يا عارِضاً مُتَلَفِّعاً بِبُرودِهِ
يَختالُ بَينَ بُروقِهِ وَرُعودِهِ
O you who struts with arrogance
Bragging amid his lightning and thunder
لَو شِئتَ عُدتَ بِلادَ نَجدٍ عَودَةً
فَنَزَلتَ بَينَ عَقيقِهِ وَزَرودِهِ
Had you wished, you would have returned to the lands of Najd
And descended between Aqeeq and Zaroud
لِتَجودَ في رَبعٍ بِمُنعَرَجِ اللِوى
قَفرٍ تَبَدَّلَ وَحشَهُ مِن غيدِهِ
To be generous in a land with twisting valleys
A desert whose wildness has changed because of him
رَفَعَ الفِراقُ قِبابَهُم فَتَحَمَّلوا
بِفُؤادِ مُختَبِلِ الفُؤادِ عَنيدِهِ
Separation raised its domes so they bore it
With hearts that struggled, though broken within
وَأَنَ الفِداءُ لِمُرهَفٍ غَضِّ الصِبا
توهيهِ حَملُ وِشاحِهِ وَعُقودِهِ
The ransom is for a delicate youth whose charm
Is in his dress, his turban and his necklaces
قَصُرَت تَحِيَّتُهُ فَجادَ بِخَدِّهِ
يَومَ الفِراقِ لَنا وَضَنَّ بِجيدِهِ
His greeting fell short so he was generous with his cheek
On the day we parted, and he blinked his eyelids
عُنِيَت بِهِ عَينُ الرَقيبِ فَلَم تَدَع
مِن نَيلِهِ المَطلوبِ غَيرَ زَهيدِهِ
The watchman's eye was fixed on him but did not stop
Him gaining his sought, save for the most chaste kiss
وَلَوِ اِستَطاعَ لَكانَ يَومُ وِصالِهِ
لِلمُستَهامِ مَكانَ يَومِ صُدودِهِ
Had it been possible, his day of union
Would have been for the swooner like his day of rejection
ما تُنكِرُ الحَسناءُ مِن مُتَوَغِّلٍ
في اللَيلِ يَخلِطُ أَينَهُ بِسُهودِهِ
A lover slipping in the night to mix his “Where?” with prostration
Is not rejected by the beautiful lady
قَد لَوَّحَت مِنهُ السُهوبُ وَأَثَّرَت
في يُمنَتَيهِ وَعَنسِهِ وَقُتودِهِ
The plains hinted of him and left their marks
On his right and left hand and rolled up sleeves
فَلِفِضَّةِ السَيفِ المُحَلّى حُسنُهُ
مُتَقَلَّداً وَمَضاؤُهُ لِحَديدِهِ
The beauty of his sword with ornamented silver
Girded, and its flashing against its steel
أَعلى بَنو خاقانَ مَجداً لَم تَزَل
أَخلاقُهُم حُبُساً عَلى تَشييدِهِ
The clan of Khakan attained no glory higher
Their morals forever bound to its foundation
وَإِلى أَبي الحَسَنِ اِنصَرَفتُ بِهِمَّتي
عَن كُلِّ مَنزورِ النَوالِ زَهيدِهِ
And to Abu Al-Hassan I turned my resolve
From all easily-attained plenty, though paltry
أُثني بِنِعمَتِهِ الَّتي سَبَقَت لَهُ
وَمَزيدِهِ مِن قَبلِ حينِ مَزيدِهِ
I praise his blessing which preceded for him
And his increase from the Bestower before his increase
وَعُلُوِّهِ في المَكرُماتِ فَجودُهُ
فيها طَوالَ الدَهرِ فَوقَ وُجودِهِ
And his supremacy in noble deeds, his generosity
In them, lifelong, above his munificence
إِن قَلَّ حَمدٌ عادَ في تَكثيرِهِ
أَو رَثَّ مَجدٌ عادَ في تَجديدِهِ
If praise falls short, it is revived in its repetition
Or glory decays, it is renewed in its pursuit
حِفظاً عَلى مِنهاجِهِ المُفضي إِلى
أَمَدِ العُلى وَتَقَيُّلاً لِجُدودِهِ
To preserve his exemplary approach, leading
To endless supremacy and humbling his ancestors
وَإِذا أَشارَ إِلى الأَعاجِمِ أَعرَبَت
عَن طارِفِ الحَسَبِ الكَريمِ تَليدِهِ
When he points to the non-Arabs, he expresses
The noble lineage, long-standing in its descendants
عَن مُستَقِرٍّ في مَراتِبِ مَجدِهِم
في بازِخٍ نائي المَحَلِّ بَعيدِهِ
Of one established in the ranks of their glories
In a distant, far-removed place
تَجري خَلائِقُهُ إِذا جَمَدَ الحَيا
بِغَليلِ شانِئِهِ وَغَيظِ حَسودِهِ
His morals flow even if life freezes
With the agony of his foe and spite of his envious
يَفدي عُبَيدَ اللَهِ مِن حُسّادِهِ
مَن باتَ يَربَأُ عَنهُمُ بِعَبيدِهِ
He ransoms the slaves of God from their haters
Who become estranged from them through their own slaves
أَرِجُ النَدى يَنبَثُّ في مَعروفِهِ
مِن عَرفِهِ وَيَزيدُ في تَوكيدِهِ
The dew of favour springs from his custom
Increasing in its affirmation and concentration
وَمُبَجَّلٌ وَسَطَ الرِجالِ خُفوفُهُم
لِقِيامِهِ وَقِيامُهُم لِقُعودِهِ
Revered amid the easygoing and the solemn
For his rising and their rising when he sits
وَالدَهرُ يَضحَكُ مِن بَشاشَةِ بِشرِهِ
وَالعَيشُ يَرطُبُ عَن نَضارَةِ عودِهِ
Time smiles at the cheer of his happy news
And life is moistened by the lushness of his return
وَنَصيحَةُ السُلطانِ مَوقِعُ طَرفِهِ
وَنَجِيُّ فِكرَتِهِ وَحُلمُ هُجودِهِ
The advice of the Sultan focuses his gaze
His deliverance, wisdom and restraint
إِن أَوقَعَ الكُتّابَ أَمرٌ مُشكِلٌ
في حَيرَةٍ رَجَعوا إِلى تَسديدِهِ
If some confusing matter befalls the writers
Perplexed, they turn to him for guidance
وَالحَزمُ يَذهَبُ غَيرَ مُلتاثٍ إِلى
تَصويبِهِ في الرَأيِ أَو تَصعيدِهِ
And sagacity unerringly travels
To correct it in view or elevate in counsel
أَوفى عَلى ظُلَمِ الشُكوكِ فَشَقَّها
كَالصُبحِ يَضرِبُ في الدُجى بِعَمودِهِ
He dispelled the darkness of doubts like
Dawn striking the gloom with its pillars
نَعتَدُّهُ ذُخرَ العُلا وَعَتادَها
وَنَراهُ مِن كَرَمِ الزَمانِ وَجودِهِ
We count him the treasure of supremacy and its apparatus
And see him as the age's nobility and generosity
فَاللَهُ يُبقيهِ لَنا وَيَحوطُهُ
وَيُعِزُّهُ وَيَزيدُ في تَأييدِهِ
So may God sustain him for us and surround him
And strengthen and increase him in his support
