لِلجَدّ صورة هَزلٍ حليها الأَدَبُ
فَلَيسَ يُنكر فيها اللهو وَاللَعبُ
Seriousness has a form of jest, adorned by good breeding;
In it, amusement and play cannot be condemned.
وَالعَقل كَالسَيف يَعرو متنه صَدأ
حيناً وَيَجلو صَداه الأنس وَالطَرَبُ
The mind is like a sword whose blade is overtaken by rust;
At times conviviality and delight polish that rust away.
وَلِلخَواطر في الإِحماض تَسليةٌ
وَلِلنَواظر في الآداب مُكتَسَبُ
A change of pasture brings thoughts relief,
And from literature the eyes acquire a gain.
وَالروح إِن لَم تَنَل بِالمَزح راحتها
يَوماً بَراها العَيا وَاِستَحوز الوَصبُ
If the spirit does not find its rest in jest,
Weariness will wear it down one day, and sickness take possession.
وَما رِياضة أَرباب العُقول سِوى
رَوض السَماع بِهِ الآلات تَضطَربُ
The exercise of men of intellect is nothing other than
The garden of music, where instruments pulse and tremble.
إِنّ المَشاغل أَمراض القُلوب إِذا
لَم يَشفِها اللَهو باتَت وَهيَ تَلتَهبُ
Preoccupations are diseases of the heart; if
Diversion does not cure them, they remain aflame.
وَالنَفس تَرغَب في الأَمر النَفيس وَما
فَوقَ السُرور نَفيس فيهِ يُرتَغَبُ
The soul desires whatever is precious, while
Nothing is more precious than joy, or worthier of desire.
وَما عَلى المَرء في دُنياه مِن حَرَج
إِذا تَسالَم مِنهُ الدين وَالحَسَبُ
No blame lies upon a person in this world
So long as his faith and honor remain unharmed.
وَإِنَّما شَرف الإِنسان هِمّته
وَإِنَّما يُستجاد الصارم الذَرِبُ
A person’s distinction is only his high aspiration,
Just as only the keen-edged sword is prized.
وَالعَقل مِن واهب الإِحسان مُختَلف
في الخَلق مِنهُ غَريزيٌّ وَمُكتَسَبُ
Reason, bestowed by the Giver of beneficence, varies:
In humankind, some is innate and some acquired.
وَالناس ضَربان لَم تبرح مَشاربهم
عَلى اِضطِراب فَمِنها الصابُ وَالضَربُ
People are of two kinds, and their tastes have never ceased
To differ: some choose bitter aloe, others honey.
وَنيّة المَرء في الأَعمال غامِضَة
فَليحذر الطَعن فيها الجاهل الوَربُ
A person’s intention in his deeds lies hidden;
Let the ignorant and suspicious beware of impugning it.
لا يَسلم المَرء مِن ضدّ يُعانده
وَلَو نَبَت عَن سَجايا طَبعهِ الريبُ
No one is spared an adversary who opposes him,
Even when suspicion lies far from his natural character.
كَالماء يَعروه أَقذاءٌ مُكَدّرة
وَالخَمر يَطفو عَلى أَكوابِها حببُ
Water itself is overtaken by clouding specks,
And bubbles float upon the cups of wine.
وَما عَسى تبلغ الحسّاد غايتها
وَالنار لَيسَ بِمَضرور بِها الذَهَبُ
What can the envious attain, even at their utmost?
Fire does no harm to gold.
نَحنُ الأُلى عَن سَبيل الرُشد ما اِنحَرَفوا
يَوماً وَعَن سنّة المُختار ما رَغِبُوا
We are those who never strayed from the path of right guidance,
Not for a day, nor turned from the Chosen One’s tradition.
قُل للجَهول الَّذي أَضحى يُعارضنا
ذَببتَ وَيحك مَهلا فاتَكَ العنبُ
Tell the ignorant man who has taken to opposing us:
Enough of your buzzing—easy, man! The grapes have passed you by.
عَفا المُهيمن عَن قَوم سَماجتهم
لَدى السَماحة عَنها يرفَع الغَضَبُ
May the Protector pardon a people whose generosity
Dispels anger whenever liberality is shown.
وَشَرَّفَ اللَه قَوماً شَرَّفُوا كَرَماً
ملاعِباً لَهُمُ الأَفراحُ تجتَلبُ
God ennobled a people who, in their generosity, graced
Their festive grounds, where joys are gathered.
وَآنسوا ربعَها الباهي فَكانَ بِهم
رَبيع أُنسٍ زَها تنفى بِهِ الكربُ
They enlivened that splendid quarter, and through them it became
A flourishing spring of fellowship that drove sorrows away.
بَدوا كَواكِبَ سَعدٍ في مَطالعها
قَد أقشعَت عَنهُم الظَلماء وَالسُحُبُ
They appeared like auspicious stars at their rising;
Darkness and clouds cleared away before them.
أَكرم بِدارِ كِرامٍ لا يحلّ بِها
إِلّا كِرام لَها العَلياء تنتَسبُ
How noble a dwelling of noble men, inhabited
Only by nobles to whom loftiness lays claim.
بَنو أَبيهم هُمُ في كُلِّ منقبةٍ
لَها المَكارم أمٌّ وَالكَمال أَبُ
Sons of one father, in every virtue
Noble deeds are their mother and perfection their father.
قاموا بِها حَول عَبد اللَهِ في فَرح
كَأَنَّهُ البَدر ضاءت حَولَهُ الشُهُبُ
They gathered there around ʿAbd Allāh in rejoicing,
As though he were the moon and the stars shone around him.
قَومٌ أَقاموا عَلى تَقوى الإله كَما
قاموا بِما فِعلهُ أَو تَركهُ يَجبُ
A people steadfast in reverence for God, just as
They perform what must be done and forsake what must be left.
غرُّ الوُجوه تَكاد الشَمس تَجذبهم
لِمَجدِها وَشَبيه الشَكل مُنجَذِبُ
Radiant of face—the sun almost draws them
Toward its glory, for like is drawn to like.
مَحاسن زانَها فَضل الحسين كَما
بِفَضلِهِ اِزدانَت الأَقلام وَالكُتُبُ
Beauties adorned by al-Ḥusayn’s excellence, just as
Through his excellence pens and books were adorned.
مَولىً شَمائله الحُسنى سَمَت شَرَفاً
عَن أَن تُحيط بِها الأَشعار وَالخطبُ
A lord whose gracious qualities rose so high in honor
That neither poetry nor oratory could encompass them.
مَولىً لِنَفع بَني الأَوطان مُنتَدب
لِلمَجد مُكتَسب لِلّه مُحتَسبُ
A lord devoted to the benefit of his countrymen,
Earning glory while seeking his reward from God.
فَاِروِ المَكارم عَنهُ واِروِ عَنهُ لَهُم
رِوايَةً زانَها التَهذيب وَالأَدَبُ
Relate his noble deeds, and recount of him for them
A narrative adorned by refinement and good breeding—
رِواية كُلّها فَضل وَمَعرِفة
وَحكمة وَمَعان كُلّها نخبُ
A narrative filled entirely with excellence and knowledge,
With wisdom and choice meanings throughout.
جَميلة ينسب الوَضع الجَميل لَها
فَلَيسَ يَطرأُ إِطراءٌ وَلا كَذبُ
Beautiful: fair composition itself is attributed to it,
And neither flattery nor falsehood enters it.
باهَت بِتَشخيص أَحوال فَكَم شَخصت
لَها عُيون مَحا مِن عُجبها العَجَبُ
It vied in its portrayal of human conditions—how many
Gazelle-like eyes stared at it, till wonder itself stood amazed!
وَكَم جَلَت شَمس خَدر حَولها قَمَر
تَبدو إِذا ترفعُ الأَستارُ وَالحجبُ
How many a secluded sun it unveiled, with a moon beside her,
Appearing when the curtains and veils were raised.
وَشادن شادَ أَركان الغِنى بِغنىً
إِلَيهِ مِن طَرَبٍ أَحشايَ تَضطَربُ
And a gazelle-like singer built the pillars of music with his song;
In rapture for him, the very entrails trembled.
يصبي حمام الحِمى شَدواً فأنشدها
بَيني وَبَينَكِ يا ورق الحِمى نَسبُ
His melody captivates the doves of al-Ḥimā, making one sing:
“Between me and you, O dove of al-Ḥimā, is kinship.”
فَقُل لِمَن رامَ يَحكيها معارضةً
لَقَد حَكَت وَلَكن فاتَكَ الشَنَبُ
Tell whoever seeks to imitate it in rivalry:
You may resemble it, but its pearly charm has eluded you.
وَرَبّ أَصيد تَحتَ التاج قامَ بِها
كَأَنَّهُ تُبّعٌ باهت بِهِ العَرَبُ
And many a proud man beneath the crown rose to perform it,
As though he were a Tubbaʿ in whom the Arabs took pride.
وَحَولَهُ مِن رِجال الملك كُلّ فَتىً
لَهُ الشَهامة بَيت وَالسَخا طنبُ
Around him stood the king’s men, every one a youth
Whose valor was a house and whose generosity its tent rope.
هُمُ شُموس المَعالي كَيفَما طَلعوا
وَهُم بُدور اللَيالي حيثما غَربوا
They are the suns of lofty glory wherever they rise,
And the full moons of night wherever they set.
ما أَسبل الستر إِلّا بِتُّ أنشدهم
لِلّه قَوم بجرعاء الحِمى غُيَبُ
No sooner did the curtain fall than I spent the night reciting of them:
“By God, what a people—absent at the sandy tract of al-Ḥimā!”
يا مُسبلَ الستر يا رَبَّ العِبادِ وَيا
مَن جوده الجود وَالإِحسان ما يهبُ
O You who draw the veil, O Lord of humankind, O You
Whose bounty is generosity itself, and whose beneficence is all You give:
أَدم عَلى جَمعِنا الأَفراح لا كدر
يَشوبُ منهلها الصافي وَلا أَشبُ
Keep our gathering joyful, untouched by any cloudiness
That might taint its limpid spring, or any admixture.
وَهَب لَنا مِنكَ تَوفيقاً نَقوم بِهِ
بِشُكر نَعمائك الحسنى كَما يَجبُ
Grant us success from You, that through it we may
Give thanks for Your gracious blessings and fulfill what duty requires.
وَجد لِسُلطانِنا عَبد العَزيز بِما
فيهِ لَنا العزّ وَالإِقبال وَالأَرَبُ
And be bountiful to our Sultan ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz with that
Which brings us honor, good fortune, and our heart’s desire.
وَاِمنَح لِأَعوانه الإِسعاف ما نَصحوا
لَهُ وَما تَرَكوا الإِجحاف وَاِجتَنبوا
Grant his helpers aid so long as they act sincerely
Toward him, forsaking injustice and keeping clear of it.
وَزِد إلهيَ والي الأَمر راشده
رُشداً بِهِ يَتَباهى المَجد وَالرتبُ
My God, increase the ruler in right guidance;
Guidance through which glory and rank may boast.
وَكامِلاً هبه حَظّاً كامِلاً فيهِ
لَقَد تَكامل مِن أَفراحِنا الطَلَبُ
Grant him, in perfection, a full and perfect share of it;
Then the utmost aim of all our joys will be complete.
