الكعبة الزهراء — Badawi Al Jabal

بنور على أم القرى و بطيب
غسلت فؤادي من أسى و لهيب
With light and fragrance over the Mother of Cities, I washed my heart of sorrow and burning flames.
I kissed the earth seven times and lined my eyes with a beauty as majestic as the secrets of the sky.
لثمت الثّرى سبعا و كحّلت مقلتي
بحسن كأسرار السماء مهيب
I restrained my heart lest it fly away to Mina, heavy with the burdens of its yearning and rapid beats.
O my soul: the valley of the Trustworthy Muhammad is fertile with guidance, though barren of earthly crops.
و أمسكت قلبي لا يطير إلى (منى)
بأعبائه من لهفة و وجيب
Here is the radiant Kaaba, the revelation, and the sweet scent; here is the light, so perish in its love and melt away.
And O my soul: between the Hateem and Zamzam, I left my tears to intercede for my sins.
فيا مهجتي : وادي الأمين محمد
خصيب الهدى : و الزرع غير خصيب
In the radiant Kaaba I adorned my sorrow, and my weeping perfumed the gates of heaven.
And the desert echoed, from east to west, a melody of anguish and stillness.
هنا الكعبة الزّهراء . و الوحي و الشذا
هنا النور. فافني في هواه و ذوبي
Upon this land they gathered, the wealthy and the destitute, alongside fledglings with downy wings and the white-haired old.
All are equals here: their garment is the pilgrim’s cloth radiating fragrance, and every heart is a repentant heart.
و يا مهجتي : بين الحطيم و زمزم
تركت دموعي شافعا لذنوبي
They made their heavy, exhausted sins kneel within the vast and spacious sanctuary of God’s forgiveness.
Every lord was humbled before the glory of God, and every hardened soul softened in fear of Him.
و في الكعبة الزهراء زيّنت لوعتي
و عطّر أبواب السماء نحيبي
And had I any remnant of my youth remaining, I would have hastened to it upon the back of a noble steed.
Taking my slumber in every shade I found, and pausing to drink beside every desert well.
و ردّدت الصحراء شرقا و مغربا
صدى نغم من لوعة و رتوب
I tore the veil of silence between the desert and myself with a captivating flute, drunken with yearning.
I thought a musical spirit dwelled within it, relieving its hidden sorrows through the hollows of the reed.
تلاقوا عليها ، من غني و معدم
و من صبية زغب الجناح و شيب
And a caravan traversing it, marked by the sway of their pale camels, with nodding heads and sides succumbing to slumber.
Amidst a thousand mirages, I never denied its beauty, even when its phantom pools surprised me with their dryness.
نظائر فيها : بردهم برد محرم
يضوع شذا : و القلب قلب منيب
The roar of its silence thundered, then settled, softening like the faintest whisper and creeping step.
While phantoms of jinn within its seas of sand wrestled with my state, floating and sinking.
أناخوا الذنوب المثقلات لواغبا
بأفيح ? من عفو الإله ? رحيب
The fleeing white antelopes within it turn my heart toward a tender fawn raised in the orchards of Damascus,
Consoling me—though honesty is his true nature—with a drawn-out, false promise of our meeting.
و ذلّ لعزّ الله كلّ مسوّد
ورقّ لخوف الله كلّ صليب
Thus I exchanged a soft, coquettish, and smiling beauty for a fierce and melancholic beauty in the sands.
For whoever companions the desert becomes lost in a realm of magic, filled with awesome, spectral phantoms.
و لو أنّ عندي للشّباب بقيّة
خففت إليها فوق ظهر نجيب
Even the highest heavens are curious of its secrets, placing a watchful eye within every star.
Through the phantom of the clouds, I see the footsteps of Muhammad treading upon its fertile lands and barren wastes.
و لي غفوة في كلّ ظلّ لقيته
و وقفة سقيا عند كلّ قليب
And darkened tents, where the silence was shattered by the neighing of horses heralding the march.
And a fire kindled upon a sandy highland, blazing to rescue the destitute and aid the plundered.
هتكت حجاب الصّمت بيني و بينها
(بشبّابة) سكرى الحنين خلوب
And a cry of 'God is Great' at dawn flowing with the east wind, bringing bliss to the wastelands and green life to the plains.
I breathe in the dark sands: within every handful lies a world of passion and fragrant perfumes.
حسبت بها جنّيّة (معبدية)
و فرّجت عن غماّئها بثقوب
Upon every highland drifts the breath of angels, and within every valley lies the secret of the unseen.
I became one with the desert, until its setting and its presence became my own manifestation and my own eclipse.
و ركب عليها ، وسم أخفاق عيسهم
وهام تهاوت للكرى و جنوب
From this very desert came the lights of a Messenger, the banners of a victor, and the marvels of a great orator.
And from this desert came poetry, with which every alluring woman, drunk on her own coquetry, adorns herself,
و ألف سراب ، ما كفرت بحسنها
و إن فاجأت غدرانها بنضوب
Perfuming herself in its melodies, its nectar, and its essence: the scent of a smiling mouth and flowing locks.
The stars sprinkle their musky light upon it, so I fill my dreams to the brim and spill my cup.
و ضجّة صمت جلجلت . ثمّ وادعت
و رقّت ، كأخفى همسة و دبيب
How generous is the desert; though it suffers thirst, it weaves for us a cooling shade as lush as paradise.
History slumbers upon it, until the desert shakes it awake with a cunning, brilliant, and unyielding leader.
و أطياف جنّ في بحار رمالها
تصارع حالي طفوة و رسوب
Time itself complained of the exhaustion caused by its sands, yet the desert never complained of weariness or fatigue.
With patience drawn from the desert, perfectly woven, I ascended above my ordeals and my sorrows.
و تعطفني آلآرام فيها نوافر
إلى رشأ في الغوطتين ربيب
From this desert my very nature was forged, rendering every wonder of time utterly unsurprising.
My poetry makes every willow of Al-Liwa sway, and with my verses, every sand dune is touched with dew.
يعلّلني ? و الصدق فيه سجية
بوعد مطول باللقاء كذوب
Were it not for the bleeding wounds within my soul, my romantic verses would have intoxicated all of Najd and the Hijaz.
Far be it from me, for blaming the noble is not my nature, nor is hating him during times of estrangement my portion.
و بدّلت حسنا ضاحك الدلّ ناعما
بحسن عنيف في الرّمال كئيب
Out of modesty and chastity, I shifted the lines of sorrow and frowning from my face into the depths of my heart.
The days have stripped me of those I love, leaving me like a barren thicket shunned by the spring.
و من صحب الصحراء هام بعالم
من السحر جنّي الطيوف رهيب
Many a distant one is sweeter to you than your deepest wishes, and many who dwell nearby are not truly near.
Woe to the beautiful maidens: I was never safe from their trials, but now, after my hair has turned white, my trials have found peace.
و للفلك الأسمى ، فضول لسرها
ففي كلّ نجم منه عين رقيب
How can I leap against time and its people, when old age bears shackles that hinder my leaping?
Must there be heartbreak after heartbreak every single day, for the estrangement of family or the loss of a loved one?
أرى بخيال السّحب ? خطو محمد
على مخصب من بيدها و جديب
O Lord, there are fresh scars within my heart, seeking refuge among the scars of the past.
Oppressor after oppressor seeks to hold me to account, yet none but the Almighty of the heavens is my Reckoner.
و سمر خيام مزّق الصمت عندها
حماحم خيل بشّرت بركوب
O Lord, protect my people with love, uniting the scattering of their hearts, not merely the scattering of their paths.
O Lord, do not accept the superficial display of a smile, if it is not accompanied by the genuine purity of hearts.
و نارا على نجد من الرمل أوقدت
لنجدة محروم و غوث حريب
They sought to cure a great calamity with yet another calamity, leaving behind them Islam, the greatest healer.
O Lord, in Islam there is light and mercy, and the longing of an exiled soul for its kin.
و تكبيرة في الفجر سالت مع الصّبا
نعيم فياف و اخضلال سهوب
So unite upon Islam a world that has been torn asunder into subjugated nations and fractured peoples.
Anyone from afar who makes pilgrimage to the House, or yearns for it despite the vast distance, is my brother.
أشمّ الرمال السمر : في كلّ حفنة
من الرّمل ، دنيا من هوى و طيوب
These are the traits of Islam, generous in its tenderness, so no nation is a stranger to its boundless grace.
I have come to believe that love is a blessing and a supreme good, and I find no good whatsoever in battles and wars.
على كلّ نجد منه نفح ملائك
و في كلّ واد منه سرّ غيوب
May every hand triumphant in conquest and power be a ransom for a gentle hand dyed in sweet perfume.
I have come to believe that love and light are one and the same, and only the doubtful deny such divine blessings.
توحّدت بالصحراء . حتّى مغيبها
و مشهدها من مشهدي و مغيبي
And had I the power, out of tenderness and mercy, I would have spared my enemies from clashing with my people.
O Lord, I have never ascribed partners to You, nor dealt in harm, guarding both my youth and my old age from them.
ومن هذه الصحراء ، أنوار مرسل
و رايات منصور . و بدع خطيب
And though I may have passed these two in safety, my sins would still be too great, were it not for Your generous forgiveness.
I flee out of pride or deep shame for my transgressions; I flee from You, yes, but only to escape back to You.
و من هذه الصحراء ، شعر تبرّجت
به كلّ سكرى بالدلال عروب
I lay bare my faults, regretful and exposed, for I conceal my flaws from all but Your divine sanctuary.
And what sins could not be erased for a poet, one afflicted yet enraptured by the many colors of beauty?
تعطّر في أنغامه و رحيقه
وريّاه :عطري مبسم و سبيب
Had the maidens of Paradise witnessed my weeping, they would have sipped my falling tears amidst the terrors of the Reckoning.
I have praised the Messenger of God, hoping for his reward, and heaven forbid that true generosity should leave me unrewarded.
ترشّ النجوم النور فيها ممسّكا
فأترع أحلامي و أهرق كوبي
I stood at the door of God, and then at his door, standing as one who persistently and tirelessly pleads.
A purity in the name of God, entirely unclouded, and a love for the essence of God, completely unblemished.
و ما أكرم الصحراء .. تصدى .. و نـمنمت
لنا برد ظل كالنعيم رطيب
I marvel at the clouds that cast their shade over Ahmad, and the sweet, cooling waters that flowed freely from his hands.
If the secret of God lay above a shading cloud, and within palatable water meant for the thirsty...
و يغفو لها التاريخ . حتّى ترجّه
بداهية صلب القناة أريب
Then within the miracle of the Quran, and the state he built upon it, lies ultimate conviction for the wise.
O Lord, beside the tomb, the tomb of Muhammad, hear the prayer of one bereft, with eyes raw from weeping.
شكا الدّهر ممّا أتعبته رمالها
و لم تشك فيه من ونى و لغوب
By the burning embers of the pilgrims' love for Mecca, and by the tears pouring over the purity of the Sacred Station.
By a longing whose melody embraced the ribs, and a passionate ecstasy for its fragrance held tight against the chest.
و صبر من الصحراء ، أحكمت نسجه
سموت به عن محنتي و كروبي
Be gentle with my people and shield them from a calamity that has already struck, or warns of its imminent strike.
And return their wandering minds to the path of guidance, for minds may yet return after drifting astray.
و من هذه الصحراء .. صيغت سجيّتي
فكلّ عجيب الدّهر غير عجيب
And return their resentful hearts to the dew of love, within fragrant, lush, and grassy shades.
The waves surged forth while the pitch-black night obscured all, and the madness of the wind howled from every direction.
يرنّح شعري باللوى كلّ بانة
و يندى بشعري فيه كلّ كثيب
The sea struck the frail, exhausted ship with a giant, an angry titan of the deep, arrogant with impending death.
Shaking it violently left and right with a deafening roar, and biting into it with the fangs of its terror.
و لولا الجراح الداميات بمهجتي
لأسكر نجدا و الحجاز نسيبي
Making it dance at times, and at times violently convulsing it, rapidly alternating between an eerie calm and a sudden lunge.
Hurling it upward in haste, then crashing it down in haste, as the waves played a most vicious and cruel game.
و هيهات ما لوم الكريم سجيّتي
و لا بغضه عند الجفاء نصيبي
The exhausted souls aboard the ship grew certain of their doom, watching death approach them in every rise and fall.
And as despair stretched out, cloaking their faces in its hues of yellowness and sickly pallor,
نقلت إلى قلبي حياء و عفّة
أسارير وجهي من أسى و قطوب
They cried out: 'O Father of Al-Zahra!' while death was creeping upon them—and indeed, they had found the one who answers!
Instantly the wind surrendered its reins, turning as gentle as a breeze fluttering from the north and the south.
و عرّتني الأيّام ممّن أحبّهم
كأيك ? تحاماه الرّبيع ? سليب
And the grace of God surprised them through the blessing of Ahmad, draping the nakedness of their hope in a fresh, protective cloak.
Illness has kept me from reaching you, so I sent these wandering verses, unmatched by any peer.
و رب ّ بعيد عنك أحلى من المنى
و ربّ قريب الدّار غير قريب
The sweet fragrances of your tomb shall guide them through the darkness, saving them from bewilderment and going astray.
And at the presence of the Father of Al-Zahra they have set down their saddlebags, in the courtyard of the Generous One who earns all praise.
و ويح الغواني : ما أمنت خطوبها
و قد أمنت بعد المشيب خطوبي
I unveiled my unique pearl over the valley of Al-Aqeeq, so that the noble one among them was met with another of equal nobility.
The civilizations of peoples swell with pride over a poet, and the heights of greatness are perfected by a man of letters.
و كيف و ثوبي للزّمان و أهله
و للشيّب أصفاد يعقن و ثوبي
And at the presence of the Father of Al-Zahra they have set down their saddlebags, in the courtyard of the Generous One who earns all praise.
I unveiled my unique pearl over the valley of Al-Aqeeq, so that the noble one among them was met with another of equal nobility.
أفي كلّ يوم لوعة بعد لوعة
لغربة أهل أو لفقد حبيب
The civilizations of peoples swell with pride over a poet, and the heights of greatness are perfected by a man of letters.
و يارب : في قلبي ندوب جديدة
تريد القرى من سالفات ندوب
يريد حسابي ظالم بعد ظالم
و ما غير جبّار السماء حسيبي
و يا رب : صن بالحبّ قومي مؤلفا
شتات قلوب لا شتات دروب
و يا رب : لا تقبل صغاء بشاشة
إذ لم يصاحبه صفاء قلوب
تداووا من الجلىّ بجلىّ .. و خلّفوا
وراءهم الإسلام خير طبيب
و يا رب : في الإسلام نور و رحمة
و شوق نسيب نازح لنسيب
فألّف على الإسلام دنيا تمزّقت
إلى أمم مقهورة و شعوب
وكلّ بعيد حجّ للبيت أو هفا
إليه و إن شطّ المزار ? قريبي
سجايا من الإسلام : سمح حنانها
فلا شعب عن نعمائها بغريب
و آمنت أنّ الحبّ خير ونعمة
و لا خير عندي في وغى و حروب
و كلّ خصيب الكف فتحا وصولة
فداء لكف بالعبير خضيب
و آمنت أنّ الحب و النور واحد
و يكفر بالآلاء كلّ مريب
و لو كان في وسعي حنانا و رحمة
لجنّبت أعدائي لقاء شعوبي
و يا رب : لم أشرك و لم أعرف الأذى
و صنت شبابي عنهما و مشيبي
و إنّي ? و إن جاوزت هذين سالما
لأكبر لولا جود عفوك حوبي
و أهرب كبرا أو حياء لزلّتي
و منك ، نعم ، لكن إليك هروبي
و أجلو عيوبي نادمات حواسرا
و أستر إلاّ في حماك عيوبي
و أيّ ذنوب ليس تمحى لشاعر
معنّى بألوان الجمال طروب
و لو شهدت حور الجنان مدامعي
ترشّفن في هول الحساب غروبي
مدحت رسول الله أرجو ثوابه
و حاشا الندى أن لا يكون مثيبي
وقفت بباب الله ثمّ ببابه
وقوف ملحّ بالسؤال دؤوب
صفاء على اسم الله غير مكدّر
و حب لذات الله غير مشوب
و أزهى بتظليل الغمام لأحمد
و عذب برود من يديه سروب
فإن كان سرّ الله فوق غمامة
تظلّ و ماء سائغ لشروب
ففي معجز القرآن و الدولة التي
بناها عليه مقنع للبيب
و يا رب عند القبر قبر محمد
دعاء قريح المقلتين سليب
بجمر هوى عند الحجيج لمكّة
و دمع على طهر ( المقام ) سكوب
بشوق على نغماه ، ضمّ جوانح
و وجد على ريّاه زرّ جيوب
ترفّق بقومي و احمهم من ملمّة
لقد نشبت أو آذنت بنشوب
وردّ الحلوم العازبات إلى الهدى
فقد ترجع الأحلام بعد عزوب
وردّ القلوب الحاقدات إلى ند
من الحبّ فوّاح الظلال عشيب
تدفقت الأمواج و اللّيل كافر
و هبّ جنون الرّيح كلّ هبوب
رمى اليمّ انضاء السفين بمارد
من اليمّ تيّاه الحتوف غضوب
يزلزلها يمنى و يسرى مزمجرا
و يضغمها من هوله بنيوب
يرقّصها حينا و حينا يرجّها
و يوجز حالي هدأة و وثوب
و ترفعها عجلى و عجلى تحطّها
لعوب من الأمواج جدّ لعوب
و أيقن أنضاء السفينة بالردى
يطالعهم في جيئة و ذهوب
و لمّا استطال اليأس يكسو وجوههم
بألوانه من صفرة و شحوب
دعوا : يا أبا الزهراء و الحتف زاحف
عليهم : لقد وفّقتم بمجيب
و أسلست الرّيح القياد كأنها
نسيم هفا من شمأل و جنوب
و باده لطف الله من يمن أحمد
ببرد على عري الرّجاء ? قشيب
و أقعدني عنك الضّنى فبعثتها
شوارد شعر لم ترع بضريب
و ترشدها أطياب قبرك في الدجى
فتعصمها من حيرة و نكوب
و عند أبي الزهراء حطّت رحالها
بساح جواد للثناء كسوب
جلوت على وادي العقيق فريدتي
ففاز حسيب منهما بحسيب
تتيه حضارات الشعوب بشاعر
و تكمل أسباب العلى بأديب
و عند أبي الزهراء حطّت رحالها
بساح جواد للثناء كسوب
جلوت على وادي العقيق فريدتي
ففاز حسيب منهما بحسيب
تتيه حضارات الشعوب بشاعر
و تكمل أسباب العلى بأديب