من جعل المغرب مطلع الضحى — Ahmed Shawqi

مَن جَعَل المَغربَ مَطلَعَ الضُحى

وَسَخَّر البَربر جُنداً لِلهُدى

Who made the Maghreb the rising-place of morning light,

And marshaled the Berbers as soldiers of guidance,

وَصَرّف الأَيّامَ حَتّى أَحدَثَت

ما كانَ في الأَحلامِ أَحلامَ الكَرى

And turned the days until they brought about

What had existed only in dreams of sleep,

وَأَظفَر الصابر بِالنُجح فَيا

هَزيمة اليَأس وَيا فَوز الرَجا

And granted the patient man success—oh,

The defeat of despair, and the triumph of hope!

وَنقّلَ الدَولةَ في بَيت الهُدى

فَلَم تزُل عَن طُنُبِ إِلّا إِلى

And passed sovereignty within the house of guidance,

Moving it only from one tent-rope to another.

سُبحانَهُ المُلكُ إِلَيهِ وَلَه

يُؤتيهِ أَو يَنزِعهُ مِمَن يَشا

Glory be to Him! Dominion returns to Him and is His;

He grants it or takes it from whomever He wills.

قامَ إِمامٌ مِن بَني فاطِمَةٍ

خَليفة ثُم تَلاه مَن تَلا

An imam arose from Fatima's sons

As caliph; then others followed him.

ما عَجبي لِمُلكِهم كَيفَ بُنى

بَل عَجبي كَيفَ تَأَخّر البنا

I marvel not at how their kingdom was built,

But rather at why its building was delayed.

جدّهمو لا دِين دُون حُبِّهِ

وَأُمُّهُم بِالأُمَهاتِ تُفتَدى

Their grandfather—there is no faith without loving him;

Their mother deserves all mothers as her ransom.

وَمُذ مَضى مُضطَهدا وَالدُهم

أَصبَحَ بِالمُضطَهد اِهتم المَلا

And since their father departed, persecuted,

The assembly came to care for the persecuted.

أَجلَّهم عِليَةُ كُلِّ حِقبَةٍ

وَخَصَّهُم فيها السَوادُ بِالهَوى

The elite of every age honored them,

And the common people singled them out for love.

وَالفُرسُ وَالتُركُ جَميعاً شِيعَةٌ

لَهُم يَرونَ حُبَّهُم رَأس التُقى

Persians and Turks alike are followers

Of theirs, deeming love for them the summit of piety.

فَشَهِدَ اللَهُ لَهُم ما قَصَّروا

القَتل صَبراً تارَة وَفي اللُقا

God bears witness for them: they did not falter—

Facing execution in captivity, or death in battle.

كَم ثارَ مِنهُم في القُرون ثائِرٌ

بِالأَمويين وَبِالآل الرِضى

How many rebels from them rose through the centuries

Against the Umayyads and the favored House!

هَذا الحسينُ دَمُهُ بكربلا

رَوّى الثَرى لَما جَرى عَلى ظَما

Here is Husayn: his blood at Karbala

Watered the earth when it flowed amid thirst.

وَاِستَشهد الأَقمارُ أَهلُ بَيتِهِ

يَهوُون في التُرب فرادى وَثُنا

The moons of his household were martyred,

Falling into the dust singly and in pairs.

بن زِياد وَيَزيدُ بغيا

وَاللَهُ وَالأَيامُ حَربُ مَن بَغى

Ibn Ziyad and Yazid acted tyrannically;

God and the days wage war on the tyrant.

لَولا يَزيدُ بادئِاً ما شَرِبَت

مَروانُ بِالكَأس الَّتي بِها سَقى

Had Yazid not begun, there would have been no drinking

By Marwan's house from the cup he had served.

وَثار لِلثارات زَيدُ بِن عَلي

بِن الحُسين بِن الوَصيِّ المُرتَضى

Zayd ibn Ali rose to avenge wrongs,

Son of Husayn, son of the chosen Successor.

يَطلُبُ بِالحُجة حَقَّ بَيتِهِ

وَالحَقُّ لا يُطلَبُ إِلّا بِالقَنا

He sought his household's right through argument;

But rights are sought only with spears.

فَتى بِلا رَأيٍ وَلا تَجرِبَةٍ

جَرى عَلَيهِ مِن هِشامٍ ما جَرى

A youth without judgment or experience,

He suffered from Hisham what he suffered.

اِتَخَذ الكُوفَةَ درعا وَقَنا

وَالأَعزلُ الأَكشَفُ مَن فيها اِحتَمى

He took Kufa as his shield and spears;

Yet whoever shelters there is unarmed and exposed.

مَن تَكفِهِ الكُوفَةُ يَعلَم أَنَّها

لا نَصر عِندَ أَهلِها وَلا غَنا

Whoever relies on Kufa learns that

Its people offer neither victory nor help.

سائل عَليّا فَهُوَ ذُو علمٍ بِها

وَاِستَخبرِ الحسينَ تعلمِ النبا

Ask Ali, for he knows it well,

And question Husayn: you will learn the news.

فَماتَ مَقتولاً وَطالَ صَلبُهُ

وَأُحرِقَت جِثَتُه بَعدَ البَلى

He died slain, and his crucifixion lasted long;

His corpse was burned after its decay.

عَلى أَبي جَعفَرَ ثارَت فتيَةٌ

ما أَنصَفوا وَاللَه في شَق العَصا

Young men rose against Abu Ja'far;

By God, they were unjust in breaking unity.

هُم أَهلُ بَيتَ الحُسن الطاهر أَو

مِن شَبَّ مِن بَيت الحُسين وَنَما

They were of the house of pure Hasan, or

Those who grew and flourished in Husayn's house.

أَيطلُبون الأَمرَ وَالأَمرُ لَهُم

قَد قَرَّ في بَيت النَبيِّ وَرَسا

Do they seek power when power is already theirs,

Settled and firmly anchored in the Prophet's house?

يَحمِلُ عَنهُم همَّهُ وَغَمَّهُ

أَبناءُ عَمٍّ نُجُبٌ أُولو نُهى

Its worries and sorrows are borne for them

By noble cousins possessed of wisdom.

فَلَيتَ شِعري كانَ ذا عَن حَسَدِ

أَم بُخلِهِ بلَّغهم إِلى القَلى

Would that I knew: was this born of envy,

Or did his stinginess bring them to hatred?

مُحَمدٌ رَأسهمو في البَصرة قَد

زادَ وَكُوفانُ كَمِرجَلٍ غَلا

Muhammad, their leader, had in Basra

Grown stronger, while Kufan boiled like a cauldron.

مُلمّةٌ لَو لَم تُصادف هِمّةً

لَأَودَت الدَولَةُ في شَرخ الصِبا

A calamity that, had it met no resolve,

Would have destroyed the state in its early youth.

قامَ إِلَيها مَلِكٌ مُشَمِّر

في النائِبات غَيرُ خَوّار القُوى

A king rose to confront it, girded for action,

Not weak in strength when disasters struck.

ساقَ إِلى الدار خَميساً حازَها

وَقَتل المَهديَّ عِندَ المُلتَقى

He brought a mighty army to the city and seized it,

And killed al-Mahdi at their encounter.

وَكانَ بَينَ جَيشِهِ بِأَخمرا

وَبَينَ إِبراهيم يَومٌ ذُو لَظى

Between his army at Akhmara

And Ibrahim came a day of blazing fire.

لَم يَصدُقِ اِبنَ الحَسَنِ النصرُ بِهِ

أَصبَحَ ضاحِكاً وَأَمسى قَد بَكى

Victory proved untrue to Hasan's son that day:

He laughed in the morning and wept by evening.

ماتَ بِسَهمٍ عاشرٍ لَم يَرمِهِ

رامٍ وَلَكنّ القَضاءَ قَد رَمى

He died by a tenth arrow, shot not

By an archer, but by destiny itself.

فَلا تَسل عَن جَيشِهِ أَينَ مَضى

وَلا تَسَل عَن بيتِهِ ماذا التُقى

Do not ask where his army went,

Nor ask what his household encountered.

هاربُهم لَيسَ يَرى وَجهَ الثَرى

وَلا يَرى مَسجُونُهُم غَير الدُجى

Their fugitive cannot see the earth's face,

And their prisoner sees nothing but darkness.

وَما خَلا خَليفَةٌ مُسوّدُ

مِن طالِبيٍّ يَطلُبُ الأَمرَ سُدى

No black-clad caliph was ever free

Of a Talibid seeking power in vain.

يُقتَلُ أَو يُزجُّ في السجن بِهِ

أَو يَتَوارى أَو يُبيده الفَلا

He is killed, or thrust into prison,

Or hides, or is destroyed by the wilderness.

يَرجون بِالزُهد قِيامَ أَمرِهم

وَالزُهدُ مِن بَعد أَبيهم قَد عَفا

They hope through asceticism to establish their rule;

But asceticism has faded since their father.

لَو دامَتِ الدُنيا عَلى نُبوةٍ

لَكانَ لِلناسِ عَن الأُخرى غِنى

Had worldly life endured under prophethood,

People would have had no need of the hereafter.

تَخلَّقوا نَبذَ المَشورات فَلا

يَنزِلُ مِنهُم أَحَدٌ عَما يَرى

They made rejection of counsel their habit, so

None of them relinquishes his own opinion.

مَن لا يَرى بِغَيرِهِ وَإِن رَأى

بِعَيني الزَرقاءَ كانَ ذا عَمى

Whoever does not see through another, even if he sees

With Zarqa's two eyes, remains blind.

وَقَلما تَخَيروا رِجالهم

إِن الرِجال كَالفُصوص تُنتَقى

Rarely did they choose their men carefully;

Men, like gemstones, must be selected.

قَد خالَفَ المَأمونُ أَهل بَيتِهِ

حُبّاً بِأَبناءِ الوَصيِّ وَحِبا

Al-Ma'mun opposed his own household

Out of love for the Successor's sons, and with gifts.

مِن أَجلِهم نَضا السَوادَ ساعَةً

فَقالَ قَومٌ خَلع الوالي الحَيا

For their sake he cast off black attire awhile;

Some said, 'The ruler has shed his modesty.'

وَلَو سَها قَوادهُ وَآلُهُ

لَقَلَّدَ العَهدَ عَليّ بِن الرِضا

Had his commanders and family been inattentive,

He would have entrusted succession to Ali ibn al-Rida.

فَما خلت دَولَته مِن ثائِرٍ

قَد قَطَع الطرقَ وَعاثَ في الحِمى

Yet his realm was never free of a rebel

Who blocked roads and ravaged its protected lands.

جيءَ بِشَيخٍ عَلويٍّ زاهِدٍ

فَقَبِل البَيعة بَعدَما أَبى

An ascetic Alid elder was brought forward;

He accepted allegiance after refusing it.

تَأمرُ بِأَسمِهِ وَتَنهى فِتيَةٌ

لِحيتُهُ بَينَهُم لِمَن لَها

Young men commanded and forbade in his name;

His beard among them belonged to whoever toyed with it

مِن أَهل بِيتِهِ وَلَكن فَزِعَت

مِن جَورِهم وَفِسقِهم أُمُّ القُرى

From his own household; yet terror seized

Umm al-Qura at their oppression and debauchery.

وَرُبَّ غادٍ مُنِيَ الحجُّ بِهِ

وَخُوّف الخَيف وَلَم يَأمَن مِني

How many a marauder afflicted the pilgrimage!

Al-Khayf was terrorized, and Mina knew no safety.

وَكانَ زَيدُ النار في أَيامهم

وَالآخرُ الجَزّار عاث وَعَتا

Zayd of the Fire lived in their days,

And the other, the Butcher, ravaged and rebelled.

فَظَهر الجُندُ عَلَيهُم وَاِنتَهى

تائبهم إِلى الإِمام فَعَفا

The troops overcame them, and then

Their penitent came to the imam, who pardoned him.

فَهَؤلاءِ لِم يَشين غَيرُهُم

سمعَ بَني حَيدَرةٍ وَلا زَرى

These men—not others—besmirched

The reputation of Haydara's sons and brought it low.

مِن حَظِّهم أَن صادَفوا خَليفَةً

في قَلبِهِ لَهُم وَلِلعَفو هَوى

Their good fortune was to encounter a caliph

Whose heart loved them and loved forgiveness.

وَلَم تَزَل تَمضي القُرونُ بِالَّذي

أَمضى مُصَرِّمُ القُرون وَقَضى

The centuries continued to pass according to what

The Ender of centuries decreed and ordained.

حَتّى حَبا اللَه بَني فاطِمَةٍ

ما ماتَ دُونَهُ الأُبُوّةُ العُلا

Until God bestowed on Fatima's sons

What their noble forefathers had died without attaining.

ماطلهم دَهرهمو بِحَقِّهم

حَتّى إِذا ما قيل لَن يَفي وَفى

Their age kept delaying their rightful due,

Until, when people said it would never fulfill it, it did.

ما لِأَوانٍ لَم يَئن مُقدِّمٌ

وَلا يُؤخَّر الأَوان إِن أَتى

No one can advance a time not yet due,

Nor can its appointed hour be delayed once it arrives.

سارَ إِلى المَغربِ مِن شِيعَتِهم

فَتى غَزيرُ الفَضل مَوفورُ الحجى

To the Maghreb went one of their followers,

A youth rich in merit and abundant in wisdom.

تَشيَّعت مِن قَبلِهِ آباؤُهُ

فَرضع النية فيهُم وَاِغتَدى

His fathers had followed their cause before him;

He suckled their purpose and was nourished by it.

مِن أَهل صَنعاءَ وَدُونَ عَزمِهِ

ما صَنَعت مِن كُلِّ ماضٍ يُنتَضى

He was of Sana'a; beneath his resolve

Were all the keen blades it fashioned for drawing.

وَأَينَ داعٍ بِسُيوف قَومِهِ

وَآخِرٌ أَعزَلُ شَطَّته النَوى

How far apart are a preacher with his people's swords

And another, unarmed, whom distance has carried far!

يُصبحُ مَطلوباً وَيُمسي طالِباً

ما قَعدت طُلّابُه وَلا وَنى

He begins the morning pursued and ends the evening pursuing;

His pursuers never ceased, nor did he slacken.

يُبَشِّرُ الناسَ بِهادٍ جاءَهُم

وَأَن مَهدِيَّ الزَمان قَد أَتى

He gave people glad tidings of a guide come to them,

And that the age's Mahdi had arrived.

حَتّى تَملَّك العُقول سِحرُهُ

إِن البَيانَ نَفثاتٌ وَرُقى

Until his enchantment possessed their minds;

Eloquence is breathings and incantations.

وَلَم يَزل مُتَّبَعاً حَيث دَعا

لِلفاطِميِّ ظافِراً حَيث غَزا

He remained followed wherever he preached

For the Fatimid, victorious wherever he fought.

مَهما رَمى بِخَيلِهِ وَرَجلِهِ

في بَلَدٍ أَذعَن أَو حصنٍ عَنا

Whenever he hurled his cavalry and infantry

Against a land, it submitted; against a fortress, it yielded.

فَلم يَدَع مِن عَرَبٍ وَبَربَرٍ

وَلَم يُغادر مِن صَحارى وَرُبى

He left none of Arabs or Berbers untouched,

And passed by no deserts or hills.

أَجلى بَني الأَغلَبِ عَن أَفريقيا

عَن الجِنانِ وَالقُصورِ وَالدُمى

He drove the sons of al-Aghlab from Africa,

From gardens, palaces, and beauties.

لابس أَقواماً تَحلّى بِالتُقى

بِينَهُمو وَبِالفَضيلة اِرتَدى

He mingled with peoples, adorning himself with piety

Among them, and clothing himself in virtue.

قُدوَةُ أَهل الدِين إِلّا أَنَّهُ

في أَدب الدُنيا المِثالُ لِمُحتَدى

An exemplar for people of faith, yet also

In worldly manners a model for those who emulate.

ثُم رَمى المَغربَ فَاِهتَزَ لَهُ

وَحَث نَحو سجلماسةَ الخُطا

Then he struck the Maghreb, which trembled before him,

And hastened his steps toward Sijilmasa.

قاتَلَها نَهارَهُ حَتّى بَدا

لِأَهلِها فَلاذوا بِالنَجا

He fought it all day until he appeared

Before its people, who sought safety in flight.

فَجاءَ فَاِستَخرَج مِن سُجونِها

تبرَ خِلالٍ كانَ في التُرب لَقا

He came and brought out from its prisons

The gold of virtues, lying discarded in the dust.

أَتى بِهِ العَسكَرَ يَمشي خاشِعاً

مكفكفاً مِن السُرور ما جَرى

He brought him to the army, walking humbly,

Wiping away what flowed from joy.

وَقالَ يا قَوم اِتَبِعوا واليكُم

هَذا الخَليفَةُ اِبنُ بِنت المُصطَفى

He said, 'My people, follow your ruler:

This is the caliph, son of the Chosen One's daughter.'

وَتَرك المُلكَ لَهُ مِن فَورِهِ

وَسارَ في رِكابِهِ فيمَن مَشى

He immediately left sovereignty to him,

And walked among those in his retinue.

أَنظر إِلى النيةِ ما تَأَتي بِهِ

وَالدِينِ ما وَراءَهُ مِن الوَفا

Look at sincere purpose and what it brings,

And at faith and the loyalty behind it.

وَلا تَقُل لا خَيرَ في الناسِ فَكَم

في الناسِ مِن خَيرٍ عَلى طُولِ المَدى

Do not say there is no goodness in people: how much

Goodness remains among them throughout the ages!

أَضطَلع المَهدِيُّ بِالأَمرِ فَما

قَصّر في أَمر العِباد عَن هُدى

Al-Mahdi assumed the charge and did not

Fall short of guidance in his subjects' affairs.

وَحَمل الناسَ عَلى الدِين وَما

يَأمُرُ مِن رُشدٍ وَيَنهى مِن عَمى

He brought people to faith and to what

It commands of rectitude and forbids of blindness.

اِنتَظَمت دَولَتُهُ أَفريقيا

وارِفَةَ الظلِّ خَصيبَةَ الذَرا

His realm encompassed Africa,

With spreading shade and fertile heights.

وَأَصبَحَت مَصرُ وَأَمرُ فَتحَها

أَقصى وَأَعصى ما تَمَنّى وَاِشتَهى

Egypt and the matter of its conquest became

The farthest and most elusive of his desires.

كَم ساقَ مِن جَيشٍ إِلَيها فَثَنى

عَسكَرَهُ القَحطُ وَردّه الوَبا

How many armies he sent there, only for

Famine to turn them back and plague to repel them!

وَفِتَنة مِن الغُيوب أَومَضَت

قَلَّبتِ المَغرِبَ في جَمرِ الغَضا

A rebellion flashed from the unseen,

Tossing the Maghreb in the embers of ghada wood.

صاحِبُها أَبو يَزيدٍ فاسِقٌ

يُريد أَمرَ الناس مَحلولَ العُرا

Its leader was Abu Yazid, a wicked man,

Wanting people's affairs freed of all restraints,

وَكُل مالٍ أَو دَمٍ أَو حُرَّةٍ

لِناهِبٍ وَسافِكِ وَمَن سَبى

And every fortune, life, or free woman

Left to plunderers, bloodshedders, and captors.

يا حَبَذا المَذهَبُ لا يَرفضُهُ

مِن قَعد الكسب بِهِ وَمَن غَوى

What a splendid creed! It is rejected by neither

Those whose livelihood has failed nor those gone astray.

ماتَ عُبيدُ اللَهِ في دُخانِها

وَتَعِبَ القائِمُ بِالنارِ صِلى

Ubayd Allah died amid its smoke;

Al-Qa'im suffered, scorched by its fire.

فُضَّت ثُغورٌ وَخلت حَواضِرُ

وَأَمرَ الطاغي عَلَيها وَنَهى

Frontier towns were breached and cities emptied;

The tyrant commanded and forbade over them.

بِالمالِ وَالزَرع وِبِالأَنفُسِ ما

أَنسى الوَباءَ وَالذِئابَ وَالدَبا

He did to wealth, crops, and lives what

Made plague, wolves, and locust larvae forgotten.

ثُمَ قَضى مُحَمدٌ بِغَمِّهِ

وَالشَرُّ باقٍ وَالبَلاءُ ما اِنقَضى

Then Muhammad died in his grief,

While evil remained and affliction had not ended.

فَلَم تَنَل أَبا يَزيدٍ خَيلُهُ

وَلا قَنا لَهُ الكَنانَةَ القَنا

His cavalry never reached Abu Yazid,

Nor did his spears win him al-Kinana.

اِرتَدَ عَن مَصرَ هَزيماً جُندُهُ

يَشكو مِن الإِخشيدِ مُرَّ المُشتَكى

His army retreated from Egypt, routed,

Bitterly complaining of al-Ikhshid.

وَاِستَقبَلَ المَنصورُ أَمراً بَدَدا

وَدَولَةً رَثَّت وَسُلطاناً وَهى

Al-Mansur inherited affairs in disarray,

A threadbare state and weakened sovereignty.

نارُ الزَناتِيِّ مَشَت عَلى القَرى

وَغَيّرَ السَيفُ الدِيارَ وَمَحى

The Zanati's fire swept through villages;

The sword altered homes and effaced them.

فَكانَ في هَوج الخُطوبِ صَخرَةً

وَفي طَريق السَيلِ شَمّاءَ الرُبا

Amid the raging calamities he was a rock,

And in the torrent's path, a lofty peak.

مُكافِحاً مُقاتِلا بِنَفسِهِ

إِن خابَ لَم يَرجَع وَإِن فازَ مَضى

Struggling and fighting in person,

He did not turn back if defeated, and pressed on if victorious.

لَم يَألُ صاحِبَ الحِمار مَطلَبا

في السَهلِ وَالوَعر وَسَيراً وَسُرى

He spared no effort pursuing the Master of the Donkey,

Over plains and rugged ground, by day and night.

فَأَنقذَ المُدنَ وَخَلَّص القرى

وَطَهَّرَ الأَرضَ مِن الَّذي طَغى

He rescued the cities and delivered the villages,

And cleansed the earth of the tyrant.

وَتَرَكَ المُلكَ سَلاماً لِابنِهِ

وَالأَمرَ صَفواً وَالأَقاليم رضى

He left the kingdom peaceful for his son,

Its affairs clear and its provinces content.

فَتى كَما شاءَت مَعالي بَيتِهِ

عِلماً وَآداباً وَبَأساً وَنَدى

A youth such as his house's lofty virtues desired,

In learning, manners, valor, and generosity.

تَقيّل الأَقيالَ مِن آبائِهِ

وَزَيدَ إِقبالَ الجُدود وَالحُظا

He emulated the kings among his forefathers,

And was granted yet more favorable fortune and good luck.

قَد حسّنَ المُلكَ المُعِزُّ وَغَدت

أَيامُهُ لِلدين وَالدُنيا حُلى

Al-Mu'izz ennobled kingship, and

His days became ornaments of faith and worldly life.

أَحاطَ بِالمَغرب مِن أَطرافِهِ

وَدانَ مِنهُ ما دَنا وَما قَصا

He encompassed the Maghreb to its borders;

Both its near and distant parts submitted.

جاءَت مِن البَحر المُحيطِ خَيلُهُ

تَحمل مِنهُ الصَيد حَيّاً ذا طَرا

His cavalry returned from the encircling Ocean,

Bearing its game alive and fresh.

حَتّى ربت وَكَثُرت جُموعُهُ

وَوَفر المالُ لَدَيهِ وَنَما

His forces grew and multiplied,

And wealth abounded with him and increased.

فَاِستَحوَذَت مَصرُ عَلى فُؤادِهِ

وَقَبلَهُ كَم تَيّمت لَهُ أَبا

Then Egypt took possession of his heart;

Before him, how many a father of his she had enthralled!

فَاِختارَ لِلفَتح فَتى مُختَبَراً

معدِنُه فَكانَ جَوهَرُ الفَتى

For conquest he chose a young man of tested

Mettle: that young man was Jawhar.

سَيّره في جَحفَلٍ مُستَكمِلٍ

لِلزاد وَالعُدّةِ وَالمال الرَوى

He sent him with a great army fully supplied

With provisions, equipment, and abundant wealth.

فَوَجد الدار خلت وَاِستَهدَفَت

بِمَوت كافور الَّذي كانَ وَقى

He found the abode emptied and exposed

By the death of Kafur, who had protected it.

فَلا أَبو المِسكِ بِها يَمنَعُها

وَلا بَنو العَباسِ يَحمونَ الحِمى

Neither Abu al-Misk was there to defend it,

Nor did al-Abbas's sons protect its bounds.

قَد هَيئت فَتحاً لَهُ لَم يدّعِم

عَلى دَم الفِتيان أَو دَمع الأَسى

Prepared for him was a conquest not resting

On young men's blood or tears of grief.

فَإِن يَفُت جَوهَرَ يَومُ وَقعَةٍ

فَكَم لَهُ يَوماً بِمَصر يُرتَضى

Though a day of battle eluded Jawhar,

How many commendable days he had in Egypt!

اِعتَدل الأَمرُ عَلى مقدمِهِ

وَكانَ رُكنُ المُلكِ مَيلاً فَاِستَوى

Affairs grew orderly upon his arrival;

The pillar of sovereignty had leaned, then stood upright.

وَجَرَت الأَحكامُ مَجرى عَدلِها

وَعرَف الناسُ الأَمانَ وَالغِنى

Judgments followed their just course,

And people knew security and prosperity.

كَم أَثَرٍ لِجَوهَرٍ نَفيسُهُ

إِلى المُعزِّ ذي المَآثر اِعتَزى

How many a precious work of Jawhar's

Claimed affiliation with al-Mu'izz, famed for great deeds!

الجامِعُ الأَزهرُ باقٍ عامِرٌ

وَهَذِهِ القاهِرَةُ الَّتي بَنى

Al-Azhar Mosque remains, flourishing,

And here is Cairo, which he built.

وَقُل إِذا ذَكَرتَ قَصريهِ بِها

عَلى السَدير وَالخَوَرنقِ العَفا

When you mention his two palaces there, say:

'May oblivion cover al-Sadir and al-Khawarnaq!'

وَدانَ أَعلى النيل وَالنَوبُ بِهِ

لِلفاطِميين وَقَدَّموا الجَزى

The upper Nile and its Nubians submitted

To the Fatimids and offered tribute.

وَخَضَع الشامُ وَمِن حِيالَهُ

مِن آل حَمدانَ فَوارِسِ اللُقا

Syria submitted, as did those facing it

Of Hamdan's house, horsemen of battle.

إِلّا دِمَشق اِغتُصِبَت وَلَم تَزَل

دِمَشقُ لِلشِيعَةِ تُضمرُ القِلى

Except Damascus, seized by force; it continued—

Damascus—to harbor hatred for the Shi'a.

وَأَتتِ الدارُ بَني فاطِمَةٍ

وَاِنتَقَلَ البَيتُ إِلَيهُم وَسَعى

The abode came to Fatima's sons,

And the House passed to them and hastened their way.

فَصارَت الخطبةُ فِيهما لَهُم

وَالذكرُ في طُهرِ البِقاعِ وَالدُعا

The sermon in both became theirs,

With remembrance and prayer in the purest places.

حَتّى إِذا المُلكُ بَدا اِتِساقُهُ

وَنَظَمَ السَعدُ لِجَوهَرَ المُنى

When the kingdom's order became apparent,

And fortune strung together Jawhar's wishes,

أَتى المعزُّ مصرَ في مَواكِبٍ

باهِرَة العزِّ تكاثرُ الضُحى

Al-Mu'izz came to Egypt in processions

Dazzling in glory, vying with the morning light.

وَاِستَقبَلَ القَصران يَوماً مِثلُهُ

ما سَمع الوادي بِهِ وَلا رَأى

The two palaces welcomed a day whose like

The valley had neither heard of nor seen.

خَزائِنُ المَغرِبِ في رِكابِهِ

تَبارَكَت خَزائِنُ اللَهِ المِلا

The Maghreb's treasures were in his train;

Blessed are God's full treasuries!

فَاِجتَمع النيلُ عَلى مُشبِهِهِ

وَغَمَرَ الناسَ سَخاءً وَرَخا

The Nile thus met its own likeness,

And flooded people with bounty and abundance.

وَاِبنُ رَسولِ اللَهِ أَندى راحَةً

وَجُودُه إِن جَرَحَ النيلُ أَسا

The son of God's Messenger had a more generous palm;

His bounty healed whenever the Nile wounded.

الأَرضُ في أَكنافِ هَذا أَجدَبَت

وَذا أَزاحَ الجَدب عَنها وَكَفى

The land grew barren within this one's confines,

While that one banished its drought and provided enough.

وَلَم يَزَل أَبو تَميم يَشتَهي

بَغدادَ وَالأَقدارُ دُونَ ما اِشتَهى

Abu Tamim continued to desire

Baghdad, while destiny barred what he desired.

حَتّى قَضى عِندَ مَدى آمالِهِ

لَو تَعرِفُ الآمالُ بِالنَفس مَدى

Until he died at the limit of his hopes—

If only hopes knew a limit within the soul!

اِنتَقل المُلكُ فَكانَت نُقلَةً

مِن ذِروة العزِّ إِلى أَوجِ العُلا

Sovereignty passed: it was a transfer

From the summit of glory to the zenith of greatness.

جَرى نِزارٌ كَمَعَدٍّ لِلسُدى

كَما جَرَت عَلى العُصيَّةِ العَصا

Nizar raced toward bounty as Ma'add had done,

As the staff followed the little staff.

إِن يَكُ في مِصرَ العَزيزَ إِنَّهُ

مِن المُحيط مُلكُهُ إِلى سَبا

Though in Egypt he was al-Aziz, indeed

His kingdom stretched from the Ocean to Saba.

المُسرجُ الخَيلُ نُضاراً خالِصاً

وَالمُنعِلُ الخَيلَ يَواقيت الوَغى

He saddled horses with pure gold,

And shod them with the rubies of battle.

لَم يَخلُ مِن جَدٍّ بِها أَو لَعبٍ

مِن المَيادين إِلى حَرِّ الرَحى

He never lacked earnest work with them or play,

From riding grounds to the heat of war's mill.

مُلكٌ جَرى الدَهرُ بِهِ زَهواً وَما

أَقصَرَهُ مُلاوةً إِذا رَها

A reign with which Time strutted proudly—yet how

Brief its span when life was tranquil!

مَضى كَأَيام الصِبا نَهارُهُ

وَكَليالي الوَصل لَيلُهُ اِنقَضى

Its day passed like the days of youth,

And its night ended like nights of union.

كانَ العَزيزُ سَدّة الفَضل الَّتي

اِنقَلَب الراجُون مِنها بِالحِبى

Al-Aziz was the threshold of bounty from which

Hopeful petitioners returned with gifts.

لِآل عيسى مِن نَدى راحَتِهِ

وَآل مُوسى قَبَسٌ وَمُنتَشى

For the people of Jesus, from his palm's generosity,

And the people of Moses, came a spark and a share.

وَكانَ مَأمونَ بَني فاطِمَةٍ

كَم كَظم الغَيظ وَأَغضى وَعَفا

He was the Ma'mun of Fatima's sons:

How often he restrained anger, overlooked, and pardoned!

أَودى فَغابَ الرفقُ وَاِختَفى النَدى

وَحُجِبَ الحِلمُ وَغُيِّب الذَكا

He died: gentleness vanished and generosity disappeared;

Forbearance was veiled and intelligence hidden.

وَحَكَم الحاكِمُ مَصرَ وَيحَها

قَد لَقيت مِن حُكمِهِ جَهدَ البَلا

Al-Hakim ruled Egypt—alas for her!

She suffered grievous affliction under his rule.

أَتعبَها مُختَلَطٌ مختَبَلٌ

يَهدِمُ إِن ثارَ وَيَبني إِن هَذا

A confused, deranged man exhausted her,

Destroying when enraged, building when raving.

وَلَم تَزَل مِن حَدَثٍ مُسَيَّرٍ

إِلى فَئيل العَزم واهِنِ المَضا

She kept passing from a youth led by others

To one of feeble resolve and weak decisiveness.

حَتّى خَبا ضِياءُ ذاكَ المُنتَدى

وَعَطِلَ القَصران مِن ذاكَ السَنا

Until that assembly hall's light went out,

And the two palaces were emptied of that radiance.

عَفا بَنو أَيوبَ رَسمَ مُلكِهم

وَغادَروا السُلطانَ طامِسَ الصَدى

The sons of Ayyub erased their kingdom's traces,

And left its sovereignty with its echoes obliterated.

وَجَمَعوا الناسَ عَلى خَليفَةٍ

مِن وَلَد العَباسِ لا أَمرَ وَلا

They united the people under a caliph

From al-Abbas's descendants, with no command and no...

سُبحانَ مَن في يَدِهِ المُلكُ وَمَن

لَيسَ بِجارٍ فيهِ إِلّا ما قَضى

Glory to Him in whose hand is dominion,

Within which nothing happens except what He ordains!

فَيا جَزى اللَه بَني فاطِمَةٍ

عَن مَصرَ خَيرَ ما أَثابَ وَجَزى

Oh, may God reward Fatima's sons

For Egypt with the best recompense and reward!

وَأَخَذَ اللَهُ لَهُم مِن حاسِدٍ

في النَسَبِ الطاهِرِ قالَ وَلَغا

May God exact their due from an envier

Who spoke and babbled against their pure lineage.

خَلائِفُ النيلِ إِلَيهُم يُنتَمى

إِذا الفُراتُ لِبَني الساقي اِنتَمى

Caliphs of the Nile: it traces its lineage to them,

If the Euphrates traces its own to the cupbearer's sons.

تِلكَ أَيادِيهم عَلى لَبّاتِهِ

مفصلاتٍ بِالثَناءِ تُجتَلى

Those are their favors upon its throat,

Set like jewels, displayed through praise.

كَم مُدُنٍ بَنوا وَدورٍ شَيَّدوا

لِلصالِحاتِ هَهُنا وَهَهُنا

How many cities they built and edifices they raised

For good works, here and there!

هُم رَفَعوا الإِصلاحَ مِصباحاً فَما

مِن مُصلِحٍ إِلّا بِنورهم مَشى

They raised reform as a lamp, and no

Reformer walked except by their light.

وَالكرمُ المَصريُّ مِما رَسَموا

بِمَصرَ مِن بِرٍّ وَسَنُّوا مِن قِرى

Egyptian generosity comes from what they established

In Egypt of kindness and instituted of hospitality.

وَكُلُّ نَيروزٍ بِمَصرٍ رائِعٍ

أَو مِهرَجانٍ ذائِعٍ هُمُ الأَلى

Every splendid Nayruz in Egypt,

Or celebrated Mihrjan—they were its originators.

هُم مَزّقوا دُروعَهُم بِراحِهم

وَكَسَروا بِها الرِماحَ وَالظُبى

They tore their own armor with their palms,

And with them broke spears and sword blades.

لا العَربَ اِستَبَقوا وَهُم قَومهمو

وَلا رَعوا لِلمغرِبيّينَ الوَلا

They did not retain the Arabs, though these were their people,

Nor preserve loyalty toward the Maghrebis.

قَد مَلَّكوا الأَبعَدَ أَمرَ بَيتِهم

وَحَكَّموه في العَشائر الدُنى

They gave an outsider control of their household,

And made him judge over closely related clans.

وَأَنزَلوا السُنَّةَ عَن رُتبتها

وَرَفَعوا شِيعَتهم وَمَن غَلا

They lowered the Sunna from its station,

And raised their Shi'a and those who went to extremes.

وَصَيَّروا المُلكَ إِلى صِبيانهم

فَوَجَد الفَرصة مَن لَهُ صَبا

They passed sovereignty to their children;

Whoever yearned for it found his opportunity.

إِزدادَ بَغيُ الوُزَراء بَينَهُم

وَأصبَحوا هُمُ المُلوكَ في المَلا

The ministers' tyranny increased among them,

And they became the kings before the assembly.

خَليفُةُ الرَحمَنِ في زاويَةٍ

مِن الخُمول وَالوَزيرُ اِبنُ جَلا

The All-Merciful's caliph was in a corner

Of obscurity, while the minister was a man of renown.