بِسَعدِكَ لا بسعدٍ أو سُعادِ

تَنقَّلَ كلُّ هَمٍّ عن فُؤادِي

With your felicity, not with any fortune or happiness,

Every worry has shifted from my heart.

قعَدتُ عنِ الصِّبا وظَلِلتُ أدعُو

بأن تُعطى الظهورَ عَلَى الأعادي

I abstained from passion and took to praying

That you be granted victory over enemies.

وذلكَ حين أبصرتُ العَوالي

تُميلُ إليكَ أفئِدَةَ العِبادِ

And that was when I saw the highborn

Incline their hearts toward you in worship.

عَلِمتُ بأنَّكَ المَلكُ الَّذي لا

تَدِينُ لغيرِهِ كُلُّ البِلادِ

I knew you were the King whom

All the lands obey, none else.

عجِبتُ لمارِقٍ يعصيكَ جهَلاً

وَقَدْ سَبَقَتْ إليهِ لكَ الأيادي

I wondered at the fool who disobeys you in ignorance,

Though your hands have reached out to him already.

فَسلْهُ مُخْزِياً هل كَانَ يَدرِي

بأنَّ الخِزْيَ فِي طَلَبِ العِنادِ

Ask him, humiliated, did he know

That shame lies in stubbornness?

ألَمْ يَكُ لَوْ أنابَ إليك طَوْعاً

ينالُ منَ العلا فوقَ المُرادِ

Had he but turned willingly to you

He'd have attained the heights beyond all hopes.

ومَنْ لَمْ يَدرِ أنَّ الهامَ زَرْعٌ

لِينَظُرْ فِعْلَ سيفكَ فِي الأعادِي

And let him who knows not that resolve is a crop

See what your sword does to enemies.

حُسامَكَ لاستحالَتْ بالفَسادِ

فإنَّ الدهرَ عندَكَ فِي قِيادِ

Your blade made them rotten with corruption

For time itself is in your reins before you.

وَمنْ يَكُنِ الزمانُ لديه عَبْداً

يَنَلْ مَا شاءَ من غَيْرِ ارتِيادِ

And he who makes time his slave

Attains whatever he desires without effort.

فَنَفْسُكَ بالمكارِمِ قَدْ تَحَلَّتْ

ورأيُكَ قَدْ تَحلَّى بالسَّدادِ

So your soul has adorned itself with virtues

And your wisdom embellished itself with rectitude.

وسيفُكَ حيثُما وَجَّهتَ ماضٍ

ونُورُكَ حيثُما يَمَّمْتَ هادِ

Your sword goes wherever you point it, unstoppable,

Your light illuminates wherever you turn it, guiding.

ونجمُكَ طالِعٌ بالسَّعْدِ يَجْرِي

فسعدُكَ كُلَّ يومٍ فِي ازْدِيادِ

Your star rises with fortune steadily growing

So your felicity increases day after day.

ونُصْحُكَ فِي الديانَة ليْسَ يَخْفى

وَمَا تَسْعى إلى غيرِ المَعادِ

Your good counsel in religion is clear to see

And you seek nothing but the hereafter.

وما صُوِّرْتَ إلا من حديدٍ

ولا استعْمِلتَ إلا للجِلادِ

You are wrought of nothing but iron

And wield none but the whip.

وما تَرْضى بغيرِ الدِّرْعِ لِبساً

ولا فَرْشاً تحب سِوى الجِيادِ

You are content with only armor for clothes

And prefer no carpet but steeds.

أرى الأقدارَ مَا أمضَيْتَ تُمْضي

أأنْتَ تَسُوقُها أمْ أنتَ حادِ

I see the fates you have ordained go on unfolding.

Are you driving them or just letting them run?

أرى جَدْواكَ للإملاقِ ضِدّاً

وَفِي يَدِكَ المنونُ لمَنْ تُعادِي

I see you opposed to respite for enemies

With death in your hands for those you combat.

أظُنُّكَ أنت مِفتاحَ المنايا

وَقَدْ مُلِّكْتَ أرزاقَ العِبادِ

I believe you hold the keys to annihilation

And control the sustenance of all creatures.

أتَتْ كُتُبُ الأوائِلِ عنكَ تُثْني

تُبَشِّرُنا وتُنْذِرُ قَوْمَ عادِ

Reports of forebears have come praising you,

Bringing good tidings and warning the people of `Âd.

لأنكَ سوفَ تُهْلِكُ كُلَّ عادٍ

وتُنْصَرُ بالملائِكَةِ الشِّدادِ

For you will destroy each obstinate one

And be helped by fierce angels.

ولَيْسَتْ فَعْلَةٌ تشناكَ لكِنْ

تَمَلَّكَ أهلَها ضِدُّ المعادِ

No excuses can defend them, but

Those destined to oppose the true path mastered them.

ولو وَجَدُوا السبيلَ إليكَ يوماً

لما خَفِيَتْ لهُمْ طُرُقُ الرَّشادِ

Had they found the way to you one day

The paths of guidance would not have stayed obscured.

أشِرْ نحوَ الشَآمِ وأرْضِ مِصْرٍ

تَجِئْكَ مُجيبَةً لكَ بالقيادِ

Point toward Syria and the land of Egypt

And they will come to you, led by their chieftains.

وهل مَلِكٌ يُقاسُ إلى ابنِ يَحْيى

لَدى الهيجاءِ أو فِي كُلِّ نادِ

What king can be compared to the son of Yaḥyá

Among the eloquent or in any assembly?

مليكٌ إن حَلَلْتَ بِهِ مُقِلّاً

نَزَلتَ عَلَى أجَلَّ من التِّلادِ

A king, if you decide to depose him,

You have dethroned one greater than the ancients.

هَلِ المنصورُ للأيام إلّا

يَدٌ قِبَلَ البَرِيَّةِ بل أيادِ

Is al-Manṣūr to the days but

A hand that has favored the wilderness, even many hands?

يَحلُّ قصورُ مِثلِكَ فِي مِثالي

حُلولَ الماء فِي ظَمْآنَ صادِ

The likes of you are fit to occupy my ideals,

As water occupies the thirsty, aiming to quench.

لئِنْ غَلَبتْ مناقِبُكمْ لِساني

فإنَّ العُذْرَ من بعضِ السِّدادِ

If my tongue falls short of your merits,

Then apologies are owed, despite true intentions.