لِلَّهِ قاضي دَينَدوزَ فَإِنَّهُ
قاضٍ إِذا أَسدى أَطالَ وَأَعرَضا
For God's sake, Qadi Dayndawz, for he
Is a judge; when he renders justice, he is deliberate and impartial.
المُتقِنُ الأَعمالَ حَتّى أَنَّها
بَهَرَت وَأَعجَزَ صُنعُها مَن قَد مَضى
He performs his duties so well that his accomplishments
Dazzle, and their quality amazes those of the past.
سَترَ الأَرامِلَ وَاليَتامى كَفُّهُ
وَسَعى فَأَصبَحَ سَعيُهُ عَينَ الرِضى
His palm has sheltered widows and orphans;
He has striven, so his efforts have become the true comfort.
لَولاهُ لَم تُستَر لِمَيتٍ عَورَةٌ
فينا وَلا كانَت صَلاةٌ تُرتَضى
Without him, no one would have covered the nakedness
Of our dead, nor would any prayer have been acceptable.
ما إِن تَراهُ الدَهرَ إِلّا آمِراً
وَسطَ النَدِيِّ وَناهِياً وَمُحَرِّضا
You only see him commanding right
And forbidding wrong, urging and rousing to action.
كَم مِن فَقيرٍ صُنتَ مُهجَتَهُ وَلَو
لا صُنعُ كَفِّكَ كانَ مِن بَردٍ قَضى
How many destitutes has he protected from misery? Without
The work of your hands, they would have perished from the cold.
وَرُواقِ ملكٍ أَنتَ شِدتَ ظِلالَهُ
لَولاكَ زالَ ظِلالُهُ وَتَقَوَّضا
He has erected the portico of a ruler which, without him,
Would have fallen into ruin and decay.
أَصبَحتَ إِن نَشَرَ اِمرؤٌ مِن صُنعِهِ
ما قَد مَضى تَطوي الصَنيعَ إِذا مَضى
When a man displays work he has done in the past,
He rolls up his accomplishments when they are past.
وَلَرُبَّ مُنبَتٍّ وَصَلتَ بِصَحبِهِ
وَطَريقُهُ لِخَفائِهِ قَد أَغمَضا
He has joined many a clan to his company, though the path to it
Was obscure, and he made its difficult course easy.
وَلَكَم رَكَضتَ فَنلتَ بِالرَكضِ المُنى
وَأَنَرتَ مَطوِيّاً وَرضتَ الرَيّضا
How often has he raced to obtain the goal,
Lightening the heavy load, pleasing the mounter!
وَكَسَت أَنامِلُكَ اليَراعَ وَشائِعاً
هُنَّ السَحابُ سَقى البِلادَ وَرَوَّضا
His fingers have clothed the meadows with green so lush
The clouds pour rain upon the countries and refresh them.
وَصَنيعَةٍ قَد باتَ غَيرُكَ نائِماً
عَنها وَجَفنُكَ ساهِرٌ ما غَمَّضا
While others sleep through their neglect of some craft,
His eyes vigilantly refrain from slumber.
مَعدودَةٍ مَمدودَةٍ مَشهودَةٍ
بَيضاءَ أَعجَلَ صُنعُها أَن يُقتَضى
His righteous acts, manifest and witnessed,
Are white: their performance brooks no delay.
كِلتا يَدَيكَ لِصُنعِها مَبسوطَةٌ
يَتَبارَيانِ كَلَمعِ بَرقٍ أَومَضا
Both his hands are outstretched in their fashioning,
Vying like the flashing of lightning.
كَم فارِسٍ في راحَتَيكَ ثِيابُهُ
وَجَوادُهُ وَالمَشرفِيُّ المُنتَضى
What knight has he not clothed in ease,
His steed accoutred, and readied for the desired raid!
لَو رامَ نَشرَ صَنائِعٍ أَسدَيتَها
فيما مَضى بَشَرٌ لَضاقَ بِهِ الفَضا
If he wished to recount his deeds from the past,
Mortals would find the universe too cramped for them.
يَسقي إِذا بخلَ السَحابُ وَيُرتَوى
مِنهُ وَعارِضُ مُزنِهِ قَد أَعرَضا
He gives water in drought when clouds refuse it
And faces of misery are parched and frowning.
فَاللَهُ يُبقي لِلخَليفَةِ صُنعَهُ
وَيَقي لَنا قَدَمَيهِ مِن أَن تُدحَضا
So may God preserve the Caliph's deeds for us
And protect his feet from stumbling!
