ذكر المعسكر صاحبي ذكرا — Alarjani

ذكَر المعسكَر صاحبي ذِكْرا

فأثارَ لي تَذكارُه فِكْرا

My companion made mention of the encampment.

So its recollection stirred thoughts in me.

وحَنَنْتُ حَنّةَ واجدٍ طَرِبٍ

وذكرتُ صُحبةَ أهلِه دَهرا

And I yearned with the yearning of a lovesick, enraptured man,

and remembered long companionship with its people.

فجَعلْتُ حتّى زُرْتُهُ عَجِلاَ

نِضْوِي وِشاحاً والفلا خَصرا

So, until I reached it in haste, I made

my weary mount a sash, and the wilderness a waist.

ولسيّدِ الوزراء قاطبةً

لمّا سَمِعْتُ على النّوى بُشرى

And of the lord of all the viziers,

when I heard glad tidings across the distance,

أقسمتُ لا قَصرَ الزّمامَ يَدِي

حتّى نَرى هَمذانَ والقَصرا

I swore my hand would not draw in the rein

until we saw Hamadan and the palace.

لمّا نظرتُ إليه من بُعُدٍ

كَبَّرتُ من طَربٍ له عَشرا

When I looked upon it from afar,

I cried 'God is greatest' ten times in delight.

ونزلتُ من أقصى مدَى نَظَرِي

ليدِ المطيّةِ لاثِماً شُكرا

And I dismounted at the farthest reach of my sight,

kissing my mount's foreleg in thanks.

حَرَمٌ من الدّنيا إليه غَدَتْ

تُجْبَى محاسنُ أهلها طُرّا

A sanctuary to which, from the world, have come

all the finest qualities of its people, gathered as tribute.

بَحرٌ يموجُ إذا رآه فتىً

أقسمتُ لم يَر قبلَه بَحرا

A surging sea—if a young man sees it,

I swear he has never seen a sea before it.

فِرَقٌ تعودُ وتَبتدِي فِرَقٌ

كالبحرِ يُبدِي المَدَّ والجزَرا

Companies return, and other companies set forth,

like the sea displaying flood and ebb.

وحكَى القِبابُ به الحَبابَ ضُحىً

يَلمعْنَ من صُغْرَى ومِن كُبرى

Its domed tents resembled sea-foam in the morning light,

gleaming, small ones and great ones alike.

تَحكي رياضَ الأقحوانِ بدَتْ

ومن الشّقائقِ وُسِّطَتْ شَذرا

They seemed gardens of daisies laid out,

with scattered anemones set amid them.

والقصرُ من إعظامِ ساكتِه

الطّرفُ يَقصُرُ دونه قَصرا

And the palace—so great the reverence for its silent master—

the gaze falls utterly short of it.

بُرْجٌ لشمسِ الأرضِ مُكتنَفٌ

بالأُسْدِ تَزأرُ حَولَهُ زأرا

A tower for earth's sun, encircled

by lions roaring all around it.

ولذاكَ سَمَّتْ بُرجَها أَسَداً

شمسُ السّماء وحَسْبُها فَخرا

And so it named its sign the Lion—

the sun of heaven; that is pride enough for it.

لمّا وصَلْنا سالمِينَ قضَى

كُلٌّ غداةَ وُصولِه نَذرا

When we arrived safely,

each fulfilled a vow on the morning of his arrival.

وانبَثَّ يُشيعُ عينَه نظَراً

منه ويَخبُرُ أمْرَهُ خُبرا

Then each dispersed, letting his gaze roam

over it and gaining knowledge of its affairs.

فتَرى الورى أُمَماً كأنّهمُ

حُشِروا ليومِ حِسابِهم حَشرا

You see mankind in multitudes, as though they

had been gathered for their Day of Reckoning.

وحكَتْ خيامُ الجُنْدِ نازلةً

صدَفاً تَضُمّ بُطونُها دُرّا

And the army's pitched tents resembled

shells whose insides clasp pearls.

وتُجيلُ طَرْفَكَ لا ترَى خَلَلاً

مِمّا يَسُدُّ القَطْرَ والقُطرا

You sweep your gaze about, seeing no gap

in what bars the rain and fills the whole region.

حيث التَفتَّ ملأتَ من فَرَقٍ

عَيْناً ومن فَرَحٍ بهمْ صَدرا

Wherever you turn, you fill with awe

an eye, and with joy in them a breast.

ورأيتَ أنديةً وأفنيةً

فيها الصّهيلُ يُجاوِبُ الهَدرا

And you see gathering places and courtyards

where neighing answers the camels' rumbling.

وتَرى على الأبوابِ مُقْربَةً

مَطْوِيّةً أقرابُها ضُمرا

And at the gates you see prized horses,

their lean flanks tightly drawn.

مشمولةً أمْناً ومن كرمٍ

قد حَدَّدتْ آذانَها حِذرا

Enfolded in safety, yet from noble breeding

they have pricked their ears in vigilance.

ومراكزَ الأرماحِ قد نشَرتْ

كَفّ الصَّبا عذَباتِها الحُمرا

And at the spear-stands there has unfurled

the east wind's hand their red pennons.

وعلى جيادِ الخيلِ أغلمةٌ

غُرّ تُصَرَفُ تحتها غُرّا

And on the finest horses sit young lads,

bright-faced, with white-blazed steeds wheeled beneath them.

من ضاربٍ كُرَةً ينُزِّقُها

في مَلْعبٍ أو رائضٍ مُهرا

One strikes a ball, making it bounce

in a playing field; another trains a colt.

أو مُردِفٍ فَهْداً ليُقنصَه

أُدْمَ الفلا أو مُمْسِكٍ صَقرا

Another carries a cheetah behind him to have it hunt

the desert's tawny gazelles; another holds a falcon.

وخلالَ أطنابِ الخيامِ تَرَى

رَشْقَ الرُّماةِ سِهامَها تَتْرى

And among the tent-ropes you see

the archers' volleys, their arrows following in succession.

نثَروا لأيديهمْ وأعينِهم

ما في الكنائنِ كُلِّها نَثْرا

They scattered, for their hands and eyes,

everything in all their quivers.

مَجعولةً أصداغُها حَلَقاً

منها على آذانِها كِبرا

Their temple-locks are fashioned into rings,

large loops of them upon their ears.

يَرمون قِرطاساً وأفئدةً

فسَوادُها ببياضِه يُغْرى

They shoot at targets and at hearts,

whose dark cores are lured by the target's whiteness.

والسّوقُ تُبصِرُ من عجائبِها

في كلِّ مَرْمَى نَظرةٍ مِصرا

And among the marketplace's wonders you behold

a city wherever your glance falls.

بلَدٌ يسيرُ وما رأى أحَدٌ

بلداً يُسارُ بهِ ولا يُسرى

A town that travels—and no one has seen

a town carried along, but not by night.

حتّى إذا بِتْنا على أَمَلٍ

نَعِدُ النّفوسَ بكُلِّ ما سَرّا

Until, when we spent the night in hope,

promising our souls everything that brings delight,

ودجَا الظّلامُ فكاثَروا عَدَداً

بشَبا الرّماحِ نُجومَه الزُّهرا

and darkness deepened, they surpassed in number

its bright stars with the tips of their spears.

وتَغنّتِ الحُرّاسُ واصطفقَتْ

عِيدانُها وتجاوبَتْ نَقرا

And the guards sang, and there clattered

their sticks, answering one another with taps.

تَحْدو وراء الليّلِ قارعةً

لطُبولِها أو تُبصِرَ الفَجرا

Urging the night onward, beating

their drums until they saw the dawn.

والغُضْفُ مَن لَقِيَتْ تُمزَقُه

وتَعُلُّ منه النّابَ والظُّفرا

And the droop-eared hounds rend whomever they meet,

giving fang and claw another draught from him.

فلَوَ انّ طيفاً رام من طُنُبٍ

لهمُ دُنُوّاً لم يَجِدْ مَسرى

If even a dream-phantom sought to approach a tent-rope

of theirs, it would find no passage through the night.

حتّى إذا ما الصّبحُ لاحَ وقد

نُشرَتْ لنا راياتُه نَشرا

Until, when dawn appeared, and

its banners had been unfurled for us,

وسَمعتَ صيحاتِ الأذانِ من ال

جنَباتِ تَنْعَرُ بالدُّجَى نَعرا

and you heard the cries of the call to prayer from the

sides, ringing loudly through the darkness,

وتَخالُ أصواتَ الطّبولِ إذا

أصغَيتَ إنْ ظُهراً وإنْ عَصرا

you would think the sounds of the drums, when

you listened, whether at noon or in the afternoon,

رَعْداً يُقطَّعُ بالعَروضِ فما

تَلقَى له زَحْفاً ولا كَسرا

thunder scanned by prosody, so that

you find no metrical alteration or break in it.

فنفَوا بقايا غُمضِهمْ وقَضَوا

فَرْضَ الصّلاةِ وأخلَصوا السِّرّا

They shook off the remnants of their sleep and performed

the obligatory prayer, making their inward devotion pure.

وتَقاطَر الغِلمانُ راكضةً

للخيلِ تابعةً له الإثرا

And the lads streamed out, galloping

the horses and following in his wake,

المُحكِمين عقودَ أقبيةٍ

فيها يُرونَكَ أَوجُها زُهرا

their coats' fastenings securely tied,

showing you radiant faces within them.

كالدُّرِّ زِيدَ كمالُ بَهجتِهِ

في العَينِ أنْ قد كُلِّلَ التِّبرا

Like pearls whose perfect splendor is increased

to the eye by being set in gold.

وكأنّما أضحَتْ قَلانِسُهم

من عَكْسِ ضوء خُدودِهم حُمرا

And their caps seemed to have become

red from the reflected light of their cheeks.

حتّى إذا أخذوا صوالجَهمْ

جَهَدوا سوابقَ خَيلهِم حُضرا

Until, when they took up their polo mallets,

they drove their swift steeds hard at a gallop.

وتَنازعوا الآدابَ وامتحَنوا النْ

نُشّابَ والخَطِّيّةَ السُّمرا

They vied in accomplishments and tested the

arrows and the brown Khatti spears.

فثنَى الأعِنّةَ راجعاً بهمُ

مَولَى الورَى واليومُ قد حَرّا

Then, returning with them, he turned the reins—

the lord of mankind, while the day had grown hot.

والسِّترةُ السوداءُ قد رُفعَتْ

في الجَوِّ فوق الغُرّةِ الزَّهرا

And the black canopy had been raised

aloft above the radiant brow.

فسَلُوا المَظَلّةَ إنّها دُفِعَتْ

عن أيّةِ الشّمْسَيْنِ للأُخرى

Ask the parasol: it was raised

to shield which of the two suns from the other?

حجَبَتْ تَزايُدَ نُورِ غُرَّتهِ

من رأْفةٍ عن عينِها الحَرّى

It veiled the increasing radiance of his brow,

out of pity, from the other's burning eye.

حتّى إذا ما لاحَ من بُعُدٍ

جهَرَ الورى بدُعائهمْ جَهرا

Until, when he appeared from afar,

the people loudly proclaimed their prayers.

والصّدْرُ في الدّيوانِ مُستَنِدٌ

منه الأوامرُ تَشرَحُ الصَّدرا

And the chief minister sits reclining in the council hall;

from him come commands that gladden the breast.

صَدْرٌ رداءٌ تُقاهُ يَستُرُه

عن سهمِ عينِ زمانهِ سَترا

A breast that the robe of his piety shields

from the arrow shot by the eye of his age.

مُستودَعٌ لُبّاً لعِزّتِه

تَخِذَ الحديدَ لصَوْنِه قِشرا

Entrusted with a core, for its preciousness it

has taken iron as a shell to protect it.

والمُلْكُ مُلْكُ الأرضِ أجمعِها

كالطّوقِ منه أُلزِمَ النَّحرا

And sovereignty—the sovereignty of the whole earth—

is fastened like a collar about his neck.

والدِّينُ قَلْبٌ في جوانحِه

مهما اتّقَى من مارقٍ شرّا

And religion is a heart within his ribs,

whenever he guards against an apostate's evil.

وعلومُ ما يأْتي الزّمانُ به

مكنونةٌ في طَيِّه سِرّا

And knowledge of what Time will bring

is secretly concealed within its folds.

كم فيه صُحْفِ ندىً ولست تَرى

للبُخلِ في أثنائها سَطرا

How many scrolls of generosity are within it! You do not see

a line of stinginess among them.

هذا الكمالُ على الحقيقةِ لا

ما كان يُذْكَرُ قبْلَه ذِكرا

This is perfection in truth, not

what used to be spoken of before it.

إنّي لأذكُرُ معشراً عُهِدوا

ولربّما تَتجدَّدُ الذّكرى

I do indeed remember a company once known,

and memories may sometimes return:

أبناءَ دَهرٍ لا لَقِيتَ له

يا صاحِ بعدَ وفائهِ غَدرا

sons of an age—may you never meet from it,

my friend, betrayal after its fidelity.

ما تَنقضِي في أمرِه فِكَرِي

بلْ لا يُساوي أمرُه الفِكرا

My thoughts about its state find no end;

rather, its state is not worth a thought.

عَهْدِي بهم تُضحِي دُموعُهمُ

غُزْراً إذا وهَبوا لنا نَزرا

I remember their tears becoming

abundant whenever they gave us a pittance.

كم رجعةٍ عنهم رجَعْتُ أنا

مُتَحّسِراً وركائبي حَسْرى

How often I returned from them

disappointed, my mounts worn out!

أمّلْتُ منهم أن أنالَ غِنىً

والحُولُ تَحسَبُ شَفْعَها الوِترا

I hoped to gain wealth from them,

while the cross-eyed mistake their even numbers for odd.

كُلُّ الصّدورِ سواك كنتُ أَرى

صدْراً غدا من قلبِهِ قَفرا

Every chief minister but you I used to see

as a breast become barren of its heart.

كُلٌّ غدا غُمْراً وصاحبُه

قد ظَل منه طالباً غَمرا

Each became an ignoramus, while his companion

kept seeking abundance from him.

فاليومَ صرتُ إلى ذُرا مَلِكٍ

ضَيفُ الرّجاءِ بجُودهِ يُقرى

But today I have reached a king's lofty heights,

where the guest of hope is feasted by his generosity.

ودَعَوا لسلطانِ الأنامِ بأنْ

أَعزِزْ له يا ناصِرُ النّصرا

And they prayed for the sovereign of mankind:

'O Helper, strengthen victory for him!'

وغدَوا إلى الدّركاةِ وازدحَموا

فهُناك تَلقَى البَدْوَ والحَضرا

They went in the morning to the forecourt and crowded together;

there you encounter desert-dwellers and townspeople.

وأكابرُ الأُمَراء تُبصِرُهمْ

مُتحاشدِينَ فتُكْبِرُ الأَمرا

And the greatest emirs—you see them

massed together, and deem the spectacle great.

والبِيضُ مُصلتَةٌ تَحُفُّ بهم

وتَذودُ من يُمنَى ومن يُسرى

And drawn, bright swords surround them,

keeping guard on the right and on the left.

فَنٌّ أَجَدَّ الدّهرُ سُنّتَه

ويَحارُ مَن يتأَمّلُ الدّهرا

A spectacle whose custom Time has renewed;

whoever reflects upon Time is bewildered.

وبنو الرّجاء بكلِّ مُلتفَتٍ

منهم تُشاهِدُ عسكراً مَجرا

And the sons of hope—at every turn,

you see a vast army of them.

وذوو العمائمِ في مناصِبهم

والتُّركُ تَرمُقُ نَحوهَم خُزرا

And the turbaned men are at their stations,

while the Turks look toward them sidelong,

مِيلاً قلانسُهم كأنّهمُ

قِطَعُ الرياضِ تَكلّلتْ زَهرا

their caps tilted, as though they were

patches of gardens crowned with blossoms.

وتَرى سِماطَيْهم وقد وقَفُوا

كالسّطْرِ حاذَى نَظْمُه السّطرا

And you see their two ranks as they stand,

like a line whose arrangement parallels another line.

والملْكُ مثْلُ الشّمسِ كاسِرةً

أبصارَنا من دُونِها كَسرا

And the king is like the sun, overwhelming

our eyes before it utterly.

ومِنَ الجيوشِ المُحدِقينَ به

لُجَجاً تَرى من حَوْلِه خُضرا

And of the armies surrounding him,

you see green billows all around him.

من عُظْمِ ما يَلْقَى تَضايُقُها

ما تَستبِينُ من الثّرَى شِبرا

So great is the pressure of their close-packed ranks,

you cannot discern a handspan of earth.

وتَرى مُلوكَ الأرضِ خافتةً

وقَفوا أمامَ سريرِه صُغرا

And you see the kings of the earth subdued,

standing humbled before his throne.

والقولُ هَمْسٌ لا حَسيسَ له

والعينُ تَسرِقُ لَحْظَها سِرّا

Speech is a whisper with no audible sound,

and the eye steals its glance in secret.

والرُّسْلُ بعدَ الرُّسْلِ واردةٌ

كالقَطْرِ أصبحَ يَتبَعُ القَطرا

And messengers arrive after messengers,

like raindrops following raindrops.

وذوو الوجوهِ البيضِ مَن جَعلوا

يومَ السّلامِ جِباهَهم غُبرا

And the fair-faced men are those who made

their foreheads dusty on the day of salutation.

وتَصايُحُ المُتظَلِّمينَ حكَى

لَغَطَ القطا أوسعْتَها زَجرا

And the clamoring of those seeking redress resembles

the clamor of sandgrouse you have loudly driven off.

رفَعُوا على قَصباتِهم قصَصاً

ويناشدون اللّهَ أن تُقْرا

They raised petitions upon their reeds,

imploring God that they be read.

يَدنونَ والجاؤوشُ مُعتَرِضٌ

حَرِدٌ يَجُرُّ سِياطَه جَرّا

They draw near, while the marshal blocks their way,

angry, dragging his whips along.

وكأنّه حَنِقٌ بلا حَنَقٍ

يُغْشِي السّياطَ البَطْنَ والظَّهرا

And he seems enraged, yet without rage,

bringing his whips down on belly and back.

والخيلُ جائيةٌ وذاهِبةٌ

هذى تُقادُ وهذِه تُجْرى

And the horses come and go:

this one is led, and that one is galloped.

تحت الأُغَيلمةِ الصّغار منَ التْ

تَأْديبِ لا تَعْصِي لها أمرا

Beneath the little pageboys; owing to their

training, they disobey no command of theirs.

والفيلُ في ذَيلِ السّماطِ له

زَجَلٌ يُهالُ له الفتَى ذُعرا

And the elephant at the end of the ranks has

a bellow that fills a man with terror.

في مَوقفِ الحُجّاب يُؤْمَرُ أو

يُنْهَي فَيُمضِي النّهْيَ والأَمرا

At the chamberlains' station it is commanded or

forbidden, and carries out prohibition and command.

أُذْنانِ كالتُّرسَيْنِ تحتهما

نابانِ كالرُّمحَينِ إن كَرّا

Two ears like two shields, beneath them

two tusks like two spears when it charges.

يَعلو له فَيّالُه قَصَراً

فيظَلُّ مثْلَ مَنِ اعتلَى قَصرا

Its mahout mounts it, short as he is,

and becomes like someone who has climbed a palace.

وكأنّما خُرطومُه مثَلاً

راووقُ خُرطومٍ إذا افتَرّا

And its trunk seems, by comparison,

a wine-strainer when it gapes open.

وتَرنُّمُ البُوقاتِ إن رَكبَ السْ

سُلطانُ تَحسَبُها بهِ نَذرا

And the music of the trumpets, when the

sultan mounts—you take them as warnings of him.

مَولىً فرَرْتُ إليه من زَمني

وأخو الفَخارِ إليه مَن فَرّا

A master to whom I fled from my age;

whoever flees to him is a brother of glory.

فلأَصفحَنّ عنِ الّذين قَضَوْا

عُرْفاً أتَى الأقوامُ أم نُكْرا

I shall surely forgive those who have passed on,

whether those people did good or ill.

ما لي أذمُّ ليالياً سلَفتْ

إن عَقّ ماضيها وإن بَرّا

Why should I blame nights that have gone,

whether their past was unkind or kind?

عهْدٌ قديمٌ إن حَلا فخَلا

أو إنْ أمَرَّ لنا فقد مَرّا

An old era: if it was sweet, it is gone;

and if it was bitter to us, it has passed.

شُكْرِي لهذا العَصْرِ يَشغَلُني

عن أن أعاتبَ ذلك العَصرا

My gratitude for this age occupies me

too much to reproach that age.

بالصّاحبِ العَدْلِ احتمَى زَمنِي

فلأغفِرنَّ ذنوبَه غَفرا

My age has sought shelter with the just vizier;

so I shall fully forgive its sins.

مولىً إلينا الدّهرُ مُعتَذِرٌ

ببقائه وكفَى به عُذرا

A master—Time apologizes to us

through his survival, and he is apology enough.

جاورْتُه فبلَغْتُ كُلَّ مُنىً

ولذاك قالوا جاوِرِ البَحرا

I dwelt beside him and attained every wish;

for that reason they said, 'Dwell beside the sea.'

وأتَتْه آمالِي مُحلأةً

فشفَى النّدَى أكبادَها الحَرّى

And my hopes came to him, driven from the water,

and generosity healed their burning livers.

أوردْتُها عَشْراً كَرُمْنَ له

من بعدِ ما أظمأتُها عشرا

I brought ten of them to water; he held them dear,

after I had kept them thirsty for ten.

فلأشكُرَنّ جزيلَ أنعُمِه

ويفوقُ كُفْرُ النِّعمةِ الكُفرا

I shall surely thank him for his abundant favors;

ingratitude surpasses unbelief.

يا أيّها المولَى المُعيدُ إلى

وَجْهِ الزّمانِ بِعَدْلِه بشرا

O master who restores to

the face of Time, through his justice, cheerfulness!

مَفتوقةٌ أجفانُ حاسِده

ما إن يَخيطُ بهُدْبِها شُفْرا

His envier's eyelids are torn open;

he never stitches a lid's edge shut with their lashes.

وكأنّما أقلامُه طَفِقَتْ

للغَيْظِ من أضلاعِهِمْ تُبْرى

And his pens seem to have begun

to be sharpened from their ribs in anger.

مَن ذا يُؤمِّلُ أن يُرَى نفَساً

قُدّامَ حَربِكَ مالِكاً صَبرا

Who hopes to be seen, even for a breath,

before your battle, still possessed of endurance?

ولَوَ انّ كِسرَى عاش كان يُرَى

من خَوفِ بأسِكَ لازماً كِسرا

And if Khosrow lived, he would be seen,

for fear of your might, clinging to a corner.

يا مَن ذخَرْتُ ولاءه زَمناً

من أجلِ يومٍ يَحمَدُ الذُّخرا

O you, loyalty to whom I long stored away,

for a day that would commend that reserve!

أَوْلَيتَ فَضْلي نظرةً سَلَفَتْ

فامْنُنْ إليه بنَظرةٍ أُخرى

You once bestowed a glance upon my merit;

grant it the favor of another glance.

وملَكْتَ من دُنْيايَ أَجمعِها

فالْمَحْ بِفكْرِكَ أَمْريَ الإمرا

And from my whole worldly life you have claimed—

so look in thought upon my grievous plight—

عَيْناً بلا نَومٍ مُغمّضَةً

وأنامِلاً مَضْمومةً صِفرا

an eye closed without sleep,

and fingers clenched and empty.

نظَر الحسودُ إلى ظواهرِها

وأنا بباطِنِ أَمرِها أَدْرى

The envier looked upon their outward appearance,

but I know their inward condition better.

فإلى متى يقتادُني طَمعِي

عْبداً له وأَظُنُّني حُرّا

How long will my desire lead me along

as its slave, while I imagine myself free?

والشَّيبُ فاتحُ عَيْنِه عجَباً

يرنو إليّ بطَرْفِه شَزرا

And gray hair, its eye opened in amazement,

gazes at me with a sidelong look.

فكُنِ المُفرِّغَ خاطرِي كَرماً

فالحُرُّ أَنتَ بنَصْرِه أَحرى

Be the one who generously frees my mind from care;

for you are most worthy to aid a free man.

يا مَن جَعلْتُك مَقْصِدِي فغدا

سَهْلاً إليكَ رُكوبِيَ الوَعرا

O you whom I made my destination, so that

riding the rugged way to you became easy!

وأَرى الغِنى طَوْعِي إذا جَعلَتْ

نُوَبُ الزّمانِ إليك لي فَقرا

And I see wealth at my command whenever

Time's reversals turn my need toward you.

جاءْتكَ من فِكَري ابنةٌ كَرُمتْ

فجلَوتُها لكَ حُرّةً بِكرا

A noble daughter of my thoughts has come to you;

I unveiled her for you, freeborn and a virgin.

لا يَرتضِي سيفَ اللّسانِ فتىً

ما لم يُبِنْ في مَدْحِكَ الأُثرا

No man is content with the tongue's sword

unless it shows its mark in praising you.

يا مَن لدَيهِ لعُظْمِ مَنْصِبِه

سِيّانِ مَن لم يُطْرِ أو أَطْرى

O you before whom, so exalted is your station,

one who offers no praise and one who praises are equal!

العِيد عاد إليك فاجْتَلِهِ

ثَغْراً عنِ الإقبالِ مُفترّا

Eid has returned to you; behold it

as a mouth smiling at good fortune,

في دولةٍ غرّاءَ دائمةٍ

مادامَ صَومٌ مُعقِباً فِطرا

in a radiant, enduring reign,

as long as fasting brings the breaking of the fast.