الحب مذ كان معنى يصحب الأدبا — Dhafer Al Haddad

الحبُّ مُذْ كان معنىً يَصْحَب الأَدَبا

فإنْ تغزلتَ في مدحٍ فلا عَجَبا

Love has accompanied literature ever since it became a theme.

So if you speak of love in a panegyric, there is no wonder.

وأحسنُ الشعرِ ما أَضْحَى تَغزُّلُه

إلى المَدائحِ في إنشادِه سَببَا

The finest poetry is that whose love verse becomes

a bridge to praise when it is recited.

والفهم كالنارِ والتَّشْبيبُ إنْ خَمَدتْ

يَشُبُّها بلَطِيفَىْ فكرةٍ وصَبَا

Understanding is like fire: if it dies down, the amorous prelude

rekindles it with the twin subtleties of thought and longing.

كم فكرةٍ أَنْتَجَتْ معنىً لمُلتهِب

بالشوق لو رامَه في غيرِه عَزَبا

How many a thought has yielded a meaning to one aflame

with longing, which would elude him if he sought it elsewhere.

وحكمةُ العَربِ الماضِين كامِنةٌ

في الشعرِ فليَقْفُ من يُعْنَى به العربا

The wisdom of the Arabs of old lies hidden

in poetry; let whoever cares for it follow the Arabs.

فهل تَعاطاهُ فَحْلٌ في فَصاحتِه

إلا بكى سَكَنا أو ناح أو نَدَبا

Did any master, in all his eloquence, ever practice it

without weeping for a beloved, wailing, or lamenting?

والشعرُ تَلْقينُ شيطانِ الغَرام فلا

يُمْلِي غَرائبَه إلا لمن نَسَبا

Poetry is the prompting of passion's demon, so he does not

dictate its marvels except to one who sings of love.

إلا مَائحَ شاهِنْشاهَ لا بَرِحتْ

تُشرِّف اللفظَ والمعنى إذا اصطحبا

Except the praises of Shahinshah, which may ever

ennoble word and meaning when the two join.

جَلَّت مَحاسِنُها عما تُضافُ له

مُستغنِيات عن المُثْنِى وإنْ دَرِبا

Their beauties rise above whatever they are joined to,

needing no praiser, however practiced he may be.

لو لم تجد شاعرا في الأرض يَنْظِمها

عجزا لأَنْشَد فيها الحقُّ واخْتَطبا

Had they found no poet on earth to compose them,

through incapacity, Truth itself would have sung and declaimed them.

حَكتْ لنا العيشَ في أيامِ دولِته

لِطيبِه كلما كَرَّرْتَه عَذُبا

They mirrored for us life in the days of his reign,

so delightful that whenever you repeated it, it tasted sweet.

تَصَرَّفتْ في لُهاهُ الْخَلْقُ جائلةً

في الأرض تملأ قُطْرَيْها بما رَحُبا

Mankind moved freely amid his largesse, roaming

the earth and filling both its regions in all their breadth.

كم قَدْرُ ما قيل فيها وهْي في شرفٍ

وكثرةٍ وارتفاع فاقتِ الشُّهبُا

How little is all that has been said of them, when in nobility,

abundance, and height they have surpassed the shooting stars!

فنَفْسُه حيثُ حَلَّتْ في تَفرُّدِها

يَحْوىٍ بها كلُّ قطرٍ عَسْكراً لجِبَا

For wherever his peerless self settles,

every region holds, through him, a clamorous army.

وكلُّ شيءٍ نَفيسٍ من مَواهِبه

والأرضُ والْخَلْق طُرًّا بعضُ ما كَسبا

Every precious thing is among his gifts,

and the earth and all mankind are but part of what he has won.

أَعْطَى المَدائنَ والْجَمَّ الهَجائنَ وال

جُرْدَ الصَّواهلَ لما استَنْفَذ الذَّهبا

He gave away cities, multitudes of fine-bred camels, and the

sleek, neighing horses when he had exhausted the gold.

فليس يتركُ صوتُ المُسْتَميحِ له

ما لا على عُظْمِ ما يَحْوِي ولا نَشَبا

The gift-seeker's voice leaves him

neither money, however vast his holdings, nor property.

صِفْ عنه ما شئتَ مِن مدحٍ ومن كرمٍ

وهيبةٍ وافتخارٍ تَأمَنِ الكذبا

Describe him with whatever praise you wish, with generosity,

majesty, and proud glory—you are safe from falsehood.

ذو همةٍ لو يُلَقَّى بعضَ ما حَمَلت

طَوْدٌ من الشْمِّ أَدْنَى ساعةٍ نُكِبا

He has a resolve such that, were some of its burden laid upon

a great mountain among the lofty peaks, it would fall in an instant.

ذو همةٍ لو تَلاها البرقُ وانيةً

لاستعجزَتْه على إسراعِه وكبا

His resolve, were lightning to follow it even at its slowest,

would leave it helpless despite its speed, and it would stumble.

ما دتْ بنا الأرضُ لا

أدري هل اضطربَت

The earth swayed beneath us; I do not

know whether it trembled

من عَدْلِه طَرَبا أو خَوْفِه رَهَبا

سارتْ له سيرةٌ أَدْنَى مَناقِبها

in delight at his justice or in dread of him.

A tale of his conduct has spread, whose least virtue

قد عَطَّر الأرضَ والأفواهَ والكُتبا

تَضَمَّنتْ غَزواتٍ كلما ضحك ال

has perfumed the earth, mouths, and books.

It contains campaigns: whenever they bring laughter to

إسلامُ عنهنّ ناحَ الكفرُ وانْتَحَبا

أرضَى المَساجَد والزُّهّادَ عنه ألا

Islam, unbelief wails and sobs.

He won the approval of mosques and ascetics—behold,

للهِ ما أَسْخطَ الرُّهبانَ والصُّلُبا

وللأَذانِ سرورٌ في مَواطِنِه

by God, how he angered the monks and crosses!

The call to prayer rejoices in his domains,

تُبدِي النَّواقْيسُ منه الوَيْلَ والْحَرَبا

ضَمِّرْ خيولكَ للنصرِ التي وُعِدتْ

while the church bells proclaim woe and ruin because of him.

Train your horses for the victory promised them,

وَثَقِّفِ السُّمْرَ حَزْما وارْهَف القُضُبا

أَبشِرْ فعاداتُ وفدِ النصرِ قادمةٌ

and straighten the brown spears with resolve, and hone the blades.

Rejoice: victory's habitual delegation is coming,

كالِهيمِ من بعدِ خَمْسٍ وافتِ القَرَبا

واسْفِكْ دما في طُلَى الأَعداءِ منتظِرا

like thirst-stricken camels reaching water after five days.

And spill the blood waiting in your enemies' throats;

فلو أشارتْ له أَسيافُك وانْسَكبا

يا أَفضلَ الناسِ أَفْعالا وتسميةً

for if your swords beckoned to it, it would pour forth.

O most excellent of men in deeds and in name,

وأعدلَ الخَلْق نفساً حُرّة وأَبا

لم يَعْدَم الملكُ نَصْرا من سيوفكما

and most just of mankind, in your noble self and your father,

the realm has never lacked victory from the swords of you both,

فيما نأَى من قديم الدهرِ أو قَرُبا

أما أبوك الذي رَدَّت عَزائُمه

whether in the distant past or in recent times.

As for your father, whose resolves restored

للملك فيما مضى الحقَّ الذي اغتُصِبا

وأَمَّن الأرضَ بالخوفِ الذي نَهَبتْ

to the realm, in bygone days, the right that had been usurped,

and made the land safe through the dread with which

أَدْنَى سَراياهُ فيها أَمْنَ مَنْ نَهَبا

وبعدَها لو نَهَيْتَ الحُوتَ في لُجَجٍ

even his smallest raiding bands robbed its plunderers of safety:

thereafter, were you to forbid a fish in the depths

عن شُرْبِه دام ظَمْآنا ولو شَرِبا

والريحَ في الجو لا تجرِي ولو عَصَفتْ

to drink, it would remain thirsty even if it drank.

And the wind in the sky would not move, even if it raged,

إلا بما تبتغِيه شَمْأَلا وصَبَا

والليثَ في البِيدِ يُغْضي عن فَريسته

except as you desired, whether north wind or east.

And the lion in the wilderness would look away from its prey

خوفاً ولو نازعَتْه قوة اجتَنَبَا

لولاك ما غَمّضتْ عينُ امرىءٍ فَرَقا

in fear; even were its strength to urge it on, it would keep away.

But for you, no man's eye would close, for fear,

ولا لَقِى هُدُبٌ من جَفْنِها هُدُبا

لا قَلَّصَ الله ظِلاّ أنتَ باسطُه

nor would one eyelash on its lid meet another.

May God never shrink the shade you spread,

ولا سحابَ نَوالٍ منك مُنسحِبا

فالناسُ في بركاتٍ أنتَ مَوْرِدُها

nor the cloud of bounty drifting forth from you.

For the people dwell amid blessings whose source you are;

كادت لها كلُّ نفسٍ تَأْمنُ السُّحُبا

دليلُ يُمْنِكَ أنّ النيلَ في نَسَقٍ

through them, every soul almost feels safe from the clouds.

The proof of your auspiciousness is that the Nile keeps an orderly course,

وافٍ به مُذْ كَفانا سَعْدُك النُّوَبا

ما دولةٌ سَلَفتْ إلا وكان بها

fully maintained since your good fortune spared us calamities.

No earlier reign passed without

نقصٌ من النيلِ يُفنى أهلَها سَغَبا

حتى وَليتَ فما في الأرضِ مرتفعٌ

a shortfall in the Nile that killed its people through hunger,

until you took power: no high ground remained

حتى ارْتَوَى وهْو في الطُّوفانِ ما شَرِبا

وهذه في مَعانٍ قد سبقتَ لها

but drank its fill, though it had not drunk in the Flood.

And this is among the feats in which you have outstripped

من كان قبلَك أو فاسْتَخْبِرِ الحِقَبا

كم رام قبلَك في الماضين من ملك

all who came before you—or else, question the ages.

How many a king in bygone times sought, before you,

هذا فلم تَقْضِ منه نفسُه أَرَبا

تَهَنَّ ذاك وهذا الشهرَ مبتدِئا

this, yet never satisfied his soul's desire for it.

Enjoy that, and this month now beginning;

فما يخصُّ هَنائي وحدَه رَجَبا

ما ثَلثَ نِيلَك نَيْلا ثم شهرَك ذا

for my congratulations are not reserved for Rajab alone.

You rivaled your Nile in bounty, and then this month of yours

فضلاً وكلٌّ يُوافِى خائراً تَعبا

لكل شهرٍ ونهرٍ بعضُ منزلةٍ

in excellence; each comes weakened and weary.

Every month and river has only a portion of the rank

مما حويتَ من الفَضْلَيْن إنْ نُسِبا

يا أوْحدَ الفضلِ قد كَثَّرتَ منفرِدا

of the two excellences you possess, if they are compared.

O peerless one in excellence, you have multiplied it alone;

ويا غَريبَ العُلَى عَرَّفْتَ مغترِبا

وهبتَني فوهبتُ الناسَ عن سعةٍ

O stranger among the heights, you made yourself known far from home.

You gave to me, so I gave to others out of abundance.

يا واهبا يَهَب الموهوبَ أن يَهبَا

كم قَدْرُ شكرِي وإن سارتَ مواكبُه

O giver who grants the recipient the power to give!

What is the worth of my thanks, even if its processions marched,

حتى يُخفِّفَ عني بعضَ ما يجبا

فلو أَعانَ لساني كلُّ ذي كَلِمٍ

to lift from me some part of what I owe?

If every possessor of speech helped my tongue

في شُكْرِ أَيْسَرِ ما أَوْليتَني غُلبا

لكنَّني سوفَ أُبدي جهدَ مقدرتي

to thank you for the least of what you bestowed on me, it would be overcome.

But I shall display the utmost of my ability:

إنْ لم تَطِر بجوادٍ أَربعٌ وكَبا

يا ما نعَ الناس لما جُدْتَ عن كرمٍ

if four legs do not make a noble horse fly, it stumbles.

O you who held others back when you gave so generously,

صَعَّبتَ ما هانَ إذ هَوَّنتَ ما صَعُبا

لقد تَطوَّلتَ حتى طُلْتَ عن شَبَهٍ

you made the easy difficult when you made the difficult easy.

Indeed, you have given so lavishly that you tower beyond compare.

مَهْلا فجودُك مُعْطٍ مثلَ ما سلبا

لا زال عُمْرُك كالأفلاكِ دائرةً

Gently! Your bounty gives the like of what it takes away.

May your life, like the celestial spheres, keep circling,

يكررُ الدهرُ منه كلَّ ما ذهبا

as time repeats within it all that has passed away.