شرفا لمجدك بانيا ومقوضا — Ibn Al Khayyat

شَرَفاً لِمَجْدِكَ بانِياً وَمُقَوِّضاً

وَلِسعْدِ جَدِّكَ ناهضاً أَوْ مُنْهِضا

Honor to your glory, whether building or dismantling,

and to your fortunate star, whether rising or raising others.

إِمّا أَقَمْتَ أَوِ ارْتَحَلْتَ فَلِلْعُلى

وَالسَّيْفُ يُشْرُفُ مُغْمَداً أَوْ مُنْتَضا

Whether you stay or depart, your course is toward the heights;

and a sword is noble, whether sheathed or drawn.

لَقَضى لَكَ اللهُ السَّعادَةَ آيِباً

أَوْ غائِباً وَالله أَعْدَلُ مَنْ قَضا

God has indeed ordained happiness for you, returning

or absent; and God is the most just of judges.

تقِصُ الأَعادي ظاعِناً أَوْ قاطِناً

واللَّيْثُ أَغْلَبُ مُصْحِراً وَمُغَيِّضا

You cut down enemies, whether traveling or settled;

and the lion is mighty, in open country and in thickets.

مُسْتَعْلِياً إِنْ جَدَّ سَعْيُكَ أَوْ وَنى

وَمُظَفَّراً إِنْ كَفَّ عَزْمُكَ أَوْ مَضا

Supreme, whether your striving is earnest or slackens,

and victorious, whether your resolve holds back or advances.

حَزْماً وَإِقْداماً وَلَيْسَ بِمُنْكَرٍ

بَأْسُ الضَّراغِمِ وُثَّباً أَوْ رُبَّضا

In prudence and boldness—nor is it strange

for lions to be fierce, whether leaping or crouching.

وَإِلَيْكَ عَضْبَ الدَّوْلَةِ الْماضِي الشَّبا

أَلْقى مَقالِدَهُ الزَّمانُ وَفَوَّضا

And to you, O keen sword of the state, sharp of edge,

Time has surrendered its reins and entrusted command.

فَإِلى ارْتِياحِكَ يَنْتَمِي صَوْبُ الْحَيا

وَعَلَى اقْتِراحِكَ ينْتَهِي صَرْفُ الْقَضا

Thus the rain's downpour traces its source to your generous impulse,

and fate's course ends at your bidding.

يا مَنْ إِذا نَزَعَ الْمُناضِلُ سَهْمَهُ

يَوْماً كَفاهُ مُناضِلاً أن يُنْبِضا

O you who, should an archer draw his arrow

one day, need only twang your bowstring to rival him.

وَإِذا النَّدى عَزَّ الطِّلابَ مُصَرِّحاً

بَلَغَ المُنى راجِي نَداهُ مَعُرِّضا

And when bounty proves hard to seek by asking outright,

one hoping for your bounty wins his wishes by a hint.

أَرْعَيْتَ هذا الْمُلْكَ أَشْرَفَ هِمَّةٍ

تَأْبى لِطَرْفِكَ طَرْفَةً أَنْ يُغْمِضا

You devoted to this kingdom the noblest resolve,

which will not let your eye close, even for a blink.

حصَّنْتَ هَضْبَةَ عِزِّهِ أَنْ تُرْتَقى

وَمَنَعْتَ عالِيَ جَدِّهِ أَنْ يُخْفَضا

You fortified the peak of its might against being climbed,

and kept its lofty fortune from being brought low.

وَحَمَيْتَ بِالجُنْدَيْنِ طَوْلِكَ وَالنُّهى

مَبْسُوطَ ظِلِّ الْعَدْلِ مِنْ أَنْ يُقْبَضا

And with two armies—your bounty and wisdom—you guarded

the outspread shade of justice from being withdrawn.

أَشْرَعْتَ حَدَّ صَوارِمٍ لَنْ تختطا

وَشَرَعْتَ دِينَ مَكارمٍ لَنْ يُقْبَضا

You set a boundary of sharp swords none shall cross,

and established a creed of noble deeds never to be withdrawn.

ما إِنْ تُؤَيِّدُهُ بِبَأْسٍ يُتَّقى

حَتّى تُشَيِّدَهُ بِسَعْيٍ مُرْتَضا

No sooner do you strengthen it with dreaded might

than you build it up through worthy endeavor.

وَلَقَدْ نَعَشْتَ الدِّينَ أَمْسِ مِنَ الَّتِي

ما كادَ واصِمُ عارِها أَنْ يُرْحَضا

You indeed revived the faith yesterday from that ordeal

whose shameful stain could scarcely be washed away.

حِينَ اسْتَحالَ بِها الْعُقُوقُ نَدامَةً

وَأَخَلَّ راعِيها الْمُضِلُّ فَأَحْمَضا

When disobedience therein turned to remorse,

and its misguiding shepherd led it from sweet to salty pasture,

وَغَدا الْمَرِيضَ بِها الَّذِي لا يُهْتَدى

لِشِفائِهِ مَنْ كانَ فِيها الْمُمْرِضا

there he became the sick man for whom no path was found

to healing—he who had caused the sickness there.

لَمّا دَجا ذاكَ الظَّلامُ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ

مَعَهُ لِيغْنِينا الصَّباحُ وَإِنْ أَضا

When that darkness thickened, there was no way

for morning to help us amid it, even if it shone.

إِذْ باطِلُ الأَقْوامِ أَكْثَرُ ناصِراً

وَالْحَقُّ مَدْفُوعُ الدَّلِيلِ لِيَدْحَضا

When the people's falsehood had more supporters,

and truth's proof was rejected, to make it fall;

وَالنُّصْحُ مُطَّرَحٌ مُذالٌ مَحْضُهُ

إِنْ كانَ يُمْكِنُ ناصِحاً أَنْ يَمْحَضا

and counsel was discarded, its purest essence debased,

if any counselor could offer pure counsel at all.

حَتّى أَقَمْتَ الْحَزْمَ أَبْلَغَ خاطِبٍ

فِيها فَحَثَّ عَلَى الصَّلاحِ وَحَضَّضا

Until you established firm resolve as the most eloquent preacher

there, urging righteousness and pressing its call.

يَثْنِي بِوَجْهِ الرَّأْيِ وَهْوَ كَأَنَّهُ

ماءُ الْغَدِيرِ حَسَرْتَ عَنْهُ الْعَرْمَضا

It turns the face of sound judgment, as though it were

the water of a pool from which you had cleared the algae.

حَتّى اسْتَضاءَ كَأَنَّما كَشَفَتْ بِهِ

كَفَّاكَ فِي الظَّلْماءِ فَجْراً أَبْيَضا

Until it shone, as though through it

your two hands had unveiled a white dawn in the darkness.

لَمْ تُبْدِ إِلاّ لَحْظَةً أَوْ لَفْظَةً

حتّى فَضَضْتَ الْجَيْشَ قَدْ مَلأَ الْفَضا

You showed only a glance or a word

before you scattered the army that had filled the expanse.

دانَيْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِ قَوْمِكَ بَعْدَما

شَجَتِ الْوَرى مُتَبايِناتٍ رُفَّضا

You drew your people's hearts together after

they had grieved mankind, divided and scattered.

وَرَفَعَتْ ثَمَّ بِناءَ مَجْدٍ شامِخٍ

لَوْ لَمْ تَشِدْهُ لَكادَ أَنْ يَتَقَوَّضا

And there you raised a towering edifice of glory,

which, had you not strengthened it, would almost have crumbled.

مِنْ بَعْدِ ما أَحْصَدْتَ عَقْدَ مَواثِقٍ

يَأْبى كَريمُ مُمَرِّها أَنْ يُنْقَضا

After you had tightly twisted the knot of covenants,

whose noble binder refuses to let it be undone.

لِلهِ أَيَّةُ نِعْمَةٍ مَحْقُوقَةٍ

بِالشُّكْرِ فِيكَ وَأَيُّ سَعْدٍ قُيِّضا

By God, what a blessing, deserving

of thanks, lies in you; what good fortune was allotted!

أَخَذَ الزَّمانُ فَما أَلِمْنا أَخْذَهُ

إِذْ كانَ خَيْراً منْهُ ما قدْ عَوَّضا

Time took, yet its taking did not pain us,

since what it gave in return was better than what it took.

وَمَكِينَةٍ لَوْ أَمكَنَتْ زُحَلاً إِذاً

لَغَدا لَها مُتَرَشِّحاً مُتَعَرِّضا

And what a lofty station—had it been within Saturn's reach,

he would have aspired to it and sought it.

عَزَّتْ سِواكَ وَأَسْمَحَتْ لَكَ صَعْبَةً

فَعَلَوْتَ صَهْوَتَها ذَلُولاً رَيِّضا

It defied all but you, yet yielded to you despite its wildness,

so you mounted its back, now docile and well-trained.

أُعْطِيتَ فِي ذاكَ الْمَقامِ نُبُوَّةٌ

حُقَّتْ لِمَجْدِكَ أَنْ تُسَنَّ وَتُفْرَضا

In that station you were granted a prophethood

worthy, for your glory, of being ordained and enjoined.

وَبِأَيِّما خَطْبٍ مُنِيتَ فَلَمْ تَكُنْ

سَكَّنْتَ مِنْهُ ما طَغى وَتَغَيَّضا

What calamity were you ever tried with, without having

quelled its surging force until it subsided?

ما مَرَّ يَوْمٌ مِنْ زَمانِكَ واحِدٌ

إِلاّ أَطالَ شَجى الْحَسُودِ وَأجْرَضا

Not a single day of your time has passed

without prolonging the envier's grief and making him choke.

لَكَ كُلَّ يَوْمٌ عِيدُ مَجْدٍ عائِدٌ

لِلْحَمْدِ فيه أَنْ يَطُولَ ويَعْرُضا

Each day for you is a returning festival of glory,

in which praise may stretch in length and breadth.

فَالدَّهْرُ يَغْنَمُ مِنْ عَلائِكَ مَفْخَراً

طَوْراً وَيَلْبَسُ مِنْ ثَنائِكَ مِعْرَضا

Thus Time gains a source of pride from your eminence

at times, and at others dons a robe of praise for you.

فَتَهَنَّهُ وَتَمَلَّ عُمْرَ سَعادَةٍ

تَقْضِي النَّجُومُ الْخالِداتُ وَما انْقَضا

Enjoy it, then, and long savor a life of happiness;

the everlasting stars will pass away before it ends.

لَوْ حُلِّيَ الْمَدْحُ السَّنِيُّ بِحِلْيَةٍ

يَوْماً لَذُهِّبَ ما أَقُولُ وَفُضِّضا

If radiant praise were adorned with jewelry

one day, my words would be gilded and silvered.

أو عطرت يوماً مقالة مادح

لغدا مقالي للغوالي مخوضا

Or were a panegyrist's words perfumed one day,

my words would become a pool for precious perfumes.

وكفاه عِطْرٌ مِنْ ثَناكَ كَناسِمٍ

بِالرَّوْضِ مَرَّ تَحَرُّشاً وَتَعَرُّضا

And a fragrance from praise of you suffices it, like a breeze

that passed through the garden, teasing and courting.

أَلْبَسْتُهُ شَرَفاً بِمَدْحِكَ لا سَرى

عَنْ مَتْنِهِ ذاكَ اللِّباسَ وَلا نَضا

I clothed it in honor by praising you; may it never strip

that garment from its back or cast it off.

وَلَقَدْ مَطَلْتُكَ بِالْمَحامِدِ بُرْهَةً

وَلَرُبَّما مَطَلَ الْغَرِيمَ الْمُقْتَضا

Indeed I have kept you waiting awhile for praise,

and often a debtor pressed for payment delays his creditor.

لَوْلا الْهَوى وَدَلالُ مَعْشُوقِ الْهَوى

ما سَوَّفَ الْوَعْدَ الْحَبِيبُ وَمَرَّضا

Were it not for love and the coyness of love's beloved,

the beloved would not delay a promise or leave it uncertain.

وَلَديَّ مِنْها ما يَهُزُّ سَماعُهُ

لَوْ كنْتُ أَرْضى مِنْ مَدِيحِكَ بِالرّضا

And I have some whose hearing thrills,

were I content with mere approval in praising you.

فَإِلَيْكَ مَجْدَ الدِّينِ غُرَّ قَصائِدٍ

أَسْلَفْتَهُنَّ جَمِيلَ صُنْعِكَ مُقْرِضا

So take, Majd al-Din, these radiant poems,

to which you advanced your gracious deeds as a loan.

وَبَلَوْتَهُنَّ وَإِنَّما يُنْبِيكَ عَنْ

فَضْلِ الْجِيادِ وَسَبْقِها أَنْ تُرْكضا

You have tested them; nothing tells you of

the excellence and speed of steeds but setting them to gallop.

مَمَا تَنَخَّلَه وَحَصَّلَ ماهِرٌ

فَضَلَ الْبَرِيَّةَ ناثِراً وَمُقَرِّضا

They are from what a master sifted and refined,

one who surpassed mankind in prose and verse.

رَقَّتْ كَما رَقَّ النَّسِيمُ بِعَرْفِهِ

مَرِضاً وَلَيْسَ يَصِحُّ حتّى يَمْرَضا

They grew delicate as the breeze grows delicate in its fragrance,

languid—it is never well until it falls ill.

يُخْجِلْنَ ما حاكَ الرَّبِيعُ مُفَوَّفاً

وَيَزْدْنَهُ خَجَلاً إِذا ما رَوَّضا

They shame what spring has woven in colored stripes,

and shame it all the more when it brings forth gardens.

وَكَأنَّ نُوّارَ الثُّغُورِ مُقَبَّلاً

فِيها وَتُفّاحَ الْخُدُودِ مُعَضَّضَا

As though the blossoms of mouths were kissed

within them, and the apples of cheeks were nibbled.

تُهْدى إِلى مَلِكٍ نَداُ مَعْقِلٌ

حَرَمٌ إِذا خَطْبٌ أَمَضَّ وَأَرْمَضا

They are offered to a king whose bounty is a fortress,

a sanctuary when calamity pains and scorches.

عارِي الشَّمائِلِ مِنْ حَبائِلِ غَدْرَةٍ

يُمْسِي بِها الْعِرْضُ الْمَصُونُ مُعَرَّضا

His character is free of treachery's snares,

which would leave safeguarded honor exposed.

لا يُمْطِرُ الأَعْداءَ عارِضُ بَأْسِهِ

إِلاّ إِذا بَرْقُ الصَّوارِمِ أَوْمَضا

The cloud of his might does not rain on enemies

unless the lightning of sharp swords flashes.

أَثْرى مِنَ الْحَمْدِ الزَّمانُ بِجُودِهِ

وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْناهُ الْمُقِلَّ الْمُنْفِضا

Through his generosity Time grew rich in praise,

though we had known it poor and destitute.

كُلٌّ عَلى ذَمِّ اللَّيالِي مُقْبِلٌ

ما دامَ عَنْهُ الْحَظُّ فِيها مُعْرِضا

Everyone is intent on blaming the nights

as long as fortune turns away from him within them.

فَلأمْنَحَنَّكَ ذا الثَّناءَ مُحَبَّباً

ما دامَ مَدْحُ الْباخِلِينَ مُبَغَّضا

So I shall surely grant you this well-loved praise,

as long as praising misers remains hateful.

أُثْنِي عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ أَجِدْ مُتَحَوَّلاً

عَنْهُ وَلا منْ جُودِهِ مُتَعَوّضا

I praise one for whom I have found no alternative,

nor any substitute for his generosity.

ما سَوَّدَ الدَّهْرُ الْخَؤونُ مَطالِبي

إِلاّ مَحا ذاكَ السَّوادَ وَبَيَّضا

Never did treacherous Time blacken my hopes

without his erasing that blackness and making them white.

مَنْ لَمْ يَرِدْ جَدْوى أَنامِلِكَ الَّتي

كُرِّمْنَ لَمْ يَرِد الْبُحُورَ الْفُيَّضا

Whoever has not come to the bounty of your fingers, which

are honored, has not come to the overflowing seas.