أبشرك أم ضوء من البرق لامع

وعزمك أم ماضي الغرارين قاطعُ

Is that your radiant countenance, or a gleam of lightning?

And is that your resolve, or a keen, double-edged blade?

وأنت سماء للموالين ثره

أجل أم سمام للمعادين ناقعُ

And are you a rain-cloud, abundant for the loyal,

yes—or deadly poison for your foes?

نسيمك للراجين جدواك سجسج

ولكنه للناكثين زعازعُ

Your breeze is mild for those hoping for your bounty,

but for oathbreakers it is tempestuous gales.

عمرت بمشوفع من الجود والندى

فتى ماله الا جاؤك شافعُ

You sustained, with joined gifts of generosity and bounty,

a young man whose only intercessor is [hope in you?].

فأقسمت ما أن يعرف الناس دهره

من الناس خلق في أياديك طامعُ

So I swore that, throughout his life, he would never know [despair?]—

any soul among men who hopes for your favors.

وفيت ووفيت السماحة حقّها

فلا المال مفحوظ ولا الجار ضائعُ

You kept faith and gave generosity its full due;

thus wealth is not hoarded, nor is a neighbor neglected.

سنانك قاص إن تمرد خائن

وسيفك ماض إن تحرد خالعُ

Your spearhead exacts vengeance if a traitor rebels,

and your sword cuts keenly if a renegade grows wrathful.

رعيت الرعايا ساهرا في صلاحها

فكلهم للأمن وسنان هاجعُ

You tended your subjects, staying awake for their welfare,

so all of them sleep drowsily in safety.

إذا ما ورت نار الوغى وتسعرت

دلفت إليها والرماح شوارعُ

When the fire of battle was kindled and blazed,

you advanced toward it, with spears leveled.

ببت صقيلات المتون كأنما

تدب عليها من شمال أكارع

With [blades?] polished along their backs, as though

the feet of [ants?] were creeping over them.

لقد صيرتنا للوزير صنائعا

أياد له مشكورة وصنائعُ

Indeed, we have been made the vizier's protégés

by his gratefully acknowledged favors and benefactions.

خلي من الكبر الذي يضع الفتى

مليء بإسداء الندى متواضعُ

Free from the arrogance that brings a young man low,

abundant in bestowing bounty, yet humble.

له من كريم الطبع حاد على الندى

وما الجود إلا ما حدته الطبائع

His noble nature provides a driver urging him toward bounty,

and generosity is only what natural dispositions drive forth.

بها إذا خاص الأسنه حاسرا

على أنه من لبسة الحبزم دموعُ

He shines when he [plunges?] unarmored among spearheads,

though [armored?] in the garb of [prudence?].

فتى سمره في الروع حمر وشقره

إذا امتد ذيل النقع دهم سوافعُ

A youth whose brown spears are red in battle, and whose chestnut steeds,

when the dust's train stretches out, are black and soot-dark.

إذا حارب الأعداء يوما تسالمت

نسور على أشلائها وخوامعُ

When he fights his enemies one day, peace is made

by eagles and limping hyenas over their mangled remains.

فقد ملت الجرد المذاكي طراده

وضجت إلى الغارات منه الوقائعُ

Indeed, the sleek, seasoned steeds have tired of his charges,

and battles have complained of him to the raids.

حلفت بأن القرم يحيى وقومه

شموس لها أفتى المعالي مطالعُ

I swore that the noble chieftain Yahya and his people

are suns whose rising-places are [the loftiest reaches?] of glory.

هم إن طرا خطب ليوث خوادر

وأما عوى جدب غيوث هوامعُ

They are lions in their lairs when calamity strikes,

and pouring rainstorms whenever drought howls.

فما روضه ضحاكه النور غضه

يغازلها جفن من القطر دامعُ

No garden, fresh and laughing with blossoms,

wooed by a tearful eyelid of rain,

تميل غصون البان فيها تأودا

إذا غردت ورى الحمام السواجعُ

where branches of the bān tree sway and bend,

when the [gray?] cooing doves sing,

بأحسن من أخذي يحيى وقد غدت

تهز القوافي عطفه وهو سامع

is lovelier than [my reception of?] Yahya, when

the rhymes begin to sway his body as he listens.

أمولاي عون الدين عذرك ضيّق

إذا أمل العافي وجودك واسع

O my lord Awn al-Din, your room for excuse is narrow

when the petitioner hopes and your generosity is vast.

تجود وأنواء الغمام ضنينة

وتبذل والأقوام لؤما موانعُ

You give freely while the clouds' seasonal rains are stingy,

and you bestow while people meanly withhold.

لأحييت أخبار النبي وشرعه

ومن مثل ما صنفت تحيى الشرائعُ

You have indeed revived the Prophet's traditions and his law,

and through works like yours, religious laws are revived.

تحريت في جمع الصحيحين صحة

فما قلت إلا صدى القول سامعُ

You sought accuracy in bringing together the two Sahih collections;

no sooner did you speak than a listener echoed your words [reading uncertain].

تهن بعيد النحر إن سعوده

عليك دهورا عائدات رواجعُ

Rejoice in the Feast of Sacrifice: its good fortunes

shall return to you for ages, coming back again.

وإن تنحر الأعداء فيه ترحهم

فدعهم ترعهم من سطاك الروائعُ

And if you slaughter your enemies that day, you grant them relief;

so leave them, and let the terrors of your might frighten them.

فما ترفع الأيام من أنت خافض

ولا تخفض الأقدار من أنت رافعُ

For time does not raise those whom you bring low,

nor does fate bring low those whom you raise.