قُل لأبي الهادي الذي ما أخذت

بنو الثنا من الثَنا ما أخذا

Tell Abu al-Hadi: never have the sons of praise taken

from praise itself what he has taken.

لله في ثوبِ الزمانِ واحدٌ

منك بغير المدح ما تلذَّذا

By God, within the robe of Time there is but one

like you, who has relished nothing but praise.

سموتَ فانحطَّ سواك قائلاً

مَن طلب الرفعةَ فليسمُ كذا

You rose, and all besides you sank, as though you said:

“Whoever seeks eminence, let him rise like this.”

يَرقى ذُرى العلياء مَن بحجرها

نشا وفي لُبانِها المحض اغتذى

He mounts Glory’s highest peaks who, in her lap,

grew up and at her breast was nourished on pure milk.

ذو فكرةٍ لم تَرم في شاكلةٍ

بسهمِها إلاَّ وفيها نَفذا

He commands a charge that never loosed at any mark

its arrow without driving it clean through;

وذو لسانٍ في الخِصام لم يزل

أقطع من حدِّ حسامٍ شُحذا

and a tongue that, in dispute, has never ceased to be

keener than the edge of a well-whetted sword.

يسكتُ لكن بجوابٍ حاضرٍ

يتركُ أكبادَ الخصومِ فلذا

He falls silent, yet keeps an answer ready

that leaves his adversaries’ livers hacked to pieces.

فاردُد أحاديث الصَبا إن كنَّ لم

يَروين عن شمائلٍ منه الشذا

Reject the east wind’s tales if they do not

tell how the fragrance of noble qualities comes from him.

لا حبذا إن لم يَذُعنَ نشره

وإن أذعن نشرَه فحبَّذا

No welcome to it if its wafted scent will not yield;

but if its scent yields, then welcome indeed.

كم قد أقام الدهرَ عن فريسةٍ

من بُرثن الخطبِ لها مُنتَقِذا

How often has he held Time back from a victim,

rescuing her from the talon of calamity.

يَطرُد شيطانَ العنا عن نفسه

مَن بسماحِ كفِّه تَعوَّذا

He drives the demon of misery from the soul

of whoever seeks refuge in his hand’s liberality.

حكى رجاءَ الوفد لولا جودُهُ

يونس لمّا بالعراءِ نُبِذا

But for his bounty, the delegation’s hope would resemble

Jonah when he was cast upon the open shore.