تُسَدُّ إِذا حُمَّ الحِمامُ المَذاهِبُ
وَيُعيي البَرايَ فَوتُ ما اللَهُ طالِبُ
The ways are blocked when the doves coo,
And the messenger cannot find what God wants.
وَأَنتَ وَما في الخَلقِ مِنكَ مُعَوَّضٌ
لَهُم عِوَضٌ مِن كُلِّ ما هُوَ ذاهِبُ
You are irreplaceable, none can take your place,
Though others may be consoled for their loss.
أَرى غِيَرَ الأَيّامِ تَلعَبُ بِالوَرى
فَلا زِلتَ مَحروساً وَلا جَدَّ لاعِبُ
I see time playing with mortals,
Yet you remain protected, no players can touch you.
هَوى كَوكَبٌ زُهرُ الكَواكِبِ مُذهَوى
فَفارَقَ مَثواها عَلَيهِ نَوادِبُ
A star, the most splendid of all, passionately loved,
Left its orbit, so elegies mourn it.
وَلَو لَم يُراعِ الأُفقُ حَقَّ جِوارِهِ
لَما شَيَّعَتهُ بِالبُكاءِ السَحائِبُ
If the horizon had not respected its neighborly rights,
The clouds would not have bidden it farewell with their weeping.
أُعَبِّرُ بِالتَذكيرِ عَمداً وَإِنَّني
وَما إِن تَعَدَّيتُ الكِنايَةَ هائِبُ
I refer to it as “he” intentionally, though
I recoil from going beyond allusion.
وَلَيسَ لِما أَخفى إِباؤُكَ مُظهِرٌ
وَلَيسَ لِمَن سَربَلتَه الصَونَ سالِبُ
For what you have hidden, no revealer can show,
Nor can any robber steal what you have kept virtuous.
وَكَم مُظهَرٍ مِن فَضلِهِ وَهوُ مُضمَرٌ
وَكَم شاهِدٍ مِن مَجدِهِ وَهوُ غائِبُ
How much splendor lies implicit, though manifest,
إِذا ما سَماءُ المَجدِ لَم يَهوِ بَدرُها
فَأَهوِن بِأَن تَنقَضَّ مِنها الكَواكِبُ
How much glory absent, though present.
When the sky of glory lacks its full moon,
فَدَت سائِرُ الأَرواحِ مَلكاً فِداؤُهُ
وَطاعَتُهُ فَرضٌ عَلى الناسِ وَاجِبُ
It matters little if the stars leave it.
All souls are ransoms for the King whose ransom is them,
لَئِن ظَفِرَت أَيدي الخُطوبِ بِبُغيَةٍ
فَما زِلتَ تَفري وَالخُطوبُ الدَرائِبُ
Whose obedience is an obligatory duty.
Though the strokes of fate gain the upper hand,
وَلَو أَنَّ صَرفَ الدَهرِ يُثنى بِقُوَّةٍ
لَعاوَدَ عَن هَذا الحِمى وَهوَ خائِبُ
You always break free, while fate is shattered.
If the cycle of fate could be bent by any force,
وَلَو كُنَّ شَخصاً صَدَّهُ عَن مُرادِهِ
مُؤَلَّلَةٌ زُرقٌ وَبيضٌ قَواضِبُ
It would return from this sanctuary, frustrated.
Had it been embodied in blue and white banners,
وَلَو أَنهُ جَيشٌ كَثيرٌ عَديدُهُ
لَقارَعَهُ مِن كُلِّ أَوبٍ كَتائِبُ
Squadrons would have fought it from every ravine.
You see the ruin of lives as they parade triumphantly,
تُرى نُزهَةَ الأَبصارِ وَهيَ مَواكِبٌ
وَهادِمَةَ الأَعمارِ وَهيَ مَقانِبُ
And the destruction of ages as they decline.
Yet they are but a resolve of yours, an act of grace;
وَما هِيَ إِلّا عَزمَةٌ مِنكَ صَدقَةٌ
وَلا الصَبرُ مَغلوبٌ وَلا الهَمُّ غالِبُ
Patience is not overcome, nor is grief victorious.
Your resolve has destroyed the protectors of realms,
وَعَزمُكَ قَد أَفنى حُماةَ مَمالِكٍ
تُطاعِنُ شَزراً دونَها وَتُضارِبُ
Who stitch together futile plans and exchange blows.
Realms you have crushed after they were intoxicated
مَمالِكُ قَد دَوَّختَها بَعدَ ما سَفَت
مَشارِبُ فيها وَاِطمَأَنَّت مَسارِبُ
With settled ways and calm passages.
You have reached an extent none can attain, though
فَحُزتَ مَدىً قَد عاوَدَت دونَ نَيلِهِ
أَمانِيُّ أَهلِ الأَرضِ وَهيَ لَواغِبُ
The hopes of mankind cycle back, ever yearning.
If the Turks are joined to you by ancestry and origin,
لَئِن ناسَبَتكَ التُركُ فَرعاً وَعُنصُراً
فَما لَكَ في حَوزِ العَلاءِ مُناسِبُ
You have no peer in the absence of the sublime.
An age adorned itself with beauties while you were in it,
تَحَلّى زَمانٌ أَنتَ فيهِ مَحاسِناً
عَواطِلُ مِنهُنَّ السِنونَ الذَواهِبُ
Fleeting years whose loss time laments.
You who, when will and fate collide,
وَأَنتَ الَّذي ما إِن يَزالُ مُظَفَّراً
إِذا ما اِلتَقَت آراؤُهُ وَالنَوائِبُ
Remain victorious – how false were their notions.
The harm of deadly schemes - had foes not divulged them,
لَقَد كَذَبَت مُذ ذُدتَ عَنّا ظَنونُها
فَلا صَدَقَت تِلكَ الظُنونُ الكَواذِبُ
No drinker would have moistened his lips in water.
Exult in this most noble glory, for it
أَذى الفَتَكاتِ اللائي لَو لَم تَبُح بِها
نِفوسُ العِدى ما اِلتَذَّ بِالماءِ شارِبُ
Paves the straightest path to defeat the ignoble.
With sweet praise perfuming the earth, its lands
تَعَزَّ بِذا العِزِّ الأَشَمِّ فَإِنَّهُ
طَريقٌ إِلى حَسمِ المَساءَةِ لاحِبُ
Imbibed its fragrance from your east to your west.
It is by your resolve, O Sword of the Caliphate,
وَطيبِ ثَناءٍ طَبَّقَ الأَرضَ فَاِكتَسَت
مَشارِقُها مِن عَرفِهِ وَالمَغارِبُ
That we are guided - do not heed any usurpers.
Grant us relief by letting go of sorrow,
بِعَزمِكَ يا سَيفَ الخِلافَةِ يُقتَدى
فَلا تُرِ خَطباً أَنَّهُ لَكَ غاصِبُ
For how many wishes have you fulfilled.
Subdue the rebellious sleep with the power by which
أَنِلنا بِتَركِ الهَمِّ يَمضي لِشَأنِهِ
مُنانا فَكَم نيلَت لَدَيكَ الرَغائِبُ
You pacified the sleep of the world while it was estranged.
Give us sorrow amidst what you have granted,
وَذَلِّل عَصِيَّ النَومِ بِالسَطوَةِ الَّتي
أَرَحتَ بِها نَومَ الوَرى وَهوُ عازِبُ
For sorrows are slight while you remain.
وَهَبنا الأَسى فيما وَهَبتَ فَإِنَّنا
تَهونُ عَلَينا ما بَقيتَ المَصائِبُ
