بحيث القباب البيض والأسل السمر — Ibn Alkhatib

بحيْثُ القبابُ البيضُ والأسَلُ السُّمْرُ

لُيوثُ غُيوثٍ كلّما أخْلَفَ القَطْرُ

Where the white pavilions and dark spears stand,

are lions, rainclouds whenever the rainfall fails,

مَقاولُ منْ أقْيالِ سعْدِ بنِ خَزْرَجٍ

أنوفُهُمُ شُمٌّ وأوْجُهُهُمْ غُرُّ

chieftains among the princes of Sa'd ibn Khazraj,

their noses held high, their faces radiant.

يُشَبّ على أبْياتِهِم ضَرَمُ القِرى

فيَهْدي إذا ما ضَلّ في السّفْرِ السّفْرُ

The blaze of hospitality is kindled beside their tents,

and guides the travelers when they stray upon the journey.

يَقولونَ والآفاقُ غُبْرٌ مُغيمَةٌ

كأنّ على الأرْجاءِ أرْديةٌ غُبْرُ

They say, while the horizons are dust-gray and overcast,

as though gray cloaks covered every quarter:

إذا الوَفْرُ لم يُدْلِلْ على الحمْدِ ربَّهُ

فَلا جلّتِ النّعْمى ولا وَفَرَ الوَفْرُ

If wealth does not guide its owner toward praise,

then may the blessing not grow great, nor the wealth increase.

وما العُمْرُ إلا زينَةٌ مُسْتَعارَةٌ

تُرَدُّ ولكِنّ الثّناءَ هوَ العُمْرُ

Life is nothing but a borrowed adornment,

to be returned; but praise is life itself.

وإنْ زَحَفوا منْ دونِ رايَةِ يوسُفٍ

تَقولُ تَعالَى مَنْ لهُ الخَلْقُ والأمْرُ

And if they advance before Yusuf's banner,

you say: "Exalted is He to whom creation and command belong."

وتَبْصِرُ سُحْباً منْ دُروعٍ سَوابغٍ

يَطيرُ بِها عزْمٌ ويَقْدُمُها نصْرُ

And you see clouds of full-length coats of mail;

resolve sends them flying, and victory leads them.

إمامٌ بهِ عَزَّ الهُدى وتبادَرَتْ

لطاعَتِهِ الدُّنْيا وذَلّ بهِ الكُفْرُ

An imam through whom guidance grew mighty; and rushing

to obey him came the world; through him unbelief was humbled.

وأصْبَحَ ثغْرُ الثّأرِ يَبْسِمُ ضاحِكاً

وقد كانَ ممّا نابَهُ ليْسَ يَفْتَرُّ

And vengeance's mouth now smiles in laughter,

though once, for what had befallen it, it could not smile.

أقامَ سِياجَ السِّلْمِ دونَ ذِمارِهِ

فَلا ظِنّةٌ تعْرَى ولا روْعَةٌ تَعْرو

He raised a fence of peace around all he must protect,

so no suspicion arises and no terror assails.

تَناقَلَتِ الرُّكْبانُ طيبَ حَديثِهِ

فلمّا رأوْهُ صدّقَ الخَبَرَ الخُبْرُ

Riders passed along the pleasant reports of him,

and when they saw him, experience confirmed the report.

فضاءٌ تَضيقُ الأرْضُ عنْهُ برَحْبِها

وشِيمَةُ حِلْمٍ لا يَضيقُ بِها صدْرُ

A vast expanse the earth, wide as it is, cannot contain,

and a nature of forbearance that leaves no breast constricted.

فَما عَمْرو إنْ قِيسَ يوْماً ببأسِهِ

وإنْ وصَفوهُ بالدّهاءِ فَما عَمْرُو

What is 'Amr, if ever measured against his might?

And though they call him cunning, what is 'Amr?

لكَ اللهُ ما أمْضى سُيوفَكَ في العِدى

إذا ما أسودُ الحرْبِ خامَرَها الذّعْرُ

God be with you—how keen your swords against the foes,

when terror overtakes the lions of war,

ودارَتْ على أبْطالِها أكؤسُ الرّدى

فَمالَتْ كأنّ القوْمَ أزْرى بِها السُّكْرُ

and the cups of death pass among its champions,

and they reel as though drunkenness had brought the warriors low.

وأيُّ فؤادٍ منْهُمُ غيْرُ خافِقٍ

إذا خفَقَتْ في الحرْبِ أعْلامُكَ الحُمْرُ

And which heart among them does not flutter

when your red banners flutter in war?

ومُدّتْ الى اللهِ الأكُفَّ ضَراعَةً

فقالَ لهنّ اللهُ قدْ قُضيَ الأمْرُ

And palms were stretched toward God in supplication;

then God said to them: "The matter has been decreed."

وألْبَسَها النُّعْمى ببَيْعَتِكَ التي

بِها أمِنَ الإسْلامَ وانْسَدَلَ السَّتْرُ

And He clothed them in blessing through the pledge of allegiance to you,

by which Islam became secure and the curtain descended.

وجاءَتْكَ كالآرامِ تخْتال في الحُلى

جِيادُ المَذاكي والمُحَجّلَةُ الغُرُّ

And there came to you, like gazelles strutting in ornaments,

noble, mature steeds and white-stockinged, white-blazed ones.

وِرادٌ وشُقْرٌ واضِحاتٌ شِياتُها

فأجْسامُها تِبْرٌ وأرْجُلُها دُرُّ

Bay and chestnut, their markings clear,

their bodies gold dust, their legs pearls.

وشُهْبٌ إذا ما ضُمِّرَتْ يوْمَ غارَةٍ

مطهَّمةٌ غارَتْ بِها الشّهْبُ الزُّهْرُ

And gray steeds, when made lean for a day of raiding,

well-formed, before which the bright meteors fade.

طَوافِحُ في أرْسانِهنّ فَوارِهٌ

يَبينُ على أعْطافِها الزّهْوُ والكِبْرُ

Straining in their halters, excellent steeds,

pride and haughtiness show upon their flanks.

كأنّي بهِمْ لمّا تَعاطَوْا حديثَها

وأعْناقُهُمْ ميلٌ وأعْيُنُهمْ خُزْرُ

I seem to see them when they took up talk of it,

their necks bent and their eyes askance,

وجاشوا الى رأيِ منَ الكُفْرِ فائِلٍ

وغرّهُمُ الشّيْطانُ باللهِ فاغْتَرّوا

and surged toward a misguided counsel of unbelief;

and Satan deceived them concerning God, so they were deceived.

وربُّكَ بالنّصْرِ المؤزَّرِ كافِلٌ

فعادَتُهُ في قومِكَ العَضْدُ والنّصْرُ

And your Lord guarantees decisive victory,

for His custom with your people is support and victory.

كأنّك قدْ ذمّرْتَ كلَّ كَتيبةٍ

غَنائِمُها بيضٌ وآسالُها سُمْرُ

It is as though you have roused every battalion,

its spoils white, its spears dark.

إذا ما انْجلَى عنها القَتام تدافَعَتْ

على الأرضِ منْ ماذِيِّها لُجَجٌ خُضْرُ

When the dust clears from it, there surge

over the earth green billows from its gleaming mail.

عليْها منَ الأبْطالِ كلَّ مجرِّبٍ

نِقابٍ تَساوى عنْدَهُ الحُلْوُ والمُرُّ

Upon them is every battle-tested champion,

keenly discerning, to whom sweet and bitter are alike.

فدوَّخَتِ الآفاقَ حتّى أنيسُها

خَلاءٌ وحتّى ربْعُها بلْقَعٌ قَفْرُ

So it subdued the horizons until their inhabited places

lay empty, and even their dwellings were barren, desolate wastes.

لقَدْ ضَلّ مَنْ يَبْغي من البحْرِ ضَلّة

ولمْ يدْرِ أنّ البَحْرَ أنْمُلُكَ العشْرُ

Truly astray is he who seeks a lost thing from the sea,

and knows not that the sea is your ten fingertips.

وعاشٍ لِنورِ النّيِّرَيْنِ بزَعْمِهِ

وما الشّمْسُ إلا دونَ وجْهِكَ والبَدْرُ

And one groping toward the two luminaries' light, as he supposes,

though the sun and full moon fall short of your face.

تلقّيْتَ شهْرَ الصّومِ بالبِرِّ والتُّقى

تودُّ بأنْ لا ينْقَضي ذلِكَ الشّهْرُ

You welcomed the month of fasting with righteousness and piety,

wishing that that month would never end.

وودَّعَ يَثْني بالذي أنْتَ أهْلُهُ

وقدْ جلّتِ الزُّلْفى وقد عظُمَ الأجْرُ

And it bade farewell, praising you as you deserve,

with nearness to God grown great and the reward immense.

ووافاكَ شهْرُ الصّوْمِ يُزْهى بغُرّةٍ

ترِفُّ بِها البُشْرى ويَبْدو بِها البِشْرُ

And the month of fasting came to you, proud of a radiant beginning,

in which good tidings flutter and gladness appears.

أتَيْتَ مُصَلاّه على قدَمِ الرِّضى

وقدْ عظُمَ التّمْجيدُ للّهِ والذِّكْرُ

You came to its prayer ground on a footing of divine favor,

while glorification of God and remembrance grew great.

وقد غصَّ منْ وُسْعِ السّبيكَةِ وُسْعُها

وجرَّ بِها أذْيالَهُ العَسْكُرُ المَجْرُ

And al-Sabika's spacious grounds were choked, for all their breadth,

and the vast army trailed its skirts through it.

وما رِيءَ منْ مثْلٍ لهُ يوْمَ زينَةٍ

كأنّ نَضيرَ الزّهْر راقَ بهِ الزّهْرُ

Never had its like been seen on a day of celebration,

as though the fresh bloom of flowers lent splendor to the stars.

ودارَتْ منَ الأغْزازِ تحْتَ لوائِها

رُماةٌ على أوْتارِها للعِدا وتْرُ

And beneath its banner wheeled, from among the Ghuzz,

archers whose bowstrings carried vengeance against the foes.

إذا اضْطَبَنوا أقْواسَهُمْ وتمَنْطَقوا

فتُبْصِرُ جيْشَ التُّرْكِ جاشَتْ بهِ مِصْرُ

When they tucked their bows under their arms and girded themselves,

you beheld the Turks' army, with which Egypt teemed.

فهُنّيتَهُ عيداً سَعيداً إذا انْقَضى

أتَتْكَ ضُروبٌ منْهُ ليْسَ لَها حصْرُ

So may you enjoy it as a happy feast; whenever it ends,

may countless varieties of it come to you.

ولا زِلْتَ في مُلْكٍ مَنيعٍ مؤيَّدٍ

تهَشُّ لهُ الدُّنْيا ويعْنو لهُ الدّهْرُ

And may you ever enjoy an unassailable, upheld reign,

at which the world rejoices and before which time bows.

إذا نحْنُ أثْنَيْنا عليْكَ بمِدْحَةٍ

فهَيْهاتَ يُحْصى الرّمْلُ أو يُحْصَرُ القَطْرُ

If we praise you with a panegyric,

how impossible it is to count the sand or number the raindrops!

ولكنّنا نأتي بِما نسْتَطيعُهُ

ومَنْ بذَلَ المَجْهودَ حُقَ لهُ العُذْرُ

But we offer what we can,

and whoever gives his utmost deserves to be excused.