أَمَواهِبٌ هاتيكَ أَم أَنواءُ

هُطُلٌ وَأَخذٌ ذاكَ أَم إِعطاءُ

Are these gifts of yours or merely loans,

A downpour and taking, or giving and donations?

إِن دامَ ذا أَو بَعضُ ذا مِن فِعلِ ذا

فَنِيَ السَخاءُ فَلا يُحَسُّ سَخاءُ

If this or some of this is of your doing,

Then generosity has perished, its spirit of giving unsung.

لَيسَ الَّتي ضَلَّت تَميمٌ وَسطَها ال

دَهناءَ لا بَل صَدرُكَ الدَهناءُ

The one who went astray was not Tameem amidst them,

Rather, your chest so plentiful and bounteous.

مَلِكٌ أَغَرُّ لِآلِ طَلحَةَ فَخرُهُ

كَفّاهُ أَرضٌ سَمحَةٌ وَسَماءُ

A king noblest of the clan of Talha, his pride

Suffices him a generous earth and heaven.

وَشَريفُ أَشرافٍ إِذا اِحتَكَّت بِهِم

جُربُ القَبائِلِ أَحسَنوا وَأَساؤوا

And the noblest of nobles, when tested by them

The lineages’ mettle, were best in fortune and misfortune.

لَهُمُ الفِناءُ الرَحبُ وَالبَيتُ الَّذي

أُدَدٌ أَواخٍ حَولَهُ وَفِناءُ

Theirs are the spacious courtyard and abode which

Mourning women surround with their lamentation.

وَخُؤولَةٌ في هاشِمٍ وَدَّ العِدى

أَن لَم تَكُن وَلَهُم بِها ما شاؤوا

And protection in Hashim even for the enemies’ sake

That they have not with them except what they desired.

بَينَ العَواتِكِ وَالفَواطِمِ مُنتَمىً

يَزكو بِهِ الأَخوالُ وَالآباءُ

Related through lineage to the virtuous ladies

Who make fathers and uncles proud through him.

أَمُحَمَّدَ بنَ عَلِيٍّ اِسمَع عِذرَةً

فيها دَواءٌ لِلمُسيءِ وَداءُ

O Muhammad son of Ali, hear a plea

In it a cure for the sinner and the diseased.

ما لي إِذا ذُكِرَ الوَفاءُ رَأَيتُني

ما لي مَعَ النَفَرِ الكِرامِ وَفاءُ

When loyalty is mentioned, I see myself

Loyal amongst the noble company.

يَضفو عَلَيَّ العَذلُ وَهوَ مُقارِبٌ

وَيَضيقُ عَنّي العُذرُ وَهوَ فَضاءُ

Slanders impose on me though being close,

While excuses are too narrow though being ample.

إِنّي هَجَرتُكَ إِذ هَجَرتُكَ وَحشَةً

لا العَودُ يُذهِبُها وَلا الإِبداءُ

I shunned you when I shunned you in desolation,

Neither returning nor expressing could erase it.

أَحشَمتَني بِنَدى يَدَيكَ فَسَوَّدَت

ما بَينَنا تِلكَ اليَدُ البَيضاءُ

You have shamed me with the glow of your hands which have blackened

What is between us, those fair hands.

وَقَطَعتَني بِالجودِ حَتّى إِنَّني

مُتَخَوِّفٌ أَلّا يَكونَ لِقاءُ

And you cut me off with your generosity that I

Now fear lest we shall never meet.

صِلَةٌ غَدَت في الناسِ وَهيَ قَطيعَةٌ

عَجَباً وَبِرٌّ راحَ وَهوَ جَفاءُ

A connection amongst people which has become estrangement,

Strange indeed, and righteousness gone while it was grace!

لَيُواصِلَنَّكَ رَكبُ شِعرٍ سائِرٍ

يَرويهِ فيكَ لِحُسنِهِ الأَعداءُ

The caravan of successive poetry shall join you,

Watered by its beauty even the enemies.

حَتّى يَتِمَّ لَكَ الثَناءُ مُخَلَّداً

أَبَداً كَما تَمَّت لِيَ النَعماءُ

Until eternal praise is perfected for you,

Forever, just as bounty was perfected for me.

فَتَظَلُّ تَحسُدُكَ المُلوكُ الصيدُ بي

وَأَظَلُّ يَحسُدُني بِكَ الشُعَراءُ

So kings will envy you - the hunt is yours,

While poets envy me through you.