قلدت من نصر الإلاه حساما — Ibn Alkhatib

قُلِّدْتَ مِنْ نَصْرِ الإلاَهِ حُسَاماً

حَاطَ العِبَادَ وَمَهَّدَ الأَيَّامَا

You were girded with a sword of God's victory,

that guarded the servants and smoothed the days.

فَإِذَا تَنَبَّهَ حَادِثٌ نَبَّهْتَهُ

وَتَرَكْتَ أَجْفَانَ الأَنَامِ نِيَامَا

Whenever a calamity stirred, you gave it warning,

and left humankind's eyelids asleep.

وَذَعَرْتَ أُسْدَ الْغَابِ فِي أَجَمَاتِهَا

لَمَّا هَزَزْتَ مِنَ الْقَنَا آجَامَا

You frightened the forest's lions in their thickets,

when you shook thickets of spears.

فَإِذَا هَمَمْتَ بَلَغْتَ أَقْصَى غَايَةٍ

وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْرَّأْيَ كَانَ لِزَامَا

Whenever you resolved, you reached the furthest goal,

and whenever you formed a judgment, it became binding.

وَإِذَا الْجَزِيرَةُ نَالَ مِنْهَا وَاقِعٌ

شَيْئاً وَهَاجَ بِهَا الْعَدُوُّ ضِرَامَا

Whenever an onslaught afflicted the peninsula

in any way, and the enemy stirred a blaze within it,

أًصْلَيْتَهَا نَارً السُّيُوفِ فَأَصْبَحَتْ

بَرْداً عَلَى كَبِدِ الْهُدَى وَسَلامَا

you made it burn in the fire of swords, and it became

coolness and peace upon the liver of guidance.

وَقَدِمْتَ فِي يَوْمِ الْهِيَاجِ بِفتْيَةٍ

لَمْ تَدْرِ إِلاَّ الْبَطْشَ وَالإِقْدَامَا

You came on the day of battle with young men

who knew nothing but force and bold advance,

مُتَسَرْبِلِينَ هَجِيرَهَا فَإِذَا دَجَا

قَطَعُوا الدُّجُنَّةَ سُجَّداً وَقِيَامَا

clad in its midday heat; then, when darkness fell,

they passed the darkness prostrate and standing in prayer.

فَلِبَاسُ بَأْسِكَ رَاعَ أَفْئِدَةَ الْعِدَى

وَوُجُودُ جُودِكَ أَعْدَمَ الإِعْدَامَا

The garb of your might terrified the hearts of enemies,

and your bounty's presence abolished destitution.

عَجَباً لِرَاحَتِكَ الْمُلِثَّةِ بِالنَّدَى

أَنْ لاَ تَكُونَ عَلَى الْغَمَامِ غَمَامَا

How wondrous that your palm, ever pouring bounty,

is not a raincloud above the clouds!

تَهْمِي وَوَجْهُكَ نُورُهُ مُتَأَلِّقٌ

والْحَزْنُ إِنْ سُحُبُ السَّحَابِ أَغَامَا

It pours while your face shines with radiant light,

but gloom comes when the cloudbanks grow overcast.

نُظِمَ الشَّتَاتُ لِيَوْمِ بَيْعَتِكَ الَّتِي

كَانَتْ لِجَمْعِ المُسْلِمِينَ نِظَامَا

The scattered were united on the day of the pledge to you, which

was a binding thread for the gathering of Muslims.

فَتَوَاصَلُوا حَتَّى كَأَنَّ قُلُوبَهُمْ

عَقَدَ التَّواصُلُ بَيْنَهَا أَرْحَامَا

So they united, until it seemed their hearts

had been bound in kinship by their communion.

لِلَّهِ يُوسُفُ مِنْ إِمَامِ هِدَايَةٍ

مَلِكٍ غَدَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامَا

God be praised for Yusuf, a leader of guidance,

a king who became a leader of the God-fearing!

سَاس الْبِلاَدَ وَرَاضَ مِنْ دَهْمَائِهَا

إِبلاً صِعَاباً لاَ تُطِيق خِطَامَا

He governed the land and tamed among its masses

stubborn camels that could not bear a halter.

إِنْ أَمَّه الْعَافُون يَنْتَجِعُونَهُ

يَلْقَاهُمُ مُتَهَلِّلاً بَسَّامَا

If seekers of bounty approach him, seeking sustenance from him,

he meets them beaming and smiling broadly.

أَوْ حَاوَرَ الآدابَ مُبْتَدِعاً لَهَا

رَاضَ الْعُقُولَ وَرَوَّضَ الأَفْهَامَا

Or, when he discoursed on literature, devising innovations for it,

he trained minds and cultivated understanding.

أَْبدَتْ مَحَبَّتكَ الْمُلوكُ فَإِنَّ مَنْ

وَالاَكَ وَالَى اللَّهَ والإِسْلامَا

Kings have shown their love for you, for whoever

is loyal to you is loyal to God and Islam.

وَأَتَتْ هَدَايَاهَا إِلِيْكَ فَأَكَّدَتْ

بَيْنَ الْقُلُوبِ مَوَدَّةً وَذِمَامَا

Their gifts have come to you, strengthening

affection and bonds of honor between hearts:

جُرْداً تُلاَعِبُ فِي الْحُلِيِّ ظِلاَلَهَا

عُفْرَ الأَديمِ تَخَالُهَا آرَامَا

sleek horses, playing with their shadows amid their ornaments,

tawny of hide—you would take them for gazelles,

صُبُراً عَلَى جَوْبِ الْفَيَافِي وَالسَّرَى

لاَ تَسْأَمُ الأَسْرَاجَ والأَلْجَامَا

enduring desert crossings and journeys by night,

never tiring of saddles and bridles.

صَحِب الرَّكَائِبَ وَالحُمُولُ حَدِيثُهَا

حَتَّى تَجَاوَزَ لِلْعِرَاقِ الشَّامَا

Their tale accompanied riding camels and laden camels,

until it passed beyond Syria toward Iraq.

لِلَّهِ قَوْمُكَ وَالرِّمَاحُ شَوَاجِرٌ

وَالْبِيضُ تَلْتَهِمُ الطّلَى وَالْهَامَا

God be praised for your people, when the spears interlace,

and bright swords devour necks and heads!

عُرْبٌ صَمِيمٌ مِنْ ذُؤَابَة يَعْرُبٍ

تَأْبَى الدِّنِيَّةَ أَوْ تَمُوتَ كِرَامَا

Arabs of pure stock, from the crest of Ya'rub's line,

who refuse dishonor or die noble.

ذَخَرُوكَ لِلأِسْلاَمِ نَدْباً أَرْوَعاً

سَحَّ النَّدَى ضَخْمَ الْهُمُومِ هُمَامَا

They reserved you for Islam, a valiant, awe-inspiring man,

profuse in bounty, mighty in purpose, heroic.

وَبَنَوْا لَكَ الْمَجْدَ الْمُؤَثَّلَ وَالْعُلَى

فَفَرَعْتَ مِنْهَا ذِرْوَةً وَسَنَامَا

They built for you deep-rooted glory and eminence,

so you rose to its peak and towering hump.

كَمْ مِنْ جُمُوعِ لِلْعَدُوِّ عِظِيمَةٍ

قَدْ غَادَرُوهَا بِالْفَلاَةِ عِظَامَا

How many mighty hosts of the enemy

have they left as bones in the wilderness!

وَكَتِيبَةٍ جعَلُو االصِّفَاحَ صَحَائِفاً

مِنْهَا وَخَطِّيَّ الْقَنَا أَقْلاَمَا

And many a battalion—they made sword-blades into pages

from it, and Khatti spear-shafts into pens.

فَتَرَى النُّجُومَ مَنَاصِلاً وَأَسِنَّةً

وَالْقَطْرَ نَبْلاً وَالسَّمَاءَ قَتَامَا

Then you see the stars as sword-blades and spearheads,

the rain as arrows, and the sky as battle dust.

والْخَيْلُ لَمَّا ضَاقَ رَحْبُ مَجَالِهَا

لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ خَلْفاً وَلاَ قُدَّامَا

And the horses, when their broad arena narrowed,

could move neither backward nor forward.

مَالَتْ فَوَارِسُهَا عَلَى أَعْرَافِهَا

وَهُمُ سُكَارَى مَا عَرَفْنَ مُدَامَا

Their riders leaned upon their manes,

and they were drunk, though they had never known wine.

فَتَخَالُهُمْ جَزَراً عَلَى صَهَوَاتِهَا

وَتَخَالُهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ أَوْضَامَا

You would take them for carcasses upon their mounts' backs,

and the horses beneath them for butchers' blocks.

قُولاَ لِطَاغِيَةِ الْفِرَنْجِ وَقَدْ أَبَى

إِلاَّ لَجَاجاً قَادَ مِنْهُ حِمَاما

You two, tell the tyrant of the Franks, who would accept

nothing but obstinacy, which brought him death:

قَدْكَ اتَّئِدْ فَهِيَ الَّتِي عُوِّدْتَهَا

مِنْ قَبْلُ سَامَتْ أَنْفَكَ الأَرْغَامَا

"Enough! Go slowly: this is what you were accustomed to

before—it forced your nose into the dust:

الْخَيْلُ جُرْداً وَالرِّمَاحُ ذَوَابلاً

وَالْبِيضُ ذُلْقاً وَالْخَمِيسُ لُهَامَا

sleek horses and slender spears,

keen bright swords and an all-devouring army."

نَكَثُ الْعُهُودَ وَغَرَّهُ شَيْطَانُهُ

وَرَأَى الْوَفَاءَ بِمَا وَفَيْتَ حَرَامَا

He broke the covenants, and his devil deceived him,

and he deemed it forbidden to keep the pledges you had kept.

وَإِذَا تَنَكَّبَتِ الْوَفَاءَ سِيَاسَةٌ

فَأَضَلَّتِ الآرَاءَ وَالأَحْلاَمَا

Whenever policy forsakes good faith,

it leads judgments and minds astray.

فَالْغَدْرُ مَرْتَعُهُ وَخِيمٌ كُلَّمَا

لاَذَ امْرُءٌ بِحِمَاه خَابَ وَخَامَا

Treachery's pasture is pernicious; whenever

a man seeks refuge in its sanctuary, he fails and sickens.

قَدْ أَدْهَشَ الذُّعْرُ الْمُخِيفُ قُلُوبَهُمْ

وَدَهَا الْعُقُولَ وَزَلْزَلَ الأَقْدَامَا

Terrifying dread has stunned their hearts,

overwhelmed their minds and shaken their feet.

هَمُّوا وَأَفْرَطَ رُعْبُهُمْ فَتَوَقَّفُوا

فَعَلاَمَ لاَ تُنْضَى السُّيُوفُ عَلاَمَا

They resolved to act, but their terror grew excessive, and they halted.

So why are the swords not drawn—why?

أَنْتَ الْمُؤَمَّلُ لاِفْتِتَاحِ بِلاَدِهِمْ

كَمْ مِنْ دَلِيلٍ دُونَ ذَلِكَ قَامَا

You are the one hoped for to conquer their lands;

how many proofs have arisen on the way to that!

لِمَ لاَ وَرَبَّكَ قَدْ قَضَى لَكَ بِالْعُلاَ

وَبِنَصْرِ مُلْكِكَ أَحْكَمَ الأَحْكَامَا

Why not, when your Lord has decreed eminence for you,

and firmly fixed His decrees for your kingdom's triumph?

فَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ اللَّهَ وَاسْتَنْجَدْتَهُ

اسْتَنْجَدَوا الصُّلْبَانَ وَالأَصْنَامَا

When you seek God's aid and call on Him for help,

they call on crosses and idols.

فَافْتَحْ مَعَاقِلَهَا الْمُنِيفَاتِ الذُّرَى

وَانْشُرْ عَلَى شُرُفَاتِهَا الأَعْلاَمَا

So conquer its strongholds, towering in their peaks,

and unfurl the banners upon their battlements.

وَاحْسِمْ بِسَيْفِكَ كُلَّ دَاءٍ كَامِنٍ

فَلِذَاكَ مَا دُعِيَ الْحُسَامُ حُسَامَا

With your sword cut out every lurking disease,

for that is why the sword was called husam, 'the cutter.'

وَاهْنَأ بِعِيدٍ عَائِدٍ لَكَ بِالْمُنَى

وَانْعَمْ بَقَاءً فِي الْعُلَى وَدَوَامَا

Rejoice in a festival returning to you with your wishes granted,

and enjoy abiding and enduring in eminence.

وَصِلِ السُّعُودَ بِكُلِّ جَدٍّ صَاعِدٍ

وَاسْتَقْبِلِ الأَعْصَارَ وَالأَعْوَامَا

Join good fortunes to every rising turn of luck,

and welcome the ages and the years,

مَادامَ ثَغْرُ الزَّهْرِ تَلْثُمُهُ الصِّبَا

فَتَحُطُّ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْكِمَامِ لِثَامَاك

as long as the east breeze kisses the mouth of blossoms,

and lifts from it your two veils of calyxes.