دَعِ النَسيبَ وَقَولَ اللَّهوِ وَالغَزَلِ
وَلا تُعَرِّج عَلى رَبعٍ وَلا طَلَلِ
Abandon the love prelude, frivolous talk, and amorous verse,
Leave frivolous talk and sensual delight,
and do not turn aside to a dwelling site or a ruin.
No more roaming to pasture or abandoned camp.
وَاِرفَع عَقيرَةَ شادٍ وَسطَ أَندِيَةٍ
وَصَوتَ حادٍ بِبيدٍ مُطرِبِ الإِبِلِ
Raise a singer's voice amid assemblies,
Raise your voice at dawn amidst the valleys,
and a camel-driver's voice in deserts, delighting the camels,
With a singer enchanting the camels.
بِمَدحِ خَيرِ مُلوكِ الأَرضِ قاطِبَةً
قُل ذاكَ في كُلِّ إِقليمٍ وَلا تُبَلِ
in praise of the best of all the earth's kings.
Sing the praise of the best of earth's kings,
Say so in every region, and do not worry.
Say he is peerless everywhere in every realm.
فَالعادِلُ المَلِكُ المَيمونُ أَجدَرُ بِال
مَدحِ المُحَبَّر مِن حافٍ وَمُنتَعِلِ
For al-Adil, the blessed king, is most deserving of
The just king, the blessed ruler, deserves more
finely wrought praise from barefoot and shod alike.
Than poems of yearning from singers and minstrels.
هُوَ المَليكُ الَّذي في الدَهرِ سيرَتُهُ
أَزرَت بِسيرَةِ أَهلِ الأَعصرِ الأُوَلِ
He is the sovereign whose conduct in his time
He whose deeds through time have been guided
has put the conduct of the people of earlier ages to shame.
By the ways of past folk in the early days.
وَأَصبَحَت بِعَميمِ العَدلِ دَولَتُهُ
غَرّاءَ باسِقَةً تَسمو عَلى الدُّوَلِ
Through all-embracing justice, his realm has become
His state through the justice of his reign has thrived
radiant and lofty, rising above other realms.
To tower aloft over other realms.
يَسيرُ فيها أَبو بَكرٍ بِدينِ أَبي
بَكرٍ وَعَدلِ أَبي حَفصٍ وَبَأسِ عَلي
There Abu Bakr rules with the faith of Abu
In it pace Abu Bakr in his faith,
Bakr, the justice of Abu Hafs, and the valor of Ali.
And the justice of Abi Hafs and the might of Ali.
مِنهُ رَأَينا مُلوكَ الأَرضِ في مَلِكٍ
لا بَل رَأَينا عِبادَ اللَهِ في رَجُلِ
In him we have seen earth's kings in one king;
In him we have seen the kings of earth as one king
no, rather, we have seen God's servants in one man.
Or better yet seen God's servants in one man.
فَالعَفوُ شيمَتُهُ في عِزِّ قُدرَتِهِ
فَفيهِ يوجَدُ طَبعُ السَهلِ وَالجَبَلِ
For pardon is his nature in the fullness of his power;
Clemency is his nature despite his mighty rule,
thus in him is found the nature of plain and mountain.
In it is found the easy temper and forbearance.
سَهلُ الخَلائِقِ صَعبٌ في الوَغى شَرِسٌ
في المُلكِ يَجمَعُ بَينَ الصابِ وَالعَسَلِ
Gentle in character, formidable and fierce in battle,
Gentle of person, fierce against foes in the fray,
in kingship he combines bitter sap and honey.
In his reign he unites agreeableness and sternness.
يَرمي العِدا بِوُجودِهِ الخَيل ساهِمَةً
يَومَ الوَغى وَصُدورِ البيضِ وَالأَسَلِ
He assails the foes with his presence, with lean steeds,
With his munificence he showers steeds as arrows
on battle's day, and with the points of bright swords and spears.
On the day of battle and white blades and brown.
تَكادُ تُغنيهِ في الهَيجاءِ هَيبَتُهُ
عَنِ الصَوارِمِ وَالعَسّالَةِ الذُبُلِ
In battle, the awe he inspires almost suffices him
His awe of bearing could almost in the clash of arms
in place of keen swords and swaying, slender spears.
Save him from need of blades and armored jackets.
ما يَعرِفُ الأَمنَ في الدُّنيا مُحارِبُهُ
وَلا يَبيتُ مُواليهِ عَلى وَجَلِ
His foe knows no safety in this world,
His foes know no safety in this world and no
nor does his ally spend the night in fear.
Allies of his pass the night feeling secure.
قَد جَرَّدَ الدينَ سَيفاً مِن عَزائِمِهِ
مُهَنَّداً حَدُّهُ أَمضى مِنَ الأَجَلِ
He has unsheathed the faith as a sword from his resolves,
He has honed religion into a naked blade
of Indian steel, its edge keener than death.
With a cutting edge sharper than death itself.
إِذا اِنتَضاهُ عَلى الأَعداءِ في رَهَجٍ
أَبارَهُم فَهوَ فيهِم سابِقُ العَذَلِ
When he draws it against the enemies amid dust,
When he unsheathes it against enemies in the fray
he annihilates them: among them he outruns reproach.
He is swiftest among them to deal fatal blows.
لِلثَغرِ مِنهُ شُجاعٌ فارِسٌ بَطَلٌ
ناهيكَ مِن فارِسٍ نَدبٍ وَمِن بَطَلِ
The frontier has in him a brave warrior, a horseman, a hero;
The marches have in him a courageous rider, a valiant knight
what a gallant horseman, and what a hero!
Leading sorties, not to mention other brave cavaliers.
قَواعِدُ المُلكِ مِن تَدبيرِهِ اِطَّأَدَت
مُذ ضَمَّ بِالعَذلِ قُطريهِ بِلا خَلَلِ
The foundations of kingship have grown firm through his governance,
The pillars of his kingdom through his governance are made firm
since he united its two regions through reproof, without a breach.
Since he united its factions competently with no flaw.
يَرُدُّ رُسلَ مُلوكِ الأَرضِ مُدهَشَةً
فَما يُبَرهِنُ قَولاً أَفصَحُ الرُّسُلِ
He sends back the envoys of earth's kings bewildered,
He sends back the messengers of earth's kings confounded,
so even the most eloquent envoy cannot make his case.
No words however eloquent can equal the envoys.
وَعايَنوا مَلِكاً في دِرعِهِ أَسَدٌ
غَضبانُ مُفتَرِسٌ بِالقَولِ وَالعَمَلِ
And they have beheld a king, a lion in his armor,
They saw a lion in his coat of mail,
furious and ravening in word and deed.
Belligerent, voracious in word and deed.
وَعايَنوا مِنهُ مُردي كُلِّ ذي لِبَدٍ
في الغيلِ يَكشِرُ عَن أَنيابِهِ العُصُلِ
And they have seen in him the slayer of every maned beast
They saw one who repulses all the unrighteous
that bares its curved fangs in the thicket.
Baring his teeth with indignant rage.
يَجتابُ دِرعاً دِلاصاً وَالفُؤادُ لَهُ
دِرعٌ عَلى الدِّرعِ ملبوسٌ بِلا فَشَلِ
He dons gleaming mail, and his heart serves him as
Donning a well-wrought coat of mail while his heart
armor worn over armor, without weakness.
Wears over it an unpierced armor.
فَكَفُّهُ البَحرُ فيهِ جَدوَلٌ وَبِهِ
نارٌ تَوَقَّدُ في الهَيجاءِ بِالشُّعَلِ
So his hand is the sea, a stream within it, and in it
His palm, the sea recoils from it, in it a stream flows,
a fire blazes in battle with tongues of flame.
In the tumult a fire kindled by flaming brands.
وَالدِّرعُ مِثلُ غَديرٍ حَرَّكَتهُ يَدُ ال
صَبا وَلَمّا يُصِبها مِنهُ مِن بَلَلِ
And the armor is like a pool stirred by the hand of the
His coat of mail is like a pool ruffled by
east wind, though no moisture from it has yet touched that hand.
The breeze but no raindrops can penetrate it.
ما أَشرَعَ الرُمحَ إِلّا غاصَ ثَعلَبُهُ
يَومَ الوَغى والِغاً في مُهجَةِ البَطَلِ
He never levels the spear but its shaft-tip plunges
When he couched his lance it pierced deep
on battle's day, lapping at the hero's lifeblood.
On the day of battle goring the hero's insides.
وَقَوسُهُ تَنبُضُ الأَنباء صارِخَةً
عَن كِبدِها وَعَنِ الأَكبادِ لَم تَزُلِ
And his bow twangs out tidings, crying
His bow thunders news crying out
from its center, and never departing from livers.
Of its own and others' deepest passions.
كَأَنَّما صَوتُها البازي يُصَرصِرُ فَال
فُرسانُ تَنفُرُ مِنهُ نَفرَةَ الحَجَلِ
Its sound is like a goshawk's screech, so the
As if its twanging voice whirring announced
horsemen scatter from it as partridges scatter.
That the horsemen are panicking in headlong flight.
يا آمِلَ الخَيرِ يَمِّمهُ تَجِد مَلِكاً
مُحَقِّقَ الظَنِّ في جَدواهُ وَالأَمَلِ
O seeker of good, seek him out: you will find a king
O you who hope for good, set your course toward him,
who fulfills expectations and hopes of his bounty.
You will find a king making good on your hopes.
تَزدادُ أَيامُهُ حُسناً وَمَكرُمَةً
كَأَنَّها مِلَّةُ الإِسلامِ في المِلَلِ
His days grow in beauty and nobility,
His days ever increase in goodness and bounty,
as though they were the faith of Islam among other faiths.
As if Islam itself in its diverse sects.
أَبناؤُهُ الصّيدُ سُحبٌ عِندَ جودِهِمُ
غَيثٌ وَهُم أُسُدٌ في الحادِثِ الجَلَلِ
His proud sons are clouds; in their generosity,
His sons, the prey of his munificence, clouds
they are rain, and lions amid grave calamity.
Of rain, and lions in acts of mighty import.
فَكُلُّ أَيّامِهِم مِثلُ العَرائِسِ إِذ
تَبدو لأَعيُنِنا في الحَليِ وَالحُلَلِ
So all their days are like brides when
All their days are like brides when
they appear to our eyes in jewelry and fine robes.
They show themselves to us in ornament and finery.
هُم حِليَةُ المُلكِ لا زالوا بِهِ أَبَداً
لَولا هُمُ فيهِ كانَ المُلكُ ذا عَطَلِ
They are kingship's adornment; may they remain in it forever.
They are the adornment of the kingdom, may they endure,
Were they not in it, kingship would lack adornment.
Without them the kingdom would be in default.
Sol 6.1