رأَتْ مِنكَ رائِيَّتي ما تُحبْ

وبُشرى لَها أَنَّها لَمْ تَحِبْ

My vision saw in you what it loves

And good tidings for it that it did not love

وكيف تَخيبُ وقد أَمَّلَتْك

وهَلْ خَابَ آَمِلُك المُرْتَقِبْ

And how can it fail while it hoped in you?

Did the one hoping in you ever despair?

تقدَّم قولي بهذا القُدوم

وحوشيتُ مِن أَنْ أَقولَ الكَذِب

My words preceded with this arrival

And I abhor lying

ترفَّع قوليَ عن أَن يُقا

لَ فيه يَجوزُ ولكن يَجِب

My words are too lofty to

Say what is unlawful, but duty calls

وفيك تَعَّلمتُ صِدقَ المقالِ

ومِنْكَ تعلَّمتُ حُسنَ الأَدَب

From you I learned the truth of speech

And from you I learned good manners

وفيك تملَّكْتُ دُرَّ الكَلامِ

وأَبْقَيْتُ لِلْعَالَم المُخْشلَب

From you I took possession of pearls of speech

And I left counterfeits for the vulgar world

ومنك اجتنيتُ ومنك اقتنيتُ

فأَحقَرُ شَيءٍ لديَّ الذَّهبْ

From you I gleaned and from you I gained

So to me gold is the most worthless thing

وإِنَّك أَهَّلْتَني لِلعُلا

وكم لِي إِلى نَيْلها مِن سَبَب

You made me deserving of sublime rank

And I have from you many means to attain it

ورائِيَّتي خَجِلتْ مدَّةً

ولكنَّه خجلٌ قد ذَهَب

For a time my vision was ashamed

But it is a shame that went away

وما زالت الراءُ مبذولةً

ومنسوبةً عندهم باللَّقَبْ

The letter "r" continuously served me

And was given to me as a title

وعاقبها واصلٌ بالجَفَا

وأَخْرَجَها مِن كَلاَمِ العَرَبْ

Wasel punished it by ignoring it

And took it out of the Arabs' speech

فأَسْعَدها واصِلٌ لا نَأَى

وأَصْعَدها طالعٌ لا غَرَبْ

So Wasel brought it bliss when he did not avoid it

And a rising star brought it elevation when he did not set

طلعْتَ علينا طُلوعَ الشموس

وجئتَ إِلينا مَجيءَ السُّحب

You rose upon us like the rising of the sun

And you came to us like the coming of clouds

أَتيتَ فجلَّيتَ عنَّا الهمومَ

وجئتَ فَفَرَّجْتَ عَنَّا الكُرَب

You came and so you uncovered our worries for us

And you came and so you relieved our distresses for us

على أَننَّا لم نزل مُبْصرِيك

وإِنْ كان شَخْصُك عنَّا احْتَجب

While we have not stopped seeing you

Even if your person was veiled from us

وما زال مَنْ فَضْلُه لا يزول

وما غابَ مَنْ جُودُه لَمْ يَغِبْ

He whose excellence does not cease still comes

And he whose generosity is absent is not absent

بكت مصرُ بالنِّيل حتَّى طغى

قديماً وغَرَّق أَعْلَى الكُتُب

Egypt cried about the Nile until it flooded

Drowning the highest ground in ancient times

وتَفْنَى الدُّموعُ لطول البكا

ءِ فالنِّيلُ في عَامِنا قَدْ نَضَب

But tears run out with prolonged weeping

So this year, the Nile in our land ran dry

وأَصبحت الأَرضُ مُحَمرَّةً

وعَن مائِها بُدِّلَت باللَّهَبْ

The earth turned red

And its water was replaced by flames

وقد قُتِل الخِصْبُ في تُربِها

فمحمرُّه بالدِّماءِ اخْتَضَبْ

Growth in its soil was killed

So its redness was colored with blood

وخافَ البريّةُ موتَ الصَّدى

وأَلاَّ يقيموا بِموتِ السَّغَب

The desert feared the death of echoes

And that they would not inhabit it after the death of cascades

فمذ عادَ عادَ وأَرْوى البلادَ

وأَعْتَب بالرِّي من قد عَتب

Since he returned, he returned and watered the countries

And blamed with the irrigation one who blamed

فأَنقذَنا الله بَعْد الرَّدى

وسَلَّمنا الله بعدَ العَطَبْ

So God saved us after destruction

And God delivered us after impairment

ولم يَبق في مصرَ من لا أَتَاك

إِلى الشَّامِ مِنْ طَرَبٍ أَو طَلَبْ

And no one remains in Egypt who has not come to you

To Damascus, out of enchantment or seeking

تُسابق أَبصارُهم خيلَهم

فهذا يَطيرُ وهَذَا يَثِب

Their sights race their horses

One flies and another bounds

أَتَوْكَ فضيَّفْتَهم بالغِنَى

وعَادُوا فزَوَّدتَهم بالأَرَبْ

They came to you, so you hosted them generously

And they returned, so you sent them off with sustenance

فهُم معَ مولاَهُمُ أَيْن كان

من الأَرْضِ والمرءُ مَعْ مَنْ أَحَبْ

They are with their Master wherever he was

Of the land, and man is with whom he loves

فكلُّ امرئٍ جاءَ منهمْ إِليْك

فبِالشَّوق تَقْريبُه والخَبَب

Everyone who came to you

Passion and yearning bring him closer

وقاعُدهم أَنْتَ أَقْعدتَه

لأَنَّك أَنْشَبْتَه بالنَّشَب

You are their chief, you made him sit

Because you fixed him in place firmly

يَؤُمُّون أَرْفَع مولىً عَلا

ويأْتُون أَكْرَم مولىً وَهَب

They frequent the most sublime Master

And they come to the most generous and gave

جواهِرُ أَفْعالِه تُجْتَنَى

وأَعْراضُ أَمْوالِه تُنْتَهَب

The jewels of his deeds are collected

And the chastities of his money are seized

إِذا أَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ هابَ النَّوالَ

فنائِلُه لم يَهَبْ أَن يُهَب

When the most generous of people bestows

The obtainer does not refrain from obtaining

يَهُبُّ كَما أَنَّه قد يَنامُ

فبِالحِلْمِ نامَ ولِلجُود هَبْ

He bestows as if he were sleeping

So in clemency he slept, and in generosity he gave

وزيرٌ تجيءُ إِليه الملوكُ

وَأَولادُها عُصُباً في عُصُب

A minister whom kings come to

With their sons grouped around them

فتسمعُ من رأْيِه ما تُحِبُّ

وتُبْصِرُ مِن شَخْصِه مَنْ يُحَب

Hearing from him what they love

And seeing in his person one who is loved

فأَقلامُه وهي سودُ الرءُوسِ

كأَعلامِهم وهْي صُفْر العَذَب

His pens and the gray hair of heads

Are like their standards and yellow banners

أَصابَ بك الشَّامُ ما شَاءَه

ولَوْ لَمْ تَكُن حاضِراً لَمْ يُصِبْ

Damascus attained what it desired through your auspicious opinion

And through your victorious resolve came the conquest

رميْتَ عِداهُ بحربِ الدُّعاءِ

فأَسمَعْت منهم دُعاءَ الحَرَبْ

Struggle and fortune serve you

One does not disappear and the other does not depart

وما زلتَ حتَّى محوتَ الدِّماءَ

وما زلتَ حتَّى كسرْتَ الصُّلُب

You crave, but the approach of prayers

While others crave beauty and curls

بميمونِ رأْيكَ كان الفتوحُ

ومنصورِ عَزْمِك كانَ الغَلَب

You seduce with the love of shyness

While others seduce with the love of charms

لك الجِدُّ والسَّعدُ مُستَخْدَماً

فذا لا يغيبُ وذا لا يَغِبْ

What a difference between one whose night continues

And one who has fallen obligated on his side

وتهوَى ولكنْ وِصالَ الصَّلاةِ

ويَهْوَى سِواكَ اللَّمَى والشَّنب

Before you, the eyes of suns are dimmed

And below you, the highest ranks are lowered

وأَنَّك مُغْرىً بِحُبِّ الحياءِ

وغيرُكَ مُغرىً بِحُبِّ الحَببْ

Your house flies above Suhā

And your fire burns above cottages

وكم بَيْن مَنْ لَيْلُه قائِمٌ

إِلى مَنْ على جنبِه قَدْ وَجَب

If you were pleased, then where is the glory?

But if you were angry, then how can one escape?

تَغُضُّ لديك عيونُ الشُّموسِ

وتَنْحَطُّ دونَك أَعْلى الرُّتَب

Your time asks you for safety

And your age takes etiquette from you

منزِلُ فوق السُّها تَستَطيرُ

ونارُك فوقَ الدَّراري تُشَب

The enemy said many things but transgressed

And the envious one added but lied

إِذا ما رَضِيتَ فَأَيْن المحلّ

وإِمَّا غضبتَ فكيْفَ الهَربْ

Your enemies scheme what will not happen

So it does not go right and does not settle

زمانُك يطلُب منك الأَمانَ

ودهرُك يأْخذُ منكَ الحَسَبْ

They did not appoint you as they claimed

Rather, they were assigned to pitfall

وقَالَ العدوُّ ولكن عَدَا

وزادَ الحسودُ ولكن كَذَب

True merit is not of the sort that can be bought

Nor is fortune of the kind that can be earned

يرومُ أَعاديكَ ما لا يكونُ

فلا يستقيمُ ولا يَسْتَتِبْ

The insolent one fails, and how many a sleeper

Is led to his fortune by force

وما ناصَبُوك علَى زعمِهم

ولكنهم نُصِّبوا للنَّصَب

He assumes things that do not exist

And things he did not account for come to him

وما الجِدُّ من جنس ما يُشتَرى

ولا السَّعد من نوع ما يُكْتَسب

One with merit, his merit abandons him

And comes to another with triviality

يخيبُ الحريضُ وكم راقدٍ

يُساق إِلى حَظِّه بالسَّلب

How many a wisher for what belongs to someone else

Who hates it! Oh what wonder!

ويحسِبُ أَشياءَ ليست تكونُ

وتأْتيه أَشْياءُ لَمْ تُحتَسب

The youth doubts the decree of God

In sustenance, so it throws him into fatigue

وذو الجِدِّ يهجره جَدُّه

ويأْتي إِلى آخر باللَّعِب

One who enjoys his world confused

Like a scabby wretch enjoys scratching scabies

وكمْ مُتَمنٍّ لما غَيْره

له كارِهٌ يا لَهذَا العَجب

So O most generous of people when pleased

And O most forbearing of creation when angry

وشكُّ الفَتى في قضاءِ الإِلـ

ـهِ في الرِّزق أَوْقَعه في التَّعب

The Arabs ennobled when you traced back

To them, elevating them through ancestry

وملتذُّ دُنْياه في خَجْلةٍ

كأَجْرَبَ يلتذُّ حَكَّ الْجَرَب

And if they trace you back to Ya‘rub

It is only to you that he traces back

فيا أَكْرمَ الناسِ يومَ الرِّضا

ويا أَحْلَم الخلق يَوْمَ الغَضَب

You raised the pillar for the people of pillars

And you brought out for their good fortune what set

تَشرَّفَ يَعْرُبُ لما انتسبتَ

إِليه وعظَّمْتَه بالنَّسب

You are their origin, O their branch

May God not cut off the origin of the Arabs

وإِن نَسبُوك إِلى يعربٍ

فما هو إِلاَّ إِليكَ انْتَسب

رفَعتَ العِمادَ لأَهلِ العمودِ

وأَطلعْتَ من سَعدِهم ما غَربْ

وأَصْلهُم أَنتَ يا فرعَهم

فلا قطع اللهُ أَصل العَرب