أَذهبت رونق ماء النُصحِ في العَذلِ
فاربَعَ فلستَ بِمَعصومِ عَن الزَلَلِ
The luster of sincere advice faded in injustice,
So be upright, you are not immune from stumbling.
لِكُلِّ سَهمٍ يَعُدُّ الناس سابغة
تردُّه عَنكَ إِلّا أَسهم المُقَلِ
To every arrow people think is unfailing,
It will be deflected from you, except fate's arrows.
هامَ الفُؤادُ بِشَمسٍ ما يُزايلها
غَربٌ مِنَ البَينِ أَو غيمٌ مِنَ الكِلَلِ
My heart became infatuated with a sun it never parts from,
Whether it's the setting due to separation or clouds of sleep.
يَنتابُ دَمعَ النَوى وَاللَهو وَجنَتَها
فقلَّما انفَكَ ظهر الخَدِّ مِن بَلَلِ
It leaks the tears of yearning and delight and their gardens,
Rarely has the cheek been free of moisture.
لا شيءَ أَكفَر مِن مِسواكَ إِسحلة
يُعلُّهُ الريق لَم يورق وَلَم يَطُلِ
Nothing is more ungrateful than your mischievous flirtation,
Raising what did not leaf out or lengthen.
يَخفى شهاب الهَوى في درِّ ريقتها
كَما استكنَّ نَقيع السُمِّ في العُسُلِ
The embers of passion are hidden in the nectar of her saliva,
As lethal poison hides in honey.
وَفي أُصول الثَنايا بارِد عَلِلٌ
نَفسي الفِداء لِتِلكَ البارِدِ العَلِلِ
And in the roots of her teeth there is numbing disease,
My soul is sacrificed for that numbing disease.
كأَنَّ ريقتها بعد الكَرى عَسَلٌ
أَستغفر اللَهَ بَل أَحلى مِنَ العَسَلِ
I seek God's forgiveness, no, her saliva is sweeter than honey
after bitterness.
إِيّاكَ إِيّاكَ تَطريفاً بأَنمُلِها
فَهيَ الأَسِنَّةُ في العَسّالَةِ الذَبلِ
Beware, beware her naughty fingering,
For it is the combs in neglected beehives.
ما بالُ طرفك لا تنمي رَميَّته
كَأَنَّما هوَ رام مِن بَني ثُعَلِ
Why doesn't your gaze loose its arrows?
As if it were shooting arrows from the clan of Tha'labah.
صَدَّت بِنَجدٍ وَزارَت في طَرابُلُسٍ
وَبَينَنا عَنَقٌ لِلسُّفن وَالإِبِلِ
She visited Najd and dwelled in Tripoli,
While between us is a neck for ships and camels.
في خرَّد نُهَّدٍ يعكسنَ أَعيُننا
لِضَوئِهِنَّ كَعَكس الشَمسِ للمُقلِ
In her tent's folds that reflect our eyes
With their glow like the sun's reflection on water.
تَنقادُ نَحوَ هَواهُنَّ القُلوب كَما اِنقادت
إِلى هِبَةِ اللَهِ العلى ابن علي
Hearts are led to love them as they were led
To Allah's gift, the noble son of Ali.
فَتىً عَن السُمرِ بِالسُمرِ الكُعوبِ وَعَن
بيضِ الوجوهِ بِبيضِ الهند في شُغلِ
A young man who adorns the state when it is ruled,
As kingdoms are adorned when they rule.
يُزَيِّنُ الدَولَة الغَرّاء مَوضِعه
إِذا تَزَيَّنَت الأَملاكُ بِالدُوَلِ
His smile never ceases to blossom,
And rain indicates which clouds pour forth.
يُنبي تَبسُّمه عَن نَشرِهِ أَبَداً
وَالغَيث آيَة صَوبِ الوابِل الهَطلِ
He adorns it beyond how it adorned him, so through it
He is in splendor while he is above splendors.
يزينها فَوقَ ما زانته فَهوَ بِها
في حُلَّةٍ وَهوَ من عَلياه في حُلَلِ
He bids the delegation welcome until it leaves
While the confederate bids it farewell by delaying death.
يَبُشُّ بِالوَفد حَتّى خلت وآفده
وَآفي يُهنِّيه بِالتأخير في الأَجَلِ
Exalted, wealth does not settle in his hand,
How can he hold what is like a mountain's canal?
عَلا فلا يَستَقِرُّ المالُ في يَدِهِ
وَكَيفَ يُمسِكُ ما في قَنَّة الجَبَلِ
He judges with wisdom in predicaments as
The arbitrator rules at the moment of confusion.
يَقضي بِحُكمِ الهُدى في المُشكِلاتِ كَما
يَقضي بِحُكمِ الظُبيِ في ساعَةِ الوَهلِ
He has allied with justice in his rulings forever,
And justice is the best provision for a heroic knight.
قَد حالَفَ العَدلَ في أَحكامِهِ أَبَداً
وَالعَدلُ خَيرُ اقتِناء الفارِسِ البَطَلِ
Injustice always fears the open-handed one's chest,
As injustice thought it a chest without armor.
تَخشى العِدى أَبَداً صَدرَ الجَوادِ فَقَد
ظَنَّ العِدى أَنَّه صَدرٌ بِلا كَفَلِ
In the ruggedness of the mountain, were it not for his tolerance,
Emptiness would have left it barren from frequent fires.
في جَحفَلِ لَجبٍ لَولا تبسّطه
لخلته شهباً من كَثرَةِ الأُسُلِ
It is as if the red camels are wine beneath them
While their white ones are seeds floating atop mountains.
كَأَنَّ حُمَر المذاكي الخمر تَحتَهم
وَبيضُهم حبَبٌ يَطفو عَلى القُلَلِ
I imagined that, knowing he is a singular man,
So I saw all people through one man.
أَمَّلتُ ذلك عِلماً أَنَّهُ رَجُل
فَردٌ فأبصرت كل الناس في رَجُلِ
He lends an ear to those asking his capable hands as
A lover lends an ear to singing and amorousness.
يُصغي إِلى سائِلي جَدوى يَديه كَما
يُصغي المُحِبُّ إِلى التَغريدِ وَالغَزَلِ
If he wished he could have said without lying in his information,
About every merit he sees, that it belongs to me.
لَو شاءَ قالَ وَلَم يَكذِب بِمَخبَرِهِ
عَن كُلِّ فَضلٍ أَراهُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ لي
For he discovered remarkable feats long ago
While the rest of mankind are reciters and plagiarizers.
لأَنَّه اختَرَعَ العَلياء سالفة
وَسائرُ الناسِ من تالٍ وَمُنتَحِلِ
The ruler al-Mansur fortified his state
Through the Banu Haydarah in plains and mountains.
قَد أَحكم الحاكِم المَنصور دولَتَهُ
بآلَ حَيدَرَةٍ في السَهلِ وَالجَبَلِ
Their writings have satisfied his furthest battalions
Against increasing enemies and locking them out.
وَرَفَّهت كتبهم أَقصى كَتائِبِهِ
عَن الزِيادَة للأَعداءِ وَالقفلِ
Coats of mail and shields are pleased with them
As are turtle shells, chests of mail, and horse armor.
تَرضى الدَراريعُ عنهم وَالدُروعُ
وَأَصدافُ القنا وَصُدور البيضِ والأُسُلِ
The Islamic state wandered lost without them and steadied
With their resolve as the sun steadies itself in Aries.
تاهَت بِهِم دولة الإِسلامِ واِعتَدَلَت
بِعَزمِهِم كاِعتِدالِ الشَمسِ في الحَمَلِ
They have supported and ruled with the generosity they build upon,
Its firm eternal foundation is their glory.
شادوا وَسادوا بِما يَبنونَ مِن كَرَمٍ
أَساسُ مجدهم المُستَحكِم الأَزلي
They resemble each other despite differences in their time
In obedience, prohibition, words, and deeds.
تَشابَهوا في اِختِلافِ من زَمانِهِمُ
عِندَ اللَهى وَالنُهى وَالقَولِ وَالعَمَلِ
Like a spear whose front aids its back
And the back of a spear aids its front.
كالرُمُ أَوَّلَه عَونٌ لآخِرِهِ
وَآخر الرُمحِ عون الأَكعبِ الأُوَلِ
You followed your father in generosity and nobility and did not
Lie as al-Wasmi followed the rightful one.
تبعتَ في الجودِ وَالعَليا أَباك وَلَم
تَكذِب كَما تبعَ الوَسميّ صَوبَ وَلي
Two rains whose hands were generous wherever they poured
In a land that flourished with wealth and cavalry.
غَيثانِ أَيّهما جادَت أَنامله
في بَلدَةٍ نَبَتَت بِالمالِ وَالخَولِ
You two adorned religion and life with your might
Which the Merciful will never annul.
حَلَّيتما الدِين وَالدُنيا بعزِّكما
فَلا أَزالهُما الرَحمن بِالعَطَلِ
Our eyes have never seen in our time's afflictions
Anyone like you two who are kohl in its infections.
وَلا رَأَينا بِعَيني دَهرِنا مَرَهاً
فَأَنتُما في مآقيهِ من الكُحُلِ
You two lived eternally in the shade of a kingdom
That sought refuge from change and dynasties.
وَعشتُما أَبَداً في ظِلِّ مَملَكَةٍ
قَد اِستَعاذَت مِنَ التَغيير وَالدُوَلِ
The Pleiades have not sprinkled their tears over the land
And no one yearned on the day of departure.
ما رَقرَقَ المزنُ فَوقَ الأَرضِ أَدمعه
وَحَنَّ ذو شَجَنٍ يَوماً لمرتَحِلِ
