أضاء بِبُرقَةٍ بَرقٌ لَموعُ
فَأَرَّقَةُ وَصُحبَتُهُ هُجوعُ
A flash of lightning illuminated with a brilliant flare,
Keeping it company, flickering and timorous.
كَإِيمَاءِ الحَوَاجِبِ يَومَ بَينٍ
بِتَسلِيمٍ وَقَد غَفَلَ الجَمِيعُ
Like an eyebrow's gesture on a day of leave-taking -
Bidding farewell while all others are oblivious.
كَأنَّ رَبابَهُ الجَونِيّ أعيا
فَصُبّ عَلَيهِ مِن لَهَبٍ قَطِيعُ
As if its heart-sick minstrel has wearied,
And a torrent of flames is poured upon it.
كَأَنَّ الجَو صُكّ بِصَارِمَيهِ
فَسَالَ عَلَى حَنَادِسِهِ النّجيعُ
As if the air clashed its swords together,
And their well-honed blades dripped down.
كَأنّ الرّيحَ تَجري فِيهِ خَيلٌ
بِأيدِي الرَّاكِضَاتِ لَهَا شُموعُ
As if the wind races horses through it,
Their reins held by racing hands that grasp torches.
شَجا صدعُ السَّنَا فِيهِ فُؤَاداً
لِرَوعَاتِ النَّوَى فِيهِ صُدُوعُ
The separation there has torn asunder a heart,
Broken by the gazelle's glance within.
تَذَكّرَ إِذ شَبِيبَتُهُ غُرابٌ
لَهُ فِي رَوضِ عِفّتِهِ وُقُوعُ
It recalls when its youth was a raven
Perched in the garden of its chastity.
وَإذ مَرمَى غَوَانِيهِ قَرِيبٌ
إلَيهِ وَخَطوً هِمَّتِهِ ذَرِيعُ
When its flirtations drew near, enticingly,
And its ambition advanced resolutely.
وَإذ وَادِي صَبَابَتِهِ مَرِيعٌ
عَلَيهِ لِلتّقَى حِصنٌ مَنِيعُ
When the valley of its prime was submissive
To it, a stronghold of virtue shielding it.
وَلَكِنّ الشَّبَابَ إِذَا تَوَلَّى
فَصَعبٌ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُ رُجُوعُ
But when youth turns away,
It is hard for it to return.
وَمَن لَم يَستَطِع رَدّاً لِشَيءٍ
فَإِنَّ الصَّبرَ عَنهُ يَستَطِيعُ
Whoever cannot regain something
Can endure its loss with patience.
إِذَا شَيطَانُ أَطمَاعِي عَصَانِي
فإنَّ قَنَاعَتِي مَلَكٌ مُطِيعُ
When the devil of greed and disobedience
Tempts me, my contentment is an obedient angel.
وَمَن وَطِئَتهُ أَقدَامُ المَنَايَا
فَإِنِّي ذَلِكَ النّيقُ الرَّفِيعُ
And when the steps of demise have trod upon me,
I am that elegant, noble corpse.
وَإن صَالَ الزّمانُ فإِِنَّ عَزماً
لَدّيّ الأَنفِ صَولَتِهِ جَدُوعُ
Even if time has marched on, my will
To straighten its twisting path remains sturdy.
وَإِن تَضِقِ البلادُ فَثَمّ عَيشٌ
وَثَمَّ مَهَامِهٌفِيحٌ وَرِيعُ
Even if the lands narrow, still there is livelihood,
Still there are glories, spoils and meadows.
وَإن مَحَلَ الغَمَامُ فَلِلقَوَافِي
غَمَامٌ نَبتُ مَسقَطِهِ مَرِيعُ
Even if clouds bear down, the rhymes
Still have clouds whose source of rain is submissive.
وَلَم يُمحِل رِيَاضُ بَنَاتِ فِكرٍ
وَمَاءُ أبِي الرَّبيعِ لَهَا رَبِيعُ
The gardens of the daughters of thought do not wither,
Nor does the spring of my father, their springtime, fade.
ولا أخوَت نُجُومُ سَمَاءِ مَجدٍ
لَهَا مِن أُفقِ سُؤدَدِهِ طُلُوعُ
The sister stars in the sky of glory
Still rise from the horizon of its serene beauty.
تَنَامُ عُفَاتُهُ شِبَعاً وَرَيّاً
إذَا ذادَ الكَرَى ظَمَأ وَجوعُ
Its chastity falls asleep content and sated
When cares of the day induce thirst and hunger.
وَيُورِدُ مِن مَوَاهِبِهِ بِحَاراً
إذَا يَبِسَت منَ الشّظفِ الدُّمُوعُ
It brings forth abundantly from its blessings seas
When the tears of those who plead are dried up.
ويُجنَى دوحُ أنعمه رطَابا
إِذا اصفَرَّت عَلَى الغُصنِ الفُروعُ
And the groves of its blessings bear sweetest fruits
When the branches are yellowed and bare.
وأُذهلَتِ المَرَاضِعُ عَن بَنِيهَا
وَأنسِيَ أمَّهُ الضَّرعَ التَّبِيعُ
The nursing mothers forget their children,
And the weaning child forgets the breast that fed it.
رَعَى أمرَ الثُّغورِ فَلا قُلُوبٌ
تُخالِفُهُ ولا مَالٌ يَضِيعُ
It has tended to the affairs of the marches, so no hearts
Oppose it, no wealth is lost.
وَلَكن مِنّة لِلّهِ عَمَّت
وَأعلَنَ شكرَهَا المَلأُ الجَمِيعُ
But the blessings of God have encompassed all,
And the throngs together proclaim their gratitude.
وَمََن يَجحَد فَمَا حُرِمَ اصطِنَاعاً
وَلَكِن رُبَّمَا خابَ الصَّنِيعُ
Whoever denies does not lose favor undeservedly,
But sometimes the maker of favor is disappointed.
إذ استشرى سَطَا ليثٌ هَصورٌ
وَإن أعطَى هَمَىغيثٌ هَمُوعُ
When an awesome lion bares its claws,
A generous cloud may shower, but remain discontent.
تَسَربَلَ مِن مَهَابَتِهِ دلاصاً
يُفَلّ بِهَا السُّرَيجيُّ الصَّنيعُ
It clothes itself in the mantle of its awe,
With which the skilled artisan is deft and diligent.
وَأصلَتَ مِن عَزِيمَتِهِ حُساماً
تُقَدُّ بِهِ الجَوَاشِنُ وَالدُّروعُ
It has forged from its resolve a sword
With which coats of mail and armor are pierced.
فَمَهمَا ثَارَ فِي جَوٍّ قَتامٌ
فَفِيهِ لرَفعِ شَفرَتِهِ صَرِيعُ
So no matter how darkly the clouds mass,
Within them its blade finds a victim to pierce.
لَهُ فِي سُوقِهِم طَوراً سُجُودٌ
وَفِي هَامَاتِهِم طَوراً رُكُوعُ
Before it they bow down in the markets,
And their skulls bow down in prostration.
سَمِيُّ مُسَخّرِ الأروَاحِ فِيهِ
مِنَ الهَدي السَّكِينَةُ وَالخُشوعُ
The All-Powerful has harnessed their souls to it;
In them are tranquility and humility.
فَلَو وَلاّه ذاكَ الملكَ وَلّى
أَمِينا لا يخونُ ولا يَضِيعُ
Had that King entrusted it with that kingdom, entrusted
A faithful minister who does not betray or neglect...
غَدا قَلباً وَنَحنُ لَهُ ضُلوعٌ
تَحُفّ بِهِ فَدَانٍ أَو شَسُوعُ
Tomorrow our hearts will be its ribs,
Sheltering it, whether armored or vulnerable.
وَلكِن بِرُّهُ يَحنو عَلَينَا
كَمَا تَحنو عَلَى القَلبِ الضُّلُوعُ
But its righteousness has compassion on us
As ribs have compassion on the heart they enfold.
أَقَائِدَنَا لَكَم قيدَت إلَينَا
أمَانٍ فِي أزِمِّتها خَضُوعُ
Our leaders, how often you have bound us
To safety in your decisive, commanding bonds.
قَطَفنا فِي ظلالِكُمُ جَناها
ولا خَطبٌ يَعُوقُ ولا يَرُوعُ
In your shadows we have plucked its fruits;
No misfortune thwarts or terrifies us.
حَيِينَا بانتِجاعِكُمُ حَيَاةً
كَقَطرِ الغيثِ مَوقِعُهُ نَجيعُ
By your care, you have revived life in us,
Like the falling of rain, wholesome in its places of descent.
وَكَان شَفِيعَنَا عِندَ اللَّيَالِي
رَجَاؤُكُمُ فَيَا نِعمَ الشَّفِيعُ
Your favor was our intercessor in the dark nights -
O excellent indeed is an intercessor like you!
جَزَاكُم شَاكِرُ الإِحسَانِ عَنَّا
فَإِنَّ جَزَاءَكُم لا نَستَطِيعُ
May the rewarder of kindness reward you in our stead,
For repaying you is beyond our capacity.
وَهَنَّأكُم بِغُرّة عيدِ نَحرٍ
لِرِونَقِهَا بِبَهجَتِكُم سُطُوعُ
And congratulations on the feast of sacrifice,
Illuminated by your joyous celebration.
مَنَائِحُ جودِكُم فِيهِ تُضَحّي
وَصَائِكُ طِيبِكُم فِيهِ يَضُوعُ
The offerings of your munificence are sacrificed in it,
And the fragrance of your perfumes wafts in it.
وَدُمتُم مَا حَدَا بَرقٌ سَحَاباً
وَمَا جَلّى دُجَى لَيلٍ صَدِيعُ
May you remain as long as lightning flashes from a cloud,
And the gloom of night is pierced by brilliant morning.
