أَلا قُلْ لَخِيْرِ النَّاسِ نَفْساً وَوَالِداً

وَرَهْطاً وَأجْدَاداً مَقَالَةَ مُخْتَصِّ

Tell the best of people in self and father,

And kin and ancestors an utterance of one specialized,

مَحمَّدٍ الْمَأْمُولِ وَالْمُقْتَدَى بهِ الْ

أَمِيرِ أبي الْعَبَّاسِ ذِي الْفَضْلِ لا النَّقْصِ

Muhammad the hoped for and exemplar,

The Commander Abu al-Abbas of merit not deficit.

وَمَنْ جَمَعَ الآدَابَ بَعْدَ افْتِراقِها

وَثَقَّفَهَا بِالْبَحْثِ مِنْهُ وبِالْفَحْصِ

And one who gathered manners after their separation,

And gained knowledge of them through research and investigation,

دقِيقِ حَوَاشِي الذّهْنِ هُذِّبَ طَبْعُهُ

وَمُحِّصَ فِي قُرْبِ الْمَدَى أَيَّمَا مَحْصِ

The subtle commentator of mentalities refined in nature,

And purified through proximity however much cleansing.

بَعِيدِ الْقَبُولِ مِنْ حَسُودِ مُكَاشِرٍ

تَخَلَّفَ عَنْ أُولاهُ بِالنَّزْغِ والْفَرْصِ

Far from accepting the enviousness of an ignoble companion,

Who lagged behind the distinguished ones in defiance and advantage-taking.

لَئِنْ سَاغَ لِي أَكْلِي وَشُرْبِي فَإِنَّني

كَذِي شَرَقٍ مِنْ غَيْبَتِي عَنْهُ مُغْتَصِّ

If my eating and drinking are pleasant for me, then I

Am like one suffering from absence from you.

وَقَدْ كُنْتُ ذَا حَظٍّ لَدَيْهِ وَزُلْفَةٍ

فَجَاءَ الَّذِي حَاذَرْتُ فِيهِ عَلَى غَفْصِ

I used to have fortune and intimacy with you,

But what I feared occurred suddenly however much cutting off.

بِفَسْخِ الَّذِي سَدَّى وأَلْحَمَ بَاطِلاً

وَقَد وَقَصَاهُ عَاجِلاً أَيَّمَا وَقْصِ

With negating what had mended and falsely joined together,

And he quickly accomplished it, however much cutting.

مِنَ أكْلُبِ خُوِزَسَتانَ نَغْلٌ مُحَقَّرٌ

ضَئِيلٌ خَفِيُّ الشَّخْصِ فِي صُورَةِ الدَّرْص

From the dogs of Khwarizm, a despised, feeble gang,

Insignificant, obscure in figure, in the form of monkeys.

وَأَلْهَبَ مِنهُ الْجَمْرَ بِالنَّفْخِ حَابِلٌ

عَلُوقٌ بِأَذْنَابِ الأَكَاذِيبِ كَالشَّصِّ

And a fabricator kindled the embers with blowing,

A liar, with the tails of lies like a magician.

بَنُو مُعْوَرَاتِ الطُّرْقِ جَاءُوا بِعَوْرَةٍ

ذَوُو الآنفِ الذَّكَّاءِ والأَعْيُنِ الرُّمْصِ

The bent-nosed people of bent ways came with crookedness,

Those of cunning minds and bleary eyes.

أُولُوا بِطنةٍ فِي بَاطِلٍ وتَكَذُّبٍ

وَصِدْقُهُمُ يَأْوِي إلَى أَبْطُنٍ خُمْص

Owners of bellies full of falsehood and lies,

While their truthfulness retreats to the deepest interiors.

فَمَا أَسْنَدُوا قَوْلاً إلَي ذِي تَمَاسُكٍ

ولاَ شَيَّدُوا زُورَ الْمَقَالِ عَلَى إِصِّ

They did not prop up a saying to one of solidity,

Nor construct the vanity of speech upon a basis.

وَبِالْقَصْرِ قَوْمٌ إِنْ رَأَوْنَا تَبَلَّغُوا

وَحَطُّوا لَنَا الأَعْيَاقَ كَالرَّخَمِ الْقُصِّ

And in the palace people, if they saw us eminent

And leveled their necks at us like an old camel's.

تَلاَقَتْ بِتَأَلِيبٍ عَلْينَا جُفُونُهُمْ

وَفَرَّقَتِ الأَقْوَالَ بِالثَّلْبِ والْغَمْصِ

Their eyelids met in inciting against us

And the words scattered with provocation and plunging.

وَمَا قَبِلوا نُصْحَ الْعَرُوضِيِّ فِي الَّذِي

رآهُ وَرَصُّوا إفْكَهُمْ أَيّمَا رَصِّ

They did not accept the advice of the proposer in what

He saw, and they buttressed their slander, however much consolidation.

وَقَدْ هَطَلَتْهُ غَيْبَةٌ مِنْ سَحَابِهِمْ

وَكَالُوا لَهُ صَاعاً مِنَ النَّثِّ والْقَصّ

Absence from their clouds rained on him,

And they measured out for him a measure of carping and cutting off.

وَهَبَّ لهُ فِي بُعْدِه لَكَ قَاصِفٌ

مِنَ الْحزْنِ يُنْئِي صبرَهُ عَنْكَ بَلْ يُقْصِي

And there blew for you, in your absence, a desiccating wind

Of grief that diminished your patience from you, rather cut it off.

فَغَصَّ بِشُربٍ مِنْ فِرَاقِكَ آجنٍ

عَصُوفٍ بِجَدْوَاهُ أَمَرَّ مِنَ الْعَفْصِ

So he was anguished by a draught of parting from you, restless,

Writhing, bitterer than aloes.

وَإِنْ أَنْجَزَ الإِمْكَانُ يَوْماً بِجَلْسَةٍ

لَدَيْكَ أَتَاكَ الْقَوْلُ بِالشَرْحِ واللَّخْصِ

If accomplishment one day allows a sitting

With you, speech will come to you with explanation and summarization.

فَأَدْنَيْتَ حَقّاً قَدْ أُطِيحَ بِشَخْصِهِ

إلَى نزَوَانِ الْقَوْمِ بِالزُّورِ والْقَنْصِ

So you granted audience to the appearance of truth when

Its face turned toward you until proximity directed precise speech.

فَأَقْتَبَلُ الْعَيْشَ الْغَرِيرَ بِقُرْبِكُمْ

وَأَسْحَبُ فِي لَذَّاتِهِ أَذْيُلَ الْقُمْصِ

The suspicion of time has bent me with your absence,

The bending of one gambling with metaphor in cutting off.

بِحَقّ أَفَاضَ الْقَلْبُ فَاضِل شَرْبَةٍ

مِنَ الهَمِّ حَتَّى جَاءَنِي الأَمْرُ مِنْ فَصِّ

Toward you my hopes stretched in resolve

For the companionship of kin, holding firm, pining.

وَأَطْلَعَ شَخْصُ الْحَقِّ عنْدَكَ وَجْهَهُ

إلَى أَنْ يَقُودَ الْقُرْبُ مَنْطِقَ مُسْتَقْصِي

And anguished whom the family's cup made drink

A draught, so it wasted him in nearing ecstasy and trembling.

تَحَيَّفَنِي رَيْبُ الزَّمَانِ بِبُعْدِكُمْ

تَحَيُّفَ مِقْراضِ الْمُجَازِفِ فِي الْقَصِّ

To the son of him who revived the wilderness, his justice,

So he was compared with al-Faruq among them, Abu Hafs.

إِلَيْكَ تَرَامَتْ بِي الأَمَانِيّ هِمَّةٌ

عَلَى لُحُق الأَقْرَابِ ضَامِرَةٍ حُصِّ

And I had a promise to you with a ring

Studded, pleasing to behold in appearance and person.

وَخُوصٍ سَقَتْهَا الآلَ كَأْسُ هَجِيرِهِ

فَأَفْنَتْهُ بِالْوَجْدِ الْمُواشِكِ والرَّقْصِ

Noble, when they would sign it for a lord

Whose nobility and elevation through it increased.

إلَى ابْنِ الَّذِي أَحْيَا الْبَرِيَّةَ عَدْلُهُ

فَشُبِّهَ بِالْفَارُوقِ فِيهمْ أَبِي حَفْصِ

So I have not glimpsed the Commander with mention

Of it by insinuation in speech nor directly.

وَقَدْ كَانَ لِي وَعْدٌ عَلَيْكَ بِخَاتَمٍ

عَلُوقٍ بِلَحْظِ الْعَيْنِ مُسْتَمْلَح الشَّخْصِ

Favor with him did not avail me in that

To remind of fulfillment, and I am not greedy.

شَرِيف إِذَا ما وَقَّعوه لسيدٍ

تعاظم واستعلى به شرفُ الفَصِّ

I do not exaggerate praise except for one

Who exaggerates in giving, and I am no deficient.

فَلاَ أَنَا طَالَعْتُ الأَمِيرَ بِذِكْرِهِ

بِتَعْرِيضِ قَوْلٍ فِي الْخِطَابِ وَلاَ نَصِّ

Not with an insignificant heart, nor with a little branch

Where a fresh twig sways upon the thickets.

وَلاَ أَنْجَدَتْنِي مِنْهُ فِي ذَاكَ حُظْوَةٌ

تُذَكِّرُ إِنْجَازاً وَلَسْتُ بذِي حِرْصِ

The firm resolve of her heart is like rock,

Though it hides in a contemptible body.

وإِنِّي لأَرْجُو أَنْ يُسَرِّيَ لُبْسُهُ

فَيَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ اللَّبْسَ أَخْذَةَ مُقْتَصِّ

Nor with absorption in the pleasure of taste of a finch

Whose compatibility is in the age of shrikes and cages.

وَإِن لَمْ يَكُنْ كَرْعٌ يُقَاوِمُ غُلَّتِي

بِرِيٍّ قَنِعْنا فِيه بِالرَّشْفِ والْمَصِّ

If the like of chickpeas were hoped for in Homs

The men would lead my camels to Homs.

إِذا لَمْ يَكُنْ كُلُّ الَّذِي يَشْتَهِي الْفَتَى

فَفِي الرَّأيِ أَنْ يَرْضَى ويَقنَعَ بالَشِّقْصِ

I lean toward drinking deep of the noble ones in my anguish,

And am not a remedy for the wretched ones' ulcers.

وَلَسْتُ كَمَنْ يُمْضِي عَلَى الظَّنِّ حُكْمَهُ

وَيَجْعَلُ إِسْنَادَ الرِّجَالِ إلىَ حَصِّ

So say to whoever compared the Commander to other than him,

"You have made an effort, but measured out grain is not like crushed."

وإِنِّي لَأُغلِي الْمَدْحَ إِلا عَلَى الَّذِي

يُغَالِي بِإِعَطَاءٍ وَلَسْتُ بِذِي نَقْصِ

You went blindly into vanity in speech and falsehood

By a gap that surmounted the rocks in vertigo.

بِذِي هامَ قَلْبٌ لاَ بِخَرِيَدةٍ بِهَا

يَميسُ بِهَا غُصْنٌ رَطِيبُ عَلَى دعْصِ

The beauties of this creation began with you

And one of meagre means drags them like a thief.

صَليبَةُ عَزْمِ الْقَلْبِ كَالصَّخْرِ قَلْبُهَا

عَلَى أَنَّهُ يَكْتَنُّ فِي جَسَدٍ رَخْصِ

Thus glory cannot be gathered by wealth,

And by abodes the structures were built of bricks and plaster.

وَلاَ بِشَمُولٍ لَذَّةِ الطَّعْمِ قَرْقَفٍ

مَنَاسِبُهَا في عُمْرِ كَركِينَ وَالْقُفْصِ

You have not ceased to be for the eternal realm its ruler,

Obeyed by it in what you desire, and it does not disobey.

فَلَوْ كَانَ في حِمْصٍ يُرَجَّى شَبِيهُهُ

لَسَاقَ مَطَايَايَ الرِّجَالُ إليَ حِمْصِ

You attained the furthest limit of lifetimes

Beyond the reach of enumeration, before which the enumerator's hand falls short.

أَمِيلُ إلَى شُرْبِ الْكِرَامِ بِغُلَّتي

وَلَسْتُ لأَوْشَالِ اللِّئَامِ بِمُمْتَصِّ

فَقُولُوا لِمَنْ قَاسَ الأَمِيرَ بِغَيْرِهِ

تَأَيَّدْ فَمَا الْكَيْلُ الْمُحَصَّلُ كَالخَرْصِ

تَيَمَّمْتَ زُوراً فِي الْمَقَالِ وَبَاطِلاً

لَدَى خُرقٍ سَادَ الصُّخُورَ عَلَى رَهْصِ

مَحَاسِنُ هَذَا الْخَلْقِ مِنْكَ ابْتَداؤُها

وَيَجْذبُها ذُو كُلْفَة مِنْكَ كَاللِّصِّ

كَذَا الْمَجْدُ لاَ بِالْمَالِ يُجْمَعُ شَمْلُهُ

وبِالدُّورِ شِيدَتْ بِالقَرَامِيدِ وَالْجِصِّ

فَلاَ زِلْتَ للدَّهْرِ الْمُمَلَّكِ مَالِكاً

يَطيعُكَ فِيمَا تَشْتَهِيهِ وَلاَ يَعْصِي

وَحُزْتَ مِنَ الأَعْمَارِ أَقْصَى نِهَايَةٍ

تفُوتُ مَدَى الإِحْصَاءِ فِيهَا يَدُ الْمُحصِي