أَجِرني مِنَ الواشي الَّذي جارَ وَاِعتَدى
وَغابِرِ شَوقٍ غارَ بي ثُمَّ أَنجَدا
Save me from the slanderer who abused and transgressed,
And from burning desire which overwhelmed me and then assisted.
وَإِلّا فَأَسعِدني بِدَمعِكَ إِنَّهُ
يُهَوِّنُ ما بي أَن أَرى لِيَ مُسعِدا
Or else make me happy with your tears, they
Ease what is in me, that I see you sympathizing.
سَقى الغَيثُ أَجراعاً عَهِدتُ بِجَوِّها
غَزالاً تُراعيهِ الجَآذِرُ أَغيَدا
The rain watered meadows which I knew in their prosperity
A gazelle grazing, protected by the foliage.
إِذا ما الكَرى أَهدى إِلَيَّ خَيالَهُ
شَفى قُربُهُ التَبريحَ أَو نَقَعَ الصَدى
When fate brought his image to me
His nearness cured my sickness or the echo subsided.
إِذا اِنتَزَعَتهُ مِن يَدَيَّ اِنتِباهَةٌ
عَدَدتُ حَبيباً راحَ مِنِّيَ أَو غَدا
When an awakening snatched him from my hands
I counted him a lover who had left me or became absent.
وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَينا وَلا مِثلَ شَأنِنا
تُعَذَّبُ أَيقاظاً وَنَنعَمُ هُجَّدا
And I did not see any two like us or any story like ours
Suffering while awake and blissful while dreaming.
تَصعَدُ أَنفاسي جَوىً وَتَشَوُّقاً
إِذا البَرقُ مِن غَربِيِّ دِجلَةَ أَصعَدا
My breath ascends in ardour and yearning
When the lightning rises from my Euphrates in the west.
وَما ذاكَ إِلّا لَوعَةٌ لَكَ زادُها
تَنائي الدِيارَ جِدَّةً وَتَوَقُّدا
And that is only because I long for you, increased
By the remoteness of home and kindling.
فَمَن غابَ يَنوي نِيَّةً عَن حَبيبِهِ
وَهَجراً فَإِنّي غِبتُ عَنكَ لِأَشهَدا
So whoever is absent with intention from his beloved
And estranged, I was absent from you in order to witness.
وَما القُربُ في بَعضِ المَواطِنِ لِلَّذي
يَرى الحَزمَ إِلّا أَن يَشِطَّ وَيَبعُدا
And closeness in some places is not for one
Who sees wisdom only in caution and distance.
إِلى ابنِ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ تَناهَبَت
بِنا العيسُ دَيجوراً مِنَ اللَيلِ أَسوَدا
To the son of the Commander of the Faithful, the wild beasts shared us
A pitch-black night, intensely dark.
إِلى مُنعِمٍ لا الجودُ عَنهُ بِعازِبٍ
بَطيءٍ وَلا المَعروفُ مِنهُ بِأَنكَدا
To a benefactor whose generosity is not withheld by meanness
Nor kindness by him withheld and made bitter.
رَأَينا بَني الأَمجادِ في كُلِّ مَعشَرٍ
فَكانوا لِعَبدِ اللَهِ في المَجدِ أَعبَدا
We saw the sons of glory in every group
Yet to Abdullah they were most glorious in glory.
عَلَيهِ مِنَ المُعتَزِّ بِاللَهِ بَهجَةٌ
أَضاءَت فَلَو يَسري بِها الرَكبُ لَاهتَدى
Upon him from the Proud of God is delight
Which illuminated, so if the riders travelled by it they would be guided.
إِذا ما اِنتَمى ناصى المَجَرَّةَ وَاِعتَزى
إِلى أَنجُمٍ ما زِلنَ لِلمُلكِ أَسعُدا
When the summit of the galaxy claimed descent
From stars which did not cease to bring good fortune to kingship.
إِلى خُلَفاءِ سُنَّةٍ قَد تَنافَسوا
لِتَثقُلَ في أَعناقِهِم وَتُرَدَّدا
To the successors of a Sunnah who vied
That it weigh heavy on their necks and be reiterated.
يَروقُ العُيونَ الناظِراتِ بِطَلعَةٍ
مِنَ الحُسنِ لَو وافى بِها البَدرَ باعَدا
It pleases gazing eyes with an appearance
Of beauty, if the full moon contended with it from afar.
لَهُ في قُلوبِ الأَولِياءِ مَحَبَّةٌ
تَعُدُّ بِها الأَعداءُ جُنداً مُجَنَّدا
For him in the hearts of the loyal there is love
By which the enemies count armies fully armed.
تَأَمَّل أَمينَ اللَهِ فَرطَ جَلالَةٍ
وَأُبَّهَةٍ تَبدو عَلَيهِ إِذا بَدا
Contemplate the trustee of God overflowing with majesty
And brilliance which appears on him when he presents himself.
إِذا أَعجَبَتكَ اليَومَ مِنهُ خَليقَةٌ
مُهَذَّبَةٌ أَعطاكَ أَمثالَها غَدا
If today his created nature has astonished you,
Refined, tomorrow it would grant you the like of it.
طُلوبٌ لِأَقصى غايَةٍ بَعدَ غايَةٍ
إِذا قُلتَ يَوماً قَد تَناهى تَزَيَّدا
Sought after to the furthest extent after extent
If you were to say one day he has reached his limit, he would increase.
سُرِرنا بِأَن أَمَّرتَهُ وَنَصَبتَهُ
لَنا عَلَماً نَأوي إِلى ظِلِّهِ غَدا
It delights us that you have appointed him and established him
As a flag for us, we take shelter in its shade tomorrow.
وَأَبهَجَنا ضَربُ الدَنانيرِ بِاسمِهِ
وَتَقليدُهُ مِن أَمرِنا ما تَقَلَّدا
And the striking of dinars with his name gladdened us
As did his assumption from our authority of that which he assumed.
وَلِم لا يُرى ثانيكَ في السُلطَةِ الَّتي
خُصِصتَ بِها ثانيكَ في الجودِ وَالنَدى
Why then is his equal not seen in the authority
You were specialized with, his equal in generosity and dew?
حَقيقٌ بِأَن تَرمي بِهِ الجانِبَ الَّذي
يَهُمُّ وَأَن تُفضي إِلَيهِ وَتَعهَدا
He is worthy that you cast at him the side
Which schemes and that you yield to him and make firm.
وَمِثلُكَ حاطَ المُسلِمينَ بِمِثلِهِ
سَداداً وَلَم يُهمِل رَعِيَّتَهُ سُدى
And the likes of you have surrounded the Muslims with the likes of him
Correctly and he did not neglect his subjects in vain.
فَلَو دامَ شَيءٌ آخِرُ الدَهرِ سَرَّنا
غِنىً عَنهُ مَوجودٌ وَدُمتَ مُخَلَّدا
So if something else lasted until the end of time, we would be
Content with him present and you remained immortalized.
أَبِن فَضلَهُ وَاِشهَر نَباهَةَ قَدرِهِ
وَأَبقِ لَهُ في الناسِ ذِكراً مُجَدَّدا
Clarify his excellence and publicize the brilliance of his worth
And keep for him amongst people a renewed recollection.
فَلَلسَيفُ مَسلولاً أَشَدُّ مَهابَةً
وَأَظهَرَ إِفرِنداً مِنَ السَيفِ مُغمَدا
For indeed the unsheathed sword inspires greater awe
And shows more sharpness than the sheathed sword.
بَقيتَ تُرَجّيهِ وَعاشَ مُؤَمَّلاً
يُراعي اِتِّصالاً مِن حَياتِكَ سَرمَدا
You continued hoping for him and he lived full of promise
Observing connection from your eternal life.
لَقَد ساوَرَت خَيلَ المُساوِرِ عُصبَةً
أَفاءَت عَلَيهِ الطَعنَ غَضّاً مُجَدَّدا
The bands of horsemen were indeed flanked
By a troop which renewed the charge angrily.
حَمَوهُ سُهولَ الأَرضِ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ
فَظَلَّ شَريداً في الجِبالِ مُطَرَّدا
They protected him from all sides on the plains of the land
So he remained roaming in the mountains, expelled.
عُلوجٌ وَأَعرابٌ يُرَجّونَ حائِناً
أَضاعَ الحِجى حَتّى طَغى وَتَمَرَّدا
Rascals and bedouins hoping for his defeat
Lost direction until he rebelled and transgressed.
يُسَمّونَهُ بِاِسمِ الخَليفَةِ بَعدَ ما
رَعى الضَأنَ فيهِم ذا مَشيبٍ وَأَمرَدا
They appoint him caliph after he herded sheep among them
An old man who is weak.
فَلِم لَم تَزَعهُ الوازِعاتُ وَيَجتَنِب
عَداوَةَ مَنصورِ اليَدَينِ عَلى العِدى
Why then did deterrents not prevent him and avoid
Hostility to Mansur the Oppressor in transgression?
وَلَو شاوَرَ الأَيّامَ قَبلَ خُروجِهِ
نَهَينَ اِبنَ أُمِّ الكَلبِ أَن يَتَوَرَّدا
Had he consulted the days before his rebellion
Ibn Umm Al-Kalb's son would have forbidden him to attack.
كَأَنّي بِهِ إِمّا قَتيلاً مُضَرَّجاً
بِأَيدي المَوالى أَو أَسيراً مُقَيَّدا
It is as if I see him either slain, blood-stained
At the hands of slaves or a prisoner, shackled.
