بنادي الجزيرة قف ساعة — Hafez Ibrahim

بِنادي الجَزيرَةِ قِف ساعَةً

وَشاهِد بِرَبِّكَ ما قَد حَوى

Pause for an hour at the Gezira Club,

And, by your Lord, behold all it holds.

تَرى جَنَّةً مِن جِنانِ الرَبيعِ

تَبَدَّت مَعَ الخُلدِ في مُستَوى

You see a garden among the gardens of spring,

Revealed alongside eternal Paradise, on equal ground.

جَمالُ الطَبيعَةِ في أُفقِها

تَجَلّى عَلى عَرشِهِ وَاِستَوى

Nature's beauty, upon its horizon,

Has shone forth upon its throne and taken its seat.

فَقُل لِلحَزينِ وَقُل لِلعَليلِ

وَقُل لِلمَولي هُناكَ الدَوا

So tell the sorrowful, and tell the ailing,

And tell the stricken: there lies the cure.

وَقُل لِلأَديبِ اِبتَدِر ساحَها

إِذا ما البَيانُ عَلَيكَ اِلتَوى

And tell the writer: hasten to its grounds

If eloquence proves elusive to you.

وَقُل لِلمُكِبِّ عَلى دَرسِهِ

إِذا نَهَكَ الدَرسُ مِنهُ القُوى

And tell the one bent over his studies,

When studying has sapped his strength:

تَنَسَّم صَباها تُجَدِّد قُواكَ

فَأَرضُ الجَزيرَةِ لا تُجتَوى

Breathe in its east wind, and renew your strength,

For Gezira's land is never found unwholesome.

فَفيها شِفاءٌ لِمَرضى الهُمومِ

وَمَلهىً كَريمٌ لِمَرضى الهَوى

For there is healing there for those sick with cares,

And noble diversion for those sick with love.

وَفيها وَفي نيلِها سَلوَةٌ

لِكُلِّ غَريبٍ رَمَتهُ النَوى

And in it, and in its Nile, is consolation

For every stranger flung afar by separation.

وَفيها غِذاءٌ لِأَهلِ العُقول

إِذا الرَأسُ إِثرَ كَلالٍ خَوى

And there is nourishment there for minds,

When the head lies empty after weariness.

وَيا رُبَّ يَومٍ شَديدِ اللَظى

رَوى عَن جَهَنَّمَ ما قَد رَوى

And oh, how many a day of fierce flame

Told all it had to tell of Hell!

بِهِ الريحُ لَفّاحَةٌ لِلوُجوهِ

بِهِ الشَمسُ نَزّاعَةٌ لِلشَوى

On it the wind scorches faces,

On it the sun strips away scalps.

قَصَدتُ الجَزيرَةَ أَبغي النَجاةَ

وَجِسمي شَواهُ اللَظى فَاِشتَوى

I headed for Gezira, seeking escape,

My body scorched by the flame and roasted.

فَأَلفَيتُ نادِيَها زاهِراً

وَأَلفَيتُ ثَمَّ نَعيماً ثَوى

So I found its club flourishing,

And found bliss dwelling there.

فَأَنزَلَني مُنزَلاً طَيِّباً

وَرَوّى فُؤادِيَ حَتّى اِرتَوى

It lodged me in a pleasant resting-place,

And gave my heart drink till it was quenched.

وَأَطفَأَ وارِفُ تِلكَ الظِلالِ

سَعيرَ الهَجيرِ وَحَرَّ الجَوى

And the lush spread of those shadows quenched

The blaze of midday and the heat of anguish.

وَحَلَّ الأَصيلُ عِقالَ الشَمالِ

فَهَبَّت بِنَشرٍ إِلَيها اِنضَوى

Late afternoon loosed the north wind's tether,

And it blew, bearing fragrance that had gathered to it.

فَأَحيَت بِنَفسِيَ ذِكرى الشَبابِ

وَما كانَ مِنها وَمِنهُ اِنطَوى

It revived within my soul the memory of youth,

And what of my soul and youth had been folded away.

وَعاوَدَ قَلبِيَ ذاكَ الخُفوقِ

وَقَد كانَ بَعدَ المَشيبِ اِرعَوى

And that fluttering returned to my heart,

Though it had grown restrained with graying age.

فَما بالُ قَومِيَ لا يَأخُذونَ

لِتِلكَ الجِنانِ طَريقاً سَوا

What ails my people, that they will not take

A straight road to those gardens?

وَما بالُ قَومِيَ لا يَنزِلونَ

بِغَيرِ جُرُبّي وَبارِ اللِوا

And what ails my people, that they never settle

Anywhere but Groppi and Bar al-Liwa?

تَراهُم عَلى نَردِهِم عُكَّفاً

يُبادِرُ كُلٌّ إِلى ما غَوى

You see them intent upon their backgammon,

Each hastening toward his own folly.

وَلَو أَنصَفوا الجِسمَ لَاِستَظهَروا

لَهُ بِالمِرانِ وَطيبِ الهَوا

Had they dealt fairly with the body, they would have fortified

It with training and wholesome air.

فَيا نادِياً ضَمَّ أُنسَ النَديمِ

وَلَهوَ الكَريمِ وُقيتَ البِلى

O club that gathers a boon companion's fellowship

And a noble man's recreation: may you be spared decay.

لَياليكَ أُنسٌ جَلاها الصَفا

فَأَسَرَت إِلَيكَ وُفودُ المَلا

Your nights are companionship, brightened by serenity,

So companies of notables journeyed to you by night.

فَكَم لَيلَةٍ طابَ فيكَ الحَديثُ

فَكانَ الكُؤوسَ وَكانَ الطِلا

How many a night, conversation was sweet within you,

Serving as both the cups and the wine.

فَمِن مُشجِياتٍ إِلى مُطرِباتٍ

إِلى مُضحِكاتٍ تُسَلّى إِلى

From saddening tales to tales of delight,

To amusing tales that console, and on to...

وَقَد زانَ لَهوَكَ ثَوبُ الوَقارِ

فَلَهوُكَ في كُلِّ ذَوقٍ حَلا

Dignity's robe has adorned your recreation,

So your recreation is sweet to every taste.

تَخِفُّ إِلَيهِ رِزانُ الحِجا

وَتَمشي إِلَيهِ السَراةُ الأُلى

The sober-minded hasten to it,

And the foremost notables walk toward it.

فَقُل لِلَّذي باتَ تَحتَ العُقودِ

بِحَربٍ عَلى نَفسِهِ مُبتَلى

So tell the one who spends the night beneath the arches,

Afflicted by a war against himself:

أَتِلكَ الأَماكِنُ لا تُستَرادُ

أَتِلكَ المَناظِرُ لا تُجتَلى

Are such places not worth seeking out?

Are such sights not worth beholding?

أَتَحتَ السَماءِ وَبَدرِ السَماءِ

وَبَينَ الرِياضِ وَبَينَ الخَلا

Beneath the sky and the sky's full moon,

Among gardens and open spaces,

يُمَلُّ الجُلوسُ وَيَفنى الحَديثُ

فَهَذا النَعيمُ وَإِلّا فَلا

Can sitting grow wearisome, and conversation run dry?

This, then, is bliss—or there is none.

سَأَلتُ الأُلى يَقدِرونَ الحَياةَ

أَلَم تَفتَتِنكُم فَقالوا بَلى

I asked those who value life,

'Has it not enchanted you?' They answered, 'Yes.'

مَكانٌ لَعَمرُكَ ما حَلَّ في

نَواحيهِ ذو الحُزنِ إِلّا سَلا

A place, by your life, where no one has ever stayed

Within its bounds in sorrow without finding solace.

فَما أَنتَ في مِصرَ إِن لَم تَطِر

إِلَيهِ فَتَشهَدَ تِلكَ الحُلى

You are not truly in Egypt if you have not flown

To it to witness those beauties.

لَهُ مَلعَبٌ فيهِ ما يَشتَهي

مُحِبُّ الرِياضَةَ مَهما غَلا

It has a playing field containing all that is desired

By the sports lover, however far his desires go.

لِكُلِّ فَريقٍ بِهِ لُعبَةٌ

تُلائِمُ مِن سِنِّهِ ما خَلا

For each group it offers a game

Suited to the years it has lived.

وَلِعبٌ هُوَ الجِدُّ لَو أَنَّنا

نَظَرنا إِلَيهِ بِعَينِ النُهى

And play is earnest work, if only we

Look at it with the eye of reason.

لَدى غَيرِ مِصرَ لَهُ حُظوَةٌ

فَكَم راحَ يَلهو بِهِ مَن لَها

Outside Egypt, it enjoys high esteem:

How many a player has gone to delight in it!

وَفي أَرضِ يونانَ شاهَدتُهُ

فَأَيُّ جَمالٍ إِلَيهِ اِنتَهى

And in the land of Greece I witnessed it:

What beauty found its culmination there!

وَشاهَدتُ مَوسِمَهُ قَد حَوَت

نَواحيهِ غايَةَ ما يُشتَهى

And I saw its festival; there were gathered

Within its grounds all that one could desire.

وَماجَ بِزُوّارِهِ المولَعينَ

وَأَضحى بِعَرشِ المُلوكِ اِزدَهى

It surged with its devoted visitors,

And grew resplendent with the throne of kings.

وَقَد زادَ أَلعابَهُ بَهجَةً

مَكانٌ فَسيحٌ مُعَدٌّ لَها

And its games were made more splendid

By a spacious place prepared for them.

صِراعٌ وَعَدوٌ بَعيدُ المَدى

وَوَثبٌ يَكادُ يَنالُ السُها

Wrestling, and running over a long distance,

And leaping that nearly reached al-Suha.

وَشاهَدتُ عَدّاءَهُم قَد عَدا

ثَلاثينَ ميلاً وَما إِن وَهى

And I saw their runner run

Thirty miles without flagging at all.

وَقامَت مُلاكَمَةُ اللاعِبينَ

فَأَنسَت تَناطُحَ وَحشِ المَها

And the athletes' boxing began,

Making us forget the butting of wild oryx.

بِأَوحى مِنَ اللَمحِ كانَ النِزالُ

فَيا وَيلَ مَن مِنهُما قَد سَها

The combat was swifter than a glance,

So woe to whichever of the two grew careless!

وَلَو رُحتُ أَنعَتُ تِلكَ الضُروبَ

لَضاقَ القَريضُ وَأَعيا بِها

Were I to set about describing those kinds of sport,

Verse would be too narrow and fall helpless before them.

عَلى أَنَّ في أُفقِنا نَهضَةً

سَتَبلُغُ رَغمَ القُعودِ المَدى

Yet on our horizon is a revival

That will reach its goal despite inaction.

وَإِن لَم تَكُن بَلَغَت أَوجَها

كَذا كُلُّ شَيءٍ إِذا ما اِبتَدا

And though it has not yet reached its zenith,

So is everything when it first begins.

وَنادي الرِياضَةِ أَولى بِأَن

يَكونَ عَلَيها مَنارَ الهُدى

And the sports club is best fitted to

Be its beacon of guidance.

أَظَلَّت جَلائِلَ أَعمالِهِ

ظِلالُ حُسَينٍ حَليفِ النَدى

Its noblest deeds have been shaded

By the shade of Husayn, generosity's ally:

مَليكٌ رَعاهُ بِإِقبالِهِ

وَحُسنِ عِنايَتِهِ وَالجَدا

A monarch who tended it with his favor,

His kindly care and his bounty.

فَفي عَهدِهِ فَليَجِدَّ المُجِدُّ

فَإِنَّ السُعودَ بِهِ قَد بَدا

In his reign, then, let the diligent strive,

For good fortune has dawned through him.