مِن أُسودٍ تَسَربَلَت بِالحَديدِ
وَمِنَ الجِنِّ في رَواءِ الجُنودِ
Of lions clad in coats of iron,
And Jinn within the guise of soldiers.
يُنشِدونَ الوَغى وَما يُنشِدُ
الحَسناءَ غَيرُ المُتَيَّمِ المَعمودِ
They seek the tumult of war, and none seeks
The fair beauty, save the lovesick and enthralled.
كُلُّ قِرمٍ عَلَيهِ دِرعٌ مِنَ الصَبرِ
وَدِرعٌ مَسرودَةٌ مِن حَديدِ
Every hero wears a shield of patience,
Alongside woven armor made of iron.
تَحتَهُ أَجرَدُ أَشَدُّ حنيناً
وَاِشتِياقاً إِلى الوَغى مِن نَجيدِ
Beneath him is a steed, more fierce in longing
And yearning for the fray than the brave knight.
سابِحٌ عِندَهُ العَسيرُ يَسيرٌ
وَالقَصِيُّ القَصِيُّ غَيرُ بَعيدِ
A gliding charger to whom the difficult is easy,
And the farthest reaches are not far at all.
وَصَبا لِلنُجومِ مَن قَد عَلاهُ
أَصبَحَ الجَوُّ تَحتَهُ كَالصَعيدِ
The one who mounted him aspired to the stars,
Until the very sky beneath him seemed like solid ground.
تَحسَبُ الأَرضُ قَد جَرَت حينَ يَجر
وَتَراهُ كَأَنَّهُ في رُكودِ
You deem the earth itself is running when he runs,
While he appears to you as if standing still.
إِنَّما يَركَبُ الجَوادُ جَوادٌ
وَيَصونُ الذَمّارَ غَيرُ بَليدِ
Indeed, only the noble rides the noble steed,
And none guards honor save the sharp of wit.
وَخَميسٍ يَحكي النُجومَ اِنتِظاماً
عَجَباً مِن كَواكِبٍ في بيدِ
And a vast army mimicking the stars in alignment,
A wonder of celestial bodies in the desert waste.
أَوقَعَ الرُعبَ في قُلوبِ الضَواري
فَاِستَكانَت كَأَنَّها في قُيودِ
It cast terror into the hearts of predatory beasts,
So they submitted as though bound in chains.
أَصبَحَت تَهجُرُ المِياه وَكانَت
لا تَرى الماءَ غَيرَ ماءِ الوَريدِ
They came to shun the waters, though before,
They saw no water save the blood of veins.
خافِقاتٍ أَعلامُهُ أَرَأَيتُم
كَقُلوبِ العُشّاقِ عِندَ الصُدودِ
Its banners fluttering—have you ever seen
The likeness of lovers' hearts when facing rejection?
قادَهُ ذَلِكَ الغَضَنفَرُ نوجي
وَيُناطُ الحُسامُ بِالصِنديدِ
That lion, General Nogi, led the charge,
For the sharp sword befits the valiant chief.
رَجُلٌ دونَهُ الرِجالُ مَقاماً
مُشبِهٌ في الأَنامِ بَيتَ القَصيدِ
A man beneath whose station all men stand,
Like the crowning verse of a poem amidst mankind.
كُلُّ سَيفٍ في غَيرِ قَبضَةِ نوجي
فَهوَ عِندَ السُيوفِ غَيرُ سَعيدِ
Every sword held in a hand other than Nogi's,
Is deemed unfortunate among all blades.
يا يَراعي سَل بورتَ آرثور عَنهُ
إِنَّ تِلكَ الحُصونِ خَيرُ شَهيدِ
O my pen, ask Port Arthur of his deeds,
For those strongholds are the greatest witness.
مَعقِلٌ أَصبَحَت جَحافِلُ هيتو
حَولَهُ كَالعُقودِ حَولَ الجيدِ
A citadel where the legions of Hito became,
Encircled like necklaces adorning a neck.
هَجَموا هَجمَةَ الضَراغِمِ لَمّا
هَسَبوها فَريسَةً لِلأُسودِ
They struck with the onslaught of lions when
They deemed the fort a prey meant for the pride.
وَتَعالى الضَجيجُ لِلأُفقِ حَتّى
كادَ ذاكَ الضَجيجُ بِالأُفقِ يودي
The clamor rose high to the horizon, until
That very clamor nearly shattered the sky.
وَتَوالى هُجومُهُم وَالمَنايا
ضاحِكاتٌ فَيا لَها مِن صُيودِ
Their assaults came wave upon wave, while Death
Stood laughing—oh, what a bountiful hunt!
كَم جَريحٍ مُضَرَّجٍ بِدِماهُ
وَقَتيلٍ عَلى الثَرى مَمدودِ
How many a wounded man, stained in his own blood,
And how many a slain soldier laid upon the dust.
وَأَسيرٍ إِلى أَسيرٍ يُساقونَ
تِباعاً إِلى الشَقاءِ العَتيدِ
Prisoner joined to prisoner, they are driven
In succession toward a destined misery.
أَسطَرَتهُم مَدافِعُ الروسِ ناراً
أَصبَحوا بَعدَها بِغَيرِ جُلودِ
The Russian cannons inscribed them with fire,
Leaving them thereafter stripped of their very skin.
دامَتِ الحَربُ أَشهُراً كُلَّما قيلَ
خَبَت نارُها ذَكَت مِن جَديدِ
The war raged for months; whenever it was said,
"Its fire has faded," it blazed forth anew.
وَالمَنايا تَحومُ حَولَ الَرايا
حَومَةَ العاشِقينَ حَولَ الغيدِ
And the Fates hovered 'round the banners,
As lovers hover around graceful beauties.
حَيثُ حَظُّ المِقدامِ مِثلُ سِواهُ
وَكَحَظِّ الكَبيرِ حَظُّ الوَليدِ
Where the fortune of the bold matches that of the rest,
And the fate of the elder is that of the child.
صَبَرَ الروسُ صَبرَ أَيّوبٍ لِلبَلوى
وَعَلى ذَلِكَ العَدُوِّ العَنيدِ
The Russians endured the trial with the patience of Job,
Standing firm against that obstinate foe.
غَيرَ أَنَّ الأَيّامَ طالَت وِستوسَل
يُمني أَجفانَهُ بِالهُجودِ
Yet the days grew long, and General Stessel
Began to promise his eyelids the gift of sleep.
فَتَوَلّاهُمُ القُنوطُ مِنَ النَصرِ
فَرَدّوا أَسيافَهُم لِلغُمودِ
So despair of victory overtook them,
And they returned their swords to the scabbards.
كانَ هَذا لِلصُفرِ عيدا وَعِندَ
الروسِ ضَرباً مِنَ اللَيالي السودِ
This was a day of festival for the Yellow race,
And for the Russians, a stroke of the darkest nights.
قَلعَةٌ صانَها الزَمانُ فَلَولا
كَيدُ نوجي لَبَشَّرتُ بَِلخُلودِ
A citadel guarded by Time itself—and were it not
For Nogi's stratagem, I would have heralded its immortality.
