أخذت السماء يا دار ركنا — Ahmed Shawqi

أخذتِ السماء يا دار ركنا

وأويت الكواكب الزهر سُكنى

You took the sky, O house, as a cornerstone,

and sheltered the radiant stars as dwellers.

وجمعت السعادتين فباتت

فيك دنيا الصلاح للدين خِدنا

You united the two felicities, so that

in you the world of righteousness became religion's companion.

نادَما الدهر في ذَراك وفضا

من سلاف الوداد دَنا فدنا

The two caroused with Time beneath your shelter, unsealing

jar after jar of friendship's choicest wine.

وإذا الخُلق كان عقد وداد

لم ينل منه من وشَى وتجنى

When character is the bond of affection,

no one who slanders and falsely accuses can impair it.

وأرى العلم كالعبادة في أبـ

ـعد غاياته إلى الله أدنى

And I see learning, like worship, at its farthest

reaches, drawing nearest to God.

واسع الساح يرسل الفكر فيها

كل من شك ساعة أو تظنى

Its field is broad; into it thought is sent

by anyone who doubted for a moment or conjectured.

هل سألنا أبا العلاء وإن قلّـ

ـب عينا في عالم الكون وسنى

Have we asked Abu al-'Ala, though he turned

a drowsy eye upon the world of existence,

كيف يهذِى بخالق الطير من لم

يعلم الطير هل بكى أو تغنى

how one can rave about the birds' Creator without

knowing whether the birds wept or sang?

أنتِ كالشمس رفرفا والسماكـ

ـين رواقا والمجرّة صحنا

Your canopy is like the sun; the two Simak stars

are your portico, and the Milky Way your courtyard.

لو تسترت كنت كالقبة الغرا

ء ذيلا من الجلال وردنا

If you veiled yourself, you would be like the resplendent dome,

with majesty for your train and sleeve.

إن تكن للثواب والبر دارا

كيف إن تمت الملاوة قرنا

If you are a home for reward and righteousness,

what will you be when your span completes a century?

لا تَعدِّى السنين إن ذكر العـ

ـلم فما تعلمين للعلم سنا

Do not count the years when learning is mentioned;

for you know no age for learning.

سوف تفنى في ساحتيك الليالي

وهو باق على المدى ليس يفنى

The nights will perish in your two courtyards,

while it endures through time, never perishing.

يا عكاظا حوى الشبا فصاحا

قرشيين في المجامع لُسنا

O 'Ukaz, that gathered eloquent young men,

Qurayshis, fluent-tongued in assemblies!

بثهم في كنانة الله نورا

من ظلام على البصائر أخنى

God spread them through Kinana as light

out of darkness that had ravaged inner sight.

علَّموا بالبيان لا غرباء

فيه يوما ولا أعاجم لُكنا

They taught with eloquence, never strangers

to it, nor non-Arabs with halting tongues.

فتية محسنون لم يخلفوا العـ

ـلم رجاء ولا المعلم ظنا

Good young men who never disappointed learning

in its hopes, nor the teacher in his expectations.

صدعوا ظلمة على الريف حلت

وأضاءوا الصعيد سهلا وحزنا

They cleft a darkness that had settled over the countryside,

and lit Upper Egypt, plains and rugged ground alike.

من قضى منهم تفرق فكرا

في نهى النشء أو تقسم ذهنا

Whoever among them died was scattered as thought

in young minds, or apportioned as intellect.

ناد دار العلوم إن شئت يا عا

يش أو شئت نادها يا سُكَينا

Call Dar al-Ulum, if you wish, “O 'Ayish,”

or, if you wish, call her “O Sukayna.”

قل لها يا ابنة المبارك إيه

قد جرت كاسمه أمورك يمنا

Say to her: “O daughter of al-Mubarak, go on!”

Your affairs have run auspiciously, true to his name.

هو في المهرجان حى شهيد

يجتلى غرس فضله كيف أجنى

He is alive at the festival, a witness,

beholding how the planting of his bounty has borne fruit.

وهو في العرس إن تحجّب أو لم

يحتجب والد العروس المهنا

And at the wedding, whether he is veiled or is not

veiled, he is the bride's father, receiving congratulations.

ما جرى ذكره بناديك حتى

وقف الدمع في الشؤون فأثنى

No sooner was his name spoken in your assembly

than tears stood in their channels and offered praise.

رب خير ملئت منه سرورا

ذكّر الخيرين فاهتجت حزنا

Many a good thing that filled you with joy

recalled the virtuous, stirring you to sorrow.

أدرى إذ بناك أن كان يبني

فوق أنف العدوّ للضاد حصنا

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

above the enemy's nose, a fortress for the tongue of ḍād?

حائط الملك بالمدارس إن شئـ

ـت وإن شئت بالمعاقل يبني

The realm's wall is built with schools, if you wish,

or, if you wish, with strongholds.

أنظر الناس هل ترى لحياة

عَطَلت من نباهة الذكر معنى

Look at people: do you see meaning in a life

bereft of distinguished remembrance?

لا الغني في الرجال ناب عن الفضـ

ـل وسلطانه ولا الجاه أغنى

Neither wealth among men replaces excellence

and its power, nor does rank suffice.

رب عاث في الأرض لم يجعل الأر

ض له إن أقام أو سار وزنا

Many a ravager on earth gained from the earth

no weight, whether he stayed or traveled.

عاش لم ترمه بعين وأودى

همَلا لم تهب لناعيه أذنا

He lived; the earth never cast an eye on him; he died

neglected; it lent no ear to his death's announcer.

نظّم الله ملكه بعباد

عبقريين أورثوا الملك حسنا

God ordered His realm through servants

of genius who bequeathed beauty to the realm.

شغلتهم عن الحسود المعالي

إنما يُحسد العظيم ويُشنا

Lofty pursuits kept them apart from the envious;

only the great are envied and hated.

من ذكىّ الفؤاد يوِرث علما

أو بديع الخيال يَخلق فنا

A keen-hearted one bequeathing knowledge,

or one of wondrous imagination creating art.

كم قديم كرقعة النجم حر

لم يقلل له الجديدان شأنا

How many a noble ancient thing, like a patch of stars,

has had its stature undiminished by day and night!

وحديد عليه يختلف الدهـ

ـر ويفنى الزمان قرنا فقرنا

And iron, over which Time comes and goes,

while time perishes, century after century.

فاحتفظ بالذخيرتين جميعا

عادة الفطن بالذخائر يعنى

So preserve both treasures together;

the discerning are wont to care for treasures.

يا شبابا سقونيَ الودّ محضا

وسقوا شانئي على الغل أجنا

O young men who gave me pure affection to drink,

and gave my hater stagnant water atop his rancor!

كلما صار للكهولة شعري

أنشدوه فعاد أمرد لدنا

Whenever my poetry grew middle-aged,

they recited it, and it returned beardless and supple.

أسرة الشاعر الرواة وما عنَّـ

ـوه والمرء بالقريب معنى

A poet's family are his reciters; they have never vexed

him, though a man is burdened by his kin.

هم يضنون في الحياة بما قا

ل ويُلفَون في الحياة أضنا

They jealously guard, in his lifetime, what he said,

and prove still more protective of his life.

وإذا ما انقضى وأهلوه لم يعـ

ـدم شقيقا من الرواة أو أبنا

And when he and his family have passed away, he does not

lack a brother among the reciters, or a son.

النبوغَ النبوغَ حتى تنصوا

راية العلم كالهلال وأسنى

Genius—genius!—until you raise

the banner of learning like the crescent, and brighter still.

نحن في صورة الممالك ما لم

يصبح العلم والمعلم منا

We are kingdoms only in outward form, until

learning and the teacher come from among us.

لا تنادوا الحصون والسفن وادعوا الـ

ـعلم ينشئ لكم حصونا وسفنا

Do not call upon fortresses and ships; summon

learning to create fortresses and ships for you.

إن ركب الحضارة اخترق الأر

ض وشق السماء ريحا ومزنا

The caravan of civilization has pierced the earth

and cleft the sky, its winds and rainclouds.

وصحبناه كالغبار فلا رحـ

ـلا شددنا ولا ركابا زممنا

We accompanied it like dust: no saddle

did we fasten, nor did we bridle any mounts.

دان آباؤنا الزمان مليا

ومليا لحادث الدهر دنا

Our forefathers mastered Time for many an age;

and long have we submitted to Time's misfortune.

كم نباهي بلحد ميت وكم نحـ

ـمل من هادم ولم يبن مَنَّا

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

destroyers we carry, while none among us has built!

قد أنَى أن نقول نحن ولا نسـ

ـمع أبناءنا يقولون كنا

The time has come to say “We are,” and not

hear our children saying “We were.”