لاحَ الهَوى وَاِستَنارَ العَدلُ وَالبَصَرُ
فَاِزدادَتِ الشَمسُ ضَوءاً وَاِستَوى القَمَرُ
The passion shone bright and justice and insight lit up,
So the sun grew brighter and the moon stood straight.
وَأَصبَحَ الناسُ قَد ساغَ الشَرابُ لَهُم
بَعدَ البَلاءِ وَبَعدَ الجَهدِ أَن شَكَروا
And people found that drink was made sweet for them
After affliction and after hard effort when they gave thanks.
يا صاحِ لَو كُنتَ مِنّا في بَلِيَّتِنا
إِذ لا مَحالَةَ إِلّا أَنَّنا صُبُرُ
O comrade, if you had been one of us in our calamity
You would have had to be patient, since we had no choice.
إِذ تَحسَبُ البَدرَ مَنقوصاً لِلَيلَتِهِ
وَلا تَرى الشَمسَ إِلّا دونَها غِيَرُ
You may think the moon lacking on some nights,
Yet you see naught but the sun through it.
أَيامَ سُلطانُنا مُرٌّ مَذاقَتُهُ
وَالمالُ مُستَبخَرٌ وَالعَيشُ مُعتَذِرُ
The days of our sultan were bitter to taste
And money was being hoarded and living was full of excuses.
لَو طالَعَت مِن ثَلاثِ المِصرِ واحِدَةٌ
مُعَمَّرينَ عَلى السَرّاءِ ما عُمِروا
If one of the three Egypts had looked
Upon men favored with ease, they would not have lived long.
هُنَّ الثَلاثُ اللَواتي لَو نَفَحتَ بِها
أَبناءَ عادٍ عَلى عِلّاتِهِم دَمِروا
These three by which, if the sons of ‘Ād
Had been breathed upon because of their sin, they would have been destroyed.
قامَت بِهِنَّ المَنايا في مَشارِبِها
فَالحَمضُ يَأخُذُنا وَالفَتلُ وَالبَعَرُ
By them death set up its drinking places,
So acid, murder and drought afflict us,
حَتّى تَنَقَّذُ عَبدُاللَهِ عامِرَنا
كَما تَنَقَّذَنا مِن مِثلُها عُمَرُ
Until Abdullah our prosperous one was saved
As we were saved from the like, by ‘Umar.
لَما حَمِدتَ أَميراً بَعدَهُ أَبَداً
وَلا ذَمَمتَ لَنا مَن كانَ يَأتَمِرُ
When you praised the prince after him forever
And did not blame for us him who took orders.
ضَمَّ العِراقَ وَقَد هَزَّت دَعائِمَهُ
صَمّاءُ عَمياءُ لا تُبقي وَلا تَذَرُ
He gathered Iraq though its pillars were shaken
By blind fanatics who left nothing remaining nor any trace.
فَقَوَّمَ اللَهُ أَضعانَ القُلوبِ بِهِ
وَأَدرَكَ الدينَ إِذ إِدراكُهُ عَسِرُ
So God braced the weakness of hearts through him
And the faith was protected, though protecting it is difficult.
شَهمُ اللِقاء حَليمٌ عِندَ قُدرَتِهِ
سِيّانَ مَعروفُهُ في الناسِ وَالمَطَرُ
Brave in battle, forbearing in his power,
His known qualities the same in people and in rain,
لا يَحقَبُ القَطرَ إِلّا فاضَ نائِلُهُ
وَلا تَزَلزَلَ إِلّا خِلتَهُ يَقِرُ
He does not deny the rain except to overflow his water skin,
And nothing shakes him but his empty belly rumbles.
يَثني مَخالِبَ لَيثٍ عَن مَجاهِلِهِم
يُشفى بِأَمثالِهِنَّ الصابُ وَالصَدَرُ
He sheathes the claws of a fierce lion against the foolish,
By the like of such wounds and chests are healed.
هُوَ الشِهابُ الَّذي يُكوى العَدُوُّ بِهِ
وَالمَشرَفِيُّ الَّذي تَعصى بِهِ مُضَرُ
He is the flame that burns the enemy,
And he by whom the upstart is subdued.
ماضي العِداتِ إِذا وافَقتَ نَظرَتَهُ
أَدّى إِلَيكَ الَّذي يُعنى بِهِ النَظَرُ
When his resolution accords with your sight
It conveys to you what sight is concerned with.
لا يَرهَبُ المَوتَ إِنَّ النَفسَ باسِلَةٌ
وَالرَأيَ مُجتَمِعٌ وَالدينَ مُنتَشِرُ
He does not fear death, for his soul is valiant,
His purpose united and his faith expanding.
إِنَّ الأَميرَ جَزاهُ اللَهُ صالِحَةً
في كُلِّ صالِحَةٍ أَمسى لَهُ أَثَرُ
Indeed the prince - may God reward him with righteousness -
Righteousness, in every righteous deed the traces lead to him.
شَقَّ المُغيثَ لَنا نُعطى غَوارِبُهُ
مِنَ البَطائِحِ فيها الغارُ وَالعُشَرُ
He split the abundant rain for us, we were given its first pourings,
With hill torrents in which are pebbles and great flows.
حَتّى اِنثَنى البَحرُ عَن دُفّاعِ جَريَتِهِ
مُستَبطِحِ الماءِ حَيثُ الدورُ يَنحَدِرُ
Until the sea bent back from the impact of its surge,
Spreading water where the stream comes cascading down.
جَونَ السَراةِ كَأَنَّ الجِنَّ تَهمِزُهُ
إِذا بَغى البَحرَ مِن باغٍ فينهَمِرُ
The sound of rain is as if spirits were whispering to it
When the sea yearns for a rain from pouring clouds.
تَخفى القَراقيرُ في دُفّاعِ لُجَّتِهِ
حيناً وَتَظهَرُ أَحياناً فَتَنتَشِرُ
Sea foam hides in the impact of its heaviness
Sometimes, and at others appears and spreads about.
يَنساخُ في بَطنِ جَيّاشٍ غَوارِبُهُ
تَحتَ السَماءِ سَماءٌ مَوجُها أَشِرُ
In the belly of a tumultuous, swelling wave, its first pourings
Subside beneath the sky – a sky, its waves more wicked.
جافَ الحُداءَ إِذا ما لَجَّ أَتعَبَها
حَتّى تَزاوَرَ أَو فيهِ لَها وَزَرُ
It exhausted the shore, whenever a heavy surge assaulted it,
To the point that it visited it or a burden remained upon it.
كَأَنَّها الخَيلُ طارَت في مَواطِنِها
أَو رَعلَةٌ مِن بَناتِ الهيقِ تَنشَمِرُ
It was as if they were horses that had flown in their places
Or a young gazelle of the sand grouse rushing about.
أَصابَنا حينَ عافَ السَرحُ مَشرَبَنا
وَإِذ ذَوى القُضبُ وَالرَيحانُ وَالخَضِرُ
It afflicted us when the drinking place was deprived of our cattle
And aromatic plants, greenery and blossoms faded.
فَاِهتَزَّتِ الأَرضُ إِذ طابَت مَشارِبُها
وَحَنَّتِ الوَحشُ وَالأَنعامُ وَالشَجَرُ
So the land shook when its drinking places went foul
And wild creatures, domestic beasts and trees became distressed.
لا نَشرَبُ الماءَ إِلا قالَ شارِبُنا
نِعمَ الأَميرُ كَفاهُ السَمعُ وَالبَصَرُ
We do not drink the water unless the one giving us to drink says,
“Good is the prince,” - hearing and sight are enough from him.
جادَت يَداهُ بِسُقيانا وَعيشَتِنا
فَالعَيشُ مُنبَسِطٌ وَالماءُ مُنفَجِرُ
His hands were generous with our watering and livelihood,
So life smiles and water flows sweet.
أَروى مِن العَذبِ هاماتٍ مُصَرَّدَةً
قَد كانَ أَزرى بِهِنَّ المِلحُ وَالكَدَرُ
I give to drink high, elegant humps
That had been accustomed to brackish and bitter water.
