ما قُدِّمَ البَغيُ إِلّا أُخِّرَ الرَشَدُ
وَالناسُ يُلقونَ عُقبى كُلِّ ما اِعتَقَدُوا
Injustice hastens not success, but right's delay,
And people reap what notions they obey.
مَن ساسَ خَيراً رَأى خَيراً وَمَن وَلَدَت
أَفعالُهُ الشَرَّ لاقى شَرَّ ما تَلِدُ
He who does good finds good, who evil sows
Sees evil spring from all that he bestows.
بَغى عَلَينا رِجالٌ عادَ بَغيُهُمُ
عَلَيهِمُ وَأَعانَ الواحِدُ الصَمَدُ
On us men tyrannized; their tyranny
Rebounded and the One, the Mighty aided me.
وافَوا وَقَد عَقَدُوا عَقداً فَما ظَفِرُوا
بِما أَرادُوا وَحَلَّ اللَهُ ما عَقَدُوا
They banded, but they failed to gain their wish,
God made vain all the pacts that they had wished.
ظَنُّوا السَلامَةَ حَتّى خابَ ظَنُّهُمُ
وَالخَيلُ عَن يَمنَةِ السَعدِيِّ تَطَّرِدُ
Deeming themselves secure till hopes betrayed
And Sa'di's cavalry their ranks dismayed.
فَلَم تَجُل جَولَةً حَتّى رَأَيتَهُمُ
في جِيدِ كُلِّ كَمِيٍّ مِنهُمُ مَسَدُ
Scarce were they put to flight ere all the band
Lay slain, each with a naked neck in sand
مُجَنَّبِينَ وَصَرعى تَحتَ أَرجُلِنا
كَما تُصَرَّعُ يَومَ الرِحلَةِ العَمَدُ
Thrown down beneath our feet, as slaughter-bound
Camels stumble and sprawl upon the ground.
سالَت مَذانِبُ صَيدا مِن دِمائِهِمُ
وَطَرّحَت حائِرَ الراسُومَةِ العُدَدُ
Sides of Sidon ran blood as we pressed on,
Ras al-Musayriba's slopes with dead were strewn,
وَعاوَدُوا نَحوَ دانِيث فَشَكَّهُمُ
صُمُّ الأَنابِيبِ ما في خَلقِها أَوَدُ
To Danith's hill they turned in haste to flee
The lances' points that would not turned be,
في كَفِّ كُلِّ كَمِيِّ مِن فَوارِسِنا
سَردُ الدِلاصِ عَلى أَكتافِهِ لِبَدُ
While down our cavaliers' backs lance-handles slid,
Their points transfixing every prostrate lid.
وَعاوَدُوا يَطلُبُونَ الشَرَّ ثانِيَةً
وَلِلمَنايا عَلى أَرواحِهِم رَصَدُ
To seek disaster yet again they strove
And death for their rash souls again they wove,
وَلَم تَكُن يَومَ أَعزالٍ فَوارِسُنا
بِئسَ الفَوارِسُ وَالقَسطالُ مُنعَقِدُ
Nor were our knights like ones who shun the fray
When seas oppresseth them and jackals bay.
ثُمَّ استَقَلَّت إِلى السَعديِّ ظُعنُهُمُ
فَمُنذُ صارُوا إِلى السَعدِيِّ ما سُعِدوا
They knew not,when the torrent on them burst,
Reserves behind them quenched their battle-thirst.
وَلَو وَمِن خَلفِهِم جَيشٌ فَوارِسُهُ
قَد أَبحَدَتنا بِها الجَوزاءُ وَالأَسَدُ
You see the tents adrift, as though they were
Mere scum those floods had carried here and there.
لَم يَعلَمُوا حينَ باتَ السَيلُ يَدهَمُهُم
أَنَّ المُدُودَ لَنا مِن خَلفِهِم مَدَدُ
The spate bore off their baggage, till confused
Were wares and weapons that together fused.
تَرى الخِيامَ عَلى التَيّارِ طافِيَةً
كَأَنَّما هِيَ في حافاتِهِ زَبَدُ
Say to the riders home from Aleppo bound,
On swift ogara, noble, precious, sound:
وَالسَيلُ قَد جَرَّ ما ضَمَّت عِيابُهُمُ
حَتّى تَشابَهَتِ الأَمواجُ وَالزَرَدُ
'We sorrowed not o'er those vast hosts you led;
You did us wrong, we nursed you, like a son
يا أَيُّها الراكِبُ العادي يَخُبُّ بِهِ
عَبلُ الشَوى مُجفِرٌ أَو عَبلَةٌ أُجُدُ
His parents tends, yet no Kindi guarded us,
Qahtan observed no bond of fellowship.
بَلِّغ تَحِيَّتَنا طَيّاً وَقُل لَهُمُ
ما ضَرَّنا ذَلِكَ الحَشدُ الَّذي حَشَدُوا
For Syria you set forth when her knights had gone
And wolves took heart till the lion should return.
عَققتُمُونا وَقَد قُمنا بِبِرِّكُمُ
كَما يَقومُ بِبِرِّ الوالِدِ الوَلَدُ
Greed lured you toward our realm, but evil greed
Is ever found where envy takes the lead.
فَما رَعَت حَقَّنا كَلبٌ وَلا حَفِظَت
لَنا الصَنيعَةَ قَحطانٌ وَلا أُدَدُ
India's white gems anew will deck our arms
When we're arrayed, and squadrons block alarms.'
قَصَدتُمُ الشامَ إِذ غابَت فَوارِسُهُ
وَالذِئبُ يَرقُصُ حَتّى يَحضُرَ الأَسَدُ
But for the Imam, his reverent fear of God,
Not one had crossed the bridge of your abode.
وَأَطمَعَتكُم حَماةُ في مَمالِكِنا
وَالمَطمَعُ السُوءُ مَقرونٌ بِهِ الحَسَدُ
Loyalty forbade our blades to smite,
Else had your coursers fled in headlong flight.
سَتُستَعادُ بِبيضِ الهِندِ ثانِيَةً
إِذا نَزَلنا وَمِن قَبليِّنا صَدَدُ
When you oppressed, no pointless sword we drew,
Only true lances, well-directed, flew.
لَولا الإِمامُ وَلَولا فَرطُ خَشيَتِهِ
لَم يَقطَعِ الجِسرَ مِن فُرسانِكُم أَحَدُ
Some hounds, who shunned the battle, would lament
They had not seen how in the mosque we shent
وَإِنَّما نَهنَهتَنا طاعَةٌ تَرَكَت
سُيُوفَكُم عَن أَذانا لَيسَ تَنغَمِدُ
And pierced them, while their souls winged terrified -
You know our knights, since twice they scattering tried
فَحينَ أَحوَجتُمُونا لَم نُلَقِّكُمُ
غَيرَ السُيوفِ المَواضِي وَالقَنا القُصُدُ
Your numbers from their tents, whose mats and pegs
Were all untouched by you, no robe that sags.
وَمِن كِلابٍ رِجالٌ غابَ أَكثَرُهُم
عَنكُم وَوا أَسَفا لَو أَنَّهُم شَهِدُوا
You three millennia, yet we turned you back,
Though only three - what use, then, your pack?
حَتّى تَرَوا بِالمُصَلّى كَيفَ طَعنُهُم
بِالسَمهَرِيَّةِ وَالأَرواحُ تُفتَقَدُ
Few are not few when champions lead their charge,
Nor many, many with faint hearts at large.
وَقَد عَرَفتُم وَجَرَّبتُم فَوارِسَنا
بِالمَشهَدَينِ وَنارُ الحَربِ تَتَّقِدُ
But God chastised men of our stock who strayed
When glory passed, intriguing hopes purveyed.
ذَادُوكُمُ بِالعَوالي عَن خِيامِهِم
فَما استُبيحَ لَها طُنبٌ وَلا وَتِدُ
Our clan they sold for paltry gain, and so
Swapped honor for the shame that they brought low.
كُنتُم ثَلاثَةَ آلافٍ فَرَدَّكُمُ
ثَلاثَةٌ وَأَبى أَن يَنفَعَ العَدَدُ
Yet some were true whose steps declined the path
Of ruin, barred their foes, incurred their wrath,
وَما القَليلُ قَليلاً حينَ تَخبُرُهُ
وَلا الكَثيرُ كَثيراً حينَ يَنتَقَدُ
Warned us 'gainst Syria, if they passed this way,
And for its loss tried hard our minds to sway.
لا واخَذَ اللَهُ قَوماً مِن عَشِيرَتِنا
تَأَلَّبوا في زَوالِ العِزِّ وَاِجتَهَدُوا
Counsel they gave; we did not spurn their rede,
With us they pacted and fulfilled their pledge.
باعُوا العَشِيرَةَ بَيعَ البَخسِ وَاِنقَلَبُوا
بِالذُلِّ ما أَخلَفُوا العِزَّ الَّذي فَقَدُوا
You who return in sorrow from Aleppo,
With disappointment heavy in your hearts,
وَدَرَّ دَرُّ رِجالٍ مِنهُمُ مَنَعُوا
أَعداءَهُم جانِبَ الوِردِ الَّذي وَرَدُوا
You are not the first whose hopes it disappointed,
Not gaining what you sought when you assaulted.
وَمانَعُوا دُونَ شامٍ لَو نَبا بِهِمُ
وَحاوَلوا عِوَضاً مِنهُ لَما وَجَدُوا
You could not take it save by His decree;
You but corrupted what uncorrupted be.
قَد ناصَحُونا فَلافَوا غِبَّ نُصحِهِمُ
وَعاهَدُونا وَأَوفَوا بالَّذي عَهِدُوا
You tied the guide-ropes fast, no cause for wonder
The Caliph knows yet finds he can't act on it.
يا عائِدينَ إِلى الأَوطانِ مِن حَلَبٍ
وَفي قُلوبِهِمُ مِن فَوتِها كَمَدُ
No favors primed us to seek access to him,
But good intent alone was our credentials.
لَستُم بِأَوّلِ قَومٍ حاوَلُوا طَمَعاً
مِنها وَضَلُّوا عَنِ القَصدِ الَّذي قَصَدُوا
God forbid the pure Imam e'er promote
shows of piety in the faithless!
لَم تَنزِلوها بِأَمرٍ غَيرَ أَنَّكُمُ
رُمتُم فَسادَ أُمُورٍ لَيسَ تَنفَسِدُ
Seek not on a towering cliff to find a path,
When others before you climbed and fell beneath.
وَعُقتُمُ القَودَ أَن تَمضي وَلا عَجَباً
أَنَّ الخَليفَةَ يَدري ثُمَّ لا يَجِدُ
Dizbiri we cast down for his disobedience,
Though sword and prop; dead men, around them vultures.
وَما اِعتَمَدنا عَلى قَودٍ تُقَرِّبُنا
مِنهُ وَلَكِن عَلى النِيّاتِ نَعتَمِدُ
They betrayed the Imam - we were not treacherous,
For feeble faith, not ours, had made them reckless.
حاشا الإِمامَ وَحاشا طِيبَ عُنصُرِهِ
أَن يَظهرَ الزُهدُ في قَومٍ وَما زَهِدُوا
The conqueror we never disobeyed,
Our sword, our shoulder, helper unafraid.
لا تَطلُبُوا مَصعَداً في هَضبِ شاهِقَةٍ
زَلَّت بِأَقدامِ قَومٍ قَبلَكُم صَعِدُوا
Only we obeyed, gave counsel and no grip
Had Mirda's clan except through the Imam's gift.
فَالدِزبِرِيُّ حَطَطنا مَن عَصى مَعَهُ
عَلى الإِمامِ وَفي آنافِهِم عُبُدُ
Had they worshiped gods besides the One, this band
Would not have shunned another god's command.
مِن بَعدِ ما تَرَكَ المُرّانُ أَكثَرَهُم
صَرعى يُهالُ عَلى مَثواهُمُ السَنَدُ
Nay, but jealous men around the Imam sowed
Mistrust, though his affection for us overflowed.
خانُوا الإِمامَ وَما خُنّا وَأَفسَدَهُم
ضَعفُ اليَقينِ وَلَم نَفسُد كَما فَسَدوا
They slandered us, that he might praise and thank them,
But God be praised! They missed their mark, the schemers!
وَلا عَصَينا أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ كَما
عَصى المُظَفَّرُ وَهوَ السَيفُ وَالعَضُدُ
For we are more useful if cares afflict him,
And find what solves the problems troubling him.
لَكِن أَطَعنا وَناصَحنا وَما عَلِقَت
لآلِ مِرداسِ إِلّا بِالإِمامِ يَدُ
Wealth, sons and arms respond when he commands,
No other lord but he our hearts and hands.
لَو كانَ يُعبَدُ غَيرُ اللَهِ ما اِمتَنَعُوا
أَن يَعبُدُوهُ مَعَ الرَبِّ الَّذي عَبَدُوا
أَمّا الإِمامُ فَما حالَت مَحَبَّتُهُ
وَإِنَّما في رِجالٍ حَولَهُ حَسَدُ
سامُوا لَنا عِندَهُ أَمراً لِيَحمَدَهُم
فَالحَمدُ لِلّهِ قَد لِيموا وَما حُمِدُوا
وَنَحنُ أَنفَعُ مِنهُم إِن أَلَمَّ بِهِ
خَطبٌ وَأَوجَدُ لِلهَمِّ الَّذي يَجِدُ
وَلِلخَليفَةِ مِنّا حينَ يَندُبُنا
أَموالُنا وَالقَنا وَالمالُ وَالوَلَدُ
لا نَرتَضي غَيرَهُ مَولىً نُعَزُّ بِهِ
وَلا يُغَيِّرُنا عَن حُبِّهِ الأَبَدُ
