البَيتُ مَبنِيٌّ عَلى أَركانِهِ
وَالطِرفُ جارٍ في امتِدادِ عِنانِهِ
The house is built on its pillars,
And the pole stretches out its rein.
ياعاذِلَ الحَسَنِ بنِ وَهبٍ في اللُهى
مِن نَيلِهِ وَالغَمرِ مِن إِحسانِهِ
O you who blame Al-Hasan ibn Wahb unjustly!
For his attainment and abundant benevolence.
إِن كانَ شَأنُكَ ما أَراهُ فَإِنَّهُ
عاصٍ عَلَيكَ وَآخِذٌ في شَأنِهِ
If this is your way, then he certainly
Disobeys you and holds to his own way.
لَن تَسبِقَ الريحَ الشَمالَ إِذا طَغَت
في الجَريِ مالَم تَجرِ في مَيدانِهِ
You will not outrun the north wind when it rages
In running unless you run in its field.
وَبِأَيِّما آبائِهِ لا يَكتَسي
مَجداً يَفوتُ الرَوضَ في أَلوانِهِ
And by which of his forefathers does he not attain
Glory that excels the garden in its varieties?
أَبِوَهبِهِ وَسَعيدِهِ أَم قَيسِهِ
وَحُصَينِهِ أَم عَمرِهِ وَقَنانِهِ
Is it his father Wahb or Sa’eed, Qais,
Husain, or Omar and Qanan?
لا المَجدُ بَينَهُم غَريبٌ زائِرٌ
بَل في مَحَلَّتِهِ وَفي أَوطانِهِ
Glory between them is no stranger visitor;
Rather, it is in its precinct and in their homelands.
ياصَيقَلَ الشِعرِ المُقَلَّدُ في الَّذي
يُختارُ مِن قَلعِيِّهِ وَيَمانِهِ
O refiner of poetry, the one adorned
With selections from its Qala’i and Yemen.
إِسمَعهُ مِن قَوّالِهِ تَزدَد بِهِ
عُجباً وَطيبُ الوَردِ في أَغصانِهِ
Listen to its speaker; you will increase by it
In admiration, and the perfume of roses on its branches.
أَحسَنتُ فيهِ مُبَرِّزاً فَجَفَوتَني
وَتُبِرُّ أَقواماً عَلى اِستِحسانِهِ
I did well in it, making clear, but you spurned me
And you choose other tribes based on their approval.
هَل تُصغِيَن لِأَخٍ يَقولُ بِحالِهِ
مُتَعَتِّباً إِذ لَم يَقُل بِلِسانِهِ
Do you listen to a brother who speaks of his state,
Complaining since he did not speak with his tongue?
نَزَلَت بِعَقوَتِهِ الخُطوبُ طَوارِقاً
فَتَخَوَّنَتهُ وَأَنتَ مِن إِخوانِهِ
Misfortunes befell him because of his disobedience,
Assailing him while you are of his brethren.
ماكانَ غَرواً أَن يَضيعَ زِمامُهُ
لَو لَم تَكُن في عَصرِهِ وَزَمانِهِ
It would not be strange for his bridle to be lost
If you were not in his time and era.
هَذا وَأَنتَ الحُجَّةُ البَيضاءُ في
إِكرامِهِ مِن وافِدٍ وَهَوانِهِ
This while you are the shining proof
In honoring him, both newcomer and outcast.
وَمَتى رَآكَ الناسُ تَحرِمُهُ اِقتَدَوا
بِكَ غَيرَ مُرتابينَ في حِرمانِهِ
And whenever the people see you deprive him, they follow
You without hesitation in depriving him.
فَتَكونُ أَوَّلَ مانِعٍ مِن نَفسِهِ
ما أَمَّلَ العافي وَمِن جيرانِهِ
So you become the first hinderer of himself
From what he hopes and from his neighbors.
وَالأَرضُ تَبذُلُ في الرَبيعِ نَباتَها
وَكَذاكَ بَذلُ الحُرِّ في سُلطانِهِ
And the land lavishes in spring its vegetation,
Just so the noble lavish in their authority.
وَالعُرفُ بُنيانٌ فَمَن يَعدُ الرُبى
يُشرِف وَيَعفُ السَيلُ مِن بُنيانِهِ
Custom is a structure, so whoever counts greed
Brings ruin, and the torrent tears down its structure.
وَاعلَم بِأَنَّ الغَيثَ لَيسَ بِنافِعٍ
لِلناسِ مالَم يَأتِ في إِبّانِهِ
And know that rain is no use to people
Unless it comes in its proper time.
