لكلّ محِبٍّ نظرَةٌ تَبعثُ الهوَى

ولي نَظرةٌ نحوَ القَتول هي القتلُ

For every lover there is a glance that kindles passion,

But my glance is towards slaying, it is murder.

تُرَدَّد بالتكريهِ رُسْلُ نواظري

ومن شيمَ الإِنصافِ أن تكرَم الرّسلُ

The envoys of my gazing repeat unwillingly,

And it is the nature of fairness to be generous to envoys.

ركبتُ نوىً جوّابةَ الأرض لم يعشْ

لراكبها عيسٌ تخبّ ولا رجلُ

I set out with good intentions but the earth did not live

Long enough for my riding, no life or foot remains.

أسائلُ عن دارِ السماحِ وأهْلِهِ

ولا دارَ فيها للسماح ولا أهلُ

I ask about the house of tolerance and its people,

But no house for tolerance exists, nor any people.

ولولا ذُرَى ابن القاسمِ الواهب الغنى

لما حُطّ منها عند ذي كَرَم رحلُ

Were it not for the offspring of Al-Qasim the generous prince

No one unloads their belongings where generosity dwells.

تُخَفَّضُ أقدارُ اللئامِ بلؤمهم

وَقَدْرُ عليّ من مكارِمِهِ يعلو

The worth of villains is diminished by their villainy

While Ali's worth is raised by his noble deeds.

فتى لم يُفارِقْ كفَّهُ عَقْدُ مِنّةٍ

ولا عِرْضَهُ صونٌ ولا مالهُ بذلُ

A man whose palm the knot of favor never left

Whose honor and wealth were never lacking in charity.

له نِعَمٌ تخضَرّ منها مَوَاقِعٌ

ولا سِيَما إن غَيّرَ الأفقَ المحلُ

He has bounties that make the horizons verdant

Especially if the place changes its horizons.

ورَحبُ جَنابٍ حين ينزلُ للقِرى

وفصلُ خطابٍ حين يجتمع الحفلُ

The breadth of his open chest when he descends upon villages

And the eloquence of his discourse when crowds gather.

وَوجهٌ جميلُ الوجه تحسبُ حرّهُ

حساماً له من لحظ سائله صقلُ

A beautiful face - you would think its heat

Was a sword forged by the glance of its questioner.

مُرَوَّعَةٌ أموالُهُ بعَطَائِهِ

كأنّ جنوناً مَسّها مِنْهُ أو خَبْلُ

His wealth is terrified by his generosity

As if madness or dementia had seized it.

وأيّ أمانٍ أو قرارٍ لخائفٍ

على رأسه من كفّ قاتله بصلُ

What safety or stability for one afraid

With the palm of his killer above his head as a blade?

لقد بَهَرَتْ شهبَ الدراري منيرةً

مآثرُ منكمْ لا يكاثِرُهَا الرّمْلُ

The meteors were dazzled by your radiant

Achievements, unmatched by the sands.

ورثتمْ تراثَ المجدِ من كلّ سيّدٍ

على منكبيه من حقوقِ العلا ثقلُ

You have inherited the legacy of glory from every master

Upon whose shoulders the burdens of the exalted weighed heavily.

فمنْ قَمرٍ يُبقي على الأفق بَعْدَهُ

هلالاً ومن ليث خليفته شبلُ

So who is the moon leaving a crescent behind him

And which lion has a cub as his successor?

وأصبحَ منكم في سلا الجور أخرساً

وقام خطيباً بالّذي فيكمُ العدلُ

You have struck the unjust mute in the night of tyranny

And the just rises among you as an eloquent speaker.

ملكتُ القوافي إذ توخيتُ مدحكمْ

ويا رُبّ أذوادٍ تَمَلّكها فَحْلُ

I have mastered rhyme and meter when I sought to praise you -

Oh how many mounts are controlled by a stallion!