مَن رَأى البَرقَ بِغَورِيِّ السَنَد
في أَديمِ اللَيلِ يَفري وَيَقِد
Whoever saw lightning in my beloved Syria
Flashing through the night sky, kindling,
حَيرَةُ المِصباحِ تَزهوهُ الصَبا
خَلَلَ الظَلماءِ يَخبو وَيَقِد
The lamp's confusion makes the breeze exhilarate,
Glimmering through the darkness, kindling,
كُلَّما أَنجَدَ عُلوِيَّ السَنا
قامَ بِالقَلبِ اِشتِياقٌ وَقَعَد
Whenever lofty Syria comes to my mind,
Yearning rises in my heart and sits down.
كَم أَضاءَ البَرقُ لي مِن مَعهَدٍ
ذابَ دَمعُ العَينِ فيهِ وَجَمَد
How much has lightning illuminated for me places of love,
My tears melted there and froze.
وَمَغانٍ أَنبَتَ الحُسنُ بِها
هَيَفاً تَرعاهُ عَيني وَغَيَد
And places where beauty has sprouted,
Wavering, nourished by my gaze and singing.
كُلَّما عاوَدَ قَلبي ذِكرُها
لَعِبَ الدَمعُ بِجَفنَيَّ وَجَدِّ
Whenever the memory of her returns to my heart,
Tears play with my eyelids and roll down.
إِنَّ ريمَ السُربِ أَدنى لي الجَوى
وَنَأى بِالصَبرِ عَنّي وَالجَلَد
Indeed, the flock's shepherd brought me closest to passion
And patience kept away from me, and composure.
بِنَدى غُصنَينِ غُصنٍ وَنَقاً
وَجَنى عَذبَينِ شَهدٍ وَبَرَد
With the dew of two branches, a branch and a sapling,
And the harvest of two sweets, honey and cold water.
قُل لِزَورِ الشَيبِ أَهلاً إِنَّهُ
أَخَذَ الغَيّ وَأَعطاني الرَشَد
Say to the flowers of old age, welcome,
It took misguidance and gave me wisdom.
طارِقٌ قَوَّمَ عودي بِالنُهى
بَعدَما اِستَغمَزَ مِن طولِ الأَوَد
Tariq straightened my crookedness with advice
After being soaked in excessive love.
وَقَرَ اليَومَ جُموحاً رَأسَهُ
جارَ ما جارَ طَويلاً وَقَصَد
And today he bowed his unruly head,
Moving away from the excesses of the past.
ظَلَّ لَمّاعٌ جَلاهُ بارِحٌ
بَعدَما أَبرَقَ حيناً وَرَعَد
The brilliant remained shining after being illuminated for a time,
After it flashed and rumbled.
لا تَعُدَّ العَيشَ شَيئاً إِنَّهُ
نَفَسٌ يَقضي وَأَيّامٌ تُعَد
Do not consider life to be anything, it is but
A breath that passes and days that are counted.
إِنَّما الأَيّامُ يَومٌ واحِدٌ
وَغُرورٌ اِسمُهُ اليَومَ وَغَد
Indeed, the days are but one day,
And delusion - its name is today and tomorrow.
يا قِوامَ الدينِ مُلّيتَ بِها
دَولَةً تَجري إِلى غَيرِ أَمَد
O pillar of the faith whom she made
A state moving aimlessly without end.
كَسِقاطِ النارِ أَورى قَدحُهُ
كُلَّما فَرَّ عَنِ النارِ وَقَد
Like sparks from the hearth,
Its pots fly from the fire when burning
أَصلُها يَطلُبُ أَعماقَ الثَرى
وَذُراها يَطلُبُ النَجمَ صُعُد
Its roots seek the depths of the earth,
And its sparks seek the highest stars.
كُلَّما زادَ عُلُوّاً فَرعُها
زادَ مَسراها قَراراً وَوَطَد
The higher its branches reach,
The firmer its pegs drive and embed.
كَيفَ توهي طُنُباً مِن بَيتِها
نُوَبُ الأَيّامِ وَالجَدُّ وَتِد
How can it be protected from its home
By the turns of time, effort, and tent pegs?
أَنتَ آسيها إِذا لَجَّ بِها
مِن أَعاديها رَداعٌ وَضَمَد
You give it succor when the ignorant attack it,
With a coat of mail and a shield.
قائِدُ الخَيلِ تَساقى بِالرَدى
تَحتَ آسادٍ لَها النَقعُ لُبَد
The leader of the horses races with the others
Under the hooves whose strike is loud.
تَحسِبُ الشوسَ عَلى أَكتادِها
فِلَقَ الجَندَلِ في ماءِ الزَرَد
You account the warriors with their weapons
Splitting the links of the coats of mail in murky water.
وَعَلى أَربَقَ قَد أَرسَلَها
كَالقَطا الجَونِ يُبادِرنَ الثَمَد
And the piebalds he sent out
Like wild cats hastening for the loot.
وَبِيَمٍّ وَدَجوها بِالقَنا
رُبَّما داوَيتَ مِن غَيرِ عَمَد
Sometimes you cure without intention
With a Yamanite sword and a spear.
يَومَ أَمسى مِن قَناها ماطِراً
سالَ واديهِ مِنَ الطَعنِ وَمَد
On a day when its spears rained down
Its valley flowed with stabs and thrusts.
فَضَّ جَمعَ الغِيِّ عَن شِدَّتِها
زَأَرَ الضَيغَمُ فَاِنصاعَ النَقَد
It broke the army of the ignorant with its intensity,
The wolf howled so the hyena yielded.
وَنَجا المَغرورُ مِن جامِحِها
مُفلِتَ الشَحمَةِ حَلقَ المُزدَرِد
And the arrogant one escaped its ferocity,
With lips split, the ribs exposed.
غاوِياً يَحلُمُ بِالمُلكِ وَهَل
يَغلِبُ العَيرُ عَلى بَيتِ الأَسَد
Deluded, he dreams of kingship, but does
The camel overcome the lion’s abode?
إِذكُرونا يَومَ ذي قارٍ وَقَد
أَقبَلوهُ عارِضَ الطَعنِ بَرَد
Remember us on the day of Dhi Qar when
They confronted the stabbing with the cutting of swords.
رُحِضَ الأَغلَفُ في تَيّارِهِ
وَرَدَ العِلجُ وَما كادَ يَرِد
The fools were tossed in its currents,
The brave held firm and barely receded.
يَصطَلي نارَطِعانٍ فَضَّةً
أَوقَدَت فيها نِزارُ بنُ مَعَد
It unsheathed the Indian steel to light up
With fires Nero bin Ma’ad had kindled.
سَل صَفيحَ الهِندِ عَن مَوقِفِهِ
وَبِعَينِ الشَمسِ لِلنَقعِ رَمَد
It dragged the enemy’s abode collapsing,
Like the foam of the sea hurling froth.
جَرَّ في دارِ الأَعادي فَيلَقاً
كَرُغاءِ البَحرِ يَرمي بِالزَبَد
So the roofs became spears
And the ground became severed body parts.
فَعَلى الجَوِّ سُقوفٌ مِن قَناً
وَعَلى الأَرضِ قُطوعُ مِن جَسَد
It overwhelmed the enemies until it left them
Like the flash of lightning hurling arms.
أَصعَقَ الأَعداءَ حَتّى خِلتُهُ
زَفَيانَ الريحِ يَرمي بِالعَضَد
A pool after swirling you would think it
A sludge of tar then cooled and hardened.
رَكدَةٌ عَن جَولَةٍ تَحسَبُها
مِرجَلَ القَينِ غَلا ثُمَّ بَرَد
No spear among them went astray,
No sword tripped among what it found.
ما أَضَلَّ الرَمحُ فيها مِنهُمُ
عَثَرَ السَيفُ بِهِ فيما وَجَد
Of the Sasanians it most humbled
The cornerstone of the kingdom and its pillars.
مِن بَني ساسانَ أَقنىً ضُرِبَت
حُجَرُ المُلكِ عَليهِ وَالسُدَد
In every horizon its sun rises,
Does a sun favor a particular land?
طَلَعَت في كُلِّ أُفقٍ شَمسُهُ
هَل تَرى يَختَصُّ بِالشَمسِ بَلَد
We have not seen one like his father ever beget
He gave birth to all people through his son.
ما رَأَينا كَأَبيهِ ناجِلاً
وَلَدَ الناسَ جَميعاً بِوَلَد
If he is a crown and a pillar
Then his son is the crown’s pearl and the pillar’s capital.
إِن يَكُن تاجاً وَعَضداً فَاِبنُهُ
دُرَّةُ التاجِ وَدُملوجُ العَضُد
Your shadow never disappears nor
Does fortune cease to fulfill its promise in you.
لا ضَحا ظِلُّكَمُ يَوماً وَلا
مَطَلَ الإِقبالُ فيكُم ما وَعَد
And you have taken the easy life to excess,
The sanctuary of bounty and comfortable living.
وَتَفارَطتُم عَلى رَفهِ السُرى
مَورِدَ النَعماءِ وَالعَيشِ الرَغَد
And seriousness has become unruly with you,
With no way to stop the march of time.
وَغَدا الجَدُّ جَموحاً بِكُمُ
ما لَهُ عَن غايَةِ الأَيّامِ رَد
Your enemies’ lives shorten
While yours grow long and extend.
تَقصُرُ الآجالُ مِن أَعدائِكُم
وَيُطالُ العَيشُ فيكُم وَيُمَد
Traitors run out sometimes but not
The heaving sea with its deep swells.
تَنفَدُ الغُدرانُ أَحياناً وَما
لِعُبابِ اليَمِّ ذي اللُجِّ نَفَد
Glory roars mightily through you,
Content with the abode in you and the city.
جَعجَعَ المَجدُ بِكُم مَبرَكَهُ
راضِياً بِالدارِ فيكُم وَالبَلَد
And the domes of kingship were raised up
With pillars built by you.
وَقِبابُ المُلكِ في أَعطانِها
رُفِعَت مِنكُم بِعاديَّ العَمَد
A group whose endeavors went in vain,
He who covets numbers goes astray.
مَعشَرٌ فاتَ المَساعي سَعيُهُم
ضَلَّ مَن كاثَرَ رَملاً بِعَدَد
They corrupted the times for their children,
None like them will ever be born.
أَفسَدوا الدَهرَ عَلى أَولادِهِ
لا يُرى مِثلُهُمُ فيمَن وَلَد
O restorer of water to my barren land, and
O my pillar after shaking and love.
يا مُعيدَ الماءِ في عودي وَيا
مُثبِتي بَعدَ اِضطِرابٍ وَأَوَد
My fruits today belong to whoever made me bloom,
And if the branch blooms it will bear fruit.
ثَمَري اليَومَ لِمَن أَورَقَني
وَإِذا ما أَورَقَ الفَرعُ عَقَد
Each day fresh blessings from you
Tie the glory in new knots.
كُلَّ يَومٍ لَكَ نُعمى غَضَّةٌ
تَعقُدُ الفَخرَ بِأَطواقٍ جُدُد
Much grace from you time after time
Came in pardon and hand after hand.
رُبَّ مَنٍّ بَعدَ مَنٍ مِنكُمُ
جاءَ عَفواً وَيَداً مِن بَعدِ يَد
So regard them as binding the sublime,
Bringing glory and glory is endless.
فَاِعتَقِدها ناظِماتٍ لِلعُلى
جامِعاتِ المَجدِ وَالمَجدُ بَدَد
Of platforms of fame, no regrets will reach them,
Nor a people or land they will fail to revive.
مِن مَطايا الذِكرِ لا يَحسُرُها
أَبَداً وَعثُ بِلادٍ وَجَدَد
Knots for glory lasting, their essence
Is eternal, and for glory there are knots.
عُقَدٌ لِلمَجدِ باقٍ عَينُها
أَبَدَ الدَهرِ وَلِلمَجدِ عُقَد
Foreigners who confront the horizon,
For them in you are platforms and homes.
خارِجِيّاتٌ يُبادونَ المَدى
وَلَها فيكَ بَواقٍ وَقُعُد
