طلع الهلال وأفقه متهلل — Ibn Zamrak

طلع الهلالُ وأفقهُ متهلّلُ

فمكبِّرٌ لطلوعهِ ومهلُلُ

The crescent rose, its horizon radiant with joy.

One magnifies God at its rising, another proclaims His oneness.

أوفى على وجه الصباح بغرّة

فغدا الصباح بنوره يتجمَلُ

It rose above the face of morning with a radiant brow,

And morning began adorning itself with its light.

شمس الخلافة قد أمدّت نوره

وبسعدها يرجو التمام ويكملُ

The sun of the caliphate has supplied its light,

And through her good fortune it hopes for fullness and grows complete.

للهِ منه هلالُ سعد طالعٌ

لضيائه تعشو البدور الكُمّلُ

How wondrous the rising crescent of good fortune in him!

The perfect full moons are dazzled by its radiance.

وألحت يا شمس الهداية كوكباً

يعشْي سناه كلَّ من يتأمّلُ

You have revealed, O sun of guidance, a star

Whose brilliance dazzles everyone who gazes upon it.

والتاج تاجُ البدر في أفق العلا

ما زال بالزُّهر النجومُ يُكَلَّلُ

And the crown—the full moon's crown on the horizon of exaltation—

Has ever been wreathed with radiant stars.

ولئن حَوى كلَّ الجمال فإنه

بالشهب أبهى ما يكون وأجملْ

And although it contains all beauty,

With the bright stars it is at its most radiant and beautiful.

أطلعت يا بدرَ السماح هلالَه

والملكُ أفق والخلافة منزلُ

You have raised its crescent, O full moon of generosity,

With kingship its horizon and the caliphate its station.

يبدو بهالاتِ السروج وإنه

من نور وجهك في العلا يستكملُ

He appears amid halos of saddles, yet

From your face's light he attains fullness in the heights.

قلَّدتَ عطف الملك منه صارماً

بغَنائِهِ ومضائه يُتَمثَّلُ

You hung upon kingship's shoulder, in him, a keen sword,

Proverbial for its effectiveness and cutting edge.

حلَّيتَه بحلى الكمال وجوهر الخُلقِ

النفيس وكلَّ خلق يجمُلُ

You adorned him with perfection's ornaments and the jewel of character,

Precious, and every trait that lends beauty.

يغزو أمامك والسعود أمامه

وملائك السبع العلا تتنزّلُ

He campaigns before you, with good fortunes before him,

And the angels of the seven lofty heavens descend.

من مبلغ الأنصار منه بشارة

غرُّ البشائر بعدها تسترسلُ

Who will bear the Ansar glad tidings of him,

After which radiant tidings will follow in succession?

أحيا جهادَهم وجدّد فخرهم

بعد المئين فملكهم يتأثّلُ

He revived their holy struggle and renewed their pride

After hundreds of years; their kingship takes firm root.

فيه إلى الأجر الجزيل توصلوا

وبهم إلى رب السما يتوسَّلُ

Through him they attained abundant reward,

And through them one seeks nearness to the Lord of heaven.

من مبلغ الأذواء من يمن وهُمْ

قد تُوِّجوا وتملّكوا وتَقَيَّلوا

Who will tell the Dhū-lords of Yemen, who

Were crowned, ruled, and held princely rank,

أنّ الخلافة في بنيهم أطلعت

قمراً به سعدُ الخليقةِ يكملُ

That the caliphate has raised among their descendants

A moon through whom creation's good fortune grows complete?

من مبلغٌ قحطان آساد الشرى

ما غابُها إلا الوشيح الذُبَّلُ

Who will tell Qahtan, the lions of al-Shara—

Whose thickets are nothing but supple spears—

أنّ الخلافة وهو شبل ليوثهم

قد حاط منها الدينَ ليث مُشبلُ

That the caliphate—he being the cub of their lions—

Has a lion with a cub who has guarded the faith?

يهني بني الأنصار أن إمامهم

قد بلّغته سعودُهُ ما يأملُ

May it gladden the sons of the Ansar that their imam

Has been brought by his good fortunes to what he hopes for.

يهني البنودَ فإنها ستظله

وجناح جبريل الأمين يظلّلُ

May it gladden the banners, for they will shade him,

While the wing of trustworthy Gabriel gives shade.

يهني الجيادَ الصافنات فإنها

بفتوحه تحت الفوارس تهدلُ

May it gladden the noble steeds standing poised, for

At his conquests they whinny softly beneath their riders.

يهني المذاكي والعوالي والظبى

فيها إلى نيل المنى يتوصّلُ

May it gladden the mature steeds, tall lances, and sword edges:

Through them he makes his way to attaining his hopes.

يهني المعالي والمفاخر أنّه

في مرتقى أوج العلا يَتَوَقَّلُ

May it gladden noble attainments and glories that he

Climbs the ascent to the summit of exaltation.

سبقت مقدمةُ الفتوح قدومَهُ

وأتاك وهو الوادع المتمَهِّلُ

The vanguard of conquests preceded his arrival,

And he came to you serene and unhurried.

وبدتْ نجوم السعد قبلَ طلوعه

تجلو المطامع قبلَه وتُؤثَّلُ

The stars of good fortune appeared before his rising,

Illuminating hopes ahead of him and establishing them firmly.

وروتْ أحاديث الفتوح غرائباً

والنصر يملي والبشائرُ تنقلُ

They related wondrous accounts of conquests,

With victory dictating and glad tidings transmitting.

أَلقت إليك به السعودُ زمامَها

فالسعدُ يُمضي ما تقول ويفعلُ

Through him good fortunes handed their reins to you,

So good fortune carries out what you say, and acts.

فالفتحُ بين معجّلٍ ومؤجلٍ

يُنسيك ماضيَه الذي يستقبلُ

Conquest comes either hastened or deferred;

The coming conquest makes you forget the one gone by.

أوليس في شأن المشير دلالةٌ

أن المقاصدَ من طلابك تكملُ

Is there not, in the counselor's affair, a sign

That aims are fulfilled by seeking you?

ناداهم داعي الضلال فأقبلوا

ودعاهم داعي المنون فجُدِّلوا

The summoner of error called them, and they came;

The summoner of death called them, and they were felled.

عَصَوُا الرسول إبايةً وتحكمت

فيهم سيوفك بعدها فاستمثلوا

They defied the messenger in obstinate refusal, and

Your swords then ruled them, so they submitted.

كانوا جبالاً قد عَلتْ هضباتها

نسفتهُمُ ريحُ الجلاد فزُلْزلوا

They were mountains whose peaks had risen high;

The wind of combat swept them away, and they were shaken.

كانوا بحاراً من حديد زاخر

أذكتهم نار الوغى فتَسيَّلُوا

They were seas of surging iron;

The fire of battle kindled them, and they melted.

ركَبت أرجلها الأداهمَ كلما

يتحركون إلى قيام تصهلُ

Their feet mounted black steeds of iron; whenever

They move to stand, those steeds neigh.

كان الحديدُ لباسهم وشعارهم

واليوم لم تلبسه إلاّ الأرجُلُ

Iron had been their outer and their inner dress;

Today only their feet wear it.

الله أعطاك التي لا فوقها

فتحاً به دينُ الهدى يتأثَّلُ

God has granted you what nothing can surpass:

A conquest through which the faith of guidance takes firm root.

جددت للأنصار حَلْيّ جهادها

فالدين والدنيا به تتجمّلُ

You renewed for the Ansar the ornaments of their holy struggle,

And faith and worldly life are adorned by it.

من يتحف البيت العتيق وزمزماً

والوفد وفدُ الله فيه ينزلُ

Who will bring a gift to the Ancient House and Zamzam,

Where the pilgrims, God's delegation, alight,

متسابقين إلى مثابة رحمةٍ

من كلّ ما حَدَبٍ إليه تنسلُ

Racing toward a refuge of mercy?

From every rising ground they hasten toward it,

هيماً كأفواج القطا قد ساقها

ظمأٌ شديدُ والمطافُ المنهلُ

Thirsting like flocks of sandgrouse driven

By intense thirst, with the circumambulation-ground their watering place.

من كل مرفوع الأكف ضراعةً

والقلبُ يخفقُ والمدامع تهملُ

Each with hands uplifted in supplication,

The heart throbbing and tears flowing.

حتى إذا روت الحديث مسلسلاً

بيضُ الصوارم والرماحُ العُسَّلُ

Until, when the tale was related in an unbroken chain

By gleaming swords and swaying spears,

من فتحك الأسنى عن الجيش الذي

بثباته أهل الوغى تتمثّلُ

Of your most radiant victory, from the army whose

Steadfastness the people of battle cite as a model,

أهدتهم السَّرَّاءَ نصرةُ دينهم

واستبشروا بحديثها وتهللوا

The triumph of their faith brought them joy,

And they rejoiced in its tidings and beamed.

وتناقلوا عنك الحديث مسرَّةً

بسماعه واهتزّ ذاك المحفلُ

They passed along the report about you, delighted

To hear it, and that assembly stirred.

ودعوّا بنصرك وهو أعظم مفخراً

أن الحجيج بنصر ملكك يحفلُ

They prayed for your victory; it is the greatest cause for pride

That the pilgrims rejoice in the victory of your kingship.

فاهنأ بملك واعتمد شكراً به

لطفَ الإله وصنعَه تَتَخَوَّلُ

So rejoice in kingship, and resolve upon thanksgiving:

Through it you receive God's kindness and beneficence.

شرفتَ منه باسم والدك الرضى

يحيا به منه الكريمُ المفضلُ

In him you gain honor through your worthy father's name;

Through him that noble, beneficent man lives on.

أبديت من حسن الصنيع عجائباً

تُروي على مرِّ الزمان وتنقلُ

You revealed wonders of gracious deeds,

To be narrated and transmitted throughout the passage of time.

خفقت به أعلامُك الحمرُ التي

بخفوقها النصر العزيز موكّلُ

For him your red banners fluttered,

To whose fluttering mighty victory is entrusted.

هَدَرَتْ طبول العزّ تحت ظلالها

عنوان فتح إثرها يستعجلُ

The drums of glory roared beneath their shadows,

Heralding a conquest hastening in their wake.

ودعوتَ أشرافَ البلاد وكلهم

يثني الجميلَ وصُنعُ جودك أجملُ

You summoned the nobles of the land, and all

Praise your gracious deed, though your generosity's deed is finer still.

وردوا ورود الهيمِ أجهدها الظما

فَصَفَا لهم من وِردِ كفك منهلُ

They came as thirsty camels come, exhausted by thirst,

And a clear drinking place flowed for them from your hand.

وأثرت فيه للطراد فوارساً

مثل الشموس وجوهُهم تتهلّلُ

There you roused horsemen for jousting,

Their faces beaming like suns.

من كل وضاح الجبين كأنه

نجم وجنح النقع ليل مسبلُ

Each radiant of brow, as though he were

A star, while the wing of dust is a hanging night.

يردُ الطرادَ على أغرَّ محجّل

في سرجه بطلٌ أغرُّ محجِّلُ

He enters the joust on a white-blazed, white-fetlocked steed,

In whose saddle sits a radiant, illustrious hero.

قد عُوُدوا قنصَ الكماة كأنما

عقبانها ينقضُ منها أجْدَلُ

They have been trained to hunt armored champions, as though

A falcon swooped down from among their eagles.

يستتبعون هوادجاً موشيَّةٌ

تنسي عُقول الناظرين وتُذهِلُ

They lead embroidered howdahs behind them,

Making spectators lose their wits and bewildering them.

وتضمنت جزل الوقود حمولها

والنصر في التحقيق ما هي تحملُ

Their loads contain abundant fuel,

Yet, in truth, victory is what they carry.

والعاديات إذا تلت فرسانها

آيَ القتال صفوفها تترتلُ

And the chargers, when their riders recite

The verses of battle, their ranks chant in measured order.

لله خيلك إنها لَسَوَابح

بحر القتام وموجُه متهيّلُ

How wondrous your horses! They swim through

A sea of dust whose waves tumble in heaps.

من كل برق بالثريا ملجمٍ

بالبدر يُسرج والأهلّةِ ينعلُ

Each a lightning flash, bridled with the Pleiades,

Saddled with the full moon and shod with crescents.

أَوْف بهادِ كالظليم وخلفه

كفَلٌ كما ماج الكثيب الأهْيلُ

Full-formed, with an ostrich-like neck, and behind it

A croup like a loose sand dune as it billows.

حتَّى البوارق غير أن جيادَها

عن سبق خيلك يا مؤيد تنكُلُ

Even the lightning flashes—yet their steeds

Shrink from outrunning your horses, O Mu'ayyad.

من أشهب كالصبح يعلو سرجَهُ

صبحٌ به نجم الضلالة يأفلُ

Among them a gray steed like dawn, whose saddle is mounted

By a dawn that makes the star of error set.

أو أدهمٍ كالليل قَّدَ شُهبه

خاض الصباحَ فأثبتَتُه الأجلُ

Or a black steed like night, which rent its shooting stars;

It plunged through morning, and fate held it fast.

أو أشقرٍ سال النُضار بعطفه

وكساه صبغة بهجةٍ لا تنصلُ

Or a chestnut steed, gold flowing along its flank,

Clothing it in a joyous hue that does not fade.

أو أحمرٍ كالجمر أضمر بأسه

بالركض في يوم الحفيظة يشعلُ

Or a red steed like embers, concealing its might,

Which galloping ignites on the day of fierce ardor.

أو أصفرٍ لبس العشي ملاءةً

وبذيله لِلَّيل ذيل مسبلُ

Or a dun steed that donned dusk as a cloak,

With night's trailing hem hanging at its tail.

أجملت في هذا الصنيع عوائداً

الجود فيها مجمل ومفصّلُ

In this deed you gathered your customary favors:

Generosity lies in them, both in sum and in detail.

أنشأت فيها من نداك غمائماً

بالفضل تنشأ والسماحة تهمِلُ

In them you created clouds from your bounty,

Rising with beneficence and pouring generosity.

فجّرتَ من كفّيكِ عشرة أبحر

تزجي سحاب الجود وهي الأنمُلُ

You made ten seas gush from your two hands,

Driving generosity's clouds: they are your fingers.

من قاس كفك بالغمام فإنه

جهل القياس ومثلها لا يجهلُ

Whoever compares your hand to clouds

Is ignorant of comparison; a hand like yours is not unknown.

تسخو الغمام ووجهها متجهم

والوجه منه مع الندى يتهلّلُ

Clouds give generously, their face frowning,

But his face beams as he bestows his bounty.

والسحب تسمح بالمياه وجودُهُ

ذهبٌ به هلُ الغنى تتموّلُ

The clouds give water freely, while his generosity

Is gold through which the wealthy gain riches.

من قاسَ بالشمس المنيرة وجههه

ألفَيْته في حكمه لا يعدلُ

Whoever compares his face to the radiant sun,

You find him unjust in his judgment.

من أين للشمس المنيرة منطق

ببيانه دُرُّ الكلام يُفصّلُ

How could the radiant sun possess speech

Whose eloquence arranges the pearls of words?

من قاس بالبدر المنير كمالَه

فالبد ينقص والخليفةُ يكمُلُ

Whoever compares his perfection to the radiant full moon—

The moon wanes, while the caliph grows complete.

من أين للبدر المنير شمائلٌ

تسري بريّاها الصِّبا والشَّمالُ

How could the radiant full moon possess virtues

Whose fragrance the east wind and north wind carry?

من أين للبدر المنير مناقبٌ

بجهادها تُنضى المطيُّ الذُلَّلُ

How could the radiant full moon possess merits

Whose holy struggle wears out the docile mounts?

يا من إذا نفحت نواسمُ حمده

فالمسك يعبق طيبُه والمندلُ

O you, when the breezes of whose praise waft,

Musk and sandalwood spread their fragrance!

يا من إذا لُمحت محاسنُ وجهه

تعشو العيون ويُبهر المتأملُ

O you, when the beauties of whose face are glimpsed,

Eyes are dazzled and the beholder is overwhelmed!

يا من إذا تُليت مفاخر قومه

آيُ الكتاب بذكرها تتنزّلُ

O you, when the glories of whose people are recited,

The Book's verses descend recounting them!

كفل الخلافة منك يا ملك العلا

واللهُ جلاَّ جلالهُ لكَ أكفلُ

The caliphate has its surety in you, O king of exaltation,

And God—exalted be His majesty—is your surer guarantor.

مأمونُها وأمينُها ورشيدها

منصورها مهديُّها المتوكّلُ

Its Ma'mun, its Amin, and its Rashid,

Its Mansur, its Mahdi, its Mutawakkil.

حسبُ الخلافة أن تكون وَليَّها

ومجيرَها من كل من يتحيَّلُ

It is enough for the caliphate that you are its guardian

And its protector against everyone who schemes.

حسبُ الزمان بأن تكون إمامَهَ

فله بذلك عزة لا تُهملُ

It is enough for the age that you are its imam;

Through that it has an honor that is not neglected.

حسبُ الملوك بأن تكون عميدَها

ترجو الندى من راحتيك وتأملُ

It is enough for kings that you are their chief;

They hope for bounty from your two palms and aspire to it.

حسب المعالي أن تكون إمامها

فعليك أطناب المفاخر تُسدلُ

It is enough for noble attainments that you are their leader;

So the ropes of glories are draped over you.

يا حجة الله التي برهانها

عزَّ المحقُّ به وذَلَّ المبطلُ

O proof of God, whose demonstration

Makes the rightful mighty and the wrongful abased!

أنت الإمام ابنُ الإمام ابنِ الإما

م ابنِ الإمام وفخرها لا يُعدَلُ

You are the imam, son of the imam, son of the ima—

—m, son of the imam; its glory has no equal.

علّمت حتّى لم تدعْ من جاهل

أَعطيت حتى لم تدعْ من يسألُ

You taught until you left no one ignorant;

You gave until you left no one asking.

وعنايةُ الله اشتملت رداءها

وعلقت منها عروةً لا تُفْصَلُ

You have wrapped yourself in the robe of God's care,

And grasped from it a handhold that cannot be severed.