وَأَبي المَنازِلِ إِنَّها لَشُجونُ
وَعَلى العُجومَةِ إِنَّها لَتُبينُ
The abodes refuse me; how full of yearning they are!
And how clearly they show their desolation to the stranger!
فَاِعقِل بِنِضوِ الدارِ نِضوَكَ يَقتَسِم
فَرطَ الصَبابَةِ مُسعِدٌ وَحَزينُ
So school yourself, through the desolation of the abode, to share in its desolation.
A youth possessed by passion, and one depressed-both will be prodigal.
لا تَمنَعَنّي وَقفَةً أَشفي بِها
داءَ الفِراقِ فَإِنَّها ماعونُ
Do not hinder me from a halt by means of which
I may cure the malady of separation; for it is a death-potion.
وَاِسقِ الأَثافِيَّ مِن شُؤوني رِيَّها
إِنَّ الضَنينَ بِدَمعِهِ لَضَنينُ
Give the streaming sands a draught from my affairs;
For he who is emaciated by grief is most emaciated.
وَالنُؤيُ أُهمِدَ شَطرُهُ فَكَأَنَّهُ
تَحتَ الحَوادِثِ حاجِبٌ مَقرونُ
Care has spread its wing in the air, so that it seems
As if, beneath misfortunes, it were a brow bound with great sorrow.
حُزنٌ غَداةَ الحَزنِ هاجَ غَليلَهُ
في أَبرَقِ الحَنّانِ مِنكَ حَنينُ
On the morrow of sadness came anguish moaning
amid the lightning flashes of your songs, O singer.
سِمَةُ الصَبابَةِ زَفرَةٌ أَو عَبرَةٌ
مُتَكَفِّلٌ بِهِما حَشاً وَشُئونُ
An exhalation or a tear is the mark of youth:
both are the concern of a plunderer or a noble and great man.
لَولا التَفَجُّعُ لَاِدَّعى هَضبُ الحِمى
وَصَفا المُشَقَّرِ أَنَّهُ مَحزونُ
If it were not for lamentation, the surface of the encampment
and the plain of al-Mushaqqar would fancy themselves dejected.
سيروا بَني الحاجاتِ يُنجِح سَعيَكُم
غَيثٌ سَحابُ الجودِ مِنهُ هَتونُ
Travel on, people of wants! The rain-clouds of bounty will shower upon you a plenteous rain from their water-skins.
Events have been pinioned by their own harm,
فَالحادِثاتُ بِوَبلِهِ مَصفودَةٌ
وَالمَحلُ في شُؤبوبِهِ مَسجونُ
and the country in its confusion is imprisoned.
They have undertaken the heavy load of care, and set out upon a journey
حَمَلوا ثَقيلَ الهَمِّ وَاِستَنعى بِهِم
سَفَرٌ يَهُدُّ المَتنَ وَهوَ مَتينُ
which levels the difficult road, but which in itself is firm.
Then, when they had cast it from their shoulders,
حَتّى إِذا أَلقَوهُ عَن أَكتافِهِم
بِالعَزمِ وَهوَ عَلى النَجاحِ ضَمينُ
resolutely-while success was guaranteed to them-
They found the aspect of the King bright, and they attained to
وَجَدوا جَنابَ المُلكِ أَخضَرَ وَاِجتَلَوا
هارونَ فيهِ كَأَنَّهُ هارونُ
Harun: you would say that Harun himself was there.
They found the Prince of the Faithful, whose bounty
أَلفَوا أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ وَجودُهُ
خَضِلُ الغَمامِ وَظِلُّهُ مَسكونُ
is the dripping cloud and its shade is wide-spread.
So they set out while their confidence was firm in the Guardian,
فَغَدَوا وَقَد وَثِقوا بِرَأفَةِ واثِقٍ
بِاللَهِ طائِرُهُ لَهُم مَيمونُ
whose augury was fortunate for them.
Those eyes were refreshed by him, those cheeks grew radiant;
قَرَّت بِهِ تِلكَ العُيونُ وَأَشرَقَت
تِلكَ الخُدودُ وَإِنَّهُنَّ لَجونُ
and how delicious was their bloom!
They possessed the bridle of life through the King whose nature
مَلَكوا خِطامَ العَيشِ بِالمَلِكِ الَّذي
أَخلاقُهُ لِلمَكرُماتِ حُصونُ
is firmly defended by the fortresses of noble deeds.
He is a King, when the mention of whom reaches men's hearing,
مَلِكٌ إِذا خاضَ المَسامِعَ ذِكرُهُ
خَفَّ الرَجاءُ إِلَيهِ وَهوَ رَكينُ
hope in him droops, and he remains firm.
He is a lion: when the banner shakes you see him
لَيثٌ إِذا خَفَقَ اللِواءُ رَأَيتَهُ
يَعلو قَرا الهَيجاءِ وَهيَ زَبونُ
towering above the excited throng, and it cowers.
For its milk-bowls there is one who lies in wait, and for its orations
لِحِياضِها مُتَوَرِّدٌ وَلِخَطبِها
مُتَعَمِّدٌ وَبِثَديِها مَلبونُ
one who is intent, and for its full moons one who wears its badge.
God-may He be praised and exalted! - made the Caliphate to be in him-
جَعَلَ الخِلافَةَ فيهِ رَبٌّ قَولُهُ
سُبحانَهُ لِلشَيءِ كُن فَيَكونُ
His word "Be!" and it is.
And indeed we saw it to be his in our hearts,
وَلَقَد رَأَيناها لَهُ بِقُلوبِنا
وَظُهورُ خَطبٍ دونَهُ وَبُطونُ
While there were pretenders around him with their interiors and exteriors.
And therefore it was said, with regard to manifest surmises,
وَلِذاكَ قيلَ مِنَ الظُنونِ جَلِيَّةٌ
صِدقٌ وَفي بَعضِ القُلوبِ عُيونُ
"There is a truth, and in some hearts are secrets."
And we knew, ever since he was a child, that he
وَلَقَد عَلِمنا مُذ تَرَعرَعَ أَنَّهُ
لِأَمينِ رَبِّ العالَمينَ أَمينُ
was the trustee of the Lord of the Worlds.
O son of the Caliphs, the essence of your kindliness
يابنَ الخَلائِفِ إِنَّ بُردَكَ مِلؤُهُ
كَرَمٌ يَذوبُ المُزنُ مِنهُ وَلينُ
is a bounty that dissolves harshness and is gentle.
A light upon you from the past, as though it
نورٌ مِنَ الماضي عَلَيكَ كَأَنَّهُ
نورٌ عَلَيهِ مِنَ النَبِيِّ مُبينُ
were a clear light upon it from the Prophet.
Through you the Saffah and Mansur ascend, as also
يَسمو بِكَ السَفّاحُ وَالمَنصورُ وَال
مَهدِيُّ وَالمَعصومُ وَالمَأمونُ
the Mahdi, the Upright, and the Secure.
He who lives in the brightness of the Family knows that they
مَن يَعشُ ضَوءَ الآلِ يَعلَم أَنَّهُم
مَلَأٌ لَدى مَلَإِ السَماءِ مَكينُ
are a replenishment among the replenishments of Heaven.
The horsemen of a kingdom whose Caliphs are lions:
فُرسانُ مَملَكَةٍ أُسودُ خِلافَةٍ
ظِلُّ الهُدى غابٌ لَها وَعَرينُ
the shadow of guidance has departed from it, and it has no lair.
A people who inherited from the Apostle a partition made for them
قَومٌ غَدا الميراثُ مَضروباً لَهُم
سورٌ عَلَيهِ مِنَ القُرانِ حَصينُ
as a fence in the Quran, firm.
In them is the tranquility of their Lord, His Book,
فيهِم سَكينَةُ رَبِّهِم وَكِتابُهُ
وَإِمامَتاهُ وَاِسمُهُ المَحزونُ
His vicegerency, and His Name, the Erasing.
A valley of the Sultan protected, in which
وادٍ مِنَ السُلطانِ مُحمىً لَم يَكُن
لِيَضيمَ فيهِ المُلكَ إِلّا الدينُ
naught diminished the kingdom save religion.
In a white, Abbasid state,
في دَولَةٍ بَيضاءَ هارونِيَّةٍ
مُتَكَنِّفاها النَصرُ وَالتَمكينُ
encompassed by victory and consolidation,
Islam became glorious through its Sultanate,
قَد أَصبَحَ الإِسلامُ في سُلطانِها
وَالهِندُ بَعضُ ثُغورِها وَالصينُ
and India is a part of its outskirts, and China.
Every hypocrite professing enmity to the trustee of God
يَفدي أَمينَ اللَهِ كُلُّ مُنافِقٍ
شَنَآنُهُ بَينَ الضُلوعِ كَمينُ
redeems him by the hatred stored up within his breast.
Of those whose right hands distribute favors, nor have
مِمَّن يَداهُ يُسرَيانِ وَلَم تَزَل
فينا وَكِلتا راحَتَيكَ يَمينُ
both your hands ever ceased to be our place of rest.
The wild creatures are summoned by your rule and pasture,
تُدعى بِطاعَتِكَ الوُحوشُ فَتَرعَوي
وَالأُسدُ في عِرّيسِها فَتَدينُ
and the lion, in awe, humbles itself in its lair.
Above your glory there is no ascent of glory, nor
ما فَوقَ مَجدِكَ مُرتَقى مَجدٍ وَلا
كُلُّ اِفتِخارٍ دونَ فَخرِكَ دونُ
is all boasting, apart from boasting in you, base.
There came to you from the composition of the tongue a necklace
جاءَتكَ مِن نَظمِ اللِسانِ قِلادَةٌ
سِمطانِ فيها اللُؤلُؤُ المَكنونُ
in which were strung pearls stored away.
It was shod with the sandals of Hadramawt, was decked out
حُذِيَت حِذاءَ الحَضرَمِيَّةِ أُرهِفَت
وَأَجادَها التَخصيرُ وَالتَلسينُ
in fine elaboration and artful adornment.
Tribal and refined, therein were multiplied
إِنسِيَّةٌ وَحشِيَّةٌ كَثُرَت بِها
حَرَكاتُ أَهلِ الأَرضِ وَهيَ سَكونُ
the movements of the people of the earth, all still.
Its source is prolific, the ornament of its ode
يَنبوعُها خَضِلٌ وَحَليُ قَريضِها
حَليُ الهَدِيِّ وَنَسجُها مَوضونُ
is the ornament of guidance, and its composition harmonious.
As for the meanings, they are unsullied virgins when
أَمّا المَعاني فَهيَ أَبكارٌ إِذا
نُصَّت وَلَكِنَّ القَوافي عونُ
expressed - but the rhymes give them support.
The craft of the tongue sought them out, extending
أَحذاكَها صَنَعُ اللِسانِ يَمُدُّهُ
جَفرٌ إِذا نَضَبَ الكَلامُ مَعينُ
abundant streams when the discourse was exhausted.
It behaves generously, though harboring an ill opinion - not like one
وَيُسيءُ بِالإِحسانِ ظَنّاً لا كَمَن
هُوَ بِاِبنِهِ وَبِشِعرِهِ مَفتونُ
enamored of his son and his poetry.
It aims its purpose at you, while its concern
يَرمي بِهِمَّتِهِ إِلَيكَ وَهَمُّهُ
أَمَلٌ لَهُ أَبَداً عَلَيكَ حَرونُ
is a hope it everlastingly cherishes for you.
So its homeland is in the realm of hopes,
فَمُناهُ في حَيثُ الأَماني رُتَّعٌ
وَرَجاؤُهُ حَيثُ الرَجاءُ كَنينُ
and its expectation is where expectation whimpers.
Perhaps that which it hopes for, of what has not been,
وَلَعَلَّ ما يَرجوهُ مِمّا لَم يَكُن
بِكَ عاجِلاً أَو آجِلاً سَيَكونُ
either soon or late, will be through you.
