ذُكِرَ الحِمى فَبَكى لسجع حَمامِهِ

وَغَدا غَريماً لِلنَّوى بِغَرامِهِ

The abode was mentioned, so it wept for the cooing of its dove

And it became passionate in the morning for the grain due to its love

يا مَنزِلاً ما كنت أَحسَبُ أَنَّني

أَحيا إِذا ما بِنتُ عَن آرامِهِ

O dwelling, I never thought that I

Would live if I moved away from its tranquility

مِنّي السَلام عَلى رباك تَحِيَّة

إِن كنت تَقنَع من جَوٍ بِسَلامِهِ

Peace be upon its Lord, greetings

If you are content with bringing peace

وَإِذا السَحابُ عَداكَ صوب غَمامِهِ

فَسَقاكَ دَمع العين صَوب سجامِهِ

And if the clouds pass by you towards its gloom

Then the tears of the eyes flow towards its pouring

مَغنىً غَنيتُ لضدى شُموسِ فِنائِهِ

وَنَعمتُ وَصلاً من بِدورِ خيامِهِ

I sang melodiously for the fading of its suns

And I gained connection and prayer from its tents

مِن كُلِّ مَعلول اللِحاظ أَعَلَّني

وَجَداً وَعَلَّلَني بِكأسِ مُدامِهِ

Each tender-eyed one made me rise high

And gave me a cup to make me accustomed to its wine

لَم أَنسَهُ إِذ زارَني مُتَلِّثماً

كالغُصنِ في حَركاتِهِ وَقَوامِهِ

I did not forget him when he visited me masked

Like a branch in its movements and stature

عانَقتُ غُصن البانِ تَحتَ وِشاحِهِ

وَلثمتُ بدر التَمِّ تَحتَ لِثامِهِ

I embraced the branch of frankincense beneath his cheek

And I kissed the full moon beneath his wrappings

وَجَعَلتُ أَرعي العَينَ روض جَمالِهِ

مُتَمَتِّعاً وَالسَمع دُرّ كَلامِهِ

And I made my eyes graze upon the meadow of his beauty

Delighting while my hearing was a pearl of his speech

هَذا وَدون إِزارِهِ لي عِفَّة

صَدَّت بِحَمدِ اللَهِ عَن آثامِهِ

This was despite his modesty having decency for me

Which warded off sins, praise be to God, from his wrongdoings

نِعمٌ شكرت بِها الأَمير لأَنَّهُ

خلع العَفاف عَليَّ في إِنعامِهِ

Favors which I thanked the Prince for since

He bestowed chastity upon me with his gifts

لَبِسَ العَفافَةَ قَبلَ لُبسِ نِطاقِهِ

واِعتاد بَذلَ الجودِ قَبلَ فِطامِهِ

He wore the cloak of purity before wearing his belt

And he was accustomed to generosity before weaning

وَرأى بِعَيني رأيه ما خلفه

ذُهناً كَرأي العين من قُدّامِهِ

And he saw with the eye of his opinion what was behind him

Mentally like the eye’s view of what’s in front of him

مَلأ القُلوبَ مَهابَة وَمَحَبَّة

منه فَباتَ النَجم دون مَرامِهِ

He filled hearts with awe and love of him

So the star fell short of his aspirations

وَأَنالَ من بَذلِ النَدى في يَومِهِ

ما لَم يَنَلهُ حاتِم في عامِهِ

And he attained from giving gifts in his days

What Hatim did not attain in his year

وَسَخا فَأَدرَكَ قاعِداً مِن مَجدِهِ

ما لَم يَنَله سِواهُ عند قِيامِهِ

He was generous so he attained while sitting from his glory

What no one else attained when standing

ما باتَ يَنقُضه فَلَيسَ بِمُبرَمٍ

أَبَداً وَلا نقض عَلى إِبرامِهِ

What he built at night is not easily undone

Never to be repealed, nor his structuring repealed

طلق المُحَيّا للعفاة وَإِنَّما

يَلقى العبوس به عَلى لُوّامِهِ

Leave happily to the chaste, and only

The frowning face encounters it on his bridled-mouth

تَتَقاصَرُ الأَفهام دونَ صِفاتِهِ

وَيُغضُّ عَنه الطَرفَ من إِعظامِهِ

Minds fall short of comprehending his attributes

And the eyes look away in reverence of him

يَقظان في كَسبِ العَلاء وَإِن يَنَم

فَكأَنَّهُ يَقظان عِندَ مَنامِهِ

Awake in attaining the heights, and if he sleeps

It is as if he is awake during his sleep

وَإِذا بَدا بِالأَمرِ أَتعَبَ نَفسَهُ

وَرأى الهَوى يَهواهُ في إِتمامِهِ

And if he initiates a matter, he exhausts himself

And sees personal desire acting upon completing it

يَلقى الوزارة وَهيَ دونَ مَحَلِّهِ

وَيَرى المخدّم وَهوَ من خُدّامِهِ

He takes on the ministry while it is beneath his worth

And sees the servant while he is of his servants

تَنبو الصَفائِح عَن صَحائِف كُتبِهِ

وَتقلّم الأَقلام من أَقلامِهِ

Pens creak from his writings

And pens are worn from his writings

وَيَذُمُّ صَفوَ حَياتِهِ من لَم يَبِت

مِستَعصياً بِوَلائِهِ وَذِمامِهِ

And the essence of his life is disdained by whoever does not spend the night

Loyal in his allegiance and his binding pact

كالغَيث في إِسجامه وَاللَيث في

إِقدامه وَالسَيف في إِخذامِهِ

Like rain in its pouring, and a lion in

Its pouncing, and a sword in its slashing

عِزٌّ طَويل الباع لَم يضك خامِلاً

في جاهِليَّته وَلا إِسلامِهِ

Honor with broad horizons, never humbled

In his ignorance or his Islam

إِن شاءَ عَدَّ العِزَّ من أَخوالِهِ

أَو شاء عدَّ العزَّ من أَعمامِهِ

If he wished he counted honor from his uncles

Or if he wished he counted honor from his paternal uncles

قَوم إِذا ما المَجد أَصبَحَ قَسمَة

فَلَهُم أَعالي رأسه وَسَنامِهِ

A people, if glory became distributed in the morning

Then its highest points are theirs, and its loftiness

مِن كُلِّ مَن يَسمو بأَرثِ سَريره

وَالتاج عَن كسراه أَو بُهرامِهِ

Of all those who are highly ranked due to the legacy of his throne

And the crown due to his ancestry or Bahram

يَكبو زِناد الذَم عَن أَعراضِهِ

وَيُضيءُ طرز المَدح عَن أَكمامِهِ

The fire of blame is extinguished from their honor

And the embroidery of praise illuminates their concealments

نسب كمثل الصُبح عَمَّ ضِياؤُهُ

وَتَمَزَّقَت عَنه جُيوب ظَلامِهِ

A lineage like the dawn, its light encompassed

And the pockets of its darkness shredded from it

خلط الشَجاعَة بِالنَدى فَالرِزق

وَالآجالُ بَينَ بَنانِهِ وَحُسامِهِ

He mixed courage with generosity, so livelihood

And lifespans are between his fingers and sword

فَضلٌ لَو أَنَّ الدَهرَ قَدَّمَ عَصرَهُ

لأَبانَ نَقصُ زياده وَهِشامِهِ

Virtue, if only fate had brought forth his era

It would show the deficiency of the increase of Ziyad and Hisham

فاِسلم عَلى رَغم الحَسودِ وَلا تَزَل

لِلدَّهرِ رُكناً دائِماً بِدَوامِهِ

So be safe from the envious, and do not cease

To be a pillar for fate, lasting in its duration

حَتّى يُسِرُّ بك الوَلي وَيَغتَدي

أَنف الحَسودِ به حَليف رُغامِهِ

Until the Guardian is pleased with you and angry

At the envious, with it an ally against their bridled-mouths