يا مَن لويتُ به يدَ الخطبِ

يا مَن لويتُ به يدَ الخطبِ

وبه ثنيتُ طلايعَ الكربِ

وبه ثنيتُ طلايعَ الكربِ

O you through whom I twisted calamity's arm,

O you around whom I have wound the hand of fortune,

And through whom I turned back the vanguard of distress,

And around whom I have bent the peaks of adversity,

ولقيتُ حدَّ الحادثاتِ به

ولقيتُ حدَّ الحادثاتِ به

فَفَللتُ ذا غربٍ بذي غرب

فَفَللتُ ذا غربٍ بذي غرب

And through you I faced the edge of adversities,

And with whom I have faced the limits of events,

So I blunted one keen blade with another.

So I escaped from the West with its West.

وأرحتُ آمالي بساحَتِه

وأرحتُ آمالي بساحَتِه

فطرحتُ ثِقلَ الهمِّ عن قلبي

فطرحتُ ثِقلَ الهمِّ عن قلبي

And I rested my hopes in your courtyard,

And I rested my hopes in your courtyard,

Then cast the burden of care from my heart.

So I cast off the burden of worries from my heart.

بُشرى لهاشمَ حيثُ سالمني

بُشرى لهاشمَ حيثُ سالمني

فيك الزمانُ وكان من حَربي

فيك الزمانُ وكان من حَربي

Glad tidings to Hashim, since peace was made with me

Good tidings for Hashim wherever you greeted me,

By Time through you, though it had been among my foes.

Through you time passed as it was at war with me.

فلتشهدِ الدُنيا وساكنُها

فلتشهدِ الدُنيا وساكنُها

أنِّي مخضتُ لخيرِهم وَطبي

أنِّي مخضتُ لخيرِهم وَطبي

Let the world and its inhabitants bear witness

So let the world and its inhabitants testify,

That I churned my milk-skin for the best of them.

That I was loyal to their best and most virtuous.

وبحسبهم ذمًّا شهادتُها

وبحسبهم ذمًّا شهادتُها

أنِّي بغيرِك لم أقل حسبي

أنِّي بغيرِك لم أقل حسبي

And its testimony is reproach enough for them:

And it is enough, as far as they are concerned, that their testimony defames me,

That I have said of none but you, 'He suffices me.'

That without you I did not say “enough for me”.

أنت الذي آباؤُه دَرجوا

أنت الذي آباؤُه دَرجوا

وهمُ حُلِّيُ عواطل الحُقب

وهمُ حُلِّيُ عواطل الحُقب

You are he whose forefathers passed away,

You are the one whose forefathers have become steps,

While they were the jewels of otherwise unadorned ages.

While they are the ornaments of the epochs.

يتناقلون الفخرَ بينهم

يتناقلون الفخرَ بينهم

ندبٌ لهم يرويه عن ندبِ

ندبٌ لهم يرويه عن ندبِ

They pass glory down among themselves;

They pass on the pride amongst themselves,

One noble champion of theirs recounts it from another.

A tradition for them narrated from tradition.

ما زالَ صبٌّ بالعَلاءِ لهم

ما زالَ صبٌّ بالعَلاءِ لهم

يتورَّثُ العلياءَ من صبِّ

يتورَّثُ العلياءَ من صبِّ

A lover of eminence among them has always

Passion for the high did not cease for them,

Inherited lofty glory from another lover,

Inheriting the sublime from passion.

حتَّى ورثتَ عظيمَ سؤددِهم

حتَّى ورثتَ عظيمَ سؤددِهم

كرَم الغيوثِ ورفعةَ الشُهب

كرَم الغيوثِ ورفعةَ الشُهب

Until you inherited their great nobility:

Until you inherited the great pride of their passion,

The bounty of rain-showers and the loftiness of shooting stars.

The generosity of pouring rains, and the loftiness of clouds.

فقبضتَ عن شرفٍ يدَ الجدب

فقبضتَ عن شرفٍ يدَ الجدب

وبسطتَ عن سَرفٍ يد الخصب

وبسطتَ عن سَرفٍ يد الخصب

So, nobly, you restrained the hand of drought,

So you held back the hand of drought from honor,

And lavishly extended the hand of plenty.

And you extended the hand of fertility from bounty.

ومرى مكارمَك الثناءُ كما

ومرى مكارمَك الثناءُ كما

يُمري النسيمُ حلائب السُحب

يُمري النسيمُ حلائب السُحب

And praise milked your noble gifts, just as

And the praise of your virtues passed by as

The breeze milks the milch-herds of clouds.

The breeze makes the udders of clouds pass by.

طبٌّ بأدواءِ الأمورِ لها

طبٌّ بأدواءِ الأمورِ لها

تَضَعُ الهناءَ مواضعَ النقبِ

تَضَعُ الهناءَ مواضعَ النقبِ

A healer skilled in the ailments of affairs, for which

A remedy for the ailments of matters, for it

You apply tar-salve to the patches of mange.

Puts prosperity in the place of failure.

يفديك كلُّ أخي يدٍ هي في

يفديك كلُّ أخي يدٍ هي في

خصبِ السنين أليفةُ الجدب

خصبِ السنين أليفةُ الجدب

May every owner of a hand ransom you—a hand that, in

You are ransomed by every brotherly hand which is, during

Years of plenty, is drought's companion:

The fertility of years, a friend of drought.

لا بالوَلودِ ولا اللبونِ ولا

لا بالوَلودِ ولا اللبونِ ولا

برؤومِ غيرِ الشُحِّ من سَقب

برؤومِ غيرِ الشُحِّ من سَقب

Neither prolific in offspring, nor yielding milk, nor

Not by giving birth or fresh milk or

Tender toward any camel-calf but miserliness.

Any milk save the milk of the stingy udder.

من لو عصبتَ بنانَ راحته

من لو عصبتَ بنانَ راحته

بالسيفِ ما درّت على العصب

بالسيفِ ما درّت على العصب

One whose palm, if you bound its fingers

One whom if you girded the fingers of his comfort

With a sword, would yield no milk despite the binding.

With the sword, his fingers would not flow over the headband.

ما الريحُ ناعمةَ الهُبوبِ سرت

ما الريحُ ناعمةَ الهُبوبِ سرت

سَحراً على نُزَهٍ من العُشب

سَحراً على نُزَهٍ من العُشب

No wind, gentle in its blowing, that has swept

The gentle, softly blowing breeze did not pass,

Before dawn over pleasant stretches of grass,

In the charm of dawn, over more delicate grass than you.

بأرقَّ منك خلائقاً كرُمَت

بأرقَّ منك خلائقاً كرُمَت

ممزوجةُ الصهباء بالعذب

ممزوجةُ الصهباء بالعذب

Is gentler than you in your noble character—

It did not create, in its nobleness, creatures more refined,

A blend of tawny wine and fresh water.

Mixed of ambergris and fresh water, than you.