قصوا الحديث عن الفريق النائي — Ahmad Muharram

قُصُّوا الحديثَ عن الفريقِ النّائي

وصِفوا لمصرَ مَصارعَ الشُّهداءِ

Recount the tale of the band gone far away,

and describe to Egypt the places where the martyrs fell.

وتداركوا دينَ الجهادِ وفَسِّروا

للجاهلينَ شَرائعَ الزُّعماءِ

Rescue the faith of struggle, and explain

to the ignorant the leaders' precepts.

إيمانُ أحبارٍ وفِقهُ أئمّةٍ

ذَهبوا فَضاعَ على يدِ الفُقهاءِ

The faith of divines and the jurisprudence of imams—

they departed, and it was lost at the jurists' hands,

المُنكِرين على الحُماةِ وفاءَهم

المُؤثِرين تقلُّبَ الأهواءِ

who reproach the defenders for their fidelity,

who favor the shifting of caprices,

القانعينَ من الحياةِ بباطلٍ

ومن المطامعِ والمُنى بهَباءِ

content to have from life mere falsehood,

and from ambitions and wishes mere dust,

النّازلينَ على مَشيئةِ مَن يرى

أنّ القويَّ أحقُّ بالضُّعفاءِ

submitting to the will of whoever thinks

that the strong have the better claim to the weak.

شُغِلَ الفوارسُ بالوَغى وأراهمُ

شُغلوا بِبَيْعٍ خاسرٍ وشراءِ

The horsemen were absorbed in battle, while I see them

absorbed in ruinous selling and buying.

السُّوقُ قائمةٌ ومصر بضاعةٌ

نُكِبَتْ بأخذٍ مُوجَعٍ وعطاءِ

The market is bustling, and Egypt is merchandise,

stricken by grievous taking and giving.

زعموا الشُّعوبَ لكلِّ ذي جَبَريَّةٍ

أسرابَ ضأنٍ أو قطيع إماءِ

They claimed that, for every wielder of tyranny, the peoples were

flocks of sheep or a herd of slave women.

وغَلَوْا فظنّوا اللهَ مُخلفَ وعدِه

واللهُ فوق مَزاعمِ الجُهلاءِ

They exceeded all bounds and deemed God a breaker of His promise,

yet God is above the ignorant's claims.

يَئِسوا من العُقْبَى فتلك نُفوسُهم

تُزجَى جَنازتُها بغيرِ رجاءِ

They despaired of the hereafter; behold their souls,

their funeral borne along without hope.

كبّرتُ للموتى تُضيءُ قُبورُهم

وبَكْيتُ بعضَ منازلِ الأحياءِ

I cried 'God is greatest' for the dead, whose graves shine,

and wept over some dwellings of the living,

يهوين في لُجَجِ الظّلامِ كما هوت

هلكى السَّفينِ تَغيبُ في الدّأماءِ

plunging into the depths of darkness, as plunged

the shipwrecked dead, vanishing into the deep sea.

أبكي على الوطنِ اللّهيفِ ولَيْتَني

أدركتُ سُؤْلي أو أَصبتُ شِفائي

I weep for the anguished homeland; would that I

had attained my wish or found my cure.

هَدَّتْ جَبابِرةُ الغُزاةِ كِيانَهُ

فهوَى وتلك جنايةُ السّفهاءِ

The tyrants among the invaders shattered its being,

and it fell: such is the crime of fools.

نادوا شهيدَيْ مِصرَ في قبرَيْهما

وصِلوا دَويَّ ندائكم بندائي

Call to Egypt's two martyrs in their two graves,

and join the thunder of your call to mine.

نادوا اللِّواءَيْنِ اللَّذين طوى الرَّدى

فالجندُ منتظِرٌ بغيرِ لواءِ

Call to the two banners that death folded away,

for the army waits without a banner.

نزل القضاءُ به فَعُوجِلَ مُصطفَى

وهوى عليٌّ فارسُ الهيجاءِ

Fate descended upon him, and Mustafa was taken swiftly,

and Ali fell, the horseman of battle.

أهوَ الجلاءُ دَها الكِنانةَ فيهما

فأثابَ كلَّ مُطالِبٍ بجلاءِ

Was it 'evacuation' that struck al-Kinana through them,

rewarding every petitioner with a departure?

رُزْءان ما بلَغتْ بَعيدَ مَداهما

هِممُ الخُطوبِ ولا قُوى الأرزاءِ

Two losses whose farthest reach was never attained

by calamities' ambitions or afflictions' strength.

صَدَعا جِبالَ المشرقَيْنِ وزلزلا

أُممَ الزَّمانِ وساكِني الغبراء

They split the mountains of the two Easts and shook

the nations of time and the dwellers on the dusty earth.

يا مصرُ غُضّي من جمالِكِ واحْجُبي

سُلطانَ حُسنْكِ عن هَوى الأبناءِ

O Egypt, dim your beauty and veil

the dominion of your loveliness from your children's desire.

عَبَثوا بِحُرْمتِه وواجبِ حقّهِ

وجزوا صَنيعَكِ فيه شرَّ جزاءِ

They trifled with its sanctity and its rightful due,

and repaid your kindness in this with the worst recompense.

هم أخطأوا معنى المحبَّةِ وادَّعوا

حِذقَ الثّقاتِ وفطنةَ الحكماءِ

They misunderstood the meaning of love, yet claimed

the skill of the trustworthy and the insight of the wise.

أَجِدُ الحنينَ إليكِ سُلوةَ نازعٍ

وأرى تودُّدَهم أليمَ جفاءِ

I find longing for you a homesick soul's solace,

and see their show of affection as painful estrangement.

ذهب اللّذان تساقيا صَفْوَ الهوى

عفَّ الكؤوسِ مُهذَّبَ النُّدَماءِ

Gone are the two who shared love's pure draught,

its cups chaste, its drinking companions refined.

لم يبقَ بعدهما لِمُضمِرِ لوعةٍ

من حبِّكِ المُضني سِوَى الأقذاءِ

After them, nothing remains for one harboring anguish

from your enfeebling love but dregs.

عرفا الصَّبابةَ نَجدْةً وَمُروءةً

والحُبَّ مَحميَةً وصِدقَ بَلاءِ

They knew passionate longing as valor and chivalry,

and love as protective zeal and valor truly proved.

فَتَدفَّعا يستهلكانِ على الصِّبى

نفْسَينِ تزدادان طولَ بقاءِ

So they surged forward, sacrificing, despite their youth,

two souls that gain an ever longer life.

جُودٌ كجودِ الأنبياءِ ولن تَرى

في العاشِقينَ خلائقَ البُخلاءِ

Generosity like the prophets' generosity; you will never see

among lovers the traits of misers.

وإذا رُزِقتَ الصِّدق في أهلِ الهَوى

فالنّفسُ أهونُ قُربةٍ وفداءِ

And if you are granted sincerity among love's people,

then the soul is the least costly offering and ransom.

عَجِلَ الرِّفاقُ فمزّعَتْهم نِيَّةٌ

بَعُدَ المطارُ بها عن العَنْقاءِ

The companions hastened, scattered by a destination,

the flight toward which went beyond the Anqa's reach.

خُلِقوا لِوَشْكِ نَوىً وطُولِ تَفرُّقٍ

ونَظنُّهم خُلِقوا لطول ثَواءِ

They were created for swift parting and long separation,

yet we think they were created for a long stay.

جَرَتِ الظُّنونُ الهُوجُ خلفَ مَطيِّهم

فهوَيْن من تَعبٍ وفرطِ عَياءِ

Wild conjectures raced behind their mounts,

then fell from weariness and excessive exhaustion.

لا البرقُ مُخبرُ أيّةً ذهبوا ولا

رُسلُ البريدِ تَجِيءُ بالأنباءِ

Neither lightning tells which way they went, nor

do the post's messengers come with news.

الدّهرُ أخرسُ والبلادُ صوامتٌ

والنّاسُ بين تفجُّعٍ وبُكاءِ

Time is mute, and the lands are silent,

and people are caught between grief and weeping.

والطّيرُ من غادٍ عليَّ ورائحٍ

تَهذِي بِقُربِ تجاورٍ ولِقاءِ

And the birds, coming to me at dawn and returning at dusk,

babble of soon dwelling side by side and meeting again.

أَسَفِي عليهم يَرتمِي بِرِحالهم

حادي الصَّباحِ وسائقُ الظَّلماءِ

My grief for them! Speeding onward with their saddles are

morning's chanting camel-driver and darkness's drover,

مُغفين من فَرْطِ اللُّغوبِ وما درت

تلك الجفونُ لَذاذةَ الإغفاءِ

slumbering from sheer weariness, though never did

those eyelids know the sweetness of slumber.

تركوا الدّيارَ تذوبُ شوقاً بعدهم

وتَضِجُّ من أسفٍ وطولِ عناءِ

They left the dwellings melting with longing after them,

and crying out in grief and prolonged suffering.

ظَلمتْ فراعِنَةُ الخُطوبِ قطينَها

وقَضى عليها الدّهرُ شرَّ قضاءِ

The pharaohs of calamity wronged her inhabitants,

and time pronounced against her the worst decree.

هي أُمّةٌ أخذَ الهوى بزمامِها

ورمَى الدُّعاةُ عُيونَها بغطاءِ

She is a nation whose reins caprice has seized,

and the advocates cast a veil over her eyes.

فَتدافعتْ طَوْعَ العواصفِ ترتدِي

هَبَواتِ كلِّ سفيهةٍ هَوجاءِ

So she surged at the storms' bidding, wearing

the dust-clouds of every foolish, raging wind.

ثمّ انثنتْ صَرعَى تُمجُّ كلومُها

ذَوْبَ الكِلىَ وعُصارةَ الأحشاءِ

Then she fell back, stricken, her wounds spewing

melted kidneys and the juices of her entrails.

ضاقت بها الدُّنيا فما من مَذهبٍ

والرأيُ أفيحُ واسعُ الأرجاءِ

The world closed in on her; there is no way out,

yet judgment is spacious, broad in its reaches.

هذا السّبيلُ فأين مُرتادُ الهُدَى

هذا الدواءُ فأين نِضوُ الدّاءِ

Here is the path: where is the seeker of guidance?

Here is the remedy: where is the one wasted by illness?

لِلحقِّ في ظُلَمِ الأُمورِ مَسالكٌ

بيضُ المعالمِ غيرِ ذاتِ خَفاءِ

Truth has paths through the darkness of affairs,

white in their landmarks, with nothing hidden.

نحن الحُماةُ الصّادقين وهذه

سِمَةُ الهُداةِ وسُنّةُ الأُمَناءِ

We are the faithful defenders, and this

is the mark of guides and the practice of the trustworthy.

إن يَمْضِ أعلامُ الجِهادِ فما مَضتْ

بيضُ الظُبى ومساقطُ الأشلاءِ

If the leaders of struggle pass away, still there remain

the shining sword-edges and the places where torn limbs fell.

فتقدَّموا يا قومِ لا يقعُدْ بكم

عند اللّقاءِ تهيُّبُ الجُبَناءِ

So advance, my people; do not be held back

at the encounter by the cowards' fearful hesitation.

مِصرُ المضيمةُ تستثيرُ إباءَكم

وَلْهَى تخافُ شماتةَ الأعداءِ

Wronged Egypt stirs your proud defiance,

distraught, fearing her enemies' gloating.

ضِنُّوا بميراثِ الدُّهور وحَصِّنوا

شرفَ البنين وسُؤدُدَ الآباءِ

Guard jealously the inheritance of ages, and fortify

the sons' honor and the fathers' glory.

لا تجزَعوا للحادثاتِ تُصيبُكم

وخُذوا سبيلَ الفِتيةِ الحُنَفاءِ

Do not despair at the calamities that strike you,

and take the path of the youths of upright faith.

الدّهرُ يومُ مَذلَّةٍ ومَهانَةٍ

والدَّهرُ يومُ حميَّةٍ وإباءِ

Time brings a day of abasement and humiliation,

and time brings a day of ardor and proud refusal.

غَوَتِ النُّفوسُ فَسَادَ كلُّ مخادعٍ

ومَضى بأمرِ القوم كلُّ مُراءِ

Souls went astray, so every deceiver rose to power,

and every hypocrite took charge of the people's affairs.

هل في المشارقِ مَن يُردِّدُ صَيْحتي

أم في الكنانةِ من يُجيبُ دُعائي

Is there anyone in the eastern lands who echoes my cry,

or anyone in al-Kinana who answers my call?

إنّ الذي جَعلَ الحياةَ شريعةً

أوحَى حقائقها إلى الشُّعراءِ

Indeed, the One who made life a law

revealed its truths to the poets.