Sol 6.1

  1. تَمَلَّيتُهُ يالابِسَ العِزِّ مَلبَسا

    وَهَنَّأتُهُ ياغارِسَ الجودِ مَغرَسا

    I delighted in beholding him, O you who wear glory as a robe,

    and congratulated him, O planter of generosity in its soil.

  2. قَدِمتَ قُدومَ الغَيثِ لِلأَرضِ إِنَّها

    بِهِ أَشرَقَت حُسناً وَطابَت تَنَفُّسا

    You came as rain comes to the earth, which

    shone with beauty through it and breathed sweetly.

  3. عَلَوتَ بَني الأَيّامِ إِذ كُنتَ فيهِمُ

    إِذا ذُكِروا أَسمى وَأَسنى وَأَرأُسا

    You rose above the sons of time, for among them you were,

    whenever they were named, the loftiest, brightest, and foremost.

  4. زَعيمُ بَني اللَمطِيِّ في البَأسِ وَالنَدى

    مُكَرَّمُها المَأمولِ في الدَهرِ إِن قَسا

    Chief of Banu al-Lamti in valor and generosity,

    their honored one, looked to when time turns harsh.

  5. غَمامٌ هَمى بَحرٌ طَمى قَمَرٌ أَضا

    حُسامٌ مَضى لَيثٌ قَسا جَبَلٌ رَسا

    A cloud that pours, a sea that overflows, a moon that shines;

    a sword that cleaves, a fierce lion, a mountain standing firm.

  6. وَحاشاهُ إِنّي غالِطٌ حينَ قِستُهُ

    وَذاكَ قِياسٌ تَركُهُ كانَ أَقيَسا

    But he is above that: I erred when I compared him;

    and that comparison would more wisely have been left unmade.

  7. إِذا فَعَلَ الأَقوامُ نَوعاً مِنَ النَدى

    تَنَوَّعَ فيهِ جودُهُ وَتَجَنَّسا

    When others perform one kind of generosity,

    his bounty unfolds within it in many forms and kinds.

  8. وَإِن بَدَأَ النُعمى تَلاها بِمِثلِها

    فَتَزدادُ حُسناً كَالقَريضِ مُجَنَّسا

    If he begins a kindness, he follows it with another like it,

    so its beauty grows, like verse adorned with wordplay.

  9. تَحُلُّ بِهِ الشُمُّ العَرانينُ في العُلا

    فَتَلقاهُمُ مِن هَيبَةٍ مِنهُ نُكَّسا

    The proud, high-nosed nobles dwell with him in the heights,

    yet you find them bowing their heads in awe of him.

  10. بِهِ أَصبَحَت تَيمٌ إِذا هِيَ فاخَرَت

    أَعَزَّ قَبيلٍ في الأَنامِ وَأَنفَسا

    Through him, Taym, whenever she boasts,

    has become the mightiest and most precious tribe among mankind:

  11. أُجِلُّ الوَرى قَدراً وَأَكرَمُ شيمَةٍ

    وَأَكثَرُ مَعروفاً وَأَكبَرُ أَنفُسا

    greatest of mortals in rank, noblest in character,

    richest in good deeds, most magnanimous in soul.

  12. إِذا بَخَسَ الجُهّالُ قَدرَ فَضيلَةٍ

    فَلَيسوا بِها بِالجاهِلينَ فَيُبخَسا

    If the ignorant diminish a virtue's worth,

    these men know it too well to let that worth be diminished.

  13. هُمُ القَومُ يَلقونَ الخُطوبَ إِذا عَرَت

    بِكُلِّ كَمِيٍّ في الخُطوبِ تَمَرَّسا

    They are the men who meet calamities, when they strike,

    with every armored warrior seasoned in adversity.

  14. إِذا أوقِدَت لِلحَربِ نارٌ أَوِ القِرى

    تَوَهَّمتَهُ مِن عِشقِها مُتَمَجِّسا

    When a fire is kindled for war or hospitality,

    you would think his love of it had made him a Magian.

  15. يَبينُ لَهُ الأَمرُ الخَفِيُّ فِراسَةً

    وَيَعنو لَهُ الطَرفُ العَصِيُّ تَفُرُّسا

    The hidden matter becomes clear to him through insight,

    and the unruly steed yields to his horsemanship.

  16. إِذا صالَ أَضحى أَفرَسُ القَومِ أَميَلاً

    وَإِن قالَ أَضحى أَفصَحُ القَومِ أَخرَسا

    When he charges, their finest horseman grows unsteady in the saddle;

    and when he speaks, their most eloquent speaker falls mute.

  17. أَمَولايَ لازالَت مَعاليكَ غَضَّةً

    وَأَغصانُها رَيّانَةٌ مِنكَ مُيَّسا

    O my lord, may your glories remain forever fresh,

    and their branches, well watered by you, sway gracefully.

  18. سَما بِكَ مَجدَ الدينِ مَجدٌ وَمُحتِدٌ

    وَعِرضٌ نَهاهُ الدينُ أَن يَتَدَنَّسا

    Glory and lineage have raised you high, O Majd al-Din,

    and honor that faith has forbidden to be sullied.

  19. لَقَد شَرُفَت مِنهُ الصَعيدُ وِلايَةً

    فَأَصبَحَ واديهِ بِهِ قَد تَقَدَّسا

    His governorship has indeed ennobled Upper Egypt,

    and through him its valley has become hallowed.

  20. بِلادٌ بِلُقياكَ اِستَقامَت نُجومُها

    فَصِرنَ سُعوداً بَعدَما كُنَّ نُحَّسا

    Lands whose stars fell into alignment on meeting you:

    they turned auspicious after having been ill-omened.

  21. سَتَندى وَقَد وافى وَفاكَ رُبوعَها

    وَإِن عُهِدَت مُغبَرَّةَ الجَوِّ يُبَّسا

    They will grow dewy, now your faithfulness has reached their dwellings,

    though once known for dust-laden air and parched ground.

  22. وَرُبَّ قَوافٍ قَد طَوَيتُ بُرودَها

    فَلَم أَرضَ أَن تَغدو لِغَيرِكَ مَلبَسا

    And many are the rhymes whose striped mantles I have folded away,

    unwilling that they become a garment for anyone but you.

  23. أَقَمنَ حَبيساتٍ كَحَبسِكَ مَن جَنى

    عَلى أَنَّها لَم تَجنِ يَوماً فَتُحبَسا

    They remained confined, like those you imprison for a crime,

    though they had never once committed a crime to warrant confinement.

  24. فَها هِيَ كَالوَحشِيِّ مِن طولِ حَبسِها

    عَساها بِبِرٍّ مِنكَ أَن تَتَأَنَّسا

    Here they are, like a wild creature after long confinement;

    perhaps a kindness from you will make them tame.

  25. وَإِن قَصَّرَت عَن بَعضِ ماتَستَحِقُّهُ

    فَمِثلِكَ مَن أَولى الجَميلَ لِمَن أَسا

    And if they fall short of some of what you deserve,

    one such as you bestows kindness on those who do wrong.

  26. كَذا المَنهَلِ المَورودِ في مُستَقَرِّهِ

    إِذا عَدِمَ الوُرّادَ لَن يَتَنَجَّسا

    So too the watering place, frequented where it lies:

    if it lacks those who draw water, it will not become defiled.

  27. سَيُرضيكَ مِنها مايَزيدُ عَلى الرِضا

    وَيَستَعبِدُ اِبنَ العَبدِ وَالمُتَلَمِّسا

    Something in them will please you beyond mere contentment,

    and make slaves of Ibn al-Abd and al-Mutalammis.

  28. وَهَبنِيَ أُعطيتُ البَلاغَةَ كُلَّها

    فَما قَدرُ مَدحي في عُلاكَ وَما عَسى

    And suppose I were granted all eloquence,

    what is my praise worth beside your eminence—what could it amount to?