أَعِد حَديثَكَ عِندي أَيُّها الرَجُلُ
وَقُل كَما قالَتِ الأَنباءُ وَالرُسُلُ
Repeat your tale to me, O man,
And speak as the news and messengers have spoken.
قَد هاجَ ما نَقَلَ الراوُنَ بي طَرَباً
ما أَجمَلَ الرُسلَ في عَيني وَما نَقَلوا
For what the narrators conveyed has stirred a delight within me;
How fair the messengers appear to my eyes, and how fair their tidings.
فَاِجمَع رِواياتِهِم وَاِملَء بِها أُذُني
حَتّى تَراني كَأَنّي شارِبٌ ثَمِلُ
Gather their stories together and fill my ears with them,
Until you see me swaying like one drunk on wine.
دَع زُخرُفَ القَولِ فيما أَنتَ ناقِلُهُ
إِنَّ المَليحَةَ لا يُزري بِها العَطَلُ
Abandon flowery speech in what you convey;
For a true beauty is not diminished by the lack of adornment.
فَكُلُّ سَمعِ إِذا قُلتَ السُلافُ فَمٌ
وَكُلُّ قَولٍ إِلَيهِم يَنتَهي عَسَلُ
When you speak of this vintage, every ear becomes a mouth,
And every word regarding them tastes of honey.
لا تَسقِني الراحَ إِلّا عِندَ ذِكرِهِمُ
أَو ذِكرِ قائِدِهِم أَو ذِكرِ ما فَعَلوا
Do not pour me the wine unless it accompanies their mention,
Or the mention of their leader, or the deeds they have done.
هُمُ المَساميحُ يُحيِ الأَرضَ جودُهُمُ
إِذا تَنَكَّبَ عَنها العارِضُ الهَطِلُ
They are the magnanimous ones; their generosity revives the earth
When the pouring rain clouds have turned away from it.
هُمُ المَصابيحُ تَستَهدي العُيونُ بِها
إِذا اِكفَهَرَّ الدُجى وَاِحتارَتِ المُقَلُ
They are the lamps by which eyes seek guidance,
When the darkness grows grim and sights are bewildered.
هُمُ الغُزاةُ بَنو الصَيدِ الغُزاةِ بِهِم
وَبَطشِهِم بِالأَعادي يُضرَبُ المَثَلُ
They are the warriors, sons of proud warrior kings;
In their might against the enemy, proverbs are coined.
قَومٌ يَبيتُ الضَعيفُ المُستَجيرُ بِهِم
مِن حَولِهِ الجُندُ وَالعَسّالَةُ الذُبُلُ
A people with whom the weak refugee sleeps soundly,
Surrounded by soldiers and slender, quivering spears.
فَما يُلِمُّ بِمَن صافاهُمُ أَلَمٌ
وَلا يَدومُ لِمَن عاداهُمُ أَمَلُ
No pain afflicts the one who befriends them,
And no hope endures for the one who opposes them.
تَدري العُلوجُ إِذا هَزّوا صَوارِمَهُم
أَيُّ الدِماءِ بِها في الأَرضِ تَنهَمِلُ
The barbarians know well, when they brandish their sharp swords,
Whose blood it is that shall flow upon the earth.
وَلِلغَرَندَقِ رَأيٌ مِثلُ صارِمِهِ
يَزُلُّ عَن صَفحَتَيهِ الحادِثُ الجَلَلِ
The Grand Duke possesses judgment as sharp as his blade;
The gravest calamities slide harmlessly from its edge.
المُقبِلُ الصَدرِ وَالأَبطالُ ناكِصَةٌ
تَحتَ العَجاجَةِ لا يَبدو لَها قُبُلُ
He charges chest-forward when other heroes retreat,
Beneath the dust of battle where no path is clear.
وَالباسِمُ الثَغرِ وَالأَشلاءُ طائِرَةٌ
عَن جانِبَيهِ وَحَرُّ الطَعنِ مُتَّصِلُ
He smiles while scattered limbs fly through the air,
On every side, amidst the ceaseless heat of the thrust.
سَعدُ السُعودِ عَلى السُؤالِ طالِعُهُ
لَكِنَّهُ في مَيادينِ الوَغى زُحَلُ
The most auspicious star presides over his fortunes,
Yet in the fields of war, he is as ominous as Saturn.
في كُلِّ سَيفٍ سِوى بَتّارِهِ فَلَلٌ
وَكُلُّ رَأيٍ سِوى آرائِهِ زَلَلُ
Every sword but his severing blade bears a notch;
And every judgment but his own is prone to error.
يا اِبنُ المُلوكِ الأُلى قَد شادَ واحِدُهُم
ما لَم تُشَيِّدُهُ أَملاكٌ وَلا دُوَلُ
O son of ancient kings, a single one of whom built
What entire dynasties and empires could not construct.
وَقائِدُ الجَيشِ ما لِلريحِ مُنفَرَجٌ
فيهِ وَلَكِن لَها مِن حَولِها زَجَلُ
Commander of an army so dense the wind finds no passage
Through its ranks, yet around it roars a mighty gale.
تَوَهَّمَ التُركُ لَمّا حانَ حينُهُمُ
أَنَّ الأُلى وَتَروا آبائُهُم غَفَلوا
The Turks imagined, when their doom was nigh,
That the avengers of their fathers had grown heedless.
حَتّى طَلَعتَ مِنَ القوقاسِ في لَجِبٍ
تَضيقُ عَنهُ فِجاجُ الأَرضِ وَالسُبُلُ
Until you emerged from the Caucasus amidst a clamorous host,
For which the earth's ravines and roads were too narrow.
فَأَدرَكوا أَنَّهُم ناموا عَلى غَرَرٍ
وَأَنَّكَ البَدرُ في الأَفلاكِ تَنتَقِلُ
Then they realized they had slept in peril,
And that you are the full moon traversing the spheres.
يا يَومَ صَبَّحتَهُم وَالنَقعُ مُعتَكِرٌ
كَأَنَّهُ اللَيلُ فَوقَ الأَرضِ مُنسَدِلُ
O the day you fell upon them at dawn, the dust thick and dark,
As though night itself had draped over the earth.
لَيلٌ يَسيرُ عَلى ضَوءِ السُيوفِ بِهِ
وَيَهتَدي بِالصَليلِ الفارِسُ البَطَلُ
A night navigated only by the gleam of swords,
Where the hero knight finds his way by the clash of steel.
بِكُلِّ أَروَعَ ما في قَلبِهِ خَوَرٌ
عِندَ الصِدامِ وَلا في زِندِهِ شَلَلُ
With every magnificent warrior, no weakness in his heart
When battle joins, nor palsy in his striking arm.
وَكُلِّ مُنجَرِدٍ في سَرجِهِ أَسَدٌ
في كَفِّهِ خِذمٌ في حَدِّهِ الأَجَلُ
And on every sleek steed sits a lion in the saddle,
Holding a sharp blade whose edge carries the decree of death.
وَكُلِّ راعِفَةٍ بِالمَوتِ هادِرَةٍ
كَأَنَّها الشاعِرُ المَطبوعُ يَرتَجِلُ
And every cannon spewing death, roaring loud,
Like a gifted poet pouring forth improvisation.
سَوداءَ تَقذِفُ مِن فوهاتِها حِمَماً
هِيَ الصَواعِقُ إِلّا أَنَّها شُعَلُ
Black machines hurling magma from their mouths;
They are thunderbolts, yet made of flame.
لا تَحفَظَ الدِرعُ مِنها جِسمَ لابِسِها
وَلا يُنَجّي الحُصونَ الصَخرُ وَالرَملُ
No armor protects the wearer's body from them,
Nor do rock and sand save the fortresses.
فَالبيضُ تَأخُذُ مِنهُم كَيفَما اِنفَتَلَت
وَالذُعرُ يُمعِنُ فيهِم كَيفَما اِنفَتَلوا
The white blades claim them whichever way they turn,
And terror ravages them wherever they twist.
وَكُلَّما وَصَلوا ما اِنبَتَّ باغَتَهُم
لَيثٌ يُقَطِّعُ بِالفَصّالِ ما وَصَلوا
Whenever they mended a breach in their lines, they were surprised
By a lion severing with his blade what they had joined.
فَأَسلَموا أَرضَروماً لا طَواعِيَةً
لَو كانَ في وُسعِهِم إِمساكَها بَخِلوا
So they surrendered Erzurum, not out of obedience,
Had they the power to hold it, they would not have yielded.
كَم حَوَّطوها وَكَم شادوا الحُصونَ بِها
حَتّى طَلَعتَ فَلا حِصنٌ وَلا رُجلُ
How they fortified it, and raised citadels within it!
Until you appeared—and then neither fort nor man remained.
وَفَرَّ قائِدُهُم لَما عَرَضتَ لَهُ
كَما يَفِرُّ أَمامَ القَشعَمِ الحَجَلُ
Their commander fled when you confronted him,
As a partridge flees before the mighty eagle.
وَمَن يَشُكُّ بِأَنَّ الوَعلَ مُنهَزِمٌ
إِذا اِلتَقى الأَسَدُ الضِرغامُ وَالوَعِلُ
For who doubts the mountain goat will be vanquished
When the ferocious lion and the goat collide?
لَم يَقصُرِ الرُمحُ عَن إِدراكِ مُهجَتِهِ
لَكِن حِمى صَدرَهُ وَقعَ الظُبى الكَفَلُ
The spear did not fail to reach his very soul,
But his retreating back shielded his chest from the blades.
تَعَلَّمَ الرَكضَ حَتّى لَيسَ تَلحَقُهُ
هوجُ الرِياحِ وَلا خَيلٌ وَلا إِبِلُ
He mastered the art of flight so well that he is caught
Neither by wild winds, nor horses, nor camels.
يَخالُ مِن رُعبِهِ الأَطوادَ راكِضَةً
مَعهُ وَما رَكَضَت قُدّامُهُ القُلَلُ
In his terror, he imagines the mountains are running
Beside him, though the peaks have not moved.
وَيَحسَبُ الأَرضَ قَد مادَت مَناكِبُها
كَذاكَ يَمسَخُ عَينَ الخائِفِ الوَجَلُ
He deems the earth's very shoulders have shaken;
Thus does panic distort the vision of the coward.
وَباتَ أَنوَرَ في يَلديزَ مُختَبِئً
لِأُمِّهِ وَأَبيهِ الثُكُلُ وَالهَبَلُ
And Enver spent the night hiding in Yildiz Palace,
May his mother and father suffer bereavement and loss!
يَطيرُ إِن صَرَّتِ الأَبوابُ طائِرُهُ
وَيَصرَخُ الغَوثَ إِمّا وَسوَسَ القُفُلُ
His wits fly away if a door merely creaks,
And he screams for help if a lock but whispers.
في جَفنِهِ أَرَقٌ في نَفسِهِ فَرَقٌ
في جِسمِهِ سَقَمٌ في عَقلِهِ دَخَلُ
Insomnia plagues his eyes; terror grips his soul;
Sickness racks his body; madness infects his mind.
في وَجهِهِ صُفرَةٌ حارَ الطَبيبُ بِها
ما يَصنَعُ الطُبُّ فيمَن دائُهُ الخَبَلُ
A pallor upon his face that baffles the physician—
What cure has medicine for one sick with dread?
لَم يَبقَ فيهِ دَمٌ كَيما يُجَمِّعَهُ
في وَجهِهِ عِندَ ذِكرِ الخَيبَةِ الخَجَلُ
No blood remains in him to be summoned
To his face by shame when his failure is mentioned.
يَطوفُ في القَصرَ لا يَلوي عَلى أَحَدٍ
كَأَنَهُ ناسِكٌ في القَفرِ مُعتَزِلُ
He wanders the palace, turning to no one,
Like a hermit isolated in a wasteland.
لا بَهجَةُ المُلكِ تُنسيهِ هَواجِسَهُ
وَلا تُرَوِّحُ عَنهُ الأَعيُنُ النُجُلُ
The splendor of power cannot erase his obsessions,
Nor do the wide eyes of beauties bring him comfort.
يَزيدُ وَحشَتَهُ إِعراضُ عُوَّدِهِ
وَيَنكَءُ الجُرحَ في أَحشائِهِ العَذَلُ
His isolation grows as visitors turn away,
And blame tears open the wound in his gut.
إِذا تَمَثَّلَ جَيشَ التُركِ مُندَحِراً
ضاقَت بِهِ مِثلَما ضاقَت بِذا الحِيَلُ
When he pictures the Turkish army in rout,
The world closes in on him, as all stratagems failed them.
يا كاشِفَ الضُرِّ عَمَّن طالَ صَبرُهُمُ
عَلى النَوائِبِ لا مَرَّت بِكَ العِلَلُ
O you who lifted the harm from those who suffered long,
Bearing calamities—may illness never visit you.
أَطلَقتَهُم مِن قُيودِ الظُلمِ فَاِنطَلَقوا
وَكُلُّهُم أَلسُنٌ تَدعو وَتَبتَهِلُ
You released them from the chains of tyranny, and they rose,
Every one of them a tongue offering prayer and praise.
لَو كانَ يَنشُرُ مَيتاً غَيرُ بارِإِهِ
نَشَرتَ بَعدَ الرَدى أَرواحَ مَن قُتِلوا
If any but the Creator could resurrect the dead,
You would have restored the souls of the slain after death.
بَغى عَلَيهِم عُلوجُ التُركِ بَغيَهُمُ
لَم يَشحَذوا لِلوَغى سَيفاً وَلا صَقَلوا
The Turkish barbarians transgressed against them cruelly;
People who had neither sharpened nor polished a sword for war.
خانُحُمُ وَأَذاعوا أَنَّهُم نَفَرٌ
خانوا البِلادَ بِما قالوا وَما عَمِلوا
They betrayed them, then proclaimed that they were a people
Who had betrayed the land by word and deed.
يا لِلطَغامِ وَيا بُهتانَ ما زَعَموا
مَتى أَساءَ إِلى ذي المِخلَبِ الحَمَلُ
O what scoundrels! O the enormity of their lie!
When has the lamb ever harmed the beast of prey?
هَبوا الرِجالَ لِأَمرٍ أَحَدَثوا حَدَثاً
فَما الَّذي جَنَتِ العَذراءُ الطِفلُ
Suppose the men had indeed caused some unrest—
What crime was committed by the virgin and the child?
أَجَدُّكُم كُلَّما جَوٌّ خَلا أَسَدٌ
وَجَدُّكُم كُلَّما شَبَّت وَغى ثُعَلُ
Is your bravery only that of a lion when the coast is clear,
Yet you are foxes whenever the fires of war are lit?
قَد جاءَ مَن يَمنَعُ الضَعفى وَيُرغِمُكُم
إِن تَحمِلوا عَنهُمُ النيرَ الَّذي حَمَلوا
One has come to defend the weak and compel you,
To bear the heavy yoke that they once bore.
أَمَّنتَ أَرمينيا مِمّا تُحاذِرُهُ
فَلَن تَعيثَ بِها الأَوغادُ وَالسَفَلُ
You have secured Armenia from what it dreads;
No longer shall scoundrels and lowlifes wreak havoc there.
ظَنّوكَ في شُغُلٍ حَتّى دَهِمتَهُمُ
فَأَصبَحوا وَلَهُم عَن ظَنِّهِم شُغُلُ
They thought you preoccupied, until you descended upon them;
Now they have a distraction far greater than their assumptions.
مَزَّقتَ جَمعَهُمُ تَمزيقَ مُقتَدِرٍ
عَلى المُهَنَّدِ بَعدَ اللَهِ يَتَّكِلُ
You tore their ranks apart with the hand of power,
Relying, after God, upon the Indian sword.
فَهُم شَراذِمُ حَيرى لا نِظامَ لَها
كَأَنَّهُم نَوَرُ الآفاقِ أَو هَمَلُ
They are confused remnants, devoid of order,
Like wandering gypsies or stray cattle.
أَلبَستَهُم ثَوبَ عارٍ لا تُطَهِّرُهُ
نارُ الجَحيمِ وَلَو في حَرِّها اِغتَسَلوا
You clothed them in a robe of shame that cannot be cleansed
By the fires of Hell, even were they to bathe in its heat.
جاويدُ فَوقَ فِراشِ الذُلِّ مُضطَجِعٌ
وَتَلعَتٌ بِرِداءِ الخَوفِ مُشتَمِلُ
Javid lies prostrate on the bed of humiliation,
And Talaat is wrapped in the cloak of fear.
أَتَستَقِرُّ جُنوبٌ في مَضاجِعِها
وَفي مَضاجِعِها الأَرزاءُ وَالغِيَلُ
Can their sides find rest in their beds,
When calamities and dooms lie in those very beds?
وَتَعرِفُ الأَمنَ أَرواحٌ تُرَوِّعُها
ثَلاثَةٌ أَنتَ وَالنيرانُ وَالأَسَلُ
Can souls know safety when they are terrified
By a trinity: you, the fire, and the spear?
لَو لَم تُقاتِلُهُم بِالجَيشِ قاتَلَهُم
جَيشٌ بِغَيرِ سِلاحٍ إِسمُهُ الوَهَلُ
Had you not fought them with your army,
An unarmed army called "Terror" would have slain them.
أَجرَيتَ خَوفَ المَنايا في عُروقِهُمُ
فَلَن يَعيشَ لَهُم نَسلٌ إِذا نَسَلوا
You infused the fear of death into their veins;
So no offspring shall survive them, even if they breed.
قَد ماتَ اهلُهُمُ مِن قَبلَ ميتَتِهِ
وَشاخَ ناشِءُهُم مِن قَبلِ يَكتَهِلُ
Their elders have died before their time,
And their youth have aged before reaching manhood.
وَقَد ظَفِرتَ بِهِم وَالرَأسُ مُشتَعِلٌ
كَما ظَفِرتَ بِهِم وَالعُمرُ مُقتَبِلُ
You triumphed over them while your head is white with age,
Just as you triumphed over them in the prime of your youth.
فَتحٌ تَهَلَّلَتِ الدُنيا بِهِ فَرَحاً
فَكُلُّ رَبعِ خَلا أَستانَةَ جَذِلُ
A conquest at which the world rejoiced in jubilation;
Every quarter of the earth, save Istanbul, is jubilant.
الشَعبُ مُبتَهِجٌ وَالعَرشُ مُغتَبِطٌ
وَروحُ جَدِّكَ في الفِردَوسِ تَحتَفِلُ
The people are delighted, the Throne is exultant,
And your grandfather's soul celebrates in Paradise.
