كتاب علي نصه ملأ الدنيا

كتاب علي نصه ملأ الدنيا

كتابٌ مجيدٌ طبَّق المجد والعليا

كتابٌ مجيدٌ طبَّق المجد والعليا

Ali's letter: its text has filled the world.

A book whose text filled the world

A glorious letter, encompassing glory and loftiness.

A glorious book that embodied glory and supremacy

فلم ندر وحيٌ منزلٌ جاءنا به

فلم ندر وحيٌ منزلٌ جاءنا به

رسولاً ام التنزيل قد سبق الوحيا

رسولاً ام التنزيل قد سبق الوحيا

We could not tell: was it revelation sent down that he brought us

We have never known a revelation sent down to us

as a messenger, or had this revealed text preceded revelation?

More eloquent than this revelation that preceded inspiration

تلوح به الواح موسى بل العصا

تلوح به الواح موسى بل العصا

تلقف من فرعون ما افكوا بغيا

تلقف من فرعون ما افكوا بغيا

In it gleam Moses' tablets—nay, the staff

With it the tablets of Moses and even his staff shine

swallows Pharaoh's deceitful contrivances, wrought in defiance.

Snatching from Pharaoh what they denied out of enmity

فلو قيس قسٌّ في فصاحة لفظه

فلو قيس قسٌّ في فصاحة لفظه

لردَّت لنا قسّاً فصاحته عيّاً

لردَّت لنا قسّاً فصاحته عيّاً

Were Quss compared with the eloquence of its wording,

If it were to be measured for eloquence of expression

its eloquence would make Quss seem tongue-tied to us.

Its eloquence would render the measurer mute

اذا فضَّ من ذاك الكتاب ختامه

اذا فضَّ من ذاك الكتاب ختامه

تعبَّقت الآداب من طيبه ريَّا

تعبَّقت الآداب من طيبه ريَّا

When the seal of that letter is broken,

When the seal of that book is opened

the literary arts become richly scented with its fragrance.

Literature is perfumed by its fragrance

يفوح لنا نشراً وطيّاً مع الصبا

يفوح لنا نشراً وطيّاً مع الصبا

فننشقه نشراً ونلثمه طيا

فننشقه نشراً ونلثمه طيا

Its fragrance wafts to us, unfolded and folded, with the east wind;

It exudes a scattered and folded fragrance with the morning breeze

we inhale it unfolded and kiss it folded.

We open it scattered and fold it carefully

نقبِّل من عنوانه كل لفظة

نقبِّل من عنوانه كل لفظة

مدبجة بالمسك كالشفة اللميا

مدبجة بالمسك كالشفة اللميا

We kiss every word of its heading,

We kiss every word of its title

adorned with musk like a dusky lip.

Embossed with musk like a soft lip

تبدَّت لنا تزهو بزي خريدة

تبدَّت لنا تزهو بزي خريدة

اذا برزت للشمس تخجلها زيا

اذا برزت للشمس تخجلها زيا

Each word appeared to us, resplendent in a secluded maiden's garb;

It appears to us adorned in the dress of a bride

when she appears before the sun, she shames it with her attire.

When it emerges in the sun, shaming it with its attire

تغازلها منا العيون كأنما

تغازلها منا العيون كأنما

تغازل ليلى الأخيلية ام ريا

تغازل ليلى الأخيلية ام ريا

Our eyes flirt with her, as though

Our eyes flirt with it as if

they were flirting with Layla al-Akhyaliyya or Rayya.

Flirting with Layla Al-Akhiliyya or Um Riyah

فمن مبلغ سحبان عني بلاغة

فمن مبلغ سحبان عني بلاغة

انمنمها رقماً وانقشها وشيا

انمنمها رقماً وانقشها وشيا

Who, then, will convey to Sahban, on my behalf, an eloquence

Who can convey to Suhban its eloquence

I embellish in patterned script and engrave like embroidery?

Numbering it, inscribing it and embellishing it

ومن ذا يعيد ابن العميد لكي يرى

ومن ذا يعيد ابن العميد لكي يرى

تقاريض لا يقظاً رآها ولا رؤيا

تقاريض لا يقظاً رآها ولا رؤيا

And who will bring Ibn al-Amid back, so that he may see

And who can make Ibn Al-Amid see again

encomiums he never saw awake, nor in a dream?

Inscriptions seen neither awake nor in a dream

ولما رأينا الرشد وهو سريرة

ولما رأينا الرشد وهو سريرة

لسري ابحنا فيه ما كتموا غيّا

لسري ابحنا فيه ما كتموا غيّا

And when we saw right guidance as the inner nature

When we saw wisdom while it was confidential

of a noble man, we revealed what they had concealed about him in error:

We whispered in it what they had kept secret

وزيراً افاض العدل في كل بلدة

وزيراً افاض العدل في كل بلدة

بلا وزر واستوزر الحزم والرأيا

بلا وزر واستوزر الحزم والرأيا

a minister who poured forth justice in every town,

A minister who dispensed justice in every town

without wrongdoing, and appointed resolve and judgment his ministers.

Without burden, appointing resolve and opinion as his ministers

فكم من كتاب ردَّ فيه كتيبة

فكم من كتاب ردَّ فيه كتيبة

ومن قلم اجرى به جحفلا جريا

ومن قلم اجرى به جحفلا جريا

How many a letter has he used to repel a battalion,

How many a book has he refuted

and a pen to send a mighty army racing forth!

And how many legions has he routed with his pen

فلم نرَ سعياً للولاة كسعيه

فلم نرَ سعياً للولاة كسعيه

حديثاً وهل والٍ يقابله سعيا

حديثاً وهل والٍ يقابله سعيا

We have seen no governor's efforts equal to his

We have never seen the efforts of governors like his

in recent times; can any governor match him in effort?

In speech, and what governor can match his efforts

ولو قد سمعنا في القديم فأنما

ولو قد سمعنا في القديم فأنما

نرى ذاك مسموعاً وسعيك مرئيا

نرى ذاك مسموعاً وسعيك مرئيا

And even if we have heard of such deeds in ancient times,

If we had heard of the like in the past

we know those only by hearsay, but your efforts we see.

We would see that as hearsay and your efforts as visible

بسدٍّ اذا ما سدّ اسكندر وهي

بسدٍّ اذا ما سدّ اسكندر وهي

بصدع من الايام لم ينصدع وهيا

بصدع من الايام لم ينصدع وهيا

In a dam that, should Alexander's barrier give way

With a dam, that even if Alexander dammed it

from a fissure wrought by time, would neither crack nor weaken.

It would be split by the days, but not this one

اذا رام ذو القرنين سدّاً قرينه

اذا رام ذو القرنين سدّاً قرينه

على عزمه سدُّك في الدنيا

على عزمه سدُّك في الدنيا

If Dhu al-Qarnayn sought a barrier, its equal—

If Dhu Al-Qarnayn desired a dam as his pair

matching his resolve—would be your dam in this world.

Yours would be the dam in the world

فصيَّرته جسراً حديدا مقنطرا

فصيَّرته جسراً حديدا مقنطرا

وزندك لا ينفك مقتدحا وريا

وزندك لا ينفك مقتدحا وريا

So you made it an arched bridge of iron,

You made it an iron bridge with arches

and your fire-stick never ceases to spark and glow.

With nails that cannot be removed, constantly boiling

وعقَّلت جنّي الفرات معوذاً

وعقَّلت جنّي الفرات معوذاً

فحيَّرت جنِّيا هناك وانسيا

فحيَّرت جنِّيا هناك وانسيا

And you fettered the Euphrates' jinni with a protective spell,

You shackled the Euphrates’ Jinn, protecting it

thus bewildering both jinn and humans there.

Perplexing the Jinn there and making them forgetful

فاحيا لنا ميتاً دفينا بهمة

فاحيا لنا ميتاً دفينا بهمة

همام وغى كم قدا مات وكم احيى

همام وغى كم قدا مات وكم احيى

Thus he brought something dead and buried to life for us, through the resolve

You revived for us one buried and dead with determination

of a hero of battle—how many he has slain, and how many revived!

Many a tall one died and many you gave life

طلائعه في كل غرب ومشرق

طلائعه في كل غرب ومشرق

تطالع غربيّاً عنيدا وشرقيا

تطالع غربيّاً عنيدا وشرقيا

His advance guards, throughout the west and east,

Its vanguards in every west and east

confront the defiant westerner and the easterner.

Appear western in obstinacy and eastern in disposition

لقد راع حتى الوحش باس انتقامه

لقد راع حتى الوحش باس انتقامه

الى ان تولى الذئب بالثُّلة الرعيا

الى ان تولى الذئب بالثُّلة الرعيا

The might of his vengeance has terrified even wild beasts,

Even the wild beasts were frightened by the fury of its vengeance

until the wolf took charge of tending the flock.

Until the wolf assumed the role of shepherd for the flock

وقد بثَّ في الاقطار حسن رعاية

وقد بثَّ في الاقطار حسن رعاية

يبيت بها سرب الرعية مرعيا

يبيت بها سرب الرعية مرعيا

And he has spread good care throughout the lands,

You have spread good governance in the regions

where the flock of subjects spends the night, well tended.

Where the flock of the subjects spend the night watched over

به قام ناموس الممالك معلناً

به قام ناموس الممالك معلناً

لملك ملوك الدهر حيهلا هيا

لملك ملوك الدهر حيهلا هيا

Through him, the order of kingdoms stands, proclaiming

Through it the law of kingdoms was established

to the age's king of kings: 'Come forward! Hasten!'

Proclaiming for the King of Kings, "at your service!"