هنيت بالنصر موعودا لك الظفر — Mohamed Almawali

هُنِّيتَ بالنصر موعوداً لك الظفَرُ

وما تحاوله يمضى به القَدَرُ

May you be congratulated on victory; triumph is promised to you.

What you strive for, destiny brings to pass.

يَمَّمتَ نحوَ العِدى غرّاً غطارفةٌ

شُمَّ الأنوف شداداً زَانها الغُرَرُ

You led toward the foes radiant, noble warriors,

Proud-nosed and stalwart, adorned with shining brows.

وفيهمُ سادةٌ مِن يعربٍ سطعتْ

وُجوهُهم كَبُدُورِ التِّم تَزْدهِر

Among them are chieftains descended from Ya'rub,

Their faces shining like moons at their fullest.

تخَاُلهم في ظُهور الخيل أُسْد شَرًى

تجرى بهم في الوغَى والحرب تَسْتَعِمُر

On horseback you would think them lions of Shara,

Their horses bearing them into the fray while war rages.

تَرْمِى بأنفسها والأُسْدُ حائرةٌ

في مَأْزَق الحرب والأرماحُ تَشتَجِرُ

They fling themselves forward while the lions stand bewildered

In battle's straits, where the spears intertwine.

بُوركْتَ مِن ملكٍ عَدْل ومِنْ حَكمٍ

لاَ زلْتَ دَهْراً على الأملاكِ تَفْتَخِرُ

Blessed are you as a just king and judge;

May you forever glory above all kings.

أنت الغنىُّ عن الأملاك كُلهمُ

وكل حَيٍّ إليك الدهرَ يفتَقرُ

You have no need of any of the kings,

While every living being needs you for all time.

فمَا يساويك مَن في باعه سعةٌ

أَنْى يُساويك مَن في باعه قِصرُ

Even one whose reach is wide cannot equal you;

How could one whose reach is short equal you?

فُقْتَ البريَّة في عدْل وفي خُلق

وكل خَلْقٍ سِواك اليوم مُحْتَقَرُ

You surpassed creation in justice and character,

And every creature besides you is insignificant today.

مالي أرَى عُصبة تاهوا وعِندهمُ

سِواك كل عظيم ما له قَدَرُ

Why do I see a band grown arrogant, in whose eyes

Every great man other than you has no worth?

ويُورِد الرمح في لَباتهم سلَماً

وليس يصدرُ إلا وهْو مُنكسرُ

He drives the spear intact into their throats,

And it comes out only when broken.

فالحربُ ساطعةٌ والبِيض لامعةٌ

كأنها بالصقال الأنجمُ الزهُرُ

Battle blazes, and the bright swords gleam,

Like radiant stars through their polish.

اللَّهُ أكبرَ إنّ العدلَ مُشتهرٌ

والجور مُنطمِسٌ والحقَّ مُنتصرُ

God is greatest! Justice is manifest,

Oppression is effaced, and truth is victorious.

ونارُ أهل الخَنا والجَورِ خامدةٌ

ونورُ أهل الهدَى والدِّينُ مُزْدَهِرُ

The fire of the depraved and unjust is extinguished,

And the light of the rightly guided and faithful flourishes.

ودولةُ العدل لا زالتْ مظفرةً

ودولةُ الجهل معدومٌ بها الظفرُ

May the realm of justice ever remain victorious,

While the realm of ignorance has no victory,

بطلعةِ اليعربىّ النَّدبِ سيدنا

ذاكَ الإمام الهمام الصَّارم الذكرُ

Through the appearance of the gallant Ya'rubi, our master,

That valiant imam, the keen, hard-tempered blade.

مهذبُ الرأْى محمودُ الخلائق مأْ

مُونُ البَوائِق صاٍف مَابه كَدرُ

Refined in judgment, praised for his character, trust-

worthy, free of treachery, pure, with no taint.

إنْ صَالَ يوماً على الأعداءِ في رَهَجٍ

بِصارم الحدِّ لا يُبقى ولا يَذَرُ

If one day he attacks the enemies amid battle dust,

With a keen-edged blade he neither spares nor leaves.

قد أجْمَعوا أمرهم سرّاً ومكرَهُمُ

غدراً فأعْقَبهم إهلاكُ ما مَكرُوا

They secretly resolved their course and their plotting

In treachery; what they plotted brought them destruction.

ظنوا بأنْ يَربحوا فاجتثَّ دابرُهم

وكيف يربحٌُ مَن قد خانَه الظفرُ

They thought they would gain, but their last remnant was uprooted.

How can one prosper whom victory has betrayed?

تقولُ أجسادُهم لو أنها نطقتْ

عِبارة يا أُولى الأبصار فاعْتبِرُوا

Their bodies, if they could speak, would utter

This saying: 'O people of insight, take heed!'

تعساً لهم وخساراً خابَ سَعيهمُ

لا هُم عملوا خيراً وقد خَسرُوا

Ruin and loss to them! Their endeavor failed.

They did no good, and they have lost.

لو أنّ ثَمّ عُقولا يَفقهون بها

تَفكّرُوا في خطوبِ الدهر وادكرُوا

Had there been minds with which they could understand,

They would have reflected on time's calamities and remembered.

لكنهم جحدوا آياتِ ربهمُ

إنْ لم يَتُوبوا فَمأْوَى كُلِّهم سَقرُ

But they denied their Lord's signs;

If they do not repent, Saqar is the abode of them all.

وَمَنْ طَغى وعَصى الرحمنَ خالقَه

فليس تنفعهُ الآياتُ والنذُرُ

Whoever transgresses and disobeys the Merciful, his Creator,

Signs and warnings will not avail him.

وهؤلاءِ طغوْا في سَعيهم وبغوا

وغرَّ بعضهم بعضاً بما ائتمرُوا

These people transgressed in their endeavors and acted unjustly;

Some deceived others through what they conspired together.

لو أنْصَفوا لأَطاعوا اللَّه وامتثَلوا

أَمْرَ الإمام وقاموا بالذي أُمِرُوا

Had they acted fairly, they would have obeyed God and followed

The imam's command, carrying out what they were ordered.

لكن تواصَوْا بنقض العَهدِ وانتحلُوا

خلافَ ما أمرُوا حقّاً وما ازْدَجَرُوا

But they urged one another to break the covenant and adopted

The opposite of their rightful orders, and would not desist.

هُم البهائمُ حقّاً لا عُقُول لهم

وإِنْ رأيتَ خيالا أنَّهم بَشَرُ

They are truly beasts, with no minds,

Even if their outward appearance makes you think them human.

عَمُوا وصَمُّوا نَسُوا آلاءً سيّدهم

بلعْربٍ نسل سلطانٍ وما ذَكرُوا

They became blind and deaf, forgetting their master's favors:

Bal'arab, Sultan's offspring; they did not remember.

هُمُ عَبيدٌ له خانوه فانهزمُوا

وما يضرهُمُ لو أنهم صبَرُوا

They are his servants; they betrayed him and were defeated.

What harm would they have suffered had they been patient?

خانُوا فأَعقبَهم كُفرا بنعمتِه

عُقوبتين وبالخسران قد ظَفِرُوا

They betrayed him; ingratitude for his favor brought them

Two punishments, and loss was what they won.

إن أَنتَ أبعدتَهم عن دُورنا مردُوا

على النفاق وإن قربتهم غَدرُوا

If you banish them from our homes, they persist

In hypocrisy; if you bring them close, they betray.

غرَّتهمُ مِنك أخلاقٌ مطهرةٌ

وأرفةٌ ونوالٌ مِنك مُنهمِرُ

Your pure character deceived them,

And compassion, and bounty pouring from you.

وما دَرَوْا أنك الملكُ الذي خضعَتْ

له مُلوكُ الورَى والبَدْوُ والحَضرُ

They did not know that you are the king to whom

The kings of humankind, nomads and settled people, submit;

وأنَّك الصارمُ البتَّارُ مُنْصَلِتاً

عَلَى الأعادِى وَفي علياكَ مُقتدِرُ

And that you are the sharp, severing sword, unsheathed

Against the foes, and powerful in your eminence.

ولو دَرَوْا ما بَدَتْ منهم مُخالَفةٌ

ولا أحاطَ بهم سُوءٌ ولا نُكُرُ

Had they known, no defiance would have appeared from them,

Nor would harm or calamity have surrounded them.

قد حاذَرُوا مِن أمور أَنتَ صانعُها

بهم نكالاً فلم ينفعهم الحذَرُ

They feared things you would bring upon them

As punishment, but their caution did not help them.

فرّقتهم فِرقاً فانحلَّ عِقْدُهم

بما أَساءُوا وعن أبنائهم نَفرُوا

You scattered them into bands, and their bond came undone

Through their wrongdoing; they fled from their sons.

فمنهمُ في عذابٍ لا نفادَ له

ومنهمُ في قيود فكُّها عَسِرُ

Some of them suffer torment without end,

And some are in fetters whose release is difficult.

ومنهمُ في مَطاميرٍ مُضيقةٍ

بها الأَراقِمُ والديدانُ والقذَرُ

Some are in cramped underground dungeons,

With serpents, worms, and filth within.

ومنهمُ في رؤوس الشمِّ مُنهزما

ومنهمُ في مفازاتٍ وما قُبرُوا

Some have fled defeated to lofty mountain peaks,

And some are in desert wastes, unburied.

والحمدُ للَّه نحن السالمِونَ ولا

يَسُوءُنَا حالُ قومٍ إن هُمُ كَفرُوا

Praise be to God: we are safe, and

The plight of people who disbelieve does not grieve us.

يا أيُّها الناسُ إْن كنتم أُولو بصرٍ

وليس يْعقلُ إلا مَنْ له بَصرُ

O people, if you possess discernment—

For none understands unless he has discernment—

فَفكِّرُوا واذكرُوا آلاء سَيِّدكم

فهو الإمامُ الكريمُ الباسلُ النمرُ

Reflect, and remember your master's favors.

He is the generous imam, the valiant tiger.

ومَن أتى الذنبَ مِنكم فهْو يغفرُه

وكلُّ ذنبٍ سِوى الإشراكِ مُغتفرُ

Whoever among you commits a sin, he forgives it;

Every sin except associating partners with God is forgivable.

إنّ الإمام لكم حصنٌ وملتجَأٌ

مِن العِدَى فاشْكُروا نعْمَاه وائتمرُوا

The imam is your fortress and refuge

From enemies; thank him for his favors and obey.

إن تشكرُوا تَفْلَحوا دُنيا وآخرة

فإنه من ذَوِى الكفران مُنتَصِرُ

If you give thanks, you will prosper in this world and the hereafter,

For he exacts retribution from the ungrateful.

ولا تقُولوا غَنِينا عن مواهبهِ

فكُلُّ خلقٍ إلى جَدواه مُفْتَقرُ

Do not say, 'We have no need of his gifts';

Every creature needs his bounty.

لا يعرفُ الخلفَ في وَعْد ولا عِدَةٍ

وإنْ أتاهُ فقيرٌ ليس يَعْتَذِرُ

He knows no breach of promise or pledge,

And when a poor person comes to him, he offers no excuses.

يَقْظان إن يمَّم العافون ساحتَه

أَغْناهُمُ بنوالٍ منه ينْهَمِزُ

Wakeful when petitioners make for his courtyard,

He enriches them with bounty pouring from him.

إنْ عدَّ في الجودِ يوماً لا يُشَاكِلُه

في جُوده الأجْودان البحرُ والمطرُ

If he is counted in generosity one day, he cannot be matched

In his giving by the two most generous—the sea and rain.

وإن بدَا طالعاً لآلاء غُرَّته

تكوَّرُ النيِّران الشمس والقمرُ

If the radiance of his brow appears, rising,

The two luminaries, sun and moon, are rolled up.

ولو وزنَّا جميع الخلق قاطبةَ

بظفر خِنصرِه أَزْرَى بهم ظُفرُ

If we weighed all creation together

Against his little-finger nail, the nail would put them to shame.

يا أيُّها الملكُ المرجوُّ إنَّ لنا

لحاجةً نحن نرجُوهَا وننتظرُ

O king in whom we place our hope, we have

A need that we hope for and await.

فما بسطتُ يدى أرجُو مساعدةً

إلا وكفُّك لى بالجود ينحدِرُ

Never have I extended my hand hoping for help

But your palm has poured generosity down to me.

وكيف أجحدُ نُعمَى وَهْي سابغةٌ

علىَّ في صِغرى حتى أتى الكِبرُ

How could I deny bounty that has covered me

From my childhood until old age came?

لو أنّ تجلى وعمى وابنَه وأبي

عَادَوْكَ عاديتُهم ديناً وإن هَجَرُوا

If my son [probable reading], my uncle, his son, and my father

Opposed you, I would oppose them as a religious duty, even if they broke ties.

واللَّهِ لو أضمرتْ نفسى مخالفةً

لكم تبرأتُ منها كالذي غَبرُوا

By God, if my soul concealed disloyalty

To you, I would disown it, like those who have gone before.

لك الممالكُ والعلياءُ كاملة

وللأعادِى ترابُ الأرض والحجرُ

Yours are the kingdoms and eminence in full;

For the foes are the earth's dust and stones.

وعِشْ ودمْ وابق مسروراً ومُبْتَهِجاً

في قصر يَبْرِينَ يجْرِى تحته نهَرُ

Live, endure, and remain happy and rejoicing

In Yabrin's palace, beneath which a river flows.

قصرٌ مَشيدٌ يسرُّ الناظرين إذا

نظرتَه زال عنك الهمُّ والكدرُ

A lofty palace that delights beholders; when

You see it, worry and distress depart from you.

فيه السرورُ وفيه كل فاكهةٍ

يحوطُه النخل والرمانُ والشجرُ

Within it are joy and every fruit;

Palms, pomegranates, and trees surround it.

وفيه مالا رأتْ عينٌ ولا خَطرتْ

به الخواطرُ والأوهامُ والفِكَرُ

Within it is what no eye has seen, nor have

Thoughts, imaginings, or ideas conceived.

كأنه جنةُ الفردوس منزلة

فيها الفواكهُ والخيراتُ والسررُ

It is as though the Garden of Paradise had been brought down,

With fruits, blessings, and couches within.

وحوله روضةٌ غناءٌ وارفةٌ

فيها الأطايبُ والأشجارُ والثمرُ

Around it is a lush, shady garden,

Filled with delightful things, trees, and fruit.

من حُسنها وسناً أنوار بهجتهَا

إذا نظرتَ إليها يَقصُر النظرُ

Such are its beauty and the brilliance of its splendid lights

That when you look at it, sight falls short.

هنَّيتَه ببقاءِ لا نَفاد له

مخلداً فيه ممدوداً لك العمرُ

May you enjoy it in a stay that never ends,

Abiding there forever, with your lifespan extended.

والباغِضُ الحاسدُ المحزونُ في وَلَهٍ

مُكَبَّلٌ حَظّهُ الأحزانُ والسهرُ

The hateful, envious, sorrowful one is distraught,

Fettered, with sorrows and sleeplessness his lot.

وَأنت في درجِ العلياءِ مرتقياً

ما مرَّ ذو الحجة الزهراءِ أو صَفرُ

And you keep ascending the steps of eminence,

As long as radiant Dhu al-Hijjah or Safar comes round.

وَأنت خِدْن المعالى يا خليفة من

تضمنتْ مَدحَه الآيات والسورُ

You are the companion of lofty honors, O successor to him

Whose praise the verses and surahs contain.

هو النبىُّ الرضىُّ المبعوثُ مِن مُضر

ناهيك من جدُّه عدنانُ أو مضرُ

He is the favored Prophet, sent from Mudar;

Sufficient for you is one whose forefather is Adnan or Mudar.

نشرتُ مدحك في الآفاق ما طلعت

شمس وما لاح في جنح الدجى قمرُ

I spread your praise across the horizons as long as rises

A sun, and as long as a moon gleams in the folds of night.

أنت الخلائقُ والدنيا وبهجتها

لولاكَ ما كانت الدنيا ولا البشَرُ

You are all creatures, the world, and its splendor;

Without you, neither the world nor humankind would exist.