فِداؤُكَ نَفسي دونَ رَهطي وَمَعشَري

وَمَبدايَ مِن عُلوِ الشَآمِ وَمَحضَري

My soul is yours to sacrifice for you, not my people or my tribe

My origin is from the heights of Syria and my dwellings

فَكَم شِعبِ جودٍ يَصغُرُ البَحرُ عِندَهُ

تَوَرَّدتُهُ مِن سَيبَكَ المُتَفَجِّرِ

So many valleys of generosity seem paltry next to you

Whose springs burst forth abundantly

وَكَم أَمَلٍ في ساحَتَيكَ غَرَستُهُ

فَمِن مورِقٍ أَزكى النَباتِ وَمُثمِرِ

And so many hopes have I planted in your courtyard

To grow into the most fruitful and flourishing trees

فَلا يَهنِئِ الواشينَ إِفسادُ بَينِنا

بِأَسهُمِهِم مِن بالِغٍ وَمُقَصِّرِ

So let not those who would sow dissension between us gloat

With their piercing arrows of maturity and inadequacy

تَقَدَّمتُ في الهِجرانِ حَتّى تَأَخَّرَت

حُظوظِيَ في الإِحسانِ كُلَّ التَأَخُّرِ

My separation came early so my rewards for kindness were late

And were it not for you I would not have dared a break

وَلَولاكَ مارِمتُ القَطيعَةَ بَعدَما

وَقَفتُ عَلَيها وَقفَةَ المُتَحَيِّرِ

After I had paused in hesitation

Whenever I missed your affection I would visit it

وَكُنتُ إِذا اِستَبطَأتُ وُدَّكَ زُرتُهُ

بِتَفويفِ شِعرٍ كَالرِداءِ المُحَبَّرِ

With the perfumed poetry like embroidered gowns

You would have heard me in the darkness of estrangement invoke

لَأَسمَعتَني في ظُلمَةِ الهَجرِ دَعوَةً

عَلى الهَجرِ في وَقتٍ مِنَ العَفوِ مُقمِرِ

curses upon estrangement in a time of pardoning like a full moon

You brought kindness with pardon after I had brought

أَتَيتَ بِمَعروفٍ مِنَ الصَفحِ بَعدَ ما

أَتَيتُ بِمَذمومٍ مِنَ الغَدرِ مُنكَرِ

rejected betrayal and denial

Reproach with rhyming lines as if

عِتابٌ بِأَطرافِ القَوافي كَأَنَّهُ

طِعانٌ بِأَطرافِ القَنا المُتَكَسِّرِ

Stabbing with the tips of broken spears

The face of brotherhood pales and my shyness

وَأَجلو بِهِ وَجهُ الإِخاءِ وَأَجتَلي

حَياءً كَصِبغِ الأُرجُوانِ المُعَصفَرِ

Blushes like the yellow dye of purple

With your bounty, O House of Sahl, the rugged roads

بِنِعمَتِكُم يا آلَ سَهلٍ تَسَهَّلَت

عَلَيَّ نَواحي دَهرِيَ المُتَوَعِّرِ

of my fate have been smoothed

I thanked you until your enemies submitted

شَكَرتُكُمُ حَتّى اِستَكانَ عَدُوُّكُم

وَمَن يولَ ما أَولَيتُمونيهِ يَشكُرِ

And whoever replaces what you have granted me will thank you

Am I not your son over other sons as you are

أَلَستُ اِبنَكُم دونَ البَنينَ وَأَنتُمُ

أَحِبّاءُ أَهلي دونَ مَعنٍ وَبُحتُرِ

the loved ones of my family over others?

I return to the shaded orchards of towering Arnaba

أَعودُ إِلى أَفياءِ أَرعَنَ شاهِقٍ

وَأَدرُجُ في أَفنانِ رَيّانَ أَخضَرِ

And enter the gardens of Riyad ever green

O Abu Al Fadl, if your deeds morn blooming

أَبا الفَضلِ إِن يُصبِح فَعالُكَ أَزهَراً

فَمِن فَضلِ وَجهٍ في السَماحَةِ أَزهَرِ

It is from the grace of a face most gracious

You granted what otherwise blame would have touched you

وَهَبتَ الَّذي لو لَم تَهَبهُ لَما اِلتَوى

بِكَ اللَومُ إِنَّ العُذرَ عِندَ التَعَذُّرِ

Since excuses exist when ability lacks

You gave what you gave as humans stand witness

فَأَعطَيتَ ما أَعطَيتَ وَالبِشرُ شاهِدٌ

عَلى فَرَحٍ بِالبَذلِ مِنكَ مُبَشِّرِ

To the joy of your open-handed giving, heralding it

Lavish giving that your cheerful face failed to grace

وَكانَ العَطاءُ الجَزلُ ما لَم تُحَلِّهِ

بِبِشرِكَ مِثلَ الرَوضِ غَيرَ مُنَوِّرِ

Was like an unsplendid garden

And this gain of yours rivals the Nile, hearing of it

وَنَيلُكَ هَذا يَشرَكُ النِيلَ مَسمَعاً

وَيَفضُلُهُ مِن بَعدُ في حُسنِ مَنظَرِ

And afterward surpasses it in the beauty of its view

You obeyed the sultan of generosity and supremacy

أَطَعتَ لِسُلطانِ التَكَرُّمِ وَالعُلا

وَعاصَيتَ سُلطانَ الجَوى وَالتَذَكُّرِ

And disobeyed the sultan of passion and reminiscence

By God, I know not; did I indulge passion

فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدرى سَلَوتُ عَنِ الهَوى

فَأَكفَيتَنيهِ أَم حَسَدتَ اِبنَ مَعمَرِ

And you forbade me, or did you envy Ibn Ma’mar?