دع النسيب وقول اللهو والغزل — Alshaghouri

دَعِ النَسيبَ وَقَولَ اللَّهوِ وَالغَزَلِ

وَلا تُعَرِّج عَلى رَبعٍ وَلا طَلَلِ

Abandon the love prelude, frivolous talk, and amorous verse,

and do not turn aside to a dwelling site or a ruin.

وَاِرفَع عَقيرَةَ شادٍ وَسطَ أَندِيَةٍ

وَصَوتَ حادٍ بِبيدٍ مُطرِبِ الإِبِلِ

Raise a singer's voice amid assemblies,

and a camel-driver's voice in deserts, delighting the camels,

بِمَدحِ خَيرِ مُلوكِ الأَرضِ قاطِبَةً

قُل ذاكَ في كُلِّ إِقليمٍ وَلا تُبَلِ

in praise of the best of all the earth's kings.

Say so in every region, and do not worry.

فَالعادِلُ المَلِكُ المَيمونُ أَجدَرُ بِال

مَدحِ المُحَبَّر مِن حافٍ وَمُنتَعِلِ

For al-Adil, the blessed king, is most deserving of

finely wrought praise from barefoot and shod alike.

هُوَ المَليكُ الَّذي في الدَهرِ سيرَتُهُ

أَزرَت بِسيرَةِ أَهلِ الأَعصرِ الأُوَلِ

He is the sovereign whose conduct in his time

has put the conduct of the people of earlier ages to shame.

وَأَصبَحَت بِعَميمِ العَدلِ دَولَتُهُ

غَرّاءَ باسِقَةً تَسمو عَلى الدُّوَلِ

Through all-embracing justice, his realm has become

radiant and lofty, rising above other realms.

يَسيرُ فيها أَبو بَكرٍ بِدينِ أَبي

بَكرٍ وَعَدلِ أَبي حَفصٍ وَبَأسِ عَلي

There Abu Bakr rules with the faith of Abu

Bakr, the justice of Abu Hafs, and the valor of Ali.

مِنهُ رَأَينا مُلوكَ الأَرضِ في مَلِكٍ

لا بَل رَأَينا عِبادَ اللَهِ في رَجُلِ

In him we have seen earth's kings in one king;

no, rather, we have seen God's servants in one man.

فَالعَفوُ شيمَتُهُ في عِزِّ قُدرَتِهِ

فَفيهِ يوجَدُ طَبعُ السَهلِ وَالجَبَلِ

For pardon is his nature in the fullness of his power;

thus in him is found the nature of plain and mountain.

سَهلُ الخَلائِقِ صَعبٌ في الوَغى شَرِسٌ

في المُلكِ يَجمَعُ بَينَ الصابِ وَالعَسَلِ

Gentle in character, formidable and fierce in battle,

in kingship he combines bitter sap and honey.

يَرمي العِدا بِوُجودِهِ الخَيل ساهِمَةً

يَومَ الوَغى وَصُدورِ البيضِ وَالأَسَلِ

He assails the foes with his presence, with lean steeds,

on battle's day, and with the points of bright swords and spears.

تَكادُ تُغنيهِ في الهَيجاءِ هَيبَتُهُ

عَنِ الصَوارِمِ وَالعَسّالَةِ الذُبُلِ

In battle, the awe he inspires almost suffices him

in place of keen swords and swaying, slender spears.

ما يَعرِفُ الأَمنَ في الدُّنيا مُحارِبُهُ

وَلا يَبيتُ مُواليهِ عَلى وَجَلِ

His foe knows no safety in this world,

nor does his ally spend the night in fear.

قَد جَرَّدَ الدينَ سَيفاً مِن عَزائِمِهِ

مُهَنَّداً حَدُّهُ أَمضى مِنَ الأَجَلِ

He has unsheathed the faith as a sword from his resolves,

of Indian steel, its edge keener than death.

إِذا اِنتَضاهُ عَلى الأَعداءِ في رَهَجٍ

أَبارَهُم فَهوَ فيهِم سابِقُ العَذَلِ

When he draws it against the enemies amid dust,

he annihilates them: among them he outruns reproach.

لِلثَغرِ مِنهُ شُجاعٌ فارِسٌ بَطَلٌ

ناهيكَ مِن فارِسٍ نَدبٍ وَمِن بَطَلِ

The frontier has in him a brave warrior, a horseman, a hero;

what a gallant horseman, and what a hero!

قَواعِدُ المُلكِ مِن تَدبيرِهِ اِطَّأَدَت

مُذ ضَمَّ بِالعَذلِ قُطريهِ بِلا خَلَلِ

The foundations of kingship have grown firm through his governance,

since he united its two regions through reproof, without a breach.

يَرُدُّ رُسلَ مُلوكِ الأَرضِ مُدهَشَةً

فَما يُبَرهِنُ قَولاً أَفصَحُ الرُّسُلِ

He sends back the envoys of earth's kings bewildered,

so even the most eloquent envoy cannot make his case.

وَعايَنوا مَلِكاً في دِرعِهِ أَسَدٌ

غَضبانُ مُفتَرِسٌ بِالقَولِ وَالعَمَلِ

And they have beheld a king, a lion in his armor,

furious and ravening in word and deed.

وَعايَنوا مِنهُ مُردي كُلِّ ذي لِبَدٍ

في الغيلِ يَكشِرُ عَن أَنيابِهِ العُصُلِ

And they have seen in him the slayer of every maned beast

that bares its curved fangs in the thicket.

يَجتابُ دِرعاً دِلاصاً وَالفُؤادُ لَهُ

دِرعٌ عَلى الدِّرعِ ملبوسٌ بِلا فَشَلِ

He dons gleaming mail, and his heart serves him as

armor worn over armor, without weakness.

فَكَفُّهُ البَحرُ فيهِ جَدوَلٌ وَبِهِ

نارٌ تَوَقَّدُ في الهَيجاءِ بِالشُّعَلِ

So his hand is the sea, a stream within it, and in it

a fire blazes in battle with tongues of flame.

وَالدِّرعُ مِثلُ غَديرٍ حَرَّكَتهُ يَدُ ال

صَبا وَلَمّا يُصِبها مِنهُ مِن بَلَلِ

And the armor is like a pool stirred by the hand of the

east wind, though no moisture from it has yet touched that hand.

ما أَشرَعَ الرُمحَ إِلّا غاصَ ثَعلَبُهُ

يَومَ الوَغى والِغاً في مُهجَةِ البَطَلِ

He never levels the spear but its shaft-tip plunges

on battle's day, lapping at the hero's lifeblood.

وَقَوسُهُ تَنبُضُ الأَنباء صارِخَةً

عَن كِبدِها وَعَنِ الأَكبادِ لَم تَزُلِ

And his bow twangs out tidings, crying

from its center, and never departing from livers.

كَأَنَّما صَوتُها البازي يُصَرصِرُ فَال

فُرسانُ تَنفُرُ مِنهُ نَفرَةَ الحَجَلِ

Its sound is like a goshawk's screech, so the

horsemen scatter from it as partridges scatter.

يا آمِلَ الخَيرِ يَمِّمهُ تَجِد مَلِكاً

مُحَقِّقَ الظَنِّ في جَدواهُ وَالأَمَلِ

O seeker of good, seek him out: you will find a king

who fulfills expectations and hopes of his bounty.

تَزدادُ أَيامُهُ حُسناً وَمَكرُمَةً

كَأَنَّها مِلَّةُ الإِسلامِ في المِلَلِ

His days grow in beauty and nobility,

as though they were the faith of Islam among other faiths.

أَبناؤُهُ الصّيدُ سُحبٌ عِندَ جودِهِمُ

غَيثٌ وَهُم أُسُدٌ في الحادِثِ الجَلَلِ

His proud sons are clouds; in their generosity,

they are rain, and lions amid grave calamity.

فَكُلُّ أَيّامِهِم مِثلُ العَرائِسِ إِذ

تَبدو لأَعيُنِنا في الحَليِ وَالحُلَلِ

So all their days are like brides when

they appear to our eyes in jewelry and fine robes.

هُم حِليَةُ المُلكِ لا زالوا بِهِ أَبَداً

لَولا هُمُ فيهِ كانَ المُلكُ ذا عَطَلِ

They are kingship's adornment; may they remain in it forever.

Were they not in it, kingship would lack adornment.