عندي لوالد أحمد ولأحمد

عندي لوالد أحمد ولأحمد

منن بها امتلأت من العليا يدي

منن بها امتلأت من العليا يدي

I owe a debt to Ahmad's father, and to Ahmad—

To Ahmad's father and to Ahmad I owe

blessings by which my hands have brimmed with eminence.

favors that have filled my hand with lofty honors.

لا غر وإن نلت السما بصنايع

لا غر وإن نلت السما بصنايع

هذا يتممها وذاك المبتدى

هذا يتممها وذاك المبتدى

No wonder that, through their benefactions, I attained the sky:

No wonder, even if I have reached the heavens through benefactions:

this one completes what that one first began.

this one completes them, and that one began them.

انا غرس إسمعيل لكن نبعتي

انا غرس إسمعيل لكن نبعتي

لم تزك إلا في خلافة أحمد

لم تزك إلا في خلافة أحمد

I am Ishmael's planting, yet my shoot

I am Ismail's planting, but my shoot

flourished only beneath Ahmad's caliphate.

flourished only under Ahmad's rule.

عرفت عوارفه قناى فلم تزل

عرفت عوارفه قناى فلم تزل

نعم تراوحني وأخرى تغتدى

نعم تراوحني وأخرى تغتدى

My very means have known his benefactions; never have

His benefactions have known my reed-stems; unceasingly

favors ceased to visit me at evening and at dawn.

blessings visit me at evening, and others come at dawn.

من أين لي حق يوفى شكرها

من أين لي حق يوفى شكرها

نفد الثناء وحقها لم ينفد

نفد الثناء وحقها لم ينفد

How can my gratitude ever discharge their due?

How can I fully render the thanks they are owed?

Praise is exhausted, while their claim remains unspent.

Praise is exhausted, but their due is not.

فضحت مكارمه القريض لم نطق

فضحت مكارمه القريض لم نطق

مدحا نوا فيها جزاء عن يد

مدحا نوا فيها جزاء عن يد

His noble deeds have put poetry to shame: we cannot utter

His noble deeds shamed poetry: why did it utter

praise that could repay them for a giving hand.

praises, intending through them repayment for a favor?

يا واردين حياضه إن المنا

يا واردين حياضه إن المنا

بين الصدور وبين ذاك المورد

بين الصدور وبين ذاك المورد

O you who come to drink from his pools—your desires are caught

O you who come to his pools, your wishes lie

between the breast and the thirsty petitioner at the spring.

between departure and that watering place.

فردوا فما ذل السؤال ببابه

فردوا فما ذل السؤال ببابه

يخشى ولا تطويل عمر الموعد

يخشى ولا تطويل عمر الموعد

Come forward: at his gate, the abasement of asking

Come, then: at his gate no humiliation in asking

is not feared, nor is a promised hour drawn out.

need be feared, nor a promise long delayed.

هذا الذي إن تسئلوا أغناكم

هذا الذي إن تسئلوا أغناكم

فضلا وإلا تسئلوه يبتدى

فضلا وإلا تسئلوه يبتدى

This is the man who, if you ask, enriches you

This is he who, if you ask, enriches you

from bounty—and if you do not ask, begins of his own accord.

generously; and if you do not ask him, he gives unbidden.

لا خير إلا في عطاه فإنه

لا خير إلا في عطاه فإنه

فيه النعيم وفيه كسب السودد

فيه النعيم وفيه كسب السودد

There is no good except within his gift, for

There is no good but in his giving, for

in it are bliss and the winning of nobility.

in it lie bliss and the winning of eminence.

فإذا أتتك اليوم منه عطية

فإذا أتتك اليوم منه عطية

فارقب قدوم الضِّعف منها في غد

فارقب قدوم الضِّعف منها في غد

When a gift from him reaches you today,

If a gift from him reaches you today,

expect twice its measure to arrive tomorrow.

await twice as much arriving tomorrow.

ملك إذا هز القناة تبددت

ملك إذا هز القناة تبددت

في الأرض أسد الحرب أى تبدد

في الأرض أسد الحرب أى تبدد

A king who, when he shakes his lance, sends scattering

A king who, when he brandishes his spear, scatters

the lions of war across the earth—what a scattering!

the lions of war across the earth—what a scattering!

ماضي الشكيمة للحسام المنتضى

ماضي الشكيمة للحسام المنتضى

فضل لديه على الحسام المغمد

فضل لديه على الحسام المغمد

Resolute: the naked sword

Firm in resolve, he holds the drawn sword

finds greater favor with him than the sheathed.

superior to the sword kept sheathed.

لا يستنيم عن الذحول ولا يرى

لا يستنيم عن الذحول ولا يرى

الا متابعة العدو الأ بعد

الا متابعة العدو الأ بعد

He never sleeps upon a blood-feud and is never seen

He never rests from avenging blood-debts, nor considers

except pursuing the most distant foe.

anything but pursuing the farthest enemy.

ويرى الحياة لحازم في موته

ويرى الحياة لحازم في موته

بين الصوارم والقنا المتقصد

بين الصوارم والقنا المتقصد

He holds that, for a resolute man, life lies in his death

And he sees a resolute man's life in his death

amid the swords and straight-aimed lances.

amid sharp swords and splintered spears.

من ذا تحدث بالسلامة نفسه

من ذا تحدث بالسلامة نفسه

بلقا ظباك بذمة لم تعقد

بلقا ظباك بذمة لم تعقد

Who could promise his own soul safety

Who is there whose soul speaks to him of safety

on meeting your blades under a covenant never made?

when meeting your blades, under a pledge never made?

لولا القضا الالآال من أعدائه

لولا القضا الالآال من أعدائه

ما صادموا وهي الزجاج بجلمد

ما صادموا وهي الزجاج بجلمد

Were it not for the appointed doom awaiting his enemies,

Were it not for fate [unclear word] among his enemies,

they would never have charged—glass against granite.

they would not have struck solid rock, being glass themselves.

لا تدن من تلك الظبا إن الردى

لا تدن من تلك الظبا إن الردى

معها يجور عل النفوس ويعتدى

معها يجور عل النفوس ويعتدى

Do not approach those blades: death itself

Do not approach those blades: death

moves among souls beside them, transgressing every bound.

goes with them, wronging souls and assaulting them.

فاربأ بنفسك تنج من سطواتها

فاربأ بنفسك تنج من سطواتها

إن السلامة في لزوم المسجد

إن السلامة في لزوم المسجد

Keep yourself above their reach, and you will escape their blows;

So safeguard yourself, and you will escape their onslaughts;

safety lies in remaining in the mosque.

safety lies in keeping to the mosque.

أما ذوال فما أشك بإنها

أما ذوال فما أشك بإنها

هلكت وإن هي لم تكن فكان قد

هلكت وإن هي لم تكن فكان قد

As for Dhuʾāl, I have no doubt that it

As for Dhuwal, I do not doubt that it

has perished—and if not, it is as though it had.

has perished; and if it has not, it is as though it has.

أنبيت عنها أنها قد أفسدت

أنبيت عنها أنها قد أفسدت

لكن غير حياتها لم تفسد

لكن غير حياتها لم تفسد

I was told that it had wrought corruption,

I was told that it had spread corruption,

yet it ruined nothing but its own life.

yet it ruined nothing but its own life.

امطر عليها الخيل تمطر ثرة

امطر عليها الخيل تمطر ثرة

وابرق عليها بالسيوف وارعد

وابرق عليها بالسيوف وارعد

Rain cavalry upon it, and let them rain abundantly;

Rain cavalry upon it; let them pour down copiously,

flash above it with swords, and thunder.

and flash lightning over it with swords, and thunder.

وأجرى الدما في الله من أعدائه

وأجرى الدما في الله من أعدائه

واضرب بكل مثقف ومهند

واضرب بكل مثقف ومهند

Make the blood of God's enemies flow for His sake,

And make blood flow from His enemies in God's cause,

and strike with every straightened spear and Indian blade.

and strike with every straightened spear and Indian blade.

واستبق منهم من بخير من بقى

واستبق منهم من بخير من بقى

عمن مضى واشهر حسامك واغمد

عمن مضى واشهر حسامك واغمد

Spare among them whoever of the survivors is better

And spare one of them to tell those who remain

than those who passed; show your sword, then sheath it.

of those who have died; draw your sword, and sheathe it.

وإذا أسرت مننت عن متجور

وإذا أسرت مننت عن متجور

قتل امرءا للعجز الفي باليد

قتل امرءا للعجز الفي باليد

When you take a captive, you grant him mercy, without injustice:

And when you take captives, you grant mercy, unlike a tyrant

to kill a man in his helplessness is impotence forever.

who killed a man found helpless in his grasp.

يا ناصر الإسلام يا سلطانه

يا ناصر الإسلام يا سلطانه

يا أبن الممهد يا صلاح المفسد

يا أبن الممهد يا صلاح المفسد

O champion of Islam, O its sovereign,

O champion of Islam, O its sultan,

O son of the one who made firm, O mender of corruption!

O son of al-Mumahhid, O remedy for corruption,

دهري يخاصمني فصالح بيننا

دهري يخاصمني فصالح بيننا

واكفف بحسن الراى كف المعتدى

واكفف بحسن الراى كف المعتدى

Time is litigating against me—so reconcile us,

My Time quarrels with me; make peace between us,

and with sound judgment restrain the aggressor's hand.

and restrain the aggressor's hand with sound judgment.

وازجره إني في جوارك ينقمع

وازجره إني في جوارك ينقمع

عني وقم في نصر عبدك واقعد

عني وقم في نصر عبدك واقعد

Rebuke it: under your protection it will withdraw

And rebuke him: I am under your protection; he will shrink

from me. Rise in your servant's defense—and sit steadfast.

from me; stand and sit in your servant's defense.

فإذا رآك مشمرا في نصرتي

فإذا رآك مشمرا في نصرتي

ترك التعامي واهتدت يده يدي

ترك التعامي واهتدت يده يدي

When it sees you girded to support me,

Then, when he sees you girded for my defense,

it will abandon feigned blindness, guided by my warning.

he will cease feigning blindness, and his hand will find mine.

أنا عبد أحمد يا زمان وجاره

أنا عبد أحمد يا زمان وجاره

فعلام يا دهري تطيل تهددي

فعلام يا دهري تطيل تهددي

I am Ahmad's servant, O Time, and his protégé—

I am Ahmad's servant, O Time, and his protected neighbor;

so why, O Time, prolong your threats against me?

why, then, O my Time, do you prolong your threats against me?

أنا آمن منه بعنقي ذمة

أنا آمن منه بعنقي ذمة

عندي لوالد أحمد ولا حمد

عندي لوالد أحمد ولا حمد

I am safe from it, secured by a binding pledge

I am safe from him; upon my neck rests a pledge

I hold from Ahmad's father, and from Ahmad.

that I owe to Ahmad's father and to Ahmad.