أرى كل جبار بسيفك يصغر — Azzouz Elmalazouzi

أَرى كُلّ جَبّارٍ بِسَيفك يَصغُرُ

وَكُلّ مَليكٍ عَن فعالك يقصُرُ

I see every tyrant grow small before your sword,

And every king fall short of your deeds,

وَكُلُّ عَزيزٍ خاضِعاً مُتواضِعاً

وَكُلُّ يمانٍ عَن يَمينك يُمطِرُ

And every mighty man submissive and humbled,

And every Yemeni blade rain down from your right hand.

تَنامُ عُيون الناس طرّاً وَأَنتَ في

صَلاح العلى وَالخَلق ما زلتَ تَسهَرُ

The eyes of all people sleep, while you

Still keep vigil for the good of glory and mankind.

أَضاءَت بك الدُنيا فَزال ظَلامُها

فَأَيّامها مِن نُور وَجهك تُسفرُ

Through you the world shone, and its darkness vanished;

So its days brighten with the light of your face.

وَكانَ لَدَينا الدينُ قَد ضاعَ حَقّه

وَلَم يَبق مِنهُ غَيرُ عَين تَحدّرُ

And among us religion had lost its rightful standing,

And nothing remained of it but an eye streaming tears.

بَعَثتَ إِلى يَغمور بِالصُلح مُعلِماً

وَقُلت عَساه بِالبَصيرة ينظُرُ

You sent word to Yaghmur, announcing peace,

And said, 'Perhaps he will look with discernment.'

فَلم يَغتَبط بِالصُلح جَهلاً وَغَلظةً

فَيا عَجَباً مِن خاسرٍ كَيف يَخسَرُ

Yet through ignorance and harshness he took no joy in peace.

So, what wonder at a loser—how he loses!

أَرَدت بِأَن تَهديه للرُشد وَالهُدى

وَكَيفَ يَرى رُشداً شَقيّ مُغَيّرُ

You wished to lead him to right judgment and guidance,

But how can a wretched corrupter discern right judgment?

فَإِنَّك لا تَهدي مَن اِحبَبتَ لِلهُدى

أَتَدفع عَنهُ ما عَلَيهِ مُقَدّرُ

For you cannot guide those you love to guidance;

Can you ward off from him what is decreed against him?

أَبى اللَه إِلّا أَن يَخصّك بِالهُدى

وَيُعطيك في أُخراك ما هُوَ أَكثَرُ

God insisted on singling you out for guidance,

And giving you still more in your hereafter,

وَيَحرِم يَغمُوراً جِهادَ عَدوّنا

وَيَجعَله في بَحر بَأسك يُغمَرُ

And denying Yaghmur jihad against our enemy,

And having him engulfed in the sea of your might.

فَأسبِق بِهِ فَهوَ الجِهاد بِعَينهِ

فَحَتّى مَتى في الدّين يَغمور يُقصرُ

So begin with him, for that is jihad itself.

How long, then, will Yaghmur fall short in religion?

فَتَأخُذُه قَهراً وَتَملِك أَرضَه

فَأَنت عَلَيهِ في المَلاحِم أَقدَرُ

Then you will seize him by force and possess his land,

For you have greater power over him in great battles.

أَيَنسى نَفيض إِيسَلي ثمّ وَجدةً

وَيَوم تَلاغٍ وَالقَنا تَتَكسّرُ

Does he forget Nafid, Isli, then Oujda,

And the day of Telagh, when the lances shattered,

وَقَد سَطعت بيضٌ خِفافٌ صَوارمٌ

وَقَد حَجَب الشَمس المُنيرة أَغبرُ

And bright, light, keen-edged swords had flashed,

And a dust cloud had veiled the shining sun?

وَلا شَمسَ إِلّا وَجه يَعقوب إِذ بَدا

تَراه لَدى الهَيجاء وَالحَرب تُسعرُ

And there was no sun but Yaqub's face when he appeared;

You see him amid the fray, while war is set ablaze.

وَيَغمور قَبل الحَرب يحلِفُ أَنّه

إِذا ما اِلتَقى الجَمعان لِلأَسر يَذعرُ

And before battle Yaghmur swore that he

Would, when the two armies met, terrify them into captivity.

فَلَمّا رَأى أَسيافَكُم تَستَبي الطلى

وَأَبصَر خَيل اللَه كَالأسد تَزأرُ

But when he saw your swords taking necks captive,

And saw God's horses roaring like lions,

تَولّى عَلى أَعقابِه مُتَحَسّراً

فَأَين مَضَت أَيمانُه وَالتَجَبّرُ

He turned on his heels, filled with regret.

So where have his oaths and arrogance gone?

أَيَجحد يَغمورٌ فَضائلك الَّتي

إِذا عُدّدت عِندَ الوَفا لَيسَ تحصرُ

Does Yaghmur deny your virtues, which,

When recounted in full, cannot be encompassed?

وَأَنتَ الَّذي أَنقَذتَ دِرعاً مِن الرَدى

وَكانَت بِها الأَعرابُ لِلنَهب تكثرُ

You are the one who rescued Draa from ruin,

Where Bedouins had gathered in numbers for plunder.

قَطَعت لَهُم قَصداً جِبالاً تَصعّبت

تُرى العيسُ فيها وَالسَوابق تخبرُ

Intent on reaching them, you crossed forbidding mountains;

There the pale camels are seen, and the swift steeds are tested.

فَلَمّا حَللت السَهل أَرسَلت ماجِداً

تذِلّ لَهُ الأَملاك ساعَةَ يَظهَرُ

Then, when you reached the plain, you sent a noble man,

Before whom kings bow the moment he appears.

بِأَولادِ عَبد الحَقّ قَد ظَهَر الهُدى

وَصارَ النَدى قَد يَمّم الغَرب يَقطُرُ

Through the sons of Abd al-Haqq, guidance has appeared,

And generosity turned toward the West, dripping down.

أَتوا قاصِدين الغَرب وَالظُلم عَمّه

فَصارَ بِهم يَسبي العُقول وَيُبهَرُ

They came heading for the West, which oppression had filled;

Through them it came to captivate minds and dazzle.

وَقَد قالَ خَيرُ العالَمين مُحَمّد

يَكون لَكم بَعدي لَدى الغَرب معشرُ

And indeed Muhammad, the best of all creation, said:

'After me, there will be for you a people in the West,

بِهم يَعتلي الإِسلام بَعد اِمتِهانه

وَيَرجع في أَثوابه يَتَبَخترُ

Through whom Islam will rise after its humiliation,

And return, strutting in its robes.'

وَأَرجو مِن الرَحمَن أَنَّكُمُ هُمُ

فَفي فِعلكم هَديُ المَآثر يَظهَرُ

And I look to the All-Merciful in hope that you are they,

For in your deeds the example of noble achievements appears.

أَبا يوسفٍ أَنتَ الغِياثُ لِدِيننا

أُولو العلم في أَخبارهم بِكَ بَشّروا

O Abu Yusuf, you are the succor of our religion;

The learned gave glad tidings of you in their accounts.

سَتَملِكها غَرباً وَشَرقاً وَقِبلَةً

وَجَوفاً فَهَذا في كان الجفرِ يُذكرُ

You will rule it west and east and south,

And north: this was mentioned in the Jafr.

طُلَيطِلة تَغزو وَيَفنى مَليكها

وَإِشبيليا عَمّا قَريب تُذَكّرُ

You will raid Toledo, and its king will perish,

And Seville will soon be remembered.

مَرينُ أَلا قُودُوا الجِياد لِنَهبها

وَلِلغَزوِ يا أُسد الفَوارس فَانِفِروا

Marin, come! Lead the steeds to plunder her,

And march out to war, O lions among horsemen!

لَقَد سَكَن الأَعدا مساجدَ ربّنا

وَكانَ بِها قَبلُ المُهيمنُ يُذكَرُ

The enemies have indeed settled in our Lord's mosques,

Where the Guardian was once remembered.

فَعادَت إِلى الخِنزير وَالشّرك مسكناً

وَبُوقاتُهم فَوق الصَوامع تَزمُرُ

So they have become a dwelling for swine and idolatry,

And their trumpets blare above the minarets.

وَكَم غَنِموا مِنّا حِساناً كَواعِباً

وَغُزلانَ درّ في المَقاصير تُقصَرُ

And how many beautiful, full-breasted maidens they seized from us,

And pearl-like gazelles, secluded in private chambers.

وَكَم أَيتَموا مِنّا بَنين أَصاغِراً

فَأَكبادُنا مِن حالِهم تَتَفطّرُ

And how many little sons of ours they orphaned,

So our livers are rent apart by their plight.

يَظنّون أَنّ الدَهر قَد نامَ عَنهُمُ

وَأَنّ عُلاهُم لا تَزال تُظفّرُ

They think that time has fallen asleep, heedless of them,

And that their supremacy will forever be crowned with victory.

أَما عَلِمُوا أَنّ الإِلَه يُبيدهم

بِجَيشِ مَلِيكٍ نصرُه مُتيسّرُ

Do they not know that God will annihilate them

By the army of a king whose victory comes readily?

هُوَ الملك المَنصور ذو المَجد وَالعُلا

أَبو يوسف غَيثُ الغَمام المطهّرُ

He is the victorious king, lord of glory and eminence,

Abu Yusuf, the clouds' purifying rain.

فَلو قيلَ لِلإِسلام مَن كُنت تَرتَجي

لَقالَ لَنا يَعقوب ذاكَ الغَضَنفَرُ

So if Islam were asked, 'Whom were you hoping for?'

It would tell us, 'Yaqub, that mighty lion.'

وَما هُوَ لِلإِسلام إِلّا مُهَنّدٌ

بنوه لَهُ حَليٌ أَنيقٌ وَجَوهَرُ

And for Islam he is nothing but an Indian-steel sword;

His sons are its elegant adornment and jewels.

فَمَن كَأَبي الأَملاك مَن مثلُ يوسف

تَخال النَدى مِن كَفّهم يَتَفَجّرُ

Who, then, is like the father of kings? Who is like Yusuf?

You would think generosity gushes from their palms.

يَزينهم علمٌ وَحلمٌ وَعفّةٌ

وَجودٌ سَكيبُ الوَبل لا يَتَعذّرُ

Knowledge, forbearance, and chastity adorn them,

And bounty pouring in torrents, never failing.

فَلا زالَ هَذا الملك فيك وَفيهمُ

يُحسّنهُ الرَحمنُ لا يَتَكدّرُ

May this kingship ever remain in you and in them;

The All-Merciful makes it fair; may it never be clouded.

إِلَيكَ أَميرَ المُؤمنين قَصيدةً

تُعجّزُ من في الغَرب وَالشَرق يشعرُ

Here for you, Commander of the Faithful, is a poem

That defeats every poet in the West and East.

ثَناؤكُم فيها اللآلي نظّمت

وَذكركم مِسكٌ ذكي وَعَنبرُ

Your praise in it is pearls strung together,

And the mention of you is fragrant musk and ambergris.