وأقْسمُ لولا أحمدُ بنُ محمَّدٍ

وأقْسمُ لولا أحمدُ بنُ محمَّدٍ

أبو جعفرٍ رَبُّ العُلى والمَفاخِرِ

أبو جعفرٍ رَبُّ العُلى والمَفاخِرِ

And I swear: were it not for Ahmad ibn Muhammad,

I swear, were it not for Ahmad ibn Muhammad

Abu Ja'far, lord of exalted rank and glories,

Abu Ja'far, Lord of the exalted and the glories

عصتني القوافي في الدجى وتعَذَّرتْ

عصتني القوافي في الدجى وتعَذَّرتْ

عليَّ وأكْدَتْ في المقال خواطري

عليَّ وأكْدَتْ في المقال خواطري

the rhymes would have defied me in the darkness and proved elusive

Rhymes would have disobeyed me in the darkness and evaded

to me, and my thoughts would have run dry in speech.

Me, confirming my worries in speech

ولكنَّني نازلْءتُ هَمِّي بماجِدٍ

ولكنَّني نازلْءتُ هَمِّي بماجِدٍ

شديدِ مَضاء البأس جَمِّ المآثرِ

شديدِ مَضاء البأس جَمِّ المآثرِ

But I fought my sorrow with a noble man,

But I confronted my concerns with the glories

fierce in battle's thrust, rich in glorious deeds.

Of intense, brilliant valor and great achievements

فأصبح جُلْمود النُّهى وهو سلسلٌ

فأصبح جُلْمود النُّهى وهو سلسلٌ

نميرٌ ومُغْبَرُّ الحِجا أيَّ ناضِرِ

نميرٌ ومُغْبَرُّ الحِجا أيَّ ناضِرِ

So reason's boulder became a smooth-flowing,

So the frozen fright of prohibitions became

pure, sweet stream, and dust-dulled understanding grew wondrously green,

A tamed leopard and the dusty pilgrimage route glistening

بأبْلجَ مرفوعِ العمادِ مُظاهِرٍ

بأبْلجَ مرفوعِ العمادِ مُظاهِرٍ

على الخطب نَعَّاش الجُدود العواثرِ

على الخطب نَعَّاش الجُدود العواثرِ

through a bright-browed man with a lofty tent-pole, a helper

With a white banner raised high, manifestations

against calamity, a reviver of faltering fortunes.

Of ancestry glorified in speeches

تُلاقيه عند الجدبِ أوشك مُطْعمٍ

تُلاقيه عند الجدبِ أوشك مُطْعمٍ

وتلقاهُ عند الخطب أقربَ ناصِرِ

وتلقاهُ عند الخطب أقربَ ناصِرِ

In drought you find him the quickest to feed,

You meet him in droughts, soon providing relief

and in calamity you find him the nearest helper.

And find him in speeches, a helper most near

فتىً مِلْءُ ناديه من الصَّبر والندى

فتىً مِلْءُ ناديه من الصَّبر والندى

قعائِدُ عادِيٍّ ولُجَّةُ زاخِرِ

قعائِدُ عادِيٍّ ولُجَّةُ زاخِرِ

A young man whose assembly is filled, in patience and generosity, with

A young man, his tribe filled with patience and dew

the foundations of ancient 'Ad and the depths of a surging sea.

Leader of the noble and courage of the blossoming

فبالذنب والإِجرامِ أيُّ مُسامِحٍ

فبالذنب والإِجرامِ أيُّ مُسامِحٍ

وللفقْرِ والإِعدامِ أيُّ مُغامِرِ

وللفقْرِ والإِعدامِ أيُّ مُغامِرِ

So, what a forgiver of sin and wrongdoing,

With sin and crime, who is so forgiving?

and what a daring challenger of poverty and destitution!

And with poverty and annihilation, who is so risky?

كأنَّ السِّنينَ الغُبْر هامُ عُداتِه

كأنَّ السِّنينَ الغُبْر هامُ عُداتِه

ونعماءَه حدُّ السيوفِ البَواترِ

ونعماءَه حدُّ السيوفِ البَواترِ

As though the dust-gray years were his enemies' heads,

As if the years made his equipment an ambitious passion

and his bounty the edge of cleaving swords.

And his prosperity the edge of sharp swords

ففتكتُهُ في المَحْل والمحْلُ عارقٌ

ففتكتُهُ في المَحْل والمحْلُ عارقٌ

كفْتكِتهِ في الدارعينَ المساعرِ

كفْتكِتهِ في الدارعينَ المساعرِ

So his deadly strike against famine, when famine gnaws to the bone,

So I destroyed him in battle, and the battle was raging

is like his strike against armored kindlers of battle.

As I destroyed him in the armored breastplates, blazing

سَوابِقُهُ تَتْلو عَزائمَ نفْسِهِ

سَوابِقُهُ تَتْلو عَزائمَ نفْسِهِ

إذا أمْضيتْ في نَهْيهِ والأوامِرِ

إذا أمْضيتْ في نَهْيهِ والأوامِرِ

His swift steeds follow the resolves of his soul,

His precedence reciting the resolves of his soul

when carried into effect in his prohibitions and commands.

When settled in his prohibitions and commands

فلا الرَّأيُ للخطبِ المَخوف بهائبٍ

فلا الرَّأيُ للخطبِ المَخوف بهائبٍ

ولا الطِّرفُ في الوعر العسوف بعاثر

ولا الطِّرفُ في الوعر العسوف بعاثر

So his judgment does not quail before dreaded calamity,

Neither is opinion for the feared speech of horrors

nor does his noble steed stumble on rugged, punishing ground.

Nor is sight in the rugged valley with stumbling

سحابٌ له برْقٌ من البِشْر لامعٌ

سحابٌ له برْقٌ من البِشْر لامعٌ

وصوبُ حياً هامٍ من الجودِ هامِر

وصوبُ حياً هامٍ من الجودِ هامِر

A cloud whose lightning gleams with good cheer,

A cloud with flashing lightning from good tidings

and a shower of streaming, life-giving rain, pouring from generosity.

And downpour of generous hand, pouring

ولكنْ لماءِ المُعْصِراتِ مَواسِمٌ

ولكنْ لماءِ المُعْصِراتِ مَواسِمٌ

وجودُ يَديْهِ مُسْتمرُّ المَواطِرِ

وجودُ يَديْهِ مُسْتمرُّ المَواطِرِ

But the water of rain-laden clouds has its seasons,

But for the pressed fruits, there are seasons

while the bounty of both his hands falls in unceasing showers.

And his hands' generosity is rain ever pouring

وزيرٌ نَماهُ من تميم بن خِندفٍ

وزيرٌ نَماهُ من تميم بن خِندفٍ

سَراةُ المعالي كابِراً بعد كابِرِ

سَراةُ المعالي كابِراً بعد كابِرِ

A vizier reared, from the stock of Tamim ibn Khindif, by

A minister he nurtured from Tameem ibn Khindif

the nobles of lofty glory, great forebear after great forebear.

The lofty glories, great after greater

إذا ركبوا فالشمس والشمسُ جَوْنةٌ

إذا ركبوا فالشمس والشمسُ جَوْنةٌ

سَليبة ضَوْءٍ بينَ خُفٍّ وحافِرِ

سَليبة ضَوْءٍ بينَ خُفٍّ وحافِرِ

When they ride out, the sun—the sun grown dark—

When they rode, the sun and the sun are

is robbed of light between camel-feet and horses' hooves.

A morning of radiance between a hoof and a hoofprint

عَديدُهُمُ والمكرُماتُ لديْهُمُ

عَديدُهُمُ والمكرُماتُ لديْهُمُ

مَقامُ مَعالٍ ما لهُ من مُكاثِرِ

مَقامُ مَعالٍ ما لهُ من مُكاثِرِ

Their multitude, and the noble deeds they possess,

Their number and the generosities they possess

hold a station of glory with no rival in abundance.

Are status of glory, none its rival

ودادي وما أوتيتُهُ منْ بَلاغَةٍ

ودادي وما أوتيتُهُ منْ بَلاغَةٍ

أجادا مَديحي في الكريمِ العُراعِر

أجادا مَديحي في الكريمِ العُراعِر

My affection, and the eloquence I have been granted,

My affection and what eloquence I was given

have perfected my praise of the generous, eminent lord.

Excelled in praising the generous, accomplished

فما كُلُّ منْ أبْدى وداداً بمخلصٍ

فما كُلُّ منْ أبْدى وداداً بمخلصٍ

ولا كلُّ منْ صاغَ القَوافي بشاعر

ولا كلُّ منْ صاغَ القَوافي بشاعر

For not everyone who shows affection is sincere,

For not all who profess affection sincerely

nor is everyone who fashions rhymes a poet.

And not all who cast rhymes are poets