نَعِمَ الْوَرَى بِسَوابِغِ النَّعْماءِ
وَنَجَوْا مِنَ الْبأْساءِ والضَّرَّاءِ
How excellent is the land with abundant blessings,
And they were saved from calamities and adversities.
عَضَدَ الإلهُ أَبا الْوَفاءِ بِنَصْرِهِ
عَضُدَ الخْلافَةِ سَيِّدَ الأُمَراءِ
God supported the father of loyalty with His victory,
The pillar of the Caliphate, the master of princes.
فأُرِيحَ قَلْبِي مِنْ جَوَى الْبُرَحاءِ
وَلَهيبِ نَارِ الْوَجْدِ وَالأدْواءِ
So my heart was comforted from the burning thirst,
And the flames of passion, malady and pain.
عَادَ الزَّمانُ إلىَ نَضارَةِ عَيْشِهِ
وَأُزِيلَتِ الْبَأساءُ بالسَّرَّاءِ
The days returned to the freshness of their life,
And calamities were removed with ease.
قَدْ واصَلَ النَّصْرَ المُتابَعَ سَيْفُهُ
كَوِصالِ حِبٍّ كارِهٍ لِجفَاءِ
His sword connected victory after victory,
Like the connection of an unwilling love to separation.
فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ للأَعادِي وَقْعَةٌ
مِنْهُ تُبِيدُهُمُ وَسَيْفُ فَناءِ
Every day he deals the enemies a blow,
That destroys them, by the sword of annihilation.
فَتَراهُمُ لَمَّا رَأَوْهُ مُقْبِلاً
كَالشَّاءِ يَنْفُرِ مِنْ أُسُودِ ضِرَاءِ
So when they saw him advancing,
They fled like frightened sheep from ferocious wolves.
صَرْعَى وَقَتْلَى وَالَّذِي فاتَ الرَّدَى
مِنْهُم حَلِيفُ الذُّلِّ في الأُسَراءِ
Slain and killed were those whom ruin missed,
Becoming allies of humiliation in captivity.
ضَحِكَتْ بِه الأَيَّامُ بَعْدَ قُطُوبِها
وَجَلا الضِّياءُ بِهِ دُجَى الظَّلْماءِ
The days smiled after their gloom through him,
And the light shone, dispelling the darkness.
فَصِلُوا السُّرُور قَضَاءَ ما عايَنْتُمُ
بِالأَمْسِ مِنْ هَمٍّ وَمِنْ بُرَحاءِ
So celebrate relief from the worries and burning thirst
That you witnessed yesterday.
قَدْ عُوفِي اللَّيْثُ الْمُطِلُّ عَلى العدَا
مِنْ كُلِّ مَا يَشْكُو مِنْ اللأْواءِ
The fierce lion who eyes his enemies has recovered
From all he complains of pains.
وَأَتاهُ نَصْرٌ مِنْ إلهٍ مُنْعِمٍ
يَقْضِي لَهُ أَبَداً بِخَيْرِ قَضاءِ
And victory came to him from a beneficent God,
Who decides for him forever in the best decree.
أَعْيَيْتَ حيلَتَهُمْ وَفُتَّ مَدَاهُمُ
مِنْ غَيْرِ إِتْعابٍ وَلا إِعْيَاءِ
You exhausted their wits and blunted their sharpness,
Without fatigue or wearying.
نَثَرَتْ سُيُوفُكَ بِالْفَضاءِ أَكُفَّهُمْ
فَكَأَنَّهُمْ فِيهِ حَصَى الْبَطْحاءِ
Your swords scattered their palms in the open,
As if they were pebbles in the courtyard.
وَعطَفْتَ خَيْلَكَ خاطِفاً أَرْوَاحَهُمْ
مِنْ غَيْرِ إمْهَالٍ وَلا إِبْطاءِ
And you turned your horse snatching their souls,
Without delay or tardiness.
أَنْتَ الْمُعَظَّمُ فِي الزَّمانِ وَمَنْ لَهُ
ذَلَّتْ رِقابُ السَّادَةِ الْعُظَماءِ
You are the most honored in the times, and one to whom,
The necks of eminent chieftains have bowed.
أَبَتِ الإمارَةُ أَنْ تُزَوَّجَ غَيْرَهُ
مِنْ بَعْدِ ما خُطِبَتْ أَشَدَّ إِباءِ
The emirate refused to marry other than him,
After being sought in marriage most adamantly.
وَعَصَى الْمَدِيحُ فَلَيْسَ يُعْطي طَاعَةً
إلا لَهُ فِي سُؤْدَدٍ وثَنَاءِ
And praise disobeyed, so it gives no obedience,
Except to him, humbly and in praise.
يَلْهُو بِأَبْطالِ الرجالِ شَجاعَةً
لَهْوَ الْمُلاعِبِ فازَ بِالأهَوْاءِ
In courage, he toys with brave men,
Winning the passions, a victor of love.
مَلِكٌ أَبَرَّ عَلَى الْمُلُوكِ بِبَأْسِهِ
وَقَبُولِهِ مِنْ سَيِّدِ النُّصَحاءِ
A king whose might proved greater than kings,
And his acceptance from the master of advisers.
أَحيا مُحَمَّدٌ بْنُ يَحْيى دَوْلةً
بِصَحِيحِ عَزْمٍ صائِبِ الأراءِ
Muhammad ibn Yahya revived a state,
With sound resolve and correct views.
زَيْنُ الكِتابَةِ وَابْنُ مَنْ ذَلَّتْ لَهُ
وَعَلَيْهِ قِدْماً كِتْبَةُ الْخُلَفاءِ
The adornment of literature and son of one to whom,
Bowed down at his feet the scribes of the caliphs.
مِنْ بَعْدِ ما ظَنَّ الأَعادِي أَنَّهُ
سَيَكُونُ مَنْ نَاوَاهُ ذا اسْتِعلاءِ
After the enemies thought that he,
Would be one they wished to overpower.
إذْ ساوَرَ الإسْلامَ سُقْمٌ قاتِلٌ
لَوْ لَمْ يُدارِكْ سُقْمَهُ بِشِفاءِ
When a deadly disease befell Islam,
That would have killed it, had it not been cured by his remedy.
فَرَماهُمُ مِنْ رَأْيِهِ بِنَوافِذٍ
تُهْدَى بِلا هادٍ إلَى الأَحْشاءِ
So he shot them with his piercing views,
Aimed without a guide at the vitals.
وَرَأَى حَبَالَى رَأْيِهِ شَرَكاً لَهُمْ
فَهَوَوْا لِحَمْئَتِهِ هُويَّ دِلاءِ
And he saw the pregnant clouds of his view as partners for them,
So they plunged for his teeming thoughts, a plunging of light.
في كارَ يُرْجَى عَيْنُ رَأْيِ مُجَرِّبٍ
مَاضِي الْحُسامِ لِحَسْمِ هَذَا الدَّاءِ
In matters of hope, the view of an experienced one is fruitful,
A drawn sword to root out this disease.
سَلْ بِالأمِيرِ وَسَيْفِهِ مَنْ رَامَهُ
أَوْ هاجَهُ فِي حَوْمَةِ الْهيجَاءِ
Ask him by the prince and his sword, whoever schemes against him,
Or enrages him in the heat of fury.
ضِرْغامُهُ دَامي الأظَافِرِ كُلَّمَا
عَرَتِ النَّوائِبُ مِن دَمِ الأَعْدَاءِ
His claws, bloody from the enemies whenever,
Misfortunes spurted from the blood of foes.
فَكَأَنَّهُ فِي سَرْجِهِ يَوْمَ الْوغَا
بَدْرٌ تَلأْلأَ فِي سُعُودِ سَمَاءِ
So it is as if in his saddle on the day of battle,
He is a full moon gleaming in a propitious sky.
وكَأَنَّما قُوَّادُهُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِ
مُسْتَلْئِمِينَ كَواكِبَ الْجَوْزاءِ
And it is as if his warriors around him,
Are clusters of stars Canopus.
مُتَلَبِّسٌ جِلْبَابَ صَبْرٍ تَحْتَهُ
قَلْبٌ كَمِثْلِ الصَّخْرَةِ الصَّمّاءِ
Wearing the cloak of patience beneath which,
Is a heart like solid rock, impenetrable.
شَرَدَ الأَعادِي خَوْفُهُ فَكَأَنَّهُمْ
خَرِقُ النَّعامِ بِقَفْرَةٍ بَيْدَاءِ
His fear scattered the enemies so they are like,
Tattered ostriches in a barren desert.
أَوْ كُدْرُ سِرْبِ قَطاً أَضَرَّ بِها الصَّدى
فَتَساقَطَتْ عَطَشاً إلَى الأَحْشاءِ
Or a flock of wild cats that were startled by an echo,
So they fell in thirst into the bowels of valleys.
عَطَفَ الرِّجالُ إلَيْهِمُ فَتَعَطَّفُوا
لِلأَسْرِ وَالإِذْلالِ فِعْلَ نِساءِ
The men turned to attack them, and they yielded,
To captivity and humiliation, acts of women.
وَأَتَى الأَمِيرُ بِعِزَّةٍ وَمَهابَةٍ
يَخْتالُ بَيْنَ غِنىً وَبَيْنَ غنَاءِ
And the prince came with might and awe,
Strutting between wealth and singing slave girls.
خَصِبَتْ بِهِ بغْدادُ بَعْدَ جُدُوبِها
وَتَلَبَّسَتْ مِنْهُ ثِيابَ رَخاءِ
Baghdad flourished through him after its gloom,
And was clothed by him in garments of ease.
هذا وَفِي أَيَّامِ بَجْكَمَ كَمْ لَهُ
مِنْ صِدْقِ عارِفَةٍ وَحُسْنِ بَلاءِ
How many sincere devotions and excellent trials,
He had in the days of Bujka.
تَسْوَدُّ أَيْدي غَيْرِهِ فِي حَرْبِهِ
فَيُضِيئُها بِيَدٍ لَهُ بَيْضاءِ
The hands of others would be darkened in his war,
Then he would brighten them with a shining white hand.
أَطْنابُ بَأْسِكَ يَوْمَ حَرْبِكَ عُلِّقَتْ
لِعُلُوِّها بِكَواكِبِ الْعَوَّاءِ
The lengths of your terrible blows on the day of battle,
Were attached to the stars on high for their height.
فَضَلَتْ كَفَضْلِ بَنِي النَّبِيِّ وصهْرِهِ
فِي نُبْلِ قَدْرِهِمُ بَنِي الطُّلَقَاءِ
They excelled like the preference of the Prophet’s family and in-laws,
In their noble worth over the highborn.
فَرَقَيتَ فِي دَرَجِ الْمَعالِي صاعِداً
تَعْلُو عَلَى الْعُظَمَاءِ وَالْكُبَرَاءِ
You ascended in the steps of greatness, rising
Higher than the eminent and the greatest.
