صَدّاحُ يا مَلِكَ الكَنا
رِ وَيا أَميرَ البُلبُلِ
O chatterer, O king of the vineyards
And prince of the nightingale
قَد فُزتُ مِنكَ بِمَعبَدٍ
وَرُزِقتُ قُربَ الموصِلي
I have gained from you a temple
And been granted approach to the nightingale
وَأُتيحَ لي داودُ مِز
ماراً وَحُسنَ تَرَتُّلِ
David has been made accessible to me
Chanting beautifully
فَوقَ الأَسِرَّةِ وَالمَنا
بِرِ قَطُّ لَم تَتَرَجَّلِ
Above the beds and pulpits
A cat that does not prowl
تَهتَزُّ كَالدينارِ في
مُرتَجِّ لَحظِ الأَحوَلِ
It sways like a dinar in the palm
Of a conjurer in an instant of magic
وَإِذا خَطَرتَ عَلى المَلا
عِبِ لَم تَدَع لِمُمَثِّلِ
And if it occurs to jesters
It leaves nothing for the actor
وَلَكَ اِبتِداءاتُ الفَرَز
دَقِ في مَقاطِعِ جَروَلِ
You have the openings of the separated
Syllables in the prose of the messenger
وَلَقَد تَخِذتَ مِنَ الضُحى
صُفرَ الغَلائِلِ وَالحَلي
You have indeed taken from the morning
The yellow parts and the ornaments
وَرَوَيتَ في بيضِ القَلا
نِسِ عَن عَذارى الهَيكَلِ
And related in the white domes
About the chaste virgins of the temple
يا لَيتَ شِعرِيَ يا أَسي
رُ شَجٍ فُؤادُكَ أَم خَلي
Oh, would that I know, o captive of passion,
Is your heart empty or filled?
وَحَليفُ سُهدٍ أَم تَنا
مُ اللَيلَ حَتّى يَنجَلي
And the companion of wakefulness or do you
Sleep until the night passes?
بِالرُغمِ مِنّي ما تُعا
لِجُ في النُحاسِ المُقفَلِ
In spite of me, why do you shut
Yourself in sealed brass?
حِرصي عَلَيكَ هَوىً وَمَن
يُحرِز ثَميناً يَبخَلِ
My desire for you is love, and who
Keeps something precious is stingy
وَالشُحُّ تُحدِثُهُ الضَرو
رَةُ في الجَوادِ المُجزِلِ
And need causes stinginess
In the generous giver
أَنا إِن جَعَلتُكَ في نُضا
رٍ بِالحَريرِ مُجَلَّلِ
If I made you a cage of silk
Encrusted with pearls
وَلَفَفتُهُ في سَوسَنٍ
وَحَفَفتُهُ بِقُرُنفُلِ
And wrapped it in lilies
And lined it with carnations
وَحَرَقتُ أَزكى العودِ حَو
لَيهِ وَأَغلى الصَدنَلِ
And burned the finest incense around it
And the most expensive oils
وَحَمَلتُهُ فَوقَ العُيو
نِ وَفَوقَ رَأسِ الجَدوَلِ
And carried it above fountains
And above the top of brooks
وَدَعَوتُ كُلَّ أَغَرَّ في
مُلكِ الطُيورِ مُحَجَّلِ
And called all the proudest
Of the kings of birds adorned
فَأَتَتكَ بَينَ مُطارِحٍ
وَمُحَبِّذٍ وَمُدَلِّلِ
They would come to you amid those who flatter
And praise and pamper
وَأَمَرتَ بِاِبني فَاِلتَقا
كَ بِوَجهِهِ المُتَهَلِّلِ
And you would command my son, so you both
Would meet face to smiling face
بِيَمينِهِ فالوذَجٌ
لَم يُهدَ لِلمُتَوَكِّلِ
In his right hand a ring-necked dove
That has not been given to the trusting
وَزُجاجَةٌ مِن فِضَّةٍ
مَملوءَةٌ مِن سَلسَلِ
And a silver bottle
Filled with chains
ما كُنتُ يا صَدّاحُ عِن
دَكَ بِالكَريمِ المُفضَلِ
I would not consider you, O chatterer,
Among the noble and preferred
شَهدُ الحَياةِ مَشوبَةً
بِالرِقِّ مِثلُ الحَنظَلِ
The witness of life is tainted
With misery like ink
وَالقَيدُ لَو كانَ الجُما
نُ مُنَظَّماً لَم يُحمَلِ
And if fate were organized
It would not be carried
يا طَيرُ لَولا أَن يَقو
لوا جُنَّ قُلتُ تَعَقَّلِ
O bird, if they did not say it was madness
I would say, be reasonable
اِسمَع فَرُبَّ مُفَصِّلٍ
لَكَ لَم يُفِدكَ كَمُجمِلِ
Listen, for perhaps one who details to you
Does not benefit you like one who summarizes
صَبراً لِما تَشقى بِهِ
أَو ما بَدا لَكَ فَاِفعَلِ
Be patient with what troubles you
Or do what seems good, so do
أَنتَ اِبنُ رَأيٍ لِلطَبي
عَةِ فيكَ غَيرِ مُبَدَّلِ
You are the son of an opinion, in you
That does not change
أَبَداً مَروعٌ بِالإِسا
رِ مُهَدَّدٌ بِالمَقتَلِ
Forever fearful of harm, threatened by death
If you flew from my wings, you would fall
إِن طِرتَ عَن كَنَفي وَقَع
تَ عَلى النُسورِ الجُهَّلِ
Upon the ignorant vultures
O bird, examples are struck
يا طَيرُ وَالأَمثالُ تُض
رَبُ لِلَّبيبِ الأَمثَلِ
For the intelligent the examples
Your world, of its customs
دُنياكَ مِن عاداتِها
أَلّا تَكونَ لِأَعزَلِ
Not to be for the powerless
Or the foolish, though he declaims
أَو لِلغَبِيِّ وَإِن تَعَل
لَلَ بِالزَمانِ المُقبِلِ
In the coming future
It was made for a free man, who is tested
جُعِلَت لِحُرٍّ يُبتَلى
في ذي الحَياةِ وَيَبتَلي
In the life and tests
He throws and is thrown in the struggle
يَرمي وَيُرمى في جِها
دِ العَيشِ غَيرَ مُغَفَّلِ
Of life without heedlessness
Assembling himself like a lion, if
مُستَجمِعٍ كَاللَيثِ إِن
يُجهَل عَلَيهِ يَجهَلِ
He is ignorant, he is ignorant
Have you heard of the two arbiters in Islam
أَسَمِعتَ بِالحَكَمَينِ في ال
إِسلامِ يَومَ الجَندَلِ
The day of Jandal?
In the great strife, and if not for
في الفِتنَةِ الكُبرى وَلَو
لا حِكمَةٌ لَم تُشعَلِ
Wisdom, it would not have ignited
The companions were pleased that day
رَضِيَ الصَحابَةُ يَومَ ذَ
لِكَ بِالكِتابِ المُنزَلِ
With the revealed book
And they are the pure lamps
وَهُمُ المَصابيحُ الرُوا
ةُ عَنِ النَبِيِّ المُرسَلِ
About the sent prophet
They said the book, and each
قالوا الكِتابُ وَقامَ كُل
لُ مُفَسِّرٍ وَمُوَوِّلِ
Interpreter and supporter stood up
Until, when Mu‘awiyah grew powerful
حَتّى إِذا وَسِعَت مُعا
وِيَةً وَضاقَ بِها عَلي
And Ali found him constricting
They turned to an injustice that took root
رَجَعوا لِظُلمٍ كَالطَبا
ئِعِ في النُفوسِ مُؤَصَّلِ
In souls like dispositions
They descended to rule by the strong
نَزَلوا عَلى حُكمِ القَوِي
يِ وَعِندَ رَأيِ الأَحيَلِ
And the opinion of the cunning
Chatterer, is it true what I say
صَدّاحُ حَقٌّ ما أَقو
لُ حَفِلتَ أَم لَم تَحفَلِ
Did you understand or not understand?
You dwelled by the clearest meadow
جاوَرتَ أَندى رَوضَةٍ
وَحَلَلتَ أَكرَمَ مَنزِلِ
And settled the most honorable abode
Between the nobility of Hussein
بَينَ الحَفاوَةِ مِن حُسَي
نٍ وَالرِعايَةِ مِن عَلي
And the care of Ali
And the tenderness of Amina your mother
وَحَنانِ آمِنَةٍ كَأُم
مِكَ في صِباكَ الأَوَّلِ
In your first youth
Awaken in the morning and give good news
صِح بِالصَباحِ وَبَشِّرِ ال
أَبناءَ بِالمُستَقبَلِ
To the children of the future
And ask for Egypt God's care
وَاِسأَل لِمِصرَ عِنايَةً
تَأبى وَتَهبُطُ مِن عَلِ
Which comes down from above
Say "Our Lord, open a mercy
قُل رَبَّنا اِفتَح رَحمَةً
وَالخَيرُ مِنكَ فَأَرسِلِ
And the good is from You, so send it."
Realize your noble nature, our Lord, and accept
أَدرِك كِنانَتَكَ الكَري
مَةَ رَبَّنا وَتَقَبَّلِ
My poem.
