لكَ المَجْدُ لا ما تدّعيهِ الأوائِلُ

وما في مَقالٍ بَعْدَ مَدْحِكَ طائِلُ

You deserve all glory, not what the ancients claim,

And no eloquent speech after praising you avails,

وليسَ يؤدّي بَعْضَ ما أنتَ فاعِلٌ

إذا رُمْتُ وَصْفاً كلُّ ما أنا قائِلُ

And no one can fulfil some of what you have done,

If I tried describing, whatever I say fails,

أبوكَ وأنتَ السّابِقانِ إِلى العُلا

على شِيَمٍ منْهُنَّ حَزْمٌ ونائِلُ

You and your father preceded to greatness,

On traits of resolve and attainment they prevail,

ولولاكُما لم يُعْرَفِ البأسُ والندىً

ولمْ يَدْرِ ساعٍ كيفَ تُبغى الفضائِلُ

Without you courage and chivalry are not known,

Nor does anyone know how virtues are gained,

وهل يَلِدُ الضِّرْغامُ إلا شَبيهَهُ

ويُنجِبُ إلا الأكْرَمونَ الأماثِلُ

Does a lion not beget but its equal?

And do the noble not sire the virtuous and hale?

فلَيتَ أباً لا يُورِثُ الفَخْرَ عاقِرٌ

وأُمّاً إذا لم تُعْقِبِ المَجْدَ حائِلُ

Would that a father not leave glory barren,

And a mother, if she bears no glory, she fails,

وأنت الذي إنْ هَزَّ أقْلامَهُ حَوى

بِها ما نَبَتْ عنهُ الرِّماحُ الذّوابِلُ

You who if brandished his pens turned abodes

To where the lofty spears and blades impale,

يَطولُ لِسانُ الفَخْرِ في مَكْرُماتِهِ

ويَقْصُرُ باعُ الدّهْرِ عمّا يُحاوِلُ

The tongue of glory is too short for your merits,

And time’s life too small for all you unveil,

وحَيٍّ من الأعداءِ تُبدي شِفاهُهُمْ

نَواجِذَ مَقْرونٌ بِهنَّ الأنامِلُ

Alive, their lips bare enemy teeth,

Hooked fingers matched with curved nails,

فمِنْهُم بِمُستَنِّ المَنايا مُعَرِّسٌ

تُطيفُ بهِ سُمْرُ القَنا والقنابِلُ

Among them are some wedded to death’s blades,

Encircled with spear points and missiles that flail,

وآخِرُ تَستَدْني خُطاهُ قُيودُهُ

وهُنَّ بساقَيْ كُلِّ عاصٍ خَلاخِلُ

Another whose steps are fettered by shackles,

Like bangles around the legs of all rebels they trail,

أزَرْتَهُمُ بَيضاً كأنّ مُتونَها

أجَنَّ المَنايا السّودَ فيها الصّياقِلُ

You clothed them in white as if the swords’ blades

Had extracted the black from them leaving pure white shale,

ولم يَبْقَ إلا من عَرَفْتَ وعنده

مكائِدُ تَسري بينهنَّ الغَوائِلُ

But some remained whom you know and plot against,

With schemes passing between them night and day without fail,

أطَلْتَ له باعاً قَصيراً فمَدَّهُ

إِلى أمَدٍ يَعْيَى بهِ المُتَطاوِلُ

You gave him a short reach but extended it,

To a span exhausting those who assay and scale,

وخاتَلَ عن أضْغانِهِ بتَودُّدٍ

وهلْ يَمْحَضُ الوُدَّ العدوُّ المُخاتِلُ

He deserted his grudges with friendliness,

But does a foe’s affection stay true or curtail?

لَئِنْ ظَهَرَتْ منهُ خَديعةُ ماكِرٍ

فسَيْفُكَ لا تَخفى عليه المَقاتِلُ

If his deception appears for he is sly,

Your sword will, no fighter can it veil,

وكم يوقِظُ الأحْقادَ من رَقَداتِها

وتَرْقُدُ في أغمادِهِنّ المَناصِلُ

How many dormant hatreds it can awaken

While in their sheaths the blades stay and impale,

فرَوِّ غِرارَ المَشْرَفيّ بهِ دَماً

فأُمُّ الذي لا يتْبَعُ الحَقَّ ثاكِلُ

Show the perfidy of the lofty one with his blood,

For she who does not follow truth is depraved and frail,

بيومٍ ترَدّى بالأسنّةِ فاسْتَوَتْ

هَواجِرُهُ من وَقْعِها والأصائِلُ

On a day when his steeds recoiled from the clash,

And the archers despite their skills, they flail,

وغارَ على الشّمسِ العَجاجُ فإنْ سَمَتْ

لتَلْحَظَها عيْنٌ ثَنَتْها القَساطِلُ

The clouds eclipsed the sun, so if an eye,

Glanced at it, the spears would turn it and curtail,

وحُلِّيَتِ الأعناقُ فيهِ منَ الظُّبا

قَلائِدَ لا يَصْبو إليهنّ عاطِلُ

The necks were adorned there with repairs of mail,

Necklaces no indolent soul did accost or hail,

بِكَفٍّ تُعيرُ السُّحْبَ من نَفَحاتِها

فتُرخي عَزالِيها الغُيوثُ الهَواطِلُ

With a grip that shames the clouds with its blows,

So its abundant rains cascade without fail,

وهِمَّةِ طَلاّعٍ إِلى كُلِّ سُؤدَدِ

لهُ غايةٌ منْ دونِها النّجْمُ آفِلُ

With ambitions set to every mighty summit,

Beyond which the stars decline, weaken and fail,

ففازَ غياثُ الدّينِ منكَ بِصارِمٍ

على عاتِقِ العَلْياءِ منهُ الحَمائِلُ

Thus the aid of faith, with your cutting blade,

Upon the shoulders of the lofty, became impaled,

ودانَ لهُ حَزْنُ البِلادِ وسَهْلُها

وأنت المُحامي دونَها والمُناضِلُ

The land’s grief and plains bent to it,

While you defend and fight for it without fail,

فما بالُ زَوْراءِ العِراقِ مُنيخَةً

بمُعْتَرَكٍ تَدْمى لديهِ الكَلاكِلُ

Why does deception-clad Iraq now bow down,

At a fray where skulls are crushed with flails?

تَشيمُ من الهَيجاءِ بَرْقاً إذا بَدا

هَمَى بالنّجيعِ الوَرْدِ منهُ المَخائِلُ

It lightens with red sparks when passions flare,

And the meadow’s roses are razed with nails,

تَحيدُ الرِّجالُ الغُلْبُ عنْ غَمَراتِها

وتَسْلَمُ فيهنَّ النِّساءُ المَطافِلُ

Men are helpless against its flooding,

And invading women there prevail,

كأنَّ الإِلى طاروا إِلى الحَرْبِ ضَلّةً

نَعامٌ يُباري خَطْرَةَ الرّيحِ جافِلُ

As if the gods had erroneously flown to war,

Ostriches vying with the winds that assail,

ومِنْ أينَ يَسْتَولي منَ العُرْبِ رامِحٌ

على بَلَدٍ فيهِ منَ التُّرْكِ نابِلُ

From where can an Arab horseman conquer,

A land that hurls so many Turkish hails?

أبابِلُ لا وادِيكِ بالرِّفْدِ مُفْعَمٌ

لدَيْنا ولا نادِيكِ بالوَفْدِ آهِلُ

No, not your plains overflowing with visitors,

Nor your valleys abundant with tribes that hail,

لَئِنْ ضِقْتِ عني فالبِلادُ فَسيحةٌ

وحَسْبُكِ عاراً أنني عَنْكِ راحِلُ

If you spurn me, lands are ample,

And it suffices that I depart and sail,

وإنْ كُنتِ بالسِّحْرِ الحَرامِ مُدِلَّةً

فعِندي من السِّحْرِ الحَلالِ دَلائِلُ

If you are ensnared by forbidden sorcery,

I have proofs made of sorcery that is hale,

قَوافٍ تُعيرُ الأعْيُنَ النُّجْلَ سِحْرَها

فكُلُّ مكانٍ خَيَّمَتْ فيهِ بابِلُ

Ships that shame eyes with their magic,

Wherever they berth, Babylon does not avail,

وأيُّ فَتًى ماضي العَزيمَةِ راعَهُ

مُلوكُكِ لا رَوّى رِباعَكِ وابِلُ

Which valiant frightened by your kings,

Did not water your plains or make floods that trail?

أغَرُّ رَحيبٌ في النّوائِبِ ذَرْعُهُ

لأعْباءِ ما يأتي بهِ الدّهْرُ حامِلُ

A shelter most vast against disasters,

That which time brings heavily he can avail,

فَتى الحَيِّ يَرْمي بالخُصومِ وراءَهُ

حَيارى إذا التَفَّتْ علَيهِ المَحافِلُ

A live coal that hurls foes behind him,

Bewildered when assemblies upon him prevail,

مَتى تُسْلَبُ الجُرْدُ الجيادُ مِراحَها

إليكَ كما يَسْتَنْفِرُ النّحْلَ عاسِلُ

When are steeds stripped of their fine coats,

As bees are mustered by one who does harvest and flail?

تُقَرَّطُ أثْناءَ الأعِنّةِ والثّرى

يُواري جَبينَ الشّمْسِ والنّقْعُ ذائِلُ

During the clash, earth covers the sun’s brow,

As the clouds’ darkness with dawn does impale,

إذا نَضَتِ الظَّلْماءُ بُرْدَ شَبابِها

مَضَتْ وخِضابُ اللّيلِ بالصُّبْحِ ناصِلُ

It wheeled over Iraq’s expanse its clouds,

Led by the house of Isaac, costume-clad and in mail,

ولَفَّتْ على صَحْنِ العِراقِ عَجاجَها

يُقَدّمُها مِن آلِ إسْحاقَ باسِلُ

If it travelled, the night in white is moonlit,

And the hue of dawn travelling in clouds is hailed,

إذا ما سَرى فاللّيْلُ بالبِيضِ مُقْمِرٌ

ولَوْنُ الضُّحى إن سارَ بالنّقْعِ حائِلُ

Courage, when war casts off its cloak,

Its resolve never wavering, nor plans that fail,

هُمامٌ إذا ما الحَرْبُ ألْقَتْ قِناعَها

فلا عَزْمُهُ واهٍ ولا الرَّأْيُ فائِلُ

If sorrows clouded the blissful nights,

It purified them from their glooms with traits and tales,

وإنْ كَدَّرَتْ صَفْوَ اللّيالي خُطوبُها

صَفَتْ مِنْهُ في غَمّائِهنَّ الشّمائِلُ

His pride refused to be diminished through mediation,

He outpaced it though sin to him does unveil,

أبَى طَوْلُه أن يُسْتَفادَ بِشافِعٍ

نَداهُ ومَعْصيٌّ لَدَيْهِ العَواذِلُ

None but the ambitious embraced ambition,

Nor did the hopeful clutch at hopes that flail,

فلَمْ يحْتَضِنْ غَيْرَ الرّغائِبِ راغِبٌ

ولمْ يتَشَبَّثْ بالوَسائِلِ سائِلُ

To you retreats, son of nobles, a lauded one,

With calamities of time assailing him with travails,

إليكَ أوَى يا بْنَ الأكارِمِ ماجِدٌ

لَهُ عِنْدَ أحداثِ الزّمانِ طَوائِلُ

Its rhymes trail their hems to you,

As the bows of archers smile when arrows impale,

تَجُرُّ قَوافيهِ إليكَ ذيولَها

كما ابْتَسَمَتْ غِبَّ الرِّهام الخَمائِلُ

And with you the glory’s sanctity is guarded,

So the afflicted with might eternal came to you and hailed,

وعندكَ تُرْعى حُرْمَةُ المَجْدِ فارْتَمى

إليكَ بهِ دامي الأظَلّينِ بازِلُ

Stars and journey saw him suffering,

Like a waning crescent, famished, frail and hale,

بَراهُ السُّرى والسَّيْرُ وهْوَ منَ الضّنى

حَكاهُ هِلالٌ كالقُلامَةِ ناحِلُ

Scant is his consideration of the humble lowly one,

Though streams are plentiful for those who seek and avail,

قَليلٌ إِلى الرِّيِّ الذّليلِ الْتفاتُهُ

وإنْ كَثُرَتْ لِلْوارِدينَ المَناهِلُ

Where the lofty and debater are weak and frail,

It is no novelty that I gain heights through you,

وها أنا أرْجو من زَمانِكَ رُتبَةً

يَقِلُّ المُسامي عِنْدَها والمُساجِلُ

For the likes of you are hoped for, and I their likes who flail,

ولَيسَ بِبِدْعٍ أن أنالَ بِكَ العُلا

فمِثْلُكَ مأمُولٌ ومِثْليَ آمِلُ