يُهدي الخَيالُ لَنا ذِكرى إِذا طافا
وافى يُخادِعُنا وَالصُبحُ قَد وافى
Imagination brings back memories when they are evoked,
Deceiving us while dawn has arrived.
تَصدُقُنا المَنعَ سُعدى حينَ نَسأَلُها
نَيلاً وَتَكذِبُنا بَذلاً وَإِسعافا
She grants our wishes when we ask,
And denies generosity, kindness, and aid.
إِنَّ الغَواني غَداةَ البَينِ قِضنَ لَنا
ما أَمَّلَ الدَنِفُ المُضنى بِما خافا
The next morning after separation decreed for us
What the sad heart longed for in fear.
فَتَنَّ طَرفاً وَقَد وَدَّعنَ عَن نَظَرٍ
ساجٍ وَتَيَّمنَ إِذ صافَحنَ أَطرافا
So a glance tempted while having bid farewell to sight,
Embraced a friendly person when taking leave.
إِذا نَضَونَ شُفوفَ الرَيطِ آوِنَةً
قَشَرنَ عَن لُؤلُؤِ البَحرَينِ أَصدافا
When the lips smile, baring
Pearls from the two seas’ shells.
نَواصِعٌ كَسُيوفِ الصَقلِ مُشعَلَةٌ
ضَوءً وَمُرهَفَةٌ في الجَدلِ إِرهافا
Swords of polished steel flaming
With light, honed for argument.
قَضى لَنا اللَهُ بَلوى في نَواظِرِها
تَقضي عَلَينا وَعافى اللَهُ مَن عافى
God decreed for us an ordeal in their glances
That destroys us―God give well-being to whom He gives it.
كَأَنَّهُنَّ وَقَد قارَبنَ مِن طَرَفَي
ضِدَّينِ في الحُسنِ تَبتيلاً وَإِخطافا
As if, when they came close to the two opposites
In beauty, tempting and snatching away,
رَدَدنَ ما خُفِّفَت مِنهُ الحُضورُ إِلى
ما في المَآزِرِ فَاِستَثقَلنَ أَردافا
They gave back what ease had lightened
To what burdens the hindparts, making them heavy.
ما لِلسَحابِ خَلاقٌ أَو يَصوبُ عَلى
عُليا سُوَيقَةَ أَجزاعاً وَأَخيافا
The clouds have no creator, or do they aim
At the heights, stalks and dry plants?
إِذا أَرَدتُ لِراقي الدَمعِ مُنحَدَراً
ذَكَرتُ مُرتَبَعاً فيها وَمُصطافا
When I wanted a flowing tear
I remembered her sitting, conversing.
إِن أُتبِعِ الشَوقَ إِزراءً عَلَيهِ فَقَد
جافى مِنَ النَومِ عَن عَينَيَّ ما جافى
If I pursue longing spitefully
It has deprived my eyes of what it deprived of sleep.
أَزاجِرٌ أَنا جُردَ الخَيلِ أَجشِمُها
سَيراً إِلى الشامِ إِغذاذاً وَإيجافا
I am a horseman, driving the bare horses,
Heading to Syria, feeding and denying them water.
خوصَ العُيونِ إِذا أَبدَت سُرىً مَثَلَت
بِالأَرضِ أَو أَجحَفَت بِاللَيلِ إِجحافا
Eyes lose their moisture when they show happiness
By fixing on earth or staring harshly at night.
دَوافِعٌ في اِنخِراقِ البَرِّ مَوعِدُها
مَدافِعُ البَحرِ مِن بَيروتَ أَو يافا
Incursive when meeting their tryst to penetrate the land―
The coastal defenders from Beirut or Jaffa.
حَتّى تَحُلَّ وَقَد حَلَّ الشَرابُ لَنا
جَنّاتِ عَدنٍ عَلى الساجورِ أَلفافا
Until, while wine was ready for us, the gardens
Of Eden disported with goblets.
نَضيفَ نازِلَةً تَقري النَوالَ كَما
كُنّا نُزولاً عَلى الطائِيِّ أَضيافا
We host a guest who drinks from the cup as
We were guests hosted by loss.
إِنَّ لِقَومي عَلى الأَقوامِ مَنزِلَةً
يُعطَونَ فيها عَلى الأَشرافِ إِشرافا
My people have precedence over all peoples
Such that nobles are given precedence.
مَن يَنأَ كِبرٌ بِهِ عَنّا وَأُبَّهَةٌ
نَحمَد أَبا جَعفَرٍ قُرباً وَإِنصافا
Whoever disdains us in his pride
We praise Abu Ja‘far in kinship and fairness.
رَدَّ الحَوادِثَ مُلقاةً أَوائِلُها
عَلى أَواخِرِها رَدعاً وَإيقافا
He repelled events, throwing back their first
Upon their last, restraining and stopping them.
إِن تَرمِ آلاؤُهُ في الدَهرِ عَن وَتَرٍ
تَكُن لَها نُوَبُ الأَيّامِ أَهدافا
If his great deeds miss their mark in time
The days will be their revolving targets.
عَزَّ العِراقَينِ حَتّى ظَلَّ مُختَتِياً
لَهُ العِراقانِ أَقلاماً وَأَسيافا
He strengthened Iraq until it remained supported
By the two Iraqs, pens, and swords.
كَم مِن أَبِيِّ أُناسٍ في وِلايَتِهِ
قَد ذَلَّ عارِضَةً أَو لانَ أَعطافا
How many fathers of men in his rule
Have been abased, or yielded their determination!
ساسَ البِلادَ بِتَدبيرٍ يُطَبِّقُها
أَبَدَّ واسِطَةً مِنها وَأَطرافا
He governed the lands with management, matching them
In eternity, differentiation, and extremes.
لَم يَرتَفِع عَن مُراعاةِ الصَغيرِ وَلَم
يَنزِل إِلى الطَمَعِ المَخسوسِ إِسفافا
He did not rise above considering the insignificant
Nor descend to covetous, disappointing greed.
باسِطُ عَدلٍ عَلى الأَعداءِ لَو عَصِبوا
بِغَيرِهِ لَتَوَخّى الجورَ أَو حافا
The just, though enemies are prejudiced
Against other than him, avoid tyranny and swerve from it.
لَم يَتَّسِع لِلأَداني في أَمانَتِهِ
وَقَد رَأى خِلَلاً مِنهُم وَأُلّافا
No treacherous person feels safe with him
Though he knows them to be allies.
تَناذَرَتهُ أَعاريبُ السَوادِ فَما
شَتا بِهِ قاطِنٌ مِنهُم وَلا صافا
The ruffians of the Steppe threatened him but
No settled person there resented him.
وَكُنتُ أَعهَدُ عَينَ التَمرِ جامِعَةً
مِنَ الخَليطَينِ أَزياداً وَأَعوافا
I used to notice the berry’s eye collecting
Good and bad sorts.
مامِن هَوىً مِنهُ باتَ السَيفُ مُلتَهِماً
أَواصِراً وَشَجَت مِنهُم وَأَحلافا
No love of his has the sword consuming
Bonds by night, cleaving leagues.
مُنخَرِقُ اليَدِ بِالمَعروفِ يَخبِطُ في
عُرضٍ مِنَ المالِ لا يَألوهُ إِتلافا
Free with wealth, his hand strikes
Atmeans he does not deplete, destroying.
إِذا وَعَدتُ التَجافي عَن مَواهِبِهِ
دافَعتُ بِالنُجحِ أَو أَخلَفتُ إِخلافا
When I threaten to abandon his gifts
I rebut with success or fail to fulfil.
آلَيتُ لا أَجهَدُ الطائِيَّ مُلتَمِساً
جَدوى وَلا أَسأَلُ الطائِيَّ إِلحافا
I determined not to trouble Loss seeking
Usefulness or ask Loss for favour.
بِحَسبِنا مِنهُ ما يَزدادُ مِن حَسَبٍ
وَما قَضى مِن فُروضِ القَومِ أَو كافا
His prestige suffices us, ever increasing,
And what he performed of his people’s duties, or sufficed.
قَضَيتَ عَنّي اِبنَ بِسطامٍ صَنيعَتَهُ
عِندي وَضاعَفتَ ما أَولاهُ أَضعافا
You spared me the son of Bistam his conduct
With me, multiplying what he first gave manifold,
وَكانَ مَعروفُهُ قَصداً إِلَيَّ وَما
جازَيتُهُ عَنهُ تَبذيراً وَإِسرافا
And though his kindness was intended for me without
My rewarding him for it, wasting and squandering.
مِئونَ عَيناً تَوَلَّيتَ الثَوابَ بِها
حَتّى اِنثَنَت لِأَبي العَبّاسِ آلافا
A tearful eye whose reward you took upon yourself
Until it poured for Abu ’l-‘Abbas thousands,
قَد كانَ يَكفيهِ مِمّا قَدَّمَت يَدُهُ
رِباً يَزيدُ إِلى الآحادِ أَنصافا
What he had already presented would suffice
To add thousands more to one half.
تِلكَ المَدائِحُ أَحرارُ الرِقابِ بِها
أَرى عَلَيهِ دُيوناً لي وَأَسلافا
Those eulogies, sung by freed slaves thereby,
I see as debts I owe him and my forebears.
فَلا تَزَل مُرصِداً لِلخَيرِ تَفعَلُهُ
وَثابِتاً دونَ ما تَخشاهُ وَقّافا
So persist performing good works, steadfast
Against what you fear, stopping.
