طلاب العز من شيم الشجاع — Alsharif Alradi

طِلابُ العِزِّ مِن شِيَمِ الشُجاعِ

وَسَعيُ المَرءِ تُحرِزُهُ المَساعي

The pursuit of glory is among the traits of the brave.

A man's striving is secured by noble endeavors.

وَدونَ المَجدِ قَلبٌ مُستَطيلٌ

وَباعٌ غَيرُ مَجبوبِ الذِراعِ

And glory demands a high-aspiring heart,

and an arm's reach, its forearm unsevered.

أُخَوَّفُ بِالزَماعِ وَلَستُ أَدري

بِأَينَ أَجُزُّ ناصِيَةَ الزَماعِ

I am threatened with departure, yet I do not know

where I shall shear departure's forelock.

وَلَستُ أَضَلُّ في طُرُقِ المَعالي

وَنارُ العِزِّ عالِيَةُ الشُعاعِ

I do not lose my way on the paths to high deeds,

while glory's fire sends its radiance high.

وَيُعجِبُني البِعادُ كَأَنَّ قَلبي

يُحَدِّثُ عَن عَدِيَّ بِنِ الرِقاعِ

Distance delights me, as though my heart

were relating from ʿAdi ibn al-Riqaʿ.

لَقيتُ مِنَ المُقامِ عَلى الأَماني

كَما لَقِيَ الطُموحُ مِنَ الصِقاعِ

I have suffered from lingering over hopes

as a headstrong mount suffers from its headstall.

وَلَو أَنّي مَلَكتُ عِنانَ طَرفي

أَخَذتُ عَلى الوَسيقَةِ بِالكُراعِ

If I possessed the rein of my steed,

I would intercept the driven herd with horses.

وَكُنتُ إِذا تَلَوَّنَ لي خَليلٌ

تَلَّوَنَ بي لَهُ خِلوُ النِزاعِ

Whenever a friend changed colors toward me,

my unyearning heart would change toward him.

بَخيلٌ بِالسَلامِ إِذا اِلتَقَينا

وَلَكِنّي جَوادٌ بِالوَداعِ

Sparing with greetings when we meet,

yet I am generous with farewells.

أَيَصرَعُني الزَمانُ وَلَستُ آوي

إِلى جَنبٍ ذَليلٍ لِلصِراعِ

Can Time throw me, when I do not rest

on a flank that yields in wrestling?

وَأَرضَعُ بِالخِداعِ عَنِ المَعالي

وَكانَ الطِفلُ أَولى بِالرِضاعِ

And shall I be suckled on deceit, kept from high deeds,

when a child is fitter for suckling?

أَلا لِلَّهِ طينَتُنا بِأَرضٍ

مُشَوَّهَةِ المَعالِمِ وَالبِقاعِ

Ah, to God belongs our clay, in a land

disfigured in its landmarks and tracts.

إِذا مَرَقَ الدُجى مِنّا أَخَذنا

عَليها بِالمَذانِبِ وَالتَلاعِ

When darkness slips away from us, we set out

across it, by the watercourses and the heights.

وَأَولى بِالضِيافَةِ لَو عَلِمنا

خَصيبُ الرَحلِ مَطروقُ الرِباعِ

And worthier as a host, if we but knew,

is one whose camp is rich, whose dwellings guests frequent.

إِلى أَمَلِ الحُسَينِ بَسَطتُ ظَنّي

وَرَشَّحتُ المَطالِبَ لِانتِجاعي

Toward hope in al-Husayn I extended my trust,

and readied my requests for my quest for bounty.

إِذا بَخِلَ الغَمامُ عَلى مَحَلٍّ

تَدارَكَ غُلَّةَ الإِبِلِ الزِماعِ

When clouds withhold their rain from a place,

he relieves the thirst of swift camels.

مُجيري إِن تَناكَرَتِ اللَيالي

وَعَوني إِن تَكاثَرَتِ الدَواعي

My protector when the nights turn hostile,

and my help when demands grow many.

وَقَد جَعَلَ الزَمانُ يُضيءُ وَجهي

وَيَرفَعُ ناظِري وَيَمُدُّ باعي

Time has already begun to brighten my face,

to lift my gaze and extend my reach.

رَفَعتُ إِلَيكَ دِعوَةَ مُستَجيرٍ

وَأَنتَ مَدى عَقيرَةِ كُلِّ داعِ

I raised to you the appeal of one seeking refuge,

and you are the destination of every supplicant's raised voice.

لِيَهنِكَ ما تُجَدِّدُهُ اللَيالي

وَحَسبُكَ مِن فِراقٍ وَاِجتِماعِ

May what the nights renew bring you joy,

and enough for you of parting and reunion,

وَما رَدَّ الزَمانُ عَليكَ حِفظاً

مِنَ الأَملاكِ وَالمالِ المُضاعِ

and what Time has restored to your keeping

of estates and wealth once squandered.

تَمارى الناسُ قَبلَكَ وَهيَ غَصبٌ

أَديوانُ الضِياعِ أَمِ الضَياعِ

Before you, people disputed, while the estates were usurped:

is it a registry of estates, or of waste?

وَعادَت في يَدَيكَ مُرَوَّضاتٍ

وَكانَت فَقعَ قَرقَرَةٍ بِقاعِ

In your hands they became tame again,

though they had been truffles on a bare, level plain.

ظَفِرتَ بِما اِشتَهَيتَ وَأَنتَ وانٍ

وَنالَ البَعضُ غَيرَكَ وَهوَ ساعٍ

You won what you desired while unhurried,

while another won a portion through striving.

يُبَشِّرُ وَالقُلوبُ مُفَجَّعاتٌ

كَأَنَّ بَشيرَهُ في الخَلقِ ناعِ

He brings glad tidings while hearts are bereaved,

as though his herald among mankind announced a death.

وَما كُلُّ المَواهِبِ بِالأَماني

وَلا كُلُّ الأَحاظي بِالقِراعِ

Not all gifts come through wishes,

nor all good fortune through combat.

لِكُلٍّ في بُلوغِ العِزِّ طَبعٌ

وَبَعضُ الناسِ مُختَلِفُ الطِباعِ

Each has a disposition for attaining glory,

and some men are changeable in disposition.

بِزَينِ المِلَّةِ اِشتَفَتِ الأَماني

مِنَ المَطلِ المُمانِعِ وَالدِفاعِ

Through Zayn al-Milla, hopes were healed

of obstructive delay and rebuff.

وَأَصبَحَتِ الشِفاهُ مُقَلقَلاتٍ

تُنازِعُ نُطفَةَ الخَيرِ المُذاعِ

Lips became quivering,

vying for a drop of bounty spread abroad.

فَأَعلَنَ بِشرَهُ في كُلِّ وَجهٍ

وَبَيَّنَ طَولَهُ في كُلِّ باعِ

So he displayed his cheer in every face,

and showed his bounty in every arm's reach.

رَآكَ لِكُلِّ ما يَأتيهِ أَهلاً

وَأَنتَ أَحَقُّ ذَوداً بِالمِراعِ

He judged you worthy of all he bestows,

and no herd deserves the pastures more than you.

صَنيعاً لا يَجُرُّ عَلَيكَ مَنّاً

وَحِملُ المَنِّ غَيرُ المُستَطاعِ

A kindness that brings no reproach upon you—

for the burden of reminders of favors cannot be borne.

أَجارَ أَبو الفَوارِسِ مِنكَ سَيفاً

تَحامَتهُ يَمينُ أَبي شُجاعِ

Abu al-Fawaris sheltered the sword that you are,

which Abu Shujaʿ's right hand had shunned.

فِدىً لَكَ مَن يُنازِعُكَ الرَزايا

وَيَقرِضُكَ الأَذى صاعاً بِصاعِ

May he who pits calamities against you be your ransom,

and lends you harm, measure for measure,

بَعَضِّ أَنامِلَ الأُسدِ الضَواري

عَليكَ بِغَيظِ أَنيابِ الأَفاعي

with the finger-biting of ravening lions

against you, with the fury of vipers' fangs.

رَعاكَ بِلَحظِ طَرفٍ غَيرِ رانٍ

وَعاجَ عَليكَ سَمعاً غَيرَ واعِ

He watched over you with an eye that did not look,

and inclined toward you an ear that did not heed.

فَكُنتَ السَيفَ أَغمَدَهُ جَبانٌ

فَسُلَّ وَقَد تَصَدَّى لِلمِصاعِ

You were a sword sheathed by a coward,

then drawn when it stood ready for the fray.

أَلانَ رِدِ العَلاءَ بِلا رَقيبٍ

وَشَمِّر في الأُمورِ وَلا تُراعِ

Now approach high honor without a watcher,

and gird yourself for affairs; do not be afraid.

وَلا يَغرُركَ قَعقَعَةُ الأَعادي

فَذاكَ الصَخرُ خَرَّ مِنَ اليَفاعِ

Let not your enemies' rattling deceive you:

that is rock tumbling from the heights.

رَجَونا مِنكَ يَوماً مُستَطيلاً

عَلى الأَعداءِ وَضّاحَ القِناعِ

We hoped from you for a day triumphant

over the foe, its veil radiant,

تَغيظُ الحاسِدينَ بِهِ وَتُرضي

قُلوباً لا تُعَلَّلُ بِالخِداعِ

with which you anger the envious and satisfy

hearts that cannot be soothed with deception.

أَتَقنَعُ أَن تُضامَ وَأَنتَ حامٍ

وَتُهمِلُنا البِقاعُ وَأَنتَ راعِ

Will you accept oppression, you who are a protector,

while the lands neglect us, you who are a shepherd?

وَمافِ الأَرضِ أَحسَنُ مِن يَسارٍ

إِذا اِستَولى عَلى أَمرٍ مُطاعِ

Nothing on earth is finer than prosperity

when it takes charge of affairs and is obeyed.

أَلانَ تَراجَعَت تِلكَ الرَعايا

وَجُهِّزَتِ الرَعِيَةُ لِلمَراعي

Now those subjects have gathered again,

and the flock is readied for the pastures.

وَعادَ السِربُ أَمنَعَ مِن قُلوبٍ

تَقَلَّبُ بَينَ أَضلاعِ السِباعِ

The herd has become safer than hearts

turning between the ribs of beasts of prey.

وَصارَ الدَهرُ أَمرَحَ مِن طَروبٍ

تُصافِحُ سَمعَهُ نَغَمُ السَماعِ

Time has become merrier than one enraptured

whose ear the melodies of song caress.

تُسَمَّحُ عِطفَهُ بَعدَ اِجتِنابٍ

وَتَخطِمُ أَنفَهُ بَعدَ اِمتِناعِ

You soften its flank after its shunning,

and halter its nose after its resistance.

تُفاخِرُنا رِجالٌ لَيسَ تَدري

بِما عَلِمَ الجَبانُ مِنَ الشُجاعِ

Men vie with us in boasting, though they know not

what the coward has learned of the brave.

وَلَو خَلَّيتَ عَنّا في رِهانٍ

تَبَيَّنَتِ البِطاءُ مِنَ السِراعِ

Were you to loose your hold on us in a race,

the slow would be distinguished from the swift.

وَنَحنُ أَحَقُّ بِالدُنيا وَلَكِن

تَخَيَّرتَ القُطوفَ عَلى الوِساعِ

We have a better claim to the world, but

you preferred slow-paced mounts to wide-striding ones.

أَرومُ بِحُسنِ رَأيِكَ كُلَّ أَمرٍ

يُؤَلِّفُ فِرقَةَ الأَمَلِ الشَعاعِ

Through your sound judgment I seek every course

that gathers the scattered company of hope.

وَأَطلُبُ مِنكَ ما لا عَيبَ فيهِ

وَأَينَ المَجدُ إِلّا في اِصطِناعي

I ask of you what bears no blame:

where is glory, save in bestowing favor on me?