رويْدَكُمُ فالفتح يُصغرهُ القدْرُ

جلا المجد حتى ما الشَّآمُ وما مصرُ

Have patience, for victory belittles hardship

Glory transcends Syria and Egypt

ستُذْعِن دُنياكم لطاعةِ قانِتٍ

مُنيفِ العُلى للّهِ في نفسه سِرُّ

Your world will submit to the obedience of the devout

In his soul is the secret of highness to God

تعجَّبْتُم منْ فتحِ مصْرَ ودونها

فَناءُ المَطايا والتَّنائفُ والبَحْرُ

You were amazed by the conquest of Egypt and beyond

The vanishing of harbors, deserts, and sea

ولم تعْلموا أنَّ النُّجومَ بودِّها

النُّزولَ إليه وهي عاليةٌ زُهْرُ

You did not know that the stars in their orbit

Descend to him while they are still lofty flowers

فلو سألَ الرَّحمن طاعة كوكبٍ

لأذْعَنتِ الشِّعْرى ودانَ له البدرُ

If the Merciful asked for the obedience of a planet

The Pleiades would submit and the moon would obey

إِمام هُدىً لو أوطأ الطِّرف هامداً

لأضحت رُباه وهي مهتزةٌ خُضر

A guiding imam, if he lowered his eyelid humbly

His flock would become devoted even if agitated like green grass

أطاع إِله العرش فيما اسْتنَابَهُ

فطاعَتُه دِينٌ وعِصْيانُه كُفْرُ

He obeyed the Lord of the Throne in what He deputized him

So obeying him is faith and disobeying him is blasphemy

يُضيء الدُّجى الغربيب من قسماته

فأيسَرُ بشْرٍ من طلاقتهِ فَجْرُ

He illuminates the dark night with his smiles

So is any mortal easier to access in his radiance?

أفاض النَّدى والعدل جوداً ورأفةً

فقد نُصر المظلومُ واخضرت الغُبْر

He bestowed generosity and justice, benevolence and mercy

So the oppressed triumphed and the dust turned green

ولانَ من التَّقوى وعزَّ من الحمى

كما خشُنتْ في لينها البيضُ والسُّمر

He is gentle with piety and strong with zeal

As white and brown intermingled in their softness

مقالتُه والطَّعْن فصْلٌ وفيْصَلٌ

فمقطوعُه حَبْرٌ ومطْعونُه ذِمْر

His words and satire are conclusive and decisive

His writing is ink and his stabbing is a spear

إذا هطلتْ نُعْماه غيْثٌ وديمَةٌ

وإِن وضُحت فتْواهُ فالبحر والحَبْرُ

When his blessings pour like lasting rain

And his legal opinions shine like the sea and ink

بكلِّ إِمامٍ عادِلٍ فخْرُ عَصْرهِ

وبالمُسْتضيءِ البَرِ يفتخِرُ الدهرُ

Every just imam is the pride of his time

And the enlightened righteous man makes the age proud

فتى الخيْل تعْدو بالكُماةِ كأنَّها

سَراحين قفْرٍ مَدَّ أنْفاسها الصَّفر

The steed of horses gallops with vigor as if

Extending its breath over the vast yellow desert

تجانَفُ عن رَعْي الجميم وتخْتلي

خمائلَ هامٍ نبْتُ عُدوتها الشَّعْر

It turns away from grazing on coarse herbage

And heads for the lush meadows, the home of green grass

وتطوي نِهاءَ القاع وهي ظَميئةٌ

إلى موردٍ ينْبوعُه الطَّرف والنَّحر

Crossing the barren plains, thirsty

To a watering place whose rim is bushes and trees

هُنالِكَ تَلْقى المُسْتضيءً كأنه

غضنفرُ خِيسٍ نالَ أشْباله الضُّرُّ

There it meets the enlightened one as if he were

A noble stallion who reached his fine steeds

فيوسعُ ضرباً والوَغى مُسْتمرَّةٌ

ويعفو عن الأسَرى إذا صرَّح النصر

He continues his onslaught as the battle rages

And pardons the captives when victory is clear

كعادته في الصَّفْح عن كلِّ مُجْرمٍ

إذا ما الحُبى طاشتْ وضاق بها القَفرُ

As is his custom to forgive every sinner

When passions flare and the desert grows confined

نوى الخير من قبلِ الخِلافَة قلبُه

فصدَّقهُ الإحْسانُ والنَّائلُ الغمْر

His heart intended good before the caliphate

So benevolence and the imploring validated him

وجازَ مع الإِمكان عن حدِّ نذْرهِ

فباتَ يظُنُّ النَّزْرَ ما قدره دَثرُ

He exceeded the limit of his vow along with ability

Thus he deemed the little to be what a cloak could contain

وأضحى كضوء الشمس فائضُ جوده

عميماً وللشاكين منْ دهرهم شُكْر

His generosity became as radiant as the sun

Universally, and the complainers of their time thanked him

ومن شَرف الإِقْبال تشييد مجدِه

بأرْوعَ وهَّابٍ إذا حُبس القطْر

The glory of his auspicious state

Was built by the most generous donor when rain was held back

بخير وزيرٍ ضَمَّ دسْتٌ وجحفلٌ

وخُطَّ على الأطراس من كفِّه سطر

With the best minister who gathered allies

And lined the pages with his script from his palm

إذا جحدَ الأعْداءُ باهرَ فضْلهِ

أقرَّ له السَّعْي المكرَّمُ والنَّجْرُ

If enemies denied his prominent virtue

His noble effort and eloquence would acknowledge it

بقيتَ أميرَ المُؤمنين مُمَدَّحاً

كريمَ الثَّنَا ما أدْلج القَفْلُ والسَّفْرُ

You remained, Commander of the Faithful, praised

As generous and sublime whether destiny locked or unlocked

وأنت لِما أُثْني به خيرُ أهْلِه

وأنت لما أرْجوهُ منْ أمَلي ذُخْر

You are the best qualified for what I praise

And you are my hope's treasure for what I wish