عَلَوْتَ فدُونَكَ السّبْعُ الشِّدادُ
وأنتَ لكُلِّ مَكْرُمَةٍ عِمادُ
You towered above, with the staunchest seven beneath you,
The pillar of every glorious deed,
ودانَ لكَ العِدا فلَهُمْ خُضوعٌ
ولولا الرُّعْبُ لَجَّ بهِمْ عِنادُ
Your foes submitted, humbled before you,
Rebellious but for the fear that filled them.
وعَزّوا حين غِبْتَ فهُمْ أُسودٌ
وذلّوا إذْ حَضَرْتَ فهُمْ نَقادُ
Emboldened when you were gone, now blackened,
Humbled at your return, now tamed and checked.
إذا ما سارَقوكَ اللّحْظَ أدْنَتْ
مَسافَتَهُ المُهَنّدَةُ الحِدادُ
When their eyes secretly stole a glimpse of you,
The distance between was spanned by yearning.
كأنّهُمُ ونارُ الحَرْبِ يَقْظى
تَمَشّى في عُيونِهِمُ الرُّقادُ
As if, awake with the fire of battle in their eyes,
Slumber now walked in their sight.
همُ بَخِلوا بِطاعَتِهِمْ ولكنْ
على الأسَلاتِ بالأرْواحِ جادوا
Sparing no obedience, yet life itself they spared not,
So free in your cause with their souls and their swords.
وغرَّهُمُ بكَ المَطْوِيُّ كَشْحاً
على إحَنٍ يغَصُّ بها الفؤادُ
That smooth-tongued miser beguiled them with lies,
False hopes that wrenched hearts asunder.
وكيفَ يَرومُ شأْوَكَ في المَعالي
وشِسْعُكَ فوقَ عاتِقِهِ نِجادُ
How could he dream of attaining your noble heights,
With excellence borne upon your shoulders?
يَضِجُّ الدّسْتُ منْ حَنَقٍ عليهِ
ويَبْصُقُ في مُحيّاهُ الوِسادُ
Indignant, the masters spit in his smug face,
Pillows poisoned with guile and rumours.
فأخْلَدَ منْ غِوايَتِهِ إلَيْهِمْ
وبانَ لهُ بهُلْكِهِمُ الرّشادُ
Lost in his treachery, the path ahead cleared:
In their ruin, wisdom was born.
وسوّلَ بالمُنى لهُمُ أموراً
أعاروها جَماجِمَهمْ فبادُوا
He poisoned their minds with false hopes,
And like fools they believed him, and so were destroyed.
ودبّرَها فدمّرَها برأيٍ
تُجانِبُهُ الإصابةُ والسّدادُ
His plans he spun, but his judgement was flawed,
Wide of the mark, no truth in his thoughts.
خَبَتْ نَجَداتُهمْ والجُبْنُ يُعْدي
بهِ والنارُ يُطْفِئُها الرّمادُ
Their zeal faded; and fear took them,
Its dampening flames with ashes smothered.
إذا صلَحَتْ لهُ حالٌ فأهوِنْ
عليهِ بأنْ يعُمَّهُمُ الفَسادُ
When the chance came, he wished only
That utter decay should consume them.
كأنّ النّقْعَ إذْ أرْخى سُدولاً
علَيهِمْ قَبْلَ مَهْلِكِهِمْ حِدادُ
As if misfortune had clothed them in black
Before their ruin had come upon them.
كأنّ الصّافِناتِ الجُردَ فيهم
يُدافُ على قَوائِمِها الجِسادُ
As if the bare hilts now clove into them,
Thrusting through the dead heaped about them.
فهُمْ مِنْ بينِ مُعْتَجِرٍ بسَيْفٍ
ومُقْتَسَرٍ يؤرّقُهُ الصِّفادُ
Some scarce escaped by the skin of their teeth,
The shackles burdening, fettered, enchained,
وآخَرُ تَرْجُفُ الأحشاءُ منهُ
نَجا بذَمائِهِ ولكَ المَعادُ
While in another the guts still trembled―
His blood paid for you, and the battle was gained.
وكانَ لهُ سَوادُ الليلِ جاراً
وبئْسَ الجارُ للبَطلِ السّوادُ
To the hero the black night was a neighbour,
But black is the night for the valiant in vain.
يحرِّكُ طِرْفَهُ وبهِ لُغوبٌ
ويَمْسَحُ طَرْفَهُ وبهِ سُهادُ
He blinked and slumber hung from his lashes,
His lids too heavy to rise from their veil.
إذا ارْتَكَضَ الكَرى في مُقْلتَيْهِ
أقَضَّ على جَوانِحِهِ المِهادُ
Rouse them with your sharp-honed swords now,
When roused, advantages plenty avail.
أبى أن يَلْتَقي الجَفْنانِ منهُ
كأنّ الهُدبَ بينَهما قَتادُ
In them no loyal heart will you find,
True affection there, or loving detail.
فألْحِمْهُمْ سُيوفَكَ إنّ فيها
إذا انْتُضِيَتْ رَغائِبَ تُسْتَفادُ
Hate wraps round their ribs like consuming flames,
Fired by the spark of thoughts in their minds.
ولَسْتَ بواجِدٍ لهُمُ ضَميراً
أبَنَّ به وَفاءٌ أو وِدادُ
When the sword rasps its edges together,
The brother of storms, to him leadership falls.
يَلُفّونَ الضلوعَ على حُقودٍ
لها بمَقيلِ همّهِمُ اتّقادُ
Through your many great days, graves of anxiety
Were dug, redeeming those times from their pall.
إذا ما السّيفُ خَشّنَ شَفْرَتَيْهِ
أخو الغَمَراتِ لانَ لهُ القِيادُ
Heroes like lions - the wolves flocked round them -
Fine steeds outfitted with armour and all.
وكَمْ لكَ منْ مَواطِنَ صالِحاتٍ
بهِنَّ لفارجِ الكُرَبِ احْتِشادُ
Forms like a mirage in studded mail,
From its cover the locusts crawl.
وأبْطالٍ كآسادٍ تمَطّتْ
كذُؤبانِ الرِّداهِ بهِمْ جِيادُ
When they stormed the fray their war song rose
To deter the foe, the death-rattle, the call.
تَخالُهُمُ أراقِمَ في دُروعٍ
تُحدِّقُ من مَطاويها الجَرادُ
A day once curved like a bow against them,
The sparks from its notch flying thick in the squall.
إذا دلَفوا إِلى الهَيْجاءِ عَفّتْ
على الأعْداءِ داهِيَةٌ نَآدُ
I walked with them til they shook the spine of the world, Leaving but rags of its ridges behind.
Meeting the stabs from those sharp blade masters, Blood sprayed out from their edges, intertwined.
بيَوْمٍ كادَ منْ قَرَمٍ إلَيْهِمْ
تلمَّظُ في حَواشِيهِ الصِّعادُ
You are rainfall whose nature is bounty,
You are the lion whose way is to rip, flay and tear.
وَطِئْتُ بهِمْ سَنامَ الأرضِ حتى
تَرَكْتَ تِلاعَها وهْيَ الوِهادُ
From those who lessened the high design
Came on that morn, meeting their needs, and they gave
تُلَقّي الطّعْنَ لَبّاتِ المَذاكي
ويُدْمي منْ حَوامِيها الطِّرادُ
Them support till success was secured -
A pact witnessed by hands strengthened and arrayed.
فأنتَ الغيثُ شِيمتُهُ سَماحٌ
وأنت اللّيْثُ عُرْضَتُهُ جِلادُ
With a band whose banners stand planted,
Goals which, when storms descend on the land
منَ النَّفَرِ الإِلى نَقَصَ المُسامي
غَداةَ رأى مَساعِيَهُمْ وزادوا
Take shelter there, as hopes white-antlered.
The like of you brought honour to those first ones:
لهُمْ أيْدٍ إذا اجْتُدِيَتْ سِباطٌ
تُصافِحُهُنَّ آمالٌ جِعادُ
Adorned by its moons, rich the chaplet it made.
Thus you grew what first was planted,
ووادٍ مُونِقُ الجَنَباتِ تأْوي
إليهِ إذا تَجهَّمَتِ البِلادُ
As a garden is tended by loving hands.
Still your stores poured down Boundless bounty you laid at your landʼs demand.
ومِثْلُكَ زانَ سُؤْدَدَ أوّلِيهِ
بِطارِفِهِ وزَيّنَهُ التِّلادُ
فأنْمَيتَ الذي غَرَسوهُ قَبْلاً
كما يتَعاهَدُ الرّوْضَ العِهادُ
فلا زالَتْ زِنادُكَ وارِياتٍ
فَقدْ وَرِيَتْ بدَوْلَتِكَ الزِّنادُ
