من أغفل الحزم أدمى كفه ندما — Alabywrdy

مَنْ أغْفَلَ الحَزْمَ أدْمى كَفَّهُ نَدَما

واسْتَضْحَكَ النّصْرَ مَنْ أبْكى السّيوفَ دَما

Whoever neglects prudence bloodies his palm in remorse;

and whoever makes swords weep blood makes victory laugh.

فالرّأيُ يُدْرِكُ ما يَعْيَى الحُسامُ بهِ

إذا الزّمانُ بِذَيلِ الفِتْنَةِ الْتَثَما

For judgment achieves what the keen sword cannot,

when Time veils itself with the hem of strife.

هابَ العِدا غَمَراتِ المَوْتِ إذْ بَصُروا

بالأُسْدِ تَنْزِلُ مِنْ سُمْرِ القَنا أجَما

The enemies feared the depths of death when they saw

lions settling in thickets of tawny spear-shafts.

والخَيْلُ عابِسَةٌ يَعْتادُها مَرَحٌ

إذا امتَطاها نِظامُ الدّينِ مُبْتَسِما

And the horses, grim-faced, are visited by delight

when Nizam al-Din mounts them, smiling,

في ساعَةٍ تَذَرُ الأرْماحَ راعِفةً

والمَشْرَفيَّ على الأرواحِ مُحْتَكِما

at an hour that leaves the lances bleeding

and the Mashrafi sword passing judgment on souls.

رَطْبُ الغِرارَيْنِ مأمونٌ على بَطَلٍ

يَخشى زَماناً على الأحرارِ مُتَّهَما

Wet on both edges, it is trusted with a champion

who fears an age distrusted in its dealings with free men.

تَلوحُ غُرَّتُهُ والجُرْدُ نافِضَةٌ

على جَبينِ الضُّحى منْ نَقْعِها قَتَما

His bright brow gleams as the sleek steeds shake

a dusky haze of their dust onto the brow of midmorning.

وللسّهامِ حَفيفٌ في مَسامِعِهمْ

كالنّحْلِ ألْقَيْتَ في أبْياتِهِ الضَّرَما

And the arrows rustle in their ears,

like bees into whose hives you have cast fire.

إذا اسْتَطارَتْ طِلاعَ الأُفْقِ أرْدَفَها

بالبيضِ عُوِّضْنَ عن أغْمادِها القِمَما

When they scatter to fill the horizon, he follows them

with bright swords given the crowns of heads in place of their sheaths.

لمْ تَطْلُعِ الشّمسُ إلا استُقْبِلَتْ بِعَمىً

ولا بَدا النّجْمُ إلا اسْتَشْعَرَ الصّمَما

The sun never rose without being met by blindness,

nor did a star appear without feeling deafness.

توقّفوا كارْتِدادِ الجَفْنِ وانصَرَفوا

كما طَرَدْتَ حِذارَ الغارَةِ النَّعَما

They paused for the flicker of an eyelid, then turned away,

like livestock you drive off for fear of a raid.

والأعْوَجِيّةُ كادَتْ مِنْ تَغَيُّظِها

على فَوارِسِها أنْ تَلْفِظَ اللُّجُما

And the A‘waj-bred horses, from their anger

at their riders, almost spat out their bridles.

منْ كُلِّ طِرْفٍ يَبُذُّ الطّرْفَ مُلتَهِباً

في حُضْرِهِ ولِشَأْوِ الرّيحِ مُلْتَهِما

Each was a noble steed that outstripped the eye, aflame

in its gallop, devouring the wind's own course.

رَدْعُ النّجيعِ مُبينٌ في حَوافِرِها

مِمّا يَطَأْنَ بِمُسْتَنِّ الرّدى بُهَما

The stain of gore shows plainly on their hooves,

from the armored champions they trample on death's racecourse.

كأنّ كُلَّ بَنانٍ منْ ولائِدِهِمْ

أهْدى إلَيْهِنّ إذْ نَجَّيْنَهُمْ عَنَما

As though every fingertip of their maidservants

had offered them red ‘anam when they saved their riders.

باضَ النَّعامُ على هاماتِهمْ وهُمْ

أشْباهُهُ والوَغى يَستَرْجِفُ اللِّمَما

Ostriches laid eggs upon their heads, while they

were their likenesses, and battle set their locks trembling.

فَباتَ أرْحَبُهمْ في كُلِّ نائِبَةٍ

ذَرْعاً تَضيقُ عليهِ الأرضُ مُنْهَزما

So even the most stouthearted among them in every calamity

ended routed, the earth too narrow for him.

وما التَفَتَّ احتِقاراً نحوَهُ وبِهِ

نَجلاءُ يَلْوي لَها حَيْزومَهُ ألَما

And you did not turn toward him, in contempt, though he bore

a gaping wound that made him twist his chest in pain.

ولو أمَلْتَ إليه السّوطَ غادَرَهُ

شِلْواً بمُعتَرَكِ الأبطالِ مُقْتَسَما

Had you turned your whip toward him, it would have left him

a torn corpse, divided up on the heroes' battleground.

وعُصبَةٍ مُلِئَتْ غَيظاً صُدورُهُمُ

منْ مُخفِرٍ ذِمّةً أو قاطِعٍ رَحِما

And a band whose breasts were filled with rage,

made up of pledge-breakers or men who severed kinship,

واستَوْطَؤوا ثَبَجَ البَغْضاءِ واجتَذَبوا

حَبْلاً أُمِرَّ على الشّحْناءِ فانْجذَما

made the crest of hatred their resting-place and pulled

a rope tightly twisted upon rancor, until it snapped.

والشَّعبُ إنْ دَبّ في تَفريقِهِ إحَنٌ

فلن يَعودَ طَوالَ الدّهرِ مُلْتَئِما

And a people, if grudges creep in to divide it,

will never be reunited through all of time.

وأنتَ أبعَدُ في فَضْلٍ ومَكْرُمةٍ

شأوأُ وأثْبَتُ منهمْ في الوَغى قدَمَا

And you reach farther in excellence and noble deeds,

and stand more firmly than they in battle.

وخَيْرُهُمْ حَسَباً ضخْماً وأغْزَرُهُمْ

سَيْباً وأضفى على مُسْتَرْفِدٍ نِعَما

You are the greatest among them in noble ancestry, most abundant

in bounty, and most lavish with favors to a seeker of aid.

تَعْفو وتَصْفَحُ عنْ عِزٍّ ومَقدِرَةٍ

ولا نَراكَ وقيذَ الحِلْمِ مُنْتَقِما

You pardon and overlook offenses from a position of might and power;

nor do we see you taking revenge, your forbearance crushed.

إذا أذابَ شَرارُ الحِقْدِ عاطفَةً

هَزَزْتَ للعَفْو عِطْفَيْ سُؤدَدٍ كَرَما

When the sparks of rancor melt compassion,

you stir nobility's twin flanks toward pardon, generously.

فوَدَّ كُلُّ بَريءٍ مُذْ عُرِفْتَ بهِ

دون البَريّةِ أنْ يَلْقاكَ مُجْتَرِما

Every innocent man wished, since you became known for this

above all mankind, to meet you as an offender.

ومِنْ مَساعيكَ فَتْحٌ إذ سَلَلْتَ لهُ

رَأياً فَلَلتَ به الصّمْصامَةَ الخَذِما

And among your achievements is a victory for which you drew

a plan that blunted the keen-cutting Samsama sword.

أضحى بهِ الدِّينُ مُفْتَرّاً مَباسِمُهُ

والمُلْكُ بعدَ شَتاتِ الشّملِ مُنتَظِما

Through it, Religion's mouths broke into smiles,

and the realm, after disunion, was brought to order.

فأشْرَقَ العَدْلُ والأيامُ داجِيةٌ

بَثّتْ يَدُ الظُّلْمِ في أرجائِها الظُّلَما

So justice shone forth while the days were dark;

oppression's hand had spread darkness through their reaches.

وقد رَمى بِكَ ركْنُ الدينِ مُعضلةً

يَهابُ كلُّ كَميٍّ دونَها قُحَما

And Rukn al-Din had hurled you at a knotty problem

before which every armored champion feared the perils.

فقُمْتُ بالخَطْبِ مَرْهوباً عَواقِبُهُ

للعَزْمِ مُحتَضِناً للحَزْمِ مُلتَزِما

So I took on the crisis, its consequences dreaded,

embracing resolve and holding fast to prudence,

كالبَحرِ مُتَلْطِماً والفَجْرِ مُبتَسِماً

والليثِ مُعتَزِماً والغَيثِ مُنسَجما

like the sea, surging; like dawn, smiling;

and like the lion, resolute; like the rain, pouring.

كَفَتْهُ كُتْبُكَ أن تُزْجى كتائِبُهُ

وأُلْهِمَ السّيفُ أن يَستنْجِدَ القَلَما

Your letters spared him the dispatch of his battalions,

and the sword was inspired to seek the pen's help.

تَلْقى الشّدائِدَ في نَيْلِ العُلا وَلَها

يُعالِجُ الهَمَّ مَنْ يَستنْهِضُ الهِمَما

You meet hardships in attaining high honor; for its sake,

whoever rouses aspirations grapples with care.

وإنْ أرابَكَ منْ دَهْرٍ تَكَدّرُهُ

كُنتُ المُصَفّى على أحْداثِهِ شِيَما

And if an age's murkiness makes you uneasy,

I was pure in character despite its upheavals.

فابْسُطْ إِلى أمَدٍ تَسْمو إليهِ يَداً

تَكفي المُؤمِّلَ أنْ يَستَمْطِرَ الدِّيَما

So stretch toward the goal you aspire to a hand

that spares the hopeful from beseeching the steady rains.

ولا تُبَلْ سَخَطَ الأعداءِ إنّهمُ

يَرضَوْنَ منكَ بأن تَرضى بهِمْ خَدَما

And do not heed the enemies' anger, for they

would be content if you accepted them as servants.

وسَلْ بيَ المَجْدَ تعلمْ أيَّ ذي حَسَبٍ

في بُردَتَيَّ إذا ما حادِثٌ هَجَما

And ask Glory about me; you will learn what man of noble ancestry

stands within my two cloaks when a calamity attacks.

يُلينُ للخِلِّ في عزٍّ عَريكَتَهُ

مَحْضَ الهَوى ولهُ العُتْبى إذا ظُلِما

He softens his disposition for a friend, while retaining dignity,

with pure affection, and gives him redress if he is wronged.

منْ مَعشَرٍ لا يُناجي الضّيمُ جارَهُمُ

نِضْوَ الهُمومِ غَضيضَ الطّرْفِ مُهْتَضَما

From a people whose neighbor oppression never whispers to,

nor leaves wasted by cares, downcast-eyed and downtrodden.

فصِحّةُ الوُدِّ تَأبى وهْيَ ظاهِرةٌ

أن تُخفيَ الحالُ في أيّامكُمْ سَقَما

For affection's soundness, manifest as it is, will not allow

my condition to conceal sickness in your days.

والدّهْرُ يعلَمُ أنِّي لا أذِلُّ لهُ

فكيفَ أفتَحُ بالشّكوى إليكَ فما

And Time knows that I do not abase myself before it;

so how could I open my mouth in complaint to you?