هي الصوارم والخطية الذبل — Al Sari Al Raffa

هِيَ الصَّوارمُ والخطِّيةُ الذُّبُلُ

والحربُ كاشرةٌ أنيابُها عُصُلُ

These are the keen swords and the slender spears of al-Khatt,

and war bares its crooked fangs.

واللَّيثُ أصحَرَ حتى لا حُصونَ له

ولا معاقلَ إلا البِيضُ والأَسلُ

The lion has gone into the open, with no fortresses of his own,

nor strongholds but bright swords and spears.

والرُّومُ تَبذُلُ ما رامَت أسِنَّتُه

وهَل لها بالمنايا أقبلتْ قِبَلُ

The Romans yield whatever his spearheads seek;

can they withstand the deaths that advance?

منه الكتائبُ والرَّاياتُ مُوفِيةٌ

على الخليج ومنه الكُتْبُ والرُّسُلُ

From him come battalions and banners rising high

over the gulf; from him come letters and envoys.

للهِ سيفٌ تمنَّى السيفُ شِيمَته

ودولةٌ حَسَدَتها فَخْرَها الدُّوَلُ

God be praised for a sword whose temper the sword itself covets,

and a dynasty whose glory other dynasties envy.

وعاشقٌ خُيَلاءَ الخيلِ مُبتَذِلٌ

نَفساً تُصانُ المعالي حينَ تُبتَذَلُ

And a lover of the horses' proud gait, freely risking

his life—high honors are preserved when it is spent.

أشَمُّ تُبدي الحصونُ الشُّمُّ طاعتَه

خوفاً ويَسلَمُ من فيها ويَرتَحِلُ

A lofty lord: towering fortresses show their obedience to him

in fear, while those inside escape unharmed and depart.

تَشُوقُه ورِماحُ الخَطِّ مُشرَعةٌ

نُجْلُ الجراحِ بها لا الأَعُينُ النُّجُلُ

He longs, when the spears of al-Khatt are leveled,

for gaping wounds made by them, not for wide eyes.

كأنَّه وهَجِيرُ الرَّوعِ يَلفَحُه

نَشْوانُ مدَّ عليه ظِلَّه الأُصُلُ

As though, while the noon heat of terror scorches him,

he were a drunken man over whom late afternoon has spread its shade.

بدَا فأبدَى لِمَنْ عَادَاه صَفحتَه

كالنَّصل ليسَت تُواري مَتنَه الخِلَلُ

He appeared and exposed his side to whoever opposed him,

like a blade whose back no coverings conceal.

إقدامُ ذي نُذُرٍ بالسَّيفِ مُعتصِمٍ

ما شانَ إقدامَه كيدٌ ولا حِيَلُ

The bold advance of one who gives warning and relies on the sword,

an advance unmarred by guile or tricks.

جِبالُ أعدائِه بَرٌّ يَسِيحُ به

وَبرُّه لامتِناعٍ عندَهم جَبَلُ

His enemies' mountains are open land through which he roams,

while his open land, impregnable to them, is a mountain.

فالصَّافناتُ حَشاياه وإن قَلِقَت

والسَّابغاتُ وإن أوهَت له حُللُ

So the poised steeds are his cushions, even when they jolt,

and ample coats of mail, though they weary him, are his robes.

قادَ الجيادَ له من وَطئِها صَخَبٌ

على الصُّخورِ ومن أرهاجِها ظُلَلُ

He led the steeds, whose tread raised a clamor for him

upon the rocks, and whose dust rose in canopies.

يَؤُمُّ خَرشَنةَ العُليا فيَصبَحُها

بالخَيلِ تَصهَلُ والراياتِ تَرتجِلُ

He makes for lofty Kharsana and attacks it at dawn,

with horses neighing and banners striding forth.

وحَكَّمَ السيفَ فيها عادلاً فَغدَت

وأهلُها جَزَرٌ للسيفِ أو نَفَلُ

And he made the sword judge there, justly; it became—

its people slaughter for the sword, or spoils—

مُحمرَّةً من دماءِ القومِ مُشعَلةً

سِيَّانِ فيها المنايا الحمرُ والشُّعَلُ

red with the people's blood and set ablaze;

crimson deaths and flames were all one within it.

وحَاذَرَته سَمَنْدُو إِثْمَ مَا وَألَت

إنّ الذي رابَها بالسيف لا يَئِلُ

And Samandu feared him for the guilt of having sought refuge;

indeed, he who alarmed it with the sword does not flee.

عذراءُ ما وَطِئَ الإِسلامُ تُربَتَها

ولا استباحَ حِماها سيفُه الفُضُلُ

A virgin: Islam had never trodden its soil,

nor had its surpassing sword overrun its sanctuary.

ثنَّى العزِيزُ إليها ليثَ مَلحَمةٍ

يَسري العزيزُ بمَسراه فيَنتقِلُ

The mighty one turned a lion of battle toward it;

the mighty one journeys by night along his route and moves on.

لولا قِراعُك لم يَهوِ الصليبُ ولم

يَعْلُ الأَذانُ بها ما أطَّتِ الإِبلُ

But for your blows, the cross would not have fallen, nor

would the call to prayer rise there as long as camels groan.

لما تَمزَّقَتِ الأغمادُ عن شُعَلٍ

تمزَّقَت عن سَنا أقمارِها الكِلَلُ

When scabbards burst open to reveal flames,

canopies burst open to reveal their moons' radiance.

أكرِمْ بسيفِك فيها صائلاً غَزِلاً

يَفري الشُّؤونَ وتفري غَرْبَه المُقَلُ

How splendid your sword there, assailing and enamored,

cleaving skull seams, while eyes cleave its edge.

بحيثُ يشرَبُ صَدرُ السَّمهريِّ دماً

من الشَّغافِ ويُروى الفارسُ البَطَلُ

Where the point of the sturdy spear drinks blood

from the heart's membrane, and the heroic rider is sated.

ثم انثنيتَ بَخيلِ الله مُعلَمةً

سُمْرُ الرماحِ تَثَنَّى ثم تَعتَدِلُ

Then you turned back with God's marked steeds,

the brown spears bending and then straightening.

تَرُفُّ مُجلِبةَ الأقطارِ مُسفِرةً

تكادُ مَا لَحَظَتها الشمسُ تَشتعِلُ

It shimmers, clamorous on every side, radiant,

almost catching fire whenever the sun looks at it.

مَدَّت على السَّهلِ والأوعارِ قَسطَلَها

حتى تَحَّيَر فيه الرَّأْلُ والوَعَلُ

It spread its dust cloud over plain and rugged ground,

until the young ostrich and the ibex were bewildered within it.

بَحرٌ من الجيشِ مَسجورٌ غَواربُه

كأنّما البَّحرُ في تيَّارهِ وَشَلُ

A sea of troops, its wave-crests brimming,

as though the sea within its torrent were a trickle.

حتّى طَلَعْتَ على طَرسوسَ مُبتَسِماً

كما تَبسَّمَ فيها العارضُ الهَطِلُ

Until you appeared over Tarsus, smiling,

as the raincloud smiled there with pouring rain.

وَجُدْتَ جُودَ طِباع غيرَ مُحتفِلٍ

يُقصِّرُ الغيثُ عنه وهو مُحتَفِلُ

And you gave with inborn generosity, without exertion;

rain falls short of it, though pouring at full strength.

حتّى إذا ضَحِكَت تلك الرُّبا وطَمَت

تلك الوِهادُ وراقَت بينَها الحِلَلُ

Until, when those hills smiled and brimful grew

those lowlands, and the settlements between them grew fair,

دَعَتْ يمينُكَ بالمَصِيصةَ الجَفَلى

حتَّى غَدا المُحْلُ عنها وهو مُنْجفِلُ

your right hand invited all to feast at al-Massisa,

until drought left it in headlong flight.

سقَاهمُ البَحرُ ريَّاً مِن أنامِله

فليسَ فيهِم على جَيحانَ مُتَّكِلُ

The sea gave them drink to their fill from his fingertips,

so none among them relies on Jayhan.

وأصبحَ الشأمُ لو يَسطِيعُ مُرتَحلاً

لأَلْحقَتْه بسيفِ الدولةِ الرِّحَلُ

And Syria now, if it could take to the road,

would be carried by the saddles to Sayf al-Dawla.

أتاكَ حتَّى استرقَّ الحمدُ نائلَه

وزاد حتَّى اطمأنَّ الخائِفُ الوَجِلُ

He came to you, till praise enslaved his bounty,

and gave still more, until the fearful, anxious man felt secure.

وجَدَّ عاذلُه إذ جَدَّ في كَرمٍ

فكان أضيَعَ شئٍ عِندَه العَذَلُ

And his reproacher persisted, as he persisted in generosity,

so nothing was more wasted on him than reproach.

هو الغَمامُ فهل يُثنَى صَواعقُه

أم هل تُسَدُّ على شُؤبوبِه السُّبُلُ

He is the raincloud—can his thunderbolts be turned aside,

or can the paths of his downpour be blocked?

مُستسِلمٌ لبني الآمالِ تالدُه

فليسَ يَعدوه من آمالِهم أَمَلُ

His ancestral wealth is surrendered to the sons of hope,

so not a single hope of theirs is beyond him.

مُصغٍ إلى الحمدِ ما ينفكُّ يُطرِبُه

مَعنىً تُكَدِّرُه الأفكارُ أو مَثَلُ

He listens to praise, ever delighted by

a meaning that thoughts cloud, or a simile.

يُصافِحُ الرُّوحَ مِن نَشرَيهِما أرَجٌ

كالريحِ صافَحَها الحوذانُ والنَّفَلُ

A fragrance from the scents of both clasps the soul,

like the breeze clasped by buttercups and clover.

حسْبُ الأراقمِ إذ أنتُم ذوائبُها

وهيَ الذَّوائبُ في الأَحسابِ والقِلَلُ

It is enough for al-Araqim that you are their crests,

while they are the crests and summits of noble ancestry.

هم زَيَّنُوا أُخرَياتِ الدَّهرِ مَكرُمةً

وقَبلُ زِينَتْ بهم أيامُه الأُوَلُ

They adorned time's latter days with honor,

and before, its earliest days were adorned by them.