سقى عهد الصبا عهد الولي — أبو المعالي الطالوي

سَقى عَهدَ الصِبا عَهدُ الوَليِّ

رَوىً وَحَبا حِماه ذو حَبيِّ

May returning rain water the days of youth,

Abundantly; and may a massed cloud bless its sanctuary.

وَخَصّ دُوين مَنزِلِهِ مَحَلّاً

حَلَلتُ ذُراهُ في عَيشٍ رَخيِّ

And favor, near its dwelling, a place

On whose heights I dwelt in a life of ease.

وَأَلبَسَهُ الزَمانُ قَشيبَ بُردٍ

وَشَته يَدُ الغَمائِمِ سُندُسيِّ

And time clothed it in a fresh mantle,

Of fine silk, embroidered by the hand of clouds.

وَغَرَّدَتِ الحَمائِمُ في رُباهُ

بِلَحنٍ يَبعَثُ الشَكوى شَجيِّ

And doves warbled upon its hills,

In a plaintive melody that stirs lament.

وَجُؤذُرَ رَملةٍ يَسبي لِحاظا

لحاظ مَها الصَريم بِحُسنِ زيِّ

And a young oryx of the sands, captivating eyes—

The eyes of the sandy waste's oryx—with his lovely guise.

يُجَلّى عَن سَنا قَمرٍ سَنيٍّ

وَيُجلى عَن لَمى خصرٍ شَهيِّ

He is unveiled, revealing a radiant moon's brilliance,

And is unveiled to show an alluring waist's dusky hue.

رَخيمٌ دَلُّهُ خَفرَ المُحيّا

يَروقُ بِحُسنِ مَرآهُ البَهيِّ

His coquetry is gentle, his countenance bashful;

He enchants with the beauty of his radiant appearance.

تَصولُ صَوارِمُ الأَلحاظ مِنهُ

فَتُصمي مُهجَةَ البَطَلِ الكَمِيّ

The keen swords of his glances strike,

And fatally pierce the armored champion's heart.

حَوى في ثَغرِهِ المَعسولِ رَاحاً

لَها فِعلٌ كَفِعلِ البابِلِيِّ

He held wine within his honey-sweet mouth,

Whose effect is like the Babylonian's.

حَلَت بِفَمِ المُعَنّى مِثلَ ما قَد

حَلَت حَلَبٌ بِذي قَدرٍ عَليِّ

It tasted sweet in the tormented lover's mouth, just as

Aleppo grew sweet through a man of exalted rank:

إِمامٌ في الفَضائِلِ أَوحَديٍّ

هُمامٌ في المَكارِمِ أَريَحيِّ

A leader, peerless in virtues,

A noble champion, openhanded in noble deeds,

أَريبٍ ماجِدٍ شَهمٍ أَبيٍّ

مَهيبٍ باسِلٍ قَرمٍ سَرِيِّ

Astute, illustrious, gallant, unbowed,

Awe-inspiring, valiant, a chieftain, eminent.

لَهُ مَجدٌ رَفيعُ القَدرِ يَرنو

إِلى الجَوزاءِ وَالفلك القَصيِّ

His glory, exalted in rank, gazes

Toward al-Jawza and the distant celestial sphere.

وَخُلقٌ مِثلَ زَهرِ الرَوضِ يَزكو

شَذاه عَلى شَذا المِسكِ الذَكيِّ

And his character is like garden blossoms, surpassing

The scent of fragrant musk with its own fragrance.

وَكَفٌّ كَالسَحابِ تَجودُ سَحّاً

عَلى العافي بِشُؤبُوبٍ رَويِّ

And his hand, like a cloud, pours generously

Upon the supplicant in a drenching shower.

بَنى لبني الدُنا بُنيان مَجدٍ

أَوَت مِنهُ إِلى رُكنٍ قَويِّ

He built for the world's children an edifice of glory;

They found refuge at its mighty pillar.

وَشيّد لِلعُلى أَركانَ فَخرٍ

رَسَت في المَجدِ كَالطَودِ العَليِّ

And raised for greatness the pillars of pride,

Standing firm in glory like a lofty mountain,

بِعَزمٍ في الأَوامر ماضَويٍّ

وَحَزمٍ طارَ عَن زَندٍ وَريِّ

With resolve decisive in command,

And sound judgment flashing from a sparking firestick.

فيا لِلّهِ كَم جادَت يَداهُ

عَلى راجي نَداه بِصَوبِ ريِّ

Oh, by God, how often his two hands have poured

Upon the seeker of his bounty a drenching rain!

تَصَدّرَ لِلنَدى بِحراً وَمَن ذا

رَأى بَحراً تَصَدّرَ في نَديِّ

He sat at the head of bounty, an ocean—and who

Has seen an ocean sit at the head of a gathering?

وَنَوّل مِن عُلوم العَقل ما لَم

يَنَلهُ سِواهُ بِالفكرِ الجَلِيِّ

And imparted of the sciences of reason what

No other attained through lucid thought.

وَأَحيا مِن عُلومِ الدينِ ما قَد

أَماتَ الجَهلُ في الزَمَنِ الخَليِّ

And revived of religious learning what

Ignorance had slain in bygone times.

فَيا مَولىً لَهُ رُتَبٌ تَسامَت

عَلى الشِعرى بِسُؤددها السَنيِّ

So, O master, whose ranks have risen

Above Sirius in their radiant eminence,

وَيا حَرَم النَدى يا رُكنَ فَضلٍ

وَيا قَمرَ النَدامى وَالنَديِّ

And O sanctuary of bounty, O pillar of virtue,

And O moon of boon companions and the gathering,

وَيا خَيرَ امرِئٍ أَمَّت إِلَيهِ

مَطايا العَزمِ مِن بِلَدٍ قَصِيِّ

And O best of men, toward whom have journeyed

The mounts of resolve from a distant land,

إِلى عُليا حِماكَ الرَحبِ وافَت

مُهَنِّئَةً بِمَنصِبكَ الهَنِيِّ

To the heights of your spacious sanctuary they came,

Congratulating you on your felicitous appointment.

وَدُونَكَ قَد تَبَدّت فَاِجتَليها

عَروسُ حُلىً تَهادى بِالحُليِّ

And here before you she has appeared—behold her:

A bride of adornments, gliding in her jewels.

وَمُوشي بُردها الفَضفاضِ يُنمي

إِلى كَرَمِ النجارِ الطالَوِيِّ

And the embroiderer of her ample mantle is descended

From noble stock—al-Talawi,

فَتى الآدابِ مِن زَمَنِ التَصابي

يُعانيها بِفَهمٍ أَحوَذِيِّ

A man of letters since the days of youthful dalliance,

Who practices them with masterful understanding.

غَريبٌ في دِيارِ الرُومِ أَمسى

يُعاني سَورة الزَمَن الأَبيِّ

A stranger in the lands of Rum, he has come

To suffer the fury of unyielding time.

يَحِنُّ إِلى دِمَشقَ وَساكِنيها

حَنينَ حَمامَةٍ بِفَنا أُشَيِّ

He yearns for Damascus and its inhabitants,

With a dove's yearning on the outskirts of Ushayy.

إِذا ناحَت عَلى إِلفٍ تَراهُ

يُساجِلُها بِمَدمَعِهِ السَخيِّ

When she mourns a mate, you see him

Match her with his unstinting tears.

وَقَد وافى جَنابَك يا إِماماً

وَلَم يَعدِل عَنِ النَهجِ السَويِّ

And he has come to your presence, O imam,

And has not strayed from the straight path.

فَهَل لَكَ يا عَليَّ القَدرِ يَوماً

لِمَن وَالاكَ مِن عَهدٍ وَفيِّ

So will you, O man of lofty rank, one day offer

A faithful pledge to one who is loyal to you?

بَقيتَ بِنِعمَةٍ تَنمى وَعَيشٍ

ثَوَت بِظِلالِهِ النُعمى هَنيِّ

May you live on in growing blessing and a life

Of ease, in whose shade prosperity dwells.

وَلا تُغبب لَكَ الأَنواءُ رَبعاً

رَواءً بِالغَداة وَبِالعَشِيِّ

And may the rain-bearing stars never skip a day at your dwelling,

Drenching it at morning and evening,

مَدى الأَيّامِ ما حنَّ اِشتِياقاً

غَريب إِلى الوَطَنِ الرّخِيِّ

Through all the days, so long as, in longing, yearns

A stranger for his homeland of ease,

وَزَمزَمتِ الحُداة بِذكرِ سَلمى

وَغَنّت في الحِمى شَوقاً لِمَيِّ

And camel-drivers murmur Salma's name,

And sing in the sanctuary, longing for Mayy.