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The seeker attained not what he sought

ما جد السعي أتاه ما سعى له

1. The seeker attained not what he sought
Nor did the resolute gain what he yearned

١. ما جدُ السعي أتاه ما سعى لَهْ
ومُعانٍ طلبَ العزَّ فنالَهْ

2. A generous one let loose his stallion
Aspirations change slowness to haste

٢. وجوادٌ أطلقتْ أرساغَهُ
هممٌ تُبدِلُ بالريثِ العجالَهْ

3. So he raced, no fatigue hindered him
With abundant ground and unconfined space

٣. فجري لم تَثنه دونَ المدى
سعةٌ الشوطِ ولا ضيقُ المجالَهْ

4. The more the arena expanded for him
He fulfilled in distance and flowed in prolonging

٤. كلّما طال به ميدانُهُ
تمّ بالبعد وأجرَى في الإطالَهْ

5. Appealing for his right from an aloof one
Whom God will return from long error

٥. ناشداً من حقّه عازبةً
ردّها اللهُ على طول الضلالَهْ

6. He ended while the wind followed his heels
Perplexed, asking to stop blowing

٦. فانتهى والريحُ في أعقابه
حَيرَةً تسألُ مُجريها الإقالَهْ

7. O sons of Ayyub, good tiding supreme
For you, while above it the earth is respite

٧. يا بني أيوبَ بُشرَى أعظمٍ
لكُمُ من فوقها الأرضُ مُهالَهْ

8. By loins not attaining their pedigree
With the pillar of chieftains it grew stable

٨. وهَنَا أسلافَكم ما أعقبتْ
تلكم الأصلابُ من هذي السلالَهْ

9. For you, pillars of glory inclining
His land did not cease to have horses

٩. بعميدِ الرؤساءِ اعتدلتْ
لكُمُ أعمدةُ المجد الممالَهْ

10. Stamping in valour until this slipperiness ceased
The right returned to its people

١٠. لم تزل مُديتُه حافرةً
في الكُدَى حتى صفَت هذي الزَّلالَهْ

11. And felt intimate in its abode, knowing its gods
Thanking fate in its time

١١. رجعَ الحقُّ إلى أربابه
واحتبى في داره يعرفُ آلَهْ

12. And blaming distance in what was lofty
After you, every hand unraveled it

١٢. يشكر الأقدارَ في أوبته
ويذمُّ البعدَ فيما كان عالَهْ

13. That did not excel in seizing and taking
It neglected the worth of its meanings so

١٣. أنحلتْه بعدكم كلُّ يدٍ
لم تكن تُحسن في الغصب انتحالَهْ

14. It sufficed with impossible names
The Capable saw when He returned it

١٤. جهلَت قدرَ معانيه فقد
رضِيتْ منه بأسماءٍ مُحالَهْ

15. To you, that guidance is in what occurred to Him
And saw its lights from your shade

١٥. أبصر القادرُ لمّا ردَّها
فيكُمُ أنّ الهدى فيما بدا لَهْ

16. After the house of tyranny, in the house of justice
And the deposed imam before it

١٦. ورأى أنوارَها من ظلِّكمْ
بعدَ بيت الجوْر في بيت العدالَهْ

17. You were more worthy of it than he who befriended it
You were not like one who fermented for him

١٧. والإمام المجتلَى من قبله
كنتُمُ أولى به ممن عنا لَهْ

18. Wine in his rule until he removed it
And the one taking charge of the matter tomorrow

١٨. لم تكونوا كالذي دبّ له
خَمَراً في مُلكه حتى أزالَهْ

19. Saw that you are the firmest pillars and his family
He perplexed the people so you were beneath them

١٩. ورأى القائمُ بالأمر غداً
أنكم أنصر أعضاداً وآلَهْ

20. His hand bearing a sword and travel supplies
So he chose from you a lad, what a lad!

٢٠. عجمَ الناسَ فكنتم دونهم
يدَه تحمِلُ سيفاً ورِحالَهْ

21. Who combined origin with resolve and nobility
He caught up to the line and a step increased

٢١. فاجتبى منكم فتىً أيَّ فتىً
شفع الأصلَ بحزمٍ وأصالَهْ

22. From him giving over what bounty gives
It will rest tomorrow through your father Alib

٢٢. لحِقَ العرقَ وزادت خطوةٌ
منه أعطتْ فوق ما تُعطي الفُضالَهْ

23. A state from the apparent injustice, disgraced
O minister of the caliphs, start with it

٢٣. بأبي طالبَ ترتاحُ غداً
دولةٌ من ظاهرِ الجورِ مذالَهْ

24. As you start with the sword you carry
Why wouldn't it long for a gathering to fill it

٢٤. يا وزير الخلفاء انهض بها
مثلما تنهض بالسيف الحِمالَهْ

25. While your face in it is a full moon haloed
A stance, you are its brother and son

٢٥. كيف لا يشتاق أن تملأه
مجلسٌ وجهُك بدرٌ وهو هالَهْ

26. People overpowered it with ignorance
A position you did not assume by mistake

٢٦. موقفٌ أنت أخوه وابنه
غلبَ الناسُ عليه بالجهالَهْ

27. And a station you did not inherit from weariness
You beautify the world and who is in it through it

٢٧. رتبةٌ لم تقتعدْها غَلطاً
ومُقامٌ لم ترثْه عن كَلالَهْ

28. And upon that you were already its beauty
And congratulations on a loose honorable robe

٢٨. تجمُلُ الدنيا ومن فيها به
وعلى ذاك لقد كنت جمالَهْ

29. They made its train for you without humiliation
An Abbasid black robe

٢٩. وهنيئاً لبسةٌ فضفاضةٌ
ذيّلوها لك من غير إذالَهْ

30. Its splendor speaks from it and heroism
It was tailored from the leather of night

٣٠. لبِسةٌ سوداءُ عباسيّة
تنطِق الروعةُ منها والبسالَهْ

31. Not darkness but dignity not misguidance
The horizon dawned over its dejur

٣١. من أديم الليل قُدّتْ هيبةً
لا ظلاماً ووقاراً لا ضلالَهْ

32. Its sun your face and silk its crescent
Created the desired color of youth

٣٢. أطلع الأفقُ على دَيجورِها
شمسَه وجهَك والتبرَ هلالَهْ

33. And etched its allure in you and your moles
And they graced it with another that described

٣٣. خُلقتْ لونَ الشبابِ المشتهَى
وحكت خَطرتَه فيك وخالَهْ

34. A meadow and twisted bands the water flowed between
The sights return confused from their directions

٣٤. وأعزّوها بأخرى وصَفتْ
روضَ وعساءَ جرى الماءُ خِلالَهْ

35. Perplexed by a glimmer or folds
Doubt assays you in its brocade

٣٥. ترجِع الأبصارُ من أوطارها
حَيرةً عن قبَسٍ أو عن ذُبالَهْ

36. Is it rigid brocade or fluid?
A smooth-necked doe if bestowed

٣٦. يمتريك الشكُّ في راصعها
أجْمدَ العسجدَ فيها أم أسالَهْ

37. Would wipe the sand dunes to smooth them
The heads bowed over its shoulders

٣٧. ومنيفٌ لاحقيّ لو عطا
عُنْقَه يمسح بالطود لطالَهْ

38. A dye no transfiguration pursued
It touches the ground only by mistake

٣٨. نفضَ الرَّوسُ على أعطافه
صِبغةً لم تتعقّبها استحالَهْ

39. Except to cling to the soil its slippers
Its threatening eyelids warned

٣٩. لا يَمسُّ الأرضَ إلا غلطاً
غيرَ أن يُعلِقَ بالترب نعالَهْ

40. They befriended the sand, arrow and its rope
Two quivers on a carrier

٤٠. نصَحَتْه مقلتَا جازئة
آنستْ بالرمل سهماً وحِبالَهْ

41. With faint bells so they clarify to it
People were amazed when you were covered

٤١. ومصيخان على نائية
بخفيّ الجَرْسِ حتى يوضِحا لَهْ

42. By a gazelle above it, the face of a gazelle
Favors I used to see their traces

٤٢. عجِبَ الناسُ وقد أُمطِيتَهُ
من غزالٍ فوقه وجهُ الغزالَهْ

43. In faint intuition or guidance of symbols
And the flowing of blessings from where you appeared

٤٣. مَنِحٌ كنتُ أرى آثارَها
بخفيّ الحدْسِ أو وحي الدلالَهْ

44. The lightning split, winking and its settlements
So the glory filled and drag its train

٤٤. وانسكاب المزن من حيث انبرت
شقق البرق خِطافاً ومَخالَهْ

45. Settle its meadow and inhabit its shade
A step after which the wishes have

٤٥. فتملّ العزّ واسحب ذيلَهْ
وارتبع روضتَه واسكن ظِلالَهْ

46. No higher plateau giving height and lengthening
And if the matter not be increasing

٤٦. خطوةٌ ما للمنى من بعدها
مرتقىً يعطى سموّاً واستطالَهْ

47. May God perpetuate this and prolong it
And may time wrap its consequences

٤٧. وإذا لم يك أمر زائداً
فأدام الله هذا وأطالَهْ

48. While issues not yet concluding their transition
And assuming praise travels riding

٤٨. وانطوى الدهر على أعقابه
والقضايا وهي لم تقض انتقالَهْ

49. Every fading crescent in the travel supplies
It knocked so I found hard what it carries

٤٩. وانتحال المدح يسرِي راكباً
كلَّ فتلاء ضمورٍ في الرحَالَهْ

50. While under the burden, majesty's lackadaisicalness
Words failed and intention increased in capacity

٥٠. دقّ فاستصعب ما تحملُهُ
وهي تحت الحِمل بزلاءُ جُلالَهْ

51. If finding in you its expression
For congratulations, every day above it

٥١. فاتت القولَ وزادت قدرةً
وقُوىً أن وجدت فيك مقالَهْ

52. A knocker expanding poetry's scope
Extracting it from you, a connoisseur pair

٥٢. للتهاني كلّ يومٍ فوقها
طارقٌ يوسع للشعر مجالَهْ

53. Who takes words and gives us its actions
Fattening presentation and heating his palm

٥٣. يجتليها منك كفءٌ عارفٌ
يأخذ القولَ ويعطينا فعالَهْ

54. The lover of presentation, who hates his money
So take advantage of it, and take from its sustenance

٥٤. يُسمِنُ العِرضَ ويُضوِي كفَّه
وحبيبُ العِرض من أبغضَ مالَهْ

55. Its edible sweetness, freely and lawfully
And tolerate from it, its shortcoming

٥٥. فتغنَّمها وخذ من رزقه
حُلوَهُ المأكولَ عفواً وحلالَهْ

56. Perhaps being with prolonging
New occasions above it for poetry

٥٦. واحتمل من هذه تقصيرَها
ربّما كانت مع الطَّوْل الإطالَهْ