عهْدَ الشّبابِ سَقَى أيّامَكَ الأُوَلا
سحٌّ منَ الدّمْعِ إنْ شحَّ الحَيا هطَلا
The days of your youth watered the early mornings
With tears if life was barren, pouring rain if blessed.
وإنْ حَيا اللهُ حيّاها مُزَيْناتِهِ
يوْماً وأُسْعِفَ طَلاّبٌ بِما سألا
Should God grant life, adorned are its landmarks,
Fulfilling seekers with all they have asked.
فجادَ حيَّكَ منْها غيْرَ مُفْسِدِها
مُجَلْجِلٌ يَطأ الأوْهادَ والقُلَلا
So live generously without corruption.
Thundering, treading plateaus and hills,
يُغادِرُ الدّوْحَ منْ بعْدِ الذّوَى خضِلاً
يخْتالُ في حُلَلٍ مَوْشِيّةٍ وحُلا
Departing the sands after fading away,
Swaying in garments, pacing, rising and sitting.
فكمْ لَنا فيهِ إذْ عهْدُ الهَوى كثِبٌ
وإذْ خِضابُ شَبابِ الفَوْدِ ما نصَلا
For we have in it, while the passion of love revives,
And the dye of youth’s hair has not yet grayed.
منْ عهْدِ أنْسٍ تفيّأتُ السّرورَ لَدَى
روْضاتِهِ وجَنَيْتُ اللهْوَ والغَزَلا
From the era of bliss, I enjoyed happiness
In its meadows, frolicking, tender and amorous.
ومِنْ شُموسٍ وأقْمارٍ إذا طَلَعتْ
كانَتْ مَشارِقُها الأسْتارَ والكِلَلا
The suns and moons, when appearing,
Were horizons, veils, bracelets and anklets.
فاليوْمَ لا وصْلَ إلاّ أنْ تَرى لهُمُ
نُهْدي تحيّتَنا الأسْحارَ والأصُلا
Today there is no union unless you see
We greet the dawns, the plants and the roots.
يا لائِمَيَّ وقدْ لَجّ الغَرامُ ذَرا
لوْمي وإنْ كُنْتُما في مِرْيَةٍ فسَلا
O you blaming me after love has settled,
Blame me even if you doubt, so ask!
قدْ أنّبَ اللّوْمُ قلْبي في تقلُّبِه
حوْلاً وراوَدَ بَثّي مرْبَعاً كَمَلا
Blame has prodded my heart in its ups and downs,
Circling, while my affliction squares its edifice.
لا الجَفْنُ منّي علَى شحْطِ المَزارِ جَفا
دَمْعي ولا القلْبُ منْ بعْدِ البِعادِ سَلا
Neither are my eyes spare on the tombs,
Nor after distance is my heart tranquil.
كمْ لُذْتُ بالدّهْرِ أنْ يُدْني النّوَى فأبَى
وبالتّعَلُّلِ أنْ يُجْدي فَما فعَلا
How I wished fate would let us come closer, but it refused!
Just as it refused to be reasonable.
وليْسَ تَرْوي غَليلاً أو تَعُلُّ صَدىً
ظِماءُ عزْمِكَ ما أوْرَدْتَها أمَلا
Thirst cannot be quenched or echoes heard
By the thirst of your determination, which has given no respite.
وفِتْيَةِ تخْرِقُ الفَلاةَ ضُحَى
بالعَزْمِ واتّخَذَتْ ظهْرَ الدُجَى جَمَلا
The youths traversing the deserts at dawn
With determination, making the darkness their camel-litters,
أنْضاءِ أفْيَحَ إنْ ضلّوا وإنْ ظمِئوا
شامُوا النّدى واسْتَدلّوا البيضَ والأسَلا
Gleaming bright if lost, thirsty if found,
Quenching by the dew, guided by the white and staffs.
غالَتْ سوائِمَها شُهْبُ السّنينَ فَما
أبْقَتْ مِراساً ولا خَيْلاً ولا جَمَلا
The meteors of years have let their mounts perish without
Leaving a stable or horse or camel behind.
تَبْغي النّدَى حيْثُ لُجُّ الجودِ موْرِدُهُ
عذْبٌ وتُنْتِجُ الأمْلاكَ والدُّوَلا
You seek the dew where generosity overflows,
Sweet, producing realms and states.
أجَلْتُ قِدْحَ سِفارِي في رِكابِهِمُ
ففازَ قِدْحي فيما رُمْتُهُ وعَلا
I flaunted my chalice in their processions,
So my cup succeeded in my feats, ever rising.
حتّى أنَخْنا المَطايا في حمَى ملِك
عنْ منْهَجِ العدْلِ والإحْسانِ ما عَدَلا
Until we reined in the steeds in the sanctuary of a king
Who never swerved from the path of justice and grace.
للّهِ يوسُفُ في الأمْلاكِ إنْ ورَدَتْ
منْهُ العُفاةُ جَناباً للنّدَى خضِلا
O Joseph of realms when the immaculate
Came to him, verdant to host the dew!
كانَتْ مَواهِبُهُ قبْلَ اللِّقاءِ لهُمْ
نَهْباً وكانتْ لهُمْ جَنّاتُهُ نُزُلا
Before meeting him, his gifts to them
Were plunder as his gardens hosted their abode.
جزْلُ العَطاءِ لوْ أنّ البَحْرَ نائِلُهُ
لقَلّ في جودِهِ الفَيّاضِ ما بَذَلا
copious generosity, even if the sea were its trustee,
Would seem little alongside his overflowing munificence.
آراؤهُ شُهُبٌ تُهْدي وسيرَتُهُ
ما إنْ تَرَى عِوَجاً فيها ولا خَلَلا
His views guide like meteors and his conduct—
You will never see in it crookedness or flaw.
منْ دوْحَةِ الأزْدِ حيثُ الحَيُّ منْ يمَنٍ
بشَطِّ غسّانَ مِنْ بعْدِ السُرَى نزَلا
From the palm grove of Azd, where the living descended in Yemen,
On the shore of Ghassan after inhabiting the meadows.
ثمّ اسْتَرادَ جَنابَ اللهِ خزْرَجُهُ
حتّى أحلّ بأعْلى يثْرِبَ الحِلَلا
Then his highness chose the Ansar as his entourage
Until settling in the upper quarters of Yathrib.
منْ كلِّ أرْوَعَ تبْدو في أسرَّتِهِ
سِماتُ يعْرُبَ تأبى الشّوْبَ والدَّخَلا
In his lineage every elegant Arab attribute appears
That rejects suspicion and blemish.
مِطْعامُ مَسْغَبَةٍ إنْ ضنّ صوْبُ حَيا
مِطْعانُ هيْجاءَ لا جُبْناً ولا بَخِلا
The food of stinginess if life was straitened
And generosity in times of ease without cowardice or stinginess.
يأبَى المَوارِدَ أنْ تؤتَى مشارِعُها
حتّى إذا أرْسَلَتْ رُعْيانُها الرَّسَلا
The watering places refuse access
Until their herders send envoys.
ترَى المُلوكَ وُقوفاً دونَ موْرِدِه
لا يورِدونَ بهِ إلا إذا نَهَلا
You see kings standing by his creek,
Only watering when it flows.
حتّى إذا أنْزَلَ اللهُ الكِتابَ بِما
أنارَ أبْصارَ أرْبابِ النُهَى وجَلا
Until God revealed the Book, enlightening
The sights of the masters of law, dreadful and majestic!
آوَتْ نَبيَّ الهُدَى لمّا اسْتَجارَ بِها
والنّاسُ في فتْرَةٍ قدْ كذَّبوا الرُّسُلا
It gave refuge to the prophet of guidance when
Mankind was confounded, belying the messengers.
وجالَدَتْ دونَهُ الأحْزابَ جاهِدَةً
وجدّلَتْ بظُبَى بُرْهانِه الجَدَلا
It battled the factions defending him,
Arguing by its proof, openly engaging debate.
فأصْبَحَتْ في نَوادِيها أدِلّتُهُ
تعْلو وملّتُهُ قدْ هاضَتْ المِلَلا
Thus its arguments in its haunts became supreme
As its nation surpassed divisions.
يا ناصِرَ الدّينِ لمّا قلّ ناصِرُهُ
ومُطْلِعَ الجودِ في الدُنْيا وقدْ أفَلا
O supporter of the faith when its supporter is few!
O you rising with generosity in the world as others fall!
لوْلا التشهُّدُ والتّرْدادُ منْكَ لهُ
لمْ يسْمعِ الناسُ يوْماً منْ لِسانِكَ لا
Were it not for praising and invoking you,
Mankind would never hear your tongue mention: No!
رابَ الجَزيرةَ أمْرٌ لا تقَرُّ بِهِ
وهاجَ مِرجَلُها منْ فِتْنَةٍ وغَلا
Unrest rules the peninsula with turmoil
And its agitation from strife and tyranny swells.
فقَرّ راجِفُها لمّا احْتَلَلْتَ بِها
ورُضْتَ بالعَدْلِ منْها المَيْلَ فاعْتَدَلا
When you took charge, its shiver ceased
And you approved its inclination to justice so it straightened.
واهْتَزّتِ الأرضُ في رَيْعانِها ورَبَتْ
كأنّ مُلْكَكَ شمْسٌ حلّتِ الحَمَلا
The ground quaked in its youth and matured
As if your reign were a rising sun carrying full moons.
حتّى إذا برَقَتْ للرّوعِ بارِقَةٌ
أقْبَلْتَها البِيضَ والعسّالةَ الذُّبُلا
Until a lightning bolt flashed, horrifying,
You confronted it with white weapons and spotted lions.
وكلّما عذَلَتْكَ النّفْسُ رادِعَةً
جعَلْتَ سيْفَكَ فيها يسْبِقُ العَذَلا
Whenever your soul dissuaded you,
You set your sword within it outpacing restraint.
في فِتْيَةٍ ذَمَرَتْ منْها العُلَى صُبُرا
قدْ ساغَ صِبْرُ المَنايا عندَها وحَلا
With a youth in which patience was set lofty,
Where patience for calamities was familiar and settled.
تُضيءُ أوجُهُها والحَرْبُ كالِحَةٌ
قد شابَ مفْرِقُها بالنّقْعِ واكْتَهَلا
Their faces shine while war intensifies
As the parting hair at their foreheads was clotted by wounds.
لوْ رامَتْ الشُّهبَ في أقصى مَراكِزِها
لمْ تُبْقِ في الجَوِّ بَهْراماً ولا زُحَلا
If they wished for meteors in the highest of their positions,
They left none in the air except Venus and Saturn.
أرْسَلْتُ منْها علَى الأعْداءِ داهِيَةً
دَهْياءَ ما وجَدَتْ في دفْعِها قِبَلا
I unleashed them fiercely unto the enemy with no precedent,
Meeting their onslaught with no means of confrontation.
حتّى إذا سألَتْكَ السِّلْمَ ماثِلَةً
حكّمْتَ فيها كِتابَ اللهِ مُمْتَثِلا
Until when they asked you for reconciliation pleadingly
You arbitrated by God's book compliantly.
وصِرْتَ والدّينُ ضاحٍ في جَواهرِها
ظِلالَ أمْنٍ وسَلْمٍ أمّنَ السُبُلا
You became the shadow of a safe religion, flourishing,
With shades of security and peace securing paths.
فكادَتِ الشّاءُ ترْعَى والذّيابُ مَعا
وكادَتِ الناسُ فيها تأمَنُ الأجَلا
So that sheep and wolves could graze together
And people could be safe from death.
فدُمْ ومُلْكُكَ للإسْلامِ خيْرُ حِمىً
ينْفي الخُطوبَ ويكْفي الحادِثَ الجَلَلا
May your rule and kingdom give the best refuge to Islam,
Dispelling dangers and deflecting imposing events!
واسْعَدْ بعِيدٍ أعادَ الدّهْرَ مُبتَهِجاً
في ظِلِّ رَيْعانِهِ والسّعْدَ مُقْتَبِلا
Be joyous of an Eid returning the ages gleeful
In the shade of its prime and blessings ahead!
وازْلِفْ بصَوْمٍ حَبَيْتَ الذِّكْرَ وافِدَهُ
قِرىً وأخْلَصْتَ فيهِ القوْلَ والعَمَلا
Draw near to a fast whose frequent mention you love,
Sincere in word and deed.
أثْني عليْكَ بِما أوْلَيْتَ من عمَلٍ
بَرٍّ وودَّعَ أرْضَى راحِلٍ رحَلا
I praise you for every act you have led,
Righteous, pleasing every departing traveller’s saddlebags.
ودونَ مُلْكِكَ منْ روْضِ البَيانِ نُهىً
أرَحْتُ فيها القَوافِي فاغْتدَتْ مَثَلا
Besides your rule, from the meadow of rhetoric, guidance
In whose measure I have reposed verse, excelling as example.
تَنْميكَ عنْ قدَمٍ في العُرْبِ راسِخةٍ
والطِّرْفُ يُعْرَفُ منْهُ العِتْقُ إنْ صَهَلا
It immortalizes you as originating from an established Arab lineage,
Whose nobility is recognized if featured.
