هَذا الحِمى وَرَندُهُ وَبانُهُ
وَشِيحُهُ فاوَحَهُ حَوذانُهُ
Here is the sanctuary, its laurel and its moringa,
This fever and its delirium and madness
and its wormwood, whose fragrance its buttercups rival.
And its ravings which laid bare its agonies,
وَالرَوضُ وَالنَسيمُ قَد جَمَّشَهُ
فَهَبَّ مِن نَورٍ عُبَيثَرانُهُ
And the meadow—the breeze has caressed it,
The garden and the breeze have adorned it
so its southernwood stirred amid the blossoms.
So it shone with a radiant light.
وَالنَّرجِسُ الغَضُّ رَنَت أَحداقُهُ
وَاِفتَرَّ بِالعُذَيبِ أُقحُوانُهُ
And the tender narcissus's eyes gazed,
The fresh narcissus has blinked its eyelids
and its daisies smiled at al-ʿUdhayb.
And burst out with pure white flowers,
يا صاحِ جُز سَلعاً وَسَل عَن عَيشِنا ال
ماضي بِها يا حَبَّذا زَمانُهُ
O friend, pass through Salʿ and ask about our life
O friend, pass on the merchandise and ask about our life
of old there—oh, how lovely were its days!
That has passed, oh how excellent was its time!
لِلَّهِ نَعمانُ الأَراكِ مَنزِلاً
ضَمَّ بِنُعمٍ شَملَنا نُعمانُهُ
God be praised for Nuʿmān of the arak trees as a dwelling!
God’s blessing upon Na’man’s dwellings,
Its Nuʿmān brought us together with Nuʿm.
He gathered us with his favors and united us.
وَالشَمسُ في رَأدِ الضُحى وَعِندَها
يُفَيِّئُ الأَصيلَ زَعفَرانُهُ
And the sun is in early forenoon, while beside it
And the sun in the radiance of the mid-morning
its saffron brings back late afternoon.
Where it gives shade to the beautiful saffron.
وَالدَوحُ مَنظومٌ عَلى أَوراقِهِ
غِبَّ الحَيا مِن طَلِّهِ جُمانُهُ
And upon the spreading trees' leaves are strung,
The sand-dunes lined with its leaves
after the rain, their pearls of dew.
The snakes took cover from its shade.
مَه لا يَلُمني لائِمٌ عَلى البُكا
عِندِيَ كُلَّ ساعَةٍ إِبّانُهُ
Enough! Let no censurer blame me for weeping;
Do not blame me, critic, for my weeping,
for me, every hour is its season.
For every hour has its appropriate time.
وَهاتِ يا مُطرِبَنا غَنِّ لَنا
فَأَنتَ مَن تُطرِبُنا أَلحانُهُ
And let us hear, O our minstrel—sing for us,
And come, our musician, sing for us,
for you are the one whose melodies delight us.
For you are the one whose melodies delight us,
بِكُلِّ بَيتٍ عَرَبِيٍّ كُلُّ حُر
رٍ فارسيٍّ فاضِلٍ سَلمانُهُ
In every Arab household, every noble
With every Arabic verse, every eloquent Persian line, Salman’s
and virtuous Persian is its Salmān.
The best poetry is praise of the best of those who walked
خَيرُ القَريضِ مَدحُ خَيرِ مَن مَشى
وَخَيرِ مَن عَدا بِهِ حِصانُهُ
The best of poetry is praise of the best who walked,
And the best of those whose horses carried them forth.
and the best whom his steed bore at a gallop:
Muhammad the Prophet, of great benevolence
مُحَمَّدِ النَبِيِّ ذي الإِحسانِ وَال
لَذي أَجادَ مَدحَهُ حَسّانُهُ
Muhammad, the Prophet of benevolence, and the one
Whose praise was perfectly done by his Hassan.
whom his Ḥassān praised so well.
The Lord of the Highest Heavens addressed him
خاطَبَهُ رَبُّ السَماواتِ العُلا
إِذ جَبرَئيلُ الوَحيِ تَرجُمانُهُ
The Lord of the lofty heavens addressed him,
When Gabriel conveyed the revelation as interpreter.
when Gabriel was His interpreter of revelation.
The ship of salvation is his family
سَفينَةُ النَجاةِ أَهلُ بَيتِهِ
في مَوقِفٍ يَغشى الوَرى طوفانُهُ
His household are the ship of salvation
In an event that overwhelmed the land with its flood.
at a station whose flood engulfs mankind.
Never were his companions and family separated from
لا فارَقَت صِحابَهُ وَآلَهُ
صَلاتُهُ يَوماً وَلا رِضوانُهُ
May his companions and his family never be parted
His prayers or his pleasure, not for a day.
from His blessing on any day, nor from His favor.
O rider of a camel litter that folds up the flags,
يا راكِباً شِمِلَّةً تَطوي الفَلا
مَزؤودَةً مِن طَيِّها ظِلمانُهُ
O rider of a swift she-camel that folds up the wastelands,
Shaded by its cover from the darkness,
their male ostriches terrified by her passage,
You reached and delivered the wishes, carried
أَبلِغ وَبُلِّغتَ المُنى مَألُكَةً
مَلكاً عَلا بَينَ المُلوكِ شانُهُ
deliver—may you be granted your wishes—a message
By a King who rose above all Kings, eminent is his domain.
to a king whose stature rises high among kings:
The most noble King, Shah of Armenia
المَلِكُ الأَشرَفُ شاه اَرمَنَ لا
زالَ قَوِيّاً ثابِتاً سُلطانُهُ
King al-Ashraf, Shah of Arman—may
Whose might and authority remain undiminished,
his sovereignty ever remain strong and steadfast.
O you in whom the pride of Kings lies, just as
يا مَن بِهِ فَخرُ المُلوكِ إِذ كَذا
كَ بِالنَبِيِّ اِفتَخَرَت عَدنانُهُ
O you in whom lies the pride of kings, for likewise
In the Prophet the pride of ‘Adnan lies.
his ʿAdnān took pride in the Prophet.
The weak seek refuge in you as a fortress,
يَنتَجِعُ العُفاةُ حِصناً مِنكَ يا
ماءَ السَماءِ أُفعِمَت غُدرانُهُ
Seekers of bounty seek a stronghold in you, O
O water of heaven, overflowing are its rivers.
water of heaven, whose pools are filled to the brim.
The scholars flock to you as the
تَأوي إِلَيكَ العُلَماءُ مِثلَ ما
تَأوي إِلى بَحرٍ طَما حيتانُهُ
The learned take refuge in you, just as
Whales flock to the abundant sea.
in a swelling sea its fish take refuge.
The sea borders you, and canebrakes and the sword,
يُمناكَ بَحرٌ وَالعِدا القَصباءُ وَال
سَيفُ بِها مُضرَمَةٌ نيرانُهُ
Your right hand is a sea, your foes a reed-bed, and the
Its flames blazing in it.
sword's fires are kindled within it.
The claws of your lions on the day of battle
ثَعلَبُ عسّالِكَ في يَومِ الوَغى
يولِغُهُ دَمَ العِدا سِنانُهُ
The fox of your quivering spear, on battle's day—
Rend the blood of the foe, their teeth bared.
its spearhead makes it lap the blood of foes.
Describing you can never capture your essence,
وَصفُكَ ما يُدرِكُ يَوماً كُنهَهُ
قُسُّ المَقالِ لا وَلا سَحبانُهُ
The full depth of your description can never be grasped
Neither prose nor poetry suffice for it.
by the Quss of speech—no, nor its Saḥbān.
For me is a narrative of your loftiness, flowing
عِندي حَديثٌ مِن عُلاكَ سائِرٌ
سَيرَ نَسيمٍ عَبِقٍ رَيحانُهُ
I have a tale of your greatness, spreading abroad
Like a fragrant breeze, the scent of basil.
like a breeze scented with its basil.
O you for whom the steeds, the spears and the
يا مَن جِيادُ الخَيلِ وَالرِماحُ وَال
صِفاحُ في يَومِ الوَغى بُستانُهُ
O you whose noble horses, spears, and
Swords on the day of strife are a garden.
sword-blades are a garden on battle's day:
No lion protecting the elite with his might
ما أَسَدٌ يَحمي الخَميسَ باسُهُ
فَتَنثَني ناكِصَةً فُرسانُهُ
No lion whose might holds an army at bay,
Whose assailants retreat panic-stricken from his horsemen.
making its horsemen turn back in retreat,
Nor does the thundercloud loom with its lightning and thunder
يَوماً بِأَقوى مِنكَ بَأساً في الوَغى
فَلَيثُهُ لَدَيكَ ثُعلُبانُهُ
is ever mightier than you in battle;
Convulsing the sky and confounding its order.
for its lion, beside you, is no more than its fox.
One day with greater might than yours excessive
ولا الغَمامُ رائِعاً بِرَعدِهِ
وبَرقِهِ مُنبَجِساً تَهتانُهُ
Nor is the cloud, fearsome with its thunder
O you from whom wishes flow like streams.
and lightning, its downpour gushing forth,
Not rosewater of Nasibin, not the fragrance released
يَوماً بِأَندى مِن يَدَيكَ فائِضاً
يا مَن يَفيضُ بِالمُنى بَنانُهُ
ever more bounteous in its flow than your hands,
By crushers of jasmine, their smoke fills the air.
O you whose fingertips flow with all one desires.
One day like the mention of you, nor musk, though abundant,
ما ماءُ وَردٍ مِن نَصيبينَ وَلا
نَشرُ اليَلَنجوجِ سَما دُخانُهُ
No rosewater from Naṣībīn, nor
Could match, so high has its price risen.
the scent of aloeswood whose smoke rises high,
Live as long as the cosmos revolves around its axis
يَوماً كَذِكراكَ وَلا المِسكُ الريا
حِيُّ غَلَت فَأَوغَلَت أَثمانُهُ
can ever match your remembrance, nor Riyāḥī musk,
And as long as the celestial sphere turns above it!
whose prices have risen, then soared ever higher.
عِش ما سَرى في الفَلَكِ المُحييط بَه
رامُ وَما عَلا بِهِ كيوانُهُ
Live as long as Bahrām journeys through the encircling sphere,
and as long as its Kaywān rises within it.
Sol 6.1