زمانك أفراح لدينا وأعياد — Ibn Alkhatib

زَمانُكَ أفْراحٌ لدَيْنا وأعْيادُ

فعِيدٌ ونَيْروزٌ سَعيدٌ وميلادُ

Your time is joy and festivals for us:

a feast, a happy Nayruz, and a birthday.

تَزورُكَ أثناءَ الزّمانِ كأنّها

عُفاةٌ تُرجّي راحَتَيْكَ وقُصّادُ

They visit you throughout time, as though they were

beggars placing hope in your two palms, and seekers of bounty.

فتُهْدي الى كُلٍّ مَقالاً يَخُصُّهُ

فمِنّا لَها دُرٌّ ومنْهُنّ أجْيادُ

So you offer each a verse suited to it;

from us come pearls for them, and from them, necks.

لقدْ عمّ منْكَ الرّفْدُ مَنْ جاءَ قاصِداً

نَوالَكَ حتّى للمَواسِمِ إرْفادُ

Your bounty has indeed embraced whoever came seeking

your largesse; even the festivals receive gifts.

غُصونُ المُنى تُدْني إليْكَ قِطافَها

وللدّهْرِ إسْعافٌ إليْكَ وإسْعادُ

The branches of wishes bring their harvest near to you,

and time offers you aid and good fortune.

تعلّمَ من أخْلاقِكَ العدْلَ في الوَرى

فلِلْعُدْمِ إعْدامٌ وللْجودِ إيجادُ

It has learned justice among humankind from your character,

so want is annihilated, and generosity brought into being.

إذا رُمْتَ صَعْباً أو طَلَبْتَ مُمَنّعاً

فجَدُّكَ يدْعو بالصِّعابِ فتَنْقادُ

If you aim for something difficult or seek something unassailable,

your good fortune summons difficulties, and they submit.

مَقامُك حيثُ السُّحْبُ هاميةُ النّدى

مَقيلٌ لإصْباحِ السُّرى فيهِ إحْمادُ

Your dwelling, where the clouds pour down dew,

is a midday refuge when night travel reaches dawn, where one finds cause for praise.

تُؤمِّلُهُ الرُّوَادُ إنْ أخْلَفَ الحَيا

وتَنْجَعُهُ الرُّكْبانُ إنْ نَفِدَ الزّادُ

Pasture-seekers put their hopes in it when the rain fails,

and riders seek it out when provisions run out.

وتَهْوى قُلوبُ المُعْتَفينَ لظِلِّه

فتُعْمَلُ أقْتابٌ إلَيْهِ وأقْتادُ

And gift-seekers' hearts long for its shade;

so camel saddles and saddle-frames are put to use to reach it.

سَلَلْتَ حُسامَ العَضْدِ والقُطْرُ راجِفٌ

وللرّوْعِ إنبْراقٌ علَيْهِ وإرْعادُ

You drew your arm's keen sword while the land trembled,

and terror flashed lightning and thundered over it.

وقُدْتَ إلَيْهِ الُرْدَ والنصْرُ خافِقٌ

يَرِفُّ علَيْها والملائِكُ أعْدادُ

You led the [steeds] toward it, while victory fluttered,

fluttering above them, with the angels in hosts.

فَما عاقَها عنْ نَيْلِها القَصْدَ عائِقٌ

ولا عَزّها يوْماً منَ اللهِ إمْدادُ

So no obstacle kept them from attaining their goal,

nor did reinforcement from God ever elude them.

وجاهَدْتَ أحْزابَ الضّلالةِ جاهِداً

فلَمْ يُغْنِهِمْ منْ حَدِّ سيْفِكَ ما كادوا

And you fought the factions of error, striving hard,

so their plotting did not save them from your sword's edge.

ولاذوا الى السِّلْمِ اسْتِلاماً ورَهْبَةً

وقد شارَفوا وِرْدَ المنيّةِ أو كادُوا

And they sought refuge in peace, in surrender and fear,

having neared death's watering place—or nearly so.

فألّفْتَ ما بيْنَ الظُّبى وجُفونِها

وقد أوْحَشَتْ مِنْهُمْ جُفونٌ وأغْمادُ

So you reunited the sword-blades with their scabbards,

after scabbards and sheaths had grown lonely without them.

وأجْمَمْتَ حدّ السّيفِ عنْ مُهَجاتِهِمْ

وقد طالَ منْهُمْ في سُؤالِكَ تَرْدادُ

And you gave the sword's edge rest from their lifeblood,

after they had long repeated their pleas to you.

وأحْصَنُ دِرْعٍ أيْقَنوا بدِفاعِهِ

لِبأسِكَ إذْعانٌ إلَيْهِ وإخْلادُ

And the strongest armor whose protection they trusted

against your might was submission to it and acquiescence.

فمهّدْتَ بالسِّلْمِ البِلادَ لأهْلِها

فللأمْنِ إصْدارٌ علَيْكَ وإيرادُ

So through peace you made the lands secure for their people;

so security's going forth and coming in depend on you.

وأصْبَحَتِ الأدْراعُ وهْيَ مَدارعٌ

وأزْرادُ أوْزارِ الوَغَى وهْيَ أبْرادُ

And coats of armor became tunics,

and the mail-links of battle's armaments became cloaks.

أَيوسُفُ حسْبُ القوْلِ فيكَ وإنْ عَلا

قُصورٌ فما إنْ يَحصُرُ القَطْرَ تَعْدادُ

O Yusuf, the utmost that words about you can achieve, however lofty,

falls short: no tally can number the raindrops.

توَقّلْتَ أهْضابَ الجَلالِ وأحْرَزْتَ

لكَ الحمْدَ آباءٌ كِرامٌ وأجْدادُ

You scaled the heights of majesty; and those who secured

praise for you were noble fathers and grandfathers,

وأمْلاكُ صِدْقٍ إنْ عَرا الناسَ رائِعٌ

منَ الخطْبِ جَدّوا أو عَرَتْ أزْمَةٌ جادُوا

and kings of true worth: when some terror befell the people

from calamity, they strove; or if hardship struck, they gave generously.

مَقاماتُهُمْ بِيضٌ وحُمْرُ قِبابِهِمْ

يَرِفُّ بِها هَدْيٌ ويَشْرُقُ إرْشادُ

Their deeds are white, and their pavilions red;

guidance flutters within them, and right counsel shines.

تَحُفُّ بِها الجُرْدُ العِتاقُ ودونَها

لِباغِي القِرى نارٌ تُشِبُّ وإيقادُ

Sleek, thoroughbred steeds surround them; and before them,

for the seeker of hospitality, a fire is lit and stoked.

وأنْديَةٌ يَنْتابُها البأسُ والنَّدى

فيُخْلَفُ إيعادٌ ويُنْجَزُ مِيعادُ

And there are assemblies frequented by valor and generosity,

so a threat goes unfulfilled, and a promise is kept.

ولَمْ تأْلُ سَبْقاً في اقْتِفاءِ سَبيلِهِمْ

فصُلْتَ كَما صالُوا وسُدْتَ كَما سادُوا

And you spared no effort to excel in following their path;

so you charged as they charged, and ruled as they ruled.

حَديثٌ لهُ في المَشْرَفيِّ رِوايَةٌ

وعنْدَ العَوالي السّمْهَريّةِ إسْنادُ

A tale narrated by the Mashrafi sword,

with its chain of transmission among the tall Samhari spears.

فَدُمْ تُذْعِرُ الأعْداءَ في شَعَفاتِها

وتَنْقُضُ ما شَدّوا وتَعْمُرُ ما شادُوا

So keep terrifying enemies upon their mountain peaks,

and undo what they made firm, and inhabit what they built.

ويَهْنِيكَ نَيْروزٌ سَعيدٌ قدِ انْقَضى

أتَتْكَ على آثارِهِ منْهُ أعْدادُ

And may the happy Nayruz now past gladden you;

may many more of its kind come to you in its footsteps.

أتاكَ على عِلْمٍ بجُودِكَ في الوَرى

فأمّلَ منْ جَدْواكَ ما هوَ يَعْتادُ

It came to you knowing your generosity among humankind,

so it hoped from your bounty for what it customarily receives.

وما هوَ إلا رائِدٌ لبَشائرٍ

فلازالَ يَحْدوها إليْكَ ويَقْتادُ

And it is only a scout for glad tidings;

so may it ever drive them to you with song and lead them onward.