جرد سيوفكَ للجلاد وأشْهِرِ

واعِلمْ جيادك للطرادِ وشَهِّرِ

Prepare your swords for execution and unsheathe,

Know your steeds for pursuit and unleash,

واصبرْ لضوضاء الخطوبِ فإنما

تعدو على متُبرمِ لم يصبرِ

Be patient for the clamor of battles, for they but

Gallop upon the sullen who did not persevere,

وإذا نهضت إلى العدى بعزائمٍ

فاحذر تمني الخفض أنْ لم تُنصر

And when you rise to the enemy with resolve,

Beware wishing humility if not made victorious,

فالمجدُ إذ تسعى لهُ وترومهُ

مُلْك اليمين ظفرت أو لم تظفر

For glory, when seeking it and coveting it,

Is kingdom of the right whether gaining victory or not,

ولتَظْفِرنَّ فكل حافرِ سابقٍ

من بعد غرب السيف موضعُ مغفر

And you will gain victory, for every racing hoof

After the sunset of the sword is a place for forgiveness,

أأنِ أتَّبعت هواي أيسرَ بُرهةٍ

تبع المُجربِ لا اتباعِ مُغَررِ

Should I follow my desire, is it easier in an instant,

To follow the experienced, not the pursuer of folly,

وتركتُ زوراء العراق ولا قِلىً

الدارُ داري والعشيرةُ معْشري

I left the farce of Iraq and no little,

The abode is my abode and the kindred my clan,

كيما أُميتَ مطامعي بتجاربي

وأكفَّ أخباراً كبُرْنَ بمخبري

So I may frustrate my ambitions through my trials,

And cease news made great in my informer,

قال العِدى عَثرَ الجوادُ ولا لَعاً

وبنو الوداد لَعاً وإنْ لم يعثرِ

The enemies said the steed stumbled but no fault,

And the people of affection, fault even if not stumbling,

فلقد وقفتُ من الملوكِ مواقِفاً

تعْشى بهيبتها لحاظُ المُبْصر

For I have stood from kings stands,

Seen with their awe by the prudent beholder,

وعلوتُ فوق أولي الجحافل منهمُ

وأقمتُ أقوالي مقامً العسكرِ

And I rose above the chiefs of their regiments,

And established my words as the stance of the army,

وولجت أسراراً تضرَّب دونها ال

أعناقُ غير مُسارقٍ ومُتسترِ

And delved into secrets which necks recoil before,

Except freely flowing unconstrained and unsecretive,

حتى انتهت هِمَمي إلى مولاهُمُ

رَبَّ المقانبِ والمراتبِ سنجر

Until my resolves ended up to their patron,

Lord of viziers and ranks, Sinjar,

فأحلنَّى الشرفَ الرفيعَ وزانني

بأجَلِّ تشريفٍ وأكرم مفخر

So he graced me with the sublime honor and made me

With the noblest ennobling and most generous pride,

بحُسامه وكِتابه وكلاهُما

مجدٌ يقيمُ على ممرِّ الأعصُرِ

With his sword and his writing, both of which

Are glory lasting the passage of eras,

فالسيفُ لم يسمح لذي فضلٍ به

وكذا المِثالُ مِثالهُ لم يُسْطرِ

For the sword did not allow the virtuous through it,

And so the exemplar its exemplar was not transcribed,

ولقد قضيتُ مآرباً نجديَّةً

ودُجى الذؤابة صبحة لم يُسفرِ

And I accomplished Najdi aims,

And dark nights of early dawn not yet illumined,

وسَرى بفضلي ركبُ كم تنوفةٍ

من منجدٍ يطوي السُّرى ومُغوِّرِ

And through my merit set forth many a band,

From stirring to covering the distances and penetrating,

تجري المكارمُ والداء متى أفُهْ

بالشعر ثُمَّ تغيض أنْ لم أشْعُرِ

Generosities flow and debts when I unleash,

Through poetry then withdraw if not made aware,

ولَربَّ مُنتزحٍ بأقْصى خِطَّةٍ

ريَّان من ماء الفضائل مُغْزِرِ

And for many wretched at the edge of stratagem,

Flowing from water of virtues abundant,

فصلُ الخطاب إذا المقاصد أُعجمت

كشف البهيم بواضحٍ مُسْحَنْفر

When speech is cryptic if aims made obscure,

The clear elucidates to the astute abhorrent,

سارت إليه مع الرواةِ قلائدي

فاشتاق ينظرني ولو لم ينظُرِ

My necklaces came to him with the transmitters,

So he longed to see me even if not having seen,

فضلي وبأسي في المقال وفي الوغى

خُلقاً لصهوة سابحٍ أو مِنْبر

My merit and might in speech and in battle,

In nature to a smoothly swimming or pulpit,

ومُعنفٍ في المجد يحرُق نابهُ

مُتخمطٍ في عذله مُتنمرِ

And responder in glory scorching his fang,

Disheveled in his severity scowling,

قال اتخذت الاغْترابَ مطيَّةً

فارفق بنفسك من سفارك واحضرِ

I answered him the crescent through its journey,

Though a full moon, without its journey it would not illuminate,

فأجبتهُ أنَّ الهِلالَ بسيره

بدرٌ ولولا سيرهُ لم يُقمِرِ

Leave your blaming me, my resolve and traveling,

Are brothers to radiance like the dew and victorious,

دعْ عنك لومي أنَّ عزمي والسرى

أخوا لِبانٍ كالنَّدى ومُظفَّر

Rags when roused a fray and a Khassa,

His hands generously yielded a piercing cutlass,

خِرقٌ إذا عنَّت وغىً وخصاصةٌ

جادتْ يداهُ بهاطلٍ مُثعنجر

For the flask and the poor foot are both,

Drowning in peak and deep red,

فالقِرْنُ والرجلُ الفقيرُ كلاهما

غَرقانِ من عُرْفٍ وقانٍ أحمرِ

And when the fire of kindling goes out, its fire,

Guides the riders of the gloomy sparkling,

وإذا خَبَتْ نارُ اليَفاع فَنارُه

تهدي ركابَ الخابطِ المُتنور

A fire about to through generosities and dew,

Be extinguished, were it not for might it would not ignite,

نارٌ تكادُ من المكارمِ والنَّدى

تخبو فلولا البأس لم تتسعَّرِ

Raised for Bujlah who his habit is,

Striking skulls under the shade of camphor trees,

رُفعتْ لأبْلجَ من كِنانةَ دأبُهُ

ضربُ الجماجم تحت ظلِّ العثير

For one blameworthy in generosity the lash of his right,

Scornful of the torrent of the towering cascade,

لمُعذَّلٍ في الجودِ صَوْبُ يمينه

يُزري بسيل الشاهق المُتحدر

He sold well-being for praise willfully,

And bought praise through wealth, most profitable trade,

باعَ الثَّراء من الثَّناءِ بطيبهِ

وشرا الثَّنا بالمال أربحُ مُتْجرِ

For when hands are emptied in the morn, he is

Filled from honor of the exalted and pride,

فإذا غدا صفرَ اليدينِ فإنَّهُ

مَلآنُ من شرفِ العُلى والمَفخر

Easy of temper and affection both,

Not bored by request nor arrogant,

سهلُ الخلائفِ والودادِ كِليْهما

لا بالملول هوىً ولا المُتكبر

Cloaks of privacy lifted when called,

To the noble from a humble bountiful,

تنجاب أستار الحجاب إذا انْتدى

للحيَّ عن مُتواضعٍ مُتوفرٍ

His impact feared for the radiance of his face,

And for many a lightning with warnings threatening,

تُخشى سُطاهُ على طلاقة وجههِ

ولرُبَّ بَرقٍ بالصَّواعق مُنذرِ

His swords used to clashing with warriors,

So a sheathed were it not unsheathed would almost shine,

ألِفتْ قِراعَ الدارعينَ سيوفُهُ

فيكادُ يمرقُ مغمدٌ لم يُشهرِ

And his spears used to plunging into the fray,

So when they went for the stab they did not waver,

وتعوَّدتْ خوض النُّحور رماحُه

فإذا جرتْ للطعن لم تتأطَّرِ

And his steeds singing from roses of blood,

In war without praising the pure green myrtle,

وغَنِينَ من وِرْدِ الدماء جيادُه

في الحرب عن رود النَّمير الأخضر

A youth whom the prime of face awes,

Beneath the turban from the illumined dawn,

زَوْلٌ تعيض الحيَّ غُرةُ وجهه

تحت اللثام عن الصباح المُسفر

Do not chide him for infatuation with youth,

Deceptions nor distract him with splendor of scene,

لا تَطَّبيهِ مع الشَّبيبة للْهوى

خُدعٌ ولا تلهيه بهجةُ منظر

From the excess of his ambition and love of dignity,

His hairline has grayed though not yet aged,

من فَرْط هِمَّته وحُبِّ وقارهِ

قد شاب مفرقهُ ولمَّا يكبُرِ

Calm when thanking guests for the night,

In darkness, yet his full moon did not thank,

قارٍ إذا شكر المَبيتَ ضُيوفُهُ

في دُهْمَةٍ فعشاره لم تشكر

And when the eyelids yellow in dusty air,

His eyelids are filled they did not yellow,

وإذا الجفانُ صَفِرْنَ في مُغبرَّة

فجفانه مملوءةٌ لم تصفرِ

And he who repays remembering a slip,

Did not meet with forgiveness for the sin from the rememberer,

وإذا الذي يجزي تذكُّرَ هفْوةٍ

لم تُلْفهِ للذنبِ بالمُتذكرِ

He pardons when able over the enemy,

As if from his forbearance unable,

يعفو إذا قدرتْ يداهُ على العِدى

فكأنه من حلمه لم يقدرِ

How many stances did the prince overcome with his view,

Perplexing the hyenas too hasty and thoughtless,

كم موقفٍ غَلب الأميرُ برأيهِ

بيضَ الظُّبى عجلانَ لم يتفكَّرِ

A view being vanguard over the unseen,

For the concealed concealed is like the apparent,

رأيٌ يكون على الغُيوبِ طليعةً

فالمُضمرُ المكنونُ مثلُ المُظْهَر

That Ibn Hammad is refuge for the fearful,

And a dove for enemies and wealth for the destitute,

أنَّ ابنَ حمَّادٍ لَمَلَجْأ خائفٍ

وحمامُ أعداءٍ وثروةُ مُعسر

Faithful when pledging covenants to the taker,

The excuse for loyalty while his soul was not excused,

وافٍ إذا بذل العُهود لآخذٍ

عذرَ الوفاءُ ونفسهُ لم تُعذرِ

And thunderer in the plains darkening his dawn,

From what he stirs of the gloomy dusty air,

ومُزمْجرٍ بالقاعِ يُظْلِمُ صبحه

مما يثير من العجاجِ الأكدر

A torrent as if his horses and his men,

Are gazelles in the dense shaded vale,

مَجْرٍ كأنَّ خيولهُ ورجالَهُ

غزلانُ وجْرةَ تحت جِنَّة عبقر

The darkness blinded the warriors so his horses,

Were it not for the gleam of his steel would not be seen,

أعمى القتامُ به الكُماةَ فخيلُهُ

لولا بريقُ حديده لم تنظر

They race so a hawk follows and you see with it,

Raining so the duration of a rainstorm,

تجري فيتْبعُ جارحٌ فترى بهِ

مُتمطراً يتلو مدى مُتمطرِ

In him are the long gowns and armors as if they are,

Mirages of the deserts glimpsing the observer,

فيه السَّوابغُ والدِّلاصُ كأنها

غُدُرُ الفَلاة تلوحُ للمتبصر

I stirred them slain in the first charge,

Without repeating and without recurrence,

غاردتهم صرْعى بأوَّلِ حملة

من غير تثنيةٍ وغير تكرُّر

And to the high glory you reached band after band,

Goodly praise and goodly origin,

وإلى عُلا بكْرٍ نَمتْكَ عِصابةٌ

طيبُ الثَّناء وطيبِ العُنْصُر

A people when disdaining silk as cowardice,

Wore for their adornment clothes of leopards,

قومٌ إذا كرهوا الحرير بَسالةً

لبسوا لزينتهم ثيابَ سَنوَّرِ

Vying in hosting guests when night’s darkness,

Blocked its horizons with wind cold and bleak,

يتقارعون على الضيوفِ إذا الدجى

سُدَّتْ مطالعُه بريحٍ صَرْصَر

From every flag’s followed desiring,

In stance the pasture of dew pouring down,

من كل متْبوع اللواءِ مؤمَّلٍ

في المحل مُنتجع النَّدى مُستمطرِ

Wolves follow the rear of its encampment,

Trusting their food is from his store,

تتلوا الذئاب المُعْط كُبَّةَ خليهِ

ثقةً بأنَّ طعامها من مَنْسِرِ

Your father was called Abu Al-Jabr the generous,

Where inadequacy through other was not remedied,

سُمِّي أبا الجبْر الجواد أبوكُمُ

حيث الكسيرُ بغيرِه لم يُجْبر

Freshest praise in the presence of the noble, as if,

Praises of his honor are recited from ember,

أرجُ الثناء لدى النَّديِّ كأنما

تُتْلى مدائحُ عِرْضه من مجمرِ

O supporter of the faith, you hoarded from sublime,

A treasure, and the like of my affection you did not store,

يا ناصرَ الدين ادَّخرْتَ من العُلى

كنزاً ومثلَ مودتي لم تذخَرِ

I enrich you with praise when saying, though affluent,

I did not enrich him with praise, for he is no affluent,

أغنيك حمداً إذْ أقولُ وموسرٌ

لم أُغْنه حمداً فليس بموسِرِ

And if the doves enumerated me, perhaps,

I was the store for the majestic most perilous.

ولئنْ تَعدَّاني الحِمامُ فربما

كنُ الذخيرَةَ للجليلِ الأخْطرِ