بِاللَهِ أولي يَميناً بَرَّةً قَسَماً
ما كانَ ما زَعَمَ الواشي كَما زَعَما
By Allah, I swore a true oath, a covenant
It was not what the slanderer claimed as he claimed
فَكَيفَ يَترُكُني مَن لَستُ أَترُكُهُ
أَسيانَ أَنشُدُ حَبلاً مِنهُ مُنصَرِما
So how can he who I do not abandon, abandon me
While I lament a rope from him that's slipping away
كَم قَد تَلَفَّتُ فيما فاتَ مِن عُمُري
أَستَبعِدُ العَهدَ مِن سُعدى وَما قَدُما
How much of my past life has been lost
I've given up hope for joy; nothing remains
لا تَعدُ أَربُعَها السُقيا وَلا سِيَما
رَبعاً تَأَبَّدَ مَغناهُ عَلى إِضَما
Do not count its four directions of rain, especially
A fourth that sang glory perpetually stabilized
جارَت عَلَيهِ صُروفُ الدَهرِ إِذ حَكَمَت
وَالدَهرُ يَقرُبُ مِن جورٍ إِذا حَكَما
The turns of fate poured down upon it when it ruled
And time draws near to wrong when it rules
إِنِ اِلتَمَستُ رُجوعاً مِن بَشاشَتِهِ
لَم أُلفَ مُلتَمِساً قَصداً وَلا أَمَما
If I sought a return from his cheerfulness
I did not find a seeker of purpose or aspirations
مَتى جَرى الدَمعُ عَن بَينٍ تَقَدَّمَهُ ال
هِجرانُ كانَ خَليقاً أَن يَكونَ دَما
When tears flowed from eyes preceded by
Estrangement, it was apt they would be blood
يَهوى الوَداعَ وَجيهٌ عِندَ غايَتِهِ
يَلتَذُّ مُعتَنَقاً مِنها وَمُلتَزَما
One who loves farewells takes pleasure at their limit
Embracing them, clinging fast to them
أَحلى مُعاطيكَ كَأساً أَو مُناوَلَةً
مُعطيكَ خَدّاً نَقِيّاً صَحنُهُ وَفَما
The sweetest sharing with you is a cup or passing to you
A cheek, pure its platter and mouth
الناسُ إِمّا أَخو شَكٍّ يُرَبِّثُهُ
عَن شَأنِهِ أَو أَخو عَزمٍ مَضى قُدُما
People are either a skeptical brother it distracts
From its affairs, or a resolute brother who walked straight ahead
ما لي أَرى عُصَباً خَفَّت إِلى وَرَقِ ال
دُنيا وَأَغفَلَتِ الأَخطارَ وَالهِمَما
What is wrong with me that I see bands who slackened
To the leaves of the world and forgot dangers and ambitions
يَبتَدِرونَ الحُطامَ المُستَعارَ وَلَم
يُهدَو فَيَبتَدِروا الأَخلاقَ وَالشِيَما
They rush upon counterfeit ruins but have not
Been guided to rush upon morals and virtues
إِذا اِبتَدا بُخَلاءُ الناسُ عارِفَةً
يَتبَعُها المَنُّ فَالمَرزوقُ مَن حُرِما
When the people's stingy ones initiate knowledge
Greed follows then sustenance is deprived from the deprived
خَلِّ الثَراءَ إِذا أَخزَت مَغَبَّتُهُ
وَاِختَر عَلَيهِ عَلى نُقصانِهِ العَدَما
Leave riches be if its concealment debased you
And prefer over it in its diminishment, nothingness
إِلى أَبي يوسُفَ اِجتابَت رَكائِبُنا
تِلكَ الدَآدِئَ بِالروعانِ وَالظُلَما
To Abu Yusuf our mounts turned
Those calm ones, in the shelters and darkness
إِلى مُقِلٍّ مِنَ الأَكفاءِ لَو طَلَبوا
مَكانَ مُشبِهِهِ في الأَرضِ ما عُلِما
To one refined of peers if they sought
A place resembling it in the land, none would be known
إِذا صَدَعنا الدُجى عَنّا بِغُرَّتِهِ
خِلنا بِها قَبَساً نَجلوهُ أَو ضَرَما
When we split the darkness from us with its delusion
We mingled with it a spark we ignited or lit
ما قالَ مُعتَمِداً إِنَّ الغَمامَ حَكى
نَداهُ إِلّا غَبِيُّ الظَنِّ قَد وَهِما
What an authority said believing the clouds told
His call, none but the ill-thinking, deluded would imagine
تَعنو لَهُ وُزَراءَ المُلكِ خاضِعَةً
وَعادَةُ السَيفِ أَن يَستَخدِمَ القَلَما
His kingdom's ministers submit to him
And it’s the habit of the sword to employ the pen
إِن كانَ أُسلِمَ حِصنُ البَمِّ أَمسِ فَما
أَلامَ فيهِ بِما أَعطى وَلا لَأُما
If yesterday Bam’s fortress was surrendered, what
Blame is there for what it gave and did not give
سارَت إِلَيهِ زُحوفٌ إِن نَحَت بَلَداً
أَعطاهُ قاطِنُهُ مِن خيفَةٍ سَلَما
Expeditions marched against it if it carved a land
Its inhabitant gave it from fear, peace
وَلا اِبنُ جُستانَ يُلحى في الفِرارِ وَقَد
رَأى أَوائِلَها فَاِنصاعَ مُنهَزِما
Nor does Jostan's son flee from battle, having
Seen its vanguards, so he retreated routed
وَما اِبنُ هَرثَمَةَ المَشهورُ مَوقِفُهُ
إِلّا الحُسامُ أَصابَ الداءَ فَاِنحَسَما
No stance of the famed Ibn Harthama
Except the sword - it struck the target and was severed
إِن أَطرَقَ اِستَوحَشَت لِلخَوفِ أَفإِدَةٌ
وَيَملَأُ الأَرضَ مِن أُنسٍ إِذا اِبتَسَما
If he frowned, hearts grew fearful of fright
And the land fills with company when he smiles
ضاهَت مَحاسِنَهُ الحُسّادُ طامِعَةً
لِلُّؤمِ مِن جَهلِها أَن يُغمَرَ الكَرَما
The enviers contested his virtues greedy
For the gleam, that it might eclipse the generosity
وَطاوَلوهُ إِلى العَليا فَفاتَهُمُ
نَجمُ السَماءِ تَعَلّى فَوقَهُم وَسَما
They stretched to the heights but missed him
A star of the sky ascended above them and towered
يَأتي مُرَجّوهُ أَفواجاً لِنائِلِهِ
يَستَرشِدُ الفَوجُ بِالفَوجِ الَّذي إِقتَحَما
Seekers of his favor come in droves to the obtaining one
The troop guided by the troop that plunged ahead
ماضٍ عَلى عَزمِهِ في الجودِ لَو وَهَبَ ال
شَبابَ يَومَ لِقاءِ البيضِ ما نَدِما
Firm in his resolve in generosity, if he granted
Youth the day the eggs met, he would not regret
لا يَبرَحُ الحَزمُ يَستَوفي عَزيمَتَهُ
أَقامَ مُبتَدِئً أَم سارَ مُعتَزِما
Resolve does not cease fulfilling its intention
Whether settled or journeying with purpose
أَرضى خُراسانَ حَتّى ما تَرى عَرَباً
تَنبو عَلى حُكمِهِ فيها وَلا عَجَما
He pleased Khurasan until you see no Arabs
Criticizing his rule there, nor non-Arabs
سَيلٌ تَجَلَّلَ قُطرَيها فَطَبَّقَها
يَعُمُّ غائِرُها المَخفوضَ وَالأَكَما
A torrent whose drops overlapped and shrouded
Its depths immersed the subdued and resistant
بَل كانَ أَقرَبَهُم مِن سَيبِهِ سَبَباً
مَن كانَ أَبعَدَهُم مِن جَذمِهِ رَحِما
Rather, the closest to his lineage a cause
Was he who was furthest from his origin, a relative
لَولا تَأَلُّفُهُ وَالصَدعُ مُنفَرِجٌ
بِالقَومِ ما اِلتَأَمَ الشَعبُ الَّذي اِلتَأَما
Had it not been for his rapport and the rift split open
Among the people, the people joining would not have joined
نَفسي فِداؤُكَ حُرّاً لِلنَدى عُبُداً
وَهاضِماً بِاِقتِدارِ السَطوِ مُهتَضِما
My soul is your redemption, free for dew, a slave
Vanquishing with the might of tyranny, vanquished
كانَت بَشاشَتُكَ الأولى الَّتي اِبتَدَأَت
بِالبِشرِ ثُمَّ اِقتَبَلنا بَعدَها النِعَما
Your first smile that began
With glad tidings - then we received blessings after it
كَالمُزنَةِ اِستُؤنِفَت أولى مَخيلَتِها
ثُمَّ اِستَهَلَّت بِغُزرٍ تابَعَ الدِيَما
Like scales, its first notion was renewed
Then it shone forth with copious, successive bounty
