اليَوْمَ قد حَكَمَ الهَوَى بالمَعْدَلَهْ
وأَراحَ قَلْبِي مِنْ مُكابَدَةِ الوَلَهْ
Today desire has judged with justice,
And eased my heart of enduring passion's anguish.
وتَبَدَّلَتْ مِنِّي الصَّبابَةُ سَلْوَةً
صِينَتْ بها عَبَراتِي المُتَبَذَّلَهْ
My youth has turned to wise maturity,
Wherein my flowing tears are treasured.
مالي وَلِلعُشَّاقِ أَتْبَعُ منهمُ
أُمَماً تَضِلُّ عَنِ الرشادِ مُضَلَّلَهْ
What is it to me if lovers go astray,
Led by nations that swerve from guidance, misled?
مِنْ كلِّ مَنْ يَشْكُو جِنايَةَ نَفْسِهِ
وَيَرُومُ مِنْ أَحْبَابِهِ ما ليسَ لَهْ
I complain not of the injustice done my soul,
Nor charge my loved ones falsely.
إني امْرُؤٌ أُعْطَى السُّلُوَّ قيادَهُ
وَأًراحَ مِنْ تَعَبِ المَلامَةِ عُذَّلَهْ
I am a man who gives the lead to self-control,
And finds relief from blame's fatigue and spite.
وَدَعَا جميلَ ابنِ الزُّبَيْرِ مَدِيحَهُ
فأَطَاعُهُ وعَصَى الهَوَى وتَغَزُّلَهْ
Fair Jamīl's excellence called me to sing his praise;
I obeyed it and spurned desire's conceit.
مَوْلَىً عَرَفْتُ بِجاهِهِ وبمالِهِ
عِزَّ الغِنَى وجَهِلْتُ ذُلَّ المَسْأَلَهْ
I know a lord of generous means,
Who scorned wealth's ease and clung to hardship's blight,
وأَتَمَّ حَظِّي بَعْدَ نُقْصانٍ فَكَمْ
مِنْ عَائِدٍ لِي من نَدَاهُ ومِنْ صِلَهْ
Whose lot, though once deficient, now is filled.
Restored by gifts he gives, care he invites.
وَجَبَتْ عليَّ لهُ حُقُوقٌ لَمْ
أَقُمْ منها بماضِيَةٍ ولا مُسْتَقْبِلَهْ
His rights on me no past or future can annul,
Which I can neither shun nor can ignore.
لا أَسْتَطِيعُ جُحُودَها وشُهُودُها
عِنْدِي بما أَوْلَتْ يَداه مُعَدَّلَهْ
Still clearly in my mind live on the favors
His hands have brought me, rightly reconciled.
ما طالَ صَمْتُ مَدائِحِي عَنْ مَجْدِهِ
إِلاَّ لأَنَّ صِلاتِهِ مُسْتَرْسِلَهْ
Though long my panegyrics silent were of him,
Only because his gifts streamed swift and wide.
فمتى هَمَمْتُ بشُكْرٍ سالفِ نِعْمَةٍ
أَلْفَيْتُ سالِفَتي بأُخْرَى مُثْقَلَهْ
Whene’er I sought some kindness to repay,
I found a new one had the old compiled.
مَنْ مِثْلُ زَيْنِ الدِّيِنِ يَعْقُوبَ الذي
أَضْحَتْ بِهِ رَتَبُ الفَخَارِ مُؤَثَّلَهْ
Where is the peer of noble Yaqūb's son
Who raised the lowly ranks to heights sublime?
عَمَّ الخَلائِقَ جُودُهُ فكأَنَّما
يَدُهُ بأَرْزاقِ الوَرَى مُتَكَفَّلَهْ
His openhandedness embraced all humankind,
As if sustaining all the world's provision was his task.
حَكَمَتْ أَنامِلُها لهُ بالرَّفْعِ مِنْ
أفعالِهِ الحُسْنَى بِخَمْسَةِ أمْثِلَهْ
Ask of him! Ask about his father and grandfather!
You will hear an endless chain of generosity.
وأَحَلَّهُ الشَّرَفَ الرَّفِيعَ ذَكاؤُهُ
فرَأَيْتُ منهُ عطارِداً في السُّنْبُلَهْ
If but one hair of his was a lion in valor,
Or one thumb a sea of waves in immensity,
سَلْ عنه وَاسْأَلْ عَنْ أبيهِ وجَدِّهِ
تَسْمَعْ أحاديثَ الكرامِ مُسَلْسَلَهْ
What miracles his ready pen displayed
To make the papers marvel at its power!
إنْ صالَ كانَ اللَّيْثُ منهُ شَعْرَةً
أَوْ جادَ كانَ البحْرُ منه أُنْمُلَهْ
It filled his books with intuitive wisdom's truth,
Revealed in verses, generously supplied.
كَمْ أَظْهَرَتْ أَقْلامُهُ مِنْ مُعْجِزٍ
لِلطَّرْسِ لَمَّا أنْ رَأَتْهُ مُرْسَلَهْ
In paragraphs between shown clearly there
Are subtle wisdoms, closely unified.
مَلأَتْ بإمْلاَءِ الخواطِرِ كُتْبَهُ
حِكَماً عَلَى وفْقِ الصَّوابِ مُنَزَّلَهْ
Flawless in beauty, needing no perfection,
Praiseworthy in script and sense, by God applied!
وَبَدَتْ فَواصِلُهُ خِلالَ سُطُورِها
تُهْدِي لِقَارِئِها العُقودَ مُفَصَّلَهْ
Enriching the impoverished, after freely giving,
Their destiny awaits the rulers' promises.
ما صانَها نَقْصُ الكمال وَلَمْ تَفْتْ
في الحُسْنِ بَسْمَلَةُ الكِتابِ الحَمْدْلَهْ
They exemplified sublime and noble deeds.
Preeminent in glory, they led the way.
قد أَغْنَتِ الفَقَراءَ وافْتَقَرَتْ لَهمْ
هِمَمُ الملوكِ فما تَزالَ مُؤَمِّلَهْ
The Zubayrs, whose aid in every strait is sought,
Through all tribulations, complexities their stay.
مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ شَرَعُوا المَكارِمَ والعُلَى
وتَبَوَّءُوا مِنْ كلِّ مَجْدٍ أَوَّلَهْ
Feeding lavishly, as lavish in reward
On battle's day and in disastrous times.
آلُ الزُّبَيْرِ المَرْتَجَى إِسْعَادُهُم
في كُلِّ نائِبَةٍ تَنُوبُ وَمُعْضِلَهْ
A feared, protecting hand extended over all
Humanity, forever giving, kind are they.
المكْثِرُونَ طَعَامَهُم وَطِعَانُهُمْ
يَوْمَ النَّزالِ وَفي السِّنِينَ المَمْحِلَهْ
Ask them of lore or bounty and they will confound
Questioners with brilliant, apt replies.
قَوْمٌ لِكُلِّهِمُ عَلَى كُلِّ الوَرَى
أَبَداً يَدٌ مَرْهُوبَةٌ ومَنَوَّلَهْ
Noble their sins; each kissing friend
Could wish such sins his righteous acts to comprise!
إنْ يُسْأَلوا كَرَماً وَعِلْماً أُعْجَزُوا
بِبَدِيعِ أَجْوِبَةِ لتلكَ الأَسْئِلَهْ
But for your virtues the world would lack
Sweet mention of unparalleled magnificence.
أنِفُوا ذُنُوباً ودَّ كلُّ مُقَبَّلٍ
لو أنها حسناتُهُ المتَقَبَلَهْ
You have annulled sins and made each kissing friend
Wish your sins were his righteous works comprised.
لولا مَناقِبُكُمْ لَكانت هذه الدُّ
نيا مِنَ الذِّكْرِ الجَميلِ مُعَطَّلَهْ
