1. بُشرى كَما أَسفَرَ وَجهُ الصَباح

    وَاِستَشرَفَ الرائِدُ بَرقاً أَلاح

    Glad tidings, as the face of morning brightened,

    And the scout looked toward lightning that flashed.

  2. وَاِرتَجَزَ الرَعدُ يَمُجُّ النَدى

    رَيّا وَيَحدو بِمَطايا الرِياح

    And thunder chanted, spouting dew

    In drenching abundance, driving the winds' mounts with song.

  3. فَدَنَّرَ الزَهرُ مُتونَ الرُبى

    وَدَرهَمَ القَطرُ بُطونَ البِطاح

    So blossoms studded the hills' backs with dinars,

    And raindrops studded the hollows of the plains with dirhams.

  4. هَبَّت رَواحاً وَهيَ نَفّاحَةٌ

    فَطابَ ريحاً نَشرُ ذاكَ الرَواح

    It blew at evening, wafting fragrance,

    So sweet was the fragrance wafted through that evening.

  5. أَفصَحَ غِرّيدٌ بِها مُطرِبٌ

    نَفَشَّ مِن طِرسٍ قُدامى جَناح

    An enchanting songbird sang clearly within it,

    Unfurling a wing's primary feathers from a written page.

  6. فَهَل تَرى أَسمَعَ غُصنَ النَقا

    فَهَزَّ مِن عِطفَيهِ هَزَّ اِرتِياح

    So did it, do you think, make the sand-dune's branch hear,

    So it shook both its sides in a tremor of delight?

  7. أَم هَل سَرى يُنعِشُ غُصنَ الرُبى

    فَمَجَّ ريقَ الطَلِّ ثَغرُ الأَقاح

    Or did it travel by night, reviving the hills' bough,

    So the daisies' mouth spouted the dew's saliva?

  8. عِزٌّ تَهادى بِالقَنا هِزَّةً

    وَاِختالَ بِالجُردِ المَذاكي مِراح

    Glory swayed with the trembling of the spears,

    And strutted with sleek, full-grown steeds in high spirits.

  9. فَطاوَلَ النَجمُ مَنارَ الهُدى

    وَأَحرَزَ الدينُ مُعَلّى القِداح

    So the star rivaled the beacon of guidance in height,

    And faith won the highest of the lottery arrows.

  10. وَالتَأَمَ الشِعبُ وَما إِن عَدا

    رَأيُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ الصَلاح

    And the rift was healed; never strayed

    The Commander of the Faithful's judgment from what was right.

  11. خَيرُ إِمامٍ دامَ في عَسكَرَي

    جَدٍّ وَجِدٍّ مِلءُ صَدرِ البَراح

    The finest imam, ever amid the twin armies of

    Good fortune and resolve, filling the breast of the open plain.

  12. يَعطِسُ عَن أَنفٍ حَمِيٍّ لَهُ

    أَضرَعَ خَدَّي كُلِّ حَيٍّ كَفاح

    He sneezes from his fiercely proud nose,

    That humbled both cheeks of every tribe in open combat.

  13. أَرعَدَ في تُدميرَ زَجراً لَها

    فَما لِعَنزَينِ هُناكَ اِنتِطاح

    He thundered in Tudmir, rebuking it,

    So no two goats there butt heads.

  14. وَغَضَّ مِن أَصواتِها صَوتُهُ

    إِنَّ زَئيرَ اللَيثِ غَيرُ النُباح

    And his voice hushed its voices:

    For the lion's roar is not barking.

  15. وَشَدَّ أَزرَ اِبنِ عِصامٍ بِما

    حَبَّرَ مِن أَلفاظِ بِرِّ فِصاح

    And he strengthened Ibn ‘Isam's back with what

    He penned in eloquent words of kindness,

  16. في رُقعَةٍ تَحمِلُ مِن رِفعَةٍ

    لَألاءِ أَوضاحِ الوُجوهِ الصِباح

    On a page that carries, in its loftiness,

    The shimmering brightness of beautiful faces.

  17. مَيمَونَةٍ لَو لَمَسَت جَلمَداً

    صَلداً لَسالَ الماءُ عَنهُ فَساح

    Auspicious: were it to touch a boulder,

    Hard and solid, water would flow from it and stream away.

  18. فَالمَجدُ مَمطورُ جَنابِ المُنى

    وَالمُلكُ خَفّاقُ جَناحِ النَجاح

    So glory's realm of hopes is rain-drenched,

    And sovereignty flutters its wing of success.

  19. يُسفِرُ عَن بيضِ وُجوهِ الظُبى

    بَأساً وَيَرنو عَن عُيونِ الرِماح

    It unveils the white faces of sword-blades,

    In might, and gazes from the eyes of spears.

  20. أَبيَضُ وَضّاحُ جَبينِ العُلى

    جَذلانُ مَبسوطُ يَمينِ السَماح

    Fair, with the radiant brow of greatness,

    Joyful, with the right hand of generosity outstretched.

  21. فَقُل لِمَن ساجَلَهُ ضِلَّةً

    ماسُدفَةُ اللَيلِ وَضَوءُ الصَباح

    So say to whoever rivaled him in folly:

    What is night's darkness beside the light of morning?

  22. كَيفَ يُكافيهِ وَهَل تَستَوي

    خُشونَةُ الجِدِّ وَلينُ المُزاح

    How can he match him? And can these be equal:

    The harshness of earnestness and the softness of jest?

  23. تَمَيَّزَت مِن شيمَةٍ شيمَةٌ

    إِنَّ الأَجاجَ الصِرفَ غَيرُ القَراح

    One disposition stands apart from another;

    Indeed, unmixed brine is not pure fresh water.

  24. جالَدتُهُ مِن حاسِرٍ دارِعاً

    كَفاهُ حَملُ الرَأيِ حَملَ السِلاح

    I fought him, unarmored against an armored man;

    Wielding judgment sufficed him instead of wielding weapons.

  25. وَأَينَ مِن بَحرٍ طَما أَخضَرٍ

    ماسالَ مِن أَوشالِ بيضِ الصِفاح

    And where, beside a swelling green sea,

    Is what trickled from the seepages of white stone slabs,

  26. حَمَت وَمَن يَقعُدُ بِهِ جَدُّهُ

    فَكُلُّ زِندٍ في يَدَيهِ شَحاح

    Grown hot? And for whoever is held back by his fortune,

    Every fire-stick in his hands is miserly.

  27. فَلا تَنَم عَينُكَ مِن حاسِدٍ

    غَضَّ حِراناً مِن عِنانِ الجِماح

    So let your eye not sleep, on guard against an envier

    Who, balking, has drawn in the rein of his unruliness.

  28. أَمَضَّهُ جُرحٌ دَخيلٌ بِهِ

    إِنَّ الرَزايا مِن أَمَضِّ الجِراح

    A wound lodged deep within him has stung him sorely;

    For calamities are among the sorest of wounds.

  29. فَرَقرَقَ العَبرَةَ في خَجلَةٍ

    وَرُبَّما يُمزَجُ بِالماءِ راح

    So he made the tear shimmer in shame,

    And sometimes wine is mixed with water.

  30. ما غَصَّ بِالدَمعَةِ إِلّا هَفا

    فَاِنظُر تَجِد ثُمَّ السِوارَ الوِشاح

    He never choked on a tear without faltering.

    So look: then you will find the bracelet to be the sash.