قسما بالليل وما وسقا — Ibn Alkhatib

قَسماً باللّيلِ وما وسَقا

وإيَاةِ البدْرِ إذا اتّسَقا

I swear by the night and what it gathers,

and the full moon's radiance when it waxes full,

والنّجْمِ الثّاقِبِ حينَ هَوى

رجْماً والصُبْحِ إذا انْفَلَقا

and the piercing star when it falls

as a missile, and the dawn when it breaks open,

وبنورِ الطُّوْرِ وقدْ أضْحى

مُوسَى لجلالَتِهِ صَعِقا

and by the light of al-Tur, when

Moses fell swooning before its majesty—

لَمَخائِلُ مُلْكِكَ تُخْبِرُني

أنّ التّأبيدَ لَها خُلِقا

truly, the portents of your reign tell me

that eternity was created for them.

أحْيَيْتَ الدّينَ وقدْ أوْدَى

وأعَدْتَ المُلْكَ وقد خلِقا

You revived the faith when it had perished,

and restored sovereignty when it had grown threadbare.

يا ناصِرَ دينَ اللهِ ومَنْ

بعِنايَتِهِ الوُثْقى وَثِقا

O champion of God's faith, and you who

trusted in His steadfast care,

مهّدْتَ لمُلْكِكَ مُصْطَبِحاً

في ظِلِّ الأنْسِ ومُغْتَبِقا

you laid firm foundations for your reign, drinking at dawn

in the shade of fellowship, and drinking at dusk.

ونظَمْتَ المَجْدَ فوافِرُهُ

غنّاكَ السّعْدُ بهِ وسَقَى

You wove glory into verse; its abundant strain

was sung to you by good fortune, which gave you drink.

طابَتْ بوجودِكَ أنْدَلُسٌ

حسُنَتْ بجوارِكَ مُرتَفَقا

Andalus grew delightful through your presence,

and under your protection became a lovely haven.

إنْ طافَ بها شيْطانُ عِدىً

يبْغي بسَمائِكَ مُسْتَرَقا

If an enemy demon circles her,

seeking a stolen hearing in your heaven,

أو جاسَ خِلالَ منازِلها

قذَفَتْهُ سُعودُكَ فاحْتَرَقا

or prowls among her dwellings,

your auspicious stars pelt him, and he burns.

اللّهُ تُخَيّرَ يُوسُفَ منْ

غُرَرِ الأمْلاكِ هُدىً وتُقَى

God chose Yusuf from among

the foremost kings in guidance and piety.

كهْفٌ لَجأ الإسْلامُ لهُ

فعَفا وحَمَى وكَفَى ووَقَى

A cave of refuge to which Islam fled—

he pardoned, sheltered, provided, and protected.

وأعَزَّ الرّشْدُ بهِ فِرَقاً

وأذَلَّ الغَيُّ بهِ فِرَقا

And guidance exalted groups through him,

and error humbled groups through him.

وافَى وصَباحُ المُلْكِ دُجَى

فانْجابَ الغاسِقُ وائْتَلَقا

He came when sovereignty's morning was darkness;

then the darkness parted, and the morning shone.

والأرضُ تَضيقُ بساكِنِها

وتَغَصُّ بريقَتِها شرَقا

The earth was cramped for its inhabitants,

and choked, stifled by its own spittle.

فاهْتَزّتْ حينَ أتى ورَبَتْ

وأسالَ بِها ماءً غدَقا

It stirred when he came, and swelled,

and he sent abundant water flowing through it.

أوْ تَدارَكَها بعَزائِمِهِ

ما مِثْلُ صِفاحِ الهِنْدِ رُقَى

Or he rescued it with his firm resolves—

no healing charms compare with the blades of India.

وأقامَ الحَقَّ وجاءَ بهِ

فإذا بالباطِلِ قدْ زهَقا

He established truth and brought it forth,

and behold, falsehood had vanished.

يُجْري في حُكْمِ راحَتِهِ

أحْكامَ سَعاداتٍ وشَقا

He sets in motion, under his palm's command,

decrees of happiness and misery.

لوْ عادَ البَدْرُ بغُرّتِه

لمْ يخْشَ الخَسْفَ ولا محَقا

If the full moon returned with his brow's radiance,

it would fear neither eclipse nor waning.

أو أمّ اليَمَّ بعَزْمَتِهِ

يوْماً لتصَدّعَ وانْفَرَقا

Or if he made for the sea with his resolve

one day, it would split apart and divide.

أو لاذَ الوحْشُ بجانِبِهِ

لمْ يرْهَبْ منْ عادٍ طرَقا

Or if wild beasts sought refuge at his side,

they would fear no assailant's night attack.

مهْلاً فمَواطِرُ كفِّكَ ما

أبْقَتْ مُحْتاجاً مُرْتَزِقا

Restrain yourself! The showers of your palm have not

left a needy seeker of sustenance.

ولقدْ أمَرَتْ حتّى غمَرَتْ

وتخوّفَ سائِلُكَ الغَرَقا

Indeed, they grew abundant until they flooded,

and your petitioner feared drowning.

أبَني الأنْصارِ لكُمْ شرَفٌ

حُكْمُ القُرْآنِ بهِ نطَقا

O sons of the Ansar, yours is an honor

of which the Qur'an's decree has spoken.

آووْا نصَروا أوذُوا صَبَروا

كانوا لرَسولِ اللّهِ وِقا

They sheltered, supported, were harmed, and endured;

they were a shield for God's Messenger.

حَفِظوهُ ببَذْلِ النّفْسِ كَما

حَفِظوا بجُفونِهِمُ الحدَقا

They guarded him by offering their lives, just as

they guarded their pupils with their eyelids.

وافَوا للّهِ ما عاهَدُو

هُ ما كَذبُوهُ إذْ صدَقا

They fulfilled for God what they had pledged to

Him; they did not lie to Him, for He spoke truly.

ورضَوْا بالصّبْرِ فما وهَنوا

جزَعاً في الدّينِ ولا قَلَقا

They accepted patience and did not falter

from anguish or disquiet in the faith.

أمُجاهِدَ دِينِ اللهِ لقدْ

أمّنْتَ بصارِمِكَ الطُّرُقا

O warrior for God's faith, you have indeed

made the roads safe with your keen sword;

وخَليفَتَهُ في أمّةِ مَنْ

بالوَحْيِ أتى وبِهِ فرَقا

and His vicegerent among the people of him who

came with revelation and distinguished truth from falsehood through it,

لهَجَرْتَ النّوْمَ لِطاعَتِهِ

بالغَزْوِ وواصَلْتَ الأرَقا

you surely forsook sleep in obedience to Him

by campaigning, and prolonged your sleeplessness.

هَذا النّيْروزُ أتاكَ بِما

تهْواهُ وبالبُشْرَى سَبَقا

This Nowruz has come to you with what

you desire, bringing glad tidings in advance.

فسَتَمْلِكُ أرْضَ الرّومِ فَما

أبْقَيْتَ بِها إلاّ رمَقا

So you will rule the land of the Rum; you have not

left in it anything but a flicker of life.

كفَروا باللّهِ فأرْهَقَهُم

وملَكْتَ فزادَهُمُ رَهَقا

They disbelieved in God, so He burdened them;

you gained dominion, and their affliction increased.

فالرُّمْحُ يُنَضْنِضُ منْ شَرَهٍ

لهُمُ والصّارِمُ قدْ دَلَقا

The spear flicks its tongue in ravenous hunger

for them, and the keen sword has slipped its sheath.

والخيْلُ تهُدّ مرابِطها

وتَقُدّ أعنّتَها حنَقا

The horses batter down their stalls

and sever their reins in fury.

شُهْبٌ كالشّهْبِ إذا قُذِفَتْ

دُهْمٌ كاللّيلِ إذا غسَقا

Gray horses, like meteors when they are hurled;

black horses, like the night when it darkens;

صُفْرٌ كالشّمْسِ إذا جنَحَتْ

حُمْرٌ قد أُلْبِسَتِ الشّفَقا

yellow horses, like the sun when it sinks;

red horses, already clothed in twilight's glow.

إمّا صهَلَتْ في أرْضِ عِدىً

فغُرابُ البَيْنِ بهِمْ نَعَقا

Whenever they neigh in an enemy's land,

the raven of parting croaks over them.

ما أرْعَدَ ركْضُ سَنابِكِها

إلاّ والصّارِمُ قدْ فَرِقا

Never have their galloping hooves thundered

without the keen sword already taking fright.

يعْتَدُّ بِها مَلْكٌ شهْمٌ

لوْ رامَ بِها الشّعْرَى لحِقا

A valiant king relies on them;

if he sought Sirius with them, he would reach it.

أو عارَضَها بالبَرْقِ كَبا

أوْ أوْرَدَ عيْنَ الشّمْسِ سَقَى

Or if he raced them against lightning, lightning would stumble;

or led them to the sun's eye, he would give them drink.

لوْلا كلِماتٌ قد سبَقَتْ

بالسِّلْمِ وعَهْدٌ قد سبَقا

Were it not for words already pledged

for peace, and a covenant made before,

لتَرَكْت ديارَهُمُ قَفْراً

للهامِ وسلْمَهُمُ نفَقا

you would have left their dwellings desolate

for owls, and their peace extinguished.

وجَعَلْتَ مِياهَهُمُ غوْراً

وترَكْتَ صَعيدَهُمُ زلَقا

You would have made their waters sink beyond reach,

and left their ground bare and slippery.

يا حِزْبَ اللّهِ وناصِرَهُ

بالحقِّ ومُدْرِكَ ما سَحَقا

O party of God and His champion

in truth, and attainer of what lies far away,

أنتَ المذْخورُ ليَوْمِهمُ

أنتَ المِفْتاحُ لِما غُلِقا

you are held in reserve for their day;

you are the key to what is locked.

وافَيْتُ إليْكَ بِها راكِضاً

ولغَمْرِ نوالِكَ مُسْتَبِقا

I have come to you with her, galloping,

and racing toward the flood of your bounty.

فسَبَكْتُ التِّبرَ لَها لُجُماً

وجعَلْتُ أعنّتَها سَرَقا

So I cast raw gold into bridles for her,

and made her reins of silk.

فأنِلْ واحْمِلْ وأعِدْ وأبِدْ

وأنْعَمْ في ظلِّ حِمىً وبَقا

So bestow, provide mounts, restore, and destroy,

and live in bliss in the shade of protection and enduring life,

ما لاحَ النّورُ بمَشْرِقِه

أو هزّتْ ريحُ غُصْنٍ نَقا

as long as light gleams where it rises,

or a wind stirs a bough on a sand dune.