Sol 6.1

  1. وَلَقَد عَجِبتُ مِنَ الغُواةِ وَقَولِهُم

    جَدَّ البَلاءُ فَما لَنا لا نَلعَبُ

    Indeed, I marveled at the misguided and their saying:

    “Calamity has grown grave—why should we not play?”

  2. شَرِبوا مُعَتَّقَةَ الخُمورِ وَغَيرُهُم

    شَرِبوا المَنِيَّةَ حينَ سالَ الأُسرُبُ

    They drank well-aged wines, while others

    drank death when the lead flowed.

  3. فَرِحينَ بِالزَيتونِ يُنهَبُ غُدوَةً

    وَالقَتلُ يَستَلِبُ النُفوسَ وَيَنهَبُ

    Rejoicing as Zaytun is plundered at daybreak,

    while slaughter snatches souls away and plunders.

  4. إِن يَعجَبوا لِلقاتِلينَ فَأَمرُهُم

    إِذ يَعكِفونَ عَلى الغِوايَةِ أَعجَبُ

    If they marvel at the killers, their own conduct,

    as they cleave to error, is stranger still.

  5. أَودى الرُماةُ بِوادِعينَ تَتابَعوا

    في غَيرِ ما ذَنبٍ يُعَدُّ وَيُحسَبُ

    The marksmen slew peaceful people, one after another,

    without any fault to be reckoned or counted:

  6. مِن ذاهِبٍ في شَأنِهِ وَمُسَبِّحٍ

    بَعدَ الصَلاةِ لِربِّهِ يَتَقَرَّبُ

    one going about his business, another praising God,

    drawing near to his Lord after prayer.

  7. كَبَّرتُ إِذا قالوا رَماهُم مُسلِمٌ

    اللَهُ أَكبَرُ أَيَّ عَهدٍ نَرقُبُ

    I proclaimed God's greatness when they said, “A Muslim shot them.”

    God is greatest! What covenant can we trust?

  8. مِنّا نُساءُ إِذا الخُطوبُ تَحَفَّزَت

    وَبِنا إِذا وَثَبَت نُصابُ وَنُنكَبُ

    We are wronged by our own when calamities brace to spring,

    and through our own, when they pounce, we are struck and afflicted.

  9. نَرتادُ أَسبابَ النَجاةِ مِنَ العِدى

    فَيَرُدُّنا الأَدنى إِلَينا الأَقرَبُ

    We seek means of deliverance from our foes,

    but the one nearest and closest to us turns us back.

  10. أُولاءِ أَعداءُ البِلادِ بَدا لَهُم

    قَصدُ السَبيلِ فَأَعرَضوا وَتَنَكَّبوا

    Those are the land's enemies; there appeared to them

    the straight course of the path, yet they turned away and swerved.

  11. نَصَروا العَدُوَّ فَهانَ جانِبُ أُمَّةٍ

    غُلِبَت وَكانَ قَديمُها لا يُغلَبُ

    They aided the enemy, and a nation's flank grew weak;

    it was defeated, though its earlier generations were undefeated.

  12. كُتِبَ العُقوقُ لِمِصرَ مِن أَبنائِها

    وَأَرى الوَفاءَ لِكُلِّ أُمٍّ يُكتَبُ

    Egypt was allotted disloyalty from her own sons,

    while I see loyalty allotted to every mother.

  13. إِنّي أَى الرومِيَّ في حانوتِهِ

    يَرضى لِأَشباهِ الشُعوبِ وَيَغضَبُ

    Indeed, I see the Greek in his shop:

    he rejoices and rages for mere semblances of nations,

  14. وَيُعِزُّهُم في العالَمينَ وَيَدَّعي

    لَهُمُ المَفاخِرَ كُلَّها يَتَعَصَّبُ

    and honors them throughout the world, and claims

    every glory for them, in partisan zeal.

  15. وَيَجودُ في الأَزَماتِ تَحُزبُهم بِما

    يَبتَزُّ مِن مالِ الغُواةِ وَيَسلِبُ

    And in crises that beset them, he gives freely of what

    he extorts and plunders from the wealth of the misguided.

  16. وَإِذا المَنِيَّةُ أَدرَكَتهُ قَضى لَهُم

    بِالوَفرِ يُمنَحُ وَالذَخائِرِ توهَبُ

    And when death overtakes him, he bequeaths to them

    abundance to be granted, and treasures to be bestowed.

  17. كُلٌّ لَنا سَلَبٌ وَكُلٌّ قُوَّةٌ

    نُرمى بِها إِن حُمَّ يَومٌ أَشهَبُ

    All is wealth plundered from us, and all a force

    hurled against us if an ashen day is decreed.

  18. هُم يَزعُمونَ فروقَ لاحِقَةً بِهِم

    وَيَرَونَها الحَقَّ الَّذي لا يَذهَبُ

    They claim Faruq will fall to them,

    and deem it a right that can never lapse.

  19. كَذَبوا فَإِنَّ اللَهَ مانِعُ رُكنِها

    وَمُعِزُّها بِضَراغِمٍ لا تَكذِبُ

    They lie! God guards her bastion,

    and exalts her with lions that never fail.

  20. الأُسدُ رابِضَةٌ عَلى أَسوارِها

    وَالبَأسُ يَهدِرُ وَالرَدى يَتَوَثَّبُ

    The lions crouch upon her walls;

    battle's fury roars, and death leaps forth.

  21. أَإِلى حِمى عُثمانَ في عَليائِهِ

    يَتَطَلَّعُ القَومُ الضِعافُ الهُيَّبُ

    Is it toward Uthman's domain, in all its grandeur,

    that these weak and timorous folk aspire?

  22. فَبِأَيِّ شَيءٍ يَتَّقونَ حُماتَهُ

    وَيُدافِعونَ جُموعَهُم إِن أُلِّبوا

    With what, then, will they fend off its defenders

    and repel their hosts, if they are rallied?

  23. أَبوثبةِ البَقّالِ بَينَ سلالِهِ

    أَم نَزوَةِ الخَمّارِ ساعَةَ يَشرَبُ

    With the grocer's leap among his baskets,

    or the wine-seller's caper as he drinks?

  24. هُم يَخطِبونَ عَلى المَقاعِدِ ما دَروا

    أَنَّ السُيوفَ عَلى الجَماجِمِ أَخطَبُ

    They make speeches from their seats, unaware

    that swords are more eloquent upon skulls.

  25. ذاقوا الوَبالَ فَما اِستَفاقَ غُواتُهُم

    وَالناسُ يَكشِفُ غَيَّهُم ما جَرَّبوا

    They tasted ruin, yet their misguided men have not sobered;

    while people's experience lays their error bare.

  26. إِن يَجمَحوا فَالسَيفُ مِن أَخلاقِهِ

    رَدُّ الجَموحِ وَقَودُ مَن لا يُصحَبُ

    If they run wild, it is the sword's nature

    to curb the headstrong and lead those who will not be led.

  27. إِنَّ الخَلائِفَ لا يُفارِقُ مُلكَهُم

    لَيثٌ يَصولُ وَلا حُسامٌ يَضرِبُ

    The caliphs' dominion is never without

    a lion that charges or a sharp sword that strikes.

  28. مَن عَلَّمَ الرومِيَّ حينَ يَرومُهُ

    أَنَّ العَرينَ يَعيثُ فيهِ الثَعلَبُ

    Who taught the Greek, as he covets that realm,

    that a fox may run amok in the lion's den?

  29. اللَهُ أَكبَرُ هَل بِنا مِن ريبَةٍ

    أَم نَحنُ إِن كَذَبوا الخَلائِقَ غُيَّبُ

    God is greatest! Have we any doubt,

    or are we absent when they lie to humankind?