هَواها عَلى أَنَّ الصُدودَ سَبيلُها
مُقيمٌ بِأَكنافِ الحَشا ما يَزولُها
Her passion is that barriers are her path
Resident in the thickets, nothing makes her depart
وَإِن جَهَدَ الواشونَ في صَرمِ حَبلِها
وَأَبدَعَ في فَرطِ المَلامِ عَذولُها
Though the censurers struggle to sever her rope
And are excessive in blaming her wildly roving
وَمولَعَةٍ بِالهَجرِ يُقلى وَدودُها
وَيُقصى مُدانيها وَيُجفى وَصولُها
She who is obsessed with estrangement, her affection is roasted
Her intimacies are cut off and her hopes of reunion dashed
أَذالَ مَصوناتِ الدُموعِ اِهتِجارُها
وَلَولا الهَوى ما كانَ شَيءٌ يُذيلُها
The spilling of her guarded tears has abased her
Were it not for passion, she would trail nothing behind her
وَما الوَجدُ إِلّا أَدمُعٌ مُستَهِلَّةٌ
إِذا ما مَراها الشَوقُ فاضَ هُمولُها
Other than tears poured forth when yearning passes her
I despaired, so I yielded to youth its right
أَسيتُ فَأَعطَيتُ الصَبابَةَ حَقَّها
غَداةَ اِستَقَلَّت لِلفِراقِ حُمولُها
One morning when the burdens of separation moved on
Is she anything but suppressed torment
وَهَل هِيَ إِلّا لَوعَةٌ مُستَسِرَّةٌ
يُذيبُ الحَشا وَالقَلبَ وَجداً غَليلُها
That melts the thickets, the heart and every sweet thing?
Were it not for the glories of Ahmed son of Mohammed
وَلَولا مَعالي أَحمَدَ بنِ مُحَمَّدٍ
لَأَضحَت دِيارُ الحَمدِ وَحشاً طُلولُها
The Abode of Praise would have become a desolate ruin
A noble whose soul does not weary of preferring itself
فَتىً لَم يَمِل بِالنَفسِ مِنهُ عَنِ العُلا
إِلى غَيرِها شَيءٌ سِواها يُميلُها
To aught else, nothing else makes it incline
He returns the children of hopes with shining faces
يَرُدُّ بَني الآمالِ بيضاً وُجوهُهُم
بِنائِلِهِ جَمُّ العَطايا جَزيلُها
With his attainments, bounties abounding and free-flowing
So he who seeks his fortune cares not
فَلَيسَ يُبالي مُستَميحُ نَوالِهِ
أَصابَ اللَيالي خِصبُها أَم مُحولُها
Whether the nights have brought him fertility or barrenness
Through him Bustam and Mohammed
أَنافَ بِهِ بِسطامُهُ وَمُحَمَّدٌ
قِمامَ عُلاً يُعيِ المُلوكَ حُلولُها
Have reached the pinnacle of glory whereat kings halt
He has resolves the breadth of time cannot contain
لَهُ هِمَمٌ لا تَملَأُ الدَهرَ صَدرَهُ
يَضيقُ بِها عَرضُ البِلادِ وَطولُها
Too ample for the expanse of countries however far they reach
When he glares at the young on account of his wrath
إِذا لاحَظَ الأَحداثَ عَن حَدِّ سُخطِهِ
تَضاءَلَ عِندَ اللَحظِ خَوفاً جَليلُها
Beside his glance, their mighty fears dwindle
The commonality have been given beyond their hopes
لَقَد أُعطِيَت مِنهُ الرَعِيَّةُ فَوقَ ما
تَرَقَّت أَمانيها إِلَيهِ وَسولُها
That climbed unto him, and what his fancy conjured
He has banished injustice through manifest justice
نَفى الجَورَ بِالعَدلِ المُبينِ فَأَصبَحَت
مَعاهِدُهُ لَم يَبقَ إِلّا مُحيلُها
Of his covenant naught remains but its fulfillment
Thus he has enriched them after their poverty
فَأَثرى بِهِ مِن بَعدِ بُؤسِ عَديمُها
وَعَزَّ بِهِ مِن بَعدِ خَوفٍ ذَليلُها
And empowered them after their abject fear
The tax they now gladly deliver up
وَسارَعَ طَوعاً بِالخَراجِ أَبِيُّها
وَعادَ حَليماً بَعدَ جَهلٍ جَهولُها
And after ignorance return sagacious
His wise rule remains benign
وَمازالَ مَيمونَ السِياسَةِ ناصِحاً
لَهُ شِيَمٌ زُهرٌ يَقِلُّ عَديلُها
Virtues inherent, rarely found in his peer
With gentle dealing he attains what, if another
يَنالُ بِحُسنِ الرِفقِ ما لَو يَرومُهُ
سِواهُ بِبيضِ الهِندِ خيفَ فُلولُها
Should seek, would cost white treasure heaped and hills
When faced with affairs, he has a thought
لَهُ فِكَرٌ عِندَ الأُمورِ يُرينَهُ
عَواقِبُها في الصَدرِ حينَ يُجيلُها
That shows their ends within his breast when pondering
Daily, a merit issues from him
تَتابَعُ مِنهُ كُلَّ يَومٍ فَضيلَةٌ
يَفوتُ اِرتِدادِ الطَرفِ سَبقاً عَجولُها
Outstripping the glance's fleeting passage
If good he denies, he restores it
إِذا كَرَّها بِالبِرِّ مِنهُ أَعادَها
عَلى النَهجِ مَحمودَ السَجايا جَميلُها
To fair repute, fair qualities made more beautiful
He has a fount of glory whose branches spread far
لَهُ نَبعَةٌ في العِزِّ طالَت فُروعُها
وَطابَ ثَراها وَاطمَأَنَّت أُصولُها
Its roots wholesome, its yield fragrant
If the pillars of sanctuary and holiness
وَلَو وُزِنَت أَركانُ رَضوى وَيَذبُلُ
وَقُدسٍ بِهِ في الحِلمِ خَفَّ ثَقيلُها
Were weighed beside his forbearance, their weight would dwindle
He has each day and night fierce onslaughts
لَهُ سَطَواتٌ كُلَّ يَومٍ وَلَيلَةٍ
عَلى مُهَجِ الأَعداءِ لا تَستَقيلُها
Upon the breasts of foes that do not wane
When hopes exceed their bounds, his voice restores them
إِذا جارَتِ الآمالُ عَن قَصدِها اِغتَدى
إِلَيها نَداهُ الجَزلُ وَهوَ دَليلُها
Robust, their guide as they rush blindly on
And when he chose precedence in glory, advances offered
وَلَمّا شَأى في المَجدِ سَبقاً تَقَدَّمَت
لَهُ في مَداهُ غُرَّةٌ وَحُجولُها
Themselves within his reach, steeds fleet of foot
Scion of glories and pride! But only
سَليلُ المَعالي وَالفَخارِ وَإِنَّما
يَتيهُ وَيُزهي بِالمَعالي سَليلُها
Do glories wander astray then flourish through his scion
Your ransom from every misfortune,
فِداكَ أَبا العَبّاسِ مِن كُلِّ حادِثٍ
مِنَ الدَهرِ مَنزورُ العَطايا مَطولُها
O Abu Al-Abbas, whose gifts time makes lean!
How many a day of wealth’s upheaval you have
فَكَم لَكَ في الأَموالِ مِن يَومِ وَقعَةٍ
طَويلَ مِنَ الأَهوالِ فيهِ عَويلُها
Fraught with horrors raising lamentation's wail!
And many a charge, on a day of woe unto the enemies,
وَمِن صَولَةٍ في يَومِ بُؤسٍ عَلى العِدى
يُهالُ فُؤادُ الدَهرِ حينَ يَصولُها
At which the heart of time is gripped with dread when you assault!
Unto you the stars of verse migrated as though
إِلَيكَ سَرَت غُرُّ القَوافي كَأَنَّها
كَواكِبُ لَيلٍ غابَ عَنها أُفولُها
They were night stars that lost their setting place
Marvels that refuse to concede to any poet
بَدائِعُ تَأبى أَن تَدينَ لِشاعِرٍ
سِوايَ إِذا ما رامَ يَوماً يَقولُها
Save myself whenever I seek to utter them
Nights and years pass and nothing is seen
تَزولُ اللَيالي وَالسُنونُ وَلا يُرى
عَلى العَهدِ طولَ الدَهرِ شَيءٌ يُزيلُها
Through time to remove aught of their covenant
When heard, their rhythms stir up the madness of kings
يُهَيِّجُ إِطرابَ المُلوكِ اِستِماعُها
فَيَحمَدُ راويها وَيُحبى قَأولُها
And their reciters lauded, their raw improvisers enriched
