يمينك إن طرا جدب سحاب

يمينك إن طرا جدب سحاب

وعزمك إن دجى خطب شهابُ

وعزمك إن دجى خطب شهابُ

Your right hand, if drought strikes, is a cloud;

Your right hand, if the clouds are sparse,

and your resolve, if calamity darkens, is a shooting star.

And your determination, if the darkness of affairs becomes illuminated,

وحلمك إن هفت أحلام قوم

وحلمك إن هفت أحلام قوم

رزين لا توازنه الهضابُ

رزين لا توازنه الهضابُ

Your forbearance, when a people's judgments falter,

And your patience, if the dreams of a nation have vanished,

is weighty: the hills cannot match it.

Are steadfast and cannot be matched by the hills.

لقد أضحت مغرِّبة وطورا

لقد أضحت مغرِّبة وطورا

مشرقة عطاياك الرغابُ

مشرقة عطاياك الرغابُ

Indeed they have gone westward, and at times

You have become one who sets in the west and rises in the east,

eastward—your bountiful gifts.

With your plentiful gifts rising.

لك الخلقان ذا شهد وهذا

لك الخلقان ذا شهد وهذا

إذا صابت سماء الحرب صابُ

إذا صابت سماء الحرب صابُ

Yours are two natures: this one honey, and the other,

You possess the two realms of this and that,

when the sky of war rains, bitter sap.

Whenever the sky of war pours forth rain.

وهبت تكرما وقتلت حزما

وهبت تكرما وقتلت حزما

فما يرجى سواك ولا يهابُ

فما يرجى سواك ولا يهابُ

You have given generously and slain with resolve;

You grant generously and kill prudently,

so none but you is looked to or feared.

So none but you is hoped for or feared.

بجود ابن المظفر المرجى

بجود ابن المظفر المرجى

تسهلت المنى وحلا الطلابُ

تسهلت المنى وحلا الطلابُ

Through the bounty of Ibn al-Muzaffar, in whom hope is placed,

Through the generosity of Ibn al-Muzaffar the hoped-for,

wishes became attainable, and their pursuit grew sweet.

Wishes were granted and yearnings fulfilled.

رفيلي المناسب كسروي

رفيلي المناسب كسروي

عتاداه الصوارم والعرابُ

عتاداه الصوارم والعرابُ

Rafili in lineage, Khosrow-like,

My friend suited to occasions, like my sword,

his two armaments are keen swords and thoroughbred Arab steeds.

Whose equipment is swords and bedouin Arabs.

هو الملك الذي بندي يديه

هو الملك الذي بندي يديه

ومدحي فيه قد سرت الركابُ

ومدحي فيه قد سرت الركابُ

He is the king whose hands' bounty,

He is the king whom I extended my hands to

and my praise of him, the caravans have carried by night.

And whom my praise has delighted caravans about.

ومشغوف ببذل الرفد صب

ومشغوف ببذل الرفد صب

فليس لقلبه عنه إنقلابُ

فليس لقلبه عنه إنقلابُ

And enamored of bestowing aid, passionately devoted,

Passionate in bestowing sustenance from his rain-clouds,

his heart can never turn away from it.

So his heart cannot turn away from it.

إذا احتقب البخيل الغمر وفرا

إذا احتقب البخيل الغمر وفرا

فليس له سوى الحمد احتقابُ

فليس له سوى الحمد احتقابُ

When the foolish miser hoards wealth,

When the miser sulks over abundant rain,

this king hoards nothing but praise.

He has none but praise while frowning.

وردت بحاره والظمْ ملق

وردت بحاره والظمْ ملق

علي جرانه فطمى عبابُ

علي جرانه فطمى عبابُ

I came to his seas while thirst was laying

His seas overflow and the signs of rain on his cheeks

its breast upon me; then their billows swelled.

Drown his neighbors, quenching their thirst.

وشمت بروقه فهمي غمام

وشمت بروقه فهمي غمام

أرب على العفاة له ربابُ

أرب على العفاة له ربابُ

And I watched for his lightning, and a cloud poured down,

Its lightning bolts kindled my clouds’ desire,

its low clouds lingering over those seeking gifts.

With a Lord over the weak ones, for it bridled mounts.

له عزم طرير الحد ماض

له عزم طرير الحد ماض

تلين لبأسه النوب الصعابُ

تلين لبأسه النوب الصعابُ

His resolve is keen-edged and piercing;

It has the determination to continue travelling nights,

harsh calamities yield to its might.

Its might makes the towering mountains submissive.

وجار لا تقاربه الرزايا

وجار لا تقاربه الرزايا

وفعل لا يفارقه الصوابُ

وفعل لا يفارقه الصوابُ

He has a protégé whom calamities never approach,

An intimate neighbor whom misfortunes do not draw near,

and deeds from which rightness never departs,

And deeds from which propriety is never absent.

ومال لا يرد له مرج

ومال لا يرد له مرج

أتاه ولا يرد عليه بابُ

أتاه ولا يرد عليه بابُ

and wealth that no hopeful seeker is denied

Wealth which has no slick terrain to make it slide back from him

when he comes to him; no door is shut in his face.

And which no door can bar against reaching him.

فما مثعنجر بالودق هام

فما مثعنجر بالودق هام

له سح ملث وانسكابُ

له سح ملث وانسكابُ

No cloud gushing with rain, pouring down,

So glorifying wealth did not distract him

with an unceasing downpour and outpouring,

With diverting conversations and escapism.

صدوق الوعد للبرق ابتسام

صدوق الوعد للبرق ابتسام

بحضنيه وللرعد اصطخابُ

بحضنيه وللرعد اصطخابُ

true to its promise, with lightning smiling

Truthful to his promise, smiling to the lightning,

in its flanks and thunder clamoring,

Embracing it, responsive to the thunder.

بأندى منه أندية ووجها

بأندى منه أندية ووجها

وصوب يدلديمتها إنصبابُ

وصوب يدلديمتها إنصبابُ

is more bountiful than he in gatherings and countenance,

With fresher and more delicate cheeks and a face

or in the outpouring of a hand whose steady rain cascades.

From which drink its everpouring splendor.

أيا عضد الهدى والدين يا من

أيا عضد الهدى والدين يا من

يجد ثوابه وبني العقابُ

يجد ثوابه وبني العقابُ

O Support of Guidance and Faith, O you

O pillar of guidance and religion, O you from whom

whose reward hastens while punishment [slackens].

The devout find reward and the sinful, punishment.

بربعك تغمر العافي نوالا

بربعك تغمر العافي نوالا

وعندك يعمر الأمل الخرابُ

وعندك يعمر الأمل الخرابُ

At your abode you flood the petitioner with gifts,

In your territory, bounty floods;

and with you desolate hope is restored.

In your presence, hope restores ruins.

لقد هز الخليفة منك عضبا

لقد هز الخليفة منك عضبا

نفوس الخالعين له قرابُ

نفوس الخالعين له قرابُ

The caliph has indeed brandished in you a keen sword

The Caliph was enraged at those

whose scabbard is the souls of those renouncing allegiance.

Who renounced allegiance to him, kinsmen.

تفل كتائب الاعداء منه

تفل كتائب الاعداء منه

مراسلة تزعزع أو كتابُ

مراسلة تزعزع أو كتابُ

The enemy's battalions are shattered by what comes from him:

The enemy battalions flee from him.

a message that shakes them, or a letter.

No correspondence shakes him, nor books.

وما هو عنك معتاض بشخص

وما هو عنك معتاض بشخص

وهل يغني عن الماء السرابُ

وهل يغني عن الماء السرابُ

And he will not exchange you for another person;

He is not too weak to stand before you,

can a mirage ever take the place of water?

Can a mirage avail over water?

فنصحك لا يخالطه ارتياب

فنصحك لا يخالطه ارتياب

وودك ود صدق لا يشابُ

وودك ود صدق لا يشابُ

For your counsel is unmixed with doubt,

Your advice is free of any doubt,

and your affection is sincere, unalloyed affection.

Your love, the love of sincere brotherhood.

فدام ودمت للعلياء حتى

فدام ودمت للعلياء حتى

يؤوب القارظان ولا إيابُ

يؤوب القارظان ولا إيابُ

May he endure, and you endure for high honor, until

So last and endure, giving shade to the exalted, until

the two qaraz-gatherers return—but there is no return.

The Pleiades sets and does not return.

وعاد عليك عيدك ما توارى

وعاد عليك عيدك ما توارى

جبين الشمس وأنهل السحابُ

جبين الشمس وأنهل السحابُ

And may your festival return to you for as long as

And may your feast day return to you, for as long

the sun's brow disappears and the clouds pour rain.

As the sun’s brow hides itself and the clouds pour down.

ولا ضاقت على القصاد يوما

ولا ضاقت على القصاد يوما

من الدنيا مغانيك الرحابُ

من الدنيا مغانيك الرحابُ

And may they never grow too narrow for petitioners—

And may the vast plains of life never constrict

your spacious dwellings in this world.

The generous man on the day he seeks you.