قُلْ للمليكِ ابنِ الملوكِ الصِّيدِ

قوْلاً يسدُّ عليه عَرْضَ البيدِ

Say to the royal son of kings, the hunter,

Words that close his wide net,

لَهفي عليكَ أما ترِقُّ على العُلى

أم بينَ جانِحتَيكَ قلبُ حديد

I yearn for you - don't you care for the exalted?

Or is there a heart of iron between your wings?

ما حَقُّ كفِّكَ أن تُمَدَّ لمِبضَعٍ

من بعد زَعزعةِ القَنا الأملود

It is not right for your hand to be extended to a prey,

After the shaking of the bent spear,

ما كان ذاك جزاؤها بمجالِهَا

بينَ النَّدى والطعنةِ الأخدود

That was not its reward in its sanctuary,

Between dew and the deep wound.

لو نابَ عنها فصدُ شيءٍ غيرِهَا

لوَقيْتُ مِعصَمَها بحبل وريدي

If it turned away from it, other game would be caught -

I would have protected its wrist with my arteries.

فارْدُدْ إليك نجيعَها المُهْراق إنْ

كان النجيعُ يُرَدُّ بعدَ جُمود

So return its bleeding carcass to me, if

The carcass can be returned after rigidity.

أو فاسقِنِيه فإنّني أولى به

من أن يُرَاقَ على ثَرىً وصَعيد

Or let me drink its blood, for I am more deserving of it

Than it being shed on earth and land.

ولئِنْ جرى من فضَّةٍ في عسجدٍ

فبغَيرِ علم الفاصدِ الرِّعْديد

And if it flowed from silver vessels in a gown,

Without the thunder-like shooter knowing.

فصَدتْكَ كفّاهُ وما دَرَتَا ولو

يَدْري غَداةَ المشهد المشهود

So your hands missed it, though they knew not,

If only it knew the next day after the witnessed event.

أجْرى مباضِعَهُ على عاداتها

فجَرَتْ على نهجٍ من التّسديد

It would have let its organs flow naturally,

Flowing correctly, smoothly.

واعْتاقَهُ عن مَلكِها الجزَعُ الذي

يعتاقُ بطشةَ قِرنِكَ المِرّيد

And desperation, which liberates from your conquering blow,

Would have freed it from your obedient spear.

قد قلتُ للآسي حنانَك عائِداً

فلقَد قَرَعْتَ صَفاةَ كلِّ ودود

I said your mercy would return to the anguished,

For you have appealed to the heart of every loving soul.

أوَما اتَّقَيْتَ اللّه في العضْوِ الذي

يَفديه أجمعُ مُهجةِ الصِّنديد

Or did you not fear Allah regarding the member which

All the resolute heroes would sacrifice themselves for?

أوَما خشيتَ من الصّوارمِ حولَه

تهتزُّ من حَنَقٍ عليك شديد

Or were you not afraid of the blades around it

Which shake with intense anger at you?

أوَلم تُهَلْ من ساعدِ الأسَدِ الذي

فيه خِضابٌ من دماءِ أُسود

Or were you not awed by the forearm of the lion

Dyed with the blood of lions?

ولمَا اجترأتَ على مَجَسَّة كفِّه

إلاَّ وأنتَ من الكُماة الصِّيد

And when did you dare to touch its noble palm

Unless you were one of the brave hunters?

وعلامَ تفْصِدُ مَن جرَى من كفِّه

في الجود مثلُ البحرِ عامَ مُدود

And why would you hunt one whose hand flowed

Like the sea, generous for an extended time?

فبحسبه ممّا أرادوا بذلَهُ

في المجدِ نفسُ المُتعَب المجهود

It is enough what they wanted to spend

In glory - the soul of the exhausted striver.

قالوا دَواءً نبتغي فأجبتُهُمْ

ليسَ السَّقامُ لمثلِهِ بعَقيدِ

They said "We seek a cure" - so I told them:

"The illness is not for its like with conviction."

لِمَ لا يُداوي نفسَه من جودهِ

مَن كان يمكنُه دواءُ الجود

"Why does he not cure himself with his generosity,

He who can cure with generosity?"

ما داؤهُ شيءٌ سوى السرف الذي

يُمضي وما الإسرافُ بالمحمودِ

"His illness is nothing but extravagance

Which persists, and extravagance is not praiseworthy."

عَشِقَ السَّماحَ وذاك سيماهُ وما

يَخفى دليلُ متَيَّمٍ معمود

"He loved benevolence, and that is his sign, and the guide

Of an adorer is not hidden."

إنَّ السقيمَ زمانُهُ لا جسمُهُ

إذ لا يجيءُ لمثله بنديد

"Indeed it is his time that is sick, not his body,

For the like of him is not afflicted."

قَعَدَ الزّمانُ عن المكارم والعُلى

إنَّ الزّمان السَّوءَ غيرُ رشيد

"The times fell short of virtues and loftiness,

Indeed evil times are not rightly guided."

حسبي مدى الآمال يحيَى إنّهُ

أمْنُ المَرُوعِ وعصْمةُ المنجود

"It is enough for me what hopes extend, O Yahya,

For he is the safety of the frightened, and protection of the sought."

لقد اغتدَى والمجدُ فوق سريره

والغيثُ تحت رِواقِهِ الممدود

"Tyranny prevailed while glory was atop its throne

And rain was beneath its extended canopy."

أوحَشتَنا في صدرِ يوْمٍ واحِدٍ

وأطَلتَ شوقَ الصافناتِ القود

"You made us lonely in a single day

And prolonged the yearning of ardent lovers."

وأقلُّ منه ما يُضرِّمُ لوعتي

ويحولُ بين الصَّبرِ والمجلود

"Less than it is what makes my affliction blaze

And comes between patience and endurance."

لِمَ لا وقد ألبَستَني النِّعَمَ التي

لم تُبقِ لي في الناس غيرَ حسود

"Why not, when you clothed me in favors

Leaving none but the envious among people for me?"

حمّلتَني ما لا أنُوءُ بحَمْلِهِ

إلاّ بعَوْنِ اللّهِ والتَّأييد

"You burdened me with what I cannot bear to carry

Except with Allah's help and support."

لولا حياتُكَ ما اغتبطتُ بعيشةٍ

ولوَ انّني عُمِّرْتُ عُمْرَ لَبيد

"If not for your life I would not delight in a livelihood

Even if I lived as long as Labid."

أهدى السلامُ لك السلامَ وإنّما

عَيشُ الوَدود سلامَةُ المَودود

"Greetings of peace to you, greetings, but

The life of a lover is the safety of the loved one."

أوَما ترى الأعمارَ لو قُسمتْ على

قَدْرِ الكِرام لَفُزْتَ بالتَّخليد

"Do you not see that if lives were distributed

According to virtues you would gain eternity?"

أنتَ الذي ما دام حيّاً لم يكُنْ

في المُلكِ من أمْتٍ ولا تأويد

"You are the one - as long as you live

Among the rulers there is no nation or support."

ما للسِّهامِ ولا الحِمامِ ولا لِمَا

تُمضيه في العزَماتِ من مرْدود

"There is nothing for arrows, nor pigeons, nor what

You spend on resolves that can be matched."

ولقد كفيتَ فكنتَ سيفاً ليس بال

نابي ورُكْناً ليسَ بالمهدود

"You have been sufficient, so you were a sword with no equal

And a pillar not to be demolished."

وإذا نظرتَ إلى الأسنّة نظرةً

ألقَتْ إليكَ الحرْبُ بالإقليد

"And if you looked at the tongues with a look

War would be humbled before you."

وإذا ثنَيْتَ إلى الخلافة أصبعاً

وفّيتَ حقَّ النقض والتوكيد

"And if you curled a finger toward the caliphate

You would fulfill the truth of annulment and confirmation."

وإذا تصَفَّحتَ الأمورَ تَدَبُّراً

خُيّرْتَ في التوفيق والتسديد

"And if you examined affairs with deliberation

You would be given success and guidance."

وإذا تشاءُ بلغت بالتقريبِ ما

لا يبْلُغُ الحكماءُ بالتبعيد

"And if you desire, through approximation you attain what

The wise cannot attain through abstraction."

وقبضتَ أرواحَ العِدى وبسَطْتَها

ما بينَ تَلْيينٍ إلى تَشْديد

"You grasped the souls of enemies and spread them

Between softening and hardening."

ولقد بعُدْتَ عن الصِّفاتِ وكنهِها

ولقد قربتَ فكنتَ غيرَ بعيد

"You were distant from attributes and their truth

Yet you were near, not far."

فكأنّكَ المقدارُ يعرفُه الورى

من غيرِ تكييفٍ ولا تحديد

"It is as if you are Predestination - the world knows you

Without qualification or definition."

كلُّ الشهادة ممكنٌ تكذيبُها

إلاّ ببأسِكَ والعُلى والجُود

"All testimony can be denied

Except by your might and highness and generosity."

كلُّ الرجاءِ ضلالةٌ ما لم يكن

في اللّهِ أو في رأيكَ المحمود

"Every hope is misguidance unless it is

In Allah or in your praised opinion."

لا حكمةٌ مأثورةٌ ما لم تكُنْ

في الوحي أو في مدحك المسرود

"No transmitted wisdom unless it is

In revelation or your flowing praise."

لم يَدَّخرْ عنك المديحَ الجَزْلَ مَن

وَفّاكَ غايتَهُ من المجهود

"He did not spare you grand praise, he who

Fulfilled his goal with effort."

ولما مدحْتُكَ كي أزيدك سودداً

هل في كمالك موضعٌ لمزيد

"And when I praised you, to increase your joy,

Is there room in your perfection for increase?"

ما لي وذلك والزّيادة عندهم

في الحدِّ نقصانٌ من المحدود

"What is this to me, while increase to them

In the limit is a loss from the bounded."

أُثني عليك شهادةً لك بالعُلى

كشهادتي للّه بالتّوحِيد

"I praise you as witness to your loftiness

As my witness to Allah's oneness."