لهُ بالمجْدِ أنْسٌ مُطْمئَنٌّ

وعنْ عارٍ يُدَنِّسهُ نِفارُ

He takes pride in glory, content and assured,

And abhors dishonor that would defile him.

فهَزَّامٌ إذا اشْتَجَرَ العَوالي

ومَهْزومٌ إذا ما عَنَّ عارُ

A conqueror when the highlands have clashed,

And defeated when honor has fled from him.

تَشكَّى الشمسُ والزُّهر السواري

إذا ما الليلُ أوضِحَ والنَّهارُ

The sun complained and the blooming flowers

When the night cleared and the dawn appeared.

فيسْتُرُ كلَّ لامِعَةٍ دُخانٌ

ويكسِفُ كلَّ مُشْرقةٍ غُبارُ

Each shining thing is veiled in smoke,

And each radiant thing eclipsed by dust.

كما تشكو صَوارِمَهُ المَواضي

كُماةُ الرَّوْعِ والكُومُ العِشارُ

As his swords complained to the battlefields,

The piles of might and the combat gear.

سَموحٌ بالنَّوالِ لمُعْتَفيهِ

إذا بَخِلتْ بِدَرَّتِها الغِزارُ

He is forgiving to the one who pleads to him,

If the abundant rain has been stingy.

وفكَّاكُ العُناةِ بكُلِّ أرْضٍ

إذا ما حَبَّبَ الموْتَ الإِسارُ

The liberator of captives in every land,

If death has made imprisonment preferable.

إذا سَبَقَ النَّوالَ لديْهِ بِشْرٌ

تَعَقَّبَ جَمَّ نائِلهِ اعْتِذارُ

When bestowal precedes his right,

Regret pursues the gains of his seeker.

تَذودُ كَراهُ أفْكارُ المَعالي

فقِسْمتُهُ غِشاشٌ أوْ غِرارُ

The repulsion of lofty ideas wars against him,

And his destiny divides him, deluded or fooled.

وَقاحُ البأسِ ذو وِدٍّ حَييٍّ

كأنَّ صِفاتَهُ ماءٌ ونارُ

Impudent in might, yet kind and cheerful,

As if his traits are water and fire.

ولُهْنَتُهُ تَقومُ بأبْرَدَيْهِ

وباقي اليومِ أمْرٌ وائْتِمارُ

His gentleness acts for him,

And the rest of his day is a matter of resolve.

تَوَقَّلَ في الفَوارِعِ منْ تَميمٍ

فَطابَ السَّعْيُ منهُ والنِّجارُ

He crossed the dangerous roads of Tameem,

So the endeavor and the caravan were pleasant.

جبالٌ من حُلومٍ راسيات

وعند المحْلِ في الجَدْوى بحارُ

Mountains, firmly settled

And at home, in endurance, seas.

إذا غَضِبوا فللجُرْدِ المَذاكي

بهامَةِ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عِثارُ

When they are angry, the coats of mail

Are the ornament of each tyrant's ruin.

تَقَرُّ بمجدهم عدنانُ عَيْناً

وتفخرُ من مساعيهمْ نِزارُ

Adnan is pleased with their glory,

And Nizār prides itself on their efforts.

نَمَوْا تاجَ المْلوكِ وللْغَوادي

بما جادَتْ منَ القَطْرِ افْتخارُ

They grew the crown of kings, and for the valleys

Pride in what poured from the rain.

فجاءَ كَنَصْلِ سيفٍ هِنْدوانٍ

يَزينُ بَهاءَ روْنقِه الغِرارُ

Until there came one like an Indian sword,

Adorning the splendor of its shine.

بأفْواهِ المُلوكِ لِراحَتَيْهِ

من التَّقْبيلِ في النَّادي عِطارُ

At his feet, the mouths of kings

From kissing them in the assembly, perfumers.

كشاربَةٍ على وِرْدٍ أكَبُّوا

ولا قَعْبٌ ولا غُمَرٌ يُدارُ

Like drinking from a bouquet they bowed down,

No ruggedness or harshness to be turned away.

وزيرُ الخيْرِ أحمدُ ذو المَعالي

ومنْ هو من بني المجْدِ المُشارُ

The minister of goodness, Ahmed the Lofty,

And who is he of the house of glory to be named?

كرُمْتَ فكُلَّ إسْهابي وَجيزٌ

وطولُ مَدائحي فيكَ اخْتِصارُ

I honored you, so my prolixity and concision

And the length of my praises in you, a summary.

وما كَسَفتْ هُمومي نورَ فضلي

وما يَدْوى من الصَّدَأ النُّضارُ

My worries did not eclipse the light of my merit,

Nor does the brilliant rust flake away.