قالوا وَلَم يلعبِ الزَمان بِبَغ
داد وَتعثُر بِها عَواثرُها
They spoke when Time had not yet toyed with Baghdad,
And her stumbling blocks had not yet brought her down.
إِذ هيَ مثل العَروس باطِنُها
مشوّق لِلفَتى وَظاهرها
When she was like a bride: her inner self
Arousing longing in the youth, and her outer form...
جَنّةُ خلد وَدار مَغبَطةٍ
قلّ مِن النائِبات واترها
An eternal paradise and an abode of envy,
Her calamities were few, and few who sought vengeance against her.
دَرّتُ خلوفُ الدنيا لِساكِنها
وَقَلَّ معسورها وَعاسرها
The world yielded its milk in abundance to her dwellers,
And her hardships and oppressors were scarce.
واِنفرجت بالنَعيم واِنتَجعت
فيها بِلَذَّاتها حواضرها
She unfolded with bliss, and people journeyed
To seek her pleasures within her settlements.
فالقَومُ منها في روضة أُنفٍ
أَشرق غِبَّ القِطار زاهرُها
Her people lived in an untouched garden,
Whose blossoms shone bright after the rain.
من غَرَّهُ العَيش في بُلَهنيةٍ
لَو أَنَّ دنيا يَدوم عامرها
Whoever was beguiled by life in luxury [realized],
If only the prosperity of this world could endure.
دارُ مُلوك رست قواعدها
فيها وَقَرَّت بِها مَنابرها
An abode of kings whose foundations were set firm,
Within her, and her pulpits stood secure.
أَهل العُلا وَالنَدى وَأَندِيَة ال
فخر إِذا عددت مَفاخِرها
People of eminence, generosity, and assemblies of
Pride, whenever her glories were recounted.
أَفراخُ نعمى في ارث مملكة
شدّ عراها لَها أَكابرها
Nurtured in grace, inheriting a kingdom
Whose bonds were strengthened by her mighty ones.
فَلَم يَزَل وَالزَمان ذو غَيرٍ
يَقدح في ملكها أَصاغرها
Yet—for Time is ever full of changes—
Her lesser ones ceased not to undermine her realm.
حَتّى تَساقَت كأساً مثمِّلَةً
مِن فتنة لا يُقالُ عاثِرها
Until they passed around a cup of intoxication,
Filled with sedition from which no fallen one rises.
واِفتَرَقَت بعد أُلفة شيِعاً
مَقطوعَةً بَينَها أَواصرها
And after unity, she shattered into factions,
With all the bonds between them severed.
ياهل رأيت الأَملاكَ ما صنعت
إِذ لَم يَرعُها بالنصح زاجرها
O beholder, did you see what the monarchs did,
When no advisor guarded them with counsel?
أَورد أملاكُنا نفوسَهُم
هُوَّةَ غيّ أَعيَت مَصادِرُها
Our kings drove their own souls down
Into a pit of error from which there was no escape.
ما ضَرَّها لَو وفت بموثقها
واِستَحكَمَت في التُقى بَصائِرُها
What harm would it have done had they kept their covenant,
And if their insights were grounded in piety?
وَلَم تسافك دِماء شيعَتِها
وَتبتَعِث فتية تكابرها
And had they not shed the blood of their own followers,
Nor dispatched young men to wage war against them.
وَأَقنعَتها الدُنيا التي جمعت
لَها وَرُعبُ النُفوس ضائِرها
And had they been content with the wealth the world
Amassed for them—but terror of the soul is its bane.
ما زال حوض الأَملاك يحفِره
مسجورها بالهَوى وَساجِرها
The reservoir of kings was continually undermined,
Dug out by those who stoked it with passion.
تَبغي فُضول الدُنيا مكاثرةً
حَتّى أُبيحَت كَرهاً ذَخائرها
Seeking the world's excess in greedy rivalry,
Until their treasures were looted against their will.
تَبيع ما جمع الأبوّة لل
أَبناء لا أُربحت متاجرها
Selling what the fathers had gathered for the
Sons; truly, her trades brought no profit.
يا هَل رأَيت الجِنانَ زاهِرَةً
يَروق عَين البَصير زاهرها
Oh, did you see the gardens when they were blooming,
Their radiance delighting the eye of the beholder?
وَهَل رَأَيت القُصور شارِعَةً
تَكُنّ مثل الدُمى مقاصرها
And did you see the palaces towering high,
Their chambers adorned like exquisite statues?
وَهَل رأَيت القُرى الَّتي غرس ال
أَملاكُ مخضرّةً دساكرها
And did you see the villages the kings established,
With their estates lush and verdant?
مَحفوفَةً بالكروم وَالنخل وَالرَي
حان ما يَستَقِلّ طائِرها
Encircled by vineyards, palm trees, and basil,
Where the birds found ample rest?
فانها أَصبحَت خَلايا من ال
إِنسان قَد أُدميت مَحاجرها
For now they have become void of
Human life, and their eyes weep blood.
قَفراً خَلاءً تَعوى الكِلاب بِها
ينكر منها الرسوم زائِرها
A desolate wasteland where dogs howl,
Where the visitor no longer recognizes the ruins.
وَأَصبَحَ البؤس ما يُفارِقُها
إِلفا لَها وَالسُرور هاجرها
Misery has become her inseparable companion,
Her intimate friend, while joy has forsaken her.
بزندوردَ وَالياسِريَّةِ وَالشط
طَينِ حَيث اِنتهَت مَعابرها
At Zandaward, Al-Yasiriyya, and the Two Banks,
Where her river crossings once ended.
وَبِالرَحى وَالخَيزَرانيَّة ال
عَليا إِلي أَشرفت قَناطِرها
And at Al-Raha and Upper Khayzaraniyya,
Overlooked by her majestic bridges.
وَقَصر عَبدُوَيه عِبرَةٌ وَهُدىً
لِكُلِّ نفس زكت سَرائرُها
The Palace of Abduwayh stands as a lesson and guide
For every soul of pure intent.
فَأَينَ حُرّاسُها وَحارِسها
وَأَينَ مجبورها وَجابِرُها
Where now are her guards and her sentinels?
Where are the broken, and where are the menders?
وَأَين خِصيانها وَحشوَتِها
وَأَينَ سكّانها وَعامرها
Where are her eunuchs and her retinues?
Where are her inhabitants and those who built her?
أَينَ الجَراديَةُ الصقالب وال
أَحبش تَعدو هدلاً مشافرها
Where are the Jaradiyya troops, the Slavs and
Abyssinians, charging with determined faces?
يَنصدع الجند عَن مواكبها
تَعدو بِها سرّبا ضَوامرها
The armies used to part for their processions,
As their lean warhorses galloped in droves.
بالسند وَالهِند وَالصَقالِب وال
نوبة شَيبت بِها برابرها
With men of Sindh, India, Slavs, and
Nubia; her Berbers grew old in her service.
طَيراً أَبابيلَ أُرسلت عبثاً
يقدَم سودانها أَحامرها
Like flocks of birds sent forth in vain,
With their red-skinned leading their blacks.
أَينَ الظِباءُ الأَبكارُ في رَوضَة ال
ملك تَهادى بِها غَرائرها
Where are the virgin gazelles in the garden of
The kingdom, walking with graceful innocence?
أَينَ غضاراتها وَلذّتها
وَأَينَ محبورها وَحابرها
Where is her freshness and her delight?
Where are the joyful, and where are the providers of joy?
بالمسك وَالعَنبَر اليَمانيّ وال
يلنجوج مشبوبة مجامرها
With musk, Yemeni ambergris, and
Aloe wood, her incense burners were ever kindled.
يرفلن في الخَزّ وَالمَجاسِد وال
موشيّ محطومة مزامرها
They used to trail in silk and saffron robes,
But now their flutes are shattered.
فَأَينَ رقاصُها وَزامرها
يجبن حيث اِنتَهَت حَناجرها
Where is her dancer, where is her piper?
They wander where the singing throats have silenced.
تَكادُ أَسماعهم تُسَكُّ إِذا
عارض عيدانَها مَزاهِرُها
Their ears were once nearly deafened when
The sounds of lutes clashed with mandolins.
أَمسَت كَجَوفِ الحِمار خاليَةً
يُسَعِّرها بالجَحيم ساعرها
Now she has become as hollow as a carcass,
Ignited with hellfire by those who burn her.
كَأَنَّما أَصبَحَت بساحتهم
عادٌ ومسَّتهُم صراصرها
It is as if the tribe of ‘Aad descended upon their courtyards,
And its destructive winds touched them.
لا تَعلَم النَفس ما يُبايتها
مِن حادث الدهر أَو يُباكرها
The soul knows not what will befall it by night,
From the accidents of time, nor what meets it at dawn.
تُضحي وَتُمسي دَريّةً غَرَضاً
حيث اِستَقَرَّت بِها شراشرها
Day and night, she remains a target
Where the sparks of calamity have settled.
لأسهُمِ الدهر وَهوَ يَرشُقها
محنطها مَرّة وَباقرها
A target for the arrows of Time as he strikes her,
Sometimes embalming her, sometimes ripping her open.
يا بؤسَ بَغداد دار مَملَكة
دارَت عَلى أَهلِها دَوائرها
O misery of Baghdad, abode of kingship!
The circles of fortune have turned against her people.
أَمهَلَها اللَهُ ثُمَّ عاقَبَها
لَمّا أَحاطَت بِها كَبائرها
God granted her respite, then punished her
When her grave sins encompassed her.
بالخسف وَالقَذف وَالحَريق وَبال
حرب الَّتي أَصبحت تساورها
With collapse, bombardment, and fire,
And a war that rose to assail her.
كَم قَد رَأَينا مِن المَعاصي بِبَغدا
دَ فَهَل ذو الجَلال غافِرُها
How many sins have we witnessed in Baghdad!
Will the Lord of Majesty forgive her?
حَلَّت بِبَغدادَ وَهيَ آمِنَةٌ
داهيَةٌ لَم تَكُن تُحاذرها
A calamity descended upon Baghdad while she was safe,
A disaster she never feared nor foresaw.
طالعها السوء من مطالعه
وَأَدرَكَت أَهلَها جرائرها
Evil rose upon her from every horizon,
And the consequences of crimes overtook her people.
رقّ بِها الدين واسُخِف بِذي ال
فضل وعزَّ النسّاكَ فاجرها
Religion grew weak within her; the virtuous were mocked,
While her wicked overpowered the pious.
وَخطّم العَبدُ أَنفَ سَيِّده
بالرَغم وَاستُعبدت حَرائرها
The slave smashed the nose of his master
In defiance, and her freeborn women were enslaved.
وَصار ربَّ الجيران فاسقُهم
وابتَزَّ أَمرَ الدروب ذاعرها
The corrupt became the lords of the neighborhood,
And thugs seized control of the streets.
مَن يَرَ بَغداد وَالجُنودُ بِها
قَد ربّقت حَولها عساكرها
Whoever sees Baghdad now, with soldiers within,
While armies tighten the noose around her...
كُلَّ طحون شَهباءَ باسِلَةٍ
تُسقط أَحبالها زماجرها
Every battalion a brave, iron-clad grinder,
Whose roars cause pregnant women to miscarry.
تلقي بغيّ الرَدى أَوانسها
يُرهقها للّقاء طاهرها
Her gentle women are cast into the injustice of death,
And her chaste ones are forced into the fray.
وَالشَيخ يَعدو حزماً كَتائبه
يقدم أَعجازها يعاورها
The Sheikh commands his battalions with resolve,
Leading from the rear, directing the exchange of blows.
وَلزهير بالفرك مأسدة
مرقومة صُلبَةٌ مكاسرها
At Al-Fark, Zuhayr holds a lion's den,
Marked for battle, where bones are surely broken.
كَتائب المَوت تَحتَ أَولية
أَبرَح منصورها وَناصرها
Battalions of death march under banners,
Abandoned by those who should aid and defend.
يَعلَم أَنَّ الأَقدار واقِعَة
وقعاً على ما أَحَبَّ قادرها
Knowing that destinies will surely fall,
Landing exactly as the Ordainer has willed.
فَتِلكَ بَغداد ما تبنّى مِن الذّ
له في دورها عصافرها
Such is Baghdad: what humiliation has been built
Within her homes, even for her sparrows!
مَحفوفَة بِالرَدى منطّقة
بالصغر مَحصورة جَبابرها
Surrounded by death, girdled with disgrace,
While her mighty ones are trapped under siege.
ما بَينَ شط الفُرات منه إِلى
دجلة حيث انتهت معابرها
Between the banks of the Euphrates
And the Tigris, where her crossings end.
نار كَهادي الشَقراء نافرة
تَركُض مِن حَولِها أَشاقرها
A fire flares like the mane of a startled chestnut mare,
While the fair-skinned flee from around it.
يُحرِقها ذا وَذاكَ يَهدِمها
وَيشتَفي بالنِهاب شاطرها
One burns her, another tears her down,
While the rogue satisfies his greed with loot.
وَالكوخُ أَسواقُها معطَّلة
يستنَّ عيّارُها وَعائرها
The Kukh district's markets stand idle,
While vagabonds and wild asses roam free.
أَخرجت الحَرب من سَواقطها
آسادَ غيل غُلباً تُساورها
War has drawn forth from her lowest dregs
Lions of the thicket, thick-necked, to attack her.
من البَواري تراسها ومن ال
خوص إِذا استلأمت مغافرها
Their shields are made of reed mats,
And woven palm leaves serve as their helmets.
تَغدو إِلى الحَرب في جَواشنها ال
صوف إِذا ما عَدَّت أَساورها
They march to war clad in armor of wool,
As if parading their finery.
كَتائِب الهرش تَحتَ رايَتَهِ
ساعد طرّارها مَقامرها
Battalions of chaos gather under his banner,
Where the pickpocket aids the gambler.
لا الرزق تَبغي وَلا العَطاء وَلا
يحشِرُها للّقاء حاشرها
Seeking neither lawful wage nor royal gift,
No commander rallies them for organized battle.
في كُلِّ دَرب وَكُلِّ ناحيَة
خطّارَةٌ يستهلّ خاطرها
In every alley and every quarter,
A swaggering thug shouts his challenge.
بمثل هام الرِجال من فلق الص
خر يزود المقلاع بائرها
Hurlers supply their slings with rocks,
Heavy as the heads of men, split from the cliff.
كَأَنَّما فَوقَ هامها فِرق
من القطا الكُدر هاج نافرها
As if flocks of dusky sandgrouse hover above their heads,
Startled into flight by the clamor.
وَالقَوم مِن تَحتِها لَهُم زجل
وَهيَ ترامي بها خَواطرها
The crowd below raises a deafening roar,
While projectiles fly between them like thoughts.
بَل هَل رَأَيت السُيوف مصلتةً
أَشهَرَها في الأَسواقِ شاهرها
Nay, have you seen the swords unsheathed,
Brandished openly in the markets?
وَالخَيل تستنَّ في أَزِقّتها
بالتُركِ مسنونة خَناجرها
And horses galloping through her narrow alleys,
Ridden by Turks with sharpened daggers?
وَالنفط وَالنار في طرائقها
وهابياً للدخان عامرها
Naphtha and fire fill her roadways,
Covering her builders in choking smoke.
وَالنهب تعدو بِهِ الرِجال وَقَد
أَبدَت خَلاخيلَها حَرائرها
Men run off with plundered goods,
While free women are forced to reveal their ankles.
معصوصبات وسط الأَزِقّة قَد
أَبرزها لِلعُيون ساتِرها
Huddled together in the midst of the alleys,
Their protectors have exposed them to staring eyes.
كُلُّ رَقودِ الضحى مخبّأة
لَم تُبدِ في أَهلِها محاجرها
Maidens who once slept late in hidden luxury,
Whose faces were never seen even by kin.
بيضةُ خدر مَكنونةٌ برزت
لِلناس مَنشورة غَدائرها
Protected pearls of the boudoir, now exposed
To the public, with their hair disheveled.
تعثُر في ثَوبِها وتعجلها
كبّةُ خَيل ريعت حَوافرها
Stumbling in her robes, hurried along
By a troop of horses with thundering hooves.
تَسأل أَينَ الطَريقُ والهةً
وَالنارُ من خَلفِها تبادرها
She asks, bewildered, "Where is the way?"
While the fire races to catch her from behind.
لَم تجتَلِ الشَمسُ حسنَ بهجتها
حَتّى اجتلتها حَربٌ تُباشرها
The sun had never looked upon her beauty,
Until war came to unveil her with violence.
يا هَل رَأَيت الثكلى مولولةً
في الطُرق تَسعى وَالجهد باهرها
Oh, have you seen the bereaved mother wailing,
Stumbling through the streets, overwhelmed by exhaustion?
في إِثرِ نَعش عليه واحدُها
في صدره طَعنَةٌ تساورها
Following a bier that bears her only son,
With a gaping stab wound in his chest?
فَرغاء ينقي الشنار مربدها
يَهُزّها بالسنان شاجرها
A wide wound... exposing the shame of the slaughter,
Caused by the spearhead that shook him.
تنظر في وَجهه وَتَهتف بالث
كل وَجاري الدُموع حادرها
She gazes into his face and cries out in loss,
While a torrent of tears streams down.
غَرغَرَ بِالنَفس ثُمَّ أَسلمها
مَطلولةً لا يُخاف ثائرها
He gasped his last breath and surrendered his soul,
His blood shed in vain, with no one to avenge him.
وَقَد رَأَيت الفِتيان في عَرصة ال
معرك معفورةً مناخرها
I have seen the young men on the battlefield,
Their faces covered in dust.
كُلّ فَتىً مانع حَقيقتَه
تَشقى به في الوَغى مساعرها
Every youth defending his honor,
While the stokers of war bring him to misery.
باتَت عَليهِ الكِلابُ تَنهَشُه
مَخضوبةً من دَمٍ أَظافرها
Dogs spent the night tearing at his flesh,
Their claws dyed red with his blood.
أَما رَأَيتَ الخُيولَ جائِلَةً
بالقَوم مَنكوبَةً دَوائرها
Have you not seen the horses trampling
Over the people, amidst disastrous fortunes?
تَعثُر بِالأَوجه الحِسان من ال
قَتلى وغلّت دماً أَشاعرها
Stumbling over the beautiful faces of the slain,
Their fetlocks matted with blood.
يَطأنَ أَكباد فتية نُجُدٍ
يَفلِقُ هاماتهم حَوافرها
They tread upon the livers of brave youths,
Their hooves shattering their skulls.
أَما رَأَيت النِساءَ تَحتَ المَجا
نقِ تعادى شعثاً ضَفائرها
Have you not seen the women beneath the catapults,
Running with disheveled braids?
عَقائل القَوم وَالعَجائِز وال
عنَّس لَم تُحتَبر معاصرها
The noble ladies, the elderly, and the maidens
Who had never known hardship before.
يَحمِلنَ قوتاً مِن الطَحين عَلى ال
أَكتاف مَعصوبة معاجرها
Carrying meager rations of flour on their shoulders,
With their veils bound tight.
وَذات عَيش ضنك ومقعسة
تشدَخها صَخرة تعاورها
Living in misery and destitution,
Until a falling rock crushes her skull.
تَسأل عَن أَهلِها وَقَد سُلِبَت
واتبُزّ عَن رأسها غَفائرها
She asks for her family, having been robbed,
Her head coverings torn away.
يا لَيتَ شِعري وَالدَهر ذو دول
يرجى وَأُخرى تَخشى بوادرها
Would that I knew—for Time brings turns of fortune,
Some to be hoped for, others to be feared—
هَل تَرجعن أَرضُنا كَما غَنَيت
وَقَد تَناهَت بِنا مَصائرها
Will our land ever return to its former glory,
Now that its fate has run its course?
من مبلغٌ ذا الرِياستين رَسا
لاتٍ تأتّى لِلنُصح شاعرها
Who will convey to Dhu al-Ri'asatayn
These messages offered by a sincere poet?
بأَنَّ خَيرَ الولاة قَد علم الن
اس إِذا عُدّدت مآثِرها
That the people know the best of rulers
When his virtues are recounted:
خَليفَةُ اللَه في بريته ال
مأمون منتاشها وَجابرها
The Caliph of God among His creation,
Al-Ma'mun, her savior and restorer.
سمت إِلَيهِ آمال أُمَته
مُنقادةً بَرّها وَفاجرها
The hopes of his nation have risen toward him,
Both the righteous and the wicked submitting to him.
شاموا حيا العدل من مخايله
وَأَصحرت بالتُقى بَصائرها
They saw the rain of justice in his clouds,
And their vision cleared through piety.
وَأحمدوا منك سيرَةً جَلَتِ ال
شَكَّ وَأُخرى صَحَّت مَعاذرها
They praised your conduct, which dispelled all doubt,
And validated their excuses.
واستَجمعت طاعَةً برفقك للمأ
مون نجديُّها وَغائرها
Through your gentleness, obedience to Al-Ma'mun
Has united the people of the highlands and the lowlands.
وَأَنتَ سَمعٌ في العالَمين له
وَمُقلَةٌ ما يَكِلّ ناظرها
You are his hearing among the worlds,
And an eye that never tires of watching.
فاشكر لذي العرش فضلَ نعمته
أَوجب فضل المَزيد شاكرها
So thank the Lord of the Throne for His distinct blessing;
Gratitude makes increase obligatory.
واحذر فداء لك الرَعيَّة وال
أَجنادُ مأمورها وآمرها
And beware—may the subjects and soldiers be your ransom,
Both the commanded and the commander—
لا تَرِدَن غمرةً بنفسك لا
يَصدرُ عَنها بِالرأي صادرها
Do not plunge yourself into a deep abyss
From which no wise man can return.
عليك ضحضاحها فلا تلج الغم
رة مُلتَجّةً زَواخِرُها
Stick to the shallows; do not enter the deep,
Where the crashing waves are overwhelming.
وَالقصد أَنَّ الطَريق ذو شعب
أشأمُها وَعثها وَجائرها
Aim for moderation, for the road has many branches;
The most ominous are the rugged and unjust paths.
أَصبَحتَ في أُمَّة أَوائِلُها
قَد فارقت هديها أَواخرها
You are among a people whose later generations
Have strayed from the guidance of their forebears.
وَأَنت سَرسورها وَسائسها
فَهَل عَلى الحَقّ أَنتَ قاسرها
You are their manager and their governor;
Will you compel them toward the Truth?
أَدّب رِجالاً رأيت سيرَتهم
خالف حكمَ الكتابِ سائرها
Discipline those men whose conduct you have seen
Diverge from the judgment of the Holy Book.
واِمدُد إِلى الناس كفّ مرحمة
تُسَد منهم بِها مفاقرها
Extend a hand of mercy to the people,
To close the gaps of their poverty.
أَمكنك العَدلُ إِذ هَمَمتَ بِهِ
وَوافقت مدّه مقادرها
Justice became possible for you when you sought it,
And destiny aligned with its expansion.
وَأَبصَرَ الناسُ قَصدَ وَجههم
وملّكت أُمّة أخايرها
The people now see their proper direction,
And you have been given rule over the best of nations.
تُشرِع أَعناقَها إِلَيكَ إِذا ال
سادات يَوماً جمّت عَشائرها
They crane their necks toward you,
Whenever the tribal leaders gather.
كَم عِندَنا مِن نَصيحة لك في ال
لمه وَقُربى عزّت زَوافرها
How much advice we hold for you in our hearts,
And kinship whose bonds are strong!
وَحُرمَةٍ قَرّبت أَواصرها
منك وَأُخرى هَل أَنتَ ذاكرها
And a sanctity whose ties draw near to you,
And other matters—do you remember them?
سَعي رِجال في العلم مطلبهم
رائحها باكر وَباكرها
The striving of men whose quest is knowledge,
Seeking it early and late.
دونك غراءَ كالوَذيلة لا
تُفقَد في بلدة سَوائرها
Take this poem, bright as a silver ingot;
Its travelers will not be lost in any town.
لا طَمَعاً قلتُها وَلا بَطَرا
لِكُلِّ نَفس هَوىً يؤامرها
I spoke it not out of greed nor vanity,
Though every soul follows its own passion.
سيّرها اللَهُ بالنَصيحَة وال
خشية فاِستُدمجت مرائرها
God sent it forth with counsel and fear of Him,
So its strands are firmly twisted.
جاءَتكَ تَحكي لَك الأُمور كَما
يَنشُر بزَّ التجار ناشرها
It comes to you, recounting matters as clearly
As a merchant unfolds his cloth.
حمّلتُها صاحِباً أَخا ثقة
يَظَلَّ عَجَباً بِها يُحاضرها
I entrusted it to a reliable companion,
Who remains amazed as he recites it.
