أحسنتَ في تدبير أمرك يا حسن

أحسنتَ في تدبير أمرك يا حسن

وأجدت في تحليل أخلاط الفتنْ

وأجدت في تحليل أخلاط الفتنْ

You have managed your affairs well, O Hasan,

You have done well in managing your affairs, O Hasan,

and excelled at disentangling the mingled elements of strife.

And succeeded in analyzing the dispositions of strife.

ما كنتَ بالنزق بالعجولَ إِلى الاذى

ما كنتَ بالنزق بالعجولَ إِلى الاذى

عند النزاعِ ولا الضعيف أَخا الوهنْ

عند النزاعِ ولا الضعيف أَخا الوهنْ

You were neither rash nor quick to inflict harm

You were not impetuous in harming the weak,

in a dispute, nor weak and given to frailty.

During conflict, nor the feeble, O brother of frailty.

تمسيى ورأيك عن هواك معوق

تمسيى ورأيك عن هواك معوق

والغرّ ملقٍ في يد الأهوا الرسنْ

والغرّ ملقٍ في يد الأهوا الرسنْ

You reach evening with your judgment restraining your desire,

You go to bed while your opinion is detached from your passion,

while the naive man puts the reins in the hand of his passions.

And harm lies in the hands of vain desires that weaken resolve.

دآء الرياسة في متابعةِ الهوى

دآء الرياسة في متابعةِ الهوى

ودواؤها في الدفع بالوجه الحسن

ودواؤها في الدفع بالوجه الحسن

The disease of leadership lies in following desire,

An illness of leadership is following desires,

and its cure in warding off trouble with a gracious face.

And its cure is rejection, with a pleasant demeanor.

وإِذا الفتى استقصى لنصرة نِفسه

وإِذا الفتى استقصى لنصرة نِفسه

قلبَ الصديقِ لحربه ظهرَ المِجَنّ

قلبَ الصديقِ لحربه ظهرَ المِجَنّ

When a young man goes to extremes to champion himself,

And if a young man examines too much in defending himself,

his friend reverses his shield to wage war against him.

He turns his friend into an enemy for his war.

لا تصغِ إن شرٌ دعا فالشر أَن

لا تصغِ إن شرٌ دعا فالشر أَن

تنهض له ينهض وإِ تسكنْ سكنْ

تنهض له ينهض وإِ تسكنْ سكنْ

Do not heed evil if it calls; for evil, if

Do not listen if evil calls you, for evil is

you rise against it, rises; and if you stay still, it stays still.

To rise up for it so it rises up, and if you are still, it is still.

وسديدُ رأي لا يحرك فتنةً

وسديدُ رأي لا يحرك فتنةً

سكنت وإن حركته الفتن اطمانْ

سكنت وإن حركته الفتن اطمانْ

And a man of sound judgment does not stir up strife

And the opinion of the righteous does not stir up strife,

that has subsided; even if strife agitates him, he stays calm.

It calms down, even if strife stirs it up it becomes reassured.

ردُّ العدو إِلى الصديق حكمة

ردُّ العدو إِلى الصديق حكمة

صفت من الاكَدار عيش ذوي الفطنْ

صفت من الاكَدار عيش ذوي الفطنْ

Turning an enemy into a friend is wisdom

Returning an enemy to a friend is wisdom

that has purged trouble from the lives of the discerning.

That clarifies the life of the wise from bitterness.

بالسيّفِ والإِحسان تقتنص العلا

بالسيّفِ والإِحسان تقتنص العلا

وحصولها بهما جيمعا مرتهنْ

وحصولها بهما جيمعا مرتهنْ

By sword and beneficence you capture lofty rank,

With the sword and benevolence you seize glory,

and attaining it depends on both together.

And obtaining it through both together is dependent.

لا خير في منن ولا سيف لها

لا خير في منن ولا سيف لها

ماضٍ ولا في السيف ليس له مننْ

ماضٍ ولا في السيف ليس له مننْ

There is no good in favors unsupported by a sword

There is no good in favors, nor a sword that

of keen edge, nor in a sword without favors.

Passes by, nor in the sword that has no favors.

في السيف جور فاجتنب تحكيمه

في السيف جور فاجتنب تحكيمه

ما يضع أمر المهيمن أو يهنْ

ما يضع أمر المهيمن أو يهنْ

In the sword is injustice; avoid making it the judge,

There is injustice in the sword, so avoid making it the arbiter

so long as the Sovereign's authority is not diminished or weakened.

In what undermines the order of the Supreme and demeans Him.

أما حلي فإن خوفك لم يدع

أما حلي فإن خوفك لم يدع

أهلاً بها للزائرين ولا وطن

أهلاً بها للزائرين ولا وطن

As for Hali, fear of you has left

As for your adornments, your fear has not left

no inhabitants there for visitors, nor a homeland.

A family for them among the visitors or the inhabitants.

أَخليتهم عنها وحسبك وادع

أَخليتهم عنها وحسبك وادع

في مكة لم يحوجوك إِلى ظعن

في مكة لم يحوجوك إِلى ظعن

You drove them out of it; enough that you remain at ease

You have deprived them of it, and it is enough for you to be satisfied

in Mecca—they did not force you to set out.

In Mecca, they did not make you need to commit transgression.

تركوا لك الاقطاع غير مدافعٍ

تركوا لك الاقطاع غير مدافعٍ

وتعلقّوا بذرا الشوامخِ والقنن

وتعلقّوا بذرا الشوامخِ والقنن

They left you the fief uncontested,

They left you donations without resistance,

and clung to the heights of towering mountains and peaks.

And held on to the branches of palm trees and spears.

حفظوا نفوساً بالفرار آَظلها

حفظوا نفوساً بالفرار آَظلها

سيفٌ على الأرواح ليس بمؤتمن

سيفٌ على الأرواح ليس بمؤتمن

By fleeing they saved lives over which there loomed

They protected themselves by fleeing, a sword

a sword that cannot be trusted with souls.

Upon souls that is not entrusted.

ولحفظها بالفر أكبر شاهد

ولحفظها بالفر أكبر شاهد

لك بالعلى فلم التاسفَ والحزن

لك بالعلى فلم التاسفَ والحزن

And saving them by flight is the greatest testimony

And protecting it by fleeing is the greatest witness for you

to your eminence—so why regret and sorrow?

Of the Most High, so why the regret and sorrow?

فاغمد سيوفك رغبةً لا رهبةً

فاغمد سيوفك رغبةً لا رهبةً

ما في قتيل فرّ مرعوباً سمن

ما في قتيل فرّ مرعوباً سمن

So sheathe your swords by choice, not from fear;

So sheathe your swords out of desire, not fear,

there is no fat in a slain man who fled in terror.

There is no goodness in one who flees terrified slain.

واكرم سيوفك عن دما طردائها

واكرم سيوفك عن دما طردائها

فالحر يكرم سيفه أن يُمتهن

فالحر يكرم سيفه أن يُمتهن

And honor your swords above the blood of those they have routed,

And honor your swords against the blood of those who flee from them.

for a noble man honors his sword too much to let it be debased.

For the free man honors his sword if it is disgraced.

قد كان لا يرضى يحط بسيفه

قد كان لا يرضى يحط بسيفه

في ظهر من ولى ابَوك أبو الحسن

في ظهر من ولى ابَوك أبو الحسن

He never would consent to bring his sword down

He would not be pleased to debase his sword

on the back of a fleeing man—your father, Abu al-Hasan.

Upon the back of one whose father your father is Abu Al-Hassan.

وقد اقتدرت وباقتدار ذوي النهى

وقد اقتدرت وباقتدار ذوي النهى

تنحلُّ أحقادَ الضغائن والإِحَنْ

تنحلُّ أحقادَ الضغائن والإِحَنْ

And you have gained power, and through the power of men of understanding

And you have become capable, and with the capability of people of restraint,

the hatreds born of grudges and rancors dissolve.

You dissolve the rancor and malice of resentments.

موسى هزبرٌ لا يطاق نواله

موسى هزبرٌ لا يطاق نواله

في الحرب لكنْ أين موسى من حسن

في الحرب لكنْ أين موسى من حسن

Musa is a lion whose gifts cannot be borne

Musa ibn Zubayr cannot be withstood in war,

in war; but how can Musa compare with Hasan?

But where is Musa compared to Hasan?

هذاك في يمنٍ وما سلمت له

هذاك في يمنٍ وما سلمت له

يمن وذا في الشام لم يدعِ اليمنْ

يمن وذا في الشام لم يدعِ اليمنْ

That one is in Yemen, but has not secured

That one is in Yemen, and did not leave Yemen to him,

Yemen; this one is in Sham, yet has not left Yemen alone.

And this one is in Syria and did not leave Syria.

فانظر إِلى موسى فقد ولعت به

فانظر إِلى موسى فقد ولعت به

لما سخطت عليه أحداثَ الزمنْ

لما سخطت عليه أحداثَ الزمنْ

So look at Musa: they have grown obsessed with him,

So look to Musa, for youthful times have become inflamed with him

once you grew angry with him—the calamities of time.

When it was angry with him over events of the times.

ذاق المرار لفرقة أوطانه

ذاق المرار لفرقة أوطانه

فقد المراة فرقة الروح البدنْ

فقد المراة فرقة الروح البدنْ

He tasted bitterness at being parted from his homelands;

He tasted bitterness over the separation of his homelands,

the loss of a woman is the soul's parting from the body.

So he lost the wife and the separation of body and soul.

لو شئتَ وهو عليك سهل هين

لو شئتَ وهو عليك سهل هين

لجمعت بين الجفن منه والوسن

لجمعت بين الجفن منه والوسن

If you wished—and it is easy and simple for you—

If you willed, and it is easy and simple for you,

you would bring his eyelid and slumber together.

You could have brought together his eyelids and canine tooth.

بع منه مهجتهُ وخذ ما عندهُ

بع منه مهجتهُ وخذ ما عندهُ

عوضاً يكن منه المثمن والثَّمنْ

عوضاً يكن منه المثمن والثَّمنْ

Sell him his life's blood, and take what he has

Buy from him his brain and take what he has

in exchange; both the thing sold and its price will come from him.

In exchange, let there be from him the things of value and the price.

هذي مساومةُ الفحول ومن يبع

هذي مساومةُ الفحول ومن يبع

ما بعت لم يعلق بصفقته الغبنْ

ما بعت لم يعلق بصفقته الغبنْ

This is the bargaining of great men; whoever sells

This is the bargaining of heroes, and whoever sells

what you sold will have no loss clinging to his bargain.

What was sold, no deception clings to his deal.

جئنا بحسن الظن نسألك الرضا

جئنا بحسن الظن نسألك الرضا

والعفو عنه فلا تخيب فيك ظنْ

والعفو عنه فلا تخيب فيك ظنْ

We have come thinking well of you, asking your goodwill

We came with good thoughts to ask you for acceptance

and pardon for him; do not disappoint our faith in you.

And pardon for him, so do not disappoint the good thoughts about you.

فالحرُّ يكرم سائليه يرى لهم

فالحرُّ يكرم سائليه يرى لهم

فضلاً إذا ابتدؤه بالظنّ الحسنْ

فضلاً إذا ابتدؤه بالظنّ الحسنْ

For a noble man honors his petitioners, recognizing their

For the free man honors his questioners, he sees for them

merit when they first approach him thinking well of him.

Virtue when he starts with them with good thoughts.

ويهين سائله اللئيم لظنه

ويهين سائله اللئيم لظنه

في مثله خيراً وذلك لا يظنْ

في مثله خيراً وذلك لا يظنْ

But the base man humiliates his petitioner for supposing

And the ignoble belittles his questioner because of his assumption

good exists in one like him—something not to be expected.

About the likes of him, something good, and that is not assumed.

لازلت بالشرف المخلد بانياً

لازلت بالشرف المخلد بانياً

شرفاً ومجدا ثانياً لبني حسن

شرفاً ومجدا ثانياً لبني حسن

May you ever, through undying honor, be building

I still continue building with the immortalized nobility

honor and a second glory for the sons of Hasan.

More nobility and glory secondary to the sons of Hasan.