قدك مني صارم ما يفل — Khalaf Al Ahmar

قَدكَ مِنّي صارِمٌ ما يُفَلُّ

وَاِبنُ حَزمٍ عَقدُكَ لا يُحَلُّ

Let this suffice you from me: a keen sword never blunted;

and, Ibn Hazm, your bond cannot be undone.

يَنثَني بِاللَومِ مِن عاذِليهِ

ما يُبالي أَكثَروا أَم أَقَلّوا

He turns aside at his reproachers' blame,

heedless whether they say much or little.

لِرَسولِ اللَهِ في أَقرَبيهِ

وَبَنيهِ حَيثُ ساروا وَحَلّوا

For God's Messenger, in his nearest kin

and his sons, wherever they travel and settle,

عِندَهُ مَكنونُ نُصحٍ وَوَدَّ

خالِصٍ لَم يَقتَدِح فيهِ غِلُّ

he keeps a hidden store of loyalty and love,

pure, in which no rancor has been kindled.

أَهلُ بَيتٍ ما عَلى جاحِديهِم

حَقَّهُم في الزُرِ أَلّا يُضِلّوا

A household—how can those who deny them

their due in [unclear wording] avoid leading others astray?

صَفوَةُ اللَهِ الأُلى مِن لَدُنهُ

لَهُمُ القَدرُ الأَعَزُّ الأَجَلُّ

God's chosen ones, to whom, from His presence,

belongs the mightiest, most majestic rank.

ما أَطاعَ اللَهَ قَومٌ تَوَلّوا

مَن سِواهُم بَل عَصَوهُ وَضَلّوا

No people obeyed God who allied themselves

with others instead of them; rather, they disobeyed Him and strayed.

وَبِهِم شُقَّ دُجى الغَيِّ عَنهُم

وَعَلى الإيمانِ وَالدينِ دُلّوا

Through them the darkness of error was rent away from them,

and they were guided to faith and religion.

وِبِهِم صُبَّت عَلى كُلِّ باغٍ

باذِخِ العِزِّ صَغارٌ وَذُلُّ

Through them there poured upon every transgressor,

lofty in might, abasement and humiliation.

غَصَبوهُم حَقَّهُم وَاِستَحَلّوا

ظالِموهُم مِنهُ ما لا يَحِلُّ

They robbed them of their due and deemed lawful—

those who wronged them—what was not lawful.

وَاِقتَدَوا فيهِم بِما سَنَّ رِجسٌ

بارَزَ اللَهَ زَنيمٌ عُتُلُّ

In dealing with them, they followed what a vile man ordained,

one who defied God, baseborn and brutal.

لَم يُراقِب خَشيَةَ اللَهِ فيهِم

آصِرٌ مِنهُ وَلَم يُرعَ إِلُّ

No fear of God concerning them was heeded

by a captor of his; nor was kinship respected.

فَهُمُ شَتّى قَتيلٍ صَريعٍ

دَمُهُ فيهِم حِذاراً يُطَلُّ

So they are scattered: one slain and fallen,

his blood left unavenged among them, out of fear;

وَأَسيرٌ في طِمارٍ عَلَيهِ

مِن حَديدِ القَينِ كَبلٌ وَغُلُّ

another captive in a lofty stronghold, bearing

a fetter and a collar of the smith's iron;

وَمُقيمٌ خاشِعٌ في عَدُوٍّ

مُستَضامٌ بَينَهُم مُستَذَلُّ

another dwelling, subdued, among enemies,

oppressed among them and humiliated.

لا عَلى جُرمٍ وَلا عَن شِقاقٍ

رَكِبوا الدَحضَ إِلَيهِم فَزَلّوا

Not for a crime, nor because of dissension;

they trod slippery ground toward them and slipped.

غَيرَ أَن فاءَ عَلى ظالِميهِم

بِهِمُ المُلكِ فَيءٌ وَظِلُّ

Except that there spread over their oppressors,

through them, the shelter and shade of kingship;

وَأَن أَوفوا بِالنَبِيِّ المُصَفّى

جِدِّهِم مَأَثُرَةً لا تَقِلُّ

and that they attained, through the chosen Prophet—

their grandfather—a glory that never diminishes.

وَبِنى اللَهُ لَهُم بَيتَ مَجدٍ

فِطرَةُ الدينِ بِهِ تَستَظِلُّ

God built them a house of glory,

in whose shade religion's primal nature takes shelter,

في جميلٍ بارَكَ اللَهُ فيهِ

لَم يَنَل ما خُوَّلوهُ جِبِلُّ

in goodness that God has blessed.

No multitude attained what they were granted.

وَاِرثوا مَخزونِ عِلمٍ عَلَيهِ

كُلُّ ذي عِلمٍ عِيالٌ وَكَلُّ

Inheritors of a hidden store of knowledge, on which

every learned man depends as a needy charge.

وَعَلَيَّ ذو المَعالي أَبوهُم

كَرُمَ السامي بِهِ وَالمُدِلُّ

And Ali, possessor of lofty virtues, is their father;

noble is the man who rises through him and takes pride in him.

عُلِّمَ الدينَ الَّذي مَن تَلاهُ

سالِكٌ سُبلَ الهُدى لا يَضِلُّ

He was taught the faith; whoever follows it

walks the paths of guidance and does not stray.

وَأَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ المُرَجّي

فَضلَهُ مُثريهِمُ وَالمُقِلُّ

And the Commander of the Faithful, looked to for

his bounty by their wealthy and their needy,

باسِطٌ كَفَّيهِ فيهِم بِعَدلٍ

وَصَبيرَ صَوبُهُ مُستَهَلُّ

spreading his two palms among them with justice,

a massed raincloud, its rainfall streaming down

عَن سَماءٍ لَهُم كُلَّ يَومٍ

ديمَةٌ مِنهُ وَوَبلٌ وَطَلُّ

from a sky, for them, every day:

from him come steady rain, downpours, and dew.

وَشِهابُ اللَهِ في كُلِّ خَطبِ

وَحُسامُ اللَهِ وَالنَقعُ يَعلو

And God's blazing meteor in every crisis,

and God's keen sword as battle-dust rises,

حَيثُ يَلقى في ظِلالِ المَنايا

كُلَّ لَيثٍ باسِلٍ وَهوَ فَلُّ

where, beneath the shadows of death, he meets

every valiant lion, now vanquished:

جَسَدٌ يَعفوهُ طَيرٌ عَكوفٌ

وَضَوارٍ شُرَّعٌ فيهِ زُلُّ

a body frequented by lingering birds

and lean-flanked predators converging upon it.

مَكنَزٌ فيهِ مِن بَعدِ حَولٍ

لِلضِباعِ العُرجِ لَحمٌ مُصِلُّ

Stored within it, after a year,

is putrid flesh for the limping hyenas.

بَطَلٌ أَغلَبُ في راحَتَيهِ

لِلقَنا وَالبيضِ نَهلٌ وَعَلُّ

A thick-necked champion; in his two palms

spears and bright swords drink once and drink again.

يَكرَهُ الأَبطالُ مِنهُ اِبنَ مَوتٍ

لا يَمَلُّ الحَربَ حَتّى يَمَلّوا

Champions dread in him a son of death

who does not tire of war until they tire.

يَحمَدُ العَضبُ اليَماني شَظاهُ

في الوَغى وَالسَمهَرِيُّ المِتَلُّ

The keen Yemeni sword praises his forearm

in battle, as does the stout Samhari spear.

فَكَأَنَّ النَقعَ يَنشامُ عَنهُ

ضَيغَمٌ جَهمُ المُحَيّا رِفَلُّ

As though the battle-dust were parting from him:

a lion, grim-faced and strutting.

قَد غَدا يُضمِرُ بُغضاً وَيُبدي

بِغضَةً أَضغانُها لا تُسَلُّ

He has come to harbor hatred and display

an abhorrence whose grudges are never removed.

شاوَرَ النَكراءَ في اللَهِ مِنهُ

شائِكُ الأَنيابِ يَقظانُ صِلُّ

He took counsel with dire cunning in God's cause; in him

was a sharp-fanged, watchful viper.

لا الرُقى تَردَعُ مِنهُ وَلا مَن

مَسَّ حَدَّ النابِ مِنهُ يُبَلُّ

No incantations restrain him, nor does anyone

who touches the edge of his fang recover.

مَوطِنٌ مِن عَهدِ لُقمانَ عادٍ

دونَهُ مِن قُلَلِ الحَزنِ تَلُّ

A dwelling from the age of Luqman of 'Ad,

before it a hill among the heights of rugged ground.

مُتَحامٍ لا يُؤَدّي إِلَيهِ

نُبُسَ الإِنسِ وَالا الجِنِّ حَلُّ

Shunned—no settlement carries to it

the faint murmurs of humans or of jinn.

كَيبيسِ الجَزلِ إِلّا فَحيحاً

يُصهَرُ المَرءُ بِهِ أَو يُمَلُّ

Like dry, stout timber, save for a hissing

by which a man is melted or roasted.

لَو مَضَت عالِيَةُ الرُمحِ فيهِ

ما تَغَشّى اللَيطَ مِنهُ يُمَلُّ

Were the spear's upper shaft to pierce him,

whatever of its outer skin he covered would be scorched.

أَو نَمَت أَذرُعُ أَلفٍ إِلَيهِ

رَجَعَت عَن نَفثِهِ وَهيَ شُلُّ

Or if the arms of a thousand reached toward him,

they would recoil from his venomous breath, paralyzed.

كُلَّما مَدَّ المَطا وَتَمَطّى

فَحَصى المَعزاءِ مِنهُ يُصِلُّ

Whenever he extends his back and stretches,

the pebbles of the stony ground ring because of him.

عُد إِلى مَدحِ الَّذينَ عَلَيهِم

مِن يَمينِ اللَهِ ظِلٌّ فَظِلُّ

Return to praising those over whom

from God's right hand comes shade upon shade:

خَيرِ مَن خَبَّت بِهِم ذاتُ لَوثٍ

دامِياً لِلجَهدِ مِنها الأَظَلُّ

the best of those borne at a trot by a sturdy she-camel,

her foot-pad bleeding from exertion,

في مَهارى ذُبَّلٍ كَالسَعالى

تَحتَ شُعثٍ قَد أَكَلوا وَكَلّوا

on lean Mahri camels, like ghouls,

beneath disheveled riders, mounts spent and men weary,

عامِدي الكَعبَةَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ

كُلَّما أَعرَضَ شَخصٌ أَهَلّو

making for the Kaaba from every mountain pass.

Whenever a form came into view, they raised their pilgrim cry.