سعدت بطول بقائك الحقب — Al Tughrai

سعدتْ بطول بقائِكَ الحِقَبُ

وعدتْ مقرَّ علائك النُوَبُ

The ages rejoice in the length of your life,

and calamities pass your lofty seat by.

أنت الذي انقادَ الزمانُ له

طوعاً ودانَ العُجْمُ والعَرَبُ

You are the one to whom time submits

willingly, and whom non-Arabs and Arabs obey.

أنتَ الذي قسمَ القضاءُ له

فوقَ الرجاءِ ودونَ ما يجبُ

You are the one to whom fate has allotted

beyond all hope, yet less than what is due.

أنت الذي لولا مكارمُه

غاضَ الزُّلالُ وصَوَّحَ العُشُبُ

You are the one without whose noble generosity

clear water would subside and grass would wither.

ما زالَ عن قومٍ نعيمهُمُ

إلا وأنتَ لردِّهِ سَبَبُ

Never has a people's well-being departed

without you being the means of its return.

فالمجدُ في حِضنيكَ معتقلٌ

والمالُ من كفَّيكَ منتهَبُ

So glory is held captive in your embrace,

and wealth is plundered from your hands.

كالدَّهرِ كلُّ صروفِه عِبَرٌ

والبحرِ كلُّ أمورِهِ عَجَبُ

Like time, whose every turn is a lesson,

and the sea, whose every affair is a marvel.

حَنِقٌ على الأعداءِ مضطغِنٌ

وعلى الرعايَا مُشفِقٌ حَدِبُ

Furious with enemies, harboring rancor,

and toward the subjects, compassionate and solicitous.

عَرفٌ نَمومٌ عُرْفُهُ شَمِلٌ

وحمىً منيعٌ عِيصُه أَشِبُ

A fragrance that betrays itself, whose bounty embraces all,

and an impregnable sanctuary with a dense thicket.

بكَ عَزَّ دينُ اللّهِ واتَّضَحَتْ

آياتُه وتكشَّفَ الحُجُب

Through you God's religion grew mighty, and manifest became

its signs; the veils were lifted.

فاللّهُ شاكر ما رفدت بهِ

دينَ الهدى والرُسْلُ والكُتُبُ

So God gives thanks for the aid you have given

the faith of guidance—as do the messengers and the scriptures.

لولا انقطاعُ الوحْي قامَ بما

قامتْ به في مدحكَ الخُطَبُ

Had revelation not ceased, it would have done what

the orations have done in praising you.

ما بينَ مشرقِها ومغرِبهَا

تُحدَى إليك الأينقُ النُّجُبُ

Between its eastern and western bounds,

noble she-camels are driven toward you with song.

فتُنَاخُ مِلءُ جلودِها نصبٌ

وتثار ملءُ متونِها نَشَبُ

They are made to kneel, their skins filled with weariness,

and made to rise, their backs filled with riches.

ووراءَ سطوكَ إنْ هَممْتَ به

حِلمٌ يلوذ بحِقْوِهِ الغَضبُ

Behind your onslaught, should you resolve upon it,

is forbearance, to whose waist anger clings for refuge.

وعزيمةٌ هجماتُها دُفعٌ

كالسَّيل طامنَ عنقه الصَّبَبُ

And a resolve whose assaults come in surges,

like a torrent, its neck bowed by the slope.

خطَّارةٌ في كلِّ معركةٍ

قلبُ الحِمام لهولها يَجِبُ

It sweeps through every battle;

death's heart pounds at its terror.

وإِذا تحدّبت الكُماةُ على

صُمِّ القَنا وتطاردَ العُصَبُ

And when armored warriors bend over

solid spears, and war bands charge one another,

في موقفٍ جحدَ الرؤوسُ بهِ

أعناقَها فوشتْ بها القُضُبُ

in a stand where heads disown

their necks, and the swords betray their presence,

فهناكَ أنتَ وعزمةٌ عصفَتْ

وانجابَ عنها الجَحفلُ اللَّجِبُ

there you are, with a resolve that rages like a storm,

and the clamorous army parts before it.

رَوعاءُ لم يثبُتْ لها بَدَنٌ

إلا يروح وهمُّها الهَرَبُ

Fearsome—no armor stands firm before it

without withdrawing, intent on flight.

يا سائسَ الدنيا بمختلفِ ال

حالينِ فيها الرَّغْبُ والرَهَبُ

O ruler of the world through the contrast of the

two states within it—desire and dread—

ومدبَّراً ضمنتْ أَيالَتُهُ

ألّا يُراعَ لصقرِها الحَزَبُ

and steward whose rule has guaranteed

that bustards need not fear its falcon;

ومؤلِّفَ الأضدادِ مجتمعاً

في راحتيهِ الماءُ واللَّهَبُ

and reconciler of opposites, gathered together

in his palms—water and flame.

بالشرق غيبتُهُ وهيبتُه

بالغربِ حيثُ الشمسُ تُحْتَجَبُ

He is away in the East, while awe of him

is in the West, where the sun is veiled.

فالبيضُ لولا رأيُهُ زُبَرٌ

والسُّمْرُ لولا عَزْمُه قَصَبُ

So bright swords, without his judgment, are lumps of iron;

and tawny spears, without his resolve, are reeds.

إنْ لَجَّ كفُّكَ في سماحتِها

فُقِدَ الرجاءُ وأقصَرَ الطَّلَبُ

If your hand persists in its generosity,

hope is lost, and asking ceases;

أو دامَ بالأعداء وقعتُها

ضَجرَ الردى وتبرَّم العَطَبُ

or if its assault upon enemies continues,

death grows weary, and destruction grows vexed.

كم ذمةٍ لك غيرُ مُخْفَرَةٍ

قد شُدَّ فوق عِنَاجِها الكَرَبُ

How many an unbroken pledge is yours,

its reinforcing cord tied fast above its bucket-rope!

ومواربٍ أخفَى عَداوتَه

فبدَتْ كما تتفرَّقُ الجُلَبُ

And many a dissembler concealed his enmity,

yet it emerged as clouds disperse.

أوسعتَهُ حِلْماً فأهلكَهُ

ولربما يُستوخَمُ الضَّرَبُ

You lavished forbearance on him, and it destroyed him;

and sometimes even white honey is found unwholesome.

وتركتَهُ تمكُو فرائصُهُ

للموتِ في حَوبائِه أَرَبُ

And you left him, his flank-muscles whistling,

with death intent upon his soul.

وغدتْ ملاعبُه متاعِبَه

يسفي ثَراها البارحُ التَّرِبُ

And his playgrounds became his places of toil,

the hot, dusty wind scattering their soil.

أينَ المفرُّ لمن طلبت ولو

عصمتْهُ في أفلاكِها الشُّهُبُ

Where can one you have pursued escape, even if

the blazing stars protected him in their spheres?

لو كانَ ينجو منك معتصمٌ

لنجا إِذاً في المعدِن الذَّهبُ

If anyone seeking refuge could escape you,

gold would then have escaped within its mine.

زوَّدْتَنِي كُتُباً بموعِدها

قَرُبَ الغِنى وتمهَّدَ الرُّتَبُ

You furnished me with letters whose promise

brought riches near and made ranks attainable.

بمؤيدِ المُلْكِ انجلتْ غُمَمٌ

أنْحَت عليَّ وأقلعتْ كُرَبُ

Through Mu'ayyid al-Mulk, clouds of grief cleared

that had assailed me, and troubles lifted.

أثنِي عليه بفضلِ أنْعُمِهِ

شكرَ الرياضِ لما سقَى السُّحُبُ

I praise him for the abundance of his favors,

with the gardens' thanks for the clouds' watering.

فبقِيت للإسلام تنصُرُهُ

والمُلكِ تأخذُ منه ما تَهَبُ

May you endure for Islam, championing it,

and for the realm, taking from it what you bestow.

ورمى القضاء إليك طاعتَهُ

تختارُ ما تهوى وتنتَخِبُ

And may fate cast its obedience before you:

you choose what you desire and make your selection.