أنا والرَّجاءُ وأنت والكَرَمُ

ولكَ الفَعالُ كما ليَ الكَلِمُ

I and hope, you and generosity

The deed is for me, and the word is for you

خُتِمَ الإجادةُ في المدائحِ بي

وبكَ الأَجاوِدُ في النّدى خُتِموا

Praise concluded with me,

And the generous were concluded with you

حَجّتْكَ آمالُ العبادِ لأَنْ

عَلِمَتْ بأنَّ فِناءكَ الحَرَم

Your hopes pleaded the servants

For they knew your loss is forbidden

تُوليهمُ مِنناً وتَشْكُرُهُمْ

قَسَماً لقد عَظُمَتْ بك النِّعَم

You grant them favors and thank them

Indeed, favors have become great through you

مِدَحٌ على آثارِها مِنَحٌ

غُرُّ تدومُ كأنّها دِيَم

Praise upon its traces is a gift

Necklaces that last as if they are perpetual

راجيكَ يَسأَمُ مِن تَتابُعِها

ولديكَ لا ضَجَرٌ ولا سَأَم

The hopeful wearies of its continuation

While with you there is no boredom or weariness

أَبداً تُطالِعُ حالَ ذي أَمَلٍ

فَتعودُ حاليةً وَتنْتَظِم

You always look upon the state of one hopeful

So my state returns regulated and systematic

يا طالعاً ومُطالِعاً أَبداً

لم يَبْقَ لا ظُلْمٌ ولا ظُلَم

O ever rising and watching

No injustice or darkness remains

تَفْديكَ نفْسي وهْي طائعةٌ

ونفوسُ أَقوامٍ وإنْ رَغِموا

My soul ransoms you willingly

And the souls of people even if forced

من بَحْرِ جُودٍ فَيْضُ أَنمُلِه

للغَيْثِ عَلّمَ كيف يَنْسَجِم

From an ocean of generosity, its waves

Taught the rain how to harmonize

يُخْفي صَنائعَه ليُكْرِمَها

مثْلَ الوجوه تَصونُها اللُّثُم

You hide your good deeds to honor them

Like faces protected by veils

فتَزيدُ نُوراً كلّما كُتِمتْ

شمسُ الظّهيرة كيفَ تنكَتِم

Thus it increases in light whenever concealed

Like midday sun, how can it be veiled?

تَقِصُ الأُسودَ بكلّ ناحلةٍ

في الكفِّ ممّا تُنبِتُ الأجَم

It seeks the destitute in every barren land

In the palm what the rigid earth grows

تُبدي ملوكُ الأَرضِ وطاعتَها

فلكلّ ما رَسَمْتَه تَرتَسِم

Kings of earth manifest their obedience

So everything you outlined becomes their attribute

إن أَصبحَتْ حرباً لهمْ حُرِبوا

أو أَصبَحتْ سِلْماً لهمْ سَلِموا

If it becomes war, they warred

Or if it becomes peace, they reconciled

تُغْني كما تُفْني فَريقتُها

نِعَمٌ طوالَ الدَّهرِ أَو نِقَم

You enrich just as you make poor, its parties

Blessings or retributions lifelong

تَجرِي بها يُمنَى يَدَيْ ملِك

في بَطْنها الآمالُ تَزدَحِم

They flow through the right hand of the king

In its interior hopes are crowded

لَمّا غدا الأسيافُ من شَرَفٍ

فيها معَ الأقلام تَخْتَصِم

When swords were unsheathed arrogantly

Competing with the pens therein

قَبضَت لذي ولهذه قَبَصت

حتّى تراضَى السّيفُ والقَلَم

You grabbed for this and snatched for that

Until the sword and the pen reconciled

ليظلَّ كُلُّ من أنامِلهِ

بمَحلّهِ المَخْصوصِ يَتّسِم

So each of its fingers

Remains attributed in its proper place

إنّي لَخادمُ كلّ ذي نظَرٍ

شافٍ يُميَّزُ عنْدَهُ الخَدَم

I am a servant of any insightful

Discerning, distinct in his eyes is service

يا أَعدلَ النّاسِ الّذينَ بهمْ

عند الحوادثِ تُكشَفُ الغُمَم

O most just of people, through whom

In events the clouds disperse

عنْدي فَدتْكَ النَّفْسُ حادثةٌ

الخصمُ فيها أَنت والحَكَم

With me, my soul ransomed you in an event

The adversary in it, you and the judge

ما لي أُباعُ كذا مُجازَفَةً

ولكلِّ قومٍ في العُلا قِيَم

Why would I take such a risk?

Each people their leaders to appraise

أَفبعْدَ تَسْييري لكمْ مِدَحاً

حُدِيَتْ بِهنَّ الأَينُقُ الرُّسُم

After my composing praises for you

That the most eloquent creations polished

مَصقولةً مثْلَ الرّياضِ غَدَتْ

يَبكي الغمامُ لها فتَبْتَسِم

Like gardens, it became

The clouds cry for it, yet it smiles

تَرْضَى بأنْ تَغْدو لها طَرِباً

وفؤادُ ناظِمها لكُمْ وَجِم

Content that it brings you joy

While the heart of its composer laments for you

ويَروحَ مُنْحلاً بسَعْيِكُمُ

أَمْرٌ غدا ليَ وهْو مُنْتَظِم

The matter becoming regulated for me

And leaning away from the like of me to others

وتَميلَ عن مِثْلي إلى نَفَرٍ

لا يُذكَرونَ إهانةً لَهُم

Not mentioned, so no humiliation upon them

Ask the virtues if you asked about us

فَسَلِ الفضائلَ إن سأَلْتَ بنا

تُخْبِرْكَ كم بَيْني وبَيْنَهُم

It will inform you what is between me and them

And reconsider, look

وأَعِدْ إلينا نظَرةً لتَرَى

يا صاحِ أَين أنا وأَينَ هُم

O friend, where am I and where are they?

They claimed you care for them

زَعَموا بأنّكَ تَعْتَني بِهمُ

هي هِجْرتي إن صَحَّ ما زَعموا

It's my estrangement if their claim is true

Leave the souls of the wicked discontent

دَعْ أَنفُسَ الأوغادِ ساخِطةً

ما حَمْدُ كُلِّ النّاسِ يُغْتَنَم

Not all people's praise is profitable

My gratitude and theirs if sought

شُكْري وشُكْرُهمُ إذا طُلِبا

شَمْلٌ لَعمْرُك ليسَ يَلْتَئِم

Reconciliation, by your life, cannot be harmonized

Disregard the despicable if they presented themselves

أَعرِضْ عنِ الذُّلاّنِ إن عُرِضوا

فَوُجودُهمْ سِيّانِ والعَدَم

For their existence is dreadful and nothingness

Do not wrong benevolence by pretending

لا تَظْلِمِ الإحْسانَ مُصْطَنِعاً

مَنْ أَنتَ تَبْنِيهِ ويَنْهَدِم

Who are you to build up and demolish?

Let no doubtful one follow a person

لا يَتْبعَنَّ المرءَ ذو رِيَبٍ

عُرِفَتْ فكم من تابعٍ يَصِم

It is known how many followers are resolute

Even if he claims longevity of loyalty

وإنِ ادَّعَى قِدَمَ الوَلاءِ فما

للوغْدِ لا قِدَمٌ ولا قَدَم

The wicked has no roots or foundation

In affection, your accusation is more deserved of one

في الوُدِّ أَوْلَى باتّهامِكَ مَنْ

في الدِّينِ أَصبحَ وهْو مُتَّهَم

In religion who became accused

The most deserving of the rulers' regard

وأَحَقُّ مَنْ عُنيَ المُلوكُ بِهِ

مَنْ سارَ فيما قالَ ذِكْرُهُم

Is one who walked in what their mention recited

If not for Zuheir and his praise

لولا زُهيرٌ والمديحُ لهُ

لم يَدْرِ هذا النّاسُ مَنْ هَرِم

These people wouldn't know who Harim is

I am the one no one ever disappointed

وأَنا الَّذي لم يَسْخُ بي أَحَدٌ

إلاّ غدا ونَديمُهُ النَّدَم

Except he tomorrow became regretful

When I wavered in praising one generous

وإذا اهْتَزَزتُ لمَدْحِ ذي كَرَمٍ

فأنا لسانٌ والزَّمانُ فُم

I am but a tongue and time is mouth

So let the generous their satisfaction seek

فَلْتَطْلُبَنَّ رِضايَ مِنْ كَرَمٍ

ورِضا العُلا يا ابْنَ الأُلَى كَرُموا

And satisfaction of authority, O son of the sublime, be generous

Let those adversarial to me be distanced

ولْتُبْعِدَنَّ ذوي مُعانَدَتي

بحياةِ حُسْنِ مديحِكَ القَسَم

By life, your excellent praise makes binding

And the free, his generosity obligates him

والحرُّ يُلزِمُهُ تَكرُّمُهُ

ما ليس يَلزَمُهُ فيَلْتَزِم

To what does not obligate, so let him obligate

Especially when Allah is thanking what

لا سِيّما واللهُ يَشكُر ما

تَأْتي وأَهْلُ الدِّينِ كُلُّهُم

You bring and all the religious people

Say a decisive word to Allah

قلْ قَوْلةً للهِ فاصلةً

والدّاءُ َتحسِمُه فيَنْحَسم

The disease, it will settle it and it settles

Last for the virtuous whatever perpetuity aspired

دُمْ للأَفاضلِ ما هَمَتْ دِيَمٌ

واسْلَمْ لَهُمْ ما أَورقَ السَّلَم

And submit to them whatever peace bore

And be felicitous with a fast whose commencement passed

واْسَعْد بصَوْمٍ مَرَّ مُفْتَتَحٌ

منْه وأَقبلَ منه مُخْتَتَم

From it and its conclusion arrived from it

In a lofty state, its bond

في دولةٍ غَرّاءَ عُرْوَتُها

بِيَدِ السُّعودِ فليس تَنْفَصِم

In the hand of Saud, it cannot be severed

Our morals and time fell short

آدابُنا وزَمانُنا قَصُرَتْ

مِن أَهلِهِ عِنْ أَهلِهِا الهِمَم

Of its people, of its aspirations

So help against adversities, O youth

فأَعِنْ على حَرْبِ الخُطوبِ فتىً

بكَ يا مُعينَ الدّينِ يَعْتَصِم

Through you, O supporter of religion, one takes refuge

For virtue, its companion safeguards it

فالفَضْلُ يا ابْنَ الفَضْلِ صاحبُهُ

قَمِنٌ بأَنْ تُرعَى لهُ الذِّمَم

By your care of reputations