وَفد الصَباح وَزالَت الأَحلاكُ

وَتَنصَلَت مِن نحسها الأَفلاكُ

The dawn has come and the misfortunes have passed

The planets have freed themselves from their ill omen

وَاِنبُش وَجه النَجح بَعدَ عُبوسِهِ

فَرَحاً وَمُبتسم المُنى مضحاكُ

And the face of success smiles after its sullenness

Joyous and cheerful is its destiny, laughing

بِقُدوم مَولى بَعض أَيسَر ما حَوى

يَحتار فيهِ العَقل وَالإِدراكُ

With the coming of a master, the least of what he contains

Is beyond reason and comprehension

وَإِذا أَشارَ مُخاطِباً فَكَلامُهُ

دُرَرٌ لَها أَفهامنا أَسلاكُ

And if he speaks addressing, his words

Are pearls, our minds are their string

هُو نُور إِيمان يَلوح لِمُبصر

وَظَلام قَلب حَسودِهِ أَشراكَ

He is the light of faith shining for the seeing

And the darkness of the heart of his envious enemies, a pitfall

جود بِحار الأَرض مِنهُ قَطرَةٌ

تَكفي فَلا منٌّ وَلا إِمساكُ

His generosity from the sea of the earth is a drop

That suffices, so no favor and no withholding

وَفضائل لَم يُحصِها عَدد وَلَم

يُدرك غُبار جِيادِها إِدراكُ

And virtues that numbers have not counted

And the dust of his steeds' hooves comprehension cannot reach

فَاِنظُر إِلَيَّ بِرَأفَة بَل رَحمة

أَنجوبها قَد مَسَني الأَهلاكُ

So look upon me with kindness, rather mercy

I hope for them, for perdition has touched me

قَد كادَني الزَمَن الخُؤُن وَإِن لي

حَظّاً كَسيحاً لَيسَ فيهِ حِراكُ

Time's betrayals have nearly undone me, and I have

A paltry portion, in it there is no liveliness

إِني أَنا البازيُّ قَصَّ جَناحُهُ

فَعَسى يراش وَيَعتَريهِ فِكاكُ

I am the falcon whose wing is broken

Maybe it will mend and freedom will find

إِني أَنا الذَهب الذَّي قَد شابَهُ

كَدر الرغام يُزيلُهُ الحِكاكُ

I am the gold dirtied by muddy smears

Scouring will remove it and make it shine

أَشكو إِلَيكَ مَعاشِراً قَد نَقَصوا

في زَعمهم قَدري إِذاً لِيحاكوا

I complain to you of comrades who have diminished

In their assumption my worth when they emulated

قَوماً إِذا أَمعَنت فيهُم لَم تَجد

إِلّا الذُقون تَقلها الأَحناكُ

A people, if you look closely at them, you will not find

Save scrawny necks carried by the spinners

بَذَروا لَنا حُب الوُعود وَدونَهُ

نَصبت لَنا مِن خَلفِهم أَشراكُ

They planted for us the seeds of promises and around it

Pitfalls were set for us behind them

وَتَوازَعوا ما بَينَهُم أَوقافنا

حَتّى كَأَن جَميعَها أَملاكُ

And they shared between themselves our endowments

As if they were altogether their possessions

لَو أَنَّهُم يَهجون كُنت هَجوَتِهم

بِقَصائد هِيَ صارم فَتّاكُ

If they were to insult, I would insult their insults

With poems that bite sharp and deadly

يَتَشهد الكُفار مِن أَفعالِهم

مُتَهولين وَتَفسق النساكُ

The unbelievers would testify from their deeds

Confused and the pious would blaspheme

لَولا العِناية وَالتَحجُب عَنهُمُ

أَكَلت لُحوم جُسومِنا الأَسماكُ

If not for providence and screening from them

The fish would have eaten our dark flesh

ما مِنهُم إِلّا فَتى مُتمشدق

مُتَعاظم في نَفسِهِ عُلاكُ

There is none among them but a pretentious

Arrogant in himself, exalted lad

سَمج بِإِحدى راحَتَيهِ رَشوَةٌ

فَرح بِها وَبِأُختِها المِسواكُ

Who scorns with one of his hands a bribe

And rejoices with it and its sister the toothpick

يا مَن يَلوذ بِبابِهِ وَجَنابِهِ ال

أَعراب وَالأَعجام وَالأَتراكُ

Oh refuge of his door and his honored side

Not bedouins, non-Arabs, and Turks

قُم فَاِنتَصر لِغَريب فَضل في الحِمى

يُنتاشُهُ الحجام وَالحَياكُ

Rise and defend a stranger of superior merit in the sanctuary

Sucked by the cupper and the tailor

وَاسلم عَلى مَرّ الدُهور مُقبِلاً

أَقدام سَعدِكَ في السَماءِ سَماكُ

And greet the one bitter time comes to

The steps of your good fortune in the sky, like fish