1. ما المُلك إِلّا ما حَواهُ نِجادُهُ

    وَتدينُ حُسَّدُهُ لِمُحْكَمِ آيِهِ

    Kingship is only what his sword-belt encompasses.

    And his enviers bow to his incontrovertible signs,

  2. وَالفَضلُ ما شَهِدت بِهِ حُسّادُهُ

    شَمسٌ إِذا ما الحَربُ زَرَّ جُيوبَها

    and merit is what his enviers attest.

    A sun—when war has buttoned up its collars,

  3. حَلَّ المَعاقِدَ كَرُّهُ وطِرادُهُ

    ألْوَى أَلَدّ حَمى الشَريعَة جهدُهُ

    his charge and pursuit undo the knots.

    Tenacious, unyielding—his striving guarded the Sacred Law,

  4. وَأَذلَّ ناصِيَة الضّلالِ جهادُهُ

    صعقَ البِرِنْسُ وَقَد تَلَألأ برقُه

    and his holy struggle humbled error's forelock.

    The prince was thunderstruck as his lightning flashed,

  5. وَأَطارَ ساكِنَ جَأشِهِ إِرعادُهُ

    وَلَّى وَقَد سُلَّت فَسَلَّت ضَغنُهُ

    and his thunder shattered the calm of the prince's heart.

    He fled: they were unsheathed and drew his rancor out—

  6. زُبر تَلقّى فَودَهُنَّ فُؤادُهُ

    مُستَلئِماً مُستسلِماً لا عدَّةٌ

    iron blades whose edges his heart received.

    Armored, yet surrendering—neither equipment

  7. ردّ المُنَى عَنهُ وَلا اِستِعدادُهُ

    وَلِجوسِلين اِحتَثَّهُنّ فَأَصبَحَت

    warded doom off him, nor did his preparedness.

    And against Joscelin he urged them on, until

  8. نُهْبَى لَهُنَّ بلادُه وتلادُهُ

    جاءَت بِهِ بَعدَ الشّماسِ عَوابسٌ

    his lands and ancestral wealth became their plunder.

    Grim-faced steeds brought him in after his defiance,

  9. قودٌ يَلين لِعُنفِهِنَّ قيادُهُ

    وَتَصيَّدَتْهُ لَكَ السُّعود وقلّما

    long-bodied, to whose violence his leading-rein yields.

    And the lucky stars hunted him down for you; seldom

  10. يَنجو بِخَيرٍ مَن أَرَدت مصادهُ

    دانى لَهُ قيناهُ أَدهَم كُلَّما

    does one you mean to capture escape unscathed.

    His two smiths brought him a black fetter; whenever

  11. غَنّاه طارَ شماتةً عوّادُهُ

    سَلَبَت عزازَ عَزاءِهِ وبِقُورُسٍ

    it sang to him, his visitors flew with gloating joy.

    You robbed Azaz of its fortitude, and at Qurus—

  12. مَحجوبة فَرَشَت لَه أَقتادُهُ

    وَبِتلِّ خالدٍ يَوم تَلَّ جَبينَها

    a veiled maiden, whom his saddle-frames spread out for him.

    And at Tall Khalid, the day he cast her forehead down,

  13. خَلَطَ الثَّرَى بِجَبينِهِ إِخلادُهُ

    وَغداً يُباشِرُ تَلَّ باشِرَ قَلبُهُ

    his sinking earthward mingled dust with his brow.

    And tomorrow his heart will encounter Tall Bashir

  14. بِأَحرّ ما حَمَل القلوبَ عِدادُهُ

    مَنَّتْ أَمانيهِ بَشائِرك الّتي

    with the fiercest heat whose recurring pangs burden hearts.

    Your glad tidings cut short his hopes—tidings that

  15. عادَت لَهُنَّ مآتِماً أعيادُهُ

    وحَبَوْتَ مُلْكَكَ من نظيم ثُغُورهِ

    turned his festivals into mourning rites.

    And from its strung frontier forts you bestowed on your kingdom

  16. حَلْياً تَتَايَه تَحتَهُ أَجيادُهُ

    لا يَخْدَعَنْكَ فإنّما إِصلاحُ مَن

    jewelry beneath which its necks proudly preen.

    Let him not deceive you: the only remedy for one

  17. يُخشَى انتشاط خناقه إفسادُهُ

    أَنزِلهُ حيثُ قَضت لَهُ غَدراتُهُ

    whose escape from his noose is feared is his destruction.

    Lodge him where his treacheries have decreed for him,

  18. وأَحَلّه طُغيانه وعنادُهُ

    في حِيثُ لا يَأوي لَهُ سَجّانُهُ

    and his tyranny and obstinacy have lodged him:

    where his jailer feels no pity for him,

  19. حَنَقاً وَيكشطُ جِلدُهُ جَلّادُهُ

    وَثَنٌ هَدَمتَ بَني الضّلالِ بِهَدمِهِ

    out of rage, and his executioner flays his skin.

    An idol—by demolishing him you demolished error's sons,

  20. وَعَدت عبادك عَنوةٌ عبادُهُ

    فَتَكَت بِهِ آياتُ مَنْ لِمُحَمَّدٍ

    and his worshippers assailed your servants by force.

    He was smitten by the signs of one who, for Muhammad

  21. وَلِدِينِهِ إِبداؤُهُ وَعوادُهُ

    أَو أَنشط البَلَدَ الحَرامَ تَواءَمَت

    and his religion, acts at the outset and anew.

    Or he gladdened the Sacred City; in unison

  22. تُثْني عَلَيهِ تِلاعُهُ وَوِهادُهُ

    وَلَوَ اَنَّ مِنبَرَهُ أَطاقَ تَكلُّماً

    its heights and hollows extolled him.

    And had its pulpit been able to speak,

  23. نَطَقَت بِباهرِ فَضلِهِ أَعوادُهُ

    نامَ الخَليفَةُ وَاِستَطالَ لذَبّهِ

    its timbers would have told of his dazzling merit.

    The caliph slept and stood proud, thanks to his champion's defense

  24. عَن سدّتَيهِ وَاِستطيرَ رُقادُهُ

    رَجَعَت لَكَ العِزَّ القَديمَ سُيوفُهُ

    of his two portals, while the champion's slumber was scattered.

    His swords restored to you the ancient glory—

  25. ما زانَ رَونَقُ مائِها أَغمادُهُ

    مِن بَعدِ ما نَعقَ الصّليبُ لِحِزبِهِ

    their watery gleam never graced his scabbards—

    after the Cross had cawed to its followers,

  26. وَرَأَيتَ زَرعَ المُلْكِ حانَ حَصادُهُ

    أنَّى تُمِيلُ الحادثاتُ رِواقَهُ

    and you saw sovereignty's crop come ripe for harvest.

    How can misfortunes tilt its pavilion

  27. بِهبوبِها وَاِبنُ العِمادِ عِمادُهُ

    with their gusts, when Ibn al-Imad is its pillar?