لمن طلل نائي المزار بعيده — Ibn Alkhatib

لمَنْ طَلَلٌ نائِي المَزارِ بَعيدُهُ

وعهْدٌ كَريمٌ لا يُذَمُّ حَميدُهُ

Whose are these ruins, distant and remote to visit,

And a noble past whose virtues none can fault?

عَفا غَيْرَ نُؤْيٍ كالسِّوارِ ومَوْقِدٍ

كَما جَثَمَتْ بيضُ الحَمامِ وسُودُهُ

They have faded, save a trench like a bracelet and a hearth,

Like white doves and black ones crouching.

إذا أخْلَفَ الغيْثُ الأباطِحَ والرُّبا

فتَسْكابُ دَمْعِ المُقلَتَيْنِ يَجودُهُ

When rain fails the gravelly valley floors and hills,

The pouring tears of both eyes water them generously.

مَحَلٌّ لسُعْدَى والزّمانُ مُساعِدٌ

وجَفْنُ اللّيالي لا يَريمُ هُجودُه

A dwelling of Su'da, when time was favorable,

And the eyelid of the nights never abandoned its sleep.

وقَفْنا بهِ عُوجَ المَطيِّ كأنّهُ

عَليلٌ ومُجْتازُ الرِّكابِ يَعودُهُ

We halted our bent-necked riding-camels there, as though it

Were an invalid whom a passing camel-rider visits.

فلَوْلا نَسيمٌ رَدّ رَجْعَ جَوابِنا

فسَكّنَ منْ حَرِّ الأُوامِ بَرُودُهُ

Were it not for a breeze that returned the echo of our reply,

Whose coolness soothed the heat of burning thirst,

لَما حَمَلتْ منّا الضّلوعُ غَرامَها

ولا كانَ هَذا الشّوقُ يَخْبو وَقودُهُ

Our ribs could not have borne their passion,

Nor would the fire of this longing have burned low.

وتاللّهِ لوْلا أنّةٌ تُشْهِرُ الجَوى

فأضْحى وسرُّ الحُبِّ بادٍ جُحودُهُ

And by God, were it not for a groan that betrays heartache,

So its denial stands exposed, while love's secret is plain,

لآثَرْتُ كَتْمَ الوجْدِ بيْنَ جَوانِحي

وبلّغْتُ في القَلْبِ الهَوى ما يُريدُهُ

I would have preferred to conceal passion between my ribs,

And granted desire within my heart whatever it wished.

خَليليَّ ما للرّكْبِ لا يَشْتَكي الوَجى

وما لِبِساطِ القَفْرِ يُطْوى مَديدُهُ

My two friends, why does the caravan not complain of sore feet?

And why is the wilderness's long carpet being folded up?

يحُثُّ جَناحَ السّيْرِ حتّى كأنّما

رَجاءُ أميرِ المُسْلِمينَ يَقودُهُ

It spurs the wing of travel, until it seems as though

Hope in the Commander of the Muslims were leading it.

أظنُّ ديارَ الحَيِّ منّا قَريبةً

وظمْآنُ هَذا البُعْدِ حانَ وُرودُهُ

I think the clan's dwellings are near us,

And the one parched by this distance is due to reach water.

وإلاّ فَما بالُ النّسيمِ كأنّما

أكبّتْ على النّارِ الكِباءَ هُنودُهُ

Otherwise, what is with the breeze, as though

His Indians had tipped incense onto the fire?

تأَرّجَ في الآفاقِ مَسْرَى هُبوبِهِ

كَما حَمَلَتْ عنْهُ الثّناءَ وُفودُهُ

The course of its blowing grew fragrant across the horizons,

Just as his delegations carried praise of him.

وما بالُ هذا العِيسِ لا تَسْأمُ السُّرَى

كَما جُهِّزَتْ عنْدَ المَغارِ جُنودُهُ

And why do these pale camels never tire of night-travel,

Like his troops when readied for an assault?

أميرٌ كَفى الإسْلامَ كلَّ عَظيمةٍ

وقدْ شابَ منْ طولِ العَناءِ وَليدُهُ

A commander who shielded Islam from every calamity,

When even its infant had grown gray from long suffering.

وقادَ الى إصْراخِهِ كُلَّ سابِحٍ

مُعوّذَةٍ أنْ لا تُحَطَّ لُبودُهُ

And led to its rescue every swimming steed,

Protected by charms lest its saddle-felts ever be taken off.

وألّفَ أسْرارَ النّفوسِ على الُدَى

فأوْشَكَ منْ وَقدِ الشَّتاتِ خُمودُهُ

And united souls' inmost thoughts upon [guidance],

So the flames of disunion were soon to die down.

ولمّا عرَتْ هَذي الجَزيرةَ نَبْوَةٌ

وعُطِّلَ منْ فَرْضِ الجِهادِ أكيدُهُ

And when a setback befell this peninsula,

And the binding duty of holy warfare was neglected,

وأصْبَحَ ثَغْرُ الثّغْرِ بعْدَ ابتِسامِهِ

ولوْلا دِفاعُ اللّهِ فُضّتْ عُقودُهُ

And the frontier's mouth, after its smile, had come to this:

But for God's defense, its necklaces would have been broken.

تَبارَكَ آلُ النّصْرِ حِفْظَ ذَمائِهِ

فأعْقَبَ صِدّيقَ الجَلالِ شَهيدُهُ

Blessed be the House of Nasr for preserving its remaining life;

So its martyr left the truthful one of Majesty as successor,

وأنْجَبَهُ للدّينِ يحْمي ذِمارَهُ

كما أنْجَبَتْ لَيْثَ العَرينِ أسودُهُ

And begot him for the faith, to guard its honor,

As the lions of the den beget the den's lion.

فقامَ بأمْرِ اللهِ ناصِرُ دينِهِ

ولا عِبْءَ يَثْني عَزْمَهُ ويُؤودُهُ

Then the defender of His faith rose at God's command,

And no burden bends his resolve or weighs him down.

وأسْلكَ نهْجَ الحقِّ مَنْ حادَ بعْدَما

تُنوسِيَ ذِكْراهُ وضَلَّ سديدُهُ

And he set those who strayed upon the path of truth, after

Its remembrance had been forgotten and its straight course lost.

إذا عُدِّدَ الأمْلاكُ مَجْداً ومَحْتِداً

فيُوسُفُ أنْصارُ النّبيّ جُدودُهُ

When kings are reckoned by glory and lineage,

Then Yusuf's forefathers are the Prophet's Helpers.

وإنْ قَعَدوا منْ دونِ مبْلَغِ غايةٍ

تَدانَى لهُ منْ كلِّ قَصْدٍ بَعيدُهُ

And if they halt short of reaching a goal,

The farthest reach of every aim draws near to him.

وأيُّ فؤادٍ مِنْهُمُ غيْرُ خافِقٍ

إذا خَفَقَتْ أعْلامُهُ وبُنودُهُ

And which heart among them does not pound

When his flags and banners flutter?

لهُ فَتَكاتٌ ما تَجفُّ ظُباتُها

وعزْمُ اقْتِدارِ ما تُحَلُّ عُقودُهُ

His are deadly onslaughts whose sword-edges never dry,

And a mighty resolve whose knots are never undone.

ورأيٌ يَمُدُّ الشّمْسَ نوراً ومَشْهَداً

ملائِكَةُ السّبْعِ الطِّباقِ شُهودُهُ

And counsel that lends the sun light, and a gathering

Whose witnesses are the angels of the seven layered heavens.

فلِلنّاسِ في يومِ العَطاءِ هِباتُهُ

وللّهِ في اللّيلِ الطّويلِ هُجودُهُ

So his gifts are for people on the day of giving,

And for God is his vigil in the long night.

يَميناً لَما الأنْواءُ إلا يَمينُهُ

وما الجُودُ إلا ما سَقَى الأرْضَ جودُهُ

I swear: the rain-bearing stars are nothing but his right hand,

And bounty is only what his bounty showers upon the earth.

أميرَ العُلَى لوْلاكَ أصْبَحَ رَبْعُها

خَلاءً ودِينُ اللهِ وَاهٍ عَمودُهُ

O prince of lofty glory, without you its dwelling would lie

Deserted, and the pillar of God's faith would be weak.

ولَكِنْ نَهَجْتَ العَدْلَ منْ بعْدِ فتْرَةٍ

وقدْ دَرَسَتْ آثارُهُ وعُهودُهُ

But you charted the path of justice after a lapse,

When its traces and covenants had already faded.

وبَدّدْتَ شمْلَ الكُفْرِ بعْدَ ائتلافِهِ

فأضْحَى عَميداً في الرُّغامِ عَميدُهُ

And scattered unbelief's gathered ranks after their union,

So its chief lay stricken in the dust.

وجاهَدْتَهُ في اللّهِ حَقَّ جِهادِهِ

فأذْعَنَ عاصِيهِ وذلّ عَنيدُهُ

And you fought it for God's sake with all the striving due to Him,

So its rebel submitted, and its stubborn one was humbled.

فمُلْكُكَ مَنْصورُ اللِّواءِ سَعيدُهُ

وظِلُّكَ خفّاقُ الرواقِ مَديدُهُ

So your reign is fortunate, its banner victorious;

And your shade stretches far, its canopy fluttering;

وسيْفُكَ مرْهوبُ الغِرارِ حَديدُهُ

وسَيْبُكَ مسْكوبُ النّوالِ عَتيدُهُ

And your sword's steel is feared for its cutting edge;

And your bounty stands ready, its gifts pouring forth.

فلوْلاكَ لمْ تنْهَلَّ بالغَيْثِ ديمةٌ

ولا راقَ من زَهْرِ الرِّياضِ مَجودُهُ

For without you no steady raincloud would pour down rain,

Nor would the gardens' rain-fed blossoms charm.

وأخْفَقَ مسْعَى كلِّ آمِلِ غايَةٍ

وأخْلَقَ منْ عَصْبِ الزّمانِ جَديدُهُ

And the endeavor of every seeker of a goal would fail,

And time's fresh striped cloth would wear threadbare.

هَنيئاً لكَ العيدُ الذي أنْتَ عِيدُهُ

وفي اللهِ ما تُبْديهِ أو ما تُعيدُهُ

Joy to you on the feast, whose own feast you are!

And whatever you reveal or repeat is for God's sake.

أتَيْتَ المُصَلّى والجُنودُ رَوائِحٌ

تَغَصُّ بِها أغْوارُهُ ونُجودُهُ

You came to the prayer-ground, with the troops marching out,

Its lowlands and uplands crowded with them.

وقد أبْصَرَتْ منْكَ النّواظِرُ مِلأَها

جَمالاً تَمُدُّ النَّيِّراتِ سُعودُهُ

And the eyes had beheld in you their fill

Of beauty whose auspicious stars sustain the luminaries,

وآيةُ نَصْرٍ في حِجابِ مهابَةٍ

تُدافِعُ عنْ دينِ الهُدى مَنْ يَكيدُهُ

And a sign of victory within a veil of awe,

Defending the faith of guidance against whoever plots against it.

فلمّا قَضَيْتَ النّحْرَ أقْبَلْتَ راضِياً

عنِ اللهِ تُعْلي ذِكْرَهُ وتُشيدُهُ

And when you completed the sacrifice, you came forward content

With God, exalting His remembrance and proclaiming it.

وأوْرَدْتَنا منْ جُودِ كفّيْكَ مَوْرِداً

يبَرِّدُ غُلاّتِ الظِّماءِ بَرودُهُ

And from the bounty of your two palms you led us to a watering place,

Whose cool water eases the burning thirst of the thirsty.

وألْبَسْتَنا الآلاءَ بِيضاً سَوابِغاً

فزادَكَ مِنْها اللهُ ما تَسْتَزيدُهُ

And you clothed us in blessings, white and ample;

So may God grant you more of them, all the increase you desire.