أَلُمتِ وَما رَفُقتِ بِأَن تَلومي
وَقُلتِ مَقالَةَ الخَطِلِ الظَلومِ
You blamed me, yet were not gentle in blaming,
And said the words of an unjust blamer.
إِذا ما نِمتِ هانَ عَلَيكِ لَيلي
وَلَيلُ الطارِقاتِ مِنَ الهُمومِ
When I sleep, my night seems contemptible to you,
Yet the night of early risers is full of worries.
أَهَذا الوُدُّ غَرَّكِ أَن تَخافي
تَشَمُّسَ ذي مُباعَدَةٍ عَذومِ
Did this love deceive you into fearing
The aloofness of one who is rough and stern?
وَقَفتُ عَلى الدِيارِ وَما ذَكَرنا
كَدارٍ بَينَ تَلعَةَ وَالنَظيمِ
I stood by the dwellings and did not remember them
As a house between Tala'a and al-Nazim.
عَرَفتُ المُنتَأى وَعَرَفتُ مِنها
مَطايا القِدرِ كَالحِدَءِ الجُثومِ
I knew the far off places and I knew among them
The blows of fate like solid rock.
أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ جَمَعتَ ديناً
وَحِلماً فاضِلاً لِذَوي الحُلومِ
O Commander of the Faithful, you gathered religion
And abundant forbearance for those who show restraint.
أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ عَلى صِراطٍ
إِذا اِعوَجَّ المَوارِدُ مُستَقيمِ
O Commander of the Faithful, you are on a path
Straight, though the terrain be winding.
لَهُ المُتَخَيَّرانِ أَباً وَخالاً
فَأَكرِم بِالخُؤولَةِ وَالعُمومِ
For you the best two, a father and uncle,
So be generous with maternal and paternal kin.
فَيا اِبنَ المُطعِمينَ إِذا شَتَونا
وَيا اِبنَ الذائِدينَ لَدى الحَريمِ
O son of those who fed others when lean
And son of those who sacrificed for the harem.
وَأَحرَزتَ المَكارِمَ كُلَّ يَومٍ
بِغُرَّةِ سابِقٍ وَشَظاً سَليمِ
You gain all good traits each day
With an early rise and effort sound.
نَما بِكَ خالِدٌ وَأَبو هِشامٍ
مَعَ الأَعياصِ في الحَسَبِ الجَسيمِ
Through you live on Khalid and Abu Hisham
Among nobles, of glorious lineage.
وَتَنزِلُ مِن أُمَيَّةَ حَيثُ تَلقى
شُؤونُ الهامِ مُجتَمَعَ الصَميمِ
You descend from Umayya where goals converge,
The essence of the matter, intrinsic and profound.
وَمِن قَيسٍ سَما بِكَ فَرعُ نَبعٍ
عَلى عَلياءَ خالِدَةِ الأَرومِ
From Qais, the branch of fresh water rose with you
To lofty summits, ever verdant and high.
وَأَعداءٍ زَوَيتَهُمُ بِحَربٍ
تَكُفُّ مَسالِحَ الزَحفِ المُقيمِ
You bridled enemies with war
To stop the marching feet bound forward.
تَرى لِلمُسلِمينَ عَلَيكَ حَقّاً
كَفِعلِ الوالِدِ الرَؤوُفِ الرَحيمِ
The Muslims see in you a right
Like that of a compassionate and loving father.
وَليتُم أَمرَنا وَلَكُم عَلَينا
فُضولٌ في الحَديثِ وَفي القَديمِ
You lead our affairs while you have a surplus with us
In discourse from early days and ancient times.
إِذا بَعضُ السِنينَ تَعَرَّقَتنا
كَفى الأَيتامَ فَقدَ أَبي اليَتيمِ
When the years cause us to perspire,
It suffices the orphans, for they lost their father.
وَكَم يَرجو الخَليفَةَ مِن فَقيرٍ
وَمِن شَعثاءَ جائِلَةِ البَريمِ
How much the caliph is hoped for by a pauper
And the disheveled wanderers of the wilderness.
وَأَنتَ إِذا نَظَرتَ إِلى هِشامٍ
نَظَرتَ نِجارَ مُنتَجَبٍ كَريمِ
When you look at Hisham
You look at a refined, selective carpenter.
وَلِيُّ الحَقِّ حينَ تَؤُمَّ حَجّاً
صُفوفاً بَينَ زَمزَمَ وَالحَطيمِ
The guardian of truth, when you head for hajj,
Ranks between Zamzam and al-Hatim.
تَواصَت مِن تَكَرُّمِها قُرَيشٌ
بِرَدِّ الخَيلِ دامِيَةَ الكُلومِ
The generosity of Quraysh transmitted among them
By the return of the horses bloodying the meadow.
فَما الأُمُّ الَّتي وَلَدَت أَباكُم
بِمُقرَفَةِ النِجارِ وَلا عَقيمِ
So what mother bore your father
By grafting wood or being barren?
وَما قَرمٌ بِأَنجَبَ مِن أَبيكُم
وَما خالٌ بِأَكرَمَ مِن تَميمِ
No palm tree produced better than your father
Nor uncle more generous than Tameem.
سَما أَولادُ بَرَّةَ بِنتِ مُرٍّ
إِلى العَلياءِ في الحَسَبِ العَظيمِ
The sons of Barra bint Murr ascended
To the heights, of glorious lineage.
