أرأيتَ لنَا ولهم ظُعُنا

وصنيعَ البين بهمْ وبنا

I gazed upon their spears and ours

And saw the gap between them and us

أرأيتَ نشاوَى قد سكروا

بكؤوسِ نوىً مُلئتْ شجنا

I gazed at them drunk with wines

From cups brimming with sadness

ومهاً نَظَرَتْ ونواظرُها

وَصَلتْ دمناً وجفت دمنا

She gazed with longing, and he with longing gazed

Their blood turned thin, and thin turned our blood

رحلوا فأثار رحيلُهُمُ

من حرّ ضلوعك ما كمنا

They left, and their leave awoke

What lay dormant in your burning breast

وحسبتُ سرابَ تتابعهمْ

لججاً وركائبَهمْ سُفُنا

I fancied their fading forms a mirage

And their ships like mounts across a waste

ومهاً نَظَرَتْ ونَوَاظرُها

خُلِقَتْ لنواظرنا فتنا

She gazed with longing, and he with longing gazed

Her glances were made to seduce our glances

من كلّ مُوَدِّعةٍ نَطَقَتْ

بالسّرّ مدامعُهَا عَلَنَا

With each farewell the tears of every beauty

Betrayed the heart's secret aloud

سفرتْ لوداعك شمسَ ضحىً

وَثَنَتْ بكثيبِ نقا غُصُنا

The morning left you with the dawn

And sheltered by a sandy hill her bough.

ورَمَتْكَ بمقلةِ خاذلةٍ

هَجَرَتْكَ وعاوَدتِ الوَسنَا

She pelted you with a fickle glance

Forsaking you to wander in the night

وترى للسحر بها حركاً

فبه تؤذيك إذا سكنا

You find her stirring in the dark

Disturbing you when you would rest

كثرتْ في الحبّ بها عللي

فظهرتُ أسىً وخفيتُ ضنى

Much they disquieted my love through her tricks

I grieved in secret, complaint betrayed my woe

يا وجدي كيف وجدت به

روحي وغدوت له بَدنا

Oh how she wounded my soul and heart

I dedicated myself entirely to her

دَعْ ذكرَ نَزُوحٍ عنك نأى

وتَبَدّلْ من سَكَنٍ سَكَنَا

Quit thoughts of her aloofness

Change dwelling place for dwelling place

ونزولَ هواكَ بمنزلةٍ

كَتَبَتْ زمناً ومحتْ زمنا

Let your passion alight on one

Whose time has come and gone

واخضبْ يمناك بِقانِية

فلها فَرَجٌ ينفي الحزنا

Stain your right hand with henna

It brings joy and banishes sorrow

وتريك نجوماً في شَفَقٍ

يَجلو الظلماءَ لهنّ سنَا

You will see stars shimmering in the sunset

Their beauty made radiant just for you

من كفِّ مطرِّفَةٍ عَنَماً

كالبدر بَدا والرئمِ رنا

The full moon rose from her teasing hand

As fair as a pearl, rid of all blame

لا ينكثُ فيها ذو شَغَفٍ

بالعَذْلِ وإن خلعَ الرّسنا

No coquette can wear it and not find

Its heady scent makes them its slave

إنّي استوليتُ على أمدي

ووطئتُ بفطنتيَ الفِطَنَا

My skill has won me many spoils

My cunning has outmatched the wise

وسبقتُ فمنْ ذا يلحقني

في مدح عُلا الحسنِ الحسنا

Tell me who can overtake me

In praising the most beautiful of beauties

ملكٌ في الملك له هِمَمٌ

نَالَتْ بيمينيه المنَنا

A king of kings, of lofty ideals

Whose right hand is full of bounty

قُرِنَتْ باليُمْنِ نَقيبَتُهُ

والعفوُ بقدرتِهِ قُرنا

Whose leader marches by his side

And pardons with his mighty power

كالشمسِ نأتْ عن مبصرها

بُعْداً وسناها منه دنا

The sun seemed far in his splendor

But drew nearer in his brilliance

من صانَ الدينَ بِصَولَتِهِ

وأذلّ بعزّتهِ الوَثَنَا

He who smashed the pagan hordes

With his zeal abased their brazen gods

من يَحْدِرُ فقراً عنك إذا

فاضَتْ نعماهُ عليك غِنَى

He ends all poverty through his wealth

And shames the timid through his courage

ورأى مَنْ ضنّ فضائلَهُ

فسخا وتَشَجّعَ مَنْ جَبُنَا

His sanctuary offers safety

To those who fear the mortal world

وإذا ما أَمَّ له حَرَماً

مَنْ خافَ مِنَ الدنْيا أمِنَا

Destroying riches he rebuilds

The noble with greater bounty

ولئنْ هدَم الأموالَ فَقَدْ

شادَ العلياءَ بها وبنى

Guarding honor, raising its worth

He scorns the plentiful like dung

إن صانَ العِرْضَ وأكْرَمهُ

فقذال الوفر قد امتهنا

His realm seems on his day of glory

Like the day all pilgrims stand at Mina

وكأنّ الحجّ لساحته

في يوم نداه يومُ مِنى

Through him our hopes will be fulfilled

And all our wishes gratified

ولنا من فَضْلِ مَذاهِبِهِ

آمالٌ نَبْلُغُها ومُنى

When drunk with blood his sharp swords

Sing songs to split their skulls,

وصَوَارمُ للأقدارِ فلا

تقفُ الكفّارُ لها جُنَنَا

The glitter of their blades is like

Water flowing without end

تَشْدوه إذا سكرتْ بدمٍ

في ضرب جماجمهم غننا

No garden was made verdant by their steps

No stream sweetened in time

يَتَنَبّعُ ماءُ تألُّقِهَا

فيقالُ أفي سَكَنٍ سكنا

The torrents of his cavalry charge

Sweeping doubts away like clouds

لا رَوْضَ ذَوَى منها قِدماً

بالدّهْرِ ولا ماءٌ أسنا

When their dust storms swell and loom

You'd think them nests for eagles

وتسيلُ سيولُ جحافله

فحقائقها تنفي الظَّنَنا

The son of Ali holds glory in his grip

His is the deed, while words are ours

وإذا ما هَبْوتُها كَثُفَتْ

تجِدُ العقبانُ بها وُكُنَا

A moon giving freely of his rain-washed palm

His fingers pour blessings as though weeping

إن ابنَ عليّ حازَ عُلاً

فالفعلُ له والقولُ لنا

With his thoughts he gently corrects opinion

Piercing them with his subtle wisdom

قَمَرٌ تُسْتَمْطَرُ مِنه يَدٌ

فتجودُ أناملُه مُزُنا

They never truly mastered the dark lions

Save as meat for prey and carrion

ينحو الآراءَ بفكرته

فيصيبُ لها نُقَباً بِهِنَا

It seems the war brings out their beauty

Displaying it as something wondrous

من غُلْبِ أسُودٍ ما عَمَرُوا

إلّا آجامَ ظباً وقَنَا

You'd think their interlinking armor was

A torrent streaming between the hills

وكأنّ الحربَ إذا فتحَتْ

تبدي لهمُ مرأىً حَسنَا

Their thickening darkness veils their sight

Until their eyelids seem like ears

وتخالهمُ فيها ادّرَعوا

بِسَلُوق وقد سَلّوا اليَمنَا

Matched by their lineage are names

We hold in high and loving esteem

وكأنّ سوابغَهُمْ حَبَبٌ

قد جاشَ بهم ماءٌ أجِنا

A tree lush upon the hillsides

Whose shade and fruit we gather and eat

يغشى الإظلامَ بها الضرغا

مُ فتجعَلُ مُقْلَتَهُ أذُنا

When he flashes his blade in anger

He makes the slimmest waist grow fat

ولهم بإزاءِ قرابتهم

أسماءٌ نُعْظِمُها وَكُنَى

His spear point was enough, no need to strike with his sword, it was said

Does one pierce when one has already stabbed?

شَجَرٌ بالبّرِ مورّقَةٌ

ننتابُ لها ظلّاً وَجَنى

O you who revived forgotten glory

Through your ode to his generosity

وإذا مَتَحَتْ مُهجاً يدُهُ

جعل الخطّيّ لها شطنا

You perfected the art of poetry

And struck true with your words

وكفاه الرمحُ فَعالَ السيف

فقيل أيضربُ مَنْ طَعَنا

You took after your father in resemblance and character

Matching his outstanding qualities.

يا من أحيا بالفخر له

بمكارمه أدباً دُفِنَا

If weighed, a mere pebble of your goodness

Would make even the heaviest scale rise up.

فأفادَ الشّعرَ مُنَقِّحه

وأصابَ بمنطقِهِ اللّسنَا

You built towering ships swift as birds

And founded cities above the waves

أشبهتَ أباكَ وكنتَ بما

أشبهتَ مَعاليه قمنا

With towers arrayed for battle that seem

Like spears soaring to the horizon,

وحصاةُ أناتك لو وُزِنَتْ

أنْسَتْ برجاحتها حَضَنَا

Raining fire on the enemy ships

And kindling flames in their hulls

أنشأتَ شوانيَ طائرةً

وبنيتَ على ماءٍ مُدُنا

Hurling missiles as white as naphtha

You'd think them water yet consuming all,

ببروجِ قتالٍ تحسبها

في شُمّ شواهقها قُنَنَا

Success and conquest are guaranteed

Against those who would threaten you.

ترْمي ببروجٍ إنْ ظَهَرَتْ

لعدوٍّ محرقةً بَطَنَا

I'm the one who gifted you this panegyric,

Pearls valued at the highest price.

وبنفطٍ أبيضَ تَحْسَبُهُ

ماءً وبه تذكي السّكَنَا

Though long my rose I make it new with praise

There did I speak it and speak it here again

ضَمِنَ التوفيقُ لها ظَفَراً

من هُلْكِ عداتك ما ضمنا

I praised your father in his youth

And here I am, aged in his sunset glow

أنا مَن أهدى لك مُمْتَدحاً

دُرَراً أغليتُ لها ثمنا

I made Sicily my ward, shunning it as home

And took Tunisia instead as my country.

وقديمُ الوِرْدِ جديدُ الحَمْدِ

هناك أفوهُ به وهنا

You made your enemies cower, begging

What safety your frown or favor might allow.

ومدَحتُ غلاماً جدّ أبيك

وها أنذا شيخاً يَفَنَا

The clouds of your help refused no rain

While the sky of your gift refused no bounty,

وتخذتُ تَجِنّةَ لي وطناً

وهجرتُ صقلّيَةً وطنا

You remain as constant as a warrior nun

Embarking with courage on every venture.

لَقِيَتكَ عُداتُكَ صاغرَةً

ترجو من نَوْءَيْكَ الهُدنا

فسحابُ نداكَ هَمَتْ مِنَحاً

وسماءُ ظباك هَمَتْ مَحنَا

وبقيتَ بقاءَ مجاهدة

وسلكتَ لكلّ عُلاً سفُنُا