ألا أيها الوادي المقدس بالندى — Ibn Hani Andalusia

ألا أيها الوادي المقدّس بالندى

وأهل الندى قلبي إليك مشوق

O valley sanctified by generosity,

And by generous folk—my heart yearns for you.

ويا أيّها القصر المنيف قبابه

على الزاب لا يسدد عليك طريق

O palace whose domes rise high

Above the Zab, may no road to you be barred.

ويا ملِكَ الزاب الرفيعَ عمادُه

بقيتَ لجمع المجد وهو فريق

O king of the Zab, whose pillar stands lofty,

May you endure to gather glory when it is scattered.

على مالك الزاب السلام مردّدا

وريحان مسك بالسلام فتيق

Upon the lord of the Zab be greetings, repeated,

And fragrant musk, released with those greetings.

خليل من يهدي إليه تحيتي

سقاه الحيا الوسميّ وهو غريق

My friend is whoever carries my greeting to him;

May early-autumn rain water him, though he is already drenched.

فما أنس لا أنسَ الأمير إذا غدا

يروع بمرأى ملكه ويروق

Whatever I forget, I shall not forget the prince when he comes forth,

Inspiring awe and delight at the sight of his kingship.

ولا الجود يجري في صفيحة وجهه

إذا لاح من ذاك الجبين شروق

Nor generosity flowing across the surface of his face,

When a sunrise gleams from that brow,

وهزَّتَه للمجد حتى كأنما

جرت في سجاياهُ العِذابِ رحيق

And his ardor for glory, until it seems

Nectar has flowed through his sweet dispositions.

كثيرُ دليلِ الخيرِ في الوجهِ واضحٌ

جميلُ المحيا واللسانُ طليق

Abundant evidence of goodness is clear upon his face;

His countenance is beautiful, his tongue eloquent.

أما وأبي تلك الشمائل إنها

دليل على أن النجارَ عتيقُ

Indeed, by my father, those noble traits are

Proof that his stock is ancient and noble.

فكيف بصبر النفس عنه ودونه

من الأرض مغبر الفجاج عميق

How can the soul endure his absence, when between us

Lies land with dusty, deeply sunken passes,

وموحشة الأقراب يبدو سرابها

كما قُيِّدت بين الفِحَالَةِ نوق

And desolate reaches whose mirage appears

Like she-camels tethered among breeding stallions?

حلفت له بالراقصات يهزُّها

إلى اللَه وخدٌ دائم وعنيق

I swore to him by the swaying camels, stirred

Toward God by ceaseless trotting and swift pacing.

لقد بات يسري في جنوبك لابسا

لعزمك طَبُ بالجياد رفيق

Indeed, through the night there traveled within your flanks, clothed

In your resolve, one skilled with horses and gentle.

فسار وسارت لفه وأمامه

غمائم نصر تحتهنّ شروق

He marched, and around him and before him marched

Clouds of victory, beneath them a sunrise.

وتسعةُ آلاف عليها عجاجة

مسوّمة راياتهنّ خفوق

And nine thousand, above them a cloud of dust,

Distinguished by their markings, their banners fluttering.

شهاب من الهيجا بكفّك ثاقب

له خلف أفواه الدروب طريق

A piercing meteor of battle is in your hand,

With a path beyond the mouths of the mountain passes.

إذا كذب الناس اللقاء فعنده

يقين كفرقان الكتاب صدوق

When others belie their promise of battle, he possesses

Certainty as true as the Book's discerning revelation.

عجبت لمن حال الرجال بقربه

ومن ظنّ أن العائقات تعوق

I marvel at anyone whom men would bar from drawing near,

And anyone who thinks obstacles can impede him.

إذا طاعة الأعداء لم تشف صدره

شفاه صبوح من دم وغبوق

If the enemies' obedience does not heal his breast,

A morning draught of blood and an evening draught heal it.

به عرفت تلك الأعاريبُ قهرَها

فلا مارق يُخشَى عليه مَروق

Through him those Bedouin Arabs learned their subjugation;

No renegade's defection against him need be feared.

فقد غدتِ الآجام وهي حدائق

وعاد زئير الليث وهو شهيق

The thickets have become gardens,

And the lion's roar has turned to a gasp.

سننتَ ليحيى سُنَّةً يقتدى بها

ففت ومنه في الأمور لحوق

You established for Yahya a practice to follow;

You outstripped him, yet he catches up in affairs.

كأنّك منه قيدَ مرأى ومسمَعٍ

وإن هزَّهُ قلبٌ إليك خفوق

It is as though you are within his sight and hearing,

Though a heart beating for you stirs him.

يراك أمام الجيش حتى كأنه

حُذياكَ ثاوٍ أو إليكَ لصيق

He sees you at the army's head, as though he were

Settled beside you, or clinging close to you.

فلا هو عن مرآك فيه مغيَّبٌ

ولا هو عن ذكراك فيه مُفيق

There he is never removed from the sight of you,

Nor does he ever awaken from remembrance of you.

ويرضيك منه قلبُ الأمر حولٌ

فتوق لما يُعيي الأنامَ رَتُوق

His handling of affairs pleases you—a resourceful man,

Unraveling and mending what leaves mankind helpless.

أمنت على يحيى العدوّ ولم يكن

ليرفَعَ في ربّ العُقابِ أنوقُ

You felt secure for Yahya against the enemy; never could

A vulture rise against the eagle's master.

هو المرء لا ينفكيرحب ذرعه

لذا الروعِ ما دام المِكر يضيق

He is the man whose fortitude never ceases to expand

Before such terror, while the field of maneuver narrows.

فتى لا يصير الغمضُ بين جفونه

ولا طعمه في ناظريه يروق

A youth into whose eyelids sleep never enters,

Nor does its savor please his eyes.

إذا الدرعُ ذابت في الهجير حسبته

بفيءٍ له بين الفُرات حديث

When mail melts in the midday heat, you would think him

In his shade amid the Euphrates, in conversation.

كأن عليه من أذى القيظ كلَّةً

تُزَرّ إذا ما اشتدّ منه ودوق

It is as though a canopy shields him from summer's harm,

Fastened shut whenever its searing heat intensifies.

تفوق وتعلو أنت باللَه وحدَه

وباسمك يعلو قدرُه ويفوق

You surpass and rise through God alone,

And through your name his rank rises and excels.

إليك أجاب الشرق عن صافناته

وعنه جوادٌ في الجياد عريق

To you the East answered on behalf of its poised steeds,

And on its behalf came a steed of noble equine stock.

من الدهم ورد اللون شيبَ بكمتةٍ

كما شيب بالمسك الفتيق خلوق

Of the dark-coated horses, rose-red tinged with bay,

As saffron perfume is mixed with diffusing musk.

فلو ميز منه كلُّ لون بذاته

جرى سَبَجٌ منه وذاب عقيق

Were each of his colors distinguished on its own,

Jet would flow from him, and carnelian would melt.

تهلّل مصقول النواحي كأنّه

إذا حال ماء المسك فيه غريق

He gleams, his sides polished, as though,

Whenever he turns, liquid musk were sunk within him.

إذا جئته من خلفه وأمامه

تثاءب ضرغام وشال فنيق

If you approach him from behind or before,

A lion yawns and a stallion camel lifts its tail.

له منخر لا يملك البُهرُ أمره

ولا مسرح الأنفاس فيه يضيق

He has a nostril whose working breathlessness cannot master,

Nor does the passage for his breaths grow narrow.

وينصب للهيجاء سمعا كأنه

سنان عتيد للطعان ذليق

He pricks an ear for battle, as though it were

A keen spearhead, ready for thrusting.

وينظر من عيني رؤوم على طلا

تراعيه بالوعساء فهوَ يروق

He looks through the eyes of a tender doe toward a fawn

She watches on the sandy plain: he is a delight.

ويخطو على صمّ خفاف وقوعها

ثقيلٌ يُردّ الصخرَ وهو فليق

He steps on solid hooves, light in their falling,

Yet heavy enough to leave the rock split apart.

تنافسُ فيه أعينٌ ومسامعٌ

وتكبو رياح خلفه وبُروق

Eyes and ears vie over him,

While winds and lightning stumble behind him.

فإما تشاهده يجاري فإنه

سينشقُّ عنه النقعُ وهو سبوق

If you watch him racing, then

The dust will part about him, with him in the lead.

أما وأبي الطرقِ المجنبِ إنه

حريٌّ بأن يحظى لديك خليق

Indeed, by my father, this broad-flanked stallion is

Worthy and fit to enjoy your favor.

فلا يشربنَّ الماء وهو مكدرٌ

ولا لبن الكوماءِ وهو مذيق

Let him not drink water when it is clouded,

Nor the high-humped she-camel's milk when diluted.

أأوصي به من علم الناس برها

ولا يتقفى البرَّ منه عقوق

Should I commend him to one who taught men kindness to horses,

Whose kindness is never followed by cruelty?

هو المكرم الخيلَ الكريمَ نجارُها

وفارسُها والمشرفي دلوق

He honors horses whose stock is noble,

And rides them when the Mashrafi blade thrusts forth.

ومسكنُها الآطام وهي مشيدةٌ

وملحفها القومي وهو أنيق

He lodges them in strongholds, loftily built,

And their covering is elegant Qawmi cloth.

وناتجُها تعزى إليه إذا اعتزت

عناجيج جردٌ كلهن عتيق

He is their breeder, to whom they trace their descent when they boast—

Slender, noble steeds, each of pure stock.

ألا أيها الحقّ المبين الذي انتحى

على باطل الأيام فهو زهوق

O manifest truth that has advanced

Against the falsehood of the days, which is bound to perish.

تعودَ عاداتٍ من الخير كلُّها

بعيد على من أمهنّ سحيق

You have made habits of deeds of goodness, each one

Remote and far beyond whoever seeks to attain it.

فمنهن منعُ الجار حتى كأنما

له في ذرى المزن الكنهورِ نيق

Among them is protecting your neighbor, until it seems

He has a mountain peak among the summits of towering rainclouds.

ونصرك للحقّ الذي أنت أهله

وعونك للملهوف وهو رهيق

And your support for truth, of which you are worthy,

And your aid to the distressed when hard pressed.

وإن سبقت منك المواعدُ أنجزَت

وإن أخذ الميثاق فهو وثيق

When promises have first come from you, they are fulfilled;

When a covenant is taken, it is firm.

إذا فارق المرءُ الرفيعُ مكانُه

فليس له إلا عليك طريق

When a man of lofty station leaves his place,

He has no road but the one that leads to you.

فمن كان لا يرعى بقربه ذمةً

فأنت أخٌ للابعدين شقيق

Whoever fails to honor a bond with those close to him—

You are a true brother even to the most distant.

رأيتُ جميعَ الناس عندك أسوةً

وإن كان فيهم كاشح وصديق

I have seen all people equal in your eyes,

Even though among them are enemy and friend.

كأنك من كلّ الطباع مركب

فأنت على كلّ العباد شفيق

It is as though you are composed of every disposition,

For you are compassionate toward all God's servants.

وكنت يدَ المنصور منصورِ هاشمٍ

لذا البطش إذا أيدي الفوارس سوق

You were the hand of al-Mansur, Hashim's Mansur,

For such assault, when the horsemen's hands were mere shanks.

حسام وغاه إذا غدا ومجنَّه

إذا خيف من ريب الزمان طروق

His sword in battle when he marched, and his shield

When a visitation from fate's treacheries was feared.

وما كنت إلا البدر يوري بك الدجى

وقد عمّ آفاق البلاد غسوق

You were only the full moon with which he set the darkness alight,

When dusk had spread across the country's horizons.

رمى بك آسادَ الأسنة والقنا

وقد فغرَت منهُم إليك شُدوق

He hurled you against the lions of spearheads and lances,

Their jaws already gaping toward you.

هو الشعب إذ لم تملك القول ألسن

وإذا لم تسغ برد الشراب حُلوق

He is the bond of union, when tongues could not command speech,

And throats could not swallow the coolness of a drink.

فكن كيف شاء الناس أو شئت كائنا

فليس لسهم الملك غيرك فوق

Be, then, however people wish, or you yourself wish to be:

The arrow of kingship has no nock but you.

ولا تشكر الدنيا على نيل رتبة

فما نلتها إلا وأنت حقيق

Do not thank the world for attaining a rank,

For you attained it only because you deserved it.

رضى الله في ذا السخط منك على اللهى

فلا شيء في الدنيا أراك تُليق

God's pleasure lies in this disdain of yours for wealth;

I see you retain nothing in this world.

وآليت لا آلوك شكرا على التي

غدت لي وسقا زيد فيه وُسوق

I have sworn not to stint my thanks to you for that favor

Which became a load for me, with further loads added to it.

وإن أكفر النعمى وألقاك مثقلا

بأعبائها إني إذن لسروق

If I deny your favor and come to you burdened

With its loads, I am indeed a thief.

أأنساك إذ لا يسمع الصوت نبأة

وإذ أنا مغشي عليّ صعوق

Could I forget you, when not a murmur of sound could be heard,

And I lay unconscious, struck senseless,

وإذ أنا لم تنهض بجسميَ قوّة

وإذ لم يُبَلَّل من لساني ريق

And no strength could lift my body,

And no saliva moistened my tongue?

وأخلفتني إذ لا يد المُزنِ سمحةٌ

علي ولا قلب الزمان رفيق

You replenished me when the clouds' hand was not generous

To me, nor the heart of time compassionate.

وكم لك عندي من يد يمنية

لها حسَبٌ في المكرمات عريق

How many blessed favors of yours I hold,

With an ancient pedigree among noble deeds!

وما عابَها من نائبات وعُود

سوى انني في بحرهنّ غريق

No vicissitudes of promises have marred them,

Except that I am drowned in their sea.

فإن كنتَ بالإحسان لا بدّ مُغرقي

فلا يلقينِّي البحرُ وهو عميق

If, through kindness, you must inevitably drown me,

Then let not the sea cast me out, deep as it is.

يكلّ لساني عنكمُ وهو صارم

حسام وينبو الفكر وهو دقيق

My tongue wearies in speaking of you, though it is a sharp

Sword; thought recoils, though it is subtle.

بحقّكمُ أن تملكوا الناس أعبُدا

سواء رقيق منهمُ وعتيق

It is your right to possess people as slaves,

Alike those among them enslaved and free.

فأنتم نقلتم شيمةَ الدهر راغما

وشُدّ بكم فيه ثأى وفتوق

You changed time's disposition against its will,

And through you its breaches and rents were bound.

فثقف حتى ليس فيه تأوّد

وطهر حتى ليس فيه فسوق

It was straightened until no crookedness remained,

And purified until no wickedness remained.

لكم أحكَمَت حوكَ الجلابيب عبقَرٌ

ونسجَ سَلُوقي الحديد سَلُوق

For you, Abqar perfected the weaving of robes,

And Saluq wove Saluqi iron mail.

ولا ضيرَ في أن تحسدوا إن ذلكم

ليجمل في عليائكم ويليق

There is no harm in your being envied; indeed, that

Becomes your eminence and befits it.

وما ضركم من حاسديكم على العلى

وأيامكم تحدو بهم وتسوق

What harm can those who envy your exaltation do you,

When your days drive them onward and herd them?

قضى الله أن يرعى الأنامَ حقوقَكم

وليس عليكم للأنام حقوق

God decreed that mankind should honor your rights,

While mankind has no claims upon you.

لقد كرُمَت أحسابُكم ونفوسُكم

وطابت فروع منكمُ وعروق

Your lineages and souls are noble indeed,

And your branches and roots are pure.