1. شِفاءُ الهُدى يا سَيفَهُ العَضبَ أَن تُشفا

    وَكَفُّ الخُطوبِ المُدلَهِمَّةِ أَن تُكفا

    Guidance is healed, O its keen sword, when you are healed,

    And dark calamities are stayed when you are spared.

  2. فَجاوَزتَ أَقصى عُمرِ نوحٍ مُعَوَّضاً

    عَنِ العامِ مِن أَعوامِ مُدَّتِهِ أَلفا

    May you surpass the utmost span of Noah's life, receiving

    A thousand years for each year of his span.

  3. حَياةُ بَني الدُنيا حَياتُكَ سالِماً

    فَلا بُدِّلَ الإِسلامُ مِن قُوَّةٍ ضَعفا

    The life of this world's children is your life in health;

    So may Islam never exchange strength for weakness.

  4. أَنَمتَ عُيونَ الخَلقِ بَعدَ سُهادِها

    كَذا كُلُّ جَفنٍ مُذ تَأَلَّمتَ ما أَغفا

    You lulled creation's eyes to sleep after their sleeplessness;

    So it was with every eyelid: since you suffered, none had slept,

  5. إِلى أَن وَقاكَ اللَهُ لُطفاً بِخَلقِهِ

    فَلا عَدِموا مِنهُ تَبارَكَ ذا اللُطفا

    Until God shielded you, out of kindness to His creatures;

    May they never lack this kindness from Him—blessed is He.

  6. وَأَمَّنَهُم فيكَ المَخاوِفَ كُلَّها

    كَما أَمِنوا في ظِلِّكَ الجَورَ وَالعَسفا

    And He freed them from every fear concerning you,

    Just as beneath your shade they were safe from injustice and oppression.

  7. فَسُرَّت قُلوبٌ شافَهَتكَ بِسِرِّها

    عَلى أَنَّهُ ما كانَ فيما مَضى يَخفا

    So hearts rejoiced, telling you their secret face to face,

    Though it had never been hidden in the past.

  8. أَيُجحَدُ ما توليهِ آلاءُ مُنعِمٍ

    إِذا جارَ صَرفُ الدَهرِ كانَ لَهُ صَرفا

    Can what you bestow be denied—the bounties of a benefactor

    Who turns aside time's vicissitudes whenever they oppress?

  9. وَذو الأَمَلِ المَغضوضِ قَد عادَ طامِحاً

    فَأَوفى عَلى النُعمى وَذو النَذرِ قَد وَفّا

    And one whose hope had been cast down now aspires again;

    He has risen to good fortune, and the maker of a vow has fulfilled it.

  10. فَلَو لَم تَكُن فينا لَمُتنا مَخافَةً

    وَلَو عَدِمَتكَ الأَرضُ لَم تَأمَنِ الخَسفا

    Had you not been among us, we would have died of fear;

    And had the earth lacked you, it would not have been safe from sinking.

  11. أَلَستَ تَرى النَبتَ الَّذي أَطلَعَ الحَيا

    إِذا ما جَفا صَوبُ الحَيا تُربَهُ جَفّا

    Do you not see the plants that rain brings forth?

    When rain's downpour forsakes their soil, they wither.

  12. فَلا فَلَّتِ الأَيّامُ عَزماً مَضاؤُهُ

    شَفى الحَقَّ مِن أَدوائِهِ بَعدَ أَن أَشفا

    May days never blunt a resolve whose keenness

    Cured truth of its ailments after it had neared death.

  13. وَلا سَكَنَت ريحُ المُظَفَّرِ إِنَّها

    إِذا عَصَفَت كانَ المُلوكُ بِها عَصفا

    Nor may the wind of al-Muzaffar fall still; for

    When it rages, kings become chaff in its blast.

  14. وَلا بَرِحَت نيرانُهُ كُلَّما طَغَت

    سُيولُ الرَدى تَطفو عَلَيها وَلا تُطفا

    And may his fires never cease, whenever

    Death's torrents surge, to float above them, never quenched.

  15. لِشَكواكَ أَخفى الجَوُّ عَنّا غَمامَهُ

    زَماناً فَمُذ عوفيتَ أَظهَرَ ما أَخفا

    Because of your illness, the sky hid its clouds from us

    For a time; once you recovered, it revealed what it had hidden.

  16. أَرادَ يُرينا اللَهُ جاهَكَ عِندَهُ

    وَمَن مِنكَ أَولى بِالمَحَبَّةِ وَالزُلفا

    God wished to show us your standing with Him;

    And who is worthier than you of love and nearness?

  17. ظَهَرتَ فَظَلَّت نِعمَتانِ أَظَلَّتا

    وَإِن كُنتَ لِلإِمحالِ عَن أَرضِنا أَنفا

    You appeared; two blessings remained, casting their shade,

    Though you were the surer banisher of drought from our land.

  18. فَدَت أَنفُسُ الأَملاكِ نَفساً شَريفَةً

    إِذا اِنفَرَدَت عَنهُم فَسائِرُهُم أَكفا

    May kings' souls ransom a noble soul,

    Apart from which all the rest of them are equals,

  19. وَطَودَ فَخارٍ فَخرُ مَن عَزَّ مِنهُمُ

    وَطالَ مَحَلّاً أَن يَكونَ لَهُ الحِفا

    And a mountain of glory: the pride of those mighty among them

    And lofty in rank is to show him reverent care;

  20. أَشَدَّهُمُ كَفّاً لِنائِبَةٍ عَرَت

    وَأَنداهُمُ إِن سيلَ مَكرُمَةً كَفّا

    The strongest of them in warding off a calamity that strikes,

    And the most generous-handed when asked for a noble gift;

  21. وَأَروَعَ عَفّى في التَجاوُزِ وَالتُقى

    عَلى مَن عَفا بَعدَ اِقتِدارٍ وَمَن عَفّا

    And a noble man who, in forgiveness and piety, eclipsed

    Those who pardoned after gaining power, and those who were chaste.

  22. لَقَد مَلَأَت أَخبارُهُ وَهِباتُهُ

    أُنوفَ الوَرى عَرفاً وَأَيدِيَهُم عُرفا

    His tidings and his gifts have indeed filled

    People's noses with fragrance, and their hands with bounty.

  23. فَيا مَن سَقَتنا الأَمنَ وَالعَدلَ وَالغِنى

    عَلى ظَمَإٍ أَيّامُ دَولَتِهِ صِرفا

    O you, whose security, justice, and wealth were poured for us

    Pure in our thirst by the days of your reign;

  24. وَياذا المَعالي لا يُعَدِّدُ فَضلَها

    مَقالٌ أَيُفني البَحرَ وارِدُهُ غَرفا

    O master of lofty virtues, their excellence cannot be counted

    By speech; can one who draws from the sea exhaust it, scoop by scoop?

  25. وَعَجزُ المَساعي أَن تَنالَ أَقَلَّها

    كَعَجزِ القَوافي أَن تُحيطَ بِها وَصفا

    And endeavors' failure to attain even the least of them

    Is like the failure of rhymes to encompass them in description.

  26. لَئِن جِئتَ في أُخرى الزَمانِ مُعَقِّباً

    فَمَجدُكَ لا يَقفو وَلَكِنَّهُ يُقفا

    Though you came in time's latter days, following others,

    Your glory does not follow: it is followed.

  27. وَلا خُلفَ أَنَّ الدَهرَ عادَ بِوَجهِهِ

    إِلَيكَ إِلى أَن صارَ قُدّامُهُ خَلفا

    Nor can it be disputed that time turned its face

    Toward you, until its front became its back.

  28. رَأى مُعجِزاتٍ مِنكَ يا عُدَّةَ الهُدى

    تَطَلَّبَها في العالَمينَ فَما أَلفا

    It saw miracles in you, O guidance's strength,

    That it sought throughout the worlds, yet never found.

  29. وَكَم طالِبٍ ذا المَجدَ حاوَلَ عَطفَهُ

    فَلَمّا أَبى عِزّاً ثَنى دونَهُ عِطفا

    How many a seeker of this glory tried to bend it toward him,

    But when it proudly refused, he turned his shoulder away, unable to reach it.

  30. أَباحَتكَ أَقطارُ البِلادِ عَزائِمٌ

    كَفَينَ السُيوفَ السَلَّ وَالجَحفَلَ الزَحفا

    Resolves laid the farthest reaches of the lands open to you,

    Sparing swords their drawing, and the host its advance.

  31. وَأَمطَتكَ أَطرافُ الأَسِنَّةِ رُتبَةً

    تَوَدُّ الثُرَيّا أَن تَدومَ لَها إِلفا

    And spearheads set you astride a rank

    That the Pleiades wish would remain their companion forever;

  32. مُحَرَّمَةً لَم تَرضَ قَبلَكَ راكِباً

    وَأَحرِ بِها مِن بَعدِ أَن تَمنَعَ الرِدفا

    Inviolate, it accepted no rider before you,

    And how fitting that it should thereafter refuse a rider behind you!

  33. وَلَو شِئتَ تَدويخَ المَمالِكِ سُرعَةً

    لَكُنتَ بِها أَغرى مِنَ النارِ بِالحَلفا

    Had you wished to subdue kingdoms swiftly,

    You would fasten on them more fiercely than fire on esparto grass.

  34. لَقَد عَجَزَت أَربابُها أَن تَعُزَّها

    مَتى شِئتَها وَالضَيمُ بِالعَجزِ لا يُنفا

    Their lords have indeed proved unable to defend them

    Whenever you desire them; humiliation is not dispelled by helplessness.

  35. وَلَو حَزَموا أَعطَوكَ شَطرَ الَّذي حَوَوا

    فَذَلِكَ فَوقَ النِصفِ أَن تَأخُذَ النِصفا

    Had they been prudent, they would have given you half of what they possessed;

    For your taking half would be worth more than half.

  36. تَمَهَّلتَ عِلماً أَنَّها لَكَ دونَهُم

    وَمُلتَمِسُ المَمنوعِ يَأخُذُهُ خَطفا

    You took your time, knowing they were yours rather than theirs;

    While the seeker of what is withheld takes it by snatching.

  37. أَبَحتَنِيَ الإيسارَ عِلماً بِأَنَّني

    سَيَبقى عَلى الأَيّامِ ما أودِعُ الصُحفا

    You granted me wealth, knowing that

    What I commit to the pages will endure through the ages.

  38. مَواهِبُ لا أَدرى إِذا أَنا شِمتُها

    أَصَوبَ بَنانٍ شِمتُ أَو دِيَماً وُطفا

    Gifts: when I behold them, I cannot tell

    Whether I behold a downpour from fingers or dense clouds of steady rain.

  39. فَلا يُلزِمَنّي شُكرُها حَملَ ثِقلِهِ

    فَمَن لي بِشِعرٍ حامِلٍ مِنهُ ما خَفّا

    So let gratitude for them not oblige me to bear its weight;

    For who will give me verse that bears even its lightest part?

  40. وَقَد حافَ دَهرٌ أَلحَقَ الأَبعَدينَ بي

    وَعَدلُكَ لا يَرضى وَفَضلُكَ بي أَحفا

    And time has wronged me, letting the farthest behind catch up with me;

    Your justice does not accept it, and your bounty is more solicitous of me.

  41. لَعَمري لَقَد خُوِّلتُ ما دونَهُ الغِنى

    وَفي عُشرِ مِعشارِ الَّذي نِلتُ ما كَفّا

    By my life, I have been granted what surpasses wealth;

    And a tenth of a tenth of what I received would have sufficed.

  42. وَما حامِلي أَن أَستَزيدَ مُصَرِّحاً

    سِوى أَنَفي أَن يَجدَعَ الدَهرُ لي أَنفا

    Nothing drives me to ask openly for more,

    Except my pride, lest time cut off my nose.

  43. تُقارِبُ بَعضُ الخَيلِ في السَبقِ بَعضَها

    وَلَن يُلحَقَ الطِرفُ الَّذي يَسبِقُ الطَرفا

    Some horses draw close to others in the race,

    But the noble steed that outruns the eye will never be overtaken.

  44. أَنا السابِقُ المُهدي إِلَيكَ غَرائِباً

    تَدُلُّ مَعانيها عَلى جَوهَرٍ شَفّا

    I am the front-runner, offering you rare wonders

    Whose meanings reveal a jewel of surpassing worth.

  45. فَمَيِّز مَديحاً لَن يَزالَ صَريحُهُ

    عَلى ذي العُلا ما عاشَ شاعِرُهُ وَقفا

    So distinguish a panegyric whose pure strain shall remain

    Dedicated to the lord of greatness as long as its poet lives.

  46. أَأَترُكُ ذا الغَيمَ الرُكامَ مُعَرَّضاً

    لِمَن رامَ جَدواهُ وَأَنتَجِعُ الهِفّا

    Should I abandon this massed cloud, freely offered

    To whoever seeks its bounty, and go seeking a rainless cloud?

  47. بِبُرئِكَ عافى اللَهُ مِن عِلَلِ المُنى

    وَمِن مِنَنِ القَومِ الأُلى بَخِلوا أَعفا

    Through your recovery, God healed us of hope's ailments,

    And spared us the favors of those people who were miserly.

  48. فَلا زِلتَ لِلراجينَ في كُلِّ أَزمَةٍ

    حَياةً وَلِلأَعداءِ حَيثُ اِنتَحَوا حَتفا

    May you ever be, for those who hope, in every crisis,

    Life, and for enemies, wherever they turn, death.