طلوع هداه إلينا المغيب — Alsharif Alradi

طُلوعٌ هَداهُ إِلَينا المَغيبُ

وَيَومٌ تَمَزَّقُ عَنهُ الخُطوبُ

A rising that the setting guided to us,

and a day from which calamities fall away in tatters.

لَقيتُكَ في صَدرِهِ شاحِباً

وَمِن حِليَةِ العَرَبيِّ الشَحوبُ

I met you at its beginning, pale,

and pallor is among an Arab's adornments.

إِلَيهِ تَمُجُّ النُفوسَ الصُدورُ

وَفيهِ تُهَنّي العُيونَ القُلوبُ

Toward it, breasts disgorge their souls,

and in it, hearts congratulate eyes.

تَعَزَّيتَ مُستَأنِساً بِالبُعادِ

وَاللَيثُ في كُلِّ أَرضٍ غَريبُ

You consoled yourself, finding comfort in separation,

and the lion is a stranger in every land.

وَأَحرَزتَ صَبرَكَ لِلنائِباتِ

وَلِلداءِ يَوماً يُرادُ الطَبيبُ

You stored up your patience for calamities,

and for sickness, one day, the physician is sought.

لَحا اللَهُ دَهراً أَرانا الدِيا

رَ يَندُبُ فيها البَعيدَ القَريبُ

May God curse an age that showed us dwellings

where the nearby one laments the distant one.

وَما كانَ مَوتاً وَلَكِنَّهُ

فِراقٌ تُشَقُّ عَلَيهِ الجُيوبُ

It was not death, but rather

a parting over which shirt-fronts are torn.

لَئِن كُنتَ لَم تَستَرِب بِالزَمانِ

فَقَد كانَ مِن فِعلِهِ ما يُريبُ

If indeed you never distrusted time,

then its deeds held cause for mistrust.

رَمى بِكَ وَالأَمرُ ذاوي النَباتِ

فَآلَ وَغُصنُ المَعالي رَطيبُ

It cast you away when the growth of affairs was withered,

then turned, while the bough of greatness was fresh.

وَلَمّا جَذَبتَ زِمامَ الزَمانِ

أَطاعَ وَلَكِن عَصاكَ الحَبيبُ

And when you pulled the rein of time,

it obeyed, but the beloved defied you.

وَلَمّا اِستَطالَ عَلَيكَ البُعادُ

وَذَلَّلَ فيكَ المَطِيَّ اللُغوبُ

And when separation dragged on for you,

and exhaustion humbled the mounts that bore you,

رَجَوتَ البُعادَ عَلى أَنَّهُ

كَفيلُ طُلوعِ البُدورِ الغُروبُ

you placed your hope in separation, for

setting guarantees the rising of full moons.

رَحَلتَ وَفي كُلِّ جَفنٍ دَمٌ

عَلَيكَ وَفي كُلِّ قَلبٍ وَجيبُ

You departed, with blood in every eyelid

over you, and a throbbing in every heart.

وَلا نُطقَ إِلّا وَمِن دونِهِ

عَزاءٌ يَغورُ وَدَمعٌ رَبيبُ

No utterance comes without, beneath it,

consolation ebbing and tears nurtured.

وَأَنتَ تُعَلِّلُنا بِالإِيا

بِ وَالصَبرُ مُرتَحِلٌ لا يَؤوبُ

And you soothe us with hopes of return,

while patience has departed and will not return.

وَسَرَّ العِدى فيكَ نَقصُ العُقولِ

وَأَعلَمُ أَن لا يُسَرُّ اللَبيبُ

Lack of sense made your enemies rejoice over you,

and I know the discerning man does not rejoice.

أَما عَلِمَ الحاسِدُ المُستَغِر

رُ أَنَّ الزَمانَ عَلَيهِ رَقيبُ

Did the scheming envier not know

that time keeps watch upon him?

قَدِمتَ قُدومَ رِقاقِ السَحا

بِ تَخُطُّ وَالرَبعُ رَبعٌ جَديبُ

You arrived as thin clouds arrive,

tracing lines, while the homestead lay barren.

فَما ضَحِكَ الدَهرُ إِلّا إِلَي

كَ مُذ بانَ في حاجِبَيهِ القُطوبُ

Time has smiled at none but

you, since a frown appeared upon its brows.

حَلَفتُ بِما ضُمَّنَتهُ الحُجونُ

وَما ضَمَّ ذاكَ المُقامُ الرَحيبُ

I swore by what al-Hajun was made to hold,

and what that spacious precinct contains.

لَقَد سَرَّكَ الدَهرُ في الغادِرينَ

بِعُذرٍ تَضاءَلُ فيهِ الذُنوبُ

Time has indeed gladdened you concerning the treacherous,

with an excuse that makes sins dwindle.

وَأَجلى رُجوعَكَ عَن حاسِدي

كَ هَذا قَتيلٌ وَهَذا سَليبُ

And your return laid bare your enviers:

this one slain, and this one despoiled.

تَحَرَّقُ مِنكَ قُلوبُ العُدا

ةِ غَيظاً وَأَنتَ ضَحوكٌ قَطوبُ

Because of you, enemies' hearts burn

with rage, while you smile and frown.

وَأَجهَلُ ذا الناسِ مُستَنهِضٌ

دُعاءً إِلى سَمعِ مَن لا يُجيبُ

And the most ignorant of these people is one who raises

a call to the ear of one who will not answer.

زَعانِفُ يَستَصرِخونَ العُلى

وَما اِستَلَبَ العِزَّ إِلّا نَجيبُ

Rabble cry to greatness for help,

yet none seizes honor but a noble man.

وَطالَ مُقامُكَ في مَنزِلٍ

تَطَلَّعُ مِن جانِبَيهِ الحُروبُ

And long was your stay in a dwelling

from whose two sides wars peer forth,

بِضَربٍ كَما اِشتَرَطَتهُ السُيوفُ

وَطَعنٍ كَما اِقتَرَحَتهُ الكُعوبُ

with blows such as the swords prescribed,

and thrusts such as the spear-joints demanded,

وَنَجلٍ تَغَلغَلَ فيها الطَعا

نُ وَاِنشَقَّ عَنها النَجيعُ الصَبيبُ

and gaping wounds in which spear-thrusts sank deep,

and from which streaming gore burst forth,

وَصُحبَةِ كُلَّ غُلامٍ عَلَي

هِ مِن سِمَةِ العِزِّ حُسنٌ وَطيبُ

and the company of every young man upon whom

lie beauty and goodness from the mark of glory.

إِذا خَضَبَ الرُمحُ أَدمى بِهِ

كَأَنَّ السِنانَ بَنانٌ خَضيبُ

When he stains the spear, he draws blood with it,

as though the spearhead were a dyed fingertip.

وَقَطعِكَ كُلَّ بَعيدِ النِياطِ

كَأَنَّ الجَوادَ بِهِ مُستَريبُ

And your crossing of every far-stretching tract,

as though the charger were distrustful of it,

وَأَرضاً إِذا ما اِجتَلاها الهَجي

رُ طَلَّقَها مِن يَدَيهِ الضَريبُ

and land that, when noonday heat unveils it,

frost releases from its hands.

وَما زالَ مِنكَ عَلى النائِباتِ

مَقامٌ عَظيمٌ وَيَومُ عَصيبُ

You have always met calamities with

a mighty stand and a trying day.

فَيَومٌ حُسامُكَ فيهِ الخَطيبُ

وَيَومٌ لِسانُكَ فيهِ الخَطيبُ

On one day your keen sword is the orator,

and on another your tongue is the orator.

طَلَبتَ لِنَفسِكَ فَاِطلُب لَنا

مِنَ العِزِّ إِنَّ المُحامي طَلوبُ

You sought for yourself; so seek for us

some glory, for a defender is an ardent seeker.

وَإِن كُنتَ تَأنَفُ مِن حُبِّهِ

فَإِنَّ العَلاءَ إِلَينا حَبيبُ

And if you disdain loving it,

greatness is dear to us.

وَما نَحنُ أَنتَ وَكُلٌّ إِلى

دُعاءِ العُلى طَرِبٌ مُستَجيبُ

And we are not you; yet everyone, at

greatness's call, responds with delight.

وَنَحنُ قِسامٌ إِلَينا الشَبابُ

وَأَنتَ قِسامٌ إِلَيكَ المَشيبُ

We are handsome; youth comes to us,

and you are handsome; gray hair comes to you.

عَلى أَنَّهُ أَنتَ عَينُ الزَمانِ

وَعَيشٌ بِلا ناظِرٍ لا يَطيبُ

Yet you are the eye of time,

and life without a seeing eye is not sweet.

وَلَولاكَ ما لَذَّ طَعمُ الفَخارِ

وَلا راقَ بُردُ العَلاءِ القَشيبُ

Were it not for you, pride's taste would not be sweet,

nor the fresh mantle of greatness pleasing.

أَتَرضى لِمَجدِكَ أَن لا يَكونَ

لَنا مِن عَطايا المَعالي نَصيبُ

Would you accept for your glory that there be no

share for us in the gifts of greatness?

فَلا يُقعِدَنَّكَ كَيدُ الحَسو

دِ وَاِنهَض فَكُلُّ مَرامٍ قَريبُ

Let not the envier's guile hold you back;

rise, for every goal is near.

وَحُثَّ الطِلابَ فَإِنّا نَجُدُّ

وَأَمضِ الأُمورَ فَإِنّا نَتوبُ

And urge on the pursuit, for we strive hard;

and carry matters through, for we repent.

وَلِم لا يَضيفُ العُلا مَن لَهُ

غَديرٌ مَعينٌ وَمَرعىً خَصيبُ

And why should one not host greatness, having

a flowing pool and a fertile pasture?

لَحَيّاكَ مِنِّيَ عِندَ اللِقا

ءِ خَلقٌ عَجيبٌ وَخُلقٌ أَديبُ

Surely, at meeting you were greeted by my

wondrous form and refined character.

وَخَلَّفتَني غَرسَ مُستَثمِرٍ

فَطالَ وَأَورَقَ ذاكَ القَضيبُ

And you left me a planting meant to bear fruit;

so that shoot grew tall and put forth leaves.

ذَخَرتُ لَكَ الغُرَرَ السائِراتِ

يُعَبِّرُ عَنها الفُؤادُ الكَئيبُ

I stored up for you radiant, far-traveling verses,

to which the sorrowful heart gives voice.

تَصونُ مَناقِبَكَ الشارِدا

تِ أَن تَتَخَطّى إِلَيها العُيوبُ

They guard your far-ranging virtues

lest faults make their way to them.

إِذا نَثَرَتها شِفاهُ الرُوا

ةِ راقَكَ مِنها النِظامُ العَجيبُ

When reciters' lips scatter them,

their wondrous arrangement delights you.

وَإِنّي لَأَرجوكَ في النائِباتِ

إِذا جاءَني الأَمَلُ المُستَثيبُ

And I surely look to you in calamities,

when hope comes to me seeking reward.