في باطِنِ الغَيبِ ما رلا تُدرِكُ الفِكَرُ
فَذو البَصيرَةِ في الأَحداثِ يَعتَبِرُ
In the unseen inner realm, thought cannot attain,
So the insightful one considers events.
مالي أَرى مَلِكَ الإِفرِنجَ في قَفَصٍ
أَيَنَ القَواضِبُ وَالعَسّالَةُ السُمُرُ
Why do I see the king of the Franks in a cage?
Where are the galleys and the brave, brown knights?
وَالاِسبِتارُ إِلى الدَوِيَّةِ التَأَموا
كَأَنَّهُم سَدُّ يَأجوجٍ إِذا اِستَجَروا
And the cavalry to the sand dune, when they assemble
As if they were the barrier of Gog and Magog unleashed.
وَالنَفسُ مولَعَةٌ عَجباً بِسيرَتِها
وَفي المَقاديرِ ما تُسلى بِهِ السِيَرُ
And the soul is strangely infatuated with its conduct,
Yet in destiny lies that which will console the march.
يا وَقعَةَ التَلِّ ما أَبقَيتِ مِن عَجَبٍ
جَحافِلٌ لَم يَفُت مِن جَمعِها بَشَرُ
O day of defeat, what wonders you have left behind,
Armies from which no human escaped.
وَيا ضُحى السَبتِ ما لِلقَومِ قَد سَبَتوا
تَهَوَّدوا أَم بِكَأسِ الطَعنِ قَد سَكِروا
O morn of Saturday, why did they become enraptured?
Did they convert to Judaism or were they drunk on the wine of stabbing?
وَيا ضَريحَ شُعَيبٍ ما لَهُم جَثَموا
كَمِديَنَ أَم لَقوا رَجفاً بِما كَفَروا
O tomb of Shu'ayb, why did they squat?
Like Midian, or did they experience a quake for their disbelief?
حَطّوا بِحِطينَ مِلِكاً كافِياً عَجَباً
في ساعَةٍ زالَ ذاك المَلِكُ وَالقَدَرُ
They crowned the King thinking him invincible,
Yet in an hour that king and his destiny vanished.
أَهوى إِلَيهِم صَلاحُ الدينِ مُفتَرِساً
وَهوَ الغَضَنفَرُ عَدّى ظَفرَهُ الظَفَرُ
Saladin swooped down on them like a predator,
The undefeated one, whose victory was made victory.
أَملى عَلَيهِم فَصاروا وَسطَ كَفَّتِهِ
كَسِربِ طِيرٍ حَواها القانِصُ الذَكَرُ
He dictated to them so they ended up in his palm,
Like a flock of birds gathered up by a hunting falcon.
وَأَنجَزَ اللَهُ لِلسُلطانِ مَوعِدَهُ
وَنَذرَهُ في كَفورٍ دينَهُ البَطَرُ
And God fulfilled His promise to the Sultan,
Who devoted his religion to God through his vow.
وَعايَنَ المَلِكُ الإِبرِنسُ في دَمِهِ
فَماتَ حَيّاً وَحَيّاً وَهوَ يَعتَذِرُ
And the King witnessed his own blood,
So he died alive, alive while apologizing.
رَأى مَليكاً مُلوكُ الأَرضِ تَتبَعُهُ
وَالنَجمُ يَخدِمُهُ وَالشَمسُ وَالقَمَرُ
He saw a king whom the kings of earth follow,
With the stars and sun and moon in his service.
إِذا بَدا تَبهَرُ الأَعيانُ هَيبَتَهُ
وَيَختَفي وَهوَ في الأَذهانِ مُشتَهَرُ
When he appears, the nobles are dazzled by his awe,
Yet he remains obscure while renowned in minds.
تَقَدَّمَ الجيلَ في أُخرى الزَمانِ بِهِ
عَلى صُدورِ عُلا مَن قَبلَنا صَدَروا
The generation has advanced in the latter days through him
Above the glorious elite of those before us.
أَما رَأَيتُم فُتوحَ القادِسِيَّةِ في
أَكنافِ لوبِيَّةٍ تُجلى وَذا عُمَرُ
Have you not seen the conquests of al-Quds at
The fringes of Lubya, gloriously, in the days of 'Umar?
وَالحَقُّ يَعرُسُ وَالطُغيانُ مُنتَحِبُ
وَالكَفرُ يَطمِسُ وَالإيمانُ مُزدَهِرُ
The truth holds a wedding feast while tyranny grieves,
Disbelief is erased and faith blossoms.
هَذا المَليكُ الَّذي بُشرى النَبِيِّ بِهِ
في فِتنَةِ البَغيِ لِلإِسلامِ يَنتَصِرُ
This is the king about whom the Prophet gave good tidings
That he would gain victory for Islam in the strife of wrongdoing.
أَنسى مَلاحِمَ ذي القَرنَينِ وَاِعتَرَفَت
لَهُ الرُواةُ بِما لَم يُنمِهِ أَثَرُ
Forget the exploits of Dhu al-Qarnayn? Though renowned,
The storytellers conceded he had no trace.
أُعينُ إِسكَندَرَ بِالخَضرِ وَهَولِهِ
عَونٌ مِنَ اللَهِ يَستَغني بِهِ الخَضَرُ
The aid of al-Khidr assisted Alexander despite his might—
Al-Khidr is helped by none but God.
وَصُنعُ ذي العَرشِ إِبداعٌ بِلا سَبَبٍ
فَلا تَقُل كَيفَ هَذا الحادِثُ الخَطِرُ
The work of the Lord of the Throne is pure creation without cause.
So do not say "How did this grave event occur?"
بَينا سَباياهُ تُجلى في دِمَشقَ إِذا
مَلَكَ الفِرِنجَ مَعَ الأَتراكَ مُحتَجِرُ
While his female captives were being paraded in Damascus,
The king of the Franks ruled alongside the Turks in bondage.
إِزاءَهُ زُعماءُ الساحِلَينِ مَعاً
مَصفَدَينِ بِحَبلِ القَهرِ قَد أُسِروا
Facing him, the chieftains of both coasts together,
Bound in shackles of subjugation, now captive.
يَتلوهُم صَلبوتٌ سيقَ مُنتَكِساً
وَحَولَهُ كُلُّ قَسيسٍ لَهُ زُبُرُ
Behind them, the Patriarch being led in humiliation,
Surrounded by every priest carrying his Gospel.
وَنَحنُ في ذا وَذا طَيرٌ صَحيفَتُهُ
بِفَتحِ عَكا الَّتي سَدَّت بِها الثَغرُ
While we were a bird whose good tidings were
The conquest of Acre which blocked the mountain pass.
تَغزو أَساطيلُنا مِنها صَقيلَةً
فَتَذعَرَ الرومُ وَالصِقلابَ وَالخَزَرُ
Our fleets set out to raid Sicily,
So the Byzantines, Sicilians and Khazars fled in panic.
مَن ذا يَقولُ لَعَلَّ القُدسُ مُنفَتِحٌ
إِلَيكَ بَلِ سَفرُ يَعقوبَ لَهُ السَفَرُ
Who would say Jerusalem is likely to be conquered by you?
Nay, the journey of Jacob is the one to undertake.
أَبو المُظَفَّرِ يَنويها فَخُذ سُفُناً
مِن بابِ عَكّا إِلى طَرطوسَ تَنتَشِرُ
Abu al-Muzaffar intends it, so take our ships
From Acre's gate to spread out to Tarsus.
يَسبي فِرِنجَةَ مِن أَقطارِها وَلَهُ
مِعَ المَجوسِ حُروبٌ قَدَحُها سُعُرُ
He captures Franks from their far-flung lands.
He has wars with the Magians which his blaze ignited.
وَبَعضُ أَبنائِهِ بِالقُدسِ مُنتَدِبٌ
وَبَعضُها رومَةُ الكُبرى لَهُ وَطَرُ
Some of his sons lament in Jerusalem
While others Rome the Great is his target.
بِرايَةٍ تَخرَقُ الأَرضَ الكَبيرَةَ في
جَمعٍ تَقولُ لَهُ الأَجسامُ لا وَزَرُ
With a banner that rends the vast earth
In a mass that tells bodies, "No burden!"
قالوا أَطَلتَ مَديحاً قُلتُ كَما
بَدا فَالصُبُّ لِلمَحبوبِ مُدَّكِرُ
They said, "You have prolonged the praise." I said, "As
It appeared, for pouring for the beloved is habitual."
