طرَقتْ بليلٍ من سَناها مُقْمِر

فأضاءَ مُعتَلَجُ الكثيبِ الأعفَرِ

At night a moon lit up the sandy hill,

Illuminating the desolate mound.

قَمرٌ تَدّرعَ جُنْحَ ليلٍ سارياً

لكنْ سوى طَرْفي به لم يَشْعُر

A moon cloaked in the wings of night

Spreading, though none but I took note.

خطَرتْ ببَطْنِ الواديَيْنِ تَزورُنا

عَجَباً ونحن ببالِها لم نَخْطُر

It wandered through the valley to visit us -

Strange, when it was not in our thoughts.

بيضاءُ تَبسِمُ عن أقاحي روضةٍ

جُلِيَتْ وتكْسِرُ عن لواحظِ جُؤْذَر

A white smile amid the meadow's blooms

Appearing, then vanishing behind the thickets.

هجَرتْ وَوكَّل ناظري بخيالها

ذِكْري لها فكأنّها لم تَهْجُر

It went away, leaving my watcher to its imaginary form -

My memory of it is as if it never went away.

أَهْلاً بزائرةٍ أتتْ لو لم تكُنْ

من عندِ فكرٍ للمَزارِ مُزَوِّر

Welcome to a visitor who, had she not come

From a thoughtful mind, would not have visited this shrine.

واصَلْتُها والبِيضُ لم تَقطُرْ دماً

مِن دُونِها والسُّمْرُ لم تَتَكَسّر

I bid her stay, and caused no bloodshed,

Nor broke the fast, by her absence.

وأجبْتُ داعيةَ الصَّبابةِ نَحْوَها

فلَقِيتُ عاديةَ الخميسِ المُصْحِر

I answered the call of youthfulness towards her,

And so met my usual Thursday eve appointment.

ولَربّما آثرتُ ما لم أَلقَه

حتّى رَكِبْتُ إليه ما لم أُوثِر

And perhaps I preferred what I had not found

Until I attained what I did not choose.

فدَعِ الملامَ فقد نَزَعْتُ عن الصِّبا

وصحَوْتُ إلاّ طَرْبةَ المُتذَكِّر

So cease blame, for I have turned from passion,

And woken up, except for the dreamer's rapture.

أَ أُخيَّ مارَسْتُ الرّجالَ فلم أَجِدْ

عند الشّدائدِ صاحِباً لم يَغْدِر

O brother, I have tested men, and found

No loyal friend in times of woe.

إنّ الصّنائعَ والأياديَ في الورَى

غَرْسُ المودّةِ والقِلَى فتدَبّر

Truly, acts of goodwill in the world

Are the seeds of affection and hearts' amity - consider.

وإذا اصطنَعْتَ حسيبَ قومٍ فارْجُه

وإذا اصطَنَعْتَ دَنِيءَ قومٍ فاحْذَر

And if you seek the love of a people, spurn it,

Yet guard yourself if you gain a low person's love.

قُلْ للجميلِ وما سَمِعْتُ بمثْلِه

مظلومَ قومٍ بينَهمْ لم يُنْصَر

Say to the finest one, none has equaled him -

An oppressed man among his folk with none to help.

ما لِي أراك وقد خُصِصْتَ منَ الورى

في حالتَيْكَ معاً بظلْمٍ مُنْكَر

Why do I see you set apart from the world

In your two states, with injustice and tyranny?

فإذا طُلِبْتَ منَ امرئٍ لم يَصْطَنعْ

وإذا اصطَنَعْتَ معَ امرئٍ لم يَشْكُر

If you seek a favor from one who has shown none,

Or do a favor for one who shows no thanks,

هلاّ شكَوْتَ إلى الوزيرِ وعَدْلِه

مِمّا لَقيتَ منَ العديدِ الأَكثَر

Why not complain to the Minister and his justice?

Of what you faced from the many and diverse.

فهو الّذي يَرعاكَ غيرَ مُضيِّعٍ

وهو الذي يُوليكَ غيرَ مُكدِّر

For he is the one who will protect you, not neglecting,

And he is the one who will favor you, not vexing.

وهو المُجيرُ لمنْ يلوذُ بظِلِّه

من كُلِّ عَدْوةِ جائرٍ مُستَكْبِر

He is the refuge for whoever seeks his shade

From every unjust and arrogant foe.

مَلِكٌ أنامَ من الأنامِ عُيونَهم

أَمْناً وقال لِعَيْنِه لَهُمُ اسْهَري

A king whose eyes the people have lulled to sleep,

Secure, while to his own eye he said "keep watch!"

ووزيرُ صِدْقٍ جازَ في دَرَج العُلا

غاياتِ كُّلِ مُملَّكٍ ومُؤزَّر

And the minister of sincerity has attained the highest

Rank of each empowered and honored realm.

وافَى به العصرُ الأخيرُ وقَصّرَتْ

عن شَأْوِه وزراءُ كُلِّ الأَعصُر

The latter age has given him his due, while

Ministers of all eras fell short of his stature.

فكأنّما كانوا فوارسَ حَلْبةٍ

ركَضوا فكان السّبْقُ للمُتأخِّر

As if they were horses charging the battlefield,

While the victory went to the one who came last.

لا غْروَ لم تَزَلِ الوِزارةُ قَبلَهُ

تَستَنُّ بينَ مُقَصِّرٍ أو مُقْصِر

No wonder - before him the ministry

Has faltered between inadequate and failure.

من مُسْرفٍ في البخلِ غيرِ مُوفَّقٍ

أو مُوحِشٍ بالمَطْلِ غيرِ مُنَكَّر

With a miserly one, inept in stinginess,

Or a recluse, heedless of condemnation.

أو ذاهبٍ في الهَزْلِ أبعدَ مَذْهبٍ

أو حائرٍ في الجهلِ شَرَّ تَحَيُّر

Or one frivolous, exceeding the bounds,

Or ignorant, in the worst of confusion.

حتّى أُتيحَ وللأمورِ عواقبٌ

إقبالُ مَنْصورِ اللِواء مُظفّر

Until the affairs came to fruition

With the victorious Mansur's banners coming forth.

فتَحلَّتِ العلْيا بأَشرفِ حِلْيةٍ

وتَجلَّتِ الدُّنيا بأَحسنِ مَنْظَر

The elevated were adorned with the finest decorations,

And the world shone with the best spectacle.

أنظامَ دينِ اللهِ أيّةُ رُتْبةٍ

أَدركْتَ غايتَها وإنْ لم تفخَر

You attained the highest rank of God's religion -

Reached its summit, though you do not boast.

هُمْ قَصّروا عنها ولم يَتواضَعُوا

وحَظِيتَ أنتَ بها ولم تَتكبَّر

They fell short of it, nor were humble,

While you gained it, and were not arrogant.

وبَسطْتَ كفّك بالنّوالِ فطَبّقتْ

بالجودِ تَطبيقَ الغمامِ المُمْطِر

You extended your palm in plenty, folding

Together openhandedness and pouring rain.

وكَسبْتَ حُسْنَ الذّكرِ في الدُّنيا التي

تَفْنَى ومَن يَفعَلْ كفِعْلك يُذْكَر

You gained fair renown in this fleeting world -

He who does as you do will be remembered.

قد أَنقذَتْ كفّاك شِلْوَ فريسةٍ

من بعدِ ما عَلِقتْ بنابِ غَضنْفَر

Your hand rescued a hostage from the claws

Of a ferocious lion after being caught.

فرجَعْتَ بالمُلْكِ المُطلّقِ أهلَهُ

وأقمتَ من خَدِّ العَدّوّ الأصعَر

You returned an untrammeled rule to its people,

And set up in the enemy's breast a barrier.

حتّى كأنّك أَردَشِيرُ الفُرسِ إذْ

وافَى فقَصَّ طوائفَ الإسكَنْدر

Until you are like the Persian Ardashir

When he conquered Alexander's companies.

لم تَدّعِ الأقوامُ دُونَك أنّهم

وصَلوا إلى الفَتْحِ المُتاحِ الأَكْبَر

The nations cannot claim to have arrived

At the greatest open triumph but you.

وأمامَ جيشِك سار ذِكْرُك سابقاً

نحوَ العُداةِ يَفُضُّ جَمْعَ العَسكَر

Before your army your fame went forth preceding,

To the foes, surpassing the assembled troops.

والشّمسُ قبل طُلوعِها من أُفْقِها

تَجلو الدُّجنّةَ بالصَّباح المُسفِر

The sun, before rising from its horizon,

Dispels the gloom with the radiant dawn.

حضَرتْ مَيامِنُك التي شَملَتْهمُ

بسُعودِها فكفَتْ وإنْ لم تَحضُر

Your well-omened right hand that encompassed them

With its good fortune was enough, though absent.

لم يَعْصِ أمرَك رأسُ أغلبَ أبيضٍ

إلاّ تَعّوضَ صدْرَ أعجَفَ أَسمَر

No white-crowned head disobeyed your command

Unless a swarthy spineless one took its place.

ما عاد من حَربٍ قَناك وقد سقَتْ

أطرافُها إلاّ كأيْكٍ مُثْمِر

No war of yours since then but is like a fruitful cloud

Announcing the bearing of heads taken in war

يَنْآدُ من حَمْلِ الرّؤوسِ المُجتنَى

ويَرِفُّ من وَرْدِ النّجيعِ الأحمْر

And the waving of a crimson meadow of corpses,

A wonder that five fingers of your hand

عجَباً لأَنْ سُمِّينَ خَمْسَ أناملٍ

نشأَتْ بكفِّكَ وهْي خَمسةُ أَبحُر

Became five oceans that the unblemished

Exposes himself to tasting until plunged into the precious essence.

يتَعرَّضُ العافِي للَثْمِ ظُهورها

حتّى يَغوصَ على نَفيسِ الجَوهر

Pens nearly touch their depths and coil back

Around the oft-used green parchment.

وتكادُ أقلامٌ تمَسّ بطونَها

تَلتَفُّ بالوَرِقِ المُعادِ الأَخضَر

Say to the one who has surpassed all people - incumbent

Is the care of the elder for the junior kinsman.

قُلْ للّذي فَضَلَ الأنامَ فواجبٌ

عَطْفُ الكبيرِ على الوَلِيّ الأصغَر

I am like the lost deer, so gather me in,

O bowl loud called, to the son of Na'sh made to see!

أنا كالسُّها خافي المكانِ فضُمَّني

يا صاح منكَ إلى ابْنِ نَعشٍ أُبْصَر

How long this wandering through the lands futilely,

Perplexed, bringing my watering place nearer to my source?

كم ذا التّطَوُّفُ في البلادِ مُضيَّعاً

حَيرانَ يَقرُبُ مَوْردى من مَصْدَري

I plunge into the deeps of oceans along with thirst

Only to return with the darkest skin.

وأخوضُ في لُجَجِ البحار معَ الظّما

فأعودُ منها ذا أديمٍ أَغْبَر

When fickle fortune changes, the world changes -

Though it itself does not change - frequently.

حالٌ من الحظِّ المُضاعِ تَغَيَّرُ الدْ

دُنْيا مِراراً وهْي لم تَتغَيّر

Between a ruler's command that none carries out,

And a subject's obedience no one commands.

ما بينَ آمرِ دولةٍ لم يُمتثَلْ

منه ومالِكِ طاعةٍ لم يأْمُر

I have come to your courtyard, so give me to drink

From the overflowing cup of your hand the greatest sins.

وقد انتَهيْتُ إلى فِنائك فاسْقني

من سَيْبِ كَفِّكَ بالذَّنوبِ الأوفر

My wish is that you live a life of luxury,

Bounteous, and remain enduringly long in life.

فَمُنايَ أن تَحْيا حياةَ مُنعَّمٍ

جَذِلٍ وأن تَبْقَى بَقَاءَ معمَّر

That you live for the kingdom which you have restored,

And last in it like an ankle ring on a leg.

وتَعيشُ للمُلْكِ الّذي أَحْيَيْتَهُ

وتَدومُ فيه كمُقْلةٍ في مَحْجَر