دفعَ الله نائباتِ اللّيالي

دفعَ الله نائباتِ اللّيالي

عنكَ يا حاملَ الخُطوبِ الثِّقالِ

عنكَ يا حاملَ الخُطوبِ الثِّقالِ

May God ward off the calamities of the nights

God has relieved you, O bearer of heavy sorrows,

from you, O bearer of grievous burdens,

Of the vicissitudes of nights,

والهمومَ التي بَعُدَتْ فَما صا

والهمومَ التي بَعُدَتْ فَما صا

فينَ فكراً ولا خَطَرْنَ ببالِ

فينَ فكراً ولا خَطَرْنَ ببالِ

and the cares so distant they have never befriended

And of worries that have become remote,

a thought, nor crossed a mind;

Neither crossing the mind nor occurring to thought.

والذي فضلُ حلمه ونُهاهُ

والذي فضلُ حلمه ونُهاهُ

بيَّنَ النقصَ في عقولِ الرِّجالِ

بيَّنَ النقصَ في عقولِ الرِّجالِ

and you whose excellence in forbearance and understanding

And He whose forbearance and restraint,

has exposed the deficiencies in men's minds.

Revealed the flaw in men's minds,

قد سمِعْنا بالغُرِّ من آلِ ساسا

قد سمِعْنا بالغُرِّ من آلِ ساسا

ن ويونانَ في العصورِ الخَوالي

ن ويونانَ في العصورِ الخَوالي

We have heard of the illustrious of the house of Sasan

We have heard of the pride of the Sassanians

and of Greece in ages long gone,

And the Greeks in bygone times,

والملوكِ الأُلى إذا ضاعَ ذكرٌ

والملوكِ الأُلى إذا ضاعَ ذكرٌ

وُجدوا في سوائرِ الأمثالِ

وُجدوا في سوائرِ الأمثالِ

and of the kings who, when their memory is lost,

And of mighty kings, when their fame was lost,

are found in widely circulating proverbs;

They were found in the mass of parables,

وبما استَغْزروا من العِزِّ والثَّرْ

وبما استَغْزروا من العِزِّ والثَّرْ

وَةِ واستَنزَروا من الأشكالِ

وَةِ واستَنزَروا من الأشكالِ

and of their abundance of might and wealth,

And with what they begged for glory and wealth

and the scarcity of their peers.

And sought from vain trappings,

مكرُماتٌ إذا البليغُ تَعاطى

مكرُماتٌ إذا البليغُ تَعاطى

وصفَها لم يجدْهُ في الأقوالِ

وصفَها لم يجدْهُ في الأقوالِ

Noble deeds—when an eloquent speaker undertakes

Are favors, which when the eloquent sought

their description, he finds no words for it.

To describe them, he could find no words,

وإذا نحنُ لم نَضِفْها إلى مَجْ

وإذا نحنُ لم نَضِفْها إلى مَجْ

دِكَ كانتْ نهايةً في الكَمالِ

دِكَ كانتْ نهايةً في الكَمالِ

And if we do not add them to your glory,

And if we do not attribute them to your glory,

they stand at the summit of perfection.

They would be the epitome of perfection.

إنْ جَمَعْناهُما أضرَّ بِها الجم

إنْ جَمَعْناهُما أضرَّ بِها الجم

عُ وضاعتْ فيهِ ضَياعَ المُحالِ

عُ وضاعتْ فيهِ ضَياعَ المُحالِ

If we combine the two, the joining harms them,

If we were to combine them, the combination would detract from them

and they vanish within it as the impossible vanishes.

And they would be lost in the realm of impossibility.

فهو كالشّمسِ بُعْدُها يَملأُ البد

فهو كالشّمسِ بُعْدُها يَملأُ البد

رَ وفي قُربِها مَحاقُ الهِلالِ

رَ وفي قُربِها مَحاقُ الهِلالِ

For it is like the sun: its remoteness makes the moon full,

He is like the sun whose distance fills the horizon,

while near it the crescent is effaced.

And in its proximity the crescent disappears.

قد كفاكَ التدبيرُ يا عضدَ الدو

قد كفاكَ التدبيرُ يا عضدَ الدو

لةِ سلَّ الظُّبى وهزّ العَوالي

لةِ سلَّ الظُّبى وهزّ العَوالي

Your planning has spared you, O Adud al-Dawla,

Governing has sufficed you, O pillar of the state,

the unsheathing of blades and the brandishing of spears.

It deflected misfortune and humbled the lofty.

أيَّ شيءٍ بالجيشِ تصنعُ والهَيْ

أيَّ شيءٍ بالجيشِ تصنعُ والهَيْ

بة عنه تُغنيكَ يومَ القِتالِ

بة عنه تُغنيكَ يومَ القِتالِ

What use have you for an army, when awe

What can the army accomplish, while awe of it

makes it needless for you on the day of battle?

Suffices you on the day of battle?

أنتَ دافعتَ عنه يوماً بسورا

أنتَ دافعتَ عنه يوماً بسورا

بَ ويوماً بجانِبِ الأجْيالِ

بَ ويوماً بجانِبِ الأجْيالِ

You yourself defended it one day at Surab,

You defended it one day at Surabaya

and another day beside al-Ajyal.

And one day on the flanks of the generations.

لم تزلْ تَنْشُرُ البَشاشَةَ في الحِقْ

لم تزلْ تَنْشُرُ البَشاشَةَ في الحِقْ

دِ وتَطْوي الأناةَ في الأعجالِ

دِ وتَطْوي الأناةَ في الأعجالِ

You have never ceased spreading cheerfulness amid rancor,

You never ceased to spread cheerfulness in truth

and folding deliberation within haste.

And to wrap composure around hastiness.

طُرُقٌ في النُّهى دلَلْتَ عليها

طُرُقٌ في النُّهى دلَلْتَ عليها

وشُروطٌ سَنَنتها للمَعالي

وشُروطٌ سَنَنتها للمَعالي

Paths of wisdom you have pointed out,

You have guided towards paths of restraint

and conditions you have laid down for lofty attainment.

And instituted conditions for the lofty.

كنتَ كالسّيفِ يَنْتهي عائرُ الطّعْ

كنتَ كالسّيفِ يَنْتهي عائرُ الطّعْ

نِ إلى سَلِّهِ ورشقِ النِّبالِ

نِ إلى سَلِّهِ ورشقِ النِّبالِ

You were like the sword: stray thrusts culminate

You were like a sword whose edge

in its unsheathing, as do volleys of arrows.

The complainants end up beseeching and shooting arrows.

إنّهُ الصّاحِبُ الوفيُّ إذا ما

إنّهُ الصّاحِبُ الوفيُّ إذا ما

قيلَ عند المُفاخَراتِ نَزالِ

قيلَ عند المُفاخَراتِ نَزالِ

It is the faithful companion whenever

He is the loyal companion, when

amid rival boasts the cry is, 'To battle!'

Glories clash in battle.

ليسَ للنّبْلِ والأسنّةِ سُلْطا

ليسَ للنّبْلِ والأسنّةِ سُلْطا

نٌ كسلطانهِ على الآجالِ

نٌ كسلطانهِ على الآجالِ

Neither arrows nor spearheads have power

Nobility and fine lineage have no

like its power over the appointed times of death.

Authority like his over lifetimes.

تلكَ للكرِّ والطِّرادِ وهذا

تلكَ للكرِّ والطِّرادِ وهذا

لالتفافِ الأبطالِ بالأبْطالِ

لالتفافِ الأبطالِ بالأبْطالِ

Those are for charging and pursuit, but this

That is for shame and chase, while this

is for heroes locked in combat with heroes.

Is for heroes to rally around heroes.

بلّغتْكَ الأقدارُ في سعيكَ المن

بلّغتْكَ الأقدارُ في سعيكَ المن

جحِ ما تَبْتَغي من الآمالِ

جحِ ما تَبْتَغي من الآمالِ

May destiny bring you, through your successful striving,

Fate has conveyed you in your successful endeavor

the aspirations you seek to attain.

To what you seek of hopes.

وإذا ما الزّمانُ شَمّرَ بُردي

وإذا ما الزّمانُ شَمّرَ بُردي

هِ فَلا زلتَ ساحِبَ الأذيالِ

هِ فَلا زلتَ ساحِبَ الأذيالِ

And whenever Time tucks up his two cloaks,

And whenever time girds up its loins,

may you never cease to trail your hems.

You remain trailing its hem.