شيخان قد خبرا الوجود وأدركا — Hafez Ibrahim

شَيخانِ قَد خَبَرا الوُجودَ وَأَدرَكا

ما فيهِ مِن عِلَلٍ وَمِن أَسبابِ

Two elders have experienced existence and understood

the reasons and causes within it.

وَاِستَبطَنا الأَشياءَ حَتّى طالَعا

وَجهَ الحَقيقَةِ مِن وَراءِ حِجابِ

And they fathomed things until they beheld

the face of truth from behind a veil.

خَمسونَ عاماً في الجِهادِ كِلاهُما

شاكي اليَراعَةِ طاهِرُ الجِلبابِ

Fifty years in the struggle, each of them

armed with the reed pen, spotless of robe.

لا تَعجَبوا اِن خَضَّبا قَلَمَيهِما

وَبَياضُ شَيبِهِما بِغَيرِ خِضابِ

Do not marvel if they have dyed their pens

while the white of their hair remains undyed.

فَلِكُلِّ حُسنٍ حِليَةٌ يُزهى بِها

وَأَرى اليَراعَةَ حِليَةَ الكُتّابِ

For every beauty has an ornament in which it takes pride,

and I see the reed pen as the writers' ornament.

إِنّي نَظَرتُ إِلى اليَراعَةِ في يَدي

فَحَسِبتُها في القَدرِ عودَ ثِقابِ

I looked at the reed pen in my hand

and thought it, in worth, a mere matchstick.

وَنَظَرتُها تَنقَضُّ مِن كَفَّيهِما

فَوقَ الطُروسِ فَخِلتُها كَشِهابِ

Then I watched it swoop from their palms

over the pages, and thought it a meteor.

يُزهى مُدَجَّجُنا بِرُمحٍ واحِدٍ

وَأَراهُما لا يُزهَيانِ بِغابِ

Our armored warrior prides himself on a single spear,

yet I see them take no pride in a forest of spears.

مُتَواضِعانِ وَلا أَرى مُتَكَبِّراً

غَيرَ الجَهولِ مُدَنَّساً بِالعابِ

Both humble; I see no arrogant man

but the ignorant, stained with disgrace.

يَتَجاذَبُ القُطرانِ مِن فَضلَيهِما

ذَيلَ الفَخارِ وَلَيسَ ذا بِعُجابِ

The two lands vie, through their excellence,

for glory's hem; and this is no marvel.

فَهُما هُنا عَلَمانِ مِن أَعلامِنا

وَهُما هُنالِكَ نُخبَةُ الأَنجابِ

For here they are two of our luminaries,

and there, the choicest of the distinguished.

جازا مَدى السَبعينَ لَم يَتَوانَيا

عَن وَصلِ حَمدٍ وَاِجتِنابِ سِبابِ

They have passed seventy, yet have not slackened

in pursuing praise and shunning abuse.

نَسَباهُما قَلَماهُما فَليَسحَبا

ذَيلاً عَلى الأَحسابِ وَالأَنسابِ

Their pens are their pedigrees; let them trail

a train over ancestral honors and lineages.

قَلَمانِ مَشروعانِ في شِقَّيهِما

وَحيٌ يُفيضُ عَلى أُولي الأَلبابِ

Two pens held forth; within their clefts

is inspiration overflowing upon those endowed with understanding.

مُتَسانِدانِ إِذا الخُطوبُ تَأَلَّبَت

مُتَعانِقانِ تَعانُقَ الأَحبابِ

Supporting one another when calamities band together,

embracing as loved ones embrace.

نَفَحاتُ آذارٍ إِذا لَم يُظلَما

فَإِذا هُما ظُلِما فَلَفحَةُ آبِ

March breezes if they are not wronged,

but if they are wronged, August's scorching blast.

ما سَوَّدا بَيضاءَ إِلّا بَيَّضا

بِالكاتِبَينِ صَحيفَةَ الإِعجابِ

They never blackened a white sheet without whitening

the page of admiration for the two writers.

لِلمَقصِدِ الأَسمى لَدى حَرَمِ النُهى

رَفَعا قِباباً حوجِزَت بِقِبابِ

For the loftiest aim, beside the sanctuary of intellect,

they raised domes, screened by other domes.

خَطّا بِمُقتَطَفِ العُلومِ بَدائِعاً

وَرَوائِعاً بَقِيَت عَلى الأَحقابِ

In Al-Muqtataf of the sciences they inscribed marvels

and masterpieces that endured through the ages.

جاءا لَنا مِن كُلِّ عِلمٍ نافِعٍ

أَو كُلِّ فَنٍّ مُمتِعٍ بِلُبابِ

They brought us, from every useful science

or every delightful art, its essence.

في كُلِّ لَفظٍ حِكمَةٌ مَجلُوَّةٌ

وَبِكُلِّ سَطرٍ مَهبِطٌ لِصَوابِ

In every word lies wisdom polished bright,

and in every line sound judgment alights.

فَاللَفظُ فيهِ مُقَوَّمٌ بِصَحيفَةٍ

وَالسَطرُ فيهِ مُقَوَّمٌ بِكِتابِ

For a word in it is worth a page,

and a line in it is worth a book.

داني القُطوفِ كَريمَةٌ أَفياؤُهُ

عَذبُ الوُرودِ مُفَتَّحُ الأَبوابِ

Its fruit-clusters hang near, its shade is generous,

sweet to draw from, its doors wide open.

ذُلُلٌ مَسالِكُهُ فَأَنّى جِئتَهُ

أَلفَيتَ نَفسَكَ في فَسيحِ رِحابِ

Its paths are easy; wherever you come to it,

you find yourself in spacious courts.

تَتَسابَقُ الأَقلامُ فيهِ وَلا تَرى

مِن عاثِرٍ فيها وَلا مِن نابي

Pens race within it, and you see

none among them stumbling, none slipping aside.

كَم مِن يَراعَةِ كاتِبٍ جالَت بِهِ

وَلُعابُها في الطِرسِ حُلوُ رُضابِ

How many a writer's reed pen has ranged through it,

and its saliva on the page is sweet nectar.

كَم مِن سُؤالٍ فيهِ كانَ جَوابُهُ

اِلهامَ نابِغَةٍ وَفَصلَ خِطابِ

How many a question in it had for its answer

a genius's inspiration and a decisive judgment.

كَم فيهِ مِن نَهرٍ جَرى بِطَريقَةٍ

تَرِدُ النُهى مِنهُ أَلَذَّ شَرابِ

How many a river ran its course within it,

from which minds draw the sweetest drink.

وَقَفَت سُقاةُ الفَضلِ في جَنَباتِهِ

تُروي النُفوسَ بِمُترَعِ الأَكوابِ

The cupbearers of excellence stood along its sides,

quenching souls with brimming cups.

ماذا أَعُدُّ وَهَذِهِ آياتُهُ

في العَدِّ تُعجِزُ أَمهَرَ الحُسّابِ

What shall I count, when these wonders of its

defy the counting of the most skilled reckoners?

قَد نُسِّقَت وَتَآلَفَت فَكَأَنَّها

في الحُسنِ مِثلَ تَآلُفِ الأَحزابِ

They have been ordered and brought into harmony, as though

in beauty they were like parties in accord.

وَتَرى تَهافُتَنا عَلَيهِ وَحِرصَنا

فَتَخالُ فيهِ مَقاعِدَ النُوّابِ

You see how we flock to it and eagerly seek it,

so you imagine that it holds seats in parliament.

يا ثَروَةَ القُرّاءِ مِن عِلمٍ وَمِن

فَضلٍ وَمِن حِكَمٍ وَمِن آدابِ

O readers' treasure of learning and of

excellence, of wisdom, and of letters!

الشَرقُ أَثبَتَ يَومَ عيدِكَ أَنَّهُ

مازالَ في رِيٍّ وَخِصبِ جَنابِ

The East proved, on your day of celebration, that it

remains well-watered, its lands fertile.

عادَت سَماءُ الفَضلِ فيهِ فَأَطلَعَت

زُهراً مِنَ الأَعلامِ وَالأَقطابِ

The sky of excellence returned there and brought forth

bright stars among the luminaries and leading figures.

العِلمُ شَرقِيٌّ تَغافَلَ أَهلُهُ

عَنهُ فَعاقَبَهُم بِطولِ غِيابِ

Knowledge is Eastern; its people grew heedless

of it, so it punished them with long absence.

وَتَنَبَّهوا لِمُصابِهِم فَتَضَرَّعوا

فَعَفا وَعاوَدَهُم بِغَيرِ عِتابِ

They awoke to their affliction and implored it,

so it forgave them and returned without reproach.

فَتَذَوَّقوا طَعمَ الحَياةِ وَأَدرَكوا

ما في الجَهالَةِ مِن أَذىً وَتَبابِ

Then they tasted life and understood

the harm and ruin that ignorance holds.

العِلمُ في البَأساءِ مُزنَةُ رَحمَةٍ

وَالجَهلُ في النَعماءِ سَوطُ عَذابِ

Knowledge in hardship is a raincloud of mercy;

ignorance amid plenty is a scourge of torment.

وَلَعَلَّ وِردَ العِلمِ مالَم يَرعَهُ

ساقٍ مِنَ الأَخلاقِ وِردُ سَرابِ

And perhaps the draught of knowledge, unless tended

by a cupbearer of morals, is a draught from a mirage.

إِنّي قَرَأتُكَ في الكُهولَةِ وَالصِبا

وَمَلَأتُ مِن ثَمَرِ العُقولِ وِطابي

I read you in maturity and in youth,

and filled my skin flasks with the fruits of minds.

وَأَتَيتُ أَقضي بَعضَ ما أَولَيتَني

وَأَقولُ فيكَ الحَقَّ غَيرَ مُحابي

I have come to repay some of what you bestowed on me,

and to speak the truth of you without favoritism.

لَو كُنتُ في عَهدِ الفُتُوَّةِ لَم أَزَل

لَوَهبتُ لِلشَيخَينِ بُردَ شَبابي

Had I still been in the season of youth,

I would have given the two elders the mantle of my youth.

لَكِنَّني أَبلَيتُهُ وَطَوَيتُهُ

وَتَخِذتُ مِن نَسجِ المَشيبِ ثِيابي

But I have worn it out and folded it away,

and made my clothes from the weave of gray hair.

وَأَرى رِكابي حينَ شابَت لِمَّتي

يَحتَثُّها سَفَرٌ بِغَيرِ إِيابِ

And now that my locks have grayed, I see my mounts

urged onward by a journey with no return.

يَعقوبُ إِنَّكَ قَد كَبِرتَ وَلَم تَزَل

في العِلمِ لا تَزدادُ غَيرَ تَصابي

Yaqub, you have grown old, yet still

in learning you only grow more youthful in spirit.

لاحَت بِرَأسِكَ هِزَّةٌ وَلَعَلَّها

مِن وَقعِ فِكرِكَ لا مِنَ الأَعصابِ

A tremor has appeared in your head; perhaps it comes

from the impact of your thought, not from the nerves.

فِكرٌ سَريعٌ كَرُّهُ مُتَدَفِّعٌ

كَتَدَفُّعِ الأَمواجِ فَوقَ عُبابِ

A thought swift in its charges, surging onward,

like waves surging over the swelling deep.

لا يَستَقِرُّ وَلا يُحَدِّثُ نَفسَهُ

أَن يَنثَني عَن جَيئَةٍ وَذَهابِ

It never rests, nor tells itself

to desist from coming and going.

أَو أَنَّها طَرَبٌ بِنَفسِكَ كُلَّما

وُفِّقتَ في بَحثٍ وَكَشفِ نِقابِ

Or perhaps it is delight within your soul whenever

you succeed in research and lift a veil;

أَو أَنَّها اِستِنكارُ ما شاهَدتَهُ

في الناسِ مِن لَهوٍ وَسوءِ مَآبِ

or perhaps it is disapproval of what you have seen

among people: frivolity and a wretched end.

لَم يُلهِكَ الإِثراءُ عَن طَلَبِ العُلا

بِالجِدِّ لا بِتَصَيُّدِ الأَلقابِ

Wealth has not distracted you from seeking eminence

through diligence, not through hunting titles.

لَكَ في سَبيلِ العِلمِ أَجرُ مُجاهِدٍ

وَالصَبرُ أَجرُ مُلازِمِ المِحرابِ

In the cause of knowledge, yours is a warrior's reward,

and for patience, the reward of one devoted to the prayer niche.

وَإِلَيكَ مِن جُهدِ المُقِلِّ قَصيدَةً

يُغنيكَ موجَزُها عَنِ الإِسهابِ

And here is a poem, the effort of one of scant means,

whose brevity spares you prolixity.

لَولا السَقامُ وَما أُكابِدُ مِن أَسىً

لَلَحِقتُ في هَذا المَجالِ صِحابي

Were it not for illness and the sorrow I endure,

I would have caught up with my companions in this field.