اليوم سر العلا واستبشر الأدب — Abn Almqrb Alaaona

اليَومَ سُرَّ العُلا وَاِستَبشَرَ الأَدَبُ

وَأَحمَدت سَيرَها المَهرِيَّةُ النُجُبُ

Today, exalted rank rejoices, and literature is glad.

And the noble Mahri camels have found their journey praiseworthy.

اليَومَ أَعتَبَ دَهري وَاِرعَوى وقَضى

في كُلِّ ما كُنتَ أَشكوهُ فَكَم أُجَبُ

Today my fate has made amends, relented, and granted judgment

in all that I used to complain of; how often I am answered!

اليَومَ أَسفَرَ وَجهُ الحَظِّ وَاِنبَسَطَت

يَدُ الرَجاءِ وَزالَ الهَمُّ وَالنَصَبُ

Today fortune's face has shone, and the hand

of hope has opened; care and weariness have gone.

اليَومَ أَقبَلَتِ الآمالُ باسِمَةً

عَن كَالمَها زانَهُ التَفلِيجُ والشَنَبُ

Today hopes came forward smiling,

showing mouths adorned with spaced teeth and gleaming whiteness.

فَكَم لِذا اليَومِ مِن دَوِّيَّةِ قَذفٍ

قَطَعتُ وَالقَلبُ في أَهوالِها يَجِبُ

How many vast, far flung wastes, for the sake of this day,

I crossed, my heart trembling amid their terrors!

تَبدو بِها الجِنُّ لي حيناً وَآوِنَةً

تَبثُّ أَضواءَها حَولي وَتَنتَحِبُ

At times the jinn appeared to me there; at other times

they scattered their lights around me and wailed.

فَحينَ أَكثَرتِ التَهويلَ قُلتُ لَها

هَذا التَّهَوُّلُ جِدٌّ مِنكِ أَو لَعِبُ

When they multiplied their frightening displays, I said to them,

Is this terror of yours earnest or play?

حَسبي أَبو جَعفَرٍ مِمّا يَدُبُّ عَلى

وَجهِ البَسيطَةِ أَو يَعتَرُّ أَو يَثِبُ

Abu Ja'far is enough to protect me from whatever crawls upon

the face of the earth, or comes upon me, or leaps.

حَسبي إِمام الهُدى لا فرعُ دَوحَتِهِ

عِشٌّ وَلا ريشُ سَهمٍ راشَهُ لَعبُ

The imam of guidance is enough for me: no branch of his tree

is a nest, nor is an arrow's feather one fashioned by chance.

حَسبي إِمامُ الهُدى المَنصورُ فَاِمتَلَأَت

رُعباً فَضاقَت بِها الغيطانُ وَالجيبُ

The imam of guidance, al Mansur, is enough for me; they were filled

with fear, until valleys and mountain passes grew too narrow for them.

صِنوُ النَبِيِّ إِذا يُعزى وَمُشبِهُهُ

خَلقاً وَخُلقاً وَبابُ اللَّهِ وَالسَّبَبُ

He is the Prophet's kin by descent and resembles him

in form and character, the gate to God and the means of approach.

وَهّابُ ما لا رَأَت عَينٌ وَلا سَمِعَت

بِمثلِهِ هَيبَةً عُجمٌ وَلا عَرَبُ

He gives what no eye has seen; neither non Arabs nor Arabs

have heard of majesty like his.

تَرى مَناقِب كُلِّ الناسِ إِن سَفَرَت

أَدنى مَناقِبهِ تَخزى فَتَنتَقِبُ

You would see every other person's virtues, if the least

of his virtues appeared, grow ashamed and draw a veil.

كَم نارِ شَرٍّ طِلاعُ الأَرضِ جاحِمُها

لَهُ شُواظٌ بِحَيثُ النَجمُ يَلتَهِبُ

How many fires of evil have blazed across the whole earth,

their flames reaching where the stars burn!

بِلَمحَةٍ مِنهُ عادَت وَهيَ خاشِعَةٌ

ثَلجاً وَما ذاكَ مِن آياتِهِ عَجَبُ

At one glance from him, they became subdued,

cold as snow; such a sign of his is no wonder.

وَكَم أَخي ثَروَةٍ أَودى بِثَروَتِهِ

ظُلمُ الوُلاةِ وَتَأويلاتُها الكَذِبُ

And how many wealthy men have had their wealth destroyed

by governors' injustice and their false interpretations!

أَعادَ ثَروتَهُ مِن غَيرِ مَسأَلَةٍ

إِلَيهِ عَفواً وَقَد مَرَّت لَها حِقَبُ

He restored their wealth to them, unasked,

freely, though ages had passed since its loss.

وَكَم خَلاءٍ مَخُوفٍ قَلبُ سالِكِهِ

لِلخَوفِ مِثلَ لِواءِ الجَيشِ يَضطَرِبُ

And how many fearful wastes made a traveler's heart

flutter from fear like an army's banner!

أَضحى بِهَ آمِناً تَمشي الفَتاةُ بِهِ

مَشيَ القَطاةِ وَحَلّا صَدرَها لَبَبُ

There a girl now walks in safety,

with the step of a sandgrouse, a necklace adorning her breast.

وَكَم أَنالَ الغِنى مَن لا يُعَدُّ لَهُ

غَيرُ الخَصاصَةِ أُمٌّ وَالشَقاءُ أَبُ

And how often he gave riches to one who could claim

no mother but poverty and no father but misery!

وَكَم عِظامِ ذُنوبٍ فيه مُوثَقَةٍ

أَقلُّها لِحَصاةِ القَلبِ تَنتَهِبُ

And how many great sins lay bound in him,

the least of which could plunder a heart of stone!

هَذا هُوَ الفَضلُ وَالنَفسُ الشَريفَةُ وَال

جودُ العَميمُ وَهَذا الخَيرُ وَالحَسَبُ

This is excellence, noble spirit, and

abundant generosity; this is goodness and noble lineage.

وَكَم قَبائِلَ بَعدَ المَوتِ أَنشَرَها

وَما لَها غَيرُ مَقصوراتِها تُرُبُ

And how many tribes he raised up after their death,

when they had only the soil of their dwellings left!

فَلو رَأى عُمَرُ الفاروقُ سيرَتَهُ

لَقالَ هَذا رَحى الإِسلامِ وَالقُطُبُ

If Umar al Faruq had seen his conduct,

he would have said: This is Islam's millstone and its pivot.

وَشَمَّرَ الذَّيلَ يَسعى في أَوامِرِهِ

ما في الَّذي قُلتُهُ شَكٌّ وَلا رِيَبُ

He would have tucked up his hem and hastened to obey his commands;

there is no doubt at all in what I have said.

بِهِ الفُتُوَّةُ تَمَّت وَاِعتَلَت شَرَفاً

كَما بِهِ شَرُفَت آباؤُهُ النُّجُبُ

In him chivalry was perfected and rose in honor,

as through him his noble forefathers gained honor.

فَما نَرى كَعلِيٍّ في الأَنامِ فَتَىً

سِواهُ وَالشِّبهُ نَحوَ الشِّبهِ مُجتَذَبُ

We see no young man among humankind like Ali

apart from him; likeness is drawn toward likeness.

وَأَيُّ مُعتَصِمٍ بِاللَّهِ مُنتَصِرٍ

لَلّهِ مِنهُ الرِّضا في اللَّهِ وَالغَضَبِ

And what man seeking refuge in God, victorious

for God's sake, has approval and anger for God's sake as he does?

قَرَّت بِهِ الأَرضُ مِن أَقصى التُخومِ وَقَد

كادَت لِفَقدِ إِمامِ البِرِّ تَنقلِبُ

Through him the earth rested, to its farthest borders, though

at the loss of the imam of righteousness it had nearly overturned.

وَأَصبَحت أَيكَةُ الإِسلامِ ناضِرَةً

يَدعو المُسيمَ إِلَيها الماءُ وَالعُشبُ

The grove of Islam has become verdant,

its water and grass inviting the grazing herdsman.

وَاِهتَزَّتِ الأَرضُ مِن رِيٍّ فَلا طَلَقٌ

لِلماءِ يُذكَرُ في حَيٍّ وَلا قَرَبُ

The earth stirred with abundant watering; no long trek

to water, nor even a short one, is spoken of among any people.

وَأَشرَقَت بَهجَةً دارُ السَّلامِ بِهِ

حَتّى تَمَنَّت سَناها السَبعَةُ الشُهُبُ

The Abode of Peace shone with joy through him,

until the seven bright stars wished for its radiance.

وَأَظهَرَ العُجبَ شَطّاها وَدِجلَتُها

وَما أَحاطَت بِهِ الأَسواقُ وَالرُحُبُ

Its two banks, its Tigris, and all the markets

and open squares within it displayed their wonder.

وَفُتِّحت لِلقِرى أَبوابُ ذي كَرَمٍ

جفانُهُ خُلُجُ الصِّينِيِّ لا العُلَبُ

The doors of a generous man opened for hospitality;

his serving bowls are great Chinese vessels, not little boxes.

وَأَلفُ أَلفٍ تَزيدُ الضِّعفَ جادَ بِها

في كُلِّ عامٍ وَقَلَّت عِندما يَهِبُ

A million, and twice that, he gave away

each year; even that seems little when he bestows gifts.

وَمِثلُ ذَلِكَ أَضعافاً مُضاعَفَةً

أَعطى وَقالَ قُصارى كُلِّ ذي العَطَبُ

He gave many times that amount again

and called it the utmost that any generous giver could give.

فَما يَمُرُّ بِهِ يَومٌ وَلَيسَ بِهِ

لَهُ مَواهِبُ تُستَزرى لَها السُّحُبُ

No day passes for him without

gifts beside which the clouds seem paltry.

فَاليَومَ ما فوقَ ظَهرِ الأَرضِ قاطِبَةً

إِلّا اِمرُؤٌ وَلَهُ مِن مالِهِ نَشَبُ

Today, across the whole face of the earth,

there is no person without a share of his wealth.

فَلو تُذابُ عَطايا كَفِّهِ لَجَرَت

بَحراً مِن التِبرِ رَجّافاً لَهُ لَجَبُ

If the gifts of his hand were melted, they would flow

as a surging, roaring sea of gold.

لَم يَدَّخِر غَيرَ ما آباؤُهُ اِدَّخُروا

مِن أَنفُسٍ وَجَميع المالِ قَد وَهَبُوا

He stored up only what his forefathers stored up:

their own lives; all their wealth they gave away.

يَأبى الأُلى غَيرَ كَسبِ الحَمدِ ما اِدَّخروا

وَغَيرَ أَنفَسِ ما يَحوونَ ما وَهَبُوا

Those forebears would store up nothing but earned praise,

and give away nothing but the finest things they possessed.

وَغَيرَ رَجراجَةٍ شَعواءَ ما جَلَبُوا

وَغَيرَ نَجمٍ يُسامي النَّجمَ ما طَلَبُوا

They mustered only a vast, surging host,

and sought only a star that rivaled the stars.

وَغَيرَ هامَةِ مَعدى الهامِ ما ضَرَبُوا

وَغَيرَ مِدرَهِ دارِ الحَربِ ما حَرَبُوا

They struck only the head above other heads,

and fought only the foremost leader in war.

قَومٌ هُم الرَأسُ مِن فهرٍ وَغَيرهُم

إِذا يُقاسُ إِلى عَلياهُمُ ذَنَبُ

They are a people who are the head of Fihr's line; all others,

measured against their eminence, are the tail.

النَجمُ يَنجُم ظُهراً إِن هُمُ غَضِبُوا

وَالأَرضُ تَأرضُ نَهراً إِن هُمُ رَكِبُوا

Stars rise at midday if they grow angry,

and the earth turns to a river when they ride.

بِفَضلِهِم نَطَقَ القُرآنُ مُمتَدِحاً

لَهُم وَجاءَت بِهِ مِن قَبلِهِ الكُتُبُ

The Quran has spoken in praise of their merit,

and earlier scriptures, he says, spoke of it before.

أَبوهُمُ الخَيرُ عَبدُ اللَّهِ خَيرُ أبٍ

وَجَدُّهُم سَيِّدُ البَطحاءِ إِن نُسِبُوا

Their father is the good Abd Allah, the best of fathers,

and their grandfather, by lineage, is the lord of the valley.

لَولاكُمُ يا بَني العَبّاسِ ما اِنصَدَعَت

عَصا الخِلافَةِ صَدعاً لَيسَ يَنشَعِبُ

Were it not for you, sons of al Abbas, the staff of the caliphate

would never have split with a break that cannot be mended.

عَنها طَردتُم وَلَمّا يَثنِكُم رَهَبٌ

بَني الطَّريدِ وَلا اِستَوهاكُمُ رُعبُ

You drove the sons of the exile away from it; no dread

turned you back, nor did fear weaken you.

وَلا وَنَيتُم إِلى أَن قامَ ماؤُهُم

وَخانَ دَلوَهُمُ مِن عَقدِها الكَرَبُ

You did not slacken until their water rose

and the rope at their bucket's knot failed them.

وَعادَ ميراثُكُم مِن كَفِّ غاصِبِهِ

فيكُم وَأَهلُ الدَعاوى عَنكُمُ غِيَبُ

Your inheritance returned from its usurper's hand

to you, while the claimants were absent from you.

يا خَيرَ مَن عَلِقَت أَيدي الرَجاءِ بِهِ

وَمَن سَواءٌ لَدَيهِ التِبرُ وَالتّربُ

O best of those to whom the hands of hope cling,

for whom gold and dust are equal,

إِلَيكَ مِن بَلَدِ البَحرينِ قَرَّبَني

شَدٌّ بِهِ اِنحَلَّتِ الأَكوارُ وَالغُرُبُ

to you from the land of Bahrain a hard journey brought me,

loosening the camel saddles and their straps.

وَغادَرَ العِيسَ أَنضاءً مُطَلَّحَةً

يَكادُ يَصرَعُها مِن خَلفِها العُشبُ

It left the white camels worn and exhausted;

even grass behind them could almost knock them down.

فَحَلِّني بِلباسٍ مِنكَ يَحسُدُني

عَلى اِتّصالي بِكُم ناءٍ وَمُقتَرِبُ

Clothe me in a robe from you that makes both distant

and near envy my connection with you.

وَاِجعَل عدادي في الفِتيانِ واِعلُ بِهِ

شَأني فَمُعتَقدي أَن يَنجَحَ الطَّلَبُ

Count me among your young men and thereby raise

my standing, for I believe my request will succeed.

أَنتَ الإِمامُ الَّذي قَد كُنتُ آمُلُهُ

وَذا الزَمانُ الَّذي قَد كُنتُ أَرتَقِبُ

You are the imam for whom I had hoped,

and this is the time for which I had waited.

كَم جُبت دونَكَ مِن تَيها وَخاوِيَةٍ

يَشكو الكَلالَ بِها النَجّاءَةُ التَعِبُ

How many trackless, empty wastes I crossed to reach you,

where even the tireless, weary camel complains of fatigue!

وَمُزبِدٍ يَتراءى المَوتُ راكِبهُ

سَلامَةُ المُتَخَطِّيه لَهُ عَجَبُ

And how many foaming waters whose rider seems to see death:

the escape of one who crosses them is a wonder.

وَكَم طَرقتُ رِجالاً ينذِرونَ دَمي

أَسقيتُهُم عَلقَماً غَصباً لَهُ شَرِبُوا

How many men I confronted who threatened my blood;

I made them drink bitter gall against their will.

كَم قُلتُ لِلنَّفسِ إِذ لَجَّ الهُلوعُ بِها

وَكَالدِماءِ دُموعِ العَينِ تَنسَكِبُ

How often I told my soul, when panic pressed upon it

and tears poured from my eyes like blood:

قِرّي فَيُمنُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ لَنا

حرزٌ يَقينا الَّذي يُخشى وَيُجتَنَبُ

Be still; the good fortune of the Commander of the Faithful

is a safeguard for us against what is feared and shunned.

فَبارَكَ اللَّهُ في أَيّامِ دَولَتِهِ

وَجادَها كُلُّ رَجّاسٍ لَهُ لجَبُ

May God bless the days of his rule

and water them with every roaring rain cloud.

فَإِنَّ أَيّامَها طرزُ الزَمانِ إِذ

عُدَّت وَتاجٌ بِهِ الأَعيادُ تَعتَصِبُ

For the days of his rule are time's embroidery when counted,

and a crown worn by the festivals.

وَلا أَرانا إِماماً غَيرَهُ أَبَداً

فَما لَنا في إِمامٍ غَيرِهِ أَرَبُ

May we never see an imam other than him,

for we have no desire for another imam.

وَعاشَ في ظِلِّهِ المَولى الَّذي شَهِدَت

بِمَجدِهِ وَعُلاهُ العُجمُ وَالعَرَبُ

And may there live in his shelter the lord whose glory

and eminence non Arabs and Arabs alike attest:

بَحرُ النَّدا شَرَفُ الدّينِ الَّذي شَرُفَت

بِهِ الوَرى وَسَما فَخراً بِهِ اللَقَبُ

the sea of generosity, Sharaf al Din, through whom

people gained honor and whose title rose proudly;

ما ناحَ صَبٌّ وَما ناحَت مُطَوَّقَةٌ

وَما اِستَلَذَّ غَراماً عاشِقٌ وَصِبُ

for as long as a lovesick one laments and a collared dove coos,

and as long as a suffering lover savors love.