عَتَادُكَ أَنْ تَشُنَّ بِها مُغَارا
فَقُدْها شُزَّباً قُبّاً تَبَارى
Your habit is to wage war with it,
So aim it randomly, perfect in symmetry,
كَأَنَّ أَهِلَّةً قَذَفَتْ نُجُوماً
إِذا قَدَحَتْ سَنابِكُها شَرارا
As if a new moon has flung stars,
When its windows strike a spark.
وَهَلْ مَنْ ضَمَّرَ الْجُرْدَ المَذَاكي
كَمَنْ جَعَلَ الطِّرادَ لَها ضِمارا
Is one who readies coats of mail,
Like one who makes the coats discard?
كَأَنَّ اللَّيْلَ مَوْتُورٌ حَرِيبٌ
يحاوِلُ عِنْدَ ضَوْءِ الصُّبْحِ ثَارا
As if the night in anguish limps
And at the dawn's light vengeance keeps.
فَلَيْسَ يَحِيدُ عَنْها مُسْتَجِيشا
عَلَى الإِصْباحِ عِثْيَرَها الْمُثارا
So stirred, it cannot deviate
From its wont when day does break.
أَخَذْنَ بِثَأْرِهِ عَنَقاً وَرَكْضاً
مَدَدْنَ عَلَى الصَّبَاحِ بِهِ إِزارا
Taking vengeance by throat and race
At dawn its skirt they pull and chase.
وَقَدْ هَبَّتْ سُيُوفُكَ لامِعَاتٍ
تُفَرِّقُ في دُجُنَّتِهِ نَهارا
Your shining swords do separate
Its darkness to make day radiate.
أَمَا وَالسَّابِقاتِ لَقَدْ أَبَاحَتْ
لَكَ الشَّرَفَ الْمُمَنَّعَ وَالْفَخَارا
By the early risers indeed allowed
Are you glory denied, and merit endowed.
فَزُرْ حَلَباً بِكُلِّ أَقَبَّ نَهْدٍ
فَقَدْ تُدْنِي لَكَ الْخَيْلُ الْمَزَار
Visit Aleppo, every hill's bent breast,
The steeds do bring it nearer to your rest.
وَكَلِّفْ رَدَّها إِنْ شِئْتَ قَسْراً
عَزائِمَ تَسْتَرِدُّ الْمُسْتَعارا
And if you wish, take it back by force,
Resolves take back what was coerced.
فَأَجْدِرْ بِالْممَالِكِ أَنْ تَراها
لِمَنْ كانَتْ مَمَالِكَهُ مِرارا
More deserving for the kingdoms' sight,
Are those whose kingdoms were once plight.
وَإِنْ وَلَدَتْ لَكَ الآمالُ حَظَّاً
فَما زالَتْ مَواعِدُها عِشَارا
If hopes bear fortune as their child,
Their trysts are always reconciled.
إِذا عَايَنْتَ مِنْ عُودٍ دُخاناً
فَأَوْشِكْ أَنْ تُعايِنَ مِنْهُ نارا
If from a rod you see a smoke,
Be sure to see from it fire invoke.
وَيَأْبى اللهُ إِنْ أَبَتِ الأَعادي
لِنَاصِرِ دينِهِ إِلاَّ انْتِصارا
God refuses, if enemies decline,
But victory for faith's champion to design.
وَمَا كَبُرَتْ عَلَيْكَ أُمُورُ مَجْدٍ
إِذا أَصْدَقْتَها الْهِمَمَ الْكِبارا
No great glory is too hard for you,
If honest is the great intent you pursue.
وَمَا هِمَمُ الْفَتى إِلاَّ غُصُونٌ
تَكُونُ لَها مَطالِبُهُ ثِمارا
A young man's resolve is but branches,
Whose requests become results and avenges.
أَلَسْتَ ابْنَ الَّذي هَطَلَتْ يَداهُ
نَدىً سَرَفاً لِمَنْ نَطَقَ اخْتِصارا
Are you not son of one whose hand did pour,
Free rain to those speech curtails and deplores?
وَأَعْطى الأَلْفَ لَمْ تُعْقَرْ بِنَقْصٍ
وَما غُنِّي وَلا شَرِبَ الْعُقارا
Who gave thousands without any dearth,
Nor sang while sober, nor drank liquor's mirth.
وَأَشْبَعَ جُودُهُ غَرْثى الأَمَانِي
وَرَوَّى بَأُسُهُ الأَسَلَ الْحِرارا
Whose bounty sated hopes of wish and want,
His might quenched heated swords that taunt.
وَقَادَ إِلى الأَعَادِي كُلَّ جَيْشٍ
تَقُودُ إِلَيْهِ رَهْبَتُهُ الدِّيارا
Who marched against the enemies each troop,
His awe leads their lands with fear to stoop.
وَلَوْ قُلْتُ ابْنُ مَحْمُودٍ كَفَتْنِي
صِفَاتُ عُلاَكَ فَضْلاً وَاشْتِهار
If I said, son of Mahmoud, it would suffice -
Your virtues, glorious and apprised.
وَهَلْ يَخْفَى عَلَى السَّارِينَ نَهْجٌ
إِذا ما الْبَدْرُ في الأُفُقِ اسْتَنارا
Can the path be obscure to those who walk,
When the moon in horizon does dawn and talk?
مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الأُولى جَادُوا سِرارا
وَعَادَوْا كُلَّ مَنْ عَادَوْا جِهارا
The foremost people were generous at heart,
And hostile to those hostile in their part.
وَمَا كَتَمُوا النَّدى إِلاَّ لِيَخْفَى
وَيَأْبى الْغيْثُ أَنْ يَخْفى انْهِمارا
They hid not their bounty but to hide,
As rain refuses its downpour be denied.
بُدُورُ الأَرْضِ ضَاحِيَةً عَلَيْها
وَأَطْيَبُ مَنْ ثَوى فِيها نُجِارا
The lands' expanse smiling activity they bless,
And most fragrant are those who in it progress.
إِذا ما زُلْزِلتْ كانوا جِبالاً
وَإِنْ هِيَ أَمْحَلَتْ كانوا بِحارا
When shaken they are mountains indeed,
If emptied, they are oceans that recede.
وَأَنْتَ أَشَدُّهُمْ بَأْساً وَأَنْدَا
هُمُ كَفّاً وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَخارا
You are the fiercest, most forceful in might,
They fists, and most their glory is blight.
وَأَوْفَاهُمْ إِذا عَقَدُوا ذِماماً
وَأَحْمَاهُمْ إِذا حَامَوْا ذِمارا
Truest when they ties of pact engage,
Most zealous when battles them enrage.
وَأَمْرَعُهُمْ لِمُرْتَادٍ جَنَاباً
وَأَمْنعُهُمْ لِمَطْلُوبٍ جِوَارا
Quickest they to give haven from raids,
Strongest to deny haven when evade.
لَقَدْ لَبِسَتْ بِكَ الدُّنْيَا جَمالاً
فَلَوْ كَانَتْ يَداً كنْتَ السِّوَارا
The world with you has worn a charm,
As if your hand, you would be its palm.
يُضِيءُ جَبِينُكَ الْوَضَّاحُ فيها
إِذا ما الرَّكْبُ في الظُّلْمآءِ حَارا
Your brilliant forehead in it does ignite,
When travelers in darkness lose their sight.
فَما يدْرِي أَنَارُ قِراكَ لاَحَتْ
لَهُ أَمْ بَرْقٌ غَيْثِكَ قَدْ أَنَارا
They know not your abode's light appears,
Or your rains' lightning the veil tears.
تَمَلَّ أَبا الْقِوامِ شَرِيفَ حَمْدٍ
رَفَعْتُ بِهِ عَلَى الدُّنْيا مَنارا
I am weary of praising the high estate,
Of Abu'l Qiwam, noble deed and trait.
ثَناءُ ما حَدَاهُ الْفِكْرُ إِلاَّ
أَقَامَ بِكُلِّ مَنْزِلَةٍ وَسَارا
What my thoughts limit, praise but provides
Every rank a place, and there resides.
إِذا أُثْنِي بِحَمْدِكَ قَالَ قَوْمٌ
بِحَقِّ الرَّوْضِ أَنْ حَمِدَ الْقُطارا
When I your praise acclaim some say verily,
As true the garden, it praises greenery.
غَفَرْتُ ذُنُوبَ هذا الدَّهْرِ لَمّا
أَصارَ إِلَيَّ رُؤْيَتَكَ اعْتِذَارا
I forgave this era's sins completely, only
When seeing you became its apology.
وَرَدَّ لِيَ الصِّبا بِنَداكَ حَتّى
خَلَعْتُ لَدَيْهِ في اللَّهْوِ الْعِذارا
Youth returned your call until I shed,
Before it my playing and amusement dead.
