Claude 2

  1. فَيا أخَا العزمِ يَطوِي البيدُ مُنصَلِتاً

    في سَيرِه عن مَسير العَاصفاتِ وَحَى

    O brother of determination whose course bends the tall spears

    Surpassing the pace of storms in his march

  2. قل للمهذَّبِ في فَضلٍ وفي خُلُقِ

    وللبليغِ إذا مَا جدَّ أو مَزَحَا

    Say to the well-mannered, excelling in merit and character

    And to the eloquent, whether earnest or jesting

  3. من ينثُرُ الدُّرَّ في نَثرِ الكتابَةِ إنْ

    شاءً وينظمُهُ في النَّظمِ إن مَدَحَا

    He who scatters pearls in the spread of his writing

    At will, and strings them in verse when praising

  4. من لَفظُه تُسكِرُ الصّاحِي فصاحَتُهُ

    ولَو وَعَى فَضلَه ذُو سَكْرَةٍ لَصَحَا

    His words inebriate even the sober—his eloquence—

    Had one drunk on his excellence been aware, he would have recovered

  5. أتتكَ مُغرِبَةُ الأنباءِ مُعربَةً

    عن مُخلِصٍ إن دنَا في الوُدّ أو نَزَحَا

    The news came to you in Arabic, translating

    On behalf of a loyal friend, whether he drew near in love or turned away

  6. فاسمَعْ فَلا زِلتَ للخيراتِ مُستمِعاً

    أُعجُوبةً مثلُها في الكُتْبِ ما شُرِحَا

    So listen—you never ceased hearing good things—

    To a wonder the books have never explained

  7. مولايَ إن سدّ عنّي بابَ أنعُمِهِ

    ولم يزَل للوَرَى بالفضْلِ مُنْفَتِحَا

    My lord, if he closed to me the door of his favors

    Which always stood open to mankind in kindness

  8. ولَم يَجُدْ لي بطَرفٍ من مواهِبهِ

    وكم حَبانِي وكم أسْنَى ليَ المِنَحَا

    And found for me no glance of his gifts—

    How he lavished me! How he heaped gifts upon me!

  9. فجُودُه السّكبُ إن أكْدَتْ مخَايِلُهُ

    يَوماً فكم سَحَّ بالنُّعمى وكم سَفَحَا

    His pouring forth when my imaginations insisted

    How it gushed with bounty and overflowed!

  10. وكم له من يَدٍ عندي تزيدُ عَلى

    ما سَامَه الأملُ المشتَطُّ واقْتَرحَا

    How many a hand from him I have in addition to

    What ambitious hope requested and begged for!

  11. أقلّ ما نِلتُ من جَدْوَى يديهِ غِنَىً

    ما ساءَني بَعدَه مَن ضَنَّ أو سَمحَا

    The least I gained from his benevolence is wealth

    After which no miser’s meanness saddened me nor any spendthrift’s excess

  12. لقد غَنِيتُ به عنه كما غَنِيَ ال

    غديرُ بالسّحبِ عنْها بعد ما طَفَحَا

    I have been enriched by him beyond need of him

    As an abundant spring, once it overflows, is self-sufficient

  13. لكن بقلبِيَ همٌّ زاد سورَتَهُ

    وهْمٌ إذا قلتُ يخبُو زَندُهُ قَدَحَا

    Yet in my heart there is a care which compounds its image

    A phantom that, when I say it hides, flickers into view

  14. أظَنّ بي العَجْزَ في الحربِ العَوانِ وهَل

    لها سِوايَ من الأبطالِ قُطبُ رَحَى

    I fear in myself inadequacy in time of war and turmoil—

    And does it have, apart from me, heroes, the pivot of the millstone?

  15. فقُلْ له جدَّدَ اللهُ البقَاءَ لَهُ

    ما شَقَّ جَيبَ الدّجَى صُبحٌ وما وَضَحَا

    So say to him, may God renew his existence forever

    Whether dawn has rent the cloak of darkness or the day has shone clear

  16. كم قد بَعثْتُ إلى عَلياكَ من أَمَلٍ

    أنلتَنِيه وكم من مَطلَبٍ نَجَحَا

    How many hopes have I sent to your sublime presence

    Which you granted me! How many requests you fulfilled!

  17. وأنتَ من لو حَبا الدّنيَا بأجمَعِها

    لم يُرضِه ما حَبَا منها وما مَنَحَا

    While you—if the world proffered itself to you entire

    You would not be pleased by its offer, nor by its gift

  18. وما سَلِمْتَ فذنبُ الدَّهرِ مُغْتَفَرٌ

    وصرْفُهُ ما جَنى جُرماً ولا اجْتَرَحَا

    You are cleared of the guilt of time and its caprice

    Neither did it gather sins nor make mistakes