منى نلتها يا لابس المجد معلما — Hafez Ibrahim

مُنىً نِلتَها يا لابِسَ المَجدِ مُعلَماً

أَديناً وَدُنيا زادَكَ اللَهُ أَنعُما

Wishes you have attained, O wearer of emblazoned glory!

In faith and worldly life alike? May God increase your blessings!

فَلِلَّهِ ما أَبهاكَ في مِصرَ حالِياً

وَلِلَّهِ ما أَتقاكَ في البَيتِ مُحرِما

By God, how splendid you are in Egypt, adorned,

And by God, how devout at the House, in pilgrim consecration!

أَقولُ وَقَد شاهَدتُ رَكبَكَ مُشرِقاً

وقَد يَمَّمَ البَيتَ العَتيقَ المُحَرَّما

I say, having seen your radiant caravan,

As it headed toward the ancient, inviolable House:

مَشَت كَعبَةُ الدُنيا إِلى كَعبَةِ الهُدى

يَفيضُ جَلالُ المُلكِ وَالدينِ مِنهُما

The Kaaba of the world walked to the Kaaba of guidance;

From both overflow the majesty of kingship and religion.

فَيالَيتَني اِسطَعتُ السَبيلَ وَلَيتَني

بَلَغتُ مُنى الدارَينِ رَحباً وَمَغنَما

If only I could make the journey, if only I

Had attained the hopes of both worlds, spaciousness and reward!

وَفي الرَكبِ شَمسٌ أَنجَبَت أَنجَبَ الوَرى

فَتى الشَرقِ مَولانا الأَميرَ المُعَظَّما

And in the caravan is a sun who bore the noblest of humankind,

The East's young hero, our lord, the exalted prince.

تَسيرُ إِلى شَمسِ الهُدى في حَفاوَةٍ

مِنَ العِزِّ تَحدوها الزَواهِرُ أَينَما

She travels toward the sun of guidance amid homage

Of splendor, bright stars singing her onward wherever she goes.

فَلَم أَرَ أُفقاً قَبلَ رَكبِكَ أَطلَعَت

جَوانِبُهُ بَدراً وَشَمساً وَأَنجُما

Before your caravan, I never saw a horizon bring forth

From its reaches a full moon, a sun, and stars.

وَلَو أَنَّني خُيِّرتُ لَاِختَرتُ أَن أَرى

لِعيسِكَ وَحدي حادِياً مُتَرَنِّما

Were I given the choice, I would choose to be seen

Alone as a singing driver of your pale camels,

أَسيرُ خِلالَ الرَكبِ نَحوَ حَظيرَةٍ

عَلى رَبِّها صَلّى الإِلَهُ وَسَلَّما

Journeying through the caravan toward a sanctuary;

God's blessings and peace be upon its master.

إِلى خَيرِ خَلقِ اللَهِ مَن جاءَ ناطِقاً

بِآياتِهِ إِنجيلُ عيسى بنِ مَريَما

Toward the best of God's creation, the one whose signs

The Gospel of Jesus, son of Mary, came proclaiming.

حَلَلتَ بِأَكنافِ الجَزيرَةِ عابِراً

فَأَنضَرتَ واديها وَكُنتَ لَها سَما

You alighted in the reaches of the Peninsula, passing through,

And made its valley verdant, becoming its sky.

وَأَشرَقتَ في بَطحاءِ مَكَّةَ زائِراً

فَباتَ عَلَيكَ النيلُ يَحسُدُ زَمزَما

You shone as a visitor in Mecca's broad valley,

So the Nile came to envy Zamzam for your presence.

وَما ظَفِرَت مِن بَعدِ هارونَ أَرضُها

بِمِثلِكَ مَيمونَ النَقيبَةِ مُنعِما

Not since Harun has its land been favored

With a benefactor like you, of blessed disposition.

وَلا أَبصَرَ الحُجّاجُ مِن بَعدِ شَخصِهِ

عَلى عَرَفاتٍ مِثلَ شَخصِكَ مُحرِما

Nor have pilgrims since him beheld

At Arafat one like you in pilgrim consecration.

رَمَيتَ فَسَدَّدتَ الجِمارَ فَلَم تَكُن

جِماراً عَلى إِبليسَ بَل كُنَّ أَسهُما

You cast the pebbles with true aim; they were not

Pebbles against Iblis, but arrows.

وَإِنَّ الَّذي تَرميهِ وَقفٌ عَلى الرَدى

وَإِن لاذَ بِالأَفلاكِ يا خَيرَ مَن رَمى

And indeed, the one you pelt is destined for destruction,

Even if he seeks refuge in the celestial spheres, O best of those who cast!

وَبَينَ الصَفا وَالمَروَةِ اِزدَدتَ عِزَّةً

بِسَعيِكَ يا عَبّاسُ لِلَّهِ مُسلِما

Between Safa and Marwa, your honor grew

Through your ritual striving, O Abbas, submitting to God.

تُهَروِلُ لِلمَولى الكَريمِ مُعَظِّماً

وَكَم هَروَلَ الساعي إِلَيكَ وَعَظَّما

You jog in reverence for the generous Lord;

How often has a seeker hurried to you in reverence!

وَطُفتَ وَكَم طافَت بِسُدَّتِكَ المُنى

وَكَم أَمسَكَ الراجي بِها وَتَحَرَّما

You circled the House; how often have wishes circled your threshold,

And how often has a hopeful petitioner clung to it and sought sanctuary!

وَلَمّا اِستَلَمتَ الرُكنَ هاجَت شُجونُهُ

فَلَو أَنَّهُ اِسطاعَ الكَلامَ تَكَلَّما

When you touched the Corner, its sorrows stirred;

Had it been able to speak, it would have spoken.

تَذَكَّرَ زَينَ العابِدينَ وَجَدَّهُ

وَما كانَ مِن قَولِ الفَرَزدَقِ فيهِما

It remembered Zayn al-Abidin and his grandfather,

And what al-Farazdaq had said about them both.

فَلَو يَستَطيعُ الرُكنُ أَمسَكَ راحَةً

مَسَحتَ بِها يا أَكرَمَ الناسِ مُنتَمى

Had the Corner been able, it would have clasped the palm

With which you stroked it, O noblest-born of people.

دَعَوتَ لَنا حَيثُ الدُعاءُ إِجابَةٌ

وَأَنتَ بِدَعوى اللَهِ أَطهَرُنا فَما

You prayed for us where prayer is answered,

And of us all, yours is the purest mouth in calling upon God.

أَمانِيُّكَ الكُبرى وَهَمُّكَ أَن تَرى

بِأَرجاءِ وادي النيلِ شَعباً مُنَعَّما

Your greatest wishes and your concern are to see

Throughout the Nile Valley a people living in ease,

وَأَن تَبنِيَ المَجدَ الَّذي مالَ رُكنُهُ

وَأَن تُرهِفَ السَيفَ الَّذي قَد تَثَلَّما

And to build up the glory whose pillar has leaned,

And to sharpen the sword whose edge has grown notched.

دَعَوتَ لِمِصرٍ أَن تَسودَ وَكَم دَعَت

لَكَ اللَهَ مِصرٌ أَن تَعيشَ وَتَسلَما

You prayed that Egypt might prevail; how often has she prayed

To God for you, that you might live and remain safe!

فَلَيتَ مُلوكَ المُسلِمينَ تَشَبَّهوا

بِمَلكٍ إِذا ما أَحجَمَ الدَهرُ أَقدَما

If only the kings of the Muslims would emulate

A king who advances when Time draws back:

سَليلُ مُلوكٍ يَشهَدُ اللَهُ أَنَّهُم

أَقاموا عَمودَ الدينِ لَمّا تَهَدَّما

A scion of kings—God bears witness that they

Raised religion's pillar when it crumbled.

لَئِن باتَ بِالمَجدِ المُؤَثَّلِ مُغرَماً

لَقَد كانَ إِبراهيمُ بِالمَجدِ مُغرَما

If he is enamored of deeply rooted glory,

Indeed, Ibrahim was enamored of glory.

وَإِن تامَ حُبُّ المَكرُماتِ فُؤادَهُ

لَقَد كانَ إِسماعيلُ فيها مُتَيَّما

And if love of noble deeds has enslaved his heart,

Indeed, Ismail was enthralled by them.

وَإِن سَكَنَت تَقوى المُهَيمِنِ قَلبَهُ

فَقَد كانَ مِنها قَلبُ تَوفيقَ مُفعَما

And if reverence for the Guardian has dwelt in his heart,

Indeed, Tawfiq's heart was filled with it.

وَإِن باتَ نَهّاضاً بِمِصرَ إِلى الذُرا

فَمِن جَدِّهِ الأَعلى عَلِيٍّ تَعَلَّما

And if he tirelessly lifts Egypt to the heights,

He learned it from his distant forebear, Ali.

حَوى ما حَوى مِن مَجدِهِم وَنِجارِهِم

وَزادَ فَأَعيا المادِحينَ وَأَفحَما

He gathered all their glory and their lineage,

And added more, exhausting the panegyrists and leaving them speechless.

دَعَوا بِكَ وَاِستَسقَوا فَلَبّى دُعاءَهُم

مِنَ الأُفقِ هَتّانٌ مِنَ المُزنِ قَد هَمى

They prayed through you and asked for rain; their prayer was answered

From the horizon by a downpour streaming from the clouds.

أَلَحَّ عَلى أَوعارِهِم وَسُهولِهِم

وَحَيّا عَبوسَ القَفرِ حَتّى تَبَسَّما

It fell relentlessly on their rugged lands and their plains,

And greeted the frowning desert until it smiled.

وَلَمّا طَوى بَطحاءَ مَكَّةَ هَزَّهُ

إِلى البَيتِ شَوقُ المُستَهامِ فَيَمَّما

And when it had crossed Mecca's broad valley, it was stirred

Toward the House by an enraptured lover's longing, and made for it.

أَطافَ بِهِ ثُمَّ اِنثَنى عَن فِنائِهِ

وَلَو عَبَّ مِنهُ السامِرِيُّ لَأَسلَما

It circled the House, then withdrew from its courtyard;

Had al-Samiri drunk deeply of it, he would have embraced Islam.

طَلَعتَ عَلَيهِم أَسعَدَ الخَلقِ مَطلَعاً

وَعُدتَ إِلَينا أَيمَنَ الخَلقِ مَقدَما

You dawned upon them, most fortunate of all creation in your rising,

And returned to us, most auspicious of all creation in your coming.

رَجَعتَ وَقَد داوَيتَ بِالجودِ فَقرَهُم

وَكُنتَ لَهُم في مَوسِمِ الحَجِّ مَوسِما

You returned after healing their poverty with generosity,

And in the pilgrimage season, you were their season of abundance.

وَأَمَّنتَ لِلبَيتِ الحَرامِ طَريقَهُ

وَكانَ طَريقُ البَيتِ مِن قَبلِها دَما

You made the road to the Sacred House safe,

And before that, the road to the House was blood.

وَيَسَّرتَهُ حَتّى اِستَطاعَ رُكوبَهُ

أَخو الفَقرِ لا يَطويهِ جوعٌ وَلا ظَما

And you eased it, until it could be traveled by

Poverty's brother, with neither hunger nor thirst to lay him low.

وَجُدتَ وَجادَت رَبَّةُ الطُهرِ وَالتُقى

عَلى العامِ حَتّى أَخصَبَ العامُ مِنكُما

You lavished bounty, and so did the lady of purity and piety,

Upon the people, till the year grew fruitful through you both.

فَلَم تُبقِيا فَوقَ الجَزيرَةِ بائِساً

وَلَم تَترُكا في ساحَةِ البَيتِ مُعدِما

So you two left no wretched soul upon the Peninsula,

And left no destitute person in the House's precincts.

فَأَرضَيتُما الدَيّانَ وَالدينَ كُلَّهُ

لَقَد رَضِيَ الدَيّانُ وَالدينُ عَنكُما

So you both pleased the Judge and the faith in its entirety;

Indeed, the Judge and the faith are pleased with you both.