اتخذت السماء يا دار ركنا — Ahmed Shawqi

اِتَّخَذتِ السَماءَ يا دارُ رُكنا

وَأَوَيتِ الكَواكِبَ الزُهرَ سَكنا

You have taken the sky, O house, for a pillar,

And sheltered the radiant stars as dwellers.

وَجَمَعتِ السَعادَتَينِ فَباتَت

فيكِ دُنيا الصَلاحِ لِلدينِ خِدنا

And you have joined the two felicities, so that

Virtuous worldly life became religion's companion within you.

نادَما الدَهرَ في ذَراكِ وَفَضّا

مِن سُلافِ الوِدادِ دَنّاً فَدَنّا

The two caroused with Time in your shelter, and broached

Cask after cask of affection's choicest wine.

وَإِذا الخُلقُ كانَ عِقدَ وِدادٍ

لَم يَنَل مِنهُ مَن وَشى وَتَجَنّى

And when moral character forms a bond of affection,

No one who slanders and falsely accuses can harm it.

وَأَرى العِلمَ كَالعِبادَةِ في أَب

عَدِ غاياتِهِ إِلى اللَهِ أَدنى

And I see learning, like worship, in its farthest

Aims, as drawing nearer to God.

واسِعَ الساحِ يُرسِلِ الفِكرَ فيها

كُلُّ مَن شَكَّ ساعَةً أَو تَظَنّى

Broad in its field, where thought is set roaming

By anyone who doubts for a moment or conjectures.

هَل سَأَلنا أَبا العَلاءِ وَإِن قَلَّ

بَ عَيناً في عالَمِ الكَونِ وَسنى

Have we asked Abu al-Ala, though he turned

A drowsy eye upon the realm of existence,

كَيفَ يَهزا بِخالِقِ الطَيرِ مَن لَم

يَعلَمِ الطَيرَ هَل بَكى أَو تَغَنّى

How one can mock the Creator of birds without

Knowing whether the bird wept or sang?

أَنتِ كَالشَمسِ رَفرَفاً وَالسِماكَي

نِ رِواقاً وَكَالمَجَرَّةِ صَحنا

You are like the sun in your canopy, and like the two Simaks

In your portico, and like the Milky Way in your courtyard.

لَو تَسَتَّرتِ كُنتِ كَالكَعبَةِ الغَر

راءِ ذَيلاً مِنَ الجَلالِ وَرُدنا

Were you veiled, you would be like the radiant Kaaba,

With a train and a sleeve of majesty.

إِن تَكُن لِلثَوابِ وَالبِرِّ دارٌ

أَنتِ لِلحَقِّ وَالمَراشِدِ مَغنى

If there is a house for reward and righteousness,

You are an abode for truth and right guidance.

قَد بَلَغتِ الكَمالَ في نِصفِ قَرنٍ

كَيفَ إِن تَمَّتِ المَلاوَةُ قَرنا

You have reached perfection in half a century;

What then, if the span reaches a full century?

لا تَعُدّي السِنينَ إِن ذُكِرَ العِل

مُ فَما تَعلَمينَ لِلعَلمِ سِنّا

Do not count the years when learning is mentioned,

For you know of no age for learning.

سَوفَ تَفنى في ساحَتَيكِ اللَيالي

وَهوَ باقٍ عَلى المَدى لَيسَ يَفنى

The nights will perish within your two courtyards,

While it endures through the ages, never perishing.

يا عُكاظاً حَوى الشَبابَ فِصاحاً

قُرَشِيّينَ في المَجامِعِ لُسنا

O Ukaz, which has gathered eloquent youth,

Qurayshis, silver-tongued in assemblies.

بَثَّهُم في كِنانَةِ اللَهِ نوراً

مِن ظَلامٍ عَلى البَصائِرِ أَخنى

It spread them through God's Kinana as light,

Out of darkness that had ravaged insight.

عَلَّموا بِالبَيانِ لا غُرَباءً

فيهِ يَوماً وَلا أَعاجِمَ لُكنا

They taught with eloquence, never strangers

To it, nor foreigners with faltering tongues.

فِتيَةٌ مُحسِنونَ لَم يُخلِفو العِل

مَ رَجاءً وَلا المُعَلِّمَ ظَنّا

Excellent youths, who did not disappoint learning

In its hope, nor the teacher in his expectations.

صَدَعوا ظُلمَةً عَلى الريفِ حَلَّت

وَأَضاؤوا الصَعيدَ سَهلاً وَحَزنا

They split the darkness that had settled on the countryside,

And lit Upper Egypt, plain and rugged land alike.

مَن قَضى مِنهُمُ تَفَرَّقَ فِكراً

في نُهى النَشءِ أَو تَقَسَّمَ ذِهنا

Whoever among them died was scattered as thought

Among young minds, or portioned out as intellect.

نادِ دارَ العُلومِ إِن شِئتَ ياعا

ئِشُ أَو شِئتَ نادِها يا سُكَينا

Call Dar al-Ulum, if you wish, 'O Aisha,'

Or, if you wish, call her 'O Sukayna.'

قُل لَها يا اِبنَةَ المُبارَكِ إيهٍ

قَد جَرَت كَاِسمِهِ أُمورُكِ يُمنا

Say to her, 'O daughter of Mubarak, go on!'

Your affairs have gone auspiciously, like his name.

هُوَ في المِهرَجانِ حَيٌّ شَهيدٌ

يَجتَلي عُرسَ فَضلِهِ كَيفَ أَجنى

At the festival he is alive, a witness,

Beholding the wedding of his bounty and how it bore fruit.

وَهوَ في العُرسِ إِن تَحَجَّبَ أَو لَم

يَحتَجِب والِدُ العَروسِ المُهَنّا

And at the wedding, whether hidden or not,

He is the bride's father, receiving congratulations.

ما جَرى ذِكرُهُ بِناديكَ حَتّى

وَقَفَ الدَمعُ في الشُؤونِ فَأَثنى

No sooner was he mentioned at your gathering

Than tears stood in their ducts and offered praise.

رُبَّ خَيرٍ مُلِئتُ مِنهُ سُروراً

ذَكَّرَ الخَيِّرينَ فَاِهتَجتُ حُزنا

Many a blessing that filled me with joy

Recalled the virtuous, and stirred my grief.

أَدَرى إِذ بَناكِ أَن كانَ يَبني

فَوقَ أَنفِ العَدُوِّ لِلضادِ حِصنا

Did he know, when he built you, that he was building

Above the enemy's nose, a fortress for the language of ḍād?

حائِطُ المُلكِ بِالمَدارِسِ إِن شِئ

تَ وَإِن شِئتَ بِالمَعاقِلِ يُبنى

The realm's rampart—with schools, if you wish,

Or, if you wish, with strongholds—is built.

اُنظُرِ الناسَ هَل تَرى لِحَياةٍ

عُطِّلَت مِن نَباهَةِ الذِكرِ مَعنى

Look at people: do you see any meaning in a life

Deprived of an honored name?

لا الغِنى في الرِجالِ نابَ عَنِ الفَض

لِ وَسُلطانِهِ وَلا الجاهُ أَغنى

No wealth in men can replace merit

And its authority; nor can rank avail.

رُبَّ عاثٍ في الأَرضِ لَم تَجعَلِ الأَر

ضُ لَهُ إِن أَقامَ أَو سارَ وَزنا

Many a despoiler on earth, to whom the earth

Gave no weight, whether he stayed or journeyed.

عاشَ لَم تَرمِهِ بِعَينٍ وَأَودى

هَمَلاً لَم تُهِب لِناعيهِ أُذنا

He lived, and it never cast an eye on him; he perished

Unheeded, and it lent no ear to his death's herald.

نَظَمَ اللَهُ مُلكَهُ بِعِبادٍ

عَبقَرِيّينَ أَورَثوا المُلكَ حُسنا

God ordered His kingdom through servants

Of genius, who bequeathed beauty to the kingdom.

شَغَلَتهُم عَنِ الحَسودِ المَعالي

إِنَّما يُحسَدُ العَظيمُ وَيُشنا

Lofty pursuits kept them from the envious;

Only the great are envied and hated.

مِن ذَكِيِّ الفُؤادِ يورِثُ عِلماً

أَو بَديعِ الخَيالِ يَخلُقُ فَنّا

Whether keen of heart, bequeathing knowledge,

Or wondrous in imagination, creating art.

كَم قَديمٍ كَرُقعَةِ الفَنِّ حُرٍّ

لَم يُقَلِّل لَهُ الجَديدانِ شَأنا

How many a noble old work, like an artist's canvas,

Has not had its worth diminished by night and day.

وَجَديدٍ عَلَيهِ يَختَلِفُ الدَه

رُ وَيَفنى الزَمانُ قَرناً فَقَرنا

And how many a new thing over which Time passes,

While the ages perish, century after century.

فَاِحتَفِظ بِالذَخيرَتَينِ جَميعاً

عادَةُ الفَطنِ بِالذَخائِرِ يُعنى

So preserve both treasures together;

The discerning person habitually cares for treasures.

يا شَباباً سَقَونِيَ الوُدَّ مَحضاً

وَسَقَوا شانِئي عَلى الغِلِّ أَجنا

O youths who gave me pure affection to drink,

And gave my hater stagnant water atop his rancor.

كُلَّما صارَ لِلكُهولَةِ شِعري

أَنشَدوهُ فَعادَ أَمرَدَ لَدنا

Whenever my poetry entered middle age,

They recited it, and it became beardless and supple again.

أُسرَةُ الشاعِرِ الرُواةُ وَما عَن

نَوهُ وَالمَرءُ بِالقَريبِ مُعَنّى

A poet's family are his reciters, who never troubled

Him; a man is burdened by his kin.

هُم يَضُنّونَ في الحَياةِ بِما قا

لَ وَيُلفَونَ في المَماتِ أَضَنّا

They jealously guard, in life, what he

Said, and in death are found more protective still.

وَإِذا ما اِنقَضى وَأَهلوهُ لَم يَع

دَم شَقيقاً مِنَ الرُواةِ أَوِ اِبنا

And when he and his family have passed away,

He never lacks a brother or son among the reciters.

النُبوغَ النُبوغَ حَتّى تَنُصّوا

رايَةَ العِلمِ كَالهِلالِ وَأَسنى

Genius, genius! Until you raise

Learning's banner like the crescent, and brighter still.

نَحنُ في صورَةِ المَمالِكِ ما لَم

يُصبِحِ العِلمُ وَالمُعَلِّمُ مِنّا

We are kingdoms in appearance only, unless

Learning and the teacher arise from among us.

لا تُنادوا الحُصونَ وَالسُفنَ وَاِدعوا ال

عِلمَ يُنشِئ لَكُم حُصوناً وَسُفنا

Do not call on fortresses and ships; call on

Learning to build you fortresses and ships.

إِنَّ رَكبَ الحَضارَةِ اِختَرَقَ الأَر

ضَ وَشَقَّ السَماءَ ريحاً وَمُزنا

Civilization's caravan has penetrated the earth

And cleft the sky, as wind and rainclouds.

وَصَحِبناهُ كَالغُبارِ فَلا رَج

لاً شَدَدنا وَلا رِكاباً زَمَمنا

And we accompanied it like dust: not a man

Did we strengthen, nor did we bridle mounts.

دانَ آباؤُنا الزَمانَ مَلِيّاً

وَمَلِيّاً لِحادِثِ الدَهرِ دِنّا

Our fathers held sway over Time for long,

And for long we have bowed to Time's vicissitudes.

كَم نُباهي بِلَحدِ مَيتٍ وَكَم نَح

مِلُ مِن هادِمٍ وَلَم يَبنِ مَنّا

How often we boast of a dead man's grave, and how many

Claims of favor we bear from a destroyer who never built!

قَد أَنى أَن نَقولَ نَحنُ وَلا نَس

مَعُ أَبناءَنا يَقولونَ كُنّا

It is time for us to say, 'We are,' and not

Hear our children saying, 'We were.'