Sol 6.1

  1. نَسعى وَأَيسَرُ هَذا السَعيِ يَكفينا

    لَولا تَكَلُّفُنا ما لَيسَ يَعنينا

    We strive, though the least of this striving would suffice us,

    were it not that we burden ourselves with what does not concern us.

  2. نَروضُ أَنفُسَنا أَقصى رِياضَتِها

    عَلى مُواتاةِ دَهرٍ لا يُواتينا

    We discipline ourselves with the utmost discipline

    to accommodate an age that will not accommodate us.

  3. فَلَيتَ مُسلِفَنا الأَعمارَ أَنظَرَنا

    مُجامِلاً فَتَأَنّى في تَقاضينا

    If only the lender of our lifetimes had granted us respite,

    graciously, and been slow to claim his due from us.

  4. إِن أَنتَ أَحبَبتَ أَن تَلقى ذَوي أَسَفٍ

    عَلى فَقيدِهِمِ فَاِحلُل بِوادينا

    If you wish to meet people grieving

    for their departed one, then lodge in our valley.

  5. رَزِيَّةٌ مِن رَزايا الدَهرِ شاغِلَةٌ

    لِناصِرِ الدينِ عَن أَن يَنصُرَ الدينا

    A calamity among time’s calamities is keeping

    the defender of the faith from defending the faith.

  6. لا عَينَ إِلّا وَقَد باتَت مُؤَرَّقَةً

    لَهُ وَلا قَلبَ إِلّا باتَ مَحزونا

    No eye but has spent the night sleepless

    for him, and no heart but has spent it grieving.

  7. كانَ الَّذي مَنَعَ الإِخوانَ إِن سُئِلوا

    تَركَ المَلامِ عَلى الإِغرامِ ماعونا

    What friends withheld, when they were asked,

    was the small kindness of sparing one reproach for passionate attachment.

  8. لَولا الأَميرُ أَبو العَبّاسِ ما اِنكَشَفَت

    لَنا العَواقِبُ عَن أَمرٍ يُعَزّينا

    But for the emir Abu al-Abbas, nothing would have emerged

    from the turn of events to bring us consolation.

  9. يَجتَمِعُ الدينُ وَالدُنيا لِرائِدِنا

    في مُنعِمٍ حَسُنَت آثارُهُ فينا

    Faith and worldly life unite for our scout

    in a benefactor whose deeds have done us good.

  10. مُظَفَّرٌ لَم نَزَل نَلقى بِطَلعَتِهِ

    كَواكِبَ السَعدِ وَالطَيرِ المَيامينا

    A victorious man, at whose appearance we have always seen

    the stars of good fortune and auspicious birds.

  11. تَهدي الفُتوحُ مِنَ الآفاقِ عامِدَةً

    مُبارَكاً مِن بَني العَبّاسِ مَيمونا

    Victories come from the horizons, heading straight for

    a blessed and fortunate man of the sons of al-Abbas.

  12. إِذا أَرَدنا وَرَدنا بَحرَ نائِلِهِ

    فَنَوَّلَتنا يَداهُ مِلءَ أَيدينا

    Whenever we wish, we come to the sea of his bounty,

    and his two hands give us all our hands can hold.

  13. وَلَو نَشاءُ شَرَعنا في تَطَوُّلِهِ

    شُروعَنا فَأَخَذنا مِنهُ ما شينا

    And if we wished, we could wade into his munificence,

    wading as we pleased, and take from him whatever we wished.

  14. أَموجِهي أَنتَ إيصاءً وَتَقدِمَةً

    يَزكو بِها سَبَبي عِندَ اِبنِ طولونا

    Will you send me forth with a recommendation and introduction

    through which my connection with Ibn Tulun may flourish?

  15. وَمُطلِقٌ مِن خَراجي ما أَعُدُّ بِهِ

    دَيناً عَلى ناصِرِ الإِسلامِ مَضمونا

    And will you remit from my land-tax what I reckon

    as a guaranteed debt owed by the defender of Islam?

  16. وَكَم سُئِلتَ فَما أُلفيتَ ذا بَخلٍ

    وَلا وَجَدنا عَطاءً مِنكَ مَمنونا

    And how often you have been asked, yet never found miserly,

    nor have we found a gift from you tainted by reminders of favor.