تَفِرُّflee صنوفkinds of العيبfault عنfrom نيلreaching مجدهhis glory
تَفِرُّ صنوف العيب عن نيل مجده
وتَهْناand rejoice بهِin him أخلاقُهُhis character وفَضائِلُهْand his virtues
وتَهْنا بهِ أخلاقُهُ وفَضائِلُهْ
Every kind of fault flees from touching his glory,
Faults flee his glory, fearing his perfect traits,
and his character and virtues rejoice in him.
His manners gentle, virtues sweet abound,
فللِكبْرso against arrogance بِشرٌa cheerful welcome لاnot يحولُchanges صباحُهits morning
فللِكبْر بِشرٌ لا يحولُ صباحُه
وللبُخلِand against stinginess جُودٌgenerosity لاnot تَغِبُّare intermittent نوافلهits gifts
وللبُخلِ جُودٌ لا تَغِبُّ نوافله
Against arrogance, a cheerful welcome whose morning never fades;
No fleeting youth for one of wisdom great,
and against stinginess, a generosity whose gifts are never intermittent;
Nor greedy hands where generous gifts redound,
وللجبْنand against cowardice ضربٌstriking فيamid الكتيبةthe battalion أرْعَلٌfierce
وللجبْن ضربٌ في الكتيبة أرْعَلٌ
يُفلَّلُis notched ماضيهِhis keen sword ويُحْطَمُand is shattered ذابِلُهْhis slender spear
يُفلَّلُ ماضيهِ ويُحْطَمُ ذابِلُهْ
and against cowardice, fierce blows amid the battalion—
No coward he whom war itself awaits,
his keen sword is notched and his slender spear shattered.
Though past defeats have brought his spirits down,
وللغدْرِand against treachery عهدٌa pledge لاnot تَحُلُّundo عُقودهُits bonds
وللغدْرِ عهدٌ لا تَحُلُّ عُقودهُ
موانعُhindrances منfrom أيامِهِhis days وشَواغِلُهْand his distractions
موانعُ من أيامِهِ وشَواغِلُهْ
And against treachery, a pledge whose bonds are never undone
No pacts he'll break, though promises he makes,
by the hindrances of his days or his distractions.
His days and works by honor's law are bound,
وللغيبand against backbiting حِفظُsafeguarding الغائبينthe absent كأنماas though
وللغيب حِفظُ الغائبين كأنما
مُعادِيهِhis enemy فيin ظَهْرِthe back of المغيبِabsence مُخاللُهْhis intimate friend
مُعادِيهِ في ظَهْرِ المغيبِ مُخاللُهْ
And against backbiting, he guards the absent, as though
His care protects the absent from all harms,
his enemy in his absence were his intimate friend.
As if he dwelt where those he misses dwell,
وللجهلand against rashness إِنif طاشتflew loose حبىknee-bands (restraint) القومthe people راجحٌweighty
وللجهل إِن طاشت حبى القوم راجحٌ
يُطاولُrivals in height رضْوىRadwa حلمُهhis forbearance ويُثاقلُهْand rivals it in weight
يُطاولُ رضْوى حلمُه ويُثاقلُهْ
And against rashness, when men's knee-bands fly loose, a weighty restraint:
If passion makes the ignorant take up arms,
his forbearance rivals Radwa in height and weight.
Pacified by his patience wise and well,
يُقِرُّacknowledge لهto him الروعانthe two terrors بالبأسfor valor والنَّدىand bounty
يُقِرُّ له الروعان بالبأس والنَّدى
إذاwhen رُفِعَتْare raised نيرانُهُhis fires وقَساطِلُهْand his battle-dust clouds
إذا رُفِعَتْ نيرانُهُ وقَساطِلُهْ
The two terrors acknowledge his valor and bounty
His foes will grant that he excels in might,
when his fires and clouds of battle-dust rise.
When stir his steeds and flash his swords for fight,
ففيso in الحربwar ذِمْرٌa bold champion بالحسامwith the sword مُعفِّرٌcasting into the dust
ففي الحرب ذِمْرٌ بالحسام مُعفِّرٌ
وفيand in الجَدْبdrought فقْرٌpoverty بالنَّدىthrough bounty هوhe قاتلهْits slayer
وفي الجَدْب فقْرٌ بالنَّدى هو قاتلهْ
In war, a bold champion lays foes in the dust with his sword;
In dearth his bounty saves where famine fell,
and in drought, he slays poverty with his bounty.
The King's bright crown is Abu Ja'far's right,
أبوfather of جعفرٍJaʿfar تاجthe crown of المُلوكِkings الذيwho لهhe has
أبو جعفرٍ تاج المُلوكِ الذي له
مناقِبُvirtues لاnot يسطيعُهاcan attain them منwhoever يُساجِلُهْrivals him
مناقِبُ لا يسطيعُها من يُساجِلُهْ
Abu Jaʿfar, the crown of kings, possesses
A vizier, when you need his stalwart aid,
virtues beyond the reach of anyone who rivals him.
You'll find a trenchant blade by skill made bright.
وزيرٌa vizier إذاwhen استنجدتَهyou sought his aid لمُلِمَّةٍfor a calamity
وزيرٌ إذا استنجدتَه لمُلِمَّةٍ
هززتَyou brandished حُساماًa sword أخْلَصتهrefined it صياقِلهits polishers
هززتَ حُساماً أخْلَصته صياقِله
A vizier: when you seek his aid in a calamity,
His mercy comes if you ask his gentle aid,
you brandish a sword perfected by its polishers.
Modesty guides him ever to do right.
مُجيبٌresponsive إذاif استعطفتهyou sought his compassion قادled حِلْمهُhis forbearance
مُجيبٌ إذا استعطفته قاد حِلْمهُ
إليكto you حَياءٌmodesty لاnot تدبُّcreep مخاتلُهْits deceits
إليك حَياءٌ لا تدبُّ مخاتلُهْ
He answers: if you appeal to his compassion, his forbearance is led
My stream of largesse, from his bounty fed,
to you by a modesty in which no guile creeps.
Repaid him well with all the gifts I might,
سقىwatered بحرَthe sea of فضليmy excellence جودُهhis generosity فيin أوانِهits due season
سقى بحرَ فضلي جودُه في أوانِه
فجازاهُso it repaid him بَحْريmy sea بالذيwith what أناI قائلُهْsaying it
فجازاهُ بَحْري بالذي أنا قائلُهْ
His generosity watered the sea of my excellence in due season,
And songs of praise flowed back for his fair deed,
so my sea repaid him with what I now say.
That roused his liberal hand from slothful plight,
فردَّso repaid قطارthe showers of الجَوْدِgenerosity منيfrom me مدائحٌpraises
فردَّ قطار الجَوْدِ مني مدائحٌ
تَحلَّىadorned itself بهاwith them جُودٌgenerosity تَظَلَّمcomplained of wrong عاطِلُهits unadorned self
تَحلَّى بها جُودٌ تَظَلَّم عاطِلُه
So the showers of generosity were repaid by praises from me,
As the sea-shells produce their pearls, so he
with which generosity adorned itself after lamenting its bareness,
Outpours the rain of spring with gifts bedight,
كماjust as تصنعُfashion الدُرَّpearls البحارthe seas إذاwhen همىpoured down
كما تصنعُ الدُرَّ البحار إذا همى
لأصْدافِهاonto their shells دَرُّthe abundant rain of الرَّبيعِspring ووابِلُهand its downpour
لأصْدافِها دَرُّ الرَّبيعِ ووابِلُه
as seas fashion pearls when there pours
The silent ostrich turns her ear to hear
upon their shells spring's abundant rain and its downpour.
His lofty words, so wondrous is their might,
تكادnearly النَّعامُthe ostriches الصُّمُّdeaf تصغيlisten attentively لذكْرِهto his mention
تكاد النَّعامُ الصُّمُّ تصغي لذكْرِه
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle غَلَتْboiled هيْجاؤهhis battle-fury ومَراجِلهand his cauldrons
إذا ما غَلَتْ هيْجاؤه ومَراجِله
Even deaf ostriches nearly listen when he is mentioned,
His sheltering care, his gifts that disappear,
when his battle-fury and his cauldrons boil.
Are feared and hoped for, lauded with delight.
فلاso may he not زالcease محميَّprotected الحمىthe domain فائضoverflowing النَّدىbounty
فلا زال محميَّ الحمى فائض النَّدى
يُخافُis feared ويُرجىand is hoped for بأسُهُhis might وفواضِلهand his favors
يُخافُ ويُرجى بأسُهُ وفواضِله
May his domain ever be guarded and his bounty overflow,
his might feared and his favors hoped for.
Partial English translation: 30 of 32 Arabic lines translated.