جزاء أمير المؤمنين ثنائي — Alsharif Alradi

جَزاءُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ ثَنائي

عَلى نِعَمٍ ما تَنقَضي وَعَطاءِ

My praise is the recompense of the Commander of the Faithful,

For blessings that never end, and bounty.

أَقامَ اللَيالي عَن بَقايا فَريسَتي

وَلَم يَبقَ مِنها اليَومَ غَيرُ ذَماءِ

He drove the nights away from the remnants of my flesh,

And nothing of it remains today but a remnant of life.

وَأَدنى أَقاصي جاهِهِ لِوَسائِلي

وَشَدَّ أَواخي جودِهِ بِرَجائي

And brought the remotest reaches of his power near to my appeals,

And bound the tethers of his bounty to my hope.

وَعَلَّمَني كَيفَ الطُلوعُ إِلى العُلى

وَكَيفَ نَعيمُ المَرءِ بَعدَ شَقاءِ

And taught me how to ascend to the heights,

And how a man finds bliss after misery;

وَكَيفَ أَرُدُّ الدَهرَ عَن حَدَثانِهِ

وَأَلقى صُدورَ الخَيلِ أَيَّ لِقاءِ

And how to turn Time back from its calamities,

And face the horses' breasts in any encounter.

فَما لِيَ أُغضي عَن مَطالِبَ جَمَّةٍ

وَأَعلَمُ أَنّي عُرضَةٌ لِفَناءِ

Why, then, should I overlook so many ambitions,

When I know that I am subject to extinction?

وَأَترُكُ سُمرَ الخَطِّ ظَمأى خَلِيَّةً

وَشَرُّ قَناً ما كُنَّ غَيرَ رِواءِ

And leave the brown spears of al-Khatt thirsty and idle,

When the worst spears are those left unquenched?

إِذا ما جَرَرتُ الرُمحَ لَم يُثنِني أَبٌ

يُليحُ وَلا أُمٌّ تَصيحُ وَرائي

When I trail the spear, no father turns me back,

Beckoning, nor a mother crying behind me.

وَشَيَّعَني قَلبٌ إِذا ما أَمَرتُهُ

أَطاعَ بِعَزمٍ لا يَروغُ وَرائي

And a heart escorts me which, whenever I command it,

Obeys with resolve, never slinking behind me.

أَرى الناسَ يَهوَونَ الخَلاصَ مِنَ الرَدى

وَتَكمِلَةُ المَخلوقِ طولُ عَناءِ

I see people longing to escape death,

Yet a creature's full span is prolonged suffering.

وَيَستَقبِحونَ القَتلَ وَالقَتلُ راحَةٌ

وَأَتعَبُ مَيتٍ مَن يَموتُ بِداءِ

And they deem being slain ugly, though being slain is rest,

And the most exhausted of the dead is one who dies of illness.

فَلَستُ اِبنَ أُمِّ الخَيلِ إِن لَم تَعُد بِها

عَوابِسَ تَأبى الضَيمَ مِثلَ إِبائي

I am no son of the mother of horses unless you return with them,

Scowling, refusing humiliation as I refuse it.

وَأُرجِعُها مَفجوعَةً بِحُجولِها

إِذا اِنتَعَلَت مِن مَأزِقٍ بِدِماءِ

And I turn them back, bereft of their white stockings,

When they have shod themselves in blood from the melee,

إِلى حَيِّ مَن كانَ الإِمامُ عَدُوَّهُ

وَصَبَّحَهُ مِن أَمرِهِ بِقَضاءِ

Toward the clan of the man whose enemy was the Imam,

And whom he assailed at dawn with his command's judgment.

هُوَ اللَيثُ لا مُستَنهَضٌ عَن فَريسَةٍ

وَلا راجِعٌ عَن فُرصَةٍ لِحَياءِ

He is the lion, never driven away from prey,

Nor turning back from an opportunity out of shame.

وَلا عَزمُهُ في فِعلِهِ بِمُذَلَّلٍ

وَلا مَشيُهُ في فَتكِهِ بِضَراءِ

Nor is his resolve in action subdued,

Nor does he walk under cover when he strikes.

هُوَ النابِهُ النَيرانِ في كُلِّ ظُلمَةٍ

وَمُجري دِماءَ الكومِ كُلَّ مَساءِ

He is renowned for his fires in every darkness,

And makes the blood of high-humped she-camels flow each evening.

وَمُعلي حَنينِ القَوسِ في كُلِّ غارَةٍ

بِسَهمِ نِضالٍ أَو بِسَهمِ غَلاءِ

And raises the bow's cry in every raid,

With an arrow aimed at a mark, or one shot for distance.

فَخارٌ لَوَ اَنَّ النَجمَ أُعطِيَ مِثلَهُ

تَرَفَّعَ أَن يَأوي أَديمَ سَماءِ

Glory that, were a star granted its like,

It would disdain to dwell on heaven's skin.

وَوَجهٌ لَوَ اَنَّ البَدرَ يَحمِلُ شُبهَهُ

أَضاءَ اللَيالي مِن سَنىً وَسَناءِ

And a face that, if the full moon bore its likeness,

It would light the nights with radiance and splendor.

مَغارِسُ طالَت في رُبى المَجدِ وَاِلتَقَت

عَلى أَنبِياءِ اللَهِ وَالخُلَفاءِ

Plantings that grew tall on the hills of glory and converge

Upon God's prophets and the caliphs.

وَكَم صارِخٍ ناداكَ لَمّا تَلَبَّبَت

بِهِ السُمرُ في يَومٍ بِغَيرِ ذُكاءِ

And how many a man cried for your help when he was seized by the collar

By the brown spears, on a day without Dhuka, the sun.

رَدَدتَ عَلَيهِ النَفسَ وَالشَمسَ فَاِنثَنى

بِأَنعَمِ روحٍ في أَعَمِّ ضِياءِ

You restored his life and the sun to him, and so he departed

With the most blissful spirit, in the fullest light.

وَكَم صَدرِ مَوتورٍ تَطَلَّعَ غَيظُهُ

وَقَلَّبَ قَولاً عَن لِسانِ مِراءِ

And how many a wronged man's breast had its rage rise up,

And rolled out words from a contentious tongue,

يُغَطّي عَلى أَضغانِهِ بِنِفاقِهِ

كَذي العَقرِ غَطّى ظَهرَهُ بِكَفاءِ

Veiling his grudges with his hypocrisy,

Like a saddle-galled beast that covered its back with a cloth.

كَرَرتَ عَلَيهِ الحِلمَ حَتّى قَتَلتَهُ

بِغَيرِ طِعانٍ في الوَغى وَرِماءِ

You charged him again and again with forbearance until you slew him,

Without spear-thrusts in the fray or arrow-shots.

إِذا حَمَلَ الناسُ اللِواءَ عَلامَةً

كَفاكَ مَثارُ النَقعِ كُلَّ لِواءِ

When people carry a banner as a sign,

The dust you raise suffices you in place of every banner.

وَجَيشٍ مُضِرٍّ بِالفَلاةِ كَأَنَّهُ

رِقابُ سُيولٍ أَو مُتونُ نِهاءِ

And an army pressing upon the wilderness, as though it were

The necks of torrents or the backs of pools.

كَأَنَّ الرُبى زَرَّت عَلَيهِ جُيوبَها

وَرَدَّتهُ مِن بَوغائِها بِرِداءِ

As though the hills had buttoned their collars around it,

And clothed it in a mantle of their fine dust.

وَخَيلٌ تَغالى في السُروجِ كَأَنَّها

صُدورُ عَوالٍ أَو قِداحُ سَراءِ

And horses stretching tall beneath their saddles, as though they were

The foreparts of long spears, or shafts of sara wood.

لَها السَبقُ في الضَمّاتِ وَالسَبقُ وَخدُها

إِذا غُطِّيَت مِن نَقعِها بِغِطاءِ

They lead in racing heats; their very stride wins,

When they are veiled in a covering of their own dust.

وَلَيسَ فَتىً مَن يَدَّعي البَأسَ وَحدَه

إِذا لَم يُعَوِّذ بَأسَهُ بِسَخاءِ

And he is no gallant who claims courage alone,

Unless he protects his courage with generosity as a charm.

وَما أَنتَ بِالمَبخوسِ حَظّاً مِنَ العُلى

وَلا قانِعاً مِن عَيشِهِ بِكِفاءِ

And you are not shortchanged in your share of eminence,

Nor one content with mere sufficiency in his life.

نَصيبُكَ مِن ذا العيدِ مِثلُكَ وافِرٌ

وَسَعدُكَ فيهِ مُؤذِنٌ بِبَقاءِ

Your share of this festival, like you, is abundant,

And your good fortune in it heralds long life.

وَلَو كانَ كُلٌّ آخِذاً قَدرَ نَفسِهِ

لَكانَت لَكَ الدُنيا بِغَيرِ مِراءِ

And were everyone to receive according to his own worth,

The world would be yours without dispute.

وَما هَذِهِ الأَعيادُ إِلّا كَواكِبٌ

تَغورُ وَتولينا قَليلَ ثَواءِ

And these festivals are nothing but stars

That set and grant us only a brief stay.

فَخُذ مِن سُرورٍ ما اِستَطَعتَ وَفُز بِهِ

فَلِلناسِ قِسماً شِدَّةٍ وَرَخاءِ

So take what joy you can, and make it yours;

For people have two portions: hardship and ease.

وَبادِر إِلى اللَذّاتِ فَالدَهرُ مولَعٌ

بِتَنغيصِ عَيشٍ وَاِصطِلامِ عَلاءِ

And hasten toward pleasures, for Time is intent

On embittering life and uprooting eminence.

أَبُثُّكَ مِن وُدّي بِغَيرِ تَكَلُّفٍ

وَأُرضيكَ مِن نُصحي بِغَيرِ رِياءِ

I impart my affection to you without affectation,

And please you with my sincere counsel, without ostentation.

وَأَذكُرُما أَولَيتَني مِن صَنيعَةٍ

فَأُصفيكَ رَهنَي طاعَةٍ وَوَفاءِ

And I remember the kindness you bestowed on me,

So I sincerely offer you the twin pledges of obedience and loyalty.

أَعِنّي عَلى دَهرٍ رَماني بِصَرفِهِ

وَرَدَّ عِناني وَهوَ في الغُلَواءِ

Help me against a Time that struck me with its vicissitudes,

And checked my rein while it was in a headlong rush.

وَحَلَّأَني عَمَّن أَعُدُّ بَعادَهُ

سَقامي وَمِن قُربي إِلَيهِ شِفائي

And barred me from one whose absence I count

My sickness, while my cure comes from my nearness to him.

فَقَدتُ وَفي فَقدِ الأَحِبَّةِ غُربَةٌ

وَهِجرانُ مَن أَحبَبتُ أَعظَمُ داءِ

I have known loss; in losing loved ones there is exile,

And separation from one I have loved is the greatest ailment.

فَلا تَطمَعَن يا دَهرُ فيَّ فَإِنَّهُ

مَلاذِيَ مِما راعَني وَوِقائي

So do not covet me, O Time, for he

Is my refuge from what terrified me, and my protection.

أَرُدُّ بِهِ أَيدي الأَعادي وَأَتَّقي

نَوافِذَ شَتّى مِن أَذىً وَبَلاءِ

Through him I repel my enemies' hands and guard against

Varied piercing blows of harm and affliction.

أَلَذُّ بِقَلبي مِن مُنايَ تَقَنُّعي

وَأَحسَنُ عِندي مِن غِنايَ غَنائِيَ

My contentment is sweeter to my heart than my wishes,

And my usefulness is finer to me than my wealth.

وَمَن كانَ ذا نَفسٍ تُطيعُ قَنوعَةً

رَضي بِقَليلٍ مِن كَثيرِ ثَراءِ

And whoever has an obedient, contented soul

Is satisfied with a little of abundant wealth.

حَدَوا بِالمَطايا يَومَ جالَت غُروضُها

وَيَومَ اِتَّقَت رُكبانُها بِرُغاءِ

They sang the mounts onward when their girths swung,

And when they warded off their riders with bellowing.

تَأُمُّكَ لا تَلوِي عَلى كُلِّ رَوضَةٍ

يَصيحُ بِها حَوذانُها وَأَضاءِ

They head toward you, not turning aside for any meadow

Where its buttercups and pools call aloud.

وَلا تَشرَبُ الأَمواهَ إِلّا تَعِلَّةً

إِذا عَثَرَت أَخفافُهُنَّ بِماءِ

And they drink water only for a brief refreshment,

When their padded feet stumble upon water.

لَها سائِقٌ يَطغى عَلَيها بِسَوطِهِ

وَيَشدو عَلى آثارِها بِحَداءِ

They have a driver who tyrannizes over them with his whip,

And sings a camel-driving chant along their tracks.

غُلامٌ كَأَخلاءِ اللِجامِ تُجيزُهُ

صُدورُ القَنا وَالبيضُ كُلَّ فَضاءِ

A youth like the bridle's straps, whom

Spearpoints and white swords let pass through every open expanse.

إِذا بَلَغَت ناديكَ نالَ رِفاقُها

عَريضَ عَطاءٍ مِن طَويلِ ثَناءِ

When they reach your assembly, their companions receive

Lavish bounty in return for lengthy praise.

وَمِثلُكَ مَن يُعشى إِلى ضَوءِ نارِه

وَيُلفى قِراهُ عِندَ كُلِّ خِباءِ

And one like you is he whose firelight is sought at night,

And whose hospitality is found at every tent.

وَما كُلُّ فُعّالِ النَدى بِشِبائِهِ

وَلا كُلُّ طُلّابِ العُلى بِسَواءِ

And not all who practice generosity are his peers,

Nor are all seekers of eminence alike.