بصادق عزم تفخر الدولة الوسطى — Mahmoud Qabadu

بِصادِقِ عزمٍ تفخرُ الدولةُ الوسطى

وتَبتَهجُ الخضراءُ في عزّها الأسطى

With true resolve the Central State takes pride,

and al-Khadra rejoices in her mightiest glory.

وَتَختالُ في بردِ الشبيبةِ بعدَ أَن

جَلَت صبغةُ الأيّام في فَرعِها وَخطا

She struts in the mantle of youth, after

the dye of days had revealed gray streaks in her hair.

وَتَسحبُ تيهاً ذيلهُ في ملاعبٍ

تُدار بِها كأسُ المسرّة إسفِنطا

Proudly she trails its hem through pleasure grounds

where the cup of gladness circulates as fragrant wine.

وَتَفترّ عَن ثغرٍ شنيبٍ تَناسَقَت

لآلي الدَراري الزاهراتِ بهِ سمطا

She smiles, revealing a cool, gleaming mouth, where

the pearls of radiant stars are arranged in a necklace.

وَتُسفرُ عَن نضرٍ قبول مهلّل

يخرّ لَه بدرُ الدجنّةِ منحطّا

She unveils a fresh, gracious, beaming face,

before which the moon of darkness falls humbled.

وَتُثني إِذا تُصغي لِوسواسِ حَليها

عَمودُ صباحٍ بالثريّا صغى قرطا

Listening to the whisper of her jewelry, she bends

a pillar of dawn, with the Pleiades inclined as an earring.

تُصاعِرُ خدّاَ يوردُ اللحظَ ماءهُ

عَلَى شفقٍ يَستَوجسُ الغصّ والغطّا

She turns a cheek that brings the gaze to its water,

upon a rosy glow where it fears choking and immersion.

وَتُرسلُ فرعاً ينفضُ الليلُ صبغهُ

عَلَيه ويَأبى من ترسّلهِ المشطا

She lets down hair upon which night shakes its dye,

and whose flowing freedom refuses the comb.

تَزرُّ على فضِّيِّ نحرٍ موشّحٍ

بِعقدٍ مِنَ الجوزاءِ لا يعرفُ اللطّا

She fastens her dress over a silver neck adorned

with a necklace of Orion that knows no concealment.

وَتَلوي بعطفٍ يستقلّ مجرّةً

مَطرّزةً زهراً تقدّ له مِرطا

She sways a flank that bears a Milky Way,

embroidered with stars, cut into a cloak for it.

وَتَجمَعُ بينَ الهالَتين تخصّراً

بكفٍّ خضيبٍ تلكَ كشحاً وذي سنطا

She joins the two halos, clasping her waist

with a hennaed hand: one at her waist, the other at her wrist.

يتيهُ بها دلٌّ ويَعطِفُها حيا

فَتُبدي الجَفا قبضاً وتولي الوَفا بَسطا

Coquetry makes her proud, while modesty bends her;

she shows estrangement by withholding, and grants fidelity freely.

تَهادى وبيضُ الهندِ تَجلو عَوارضاً

كأنَّ عذاراً من فرندٍ بِها اِختطّا

She walks swaying, while Indian swords polish bright edges,

as though a cheek-line of watered steel were traced upon them.

فَتَحنو عَليها منّةٌ وَيشفّها

نُحولٌ كَما دقّقت من نونكَ الخطّا

Strength bends over her, and slenderness refines her,

as you make the stroke of your letter nun thin.

وَيَرنو إِلى سمرِ القنا سحرُ لَحظِها

فَتَحكي عصي القبطِ مهتزّة رُقطا

The magic of her glance looks toward the brown spears,

and they resemble the Copts' rods, quivering as speckled snakes.

أَمَا وَحِمى مِن عزِّها مُتمنّعٌ

بِآسادِ غابٍ لا يُحام ولا يُخطى

Indeed, by a sanctuary fortified through her might,

with woodland lions, neither approached nor crossed;

وَجَفنٌ حَبا إِنسانهُ كلَّ فترةٍ

بِوَحيٍ دَعا النصرَ العزيزَ فما أبطا

and by an eyelid that endowed its pupil, in every languor,

with inspiration summoning mighty victory, which did not delay;

وَمرسلُ حتفٍ من قسيّ حواجبٍ

تصدُّ بِها قطباً وَتَزهو بِها مطّا

and by a sender of death from the bows of eyebrows,

which she draws together in frowning and stretches proudly;

وَسالفةٌ نقعُ الوقائِعِ دونَها

وَليسَ سِوى نقع العبيرِ لَها شمطا

and by a neck beyond the dust of battles,

whose only grayness is the dust of perfume:

لَقد زهِيَت منها بغرّة عزّةٍ

نواصٍ لِغيرِ الصادقِ العزمِ لا تُعطى

forelocks have grown proud through her blaze of glory,

forelocks yielded to none but the truly resolute.

رَواكبُ مذر جامح لا يروضهُ

سِوى مرء صدقٍ صهوة الصعب اِستمطى

They ride an ill-tempered, headstrong mount that none can tame

but a truthful man who has mounted the difficult steed.

مَليكٌ بِهِ عزّت حِمى إذ تَبوّأت

مُبوّأَ صدقٍ من إِيالته بَسطا

A king through whom her domains grew mighty, when she occupied

a worthy dwelling in the breadth of his governance.

تَراءَت له في طَلعةٍ مُستفزّةٍ

إِذا بَرَزت للطودِ لَم يعدُ أَن يحطا

She appeared before him in a stirring aspect,

which, confronting a mountain, could only make it sink.

بُعيدَ اِرتياحٍ يَستطيرُ إِلى الصِّبا

حَليماً تناهى عقدُ حَبوتهِ نشطا

After a thrill that flies toward youthful playfulness,

he remained forbearing, though his knee-wrap's knot was fully loosened.

فَما آنَست إلّا وقاراً تضاءَلت

لَه شمُّ أَطوادٍ تلفّعتِ السِّقطا

She found nothing but a gravity before which

lofty mountains wrapped in mist diminished.

رُسوخٌ كأنّ الأرضَ قَد أُرسِيَت به

وَمرّت كمرّ السحبِ أَوتادها وخطا

A steadfastness as though the earth were anchored by it,

while its mountain-pegs passed like clouds, swiftly striding.

وَما خَبرت إلّا إِباء حفيظةٍ

تَفيءُ لعزٍّ يَفرع الفرغَ والشرطا

She experienced nothing but the proud refusal of protective zeal,

turning toward a glory that overtops al-Fargh and al-Sharat.

رَأت مَلِكاً لا يهصرُ الملكُ عطفهُ

وَلا تَطّبيهِ خطّةٌ نَفَست غبطا

She saw a king whose flank kingship does not bend,

nor does a coveted position entice him.

بعيدُ مرامي الهمِّ دونَ مَرامهِ

مُجاوزةَ الراقي المكوكَبِ والمعطى

His ambition's aims are distant; beneath his goal

lie even the starry ascendant's reach and what is granted.

تقاضَته ديناً عزّ قدماً وفاؤهُ

فَلا المُقتضى ألوى ولا المقتضي اِشتطّا

She claimed from him a debt whose fulfillment had long been difficult;

neither did the debtor evade, nor the claimant demand excessively.

وَلاذَت بِه من جورِ جارٍ مكاشحٍ

توجّس يوماً أن تدبّ بِهِ الرقطا

She sought his shelter from an openly hostile neighbor's oppression,

fearing that one day speckled snakes might crawl upon him.

فهاء إِلَيها عَزمهُ هيءَ ضيغمٍ

حَمى الغيلَ أَو صقراً أطلّ على الرهطا

His resolve hastened toward her in the form of a lion

guarding its thicket, or a falcon overlooking the band.

يُباكِرها حزماً يطارد فرصةً

تكشّفُ عن حزمٍ يُراوِحها العبطا

He visits her early with resolve, pursuing an opportunity

that reveals a firmness alternating with forceful blows.

وَيكلؤها ليلاً بِلحظِ رعايةٍ

يَهابُ حثاثَ النومِ لم بهِ وأطا

He guards her at night with a watchful gaze,

fearing that sleep's swift onset might settle upon him.

وَيُضفي عَليها فيأةً من حمايةٍ

تقيلُ وَتَستذري بعزّتها لَعطا

He spreads over her a shade of protection,

where she rests at noon and shelters from scorching in its might.

وَيَركبُ متنَ الجدِّ مهداً لأمنِها

فَيَنقاد مُستعصٍ وَيسرعُ مُستبطا

He rides the back of earnest effort, preparing her security;

the recalcitrant submits, and the slow hastens.

تَعرّف طبعَ الملكِ مُستعطى بهِ

وميّزَ مِن أركانِ نشأتِهِ الخَلطا

He learned the nature of kingship, seeking its gifts,

and distinguished the mixture in the elements of its formation.

تَملّك والميزانُ في الأفقِ طالعٌ

فَأحر بهِ أَن يصدقَ الرفعَ والحطّا

He became king while the Balance rose on the horizon;

how fitting that he should deal truly in raising and lowering.

وَلَمّا سَما للملكِ غير معرّجٍ

عَلى غيرِ مَن مِن عندهِ النصرُ يُستبطا

When he rose to kingship, turning aside

to none but Him from whom victory is awaited,

رِئاسَتهُ من آلِ عثمانَ أُسِّسَت

بِأسلافهِ كانَت لِتقريرِهم شَرطا

his authority was founded through the House of Uthman;

with his ancestors, their confirmation had been its condition.

فَسامى بِنَفسٍ حرَّةٍ لا يَسومُها

تَرفُّعه غمطاً وَعزّتُه لطّا

He pursued greatness with a free soul, upon which

his elevation imposes no contempt, nor his might concealment.

فَأَمضى وزيرَ البحر للّه درّه

سفيراً لإسلامبولَ يَستَحكمُ الربطا

He dispatched the minister of the sea—God bless his excellence—

as ambassador to Islambol, to strengthen the bonds.

ممدّاً بِنهى الأصغرين مؤازراً

يَحوطُ الجنان الربطُ مقولهُ السنطا

Furnished with the wisdom of heart and tongue, and supported,

his steadfast heart safeguards his eloquent speech.

فيا لك من مسرىً بطرّة طيبةٍ

لغرّة عودٍ قَد تَنافَستا غبطا

What a departure with a lovely forelock,

toward a bright-browed return—the two competed in delight!

وَيا لِسَفيرٍ سافر عن جَلالةٍ

لِمُرسلهِ حيثُ النهى تعدمُ الضبطا

And what an ambassador, unveiling the majesty

of his sender where minds lose their command!

لَه اللَّه مِن صميان شرّابِ أنقعٍ

رَمَت رجوا العليا بهِ فَبدا سمطا

God bless him: a bold man, a drinker of stagnant pools;

the edges of high glory cast him forth, and he appeared a necklace.

مَضى وعناياتِ المشيرِ تحفُّهُ

وَتبسطُ منهُ بالنوالِ يداً بَسطا

He proceeded, surrounded by the Marshal's care,

which stretched forth from him a generous hand.

فَأكّد إِيلافاً وَأثّل مفخراً

وَأَرضى العُلى قَولاً وفعلاً وما شطّا

He strengthened amity and established a source of pride,

pleasing high glory in word and deed, without straying.

وَجلّى بِميدانِ السفارةِ ظافراً

فَلا طرفهُ أَكبى ولا عَزمُهُ اِلتطّا

He won the field of embassy in triumph;

neither did his steed stumble, nor his resolve become entangled.

وَنافَحَ عَن عرضٍ مخابرَ شدّةٍ

فَلا عَضبهُ كهماً وَلا سَهمهُ خلطا

He defended honor through trials of hardship;

neither was his sword blunt, nor his arrow uncertain.

وَأَسنى لهُ الخاقانُ منزلةً جَلَت

عَلى الدولِ العُظمى على الدولةِ الوسطى

The Khaqan exalted him to a station that revealed

to the great states the eminence of the Central State.

فَعادَ حَميداً وردهُ وصدورهُ

وَلَم يبدِ ملءَ السجلِ في نشطِه وبطا

He returned, praised in his arrival and departure,

showing no sluggishness in vigorously drawing a full bucket.

وَأَقبلَ وَالخضراءُ تُبدي اِحتفالَها

وَإِقبالها فخراً بِمالِكها الأسطى

He approached while al-Khadra displayed her celebration

and her proud welcome for her mightiest sovereign.

يَؤمّ بِوفدِ الرومِ مِن شطّ عيلمٍ

إِلى عَيلمٍ لا جزرَ فيهِ ولا شطّا

He leads the delegation of Rum from the shore of a sea

toward a sea with neither ebb nor shore.

وَيَجتازُ حَلقَ الوادي مُشجىً كتائباً

تَعثّرُ أنفاسُ النسيمِ به خَنطا

He crosses Halq al-Wadi, choked with battalions,

where the breaths of the breeze stumble, stifled.

وَقَد أبرزت أبراجهُ من مدافعٍ

تَماسيحُ من لجّ الدخانِ اِجتَوت غطّا

Its towers had brought forth cannons:

crocodiles weary of immersion in the depths of smoke.

فَواغرُ تخشى الشهبُ وشكَ اِلتِقامها

وَيرهبُ عنقودُ الثريّا بِها الخَرطا

Gaping mouths whose imminent swallowing the meteors fear,

while the Pleiades' cluster dreads being stripped by them.

إِذا اِجترّتِ البارودَ غصّاً وكرّرت

عَلى أكر دهمٍ به القذفَ والسّرطا

When they chew gunpowder, choking, and repeat

their spitting and swallowing of dark spheres,

تَرى أَشمُساً قَد كُوّرت وَكواكباً

قَدِ اِنتثرَت وَالأرضُ راجفةً ضَغطا

you see suns rolled up, and stars

scattered, while the earth trembles under pressure.

هِيَ المُصرِخاتُ الصارِخاتُ صواعقاً

تَخرّ الحصونُ الشمُّ مِن صَدعِها هبطا

They are the succor-bringers, crying out thunderbolts;

lofty fortresses fall at their splitting roar.

عَلى أنّها هشّت لِوَفدِ مَليكها

وَأَرعدَها وجدٌ فحيّتهمُ أطّا

Yet they rejoiced at their king's delegation,

and emotion thundered through them: they greeted it with rumbling.

وَحفّت أَراعيلُ المَذاكي بِسَيلهم

بِقادِمَتَي نَصرٍ يُظلّانه مطّا

Troops of mature steeds surrounded their flowing procession

with two flight-feathers of victory spread above it.

فَمِن دُهُمٍ صوصٍ لحفّى تقلّصت

عنِ الصبحِ مِن ليلٍ تحالَكَ وَاِمتطّا

Among them were intensely black steeds, cloaked in darkness drawn back

from dawn, from a night grown deeply black and long;

وَمِن ضمّرٍ كمتٍ خلوقيّة الحلى

كأنَّ العُقارَ الوردَ قَد علّها غطّا

and lean bay steeds, saffron-colored in their adornment,

as though rosy wine had drenched them with another draught;

وَمِن شهبٍ زرقٍ تَرَقرَق أدمها

كَأنّ السحابَ الجونَ جلّلها سقطا

and blue-gray steeds, their hides shimmering,

as though dark clouds had clothed them in rainfall;

وَمن جرّدٍ شقرٍ تلظّت صرامةً

فَأَبدى تلظّيها على أهبِها حَنطا

and sleek chestnut steeds blazing with fierceness,

whose blaze showed russet upon their hides;

وَمَن ذُلّل بلقٍ تَرى الصبحَ والدجى

قَدِ اِبتَدراها يَمسحانِ فراً شمطا

and docile piebald steeds, upon which dawn and darkness

had hastened to stroke a coat mingled with gray.

وَجيهيّةٌ آباؤُها أعوجيّةٌ

خؤولَتُها لا وشبَ فيها ولا مَلطا

Of Wajih's stock, their sires descended from A'waj;

their maternal kin had neither admixture nor crossbreeding.

مِنَ اللّاحِقاتِ السابقاتِ إِذا قَفَت

أَو اِقتفيت تُطوى بها الشقَّة الشحطا

Pursuers and front-runners, whether they followed

or were pursued, they folded up the distant journey.

ضَراغِم أزواراً ظباء أياطلاً

نُمور غضا وثباً نعام فَلا حَلطا

Lions in their chests, gazelles in their flanks,

tigers of ghada thickets in leaping, desert ostriches in running.

تشمُّ فَتستامُ المجرَّة مَورداً

وَتسأمُ حَوضَ الغيمِ إن فَرعه طأطا

They lift their heads and seek the Milky Way as a watering place,

disdaining the cloud's basin if its summit lowers.

تُراوِحُ في المرحِ الصفونَ مَوائحا

كأنَّ لَها من غيرِ أرجُلها مَخطا

In playfulness they alternate poised standing with swaying,

as though they traced a course with something besides their legs.

وَتقطفُ في قمصٍ خُطى لو تَعاقَبَت

عَلى سطرِ رقم أعجمت مُهملاً نقطا

They take short steps amid leaps, which, following one another

upon a written line, would dot its unpointed letters.

لَقَد بَلَغت مِنها الرياضةُ مبلغاً

تَناهَت بِهِ ثقفاً وطوعاً لِمَن أَمطى

Their training has reached such a degree

that they excel in dexterity and obedience to their rider.

فَلَو ريمَ مِنها حيثُ تَخطو تقرّباً

لِجوهرِ عقدٍ ثيلَ لَم يعدُهُ لقطا

Were their approaching steps directed

toward a jewel spilled from a necklace, they would not miss it in gathering.

إِذا أحضَرَت تُرخي الفِحاح ملاءةً

فَتحَسُبها تَخشى مِنَ الأعيُنِ اللعطا

When they gallop, they let dust fall as a sheet,

so you think they fear the scorching of watching eyes.

تُريكَ جهاماً منهُ خلفُ بوارقٍ

تَبارَت إِليهِ النكبُ تجفلُه قَعطا

They show you a rainless cloud behind flashes of lightning,

toward which crosswinds race, driving it violently.

تَعوّدتِ البارود فهيَ إِذا رغا

صقورٌ لِكثبِ الصيدِ تبتدر الخرطا

Accustomed to gunpowder, when it roars they are

falcons rushing down upon prey close at hand.

عَلَيها مِنَ الأعرابِ كلَّ مقذّفٍ

إِذا ما اِنبرى للقرنِ عاجَله وَقطا

Upon them rides every sturdy man of the desert Arabs;

when he confronts an opponent, he swiftly fells him.

لَه نَجدةُ الناشي وَحِنكَةُ أَشيب

وَدُربةُ فذّ الغطِّ متيمةٌ وَخطا

He has a youth's courage and a gray-haired man's experience,

and unmatched skill in plunging, captivating in swift strides.

عَلى صَدره عنوانُ فضلٍ مرقّشٍ

بِسمرِ القَنا نقطاً وَبيضِ الظبى خطّا

Upon his chest is the inscription of an embellished excellence,

dotted with brown spears and lined with bright sword-edges.

يُريكَ إِذا أَجرى تقلّب ثاقبٍ

بِظهرٍ لبطنٍ غير مُستوجسٍ لَبطا

When he gallops, he shows you a keen man's turning

from back to belly, without fear of falling.

فَإِن شاءَ كانَت صهوةُ الطرفِ مقعداً

وَإِن شاءَ كانَت مَوطِئاً له أو ملطا

If he wishes, the steed's back becomes a seat;

if he wishes, it becomes his foothold or a bare resting place.

تَشيمُ بِه شخصاً حديداً وهيكلاً

حَوى مغنطيساً حَيثما اِتّصلا لطّا

You discern in him a figure of iron, and a frame

containing a magnet: wherever the two meet, they cling.

أُولئكَ آسادٌ مساعيرُ للوغى

وَأَحزمُ مَن أجرى الجياد لَها ضَبطا

Those are lions, kindlers of battle,

and the most resolute riders in controlling their steeds.

إِذا مُطفآتُ الرضفِ يوماً دَعَتهمُ

أُعيدَ الصفا رضفاً وصمّ الحَصى عبطا

If crushing calamities summon them one day,

smooth rock becomes heated stones, and hard pebbles freshly broken.

لَقَد ريعَ وفدُ العجمِ منهم بِأمّةٍ

إِذا اِنتَسب الإسلامُ كانوا لهُ رَهطا

The foreign delegation was awed by a people among them

who, were Islam to declare its lineage, would be its kin.

يُحيّونهُ شزرَ العيونِ كأنّهم

أَراقم ذي قارٍ وما أَضمَروا مَغطا

They salute it with sidelong eyes, as though they were

the speckled serpents of Dhu Qar, yet concealing no hostile thrust.

كُماةُ نزالٍ تدَّري في ملاعبٍ

جَنايا المَنايا غير فاصمةٍ سِمطا

Champions of combat, in these arenas they stalk

the fruits of death, without snapping a necklace-strand.

إِذا دَاوَلوا كرّاً وَفرّاً مثانياً

وَملطاً كلا القرنينِ نوط إِلى المنطى

When they exchange charge and retreat in paired turns,

and gallop, both opponents are bound toward the prize.

رَأيتَ نجيّين كعذقين أحنيا

عناقاً على فرقي أتي قدِ اِشتطّا

You see two close companions, like two palm clusters bent

in an embrace over the two banks of a violent torrent.

فَيا لكِ مِن فَوضى لِيومِ تلاحمٍ

ويومِ برازٍ أَو وقول درى نطّا

What a tumult for a day of close combat,

and a day of single combat, or nimble climbers skilled in leaping!

وَيا لكَ من جندٍ على أُخرَياتهم

نَظيمِ الحلى واللام والرصفِ والمسطى

And what troops behind them,

ordered in equipment, armor, formation, and assault!

جَلَت عنهمُ تلكَ المخائبُ مثلَما

جَلا بحرَ صبحٍ جدولُ الفجرِ إِذ خطّا

Those disappointments lifted from them, as

the stream of dawn unveils a sea of morning when it draws its line.

كأنّ عُقاباً مطّ وَحفَيه منهمُ

إِلى قشعمٍ لَم ندرِ أيّهما أَسطى

As though an eagle spread its two broad wings among them

toward a mighty eagle—we did not know which was fiercer.

سِوى أنَّ لِلجندِ النظيمِ ضرائباً

تَحوزُ المعلّى كلّما ياسَرَت قِسطا

Except that the ordered troops possess qualities

that win the highest share whenever they draw lots.

فَأَيديهم بَطشاً إِذا بَطشوا يدٌ

وَأرجلهُم رجلٌ إِذا سَلَكوا خطّا

Their hands, when they strike, are one striking hand;

their feet are one foot when they follow a path.

وَآراؤُهم رأيٌ وفي حَرَكاتهم

نظامُ اِئتلافٍ يدرأ الشتَّ وَالوَبطا

Their judgments are one judgment, and in their movements

a harmonious order wards off dispersion and weakness.

وَفيهِم بأسرارِ التعابي بصارةٌ

وَميزانُ عدلٍ للقوى قائمٌ قِسطا

They possess insight into the secrets of deployment,

and a just balance of forces, upright in equity;

وَخبرٌ بِأنواعِ المَكائدِ مسندٌ

لِتجربةٍ تُنبي عَنِ الصوبِ والأخطا

and knowledge of the kinds of stratagems, founded

on experience that tells what is correct and mistaken;

وَعلمٌ بِتَصريفِ السلاحِ وَوضعهِ

وَإِحكامِ حصنٍ قرّ أو مترسٍ خُطّا

and knowledge of handling weapons and positioning them,

and fortifying a fixed stronghold or a traced entrenchment;

وَعلمٌ بِتَسييرِ الجنودِ ومدّها

ونخبِ المصفِّ القلبِ وَالمسلكِ الأوطا

and knowledge of moving troops and supplying them,

and choosing the battle line's center and the easiest route;

وَتأليفِ أعضاءِ الجيوشِ بِحكمةٍ

تُعدِّلُ منها الزحفَ وَالرفعَ والحطّا

and joining the army's members with wisdom

that regulates their advance, raising, and lowering.

أُولئكَ كَالبنيانِ أُحكمَ رصّهُ

وَغيرُهمُ إِن صفّ تَحسبهُ إِبطا

Those are like a building whose courses are firmly fitted;

others, even drawn up in ranks, seem feeble.

أعدّهمُ حزمُ المشيرِ دعائماً

لِتشييدِ عزّ الدينِ والملكِ لا تُخطا

The Marshal's foresight prepared them as pillars

for building the glory of faith and kingship, never missed.

أُسودُ ضراءٍ في عرينِ مكاحلٍ

تأبّطَ كلٌّ مِنهمُ حيّةً رَقطا

Lions of the thickets in a den of firearms,

each carrying a speckled serpent beneath his arm.

يُقعقعُ مِنها نابها لِتحيّةٍ

ويهوي لإجلال بها مخلباً سلطا

He rattles its fang in salutation,

and lowers its long claw in homage.

إِذا اِنتَظَموا في سلكِ صفّ ونضّدوا

لِفرع عجاجٍ مِن مكاحِلهم مشطا

When they form a strung rank and arrange

a comb of their firearms for the hair of dust,

رَأيتَ وميضَ البرقِ يفري سحائباً

وَيُرعدها فريَ الظُّبى الترسَ اللحطا

you see lightning's flash cleaving clouds

and thundering through them as sword-edges cleave close-fitting shields.

كَأنّ الوغى نَيروزهم وَرَصاصهم

نثارٌ مِنَ العنَّابِ أَو ثمرُ الأرطى

As though battle were their Nowruz, and their bullets

scattered jujubes or the fruits of arta.

يَروقُهم في النقعِ ديُّ كُراتِهم

مُحاجَنةً طوراً وآونةً مغطا

They delight in driving their balls through the dust,

sometimes with hooking strokes, sometimes with long thrusts.

يَرون نجيعَ القرنِ فوقَ ظباهمُ

مُسلسلَ جريالٍ عَلى جامَةٍ نبطا

They see their opponent's blood upon their blades

as crimson wine welling in chains upon a goblet.

مِنَ الأنسِ إلّا أنّ لِلجنّ فيهمُ

مشابهَ يُبديها شواظُ الوَغى قَعطا

They are human, yet the jinn have in them

likenesses revealed by battle's flames and sudden killing.

يُوشِّحُ دارَ الملكِ صفّانِ منهمُ

كَما زرّت الحسناءُ أَزرارها رَبطا

Two ranks of them adorn the royal residence,

as a beauty fastens her buttons securely.

قَدِ اِكتنفا نهجاً إلى القصرِ لاحباً

كَما تكنفُ الأعلامُ ماثلةً خطّا

They flank a broad road to the palace,

as standing landmarks flank a path.

يُحيّونَ إِقبال الوفودِ لِمحفلٍ

تناهى بِهِ الألبابُ أَن تبلغ اللَّعطا

They salute the delegations approaching an assembly

where minds approach the point of being scorched.

مَقامٌ كأنَّ الأرضَ فاخَرَتِ السما

بِهِ فَجلّت من كلّ طنفسةٍ نمطا

A place through which earth seemed to vie with heaven,

displaying a pattern from every carpet.

فَأَزهارُها في أرضهِ وَسَمائهِ

وَجُدرانه وشياً وَزُخرُفها ملطا

Its flowers are on its floor and ceiling,

its walls embroidered, its ornament filling bare surfaces.

تَرى كُلّهُ في بعضهِ مِن صقاله

فَنائيهِ قَد دانى ودانيهِ قَد شطّا

Through its polish, you see all of it in a part;

its distant reaches draw near, and its near reaches grow distant.

كَأنّ ثريّاتٍ تُناط لسقفهِ

قُروطُ عروسٍ في ذَوائبها تُنطا

As though chandeliers hanging from its ceiling were

a bride's earrings suspended among her locks.

تَتوّجَتِ الديباج فَوقَ عقائصٍ

وَضمّت إِلى الأعطافِ سادلةً مَرطا

She crowned herself with brocade above her braids

and drew flowing cloaks around her flanks.

تَراءَت مِنَ الإبريزِ فيه كواكبٌ

فَمِن معلمٍ وسماً وَمِن مغفلٍ علطا

Stars of pure gold appeared within it:

some marked with a sign, others unmarked.

وَقامَت تَماثيلُ السلاطينِ حَولَها

كَما يرصدُ السعدَ المنجّمُ ملتطّا

Images of sultans stood around them,

as an astrologer intently watches good fortune.

وَأَحسَبها جادَت ثراهُ بنوئها

فَبثّت عَلى الأرجاءِ من عبقرٍ بسطا

I think their stellar rain watered its ground,

spreading carpets from Abqar throughout its regions.

تَناهى بهِ الإتقانُ حتّى حسبتهُ

مِثالاً لدارِ الخلدِ في عرضِهِ خطّا

Its perfection reached such a height that I thought it

a likeness of the eternal abode, drawn in outline.

فَلَو رامَه وصفاً عطاردُ لاِنثَنَت

فَصاحَتهُ عيّا وَحِكمَته نطّا

Were Mercury to attempt its description,

his eloquence would become speechlessness, his wisdom bewilderment.

وَلَو جُلّيَت لِلمشتَري منفساتهُ

لَضاقَ إِذاً عن سومها ذرعهُ رَبطا

Were its treasures displayed to Jupiter,

his capacity to value them would prove constrained.

وَلَو جرّد المرّيخ فيه حسامَهُ

لأصبحَ ميديّاً بمخراقِه قمطا

Were Mars to draw his sword within it,

he would reel, bound up with his play-sword.

وَلَو حلّ فيهِ اللّيثُ في درعِ زبرةٍ

تَضاءلَ وَاِنقدّت مفاضتهُ عَبطا

Were the Lion to enter it in the armor of his mane,

he would dwindle, and his ample mail would be torn apart.

وَلَو جالَ فيهِ ممسكٌ لأعنّةٍ

لألقى إِذاً ما في يَديهِ بهِ فَلطا

Were the holder of the reins to move within it,

he would drop what his hands held there.

وَلَو نَظَرت عينُ الشجاعِ اِحتفاله

إِذاً طَرَفت بَهراً وَلَم تنقَلِب لأطا

Were the Serpent's eye to behold its splendor,

it would blink in dazzlement, never turning back to linger.

وَلو حلَّه الرامي لَطاشَت سهامهُ

وَلو طائرُ النسرين حامَ بها اِرتطّا

Were the Archer to enter it, his arrows would stray;

were the flying Eagle of the pair to circle there, it would become mired.

وَلَو حاوَلَت فيهِ الفوارسُ جولةً

لَحامَت وَلَم تقحم به شُهبها ثَمطا

Were the Horsemen to attempt a circuit within it,

they would circle without plunging their gray steeds in hastily.

أَما إنّه نادٍ به الملكُ اِستَوى

عَلى دستِ ملكٍ تحتهُ زحل اِنحطّا

Indeed, it is a hall in which the king sits

upon a royal throne beneath which Saturn sinks.

تَطلّعَ في راياتهِ الحمرِ وجههُ

فَأَلقَت إليهِ الشمسُ راياتها الشمطا

His face rose into view among his red banners,

and the sun cast its gray-mingled banners toward him.

وَحلّ بصدرِ البهوِ قوسُ صحيّةٍ

تَحانَت بغابيها عَلى البدرِ فَاِختطّا

At the head of the hall appeared a bow of clear skies,

its two tips bending over the full moon, tracing an arc.

فَلم أدرِ شهبَ القطبِ أَم شهبَ شاهقٍ

سِماطانِ حفّاهُ كسمطٍ تلا سِمطا

I could not tell whether stars of the pole or of a lofty summit

formed the two ranks around him, necklace following necklace.

وَلَم أدرِ منهم كلّ شهمٍ مُنطّق

أَرَجماً ثَنى عضب الحراسةِ أَم سقطا

Nor could I tell of each belted noble among them:

was he a meteor girded with a guardian sword, or a fallen spark?

صدورٌ وأعيانٌ وإنشاءُ دولةٍ

عَلى مِثلهم تُثني خَناصِرها ضَبطا

Dignitaries, notables, and the state's scribes—

upon such men she folds her little fingers in reckoning.

أَطافوا بكرسيّ ترى الطود راسياً

يُهالُ إِذا اِستمطاهُ مِن صدره اِستمطى

They encircled a throne; you see a mountain standing firm,

which would crumble if this throne's rider mounted its summit.

يَلوذُ سفيرُ الرومِ منه بكعبةٍ

وَقبلةِ تقبيلٍ وَيَستلمُ العَلطا

The ambassador of Rum seeks in him a Kaaba,

a qibla for kisses, and touches its insignia.

وَيُهدي عَلى رَسمِ التودّدِ خلعةً

مَجيديّةً تَستَوثقُ العهدَ والشرطا

In the customary gesture of affection, he presents a robe

of Majidiyya, securing the covenant and its conditions.

بِها لِلعُلى تاجٌ وَللنصرِ مرهفٌ

وَمنشورُ خاقانٍ بِيمناهُ قَد خُطّا

With it comes a crown for eminence, a keen sword for victory,

and a Khaqan's decree written in his own right hand.

وَما عوّد السلطانُ إهداءَ خطِّه

وَلكن أَنابَ الخطّ عَن زورةٍ شطّا

The Sultan had not made a custom of giving his handwriting,

but made the writing stand for a distant visit.

لَعَمري لَقد أَولى سفير اِحتقابها

وَإِهدائِها فَخراً وسابقةً فرطا

By my life, the ambassador was granted, in carrying it

and presenting it, distinction and foremost precedence.

عَلَى أَنّها كادَت سروراً بِربّها

تُسابقهُ سعياً وَتهديهِ لو أَخطا

Yet, so delighted with its lord was it, that it almost

outran him and would guide him if he went astray.

مَرامٌ هَوادي الزهرِ تحتارُ دونه

تصدُّ بِها خطباً وَتَزهو بها مطّا

A goal before which the guides of the stars are baffled,

with which she repels calamity and proudly stretches upward.

فَما مدّتِ الخضراءُ يوماً رُواقها

وَلا ثَنتِ الغبراءُ مِن وَشيها بَسطا

Never has the green sky extended its canopy,

nor the dusty earth unfolded its embroidered carpets,

عَلى دَولةٍ أَسمى وأَعظم بهجةً

مِنَ الدولةِ الوسطى وَصادقها الأسطى

over a state loftier or more magnificent

than the Central State and its mightiest Sadiq.

عَلى أنّه أَقوى الملوكِ عزيمةً

وَأَكرمُهُم نجراً وَأَمنَعهم رهطا

For he is the strongest of kings in resolve,

the noblest in origin, and the best defended by his kin;

وَأَحراهمُ بالملكِ إرثاً وكسبةً

وَأَحمى له رعياً وأدرى به منطى

the most deserving of kingship by inheritance and achievement,

its most protective guardian, and most discerning dispenser.

وَقارٌ بِه تُرسى البسيطةُ عندما

نَمرُّ كمرِّ السحبِ أوتادها هبطا

A gravity by which the earth is anchored, when

we pass like clouds, while its mountain-pegs sink down;

وَعزمٌ فَلولا الحزمُ يمسكُ سبقهُ

لأصبَحَ منهُ البرّ والبحر قد أطّا

and a resolve whose lead, were prudence not restraining it,

would make land and sea groan beneath it;

وَبارقُ بشرٍ للقرى يُسجمُ النّدى

سَقيطاً وَيوري البأسَ يومَ الوغى سقطا

and a flash of welcome that rains generosity for hospitality,

falling in drops, and kindles valor's sparks on battle's day.

تَهلَّلَ في تلكَ الوفودِ بهالة

فَعمّهمُ نوراً وَأَوسَعهم بسطا

He beamed upon those delegations with a halo,

enveloping them in light and lavishing ease upon them.

أَمنتُ يدَ الأيّامِ مِن أَن أرى لها

بحبلٍ به اِستمسكتُ حلّاً ولا ربطا

I am safe from the hand of days, from seeing it

loosen or bind the rope to which I hold fast.

تَأمّل إِلى أعداد كافٍ وهاويا

وَعينٍ وصادٍ تلفه صادق ضَبطا

Consider the numerical values of kaf, ha, and ya,

and ayn and sad: you find Sadiq exactly.

وَما بعدهُ من ذكرِ رَحمةِ ربّنا

بشارَةُ صدقٍ يستهلّ لها غبطا

And what follows, mentioning our Lord's mercy,

is a truthful glad tiding that brings a joyful beginning.

كأنّي بِأَرحامِ الحصونِ مروعةً

لِسطوتهِ تلقي ذَخائِرها سقطا

I seem to see the wombs of fortresses, terrified

by his might, casting their treasures as miscarriages.

كأنّي بِمَن لم يتّخذ سلمهُ فدى

هَوى في يدٍ أضحى تقلّبها سقطا

I seem to see whoever did not take his peace as ransom

fall into a hand that tosses him like a fallen scrap.

كأنّي بالشمّ الشوامخِ أُرعِفَت

مَعاطسُها مِن نقعِ غاراتِه سَعطا

I seem to see lofty, towering heights made to bleed

from their noses by the dust of his raids, like snuff.

لَعَمريَ ما بَدر الوزارةِ غيرهُ

وَلا غيرُ خيرِ الدينِ ثنيانها الأغطى

By my life, the ministry's full moon is none but he,

nor is its lofty deputy anyone but Khayr al-Din.

يَدانِ فَعضبُ الملكِ صلتٌ بِهذهِ

وَتلكَ بِها ترسُ الحمايةِ ملتطّا

Two hands: with this one the royal sword is drawn;

with the other the protective shield is held close.

هُما الفَرقدانِ الهاديانِ لقطبها

فَمن بهما لَم يَستبن نَهجها أخطا

They are the two Farqad stars guiding its pole;

whoever fails through them to discern its path has erred.

وَخُذها كَليلِ الوصلِ ما شابَه جَفا

وَلا قصرٌ يُشكى وَلا رقبةٌ تخطى

Take this poem like a night of union untainted by estrangement,

with no brevity to lament, nor watchful eye to avoid.

تُطوّق عقدَ الفخرِ قطركَ ناصعاً

وَتوقصُ أَعناقاً تطول به وقطا

It circles your land with a bright necklace of pride

and breaks necks that stretch high through it, striking them down.

فَلا عطّلَ الفخرُ المنضّد جيدَها

وَلا أهوتِ الأيّامُ مِن ليتها قرطا

May ordered pride never leave her neck unadorned,

nor days cast an earring from the side of her neck.

وَتَحبوهُ إِكسير البلاغةِ راقياً

إِلى غايةٍ لَم تُعط في عِلمه رسطا

It grants him the elixir of eloquence, ascending

to a height not granted to Aristotle in his learning.

تُشبُّ له نارُ الهدى مِن ضيائها

بِزيتونةِ الدهنِ المُباركة الوسطى

From its radiance the fire of guidance is kindled for him

with the blessed central oil-bearing olive tree.

وَدع عَنكَ ما حاكى القريض مُوازنا

مُحاكاة برهانٍ بِتَمويه سفسطّا

Leave aside whatever imitates poetry in matching measure,

as sophistry's disguises imitate proof.

فإنَّ رياضاً أَصبحت كلمي لها

سَواجعُ تُغني عَن ذبابٍ بها زطّا

For gardens, for which my words have become

cooing birds, have no need of flies buzzing within them.

رَويدَ الّذي قَد رامَ صيدَ زَواهري

لَعلَّ حَناياهُ قد أنفطها معطا

Gently, you who have attempted to catch my bright stars!

Perhaps the drawing has already blistered your curved bows.

يُصاعِدُ أَنفاساً تلظّى تَلهّفاً

زفيراً ويَثنيها تحسّرهُ غطّا

He sends up breaths blazing with longing,

in exhalation, while regret turns them into choking sobs.

يُطامِعه مِنها اِقترابُ شُعاعِها

فَتلكَ حبالٌ لا تُمسّك إِذ تُنطى

The nearness of their rays tempts him to hope;

but those are ropes that cannot be held when offered.

وَأمّا إِذا رامَ اِستِراقاً فإنّها

قَواذِفُ شهبٍ ذاخِراتٌ بهِ قَعطا

And if he attempts to steal them, they are

launchers of meteors, storing sudden death for him.

فَهيهاتَ زهرُ الزهرِ من كفّ قاطفٍ

قُصاراه أَن يجني العرارَ أوِ الخَمطا

Far beyond a plucker's hand are the blooms of the stars;

at best he can gather arar-blossoms or bitter khamt.