ما عسى تبلغ شكراً ما عسى — Abo Alhassan Bn Hariq

ما عَسَى تَبلُغُ شُكراً مَا عَسَى

مَن حَمَى الدِّينِ وأحيا الأنفُسا

What thanks can you possibly render—what thanks—

to one who defended the faith and revived souls?

فَتَحَ اللهُ لَهُ الفَتحَ الَّذِي

شَمَلَ الدُّنيا فَدَع أندَلُسا

God granted him the victory that

embraced the world—let alone al-Andalus.

أسبَغَ النُّعمَى فَطَابَت جَنّة

وَجلا البُشرَى فَقَامَت عُرُسَا

He lavished bounty, and it grew lovely as a garden;

he unveiled glad tidings, and it became a wedding feast.

جَفّ ماءُ الغُصنِ مَحلاً فَهَمَى

وَتَشَكَّى الثَّغرُ شجّاً فأسى

The branch's sap dried in drought, and he poured down rain;

the frontier complained of a wound, and he healed it.

يَربَأُ النَّجمُ لَهُ عَسكَرَهُ

وَيُغيرُ الصُّبحُ عَنهُ والمَسَا

The star keeps watch over his army for him,

and dawn and dusk launch raids on his behalf.

لَم يُثر خَيلاً إِلَى نَيلِ مَدىً

فَأصَابَت دَونَهُ مَا حُبِسَا

Never did he send cavalry toward a goal

only for them to meet, short of it, something that held them back.

لَو أتَت بَحراً فَعَزّت سُفُنٌ

أوجَدَت فِيهِ طَرِيقاً يَبَسا

If they reached a sea and ships were scarce,

they would make a dry path through it.

أو سَمَا فِي السُّحبِ عنهَا مَطلَبٌ

عَلّقَت مِن كُلِّ هُدبٍ مَرَسا

Or if a prize rose beyond them among the clouds,

they would fasten ropes to every cloud-fringe.

ضَحِكَ الدّهرُ لنا بِشراُ بِهِ

بَعدَ مَا كَانَ عَلَينَا عَبَسَا

Through him, time smiled joyfully upon us,

after it had frowned upon us.

طَالَما كُنَّا سَواماً هَمَلاً

نُهزَةَ الذِّئبِ إذا ما افتَرَسا

Long were we neglected grazing herds,

easy prey for the wolf whenever it hunted.

فَرَعَانَا رَعيةً لا نَتّقي

مَعَها ذُعراً ولا نَطوِي أَسَى

Then he tended us with such care that we need not fear

any terror under it, nor harbor grief.

وَبَنَى سورَ قَناً يَكنُفُنَا

أَطلَعَ الخُرسَانَ فيهِ حَرَسَا

He built a wall of lances surrounding us,

and set the mute ones upon it as guards.

مَلِكٌ يَحسِبُهُ مُبصِرُهُ

مَلَكاً شاكَلَ هَذَا الأنَسَا

A king whom whoever beholds him takes

for an angel in the likeness of humankind.

أيُّهَا الوَفدُ ادخُلوا حَضرَتَهُ

وَتَرَاءَوا نُورَهَأ المُقتبَسَا

O delegation, enter his presence,

and behold its borrowed radiance.

وَانزَعوا الأخفافَ مِن أقدَامِكُم

كَي تلاقِي تُربَهَا المُقَدَّسا

Remove the boots from your feet,

so they may touch its sacred soil.

وَخُذُوا مِن تَحتِ نَعلَيهِ الثَّرَى

فاخَروا عِلقَ الشِّفاءِ المُنفِسَا

Take the dust from beneath his sandals;

outvie the precious treasure of healing.

تُكحلُ العَينُ بِهِ إِن رَمِدَت

يَنطِق الطِّفلُ بِهِ أن خرِسا

The eye is anointed with it if inflamed;

through it a child speaks, if mute.

تَصلُحُ الحَالُ بِهِ إِن فَسَدَت

يَنعَشُ الجَدّ بِهِ إن تَعِسا

Through it one's condition mends if spoiled;

through it good fortune revives if fallen.

تَنشَطُ النَّفسُ بِهِ إِن سَئِمَت

يَرطُبُ العَيشُ بِهِ إِن يَبسا

Through it the soul grows lively if weary;

through it life grows lush if dried up.

يا إمَامَ الدِّين هُنِّئتَ بِهِ

فَرَحاً فِيهَا ولا مُختَنِسَا

O imam of the faith, be congratulated upon it,

rejoicing in it, not shrinking into hiding.

غَزوَةٌ جاهَرتَ عَنهَا لَم تَكُن

مُلغِزاً فِيهَا ولا مُختَنِسَا

A campaign you proclaimed openly; you were not

cryptic about it, nor shrinking into hiding.

شُزّباً قُدتَ صَحيحَاتِ الشَّوَى

ضُمَّرَ الخَصرِ سَلِيمَاتِ النَّسَا

You led lean steeds, sound of limb,

slender-waisted, with sound leg-sinews.

حَمَلَت أنصَارَ دِينٍ كَرُمُوا

مشَهَداً فِيهِ وَطَابُوا أنفُسَا

They bore champions of a faith, noble

in their stand for it, and pure of soul.

أُسدُ حَربٍ تَحتَهَا الفُتخُ حَمَت

كُنُساً لَمّا أبَاحَت كُنُسَا

Lions of war, with broad-winged eagles beneath them, guarding

lairs while laying other lairs open to plunder.

ثَبَتُوا لِلهَولِ فِي ظِلِّ القَنَا

يَتَسَاقَونَ المَنَايَا أَكُؤسَا

They stood firm against terror beneath the lances' shade,

exchanging draughts of death by the cup.

يَا عُيوناً حَضَرَت مَاذَا رَأت

يَا نُفوساً عَايَنَت مَا أنفَسَا

O eyes that witnessed it—what did they see!

O souls that beheld it—how precious the sight!

غُرَّ أَدفُونشُ بِمَا أمَلَى لَهُ

مِن أمَانِي غَبّه مَن وَسوَسَا

Adfunsh was deceived by what was suggested to him

of hopes; the whisperer beguiled him.

سَنَّهَا سُوقَ وَغيً لَكِنَّهُ

كُلّما بَايَعَ غَيّه مَن وَسوسَا

He made it a market of battle, yet—

whenever his folly pledged allegiance to the whisperer—

سَنَّهَا سُوقَ وَغَىً لَكِنَّهُ

كُلّما بَايَعَ فِيهَا وُكِسَا

he made it a market of battle, yet

whenever he traded there, he suffered a loss.

فَأَتَى البَاطِلُ لَيلاً مُدجِناً

وَأتَى الحَقُّ نَهَاراً مُشمِسَا

So falsehood came as a night thick with gloom,

and truth came as a sunlit day.

فَرَأى بَدرَ العُلَى كَيفَ سَرَى

وَرَأَى طَودَ الحِجَا كَيفَ رَسَا

Then he saw how the full moon of eminence advanced,

and saw how the mountain of wisdom stood firm.

وبَدَا بَرقُ الظُّبَا مُختَطِفاً

فِي غَمَامِ العَبَرَاتِ الأَرؤُسَا

The lightning of sword-edges flashed, snatching

heads amid a cloud of tears.

غَرَسَ الفِتنَةَ إِذ خَانَكُمُ

فَجَنا مُرَّ جَنَى مَا غَرَسَا

He planted sedition when he betrayed you,

and reaped the bitter fruit of what he planted.

وَنَضَا عِزّتَهُ فِي حَربِكُمُ

فَاكتَسَى مِن ذلّةٍ مَا أُلبِسَا

He stripped off his might in fighting you,

and donned the humiliation imposed on him.

خٍِلعَةٌ لا فَارَقَت لابسَهَا

شَرٌّ أهلِ الأرضِ فِي شَرِّ الكِسَا

A robe—may it never leave its wearer—

the worst of earth's people in the worst attire.

صَارِ مَرءُوساً لَدَيهِم بَعدَمَا

رَشَّحُوهُ لِعَميد الرُّؤَسَا

He became their subordinate after

they had nominated him as chief of chiefs.

نَبَشُوا الحَربَ فَقَامَت حَيّةً

بَعدمَا كَانَت صَدىً قَد رُمِسَا

They dug up war, and it rose alive,

after it had been a corpse laid in the grave.

عَرَضوا زَهواً لأطرَافِ القَنَا

خَطرَة اللِّصِّ أَثَارَ العَسَسَا

In their arrogance they exposed themselves to lance-points,

like the venture of a thief who rouses the night-watch.

وَتَّرُوا قَوسَ مُنىً كَاذِبَةٍ

لَم توافِق سِيَةٌ مِنهَا المَعجِسا

They strung the bow of false hopes,

whose bow-tip did not align with its grip.

كُلَّمَا سَدّد رَامٍ سَهمَهَا

عَادَ فِي لِبَّتِهِ مُنتَكِسَا

Whenever an archer aimed its arrow,

it turned back into the hollow of his throat.

وَرِمَاحٍ خَالَطَت أحشَاءَهُم

عَانَقُوا مِنهَا قُدُوداً مُيَّسا

And lances that mingled with their entrails—

they embraced their swaying figures.

فَانثَنَوا بَعدَ مِصاعٍ صَادقٍ

كَسَّرَ الدَّرعَ وَفَضَّ القَونَسَا

Then they turned back after a fierce clash

that shattered armor and split the helmets' crowns.

غَادَرُوا بِالأركِ مِن قَتلاهُم

مَوعِظاتٍ لِسِوَاهُم وَأُسَى

At al-Ark they left, among their dead,

admonitions for others, and examples.

وَلَقَوا فِي حِصِنِهَا مُمتَنَعاً

رَيثَمَا يَستَرجِعُونَ النَّفَسَا

They found a refuge in its fortress,

while they caught their breath.

مَعقلٌ قالَ لَهُ النَّصرُ ألا

كُن عِقَالاً لَهُمُ أَو مَحبِسَا

A stronghold to which victory said, 'Now,

be their tether or their prison.'

فَهَووا مِنهُ عَلَى حكم رضىً

لإمَامٍ بذَلُوا مَا التَمَسَا

They came down from it to an agreed judgment

of an imam, yielding all he asked.

وَمضَى غَاوِيهِمُ تُرهِقُهُ

خَشيَة المَوت صَعُوداً شَمِسا

And their misleader fled, driven

by fear of death up a steep, forbidding ascent.

طَردَتهُ رَهبَةٌ أَوجَسَ فِي

نَفسِهِ مِن أمرِهَا مَا أَوجَسَا

Terror drove him on; he sensed within

his soul whatever forebodings of it he sensed.

رَكِب ابنَ العَيرِ في فرَّتِهِ

رُبَّما استَحيَا ركُوباً فَرَسَا

In his flight he rode an ass's offspring;

perhaps he was ashamed to ride a horse.

لِمَ يَعلُو سَرجَهُ مَن لَم يَقُم

فِي بَدَادَيهِ ضَرُوباً مِدعَسَا

Why should one mount its saddle who never stood

between its saddle-pads, striking and thrusting?

أسلَمَ القَلعَةَ وَهيَ الأَرضُ فِي

مَنعَةٍ تُعيِي النُّجُومَ الخُنّسا

He surrendered the citadel, though its land possessed

a strength that would thwart the retreating stars.

لُوِيَت خُلجانُهَا أسوِرَةً

حَصَّنت مِعصَمَهَا أَن يُلمَسَا

Its waterways were coiled into bracelets,

guarding its wrist from being touched.

قَلَّ أَن يُوجِفَ جَيشُ نَحوَهَا

أَو تشنّ الخَيلُ فِيهَا غَلَسَا

Rarely did an army rush toward it,

or cavalry raid it in the dark before dawn.

وَجَلا عَن كَركُويٍ أهلُه

وقتَ جُنح اللّيلِ لَمَّا عَسعَسَا

And Karkuy's people departed from it

at nightfall, when darkness gathered.

يَرهَبُون الدّجنَ إِن لاحَ بِهِ

بَارِقٌ وَالصُّبحَ إِذ مَا نَفّسَا

They dreaded the gloom if there appeared in it

a lightning flash, and the dawn when it breathed.

بُقَعٌ طَهَّرَها التَّوحِيدُ مِن

أُمَمٍ كَانَت عَلَيهَا نَجَسَا

Lands that monotheism cleansed of

peoples that had been a defilement upon them.

يَا أَمِيرَ المُؤمِنِينَ المُرتَجَى

عَطفُهُ إِن جَارَ خَطبٌ أَو قَسَا

O Commander of the Faithful, to whom we look

for kindness when calamity is unjust or cruel.

يَا سَلِيلَ الخُلَفَاء السَّادَة الـ

ـمُظهِرِين العَدلَ لَمَّا طَمسا

O scion of the caliphs, the lords who

made justice manifest when it had been effaced.

نَشَرُوا الإِحسَانَ مِن أرمَاسِهِ

وَأبَانُوا نَهجَهُ إِذ دَرَسَا

They resurrected benevolence from its graves,

and revealed its path when it had been erased.

فَاحَتِ الأَرضُ بِهِم مِمَّا زَكَت

وَتَنَدَّى الصَّخرُ حَتَّى انبَجَسا

The earth grew fragrant through them, so fertile it became,

and the rock grew moist until it gushed forth.

عُمِّرت دَولَتُكُم بِالِغَةً

سمع عِيسَى يَومَ يَأتِي المَقدِسَا

May your dynasty endure, reaching

the ears of Jesus when he comes to the Holy City.

وَبَقِيتم زِينَة العَالَمِ لا

تُخلِقُ الأَزمَانُ مِنهُ مَا اكتَسَى

And may you remain the world's adornment; may

the ages never wear out the raiment it has donned.