1. تَمالى عَلى النُعمانِ قَومٌ إِلَيهِم

    مَوارِدُهُ في مِلكِهِ وَمَصادِرُه

    A people conspired against al-Nu'man—men on whom

    his comings and goings in his kingdom depended.

  2. عَلى غَيرِ ذَنبٍ كانَ مِنهُ إِلَيهِمِ

    سِوى أَنَّهُ جادَت عَلَيهِم مَواطِرُه

    For no offense he had committed against them,

    Except that his rainclouds rained bountifully upon them.

  3. فَباعَدَهُم مِن كُلِّ شَرٍّ يَخافُهُ

    وَقَرَّبَهُم مِن كُلِّ خَيرٍ يُبادِرُه

    So he kept them far from every evil he feared,

    And brought them near to every good he hastened toward.

  4. فَظَنَّوا وَأَعراضُ المَنونِ كَثيرَةٌ

    بِأَنَّ الَّذي قالوا مِنَ الأَمرِ ضائِرُه

    So they supposed—though fate's hazards are many—

    That what they said about the matter would harm him.

  5. فَلَم يَنقُصوهُ بِالَّذي قيلَ شَعرَةً

    وَلا فُلِّلَت أَنيابُهُ وَأَظافِرُه

    Yet they did not diminish him a hair by what was said,

    Nor were his fangs and claws blunted.

  6. وَلَلحارِثُ الجَفنِيُّ أَعلَمُ بِالَّذي

    يَبوءُ به النُعمانُ إِن جَفَّ طائِرُه

    And surely al-Harith al-Jafni knows best what

    al-Nu'man will bring home, should his bird take wing.

  7. فَيا حارِ كَم فيهِم لِنُعمان نعمَةً

    مِنَ الفَضلِ وَالمَنِّ الَّذي أَنا ذاكِرُه

    So, O Harith, how many favors al-Nu'man has among them,

    Of bounty and beneficence that I recount:

  8. ذُنوباً عَفا عَنها وَمالاً أَفادَهُ

    وَعَظماً كَسيراً قَوَّمَتهُ جَوابِرُه

    Offenses he pardoned, and wealth he bestowed,

    And a broken bone his remedies set straight.

  9. وَلَوسالَ عَنكَ الغائِبينَ اِبنُ مُنذِرٍ

    لَقالوا لَهُ القَولَ الَّذي لا يُحاذِرُه

    And if the son of Mundhir asked those absent about you,

    They would tell him words he would not dread.