لا أعْصِرُ الخَمْرَ بل أغْرِس العِنَبا

حَسبي ثُغُورٌ تُبيحُ الظّلْمَ والشّنَبا

I do not press wine, but plant grapes,

My swords are enough to justify darkness and old rancor,

إذا تُدارُ على صاحٍ سُلافَتُها

يَوْماً تَهافَتَ سُكْراً وانتَشى طرَبا

When it circulates around a sober man,

One day he stumbles intoxicated and sways happily,

وظلّ يَهْزَجُ في أثناءِ نَشْوَتِه

حتّى كأنّ دَمَ العُنقودِ ما شرِبا

And remains celebrating in the midst of his joy,

As if the blood of grapes is what he had drunk,

قل للنّزيفِ بِها أدْمِنْ على ثِقَةٍ

فلا جُناحَ على مَن أدْمن الضَربا

Tell this bleeding to persist confidently,

There is no sin upon whoever persistently drinks and strikes,

يا بُؤْسَ للصبّ شَام البَرْقَ مُبتَسما

فباتَ يُزْري بصَوْبِ المُزْن مُنْتَحبا

Oh misery for the young man smiling at the lightning of dawn,

Who spent the night sobbing towards the beloved,

وفي الحَشا ما الحَشايا عنْه تُنْبِئُه

مِن لوْعة سَعّرتها فاغْتَدَتْ عَجَبا

And in his innermost self is what the inner selves do not tell him,

From a burning passion that blazed into something amazing,

لا أنكرُ الضّد يلقى الضّدّ مذ جمعتْ

جوانحي وجفوني الماء واللَهبا

I do not deny that opposite meets opposite since

My wings and eyelids gathered water and flame,

إنّ الذين ولُوا أمْر التي ولِيَتْ

أمْري غدا سِلْمُهُم حَرْباً فَواحرَبا

Those who turned away the matter of the one who turned over

My matter to them, their peace with me became a war, so I fought,

أمُّوا العَقيق فعاقوا العاشِقين ولَوْ

عاجُوا على منعجٍ قضّى الهوى أرَبا

They prevented passionate lovemaking, even if

They had prevented it from a scorching heat that fulfilled desire,

آمَتْ بَنَاتُ نَسيبي يوْم بينهِمُ

لِفَقْدها منْ فُؤادي قَيّماً حَدِبا

My cousin’s daughters believed, the day they were separated

From my heart, they took a substitute from me,

ساروا بِه دونَ جِسْمي كَيفَ صاحَبَهُم

ولا قوامَ لهُ إلا إِذا اصْطُحِبا

They went away with him without my body, how did he accompany them?

He cannot stand except if we went together,

يا آلَ خَوْلَةَ لا آلُو مَضَارِبَكُم

حَوْما عَليها رَجاء الوردِ إذْ عذُبا

Oh tribe of Khawla, do not refuse me the meadows,

Hoping for flowers when they are fresh,

وإنْ حَجَبْتم عنِ الأبصارِ هَوْدجَها

فحاجب الشمس لا يخفى وإن حُجبا

Even if you veil her from sights, the veil of the sun does not hide when veiled,

How does it harm you if her attachment was led by the excellent youth?

ما ضرّكم لو نَفَحْتُم مِن تعلّقها

بأنْ يَسوق لَها المُهرية النُّجُبا

If you are stingy with a meager amount which does not suffice you,

You will be exposed by what the Arabs are given,

لَئِن بَخِلْتُم بِنزْر ليسَ يَرْزَؤُكُمْ

لَتَفْضَحُنّ بِما تأتُونَه العَربَا

Does the generosity of the Prince not offend you

To a barren desert and a close land with what it engulfs of requests?

أليسَ يُعْديكُم جُودُ الأميرِ عَلى

قاصٍ ودانٍ بِما يَسْتَغْرقُ الطَلبا

The champion is severe with the gift, triumphant,

And the desirable establishes the truth, erected,

المُنتَضي صارِماً للهَدْي مُنْتَصراً

والمُرْتَضى قائِماً بِالحَقّ مُنْتصبا

The Imam of religion and life gathered them

After they were disturbed for a long time and became estranged,

إمامُ دينٍ ودُنيا لمّ شَمْلَهُما

مِنْ بعد ما اضْطَرَبا دهراً وما اغْتَربا

He assumed the kingship and the sultanate smoothly,

The clothes of his authority he folded gently,

تقلّد المُلْكَ والسُّلطان مُنْهَجةً

أثْوَابُه فَثَناها غَضّةً قُشُبا

He is honored by his fathers over all people,

Whenever pulpits name them as fathers and fathers,

يَسمو بآبائِهِ الأنام مُفْتَخِراً

إِذا المَنابِر سَمَّتْهُمْ أباً فأبا

Indeed, Yahya ibn Abd al-Wahid ibn Abi

Hafs is brighter in lineage than the sun of dawn,

وإنّ يَحْيى بنَ عبد الواحدِ بنِ أبي

حَفْصٍ لأَنوَرُ من شَمسِ الضُحى نَسبا

They are three, the stars of the earth who became ten

And mingled in the seven planets of the heavens,

ثَلاثَةٌ هُمْ نُجومُ الأرضِ قَد عَشَروا

وعَاشَرُوا في السّماءِ السّبْعَة الشُهُبا

Blessed are their determinations over the world,

The party of religion whether intense or lenient,

مُبارَكونَ عَلى الدُنيا عَزائِمُهُم

حِزْبُ الديانَة فيما غالَ أو حَزَبا

Their only one became in every ordeal

He who repels what corrupts the oneness of God,

أضحى وحيدَهُمُ في كلِّ مَعْلُوَةٍ

مَنْ ردّ من ألْفة التّوحيدِ ما ذَهَبا

A king who fluttered to the height of his glory,

And gained the ancient holiness and the progeny,

مَلْكٌ تَبَحْبَحَ في عَلْياء سُؤْدَدِه

فأَحرَزَ السّلَف القُدْسِيّ وَالعَقبا

The planets would plunge if they plunge to his highness

And kiss the palm that does not tire from fatigue,

تَهْوى الكَواكِبُ لوْ أهوَت لِسُدّتِه

فَقبّلَتْ راحَةً لا تَأتَلي تَعَبا

Stabbing, striking, and giving at every instant,

And no share for those who disdain hardships,

طَعْنَاً وضَرْباً وبَذلاً كُلّ آوِنَة

ولا نَصيبَ لمَن يَستَنكِفُ النّصَبا

So from his generosity, when the pouring rain insisted,

Or from his sharpness, when the unsheathed sword slashed,

فمِنْ سماح إذا القطر المُلِثُّ ونَى

أوْ مِنْ مَضاء إِذا العَضْبُ الحُسامُ نَبا

No fearful hesitant approached his door,

Except he came near to the safety of God and drew closer,

لَم يَدْنُ مِن بابِهِ مُسْتَشْعِرٌ وَجَلاً

إلا دنا مِن أمانِ اللّهِ وَاقْتربا

He unveiled the swords when he spent the night armored,

أَعْرى الصَوارِمَ لمّا باتَ مُدَّرعا

مُفاضَة الحزْم واستَدنَى القَنا السُّلبا

Divesting of caution, and unsheathing the spears of war,

And he mixed white with courage when dew dripped,

وَصالَ بِالبيضِ بأساً حِينَ سالَ نَدىً

بِالصَّبرِ فاسْتفْرغ الأكياس والقِربا

With patience he exhausted supplies and emptied the leather bags,

The towering mountains and sea are forever

الطّوْد والبَحر من حُسّادِه أبداً

إذا احْتَبى في سَريرِ المُلكِ ثُمّ حَبا

From his enviers when he embraced the throne and loved,

It is for this that this one raged, anxious and restless,

لأجلِها طاشَ هَذا مُزبِدا قَلِقاً

وقَرّ ذاك طويلَ الفِكْرِ مُكْتَئِبا

While the other settled, with prolonged worries and depressed,

Then their perfection in him became clear,

ثمّ استَبان كَمالاً فيهِ عِزُّهُما

حتَّى لَقَد رَضِيا مِن طُولِ ما غَضِبا

To the point that they were pleased with the length of their anger,

Blessed is he whose brightness did not shine like the dawn

مُبَارَكٌ لَم تَلُحْ كالصُّبحِ غُرّتُه

إلا جَلَتْ كالظّلام الحَندس النوَبا

Except his darkness dispersed like clouds' clusters,

He leaves tree branches by the river which were made

يُغادِر النّهْر غَصّاناً وقَد جُعِلَت

تُحيلُ شُمّ الرّواسي خيلُه كُثبا

To transform the smell of cypresses, his cavalry attacks,

The tied reins of war make him feel safe in the army,

في الجَيْشِ منهُ رَبيط الجَأشِ يُؤْمِنُه

والرّوْع يَفْصِلُ عن راياتِها العَذَبا

And awe keeps the flags separate from intertwining,

Praise did not shake him except its obtainer dripped

ما هَزّهُ المَدْحُ إلا انْثَالَ نائِلُهُ

كالجِذع ساقط لما حرَّك الرُّطبا

Like a fallen wet trunk when the rain moved it,

Kings stop short of his limit,

عُلى المُلوكِ وُقوفٌ دونَ غايَته

إنّ القُطوف إذا جارى الجَواد كَبا

For the highest harvest comes when the steed trots,

And if they pretended a claim to his resemblance,

وَإن أخالُوا بِدَعوى في مُجَانَسَةٍ

فمن لَهم بلُجيْن يُشبِهُ الذّهَبا

Who are they to have smooth faces that resemble gold?

These months are the months of God, one,

هذِي الشُهورُ شُهورُ اللّهِ واحِدَةٌ

والفَرْدُ مِنهُنّ وَصفٌ لازِمٌ رَجبا

And singularity among them is an eternal attribute, Rajab,

My Master, serenity always poured on Your humble slave,

مَوْلايَ سَحّتْ عَلى العبدِ اللهَى دِيَماً

فَبَادَرَ الحَمْد يَقْضي مِنْهُ مَا وَجَبا

So he hurried to give thanks and fulfill what is due,

I fear - since I hurried it generously -

إنّي أخاف وَقَد عُجلْتهَا مِنَحاً

إِذا أؤَجّل مَدْحاً أن يكونَ رِبا

When I delay praise, that it becomes usury,

I rushed to thank, professing that my hand

سارَعتُ بالشكرِ إِفصاحاً بأن يَدي

تَأثّلَت مِن يَدَيْك المَالَ والنّشَبا

Sculpted the money and text from Your hands,

I did not refrain from a verse or rhyme

وَما توقّفتُ عَن بَيْتٍ وَقَافِيَةٍ

مُنذُ استَفدْتُ لَدَيك العِلم والأدَبا

Since I learned knowledge, literature, and manners from You.