoke from me someone prone to rage

لَمْ يُبْقِ لِي خَوْفُ المَعادِ مُعادِياً

فَيَهِيجَ مَنِّي لِلْهِياجِ رَسِيسا

Or do you not see the love of wellbeing making me

Cast peace, appeasing and wise

أوَ ما تَرَى حُبَّ السَّلامَةِ جاعِلِي

أُلْقِي السَّلامَ مُسالِماً والكِيسا

Does it assign me the composition of amorous verse when it saw

The fresh branch of youth turn dry and withered

أمُكَلِّفِي نَظْمَ النَّسِيبِ وَقد رَأى

عُودَ الشَّبابِ الرَّطْب عادَ يَبِيسا

As for amorous verse, its words do not suit

An old shaykh bent over leaning on his stick

أمَّا النَّسِيبُ فما يُناسِبُ قَوْلُهُ

شَيْخاً أَبَدَّ مُعَمَّراً مَنْكُوسا

No eager one seeking to dye his grey hairs

Fearing the sin except the era of youth returned

ما هَمَّ يَخْضِبُ شَيْبَهُ مُتَشَوِّقاً

زَمَنَ الصِّبا إلّا اتَّقَى التَّدْلِيسا

When he saw the era of youth leaving

He took off the armor and put on the gown

لَمَّا رَأى زَمَنَ الشبيبَةِ مُدْبِراً

نَزَعَ السُّرَى وتَدَرَّعَ التَعْرِيسا

The loved ones and youth have passed leaving

Me memories as a night companion and friend

مَضَتِ الأحِبَّةُ والشَّبابُ وخَلَّفَا

لِيَ الادِّكَارَ مُسامِراً وَأنِيسا

You reminded me of the days of spearing but I could not find

A lance to straighten or a mallet

أذْكَرْتَنِي عَهْدَ الطِّعانِ فَلَم أجِد

رُمْحاً أَصُولُ بِهِ وَلا دَبُّوسا

The days of my resolve whose arrows do not

Miss a target and my wound does not heal

أيَّامَ عَزْمِي لا تَفُوتُ سهامُهُ

غَرَضاً وسَهْمِي جُرْحُهُ لا يُوسَى

The years bent the spikes of my ascent which

Did not find a second rider or a footman

ثَنَتِ السُّنُونَ سِنانَ صَعْدَتِيَ الَّتي

لم تَلْقَ رادِفَةً ولا قَرْبُوسا

So the course of my war I do not want fixed

For spearing except it returns it to spearing

فَقَناةُ حَرْبِي لا أُرِد تَقْوِيمَها

لِلطَّعْنِ إلّا رَدَّها تَقْوِيسا

Yesterday it had the suns subjugated for it

And today subjugation became its suns

بالأمْسِ كانَ لَهُ الشَّمُوسَ مُذَلَّلاً

واليَوْمَ صارَ لهُ الذَّلولُ شَمُوسا

It did not realize the harm of grey hair, its stars

Leave the happy man from men miserable

لا دَرَّ دَرُّ الشَّيْبِ إنَّ نُجومَهُ

تَذَرُ السَّعِيدَ مِنَ الرِّجالِ نَحيسا

How is the path to a gathering making

The home livable with an intimate inhabitant?

كيفَ الطَّرِيقُ إلى اجتماعٍ جاعِلٍ

بَيْتَ الفِراشِ بِساكِنٍ مَأْنُوسا

If I had in my paternal uncle’s home a supporter

Who gathered the sincere and the wise

لو كانَ لي في بَيْتِ خالِي نُصْرَةٌ

جَمَعَتْ نَقِيَّ الخَدِّ والإِنكِيسا

And advice I expressed so it leaned over

Like the dawn its light dispelling the gloom

ونَصِيحَةٍ أَعرَبتُ عنها فانثَنَت

كالصُّبْحِ يَجْلُو ضَوْءُهُ التَّغْلِيسا

Verily the Christians of the city, their love

If its mosque were a church

إنَّ النَّصارَى بالمَحَلَّةِ وُدُّهُمْ

لو كانَ جَامِعُها يكونُ كَنِيسا

Do you see the Christians judging

Whoever frequented prisons becomes a prisoner?

أتُرَى النصارَى يَحْكُمُونَ بأنَّه

مَنْ باشَرَ الأَحْباسَ صارَ حَبيسا

If Isaac returned to it a second time

They would strike its doors with the bells

إن عادَ إسحقٌ إليها ثانياً

ضَرَبُوا عَلَى أبوابها الناقُوسا

God averted evil from you by averting it

So avert it from us and slap the priest

صَرَفَ الإلهُ السُّوءَ عنكَ بِصَرفِهِ

فاصْرِفهُ عَنَّا واصفَعِ القِسِّيسا

I ransom those employed with it, and I only

Ransom with a goat like the Jews a ewe

أَفْدِي بهِ المُسْتَخْدَمِينَ وإنَّما

أَفْدِي بِتَيْسٍ كاليَهودِ تُيُوسا

If I controlled their matter from my zeal

I would not leave the employed with ammunition

لو كنتُ أَملِكُ أَمرَهُم مِنْ غَيرَتِي

لَمْ أُبْقِ لِلمُستَخدَمِينَ ضُرُوسا

They graze the wealth of the subjects with harm

If they were milked they would resemble buffaloes

يَرْعَوْنَ أَمْوَالَ الرَّعِيَّةِ بالأَذَى

لو يُحْلَبُونَ لأَشْبَهُوا الجامُوسا

God sent them upon His provisions

Locusts while they secured from it locusts

اللَّهُ أرْسَلَهُم عَلَى أَقوَاتِهِم

سُوساً وقدْ أمِنُوا عليها السُّوسا

It filled their homes with spoils so you do not see

Among it, like my home, empty and locked

مَلأَتْ بُيُوتَهُمُ الغِلالُ فلا تَرَى

منها كَبَيْتِي فارِغاً مَكْنُوسا

Whoever did not stand with me in my duties

I belled him with my blame, belittling

مَن لَم يَقُم لِي منهُمُ بِوَظيفَتِي

جَرَّسْتُهُ بِملامَتِي تَجْرِيسا

I warn some of them as if I am

Striking a drum in the ear of a horse, striking drums

إنّي لأنْذِرُ بَعْضَهم وكَأنَّني

في أُذْنِ بَغْلِ الكُوسِ أَضْرِبُ كُوسا

I have a friend whose clothes the thieves stole

At night so he spent the night locked in his home

لِي صاحِبٌ سَرَقَ اللُّصُوصُ ثِيابَهُ

لَيْلاً فباتَ بِبَيْتِهِ مَحْبُوسا

And he complained to the Minister of War about his stolen home

As if complaining to him about Francis

وشَكا لِوَالي الحَرْبِ سارِقَ بَيْتِهِ

فكأنَّما يَشْكُو له افرَنسِيسا

And as if he is a judge saying to his opponent

“This is your creditor, bankruptcy is proven against you”

وكأَنَّه قاضٍ يقولُ لِخَصمِهِ

هذا غَرِيمُكَ أَثْبَتَ التَّفْلِيسا

And the landlords plead against him

And give him priority so he shows frowning

ويَحُجُّهُ أصحابُ رَيْعٍ عِنْدَهُ

ويُقَدِّمُوهُ فَيُظْهِرُ التَّعْبيسا

And sometimes they request him with money they

Stole so he became touching the tangible

وَلَرُبّما التَمَسُوهُ بالمالِ الذي

سَرَقُوا فأصْبَحَ لامِساً مَلْمُوسا

They filled their homes with his money and had he complained

They would have filled the children of the grieved with prisoners

مَلؤوا البيوتَ بِمالِهِ ولوِ اشْتَكَى

مَلؤوا بِأَوْلادِ الحَزِينِ حُبُوسا

How much I said when the governors heard their talk

Do you think power corrupts the cotton wick?

كَمْ قُلْتُ إذْ سَمِعَ الوُلاةُ كلامَهُم

أتُرَى الوِلايَة تُفْسِدُ الكَيمُوسا

He flipped pennies to millions and how much of his knowledge

Made the dinars the weights and the pennies millions

قَلَبَ العِيانَ لهُمْ وكَمْ في عِلْمِهِ

جَعَلُوا الدَّنانِيرَ الثِّقَالَ فُلوسا

So see whose money the thieves took

And with his mind meanings the thieves as prisoners

فانْظُرْ لمَنْ ذَهَبَ اللُّصُوصُ بمالِهِ

وَبِعَقْلِهِ يَعْنُو اللُّصُوصُ حُبُوسا

They raised the foundations from the hems of his clothes

And uprooted the grammatical constructs and semantics

رَفَعُوا القواعِدَ مِنْ شِوارِ ثِيابِهِ

واسْتَأصلوا المَنْصُوبَ والمَلْبُوسا

I had feared from fear of the thieves that

I would send you from the poem a bride

قد كنتُ مِنْ خَوْفِ اللُّصُوصِ أَخافُ أنْ

أُهْدِي إليكَ مِنَ القَرِيضِ عَرُوسا

You have not ceased to recount in elevation

Your noble blessed forefathers

لا زِلتَ طولَ الدَّهْرِ تَحْكِي في العُلا

آباءَكَ الغُرَّ الكِرامَ الشُّوسا

As long as an astrologer follows the stars

And informs about the Trinity and Divinity

ما دامَ يَتّبِعُ النُّجُومَ مُنَجِّمٌ

وَيُخَبِّرُ التَّثْلِيثَ والتَّسْدِيسا