جِنٌّ عَلَى حَرَمِ السَماءِ أَغاروا
أَم فِتيَةٌ رَكِبوا الجَناحَ فَطاروا
Jinns attacked the sanctity of the sky,
Or were they youths who flew on wings?
مِن كُلِّ أَهوَجَ في الهَواءِ عِنانُهُ
هَوَجُ الرِياحِ وَسَرجُهُ الإِعصارُ
Every unruly one in the air, his reins
Are the fury of the winds and its saddle, the storm.
يَبغي حِجابَ الشَمسِ يَطلُبُ عِندَها
عِزّاً تَحَمَّلَهُ الجُدودُ وَساروا
It seeks the veil of the sun, it wants from it
Glory that ancestors bore and marched on.
لَم يَبقَ مِنهُ وَمِن حَضارَةِ عَهدِهِ
إِلّا صُوى مَحجوبَةٌ وَمَنارُ
Nothing remains of it or the civilization of its time
Except faint voices and minarets.
وَمَقالَةُ الأَجيالِ لَم يَلحَق بِهِم
بانٍ وَلَم يُدرِكُهُمُ حَفّارُ
The saying of generations did not catch up with them
Nor did any builder or digger reach them.
طَلَعوا عَلى الوادي بِرايَةِ عَصرِهِم
وَلِكُلِّ عَصرٍ رايَةٌ وَشِعارُ
They rose above the valley under the banner of their time,
For each time has a banner and motto.
اِثنانِ ثَمَّ تَرى النُسورَ كَثيرَةً
مِن كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ لَها أَوكارُ
Two, then you see many eagles
From every direction, each has its nest.
سِرُّ النَجاحِ وَرُكنُ حَضارَةٍ
هِمَمٌ مِنَ المُتَطَوِّعينَ كِبارُ
The secret of success and the pillar of civilization
Are ambitions from senior volunteers.
نُسِخَت بِأَبطالِ السَماءِ بُطولَةٌ
في الأَرضِ يوشِكُ رُكنُها يَنهارُ
With the heroes of the sky, a heroism was copied
On earth, its pillar is about to collapse.
هَذا زَمانٌ لا الأَعِنَّةُ مَنزِلٌ
لِلبَأسِ فيهِ وَلا الأَسِنَّةُ دارُ
This is a time when neither spears are homes
For valor in it, nor tongues homes.
ما البَأسُ إِلّا مِن جَناحَي خاطِفٍ
في البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ اِسمُهُ الطَيّارُ
Valor is nothing but two wings of a kidnapper
On land and sea named the aviator.
أَتُرى السَلامَةُ في السَماءِ وَظِلِّها
أَم بِالسَماءِ يَصولُ الاِستِعمارُ
Do you see safety in the sky and its shade
Or does colonialism rage in the sky?
حَرَمُ الهُدى وَالحَقُّ ريعَ جَلالُهُ
وَغَدا وَراحَ بِجانِبَيهِ دَمارُ
The sanctuary of guidance and truth - its glory spree -
And tomorrow and evening, destruction is on its sides.
يا جائِبَ الصَحراءِ مِلءُ سَرابِها
غَرَرٌ وَمِلءُ تُرابِها أَخطارُ
O you who brings mirage to the desert, filling it
With delusions and filling its dust with dangers.
يَكفيكَ مِن هِمَمِ الشَجاعَةِ لَيلَةٌ
لَكَ مِن غَوائِلِها خَلَت وَنَهارُ
One night of courageous resolve is enough for you
Dawn and dusk have passed with its perils for you.
لَمّا اِعتَمَدتَ عَلى الجَناحِ تَلَفَّتَت
بيدٌ وَقَلَّبَتِ العُيونَ قِفارُ
When you relied on the wing, you wrapped
Your hand and the deserts turned their eyes.
في كُلِّ صَحراءٍ وَكُلِّ تَنوفَةٍ
أَرضٌ عَلَيكَ مِنَ السَماءِ تَغارُ
In every desert and every oasis
The land envies you from the sky.
حَسَنَينُ لَو لَم يَعذِروكَ لبادَرَت
لَكَ مِن لِسانِ جِراحِكَ الأَعذارُ
Beautiful ones, even if they did not excuse you, would have offered
From the tongue of your wounds, excuses.
لِلَّهِ سَرجُكَ في السَماءِ فَإِنَّهُ
سَرجُ الأَهِلَّةِ ما عَلَيهِ غُبارُ
To God belongs your saddle in the sky, it is
The saddle of the crescent, no dust is upon it.
عَرَضَ الخُسوفُ لَهُ فَما أَزرى بِهِ
ما في الخُسوفِ عَلى الأَهِلَّةِ عارُ
An eclipse occurred but did not affect it
No dishonor is upon the crescent from an eclipse.
أَوَ لَم تَطَءُ أَرضَ السَماءِ وَلَم تَدُر
حَيثُ الشُموسُ تَدورُ وَالأَقمارُ
Or have you not stepped on the land of the sky or known
Where suns and moons rotate?
أَلقى أَبو الفاروقِ نَحوَكَ بالَهُ
وَتَشاغَلَت بِكَ أُمَّةٌ وَدِيارُ
Abu Al-Fadl threw his gaze towards you
And a nation and its lands were busy with you.
مَلِكٌ رُحِمتَ بِقُربِهِ وَجِوارِهِ
حَتّى كَأَنَّكَ لِلعِنايَةِ جارُ
A king you were pitied for his proximity and neighborhood
As if you were a neighbor of Providence.
نُصِبَ السُرادِقُ وَالمَطارُ وَحَلَّقَت
في الجَوِّ تَلمَسُ شَخصَكَ الأَبصارُ
The canopy was erected and it drizzled and eyes
Flew in the air touching your figure.
فَلَمَستَ أَقضِيَةِ السَماءِ وَأَسفَرَت
حَتّى نَظَرَت وُجوهَها الأَقدارُ
So you touched the destinies of the sky and they appeared
Until their faces, the fates, looked.
قَدَرٌ عَلى يُمنى يَدَيهِ سَلامَةٌ
لَكَ حَيثُ مِلتَ وَفي السَماءِ عِثارُ
A destiny on his right hand is safety for you
Where you inclined and in the sky is misfortune.
فَإِذا سَقَطتَ عَلى حَديدٍ مُضرَمٍ
صَدَفَ الحَديدُ وَلَم تَنَلكَ النارُ
So if you fell on glowing iron
The iron collided but the fire did not touch you.
ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ النَجائِبِ كُلِّها
قُل لي أَعِندَكَ لِلنَجائِبِ ثارُ
What did you encounter from all calamities?
Tell me, do you have revenge against calamities?
هَذي تَعَثَّرُ في الزِمامِ وَتِلكَ لا
تَمضي وَأُخرى في السُلوكِ تَحارُ
This one stumbles in the bridle and that one does not
Proceed and another wanders in conduct.
فَشَلٌ يُعَظَّمُ كَالنَجاحِ عَلَيهِ مِن
شَرَفِ الجُروحِ وَنورِهِنَّ فَخارُ
Failure is magnified like success over it from
The honor of wounds and the light of them, pride.
لَو لَم يَكُن قَتلى وَجَرحى في الوَغى
لَم يَعلُ هامَ الظافِرينَ الغارُ
If there were no dead and wounded in the fray
The cave of the victorious would not be known.
