لمن الكتائبُ في العَجاج الأَكدَرِ
يَخطُرنَ في زَردِ الحَديدِ الأَخضرِ
For whom are the battalions in the turbulent darkness,
Passing through the green iron armor,
ضَربت عليهنَّ الرِماحُ سُرادِقاً
دُعِمت بساعد كُلِّ شَهمٍ أَصعَرِ
The spears covered them with canopies,
Supported by the arm of every brave lion.
وَالبيضُ تَلمَعُ في القتام كأَنَّها
لَمعُ البوارِقِ في رُكامِ كَنَهوَرِ
The whites shine in the gloom as if they were
Flashes of lightning in the piles of clouds.
وَصَليلُ وَقعِ المرهفاتِ كأَنَّه
رَعدٌ يُجَلجِلُ في أَجشَّ مُزمجِرِ
The clanging of the sharpened swords is like
Thunder rumbling in a roaring storm.
وَالرايَةُ الحَمراءُ يَخفِقُ ظِلُّها
يَهفو عليها كُلُّ لَيثٍ مُزئِرِ
The red flag flutters with its shadow
Hailed by every roaring lion.
وَالخَيلُ قد حَملَت على صَهَواتِها
من كُلِّ أَصيَدَ باسلٍ ذي مغفرِ
The horses charged with
All the brave hunters fully armed.
مُتسربلٍ بالقَلب فوقَ دِلاصِه
متلثِّمٍ بالنَقع لَمّا يُسفِرِ
Wearing courage over their breastplates
And veiled with masks when uncovered.
في مَوقفٍ كسَف الظَهيرَةَ نقعُه
فأَضاءَها بشرُوقِ وَجهٍ مُقمرِ
In a standstill, its mask dimmed the noon,
Then a bright, full-moon face illuminated it.
يَختالُ في حَلَق الدِلاصِ كأَنَّه
يَختالُ منها في مُفَوَّف عَبقري
Strutting in the breastplates as if
Strutting gracefully atop a litter.
من فتيةٍ أَلِفوا الأَسنَّة وَالقَنا
فقِبابهم قصبُ الوَشيج الأَسمَرِ
Youth who mastered spears and arrows
Their bodies are rods of brown cane.
يَقرونَ بيضَهمُ الرِقابَ ويُنهلوا
زُرقَ الأَسنَّة من نَجيعٍ أَحمَرِ
They polish their blades and quench their thirst
With the blue of arrows from a red skin.
شادوا عمادَهم بكلِّ مثقَّفٍ
لَدنٍ ومجدَهم بكلِّ مُشهِّرِ
They established pillars with every educated one
And their glory with each nobleman.
حلّوا من العَلياء قمَّة رأسِها
وحووا بسالةَ أَكبرٍ عن أَكبَرِ
They ascended the highest summit
And contained within the greatest valor.
مَن مِنهمُ الملكُ المَهيبُ إذا بَدا
خضعَت له ذُلّاً رِقابُ الأَعصرِ
Who among them is the mighty king when he appears?
The necks of all people bow to him in humility.
فَخرُ المَفاخِر والمآثِر والجحا
فِل وَالمَحافِل والعُلى والمِنبرِ
So much pride and glory and armies fell down before him
As well as councils, nobility, pulpits and platforms.
القائدُ الجيش العرمرم مُعلَماً
مِن كُلِّ لَيثٍ ذي بَراثِنَ قَسورِ
The leader guides the clamorous army
With every ferocious lion baring fangs.
السائقُ الجُردَ المَذاكى شُزَّباً
تَخطو وَتَخطرُ بالرِماح الخُطَّرِ
The driver strikes the lean horses
As they prance carrying engraved spears.
الفالقُ الهامات في يوم الوَغى
وَالسمرُ بين مُحطَّمٍ وَمكسَّرِ
The vanquisher of ranks on the day of battle,
The brawler amidst the crushed and broken.
الشامخُ النَسبين بين ذَوي العُلى
وَالباذِخُ الحسبين يَومَ المفخرِ
The towering lineage between the highborn
And the outstanding hashemites on the day of pride.
الواهبُ البَدرات يتبعها النَدى
مِن جوده بسحاب تِبرٍ مُمطرِ
The benevolent granter followed by dew
From his endless generosity like pouring rain.
يَجلو دُجى الآمال منه بنائِلٍ
متلألئٍ وَبوجه جودٍ مُسفرِ
With his achievements he dispels
The gloom of hopes with shining floods and bright face of generosity.
وَلكم جلا رَهجَ القتامِ بباترٍ
متأَلِّقٍ وَسنانِ أَسمر سَمهَري
And how much the darkness was lit with heroism
Radiance, and brown horse with star on forehead!
ملِكٌ إذا ما جاد يوماً أَو سَطا
فالخلقُ بين مُمَلَّكٍ ومعفَّرِ
A king, when he becomes generous or valiant one day,
People become ruled and honor-bound.
من دَوحةِ المَجدِ الرَفيعِ عمادُهُ
وَالفَرعُ يُعرب عَن زكيِّ العُنصرِ
The pillar of glorious loftiness, his lineage
Extending to the purest ancestry.
ما يَنقَضي يَوماً شَهيرُ نَوالِه
إِلّا وأَتبعه بآخرَ أَشهرِ
His famed generosity never ends a day
Except he follows with another more famed.
هَذا الَّذي صَدعَ القلوبَ مهابةً
وأَذلَّ كلَّ عملَّسٍ وغَضَنفَرِ
He who amazed hearts with his awe
And humiliated every conceited and vain person.
هَذا الَّذي غَمرَ الأَنامَ سَماحةً
من جودِه الطامي الجَليلِ الأَبهَرِ
He whose vast kindness flooded people
With an enormous and magnificent generosity.
هَذا الَّذي حازَ المَعالي قُعَّساً
وَسِواه يلطمُ خدَّ حَزنٍ أَقفَرِ
He who deserved the heights stoically
While others slap the cheek of barren sorrow.
هَذا نظامُ الدين واِبنُ نظامه
نَسَبٌ يؤولُ إِلى النَبيِّ الأَطهَرِ
This is the defender of the faith and son of its defender
A lineage tracing back to the purest Prophet.
لمعَت أَسِرَّةُ نوره في وجهه
فاِزورَّ عنها كُلُّ لَحظٍ أَخزَرِ
The secrets of his light shone on his face
Dimming every green glance.
يَجلو لَنا من حلمه في حَزمِه
أَخلاقَ أَحمدَ في بسالة حيدَرِ
His wisdom in his composure shows us
The morals of Ahmad in Haydar’s valor.
بَينا تَراه مُصَدَّراً في رَسته
ملِكاً تَراهُ فَوقَ صَهوة أَشقَرِ
While you see him foremost in his leadership,
You see him a king atop a blond steed.
أَربيبَ حجر المكرُمات ورَبّها
وَرَضيعَ ثدي العارض المُتَعَنجرِ
The nurtured one of the honored rock and its Lord
And suckled one of the towering noble wet nurse.
لِلَّه جدُّكَ أَيُّ مَجدٍ حُزتَه
فَشأوتَ كُلَّ مقدَّم ومؤخَّرِ
My Lord, what glory you have attained!
Rising above every preceding and succeeding one.
أَنتَ الَّذي أَحرَزتَ كلَّ فَضيلَةٍ
وَوردتَ بحرَ الفضل غير مُكدَّرِ
You are the one who gained every merit
And attained the sea of virtue perfectly pure.
ظَمئت أَمانيُّ الرِجال لَدى العُلى
فوردتَ منهلَها وَلَمّا تَصدُرِ
The aspirations of men thirsted for highest glory,
So you became their spring flowing freely.
وَإليكها غَرّاءَ قد أَبرَزتُها
تُجلى بشكرَك في نَديِّ المحضرِ
To you I have presented these proud verses
Glorified through your gratitude in the high assembly.
أَحكَمتُ نظمَ قَريضها فَتَناسقَت
كالعِقد يَزهو في مُقلَّد جُؤذَرِ
I composed their stringing in harmony, so they aligned
Like a necklace shining on a pearl-adorned chest.
يَذكو بمدحك نشرُها فكأَنَّني
أَذكيتُها منه بمِسكٍ أَذفَرٍ
Their publication praising you comes alive, as if
I revived it with pure, fragrant musk.
ما ضاعَ نشرُ ثنائِها في مَجلسٍ
إِلّا تفتَّق عن ذَكيِّ العنبَرِ
The spreading of her praise never fades in glory
Except it emanates the scent of fine ambergris.
واِسلم على دَرَج المَعالي راقياً
بأَجلِّ أَخبارٍ وأَصدَقِ مخبَرِ
And greet upon ascending to the height of glory
With the best news and most truthful reports.
