اليوم حتى عرفت الدر والعقدا — Mufti Fathallah

اليّومَ حَتّى عَرفتُ الدرّ والعقدا

وَالشّنف وَالقرط ثمَّ الجَوهَرُ الفردا

Only today have I come to know the pearl and the necklace,

and ear pendants and earrings, then the peerless gem.

عَرفتها الآنَ حَقّاً عَن مُشاهَدَةٍ

وَكُنت لَم أَدرِها رَسماً ولا حدّا

Now I truly know them through direct sight,

though I had known them neither by description nor by definition.

عَرفتُها مِن قَصيدٍ كلّه دُررٌ

ما إِن عَلِمنا لَها مِثلاً ولا ندّا

I knew them from a poem made wholly of pearls,

whose equal or rival we have never known.

تَغلو فَصاحَتُهُ تَعلو بَلاغَتهُ

تَحلو سَلاسَتُهُ قَد فاقَتِ الشّهدا

Its eloquence is precious, its rhetoric lofty;

its fluency is sweet, surpassing honey.

عَذب المَعاني رَشيق اللّفظِ مُنسَجِمٌ

حُلو التّلاوَةِ رَأيي جعله وِردا

Sweet in meaning, graceful in wording, harmonious,

sweet to recite; to my mind, it should be a daily litany.

في حُسنِ صَوغٍ بَديع السّبكِ مُنتَظم

نَظمَ الجَواهِرِ في سلكِ البَها عقدا

Beautifully fashioned, wondrously cast, strung together

like jewels into a necklace on the thread of splendor.

مِن كوبِ أَلفاظِهِ الأَذهانُ ما شَرِبَت

سُلاف مَعناه إِلّا اِستَحلَتِ الوِردا

Minds have never drunk from the cup of its words

the choice wine of its meaning without relishing the draught.

فَساقَها الذّهن لِلأَرواحِ تَرشفها

فَأَسكَرَ الرّوحَ بِالأَفراحِ والكبدا

So the mind served it to the souls for them to sip,

and with joys it intoxicated the soul and the liver.

مِنهُ البلاغَةُ قَد سالَت وَمِنهُ بِها

سِحرُ البيانِ لِسَلبِ العَقلِ قَد أَدّى

From it eloquence has flowed; from it, through that eloquence,

the magic of expression has brought about the mind's capture.

أَبدَت مَحاسِنه فيهِ غَرائِبها

إِنّ الغَرائِبَ مِن أَسنى الّذي يُبدى

Its beauties have displayed within it their marvels;

marvels are among the most splendid things revealed.

أَهدَت بِدائعهُ مِنه لَطائفهُ

وَما اللّطائِفُ إِلّا خَير ما يُهدى

Its wonders have offered gifts of its own delicate charms,

and delicate charms are the finest gifts to give.

أَهداهُ لي وَهوَ دُرٌّ بَحرُ مَكرمَةٍ

وَالبحرُ لا بدعَ أَن لو درَّهُ أَهدى

A sea of generosity gave it to me, a pearl;

nor is it strange for a sea to offer its pearl.

بَحر الفَضايلِ مَنْ ماجَتْ فَواضِلهُ

وَديمة الجودِ تَهمي البَذلَ والرِّفدا

A sea of virtues, whose favors surge in waves,

and a steady rain of generosity, pouring forth gifts and aid;

وَدَوحَة الخَيرِ بِالخَيراتِ مُثمِرةً

تُؤتي مِنَ الخَيرِ ما قَد تَيّهَ العَدّا

a great tree of goodness, fruitful with good deeds,

yielding goodness that defeats all reckoning.

الفاضِلُ البارِعُ المَملوءُ مِن أَدَبٍ

فَلا أَديب عَلى مِنوالِهِ أَسدى

The virtuous, accomplished man, filled with literary learning;

no man of letters has woven upon his loom.

الكامِل الصالِح المَحشُوّ مِن ورعٍ

خِدن العِبادَةِ مَنْ فيها لَقَد جدَّا

The consummate, righteous man, filled with piety;

devotion's companion, who has earnestly pursued it.

العابِد المُتّقي مَولاهُ أَلبَسَهُ

ثَوبَ السّيادَةِ إِذ أَضحى لَهُ عَبدا

The worshipful, God-fearing man—his Lord has clothed him

in the robe of eminence, since he became His servant.

هُوَ الإِمامُ الَّذي زانَت إِمامَتهُ

كلَّ المَحاريبِ إِذ فيها تَلا الحَمدا

He is the imam whose leadership in prayer has adorned

all prayer niches, where he recited the Praise.

الماجِدُ الشَّهمُ مَن تَكسو مَكارمهُ

مِنهُ الشّمائِل مِن طيبِ الثّنا بُردا

The noble, gallant man, whose generous deeds clothe

his character in a mantle of fragrant praise.

بَدر الكَمالِ كَمال البَدرِ في شَرَفٍ

وَفي ثُريّا العُلى قَد قارَنَ السّعدا

Perfection's full moon, the full moon's perfection in honor,

who in high rank's Pleiades has joined good fortune.

نَجل العُلى مُصطفى العَلياءِ قَد رَفعَت

لَه المَعالي عَلى هاماتِها مَهدا

Scion of eminence, Mustafa of the heights—lofty honors have raised

a cradle for him upon their crowns.

فَأَلبَسَ العِزَّ وَالعلياءَ سُؤدده

وشاد في الشرف الأعلى له مجدا

Thus he robed honor and exaltation in his nobility,

and built himself glory in the loftiest rank.

اللوذعي الذكيّ الفذّ في زمني

فَقَلَّ مثلاً وَأَضحى الأَوحد الفَردا

Quick-witted, intelligent, peerless in my age,

with scarcely an equal, he has become the one and only.

ربّ القَوافي الّتي ذَلّت لَه أَدَباً

صِعابُها وَلَهُ قَد عادَ وَما نَدّا

Master of rhymes, before whom, in deference, bow

their unruly strains, returning to him without straying.

رَبّ البَلاغَةِ لَو فيما مَضى وجِدَت

مَا كانَ في أَهلِها سَحبانها عُدّا

Master of eloquence—had such eloquence been found in days gone by,

Sahban would not have been counted among its practitioners.

رَبّ اللّطافَةِ في زاكي لَطافَتِهِ

فاقَ النّسيمَ وَأَزرى الزَّهرَ والوَردا

Master of grace, who in his pure grace

surpassed the breeze and put blossoms and roses to shame.

الأَزهَر الوَجهِ بادي البِشرِ مُبتَسِماً

فَطابَ صيتاً يَفوقُ المِسكَ وَالنَّدَّا

Radiant of face, openly cheerful, smiling,

his reputation is fragrant beyond musk and aromatic incense.

ما إِن سَمِعت اِمرَأً في الدَّهرِ يَذكرهُ

إِلّا وَمِنهُ سَمعت الشُّكرَ وَالحَمدا

Never in all my days have I heard a man mention him

without hearing from him gratitude and praise.

يا أَيُّها الفَخمُ مَن جَلَّت مَفاخِرُهُ

وَمِنهُ قَد نالَتِ العَلياء وَالمَجدا

O magnificent one, whose proud deeds are great,

and from whom they have gained exaltation and glory!

إِلَيك بِنت قَريضٍ زانَها خَفر

وَعَمَّ بِالحُسنِ مِنها الوَجهُ وَالخدّا

To you comes a daughter of verse, adorned with modesty,

her face and cheek suffused with beauty.

غَيداء رُعبوبة رود مُخدّرة

عَذراء بِكر رَداح كاعِب نَهدا

Gracefully swaying, fair and tender, supple and secluded,

a virgin, untouched, full-hipped, her breasts budding and full.

أَرضَعتَها مِن حَليبِ الحُسنِ أَطيبَهُ

وَمِن بَديعِ البها قَلَّدتها عقدا

You suckled her with the finest of beauty's milk,

and adorned her with a necklace of wondrous splendor.

جاءَتكَ فَوقَ القَوافي وَهيَ راكِبة

إِلَيكَ بِالسّيرِ فيها تَبذلُ الجَهدا

She came to you riding upon the rhymes,

sparing no effort in her journey on them toward you.

أَتَت لِتَقبيلِ أَيديكَ الَّتي فَضلت

سَحّ السّحاب وَمنهُ قَد غَدت أَندى

She came to kiss your hands, which have surpassed

the clouds' downpour and proved more bountiful than it.

أَقبِلْ عَليها وَأَنعمْ بِالقَبولِ لَها

وَاِجعَل لَها مِن رِضاك المُرتجى وُدّا

Turn toward her, and graciously accept her,

and give her the affection of your longed-for approval.

وَدُم مِنَ اللَّه مَحفوظاً وَمُبتَهِجاً

تَعيشُ عَيشاً هَنيئاً ناعِماً رَغدا

And may you remain protected by God and joyful,

living a life of happiness, comfort, and plenty,

مَدى الزّمانِ طَويل العمرِ ذا شرفٍ

وَسُؤدد لا يَزال الدّهرَ ممتدّا

throughout time, long-lived, possessed of honor

and nobility that endures through all the ages.

تُكسى بِعافِيَةٍ لَيسَت بِزائِلَةٍ

تُحبَى الوَقارَ وَفيهِ ترهبُ الأُسْدا

May you be clothed in unfading health,

endowed with dignity that makes the lions fear you,

ما غَرَّدَ الوُرق في رَوضٍ عَلى فَنن

وَأَبدَع السّجعَ حتّى جاوَزَ الحدّا

as long as gray doves sing on a garden bough,

and coo so wondrously as to surpass all bounds;

ما لاحَ بَرقٌ وَما هَبَّ النّسيم وَمِن

عَرائِس الرّوضِ قَد هزَّت بِه قَدّا

as long as lightning flashes, the breeze blows, and one

of the garden's brides sways her figure in it;

ما الفَتحُ قالَ عَرفت الدّرّ والعقدا

وَالشنفَ وَالقرطَ ثمَّ الجَوهرَ الفَردا

as long as al-Fath says, 'I have known the pearl and the necklace,

and ear pendants and earrings, then the peerless gem.'