1. قُل لَأَقنى يَرمي إِلى المَجدِ طَرفا

    ضَرِمٍ يُعجِلُ الطَرائِدَ خَطفا

    Say to the hook-beaked one who casts his gaze toward glory,

    fiery, who swiftly snatches his quarry:

  2. طارَ يَستَشرِفُ المَواقِعَ حَتّى

    وَجَدَ العِزَّ مَوقِعاً فَأَسَفّا

    He flew, surveying places to alight, until

    he found honor a perch and swooped down.

  3. يا عِمادَ الدينِ الَّذي رَفَعَ المَج

    دَ وَقَد مالَ بِالعِمادَينِ ضُعفا

    O Imad al-Din, who raised

    glory when it sagged weakly upon its two pillars;

  4. وَمُغيثُ الأَنامِ وَاِبنَ مُغيثِ ال

    خَلقِ طَودٌ رَسا وَطَودٌ تَعَفّى

    and succorer of mankind, son of the succorer of

    creation: one mountain stands firm, another has vanished;

  5. وَمُجاري الزَمانِ خَطباً فَخَطباً

    سابِقاً خَطوَهُ وَصَرفاً فَصَرفا

    and racer against Time, crisis after crisis,

    outstripping its stride, turn after turn.

  6. أَنتَ ثاني جِماحِها يَومَ لا يَم

    لِكُ كَفٌّ لِجامِحِ الخَطبِ كَفّا

    You curb their wild rush on the day when no

    hand can hold a raging calamity in check.

  7. في رِواقٍ مِنَ القَنا لا تُرى في

    هِ سِوى البيضِ وَالعَوامِلِ سَقفا

    In a pavilion of lances, where nothing is seen within

    it for a roof save bright swords and spearheads.

  8. كافَأَت أَرضُهُ السَماءَ عَلى المُز

    نِ وَأَهدَت لَها قَساطِلَ وُطفا

    Its earth repaid the sky for

    rain clouds, and offered it dense clouds of battle-dust.

  9. تُتبِعُ الطَعنَ فيهِ طَعناً عَلى الأَع

    ناقِ شَزراً وَالضَربَ ضَرباً طِلَحفا

    There you follow thrust upon thrust against

    necks, slantwise, and blow upon crushing blow.

  10. لاثَ أَبطالُهُ عَمائِمَ بيضاً

    لَبِسوا تَحتَها قَتيراً وَزَغفا

    Its champions wound white turbans;

    beneath them they wore riveted armor and supple mail.

  11. رَسَبوا في غِمارِها وَلَوَ اِنَّ ال

    طَودَ يُمنى بِها لَذَلَّ وَخَفّا

    They sank into its tumult; and had a

    mountain been subjected to it, it would have bowed and grown light.

  12. قَد كُفيتَ السَعيَ الطَويلَ وَتَأبى

    أَن يَرى المَجدُ مِنكَ حِلساً وَقُفّا

    You have been spared the long striving, yet refuse

    to let glory see in you a timid stay-at-home.

  13. بَينَ جَدٍّ بَذَّ الجُدودَ فَأَوفى

    وَأَبٍ ضُمَّنَ العَلاءَ فَوَفّى

    Between a grandsire who surpassed all grandsires and rose above them,

    and a father entrusted with eminence who fulfilled his charge.

  14. قامَ فيهِ يَلُفُّ خَطباً بِخَطبٍ

    لا نَؤوماً وَلا شَؤوماً أَلَفّا

    He upheld it, folding crisis into crisis,

    neither a sluggard nor an ill-omened, inept man.

  15. يَلبَسُ الهِمَّةَ العَلِيَّةَ لِلأَع

    داءِ دِرعاً وَيَركَبُ العَزمَ طِرفا

    He wears lofty ambition against his

    enemies as armor, and rides resolve as a noble steed.

  16. مِن رِجالٍ جَنَوا لَكُم ثَمَرَ المَج

    دِ عَريضاً وَعاقَروا المَوتَ صِرفا

    From men who harvested for you the fruit of

    glory in abundance, and drank death unmixed.

  17. عَقَدوا بَينَكُم وَبَينَ المَعالي

    قَبلَ يَعلو الرِجالُ عَقداً وَحِلفا

    They forged between you and lofty honors,

    before other men rose, a covenant and an alliance.

  18. رَكِبوا صَعبَةَ العُلى أَوَّلَ النا

    سِ فَمَن جاءَ بَعدَهُم جاءَ رِدفا

    They mounted the unruly steed of greatness before all other

    men; whoever came after them rode behind.

  19. بَيتُ جودٍ تُكفى النَوائِبُ فيهِ

    وَجِفانُ القِرى بِهِ لَيسَ تُكفا

    A house of generosity where hardships are met,

    and the bowls of hospitality are never overturned.

  20. عِندَهُ النارُ أوقِدَت بِاليَلَنجو

    جِيِّ تُذكى عَرفاً وَتُجزَلُ عُرفا

    At his house the fire is kindled with

    aloeswood, stoked for fragrance and richly fueled for hospitality.

  21. قَد بَلاكَ الأَعداءُ حُلواً وَمُرّاً

    وَبَلَوا شيمَتَيكَ ليناً وَعُنفا

    Your enemies have tested you sweet and bitter,

    and tested your two traits, gentleness and force.

  22. فَرَأَوكَ الحُسامَ قَدّاً وَقَطّاً

    وَرَأَوكَ الغَمامَ وَبلاً وَوَكفا

    So they found you the sword, cleaving lengthwise and crosswise,

    and found you the cloud, pouring and dripping rain.

  23. قَلَّبوا الغُرَّ مِن سَجاياكَ تَقلي

    بَ اليَمانيَّ بُردَهُ المُستَشَفّا

    They turned over the radiant traits of your nature as

    a Yemeni turns his mantle to inspect it against the light.

  24. حَسِبوها تَصَنُّعاً فَرَأَوها

    كُلَّ يَومٍ تَزدادُ ضِعفاً وَضِعفا

    They thought them affectation, then found them

    doubling and doubling again each day.

  25. جَحَدَ الحاسِدونَ مِنها الضَرورا

    تِ وَأَخفَوا دَرارِياً لَيسَ تُخفى

    The envious denied their self-evident

    truths, and hid radiant stars that cannot be hidden.

  26. كَهِلالِ السَحابِ ما غابَ حَتّى

    رَقَّ عَن وَجهِهِ الغَمامُ فَشَفّا

    Like a crescent behind clouds: scarcely had it vanished before

    the cloud thinned over its face and grew transparent.

  27. كَذَبوا أَنتَ أَسبَقُ الناسِ إِحسا

    ناً وَأَندى يَداً وَأَمطَرُ كَفّا

    They lied: you are foremost of men in

    kindness, dewiest of hand and most rain-giving of palm.

  28. خُلُقٌ ثابِتٌ إِذا غَيَّرَ الدَه

    رُ رِجالاً أَخلاقُهُم تَتَكَفّا

    A steadfast character, when Time alters

    men whose characters waver.

  29. إِن تَناسَوا تَذَكُّرَ الجودِ طَبعاً

    أَو تَوَلَّوا ثَنى إِلى المَجدِ عَطفا

    If they feign forgetfulness, he recalls generosity by nature;

    or, if they turn away, he turns his side toward glory.

  30. رامَ مِنّي قَودَ القَريضِ وَلَولا

    هُ لَقَد جاذَبَ الزِمامُ الأَكُفّا

    He asked me to lead poetry, and but for

    him, the reins would have wrestled with the hands.

  31. هَبَّ مِن رَقدَةِ الفُتورِ إِليهِ

    بَعدَما غَضَّ ناظِرَيهِ وَأَغفى

    It sprang toward him from languor's sleep,

    after lowering its eyes and dozing off.

  32. هُوَ ظَهرٌ يَنقادُ طَوعاً عَلى اللَي

    نِ وَيَأبى القِيادَ إِن قيدَ عَسفا

    It is a mount that yields willingly to gentle

    handling, but refuses the rein if driven harshly.

  33. وَبُرودٌ غالى بِهِنَّ أَبوكَ ال

    قَرمُ فَاِختارَها الأَشَفَّ الأَشَفّا

    And mantles your father bid dearly for—the

    great chief—choosing the finest, the very finest.

  34. إِنَّ مِن ضَوئِها لِذي التاجِ تاجاً

    وَلِرَبِّ الأَطواقِ طَوقاً وَشَنفا

    Their radiance offers the crowned one a crown,

    and the wearer of necklaces a necklace and an earring.

  35. فَاِبقَ لِلخَطبِ مُقذِياً مِنهُ عَيناً

    كُلَّ يَومٍ وَمُرغِماً مِنهُ أَنفا

    So live on, casting grit into calamity's eye

    each day, and rubbing its nose in the dust.

  36. أَنتَ أَعلى مِن أَن تُهَنَّأَ بِالعِز

    زِ إِذا ما ضَفا عَلَيكَ وَرَفّا

    You are too exalted to be congratulated on

    honor when it enfolds you amply and flutters.

  37. بَل تُهَنّا مَلابِسُ العِزِّ أَن أَب

    قَيتَ فيها نَشراً وَأَعبَقتَ عَرفا

    Rather, honor's garments are congratulated because you

    left fragrance in them and made them redolent with perfume.

  38. وَمَراقي العُلى بِأَن بِتَّ تَعلو

    ها وُثوباً إِذا عَلا الناسُ زَحفا

    And the steps to greatness, because you now ascend

    them in leaps while other men climb crawling.

  39. صِل بِفَخرِ المُلكِ الأَغَرِّ حُساماً

    تَجمَعِ الماضِيَينِ عَضباً وَكَفّا

    Join a sword to illustrious Fakhr al-Mulk,

    and you will unite the two keen ones: a blade and a hand.

  40. داعِمُ المُلكِ يَومَ مالَ وَلاقى

    مَوَجاناً مِنَ الخُطوبِ وَرَجفا

    Support of the realm when it swayed and faced

    surging calamities and tremors.

  41. وَمُداوي العَلاءِ مِن عِلَّةِ البُؤ

    سِ وَقَد أَعجَزَ الطَبيبَ وَأَشفى

    And healer of eminence from the illness of

    misery, when it had baffled the physician and neared death.

  42. لَن تَرى مِثلَهُ اللَيالي وَهَيها

    تَ لَقَد أَجمَلَ الزَمانُ وَأَصفى

    The nights will never see his like—far from it!

    Time has indeed done its best and bestowed its choicest.