محلٌّ ألبسَ الدنيا جمالاً
وإن فَضَحَ المقاصرَ والخلالا
He adorned the world with beauty,
Though he exposed the failings and flaws.
بناهُ كما بنى العلياء بانٍ
يشيدُ مآثراً ويبيدُ مالا
He built it as the Exalted built,
Erecting glories and destroying possessions.
وللزاهي الكمالُ سناً وحسناً
كما وسٍعَ الجلالةَ والكمالا
For the blossoming perfections of completeness
As they expanded with majesty and perfection.
يحاطُ بشكلِهِ عرضاً وطولاً
ولكن لا يُحاطُ به جمالا
Its breadth and length surround its form,
But its beauty cannot be encompassed.
تواصلتٍ المحاسنُ فيه شتّى
فوفدُ اللحظِ ينتقلُ انتقالا
The beauties in it came together diverse,
So sight shifted, moving from one to the next.
وقورٌ مثلُ ركنِ الطَود ثَبتٌ
ومختالٌ من الحُسنِ اختيالا
It is dignified like the firmness of the towering mountain,
And elegant with the elegance of beauty.
تدافَعَ من جوانِبِهِ ائتلافاً
فكاد المستبينُ يقولُ مالا
Attractions crowded in from its sides,
Until the keenest felt there was nothing left to say.
فلو أدنوا حرامَ السِّحرِ منه
لأضحى يعبدُ السحرَ الحلالا
Had they brought the forbidden magic near it,
The lawful magic would have become an idolater.
سماءٌ ترتمي بعُبابِ بحرٍ
كأنَّ بها إكاماً او تلالا
A heaven raining clouds of a sea,
As if it had arches or hills within it.
فقد كاد اللبيبُ يُهالُ منه
ويحسبُ أنَّ بحرَ الجوِّ سالا
The keen mind almost lost control
And thought the sea of air had poured down.
فما أبقى شهاباً لم يصوَّب
ولا شمساً تنيرُ ولا هلالا
It left no shooting star not aimed,
No illuminating sun or crescent moon.
وللبهو البهيِّ سماءُ نورٍ
تمثّلَ شكلها حَلَقَاً دِخالا
For the splendorous beauty, the heaven of light
Formed its shape into a thick ring.
مزخرفةٌ كأنَّ الوشي ألقى
عليها من طرائِقِه خيالا
Adorned as if the embroiderer had cast
Onto it the figures of his imagination.
وما خلتُ الهواءَ يكونُ روضاً
ولا سقفاً يكونُ كذاك آلا
Not even the air was left to be a meadow
Nor the ceiling thus to be barren.
بلى حققتُ أنَّ النارَ كانَت
له ظئراً وعنصرهُ زلالا
But indeed I verified that the fire had been
Its wet nurse and its substance limpid water.
فلم أعدِل بجامده مذاباً
ولم أنكر لِنَدوَتِهِ اشتعالا
I made no comparison of its solidity to molten,
Nor denied that its gathering had kindled.
وكلّ مصوّرٍ حيّ جماد
تبيّنَ فيه زهواً أو دلالا
Every living inanimate image
Showed in it a brilliance or guide.
له عملٌ وليس له حراكٌ
وافهامٌ وما أدّى مقالا
It has a task but no movement,
Insight but utters no speech.
ويُفرغُ فيه مثلَ النصلِ بدعٌ
من الأفيالِ لا يشكو ملالا
Wondrous sculpting is poured into it,
Elephants that know no tiredness.
رعى رَطبَ اللجين فجاء صلداً
وقاحاً قلّما يخشى هزالا
It nurtured the sap of the malleable clay until it hardened,
Impudent, hardly fearing decay.
كأنَّ به على الحيوانِ عَتباً
فلم يرفع لرؤيتها قذالا
As if it had blame for animals,
So it did not lift up a veil to look at them.
وأوصى بالرياحينِ غتراساً
همامٌ طالما اغترس الرجالا
And it bequeathed the planting of gardens,
Ambitions long planted by men.
وكان الغرسُ والاثمارُ وقفاً
لمن جعل النّدى والوعدَ حالا
The planting, the fruits, were a bequest
For one who made the dew and promise realities.
وقامت يومَ قمنا منشداتٍ
فغضّت من رويتنا ارتجالا
On the day we gathered, singers stood,
Drawing extemporized chants from our presence.
براعةُ مصنعٍ جُلِبَت فاضحت
براعةُ منطقيِ منها مثالا
The skill of a craftsman was brought and exposed
The skill of our rhetoric as an example.
فكم طلب العويصَ فما تأبّى
وكم قلبَ العيانَ فما استحالا
How often it sought out the difficult yet did not refuse,
How often it transformed the visible yet did not change.
ولكنَّ المؤيَد عزَّ وصفاً
وأعيتني حقيقتُهُ منالا
But the Supported triumphed in description,
And his reality exhausted me from attaining.
إذا استوضحتَهُ أبصرتَ دهراً
لو أنَّ الدهر لم يُنسَخ فَعالا
When you examine him, you behold an age
That if the age had not been renewed by deeds
أقامَ لها معاليها شموساً
ومدَّ لنا مساعيَهُ ظلالا
He established its glories as suns
And extended to us his strivings as shades.
وآراءً يُنَتِّجها رزاناً
فيرسلهنَّ أقداراً عجالا
And insights he generates composed,
Sending them forth as quick-paced fates.
وفيه أناةُ مقتدرٍ حليمٍ
تكاد تغر بالأُسدِ النمالا
In him is the deliberation of a capable forbearing one
Who almost coaxes the fierce lion.
ويبطشُ بطشةُ تُنبي الأعادي
أكفّهُمُ وما حملوا اعتقالا
And he lashes with a lash that warns enemies,
Restraining them though they are not imprisoned.
من البيض الذين إذا تولّوا
صنيعاً لم تجد فيهم شمالا
Of the whites, when they undertake a task
You find in them no left-handedness.
وبينا نجتلي منهم بدوراً
إذا بهمُ قد اعترضوا جبالا
While we gather with them in turns,
They cut across mountains.
تألّقَ وجهُهُ وزكت نهاهُ
فقلتُ مثالُهُ محق الضلالا
His face shone and his activity flourished,
So I said, “The paragon of misguidance is him.”
وما يومُ العَروبةِ يومُ سرّ
لقد نطق الزمانُ به فقالا
The day of Al Murabitun is no day of joy.
Time itself pronounced this of it.
عجزنا أن نحقِّقَ منه وصفاً
وما عجز الرشيدُ له امتثالا
We confessed our inability to fully describe him.
Nor did the Rashid find obeying him difficult.
يعارضُهُ بكلِّ سبيلِ مجدٍ
فتحسبه ينافسُهُ خلالا
He contends with him in every path of glory,
Though you reckon he rivals him in shortcoming.
ولمّا لم يُطق يَثني صباه
أحالَ على شمائله اكتهالا
When it was beyond endurance, he yielded his youthfulness,
Referring only to his perfections.
وكاد يكونُهُ حتى تراه
يجاذبُهُ ولا يقوى انفصالا
He very nearly matched him so that you see him
Wrestling with him, unable to detach.
وأبهَجَنَا طلوعهما بدستٍ
طلوعَ الأصلِ والفرعِ اتصالا
He dazzled us with their dual rising in power
The rising of origin and branch in union.
فلم أرَ قبله بدراً كساه
جوارُ الشمسِ تمّاً واكتمالا
Before him I never saw a full moon robed
In the proximity of the sun, completed.
أتتك على خلائقها جيادي
وإن كان الضياعُ لها شكالا
To you came its steeds in their natures
Even if loss of them was worrying.
وما يبليك ذهنٌ أحوذيٌّ
إذا أصحبته جَدّاً تفالى
No crafty mind wears you out
If you keep it company with seriousness and ascent.
تزاحمتِ الهمومُ خلالَ صدري
فما تركت لأنفاسي مجالا
Cares crowded in on my breast,
Leaving my breaths no space.
وما خلتُ النسيمَ يكون ثِقلاً
ولا نَفَحاتِهِ تأتي وبالا
The breeze was not left to be a burden
Nor did its breaths bring harm.
كأنِّي كلما استنشقتُ منه
أردُّ به إلى كبدي نصالا
As if whenever I inhaled it
I returned it to my liver as stabbing pains.
وكيف يصحُّ ذو قلبٍ أبيٍّ
إذا كان الإباءُ له نكالا
How can one whose heart disdains
Endure if disdain is his punishment?
مضى ماءُ الشبيبةِ في الأماني
ومن ولّى فما يرجو اقتبالا
The water of youth passed in wishes
And he who turns away cannot hope for return.
وكنتم خَيرَ مَن يُرجى فما لي
وجدتُ يقينَ آمالي محالا
You were the best that could be hoped in, so why
Did I find the attainment of my hopes impossible?
ولم أحمل ودادكمُ ادِّعاءً
ولا أظهرتُ مدحكمُ انتحالا
I did not pretend your love
Nor falsely profess praising you.
